The Gray's

2nd Grade End of Year Program

2012-01-24T08:10:00.004-07:00

Austins program this year was Proud to be an American. He worked so hard to learn all the songs and the actions. They told the kids that if anyone in their family was military they could invite them. After the first song, they invited current and past military up and they sang a song to them. It was so cute! Austin invited his Uncle Ben to his program so he got to sing to him. They sang the national anthem, God Bless America, Yankee Doodle, My Country Tis' of Thee, and several more. They also did a slide show of all the kids ancestors during a couple of the songs. After the program Austin got to go back to his classroom and get cookies and punch, and of course take a picture with his teacher.

Austin's Baptism

2012-01-21T17:05:00.003-07:00

On April 30, 2011 Austin was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I can't believe I am old enough to have a child baptized! Austin had so much support from family, friends, and ward members.
Lindsey, Austin's aunt, played the piano for us, and his Grandma Carpenter led the music. His grandfathers both gave talks about baptism and the gift of the holy ghost, and his Grandma Gray gave one of the prayers. Austin listened to everything that was said and gave answers when he was asked.
Sometimes when you least expect it something comes completely out of the blue. Here is a little backs story:
Last Christmas we did a white elephant exchange with Travis' family. I was the lucky winner of adult size batman underwear, yay!
So, the bishop was talking to Austin about being a member of the church and what an honor it was. Austin decided this was the perfect time to tell the Bishop and EVERYONE in the primary room that his mom had batman underwear. I was so embarrassed! I was bright red and couldn't say a thing. It's a very good thing that our bishop is a good friend of our because if not we may have been called in to answer a few question.
After Austin was baptized and confirmed we all went to eat at Golden Corral. Austin loves this place because he can eat as much as he wants and it's all free. . . haha

Easter Egg Hunts 2011

2011-11-10T11:31:00.004-07:00

This was Keira's first year being able to hunt in the city egg hunt. It was so much fun watching her!! She decided before the horn went off that she wanted a purple egg. She went and picked up several eggs but if they were not purple she just put them back down and kept looking. She did end up getting one egg . . . and it was purple :). The boys ran right out to the middle and picked up as many eggs as they could. I love this picture of Keira looking at Austin's basket. I can just see her thought bubble . ~Oh, that's what you're supposed to do!~ Sunday morning before church our kids got to see what the Easter Bunny hid for them. This time, with a little help from dad, Keira got more than one egg.

A Very Harry Birthday

2011-11-01T09:24:00.004-06:00

Austin decided he wanted a Harry Potter birthday this year. I started my research early and got a lot of great ideas. I made his invitations look like a Hogwarts letter. We told the kids that they were invited to Hogwarts for special midterm classes for Austin's birthday.
Travis and I were different professors and the kids had to go to classes. They started out in the Great Hall and got their instructions and were sorted into their houses. This was my favorite part because the kids couldn't figure out how the hat was talking to them. I made the hat myself out of brown felt and then I hid a cell phone underneath it. Travis started out upstairs and when they walked up to the hat he would start talking. He then would put them in a house. As soon as everyone was sorted I grabbed the phone and put it away. The kids kept coming up to the hat and asking it things and even checked underneath. But, I told them the hat only comes to life during the sorting. So, after the sorting they had to go to Potions with Prof. Snape, Divination with Prof. Trelawny, Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, and Transfiguration with Prof. McGonagall. After attending each class and earning (or losing) house points we had the end of term feast. We had butterbeer (cream soda), licorice wands, bertie botts every flavor beans, cockroach clusters (chocolate covered peanuts), acid pops (s0ur candies), lemon drops, and everyone got a cauldron cake (a chocolate cupcake with icing, hot fudge, and caramel) everyone had to cast a spell on their cauldron cake before eating it and then they popped and fizzed in their mouth (poprocks sprinkled on top of each cake). Austin had a blast opening presents and getting a lot of Harry Potter themed items.

Girls in Bikinis, Boys doin' the Twist

2011-05-02T20:40:00.005-06:00

Travis and I decided to take a vacation and not take the kiddos. We kept going back and forth on what we were going to do and where we were going to go. We decided to go to Catalina Island and break up our trip in Vegas and Long Beach. I had a store meeting Saturday night so Travis came and picked me up and we made our way down to St. George. We got there about 2 am and crashed at Trav's boss' condo. We were up again by 8 am and made our way to Cali. We stayed in Long Beach Sunday night ready to take the ferry over to Catalina Monday morning. We got to the port and the winds were too high to go out. They told us to come back later in the afternoon and see if it had calmed down any. We had a few hours to spare so we decided to go to LA. We went t0 Hollywood Blvd and looked up a few stars. Audrey Hepburn is one of my all time favorite actresses and Travis was nice enough to help me hunt down her star. I don't know what I would do without internet on our phones. We wanted to get some pictures of the Hollywood sign so we typed it in to google and then used navigation to get there. We took this winding road for what seemed like forever and finally we saw the sign. We met a bunch of kids from Utah state and we took their pictures and they took ours.
After taking pictures we made our way back to Long Beach. We ate at this great place called Rock Bottom Brewery. They probably thought we were weird when we didn't order any drinks, the food was great though. We also went through all the little shops on the pier. I loved the hat shop! They also had great pizza at this little pizzeria where they made everything from scratch on site. I think California is big on that in general. Everywhere we went it seemed like everything was made on site.
We also took a few pictures on the beach. The wind was so cold we didn't last very long. The sand felt good between my toes though, I loved it. We checked back at the port and nothing was going out the rest of the day so we decided we better find somewhere to stay for the night. We saw the Queen Mary from our hotel the night before and thought it would be fun to stay there. We pretty much got our room and crashed. I get motion sick and so I had taken Dramamine an hour before we were supposed to get on the ferry. It said it was the non-drowsy kind but it still knocked me out. We got up early on Tuesday to grab something to eat and look around the ship.
This is one of the hallways down by our room. In the room they have plaques that tell you what items are original pieces to the Queen Mary. These are just some pictures from the ship. The phone booth is actually to place reservations for the restaurant on board.

This was a shot Travis took from the Queen Mary, California is beautiful! We made our way to the port again and they said we were good to go. YAY!! Finally we were on our way to Catalina. We went and checked into our hotel and decided to walk around for awhile. We walked through some of the shops and then walked through some of the town. It was so beautiful! Everything is laid back and when they don't have cruise ships there the town shuts down at 6 pm. It reminded me of Germany. This is the first vacation that I can remember that I came home and didn't feel like I needed a vacation after my vacation. We walked up to Lover's Cove and the golf course. We walked on the beach, ate ice cream, and took a nap every day. We were also able to see these little guys. We saw seals and dolphins and Travis drooled over all the fish.

We left Catalina early Thursday morning and made our way to Vegas. We hit the outlet mall before grabbing a bite to eat at Cafe Rio. BYU basketball had a game earlier that day so there was a ton of blue and Jimmer shirts. We stayed at Bally's which was a first for us. When we went to check in they upgraded our room to a suit. It was so nice! We got a king size bed, a huge tv, and a hot tub in the middle of the room. We walked the strip and did once more did some shopping. On the way down to California Travis got sunglasses, shorts, a new hat, and new shirts. I got a pair of sunglasses. So, on the way home I got a new work shirt and two new pair of jeans at Lucky. I love coming home to my kiddos, they make you feel so loved. Keira ran out to me and gave me the biggest squeeze. The boys ran out and said, " What did you bring us?"

Progress on the Basement

2011-05-02T20:07:00.003-06:00

Do you know what happens when you work on something for TWO YEARS? I do, you say to heck with it and finally hire someone to come in and do the work you don't want to do. We got a guy to come in and finish sanding and texture on our basement. He got everything finished up in one day and we got to start painting. We painted the family room and the computer room in the tan color, it's also the same color as our living room and dining area.
We went with this really pretty aqua color for our bathroom and it's going to look great when I get everything put together. We found a black coffee colored vanity that makes the color stand out that much more. Word to the wise don't pick out a paint color after midnight and expect to like it in the morning. I went to pick up more ceiling paint and Travis said that if I wanted to paint the playroom I needed to get the paint right then. I thought that a pale green would make the boys happy but we could add a little girl to it as well. I got home and Travis started painting. It was a complete shock! I didn't expect the color to be that bright. The boys love the color and it is growing on me, I'm sure I will like it more when we have door on and it isn't screaming at me in the family room.

Kangaroo Zoo 2011

2011-05-02T17:04:00.003-06:00

My in laws take the kids to Kangaroo Zoo for Valentine's Day every year. This year we decided to go the Saturday before, so the kids had enough time to play and we didn't have to worry about school. On Friday one of Krissi's daycare kids came in the cutest tie-dye heart shirt. So, Carol decided to make them for all of the grandkids. They turned out so cute and it was so easy to spot one of our kids. We tried taking Keira on a couple of the larger slides but she wanted nothing to do with them. Finally, I grabbed her and climbed up and went down with her. She was ok once we got down but she fought me the entire way up that ladder. The boys had fun running around with their cousins and sliding and jumping on everything they could.

Carpet NO MORE!!

2011-05-02T16:48:00.002-06:00

For a very long time I wanted to get rid of the carpet in the front room of our house. It was old, gross, and I hated it. Travis kept saying that we would have to finish the basement first. I don't know what changed his mind but it changed and we put in wood floor laminate. Friday night we ripped out everything we could without waking up our kids and finally went to bed about 1 am on Saturday morning. We got up about 7 and finished up what we couldn't do the night before. When Cory got to our house we were pulling nails out of the floor. By the way, that part sucks! After we had a smooth floor we laid down the thin foam paper stuff and started laying out the laminate. I was actually surprised how fast it went down.
It took longer when you had to go around vents or into closets but we got the living room and dining area done in one day. We did the kitchen the next weekend. With new paint and new floor the upstairs is going to look just as new as the downstairs. I just need to get my baseboards back up!

Alex's Birthday Party

2011-05-02T16:25:00.005-06:00

Alex decided he wanted a Mario Brothers birthday party this year. Well, at first, he wanted a Luigi party but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find enough of just Luigi so he graciously consented to a Mario and Luigi party. We had his party the Saturday before his birthday. We had games set up for all the kids we had Yoshi egg races (with a fair amount of cheating) and then I made Travis be Mario and the kids got to be the fire shooting plants and try and hit Travis with a ball. I also had blocks and question marks through out the room and when it came time, the kids all ran around and tried to get the most points. I found a website that sold little question mark boxed and star power boxes so that's what the prizes were. We also had our Wii set up for the kids to play Mario Brothers. Alex got to choose the ice cream and he chose play-dough. I had never had it before but it was brightly colored and fit in well with the Mario land we were creating. After having tried the ice cream I don't think I'll be buying that kind again. Alex wasn't really a fan of it either. The cupcakes were super cute though. I made red and green frosting and then topped them off with a few white chocolate chips that were upside down. They looked like "bigs" and "1 ups". On his actual birthday he got to open presents from us and then we took Keira to my parents house and took the boys to Trafalga in Lehi. We played mini golf and went Laser Tagging twice. They also climbed the wall, went on all the rides, and had ice cream. We picked up Keira and on the way home both of the boys fell asleep in the car. I love when we tucker them out!

Christmas 2010

2011-04-20T14:37:00.005-06:00

Like everyone else the holidays are super busy for us. We are so lucky to have our families so close so we can see them on Christmas . . . and all the other days. Both of our families have traditions over Christmas so that makes Christmas Eve through the day after Christmas a marathon event. I work Christmas Eve and I've been lucky enough to work the morning the last few years. As soon as work is done I meet Travis and the kids at his mom's Christmas party. This party is a huge deal to our kids. They have lots of cousins to play with, have great food, Santa Claus comes, and we go on a caroling hay ride through Main Street in Lehi. As soon as that party ends we head over to my parents house to watch a movie. We used to go to a theater but with all the little ones it's just easier right now to veg in my parents theater room. After the movie ends my dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible and then we head home. We let the kids open their Christmas Eve presents and then send them off to bed. We are usually up by 6am on Christmas morning so that our kids can see what Santa brought them and open their presents before we head out to our families. We've been going over to my parents house pretty early the last couple of years so that we can talk to Kevin, my brother serving a mission in Peru. This year Trav's parents came out to our house so it let us relax at home a little longer. The next day it's off to work again completely exhausted and ready for a vacation!

Christmas Programs

2011-04-08T15:13:00.005-06:00

We had a lot of fun at the Christmas Programs this year. Keira and I went Austin's because his was during the middle of the day. He did a great job singing all his songs and doing all the actions. I love watching all the kids get up because for at least the first song they are trying to find their parents.

Alex did his Christmas program on a Friday night. I am helping Krissi with Preschool this year so it was a family affair. We had made reindeer headbands and each of the kids had a red clown nose. I don't know if they'll do that again, it looked cute but the noses kept falling off or the kids would play with them. I guess that's to be expected with 3 and 4 year olds. All of the preschoolers looked so cute and festive. The last song they sang was Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Near the end of the song Santa Claus came out. After the program ended we had treats and the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. Austin already knew what he was going to ask for, he had it planned for weeks. Alex had to think for a minute, and Keira wanted nothing to do with it.

Every time I see this picture I laugh out loud. It's priceless!

Vegas Baby

2011-04-08T09:34:00.003-06:00

The first part of December we went to Vegas for the NFR (National Finals Rodeo). My in-laws rented a vacation home so that everyone could stay together. We had a lot of fun shopping, shopping, oh and more shopping. Travis was such a good sport! He can't complain though, he came home with a whole new wardrobe. We went to two different outlet malls and I got my newI guess that's what happens when you start loosing weigh. We went to Fremont St. while we were there as well as Gold and Silver Pawn. If you've ever seen Pawn Starts that's the pawn shop they film in. It was really fun to walk around, but it was so crowded. We had a lot of fun at the rodeo and ate yummy nachos. That is one of my favorite parts of rodeos; burger and nachos. Travis knew a lot of people who were competing but I can't remember their names. . . . so I have no idea who this picture is of but he got trampled. Don't worry, he's ok :).

Halloween

2011-03-03T21:38:00.004-07:00

I think the boys changed their minds about 5 times each before they decided what they wanted to be this year. First they wanted to do peter pan then wizard of oz. I told them they didn't have to match so that helped make their minds up.

Austin went as Harry Potter, he was so excited! We bought him a Gryffindor robe, a wand, and Harry Potter glasses. His favorite part though was dying his hair black, or spraying it rather. He told me we HAD to change his hair color because everyone would think he was Ron, not Harry.

Alex went as Superman and this came as a total surprise to me. I didn't even know he liked Superman that much. If any of you have listened to Jerry Seinfeld he does a bit on Halloween. He talks about how his costumes looked more like his superheros pajamas rather than the real costume. This is what I thought of Alex's costume, but he absolutely loved it.
Keira went as a flapper!! I wanted to find something that you wouldn't see on every other girl. I searched the internet for weeks before I decided her costume. She looked so cute. She had sequins on the top with a printed necklace that was knotted and of course the fringe on the bottom. It also came with the cute headband and we added the cute little boa.
We had Grandma Gray's Halloween party a couple days before Halloween . Her theme was Redneck and it was so much fun. We had to throw ping pong balls through a toilet seat and then play beer pong (sans beer). The kids got to eat doughnuts hanging from a stick and this year we had a huge marshmallow fight. My mother-in-law made marshmallow guns and the fight was all over the house and outside. The adults may have had more fun than the kids. We also did Trunk-or-Treat Halloween night before Travis took the boys out around other parts of the neighborhood. Keira and I stayed home and answered the door. The boys were already planning what they were going to be next year. I have a feeling that we will be matching, Austin is so set on it.

Fishing in September

2011-02-23T07:39:00.003-07:00

Travis loves to go fishing and in the last year or so he's gotten into it a lot more. We go with friends and family a lot. This was one of our last fishing trips of the year, well for me and the kids anyway. Travis likes to go to new places to fish but one of our favorites is American Fork Canyon. We went up in the afternoon and Travis got the boys' poles set up and in the water. He is great at making sure they are ready first. After the boys are set he gets his own stuff ready. On this particular fishing trip Austin wasn't too into fishing. He found a little peninsula full of mud and decided he need to go there. He didn't think the water was too deep but I made him roll his pants up to his thighs anyway. He made it over there fine. He had fun making mud pies and squishing his toes around. When it was time to leave he started coming back over. He was cold and wanted to get out of the water so he tried to run the rest of the way.
He didn't make it. He was a little more than half way across when he fell and got soaked. I took him to the car and made him take off all his wet muddy clothes and he had to wear Trav's sweatshirt on the way home. I guess that's what you get when you have little boys. I usually have clothes in the back of my car. I've found you never know when someone will need something, and they've come in handy several times.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-02-22T08:00:00.006-07:00

This year was a little different for us. Usually over Labor Day we are in Wyoming having a grand ol' time at the Carpenter Family Reunion. This year we had too much going on to go up. Krissi and Brady were blessing their little girl and Travis couldn't get enough time off of work. We started a new tradition last year, with the Gray's, to spend Labor Day at Lagoon. This has been a hit both years so I think we'll be doing this for a long time. My kids love it even when we are coming straight down from the mountain. This year, we were well rested and ready to have some fun. The kids ran from one ride to another as fast as we would let them. The first thing they wanted to do though was the bumper cars.
Why is that so fun for kids? We had lunch in the park and then went on some more rides. We took Keira on her first roller coaster ride. It was the little dragon one. She was not very fond of it. The picture isn't the greatest but she was shaking, crying, and well not very happy. Before we left we had to go on the tubes and the boys wanted to ride the log ride. It was not very warm this year so we skipped Lagoona Beach all together. These, of course, the kids couldn't miss. After a long but fun day at the park we went to Firehouse Pizza. I think this has become a tradition as well. We got there and had to wait forever to be seated and then our food took forever. They didn't have enough people their to help everyone. Last year they were a little slow too. I know people love this place, but so far I haven't been impressed. Maybe I should try it some time other than Labor day. The kids were so exhausted they fell asleep on the way home. Mom and Dad enjoyed some much needed quiet after a long day.

Austin's First Day of 2nd Grade

2011-02-22T07:36:00.002-07:00

Austin was so excited for 2nd grade. He couldn't wait to find out who his teacher was. I had to work on Back to School night so Travis took the kids over to the school so Austin could meet his teacher. I can't believe next year we have Austin and Alex in school! He came home and told me all about it. He already loved his teacher. We did some school shopping and he got to choose the first day of school clothes. No surprise he went with his bikes and motorcycle shirt. It's still one of his favorites. His classroom is right down the hall from his 1st grade teacher and he can't pass her without giving her a hug. Austin is excited to learn more about science and math. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

Tim McGraw

2011-02-17T10:41:00.002-07:00

I think of myself as pretty lucky. Not just because of my amazing hubby and kids but really lucky. Somehow I've won a trip to Hawaii, a car, camera, several concert tickets, movie tickets, ect. Well, this time Travis was the lucky one. He won tickets to Tim McGraw! We got a sitter for the night and went on a date. We were rushing to get their but when we did we found a pretty good spot on the grass and settled in. We thought we were in a pretty good spot when he finally came out we couldn't even see him. Travis decided he was going to see if he could get any closer. He came back a little while later and said we could stand right behind the chairs and take pictures as long as we didn't stay too long. So, we left our blanket and went down a little farther. They wouldn't let us bring in our large lens so this was the best we could get. We had such a great night out and Travis definitely enjoyed dressing up all cowboy.

Our Second try at Grandkid pictures

2011-02-17T10:25:00.003-07:00

Our second try went much better than our first. All the kids were really happy and had fun playing at the park. They were great even when we kept saying, "we just need a few more". These are just some of the group pics and of my family. My sisters have their kids photos and for some reason I didn't save them. After going all over the park and taking tons of pictures the kids were rewarded with capri suns and then lunch at arctic circle. The perfect way to end a busy morning, at least that's what they thought.

More grandkid pictures

2011-02-17T10:16:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from our second try at getting all the grandkids

24th of July

2011-02-17T08:07:00.003-07:00

Trav's family went to Bryson's cabin for the 24th. We've been there a few times and I really like it. It's nice to just kick back and not have to do anything. Travis went fishing a lot over the weekend and only caught a little tiny fish. It was so little I didn't even see it in his hand. One day we went down to Provo River falls and let the kids play in the water. The water was not that warm so the kids would go in and out. Austin decided he was going to try and get to the other side like his older cousins and about half way across he lost one of his flip flops. Travis tried to grab it before it went over the waterfall, he just wasn't fast enough. Austin was so upset that we even looked for it on the other side, we never found it though. I'm really glad I packed more than one pair of shoes for him or he would have been shoeless for the rest of the time. On the way home Travis informed me he wanted to live in Kamas. I told him that was fine but I wouldn't work and I wouldn't drive at all during the winter. I think that made him reconsider a little.

First try at Grandkid pictures

2011-02-14T14:13:00.003-07:00

My mom had taken all the grandkids to photogenix in Orem to get their pictures taken. She has taken them at least 3 times and has never been satisfied. She took them in all their summer clothes and only had one good picture and they of course wanted to charge a fortune for their packages. She bought one picture for everyone and then decided we would try and take our own of the kids. We went to Discovery park in Lindon and had all the kids dressed up again. Keira cried the entire way to the park and was just being fussy. This is not like her at all! Any of you that know her know she is a pretty happy little girl. We got to the park and my mom took my camera and started taking individuals of the kids while I calmed down Keira. We didn't get very far though because Keira turned white as a sheet and started throwing up. That put an end to the picture taking pretty fast. We took her home and decided we would try another day. . . .

2011-02-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

In July we went down to Jami's and she took our family pictures. I absolutely LOVE her. She is able to capture my kids in a way that shows off their personality. She asked us what we liked to do and then planned the shoot around that. We told her we loved fishing, hiking, camping, and pretty much anything we can do outdoors. I love how we look like we are on top of the world. It was overcast and rained on us a little but they pictures turned out great. If anyone needs a photographer look her up at www.jbroadbentphoto.com. She really is amazing! Here are just a few of the ones that I love

More family pictures July 2010

2011-02-11T08:24:00.005-07:00

More Pictures of our family photo shoot in July

Keira's 1 year pictures

2011-02-09T08:34:00.004-07:00

This is my very favorite picture. Her eyes just grab you. I love all the little fat rolls you can see too. Since she started walking, she's lost some of that.

We did family pictures with Jami Broadbent (jbroadbentphoto.com) and she took Keira's 1 year pictures at the same time. She is great at capturing my children just perfectly! These were just a few of my favorites of the princess. Enjoy!
I loved this picture because she looks like she's turning her nose up at us. I love this vintage coke stand and the picture turned out great

This was the second to last shot that Jami took. Keira had had enough smiling and pictures for the day and I pulled her in for a kiss and hug. I love that she caught this moment between us.

The Princess turns ONE!

2011-02-09T00:12:00.003-07:00

I had so much fun planning my little girls birthday party. I went with a butterflies and dragonflies theme. Her invitations were my favorite ones so far. I took mason jars and mod podged yellow paper around it and had dragonfly and butterfly cutouts around it. I placed tea lights in the bottom and then attached the info on a card with a ribbon. My mom saved me and had enough jars that I didn't have to buy any. Then Travis scratched off all the paper and glue that didn't come off when we soaked them. What a great hubby I have, even though he thinks I make way too big a deal of parties he always helps me out when I'm in a bind. Boys are all about Trucks, video games, and transformers. With Keira I get to let my girly side shine :). We had a BBQ at my in-laws and the kids got to play outside. I didn't plan a lot of activities because Keira wasn't old enough to really do anything. She had a lot of fun opening presents. Baby dolls, tea sets, fancy Nancy books, and cute little girl clothes and accessories. After all the fun of trying to get Keira to rip paper we watched her make a mess of her cupcake. After Alex's 1st birthday I decided that they would never get a whole cake again. . . way to big of a mess. Here is to many more girly birthdays to come.

Waterfalls and Birthdays

2011-02-08T23:42:00.003-07:00

We had Memorial Day weekend off and so for my birthday we hiked to Stewart falls. We had so much fun and the boys did so well. They hiked the entire way and most of the time they wanted to be right in front. We did have to take a few little rests just so the boys could eat their treats and have a drink. I think that was the best part for them. I carried Keira the whole way up to the falls and then part of the way back. The falls were beautiful even with the monkey in the pic. The best part of the day for me were the pictures I got of Travis carrying Keira. PRICELESS!!

1st Grade Sports day and Preschool Graduation

2011-02-08T13:14:00.003-07:00

Austin's sports day and Alex's preschool graduation fell on the same day. I was helping my sister in law set up for the graduation so when the 1st graders made it to Nolan park I just snuck out for a few minutes to see Austin in action. They had lots of stations and the kids had a blast. Alex's 3 year old preschool graduation was Hawaiian themed. The kids looked so cute in their little grass skirts and holding their fire sticks. Alex was very proud to show off his certificate.

Austin's 7th Birthday

2011-02-08T12:39:00.003-07:00

This was the first time I didn't have a "theme" as Travis says. He doesn't think parties need that much planning. . . Anyone who knows me, know how much I love to plan my kids' birthday parties. So, it turned into an outdoor/transformer birthday. They played several games the first one they had to carry a water balloon across the finish line. They had to put it between their knees and couldn't touch it. It was hilarious to watch! It wasn't as warm as it could of been but the kids had a lot of fun outside playing. After playing games Austin got to open his presents. He was spoiled by his family and had a lot of fun. All the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes. We had a few different icings and tons of sprinkles.

Mother's Day

2010-06-15T09:06:00.002-06:00

Mother's Day was so much fun. Travis woke up and made breakfast for me. The boys came up to our room about 10 times telling me I couldn't come down yet. Then they started bringing me presents. Cards they had made, reeses peanut butter cups (my fav) and a card from Travis. After breakfast Travis offered to teach my class that day. I teach the sunbeam class with another lady in my ward and it was my turn to teach. Travis looked over the lesson and said he would go ahead and teach. So, when we got to church I told the other teacher she could go to Sunday School and Relief Society and I'd stay with my hubby. It was so funny to watch him try and teach the lesson with 4 and 5 year olds telling him every few seconds they were hungry, or needed to go to the bathroom, or they needed a drink. He did good though, he got through the lesson before class ended and even made cookies for the kids as a treat. Right after church we went and visited families. First to Trav's parents house and then to mine. I love and hate holidays, it so much fun to see everyone but it's such a busy hectic day. After visiting with Trav's family we went over to my parents house and got to talk to Kevin. He got to talk for a really long time, it was great! I can't believe we get to talk to him in another 6 months. This year is just flying by. So, for Mother's Day, Travis gave me money to go and get my hair done. I called Kathryn as soon as I could and made an appointment. It had been a year since I'd done anything with my hair. It need some TLC in a bad way. It looks amazing now, I love when I cut it short and it takes me half the time to get ready!!!

Our spring break staycation

2010-05-25T08:51:00.003-06:00

This year for spring break Travis took some time off and we played around here. We went and saw how to train your dragon with Aprille, Joe, and Marcus. The boys had so much fun and they all looked so cute sitting together with their 3-D glasses on. I guess I didn't get that pic because I couldn't find it on my camera. We took the kids swimming at the legacy center. Austin and Alex love swimming there. They have a playground right in the middle of the pool and every few minutes a huge bucket above the playground falls over and dumps water on everyone. This was Keira's first time swimming in a pool and she had a blast. She loves bath times so we weren't too worried. We took her to the baby pool and she sat and splashed forever. We even let her go down the slide a few times. We had a BBQ and grandma and grandpa Gray's in their firepit. The boys got to roast marshmallows and hotdogs. The boys were really looking forward to going to the zoo. I was just glad it wasn't freezing. You never know what kind of weather you're going to get in Utah in April ( or May for that matter). Alex loved the elephants, Austin loved the penguins and the reptile house. He actually took the picture in the reptile house while I waited outside. I wasn't squeamish or anything, Keira had fallen asleep in the stroller and there were no strollers allowed in the reptile house. Oh well, I'll have to catch that one next time. Keira loved watching the monkeys. Oh, and I can't forget the train ride. We waited for like 40 min. just to ride the dang thing. Keira missed out again because she was sleeping but the boys had lots of fun. Austin thought he was so cool sitting at the very front all by himself. After the train ride we took the kids to the playground there at the zoo and let them run around. It was a fun day and they all fell asleep on the way home. Mission accomplished! Well, that in a nutshell was our spring break adventures.

Spring Break at the Zoo

2010-05-25T08:22:00.004-06:00

Some pictures from our zoo trip. This is Keira while we were lunching. She looks a little mad at us, to be fair I did feed her first then ate. I guess our food looked a little more appealing.
The boys loved watching the giraffes. There were a few that were right at the fence line and so they got to watch them eat. Alex thought it was funny that they had long black tongues.
My little trouble makers hamming it up for the camera.
THE BABY ELEPHANT!!! I didn't think we were ever going to leave the elephant encounter, the boys were mesmerized. They loved watching the baby run around it's mom and play "hide and seek" at least that's what they thought she was doing.

Spring Break photos

2010-05-25T08:00:00.003-06:00

As you can see we had a lot of fun at the park. Keira enjoyed going down the slide and watching the boys run around and play.

Austin decided to master the monkey bars
Alex did too, with a little help. At the very bottom of the picture you can see my head. I was holding him while he went across. Daddy decided to show everyone up and do a cherry drop. I'm impressed he could still do it.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-26T18:30:00.003-06:00

We had a great Easter Weekend. Before Saturday morning conference we went to the Eagle Mountain Easter Egg Hunt and then between conferences we went to Grandma Gray's house for a BBQ and another Easter Egg hunt. We dyed eggs Saturday and the boys (and I) had so much fun. I love dying eggs. We showed the boys how to make designs on their eggs and then when we dyed them their design showed up. The Easter Bunny came to our house Saturday night and wanted to hide our eggs. I told him he should wait and come back the next day but he didn't listen to me. So, when our kids woke up their eggs were under over an inch of snow. It finally melted and we took them outside. I think Keira liked this egg hunting thing. She didn't let go of her basket and wanted to hold every egg she could get her hands on. We then watched the last session of Conference and then headed over to my mom's for Easter Dinner. It was delicious!! Ham, salads, rolls, potatoes, all the good stuff. After dinner we had one last hunt at Grandma Carpenters. I think my kids got a little spoiled!!! It was a great weekend and we got to spend a lot of it with family which made it even better.

Austin's First Grade Program

2010-04-14T09:41:00.003-06:00

Austin had his program at the end of March. I can not believe how many people were there to watch the first graders. It was crazy!! Their theme was dances around the world and Austin's class did the Virgina Reel. He did such a good job, I was so proud of him. At one point he lost his hat and instead of turning around and going to get it, he just kept dancing and got it when he went around again. Here are a few pictures of our cute little cowboy!

Bowling Rewards

2010-03-12T11:04:00.006-07:00

First grade has been a learning experience for us. Reading, writing, and math homework every week and then the spelling words. Austin goes back and forth on his spelling words. He'll do great one week and then the next not so good. Well the last week in Feb. he came home with a note from his teacher saying that he was greatly improving in his reading in front of the class and he'd gotten 100% on his spelling and DOL from the week before. Austin couldn't wait for Travis to get home so he could tell his dad his good news. Travis was so proud of Austin! He told him we would go bowling the next day as a reward for his good work in school. So, we met Travis in Lehi and went to the new jack and jill's in Lehi. The boys had so much fun bowling. Austin and Alex both got a strike (with the bumpers) and they had fun watching the ball come back from the ball return. They thought it was cool that the bumpers popped up when it was their turn.

After bowling we went and got pizza for dinner. That whole week I would here Austin start singing to himself whenever he was washing his hands, making his bed, or playing in the toy room. He would sing over and over again, "my daddy is so proud of me". It was so cute!!

Valentines Day and almost Cali trips

2010-02-22T18:13:00.004-07:00

We started the day off at Kangaroo Zoo. This is a Gray family tradition, one that the boys love. We got there about 10:30 and they played until 12. The boys had so much fun running around and going down the slides with their cousins. Keira just sat on my lap happy and content. Travis is the Men's Stake Athletic director and had games all morning so he didn't get to come with us this year. After all the bouncing at Kangaroo Zoo we headed home. We grabbed some lunch and I started getting ready for my date with Travis. We got my cousing Lexi to watch the kids for us while we went to dinner and a movie. When Travis got home from picking up Lex he had a HUGE bouquet of flowers for me. They are beautiful!!!! I found out later that my mom put the bouquet together. She does an awesome job! So we left the kids and went to dinner at Spaghetti Mama's. It's one of our favorite places to eat. Breadsticks, salad, pasta, and ice cream. We don't go there very often but when we do holy cow can we say CARBS! I made an early reservation so it was nice to sit and enjoy dinner and not have to worry about rushing through to get to the movie on time. We went and saw Valentines Day :D. I picked the movie, this is not something Travis would pick . . . ever. He said he liked it though. It was a cute movie. While we were at dinner Travis mentioned he might have to go to California early the next week and I said it was too bad he couldn't leave Sunday night because Austin didn't have school Monday and we might be able to work out me going too. That's all that was said pretty much until Travis called me Monday mid morning and asked how fast I could get packed and find someone to take the kids. I was to his mom's house by 2 (I was pretty impressed with myself). We didn't leave until almost 4 though. We just went to St. George that night and then we were waiting for Trav's brother Tuesday. While we were waiting I convinced Travis that we should look around the outlets. I have to say, he did pretty well. We waited until about 3 again and then decided to get back on the road. We made it to primm when our trip came to a halt. Trav's trailer was too long and he couldn't get the permits he needed to go into Cali. So he talked with some people and then dropped the equipment in Primm and we headed back. We made it to Cedar City before we pulled over and then came the rest of the way home Wednesday. It was a long trip but it was fun to spend time together. I'm glad we have such a great family that helps us out short notice like that.

Alex's 4th birthday party

2010-02-22T09:22:00.003-07:00

Alex loves Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear. He told me after Austin's birthday last year that he was going to have a buzz lightyear party for his birthday. My kids change their minds a hundred times before deciding what they actually want. So I was surprised that this stuck. And with the 3rd Toy Story movie coming out this year and Buzz Lightyear being so popular you would be able to find party supplies for a Buzz birthday. Nope! You have to order everything online. I have done this before but didn't have time to do order this time. So we made due with what we had. When the kids got to the party they got to choose a name. I had written down all the well known characters from the movies and they chose one to be for the day. They got to color pictures, until everyone got there, of Buzz Lightyear and Zurg. Then we split everyone into two groups and they had to go on a scavenger hunt. We had placed toy story toys, stickers and pictures around the room and the team who collected the most won! It was madness as kids took off in all directions. Then they got to have relay races on Buzz Lightyears' shoes. The last game we played was a version of pin the tale on the donkey. The kids took their name badges that they got when they came in and had to pin it on buzz. With lots of candy and prizes all over we decided to have cupcakes and ice cream while Alex opened presents. I was going to make a cake for Alex but the figurines I needed sold out. Let's just say this birthday wasn't up to my normal par :(. Alex had fun though and that's what matters. So with all the cake drama I just gave in and did cupcakes. We put army men, woody, and buzz lightyear on the cupcakes that were purple and green. Alex loved opening presents and got a lot of fun stuff. Then we gave everyone their goody bags and sent them on their way. The thing I look forward to most after Alex's birthday, being when it is, is Miss America. We run around, play games, eat too much cake and ice cream, keep kids happy while the birthday boy opens presents and then when they leave I go home fall on the couch and relax. And I can't think of a better way to do it. I'm sure Travis can but he did watch it with me this year. He said it was only for the swimsuits . . . but he watched all of it. Love ya babe!!

Alex's Birthday

2010-02-22T08:23:00.002-07:00

We always take our kids out for dinner on their birthday. It's usually to Chuck E. Cheese but we decided to try out Pirate Island Pizza. The boys loved it. They are very into pirates right now and they had a blast. We let Alex open his presents on his birthday from our family. His favorite present by far was his camera. He takes that thing everywhere. He can take pictures with it, add a border or make a picture look funny. He can also play games on it as well. After eating and opening presents we went to the arcade and played some games. They got enough tickets to go and get a prize. And Austin being the great big brother that he is :) let Alex choose something with the tickets. Alex got what he wanted and told Austin to choose something. *sigh* I love it when my boys get along like that. It just makes my heart happy.

Temple Square trip

2010-02-22T08:12:00.002-07:00

So, when you have two cameras it's best to download pictures of them at the same time or you forget one. That is exactly what happened. Travis got me a little cannon powershot for Christmas so I didn't have to take our nice camera everywhere. I love our Rebel, but I can't just throw it in my handbag and think it's "safe". I've been downloading pictures from my little cannon but not the rebel so when I hooked it up to the computer I found. . . lots of pics from around Christmas. This was our trip to temple square. The boys had lots of fun looking at the lights and the temple. Keira even liked it for awhile, well until she got hungry :). We had her bundled up so tight and warm she was sweating when we got her to the car. I don't know what's better because we were all freezing. I wouldn't trade it for anything though.

Just to keep the spirit alive!!

2010-02-22T07:56:00.003-07:00

No, I am not talking about the Olympics. I love them and watch them every chance I get but that's not what this post is about. I just realized that I never posted pics from the BYU vs Utah game. The game was so exciting and when I came across the pictures I couldn't help myself. I had to post them. Have I mentioned before, I LOVE my camera!!! Oh and this picture is not just of a couple of random guys. Well, I guess one of them is a random guy. The guy in the gray jacket is Bryan Kehl. He played for BYU and was drafted by the New York Giants. Love him!!

Oh and this is Austin with all his loot after the game. T-shirts, towels, lanyards, mugs, footballs, tatoos. . . I think that he won everything you could down there. Even a few shirts for mom :)

It's AMAZING

2010-01-26T13:07:00.003-07:00

It's finally happened. I didn't think this day would come. . . . My little Keira has finally rolled over!!!!!!! We tried and tried but that fat chubby belly of hers kept getting in the way. Yesterday I guess she was tired of being left out or sick of looking at the couch cushions, whatever it was she rolled over. Now we just have to work on her sitting up by herself. Once again that little tummy of hers is holding her back :). I love my little princess and just wanted to share her little milestone. It was a long time coming.

Mom's birthday

2010-01-22T09:22:00.003-07:00

My mom's birthday was on the 10th. My dad made dinner and invited all of us over to spend the day with them. A birthday wouldn't be complete without some ice cream and my little boys were the first in line. Don't they look like little ice cream monsters!! This was also the day Keira tried ice cream for the first time. She loved it!! Travis couldn't feed her fast enough. This is not going to help my little chunker at all. She sure is cute though. And with all the pictures I took that day I didn't get one of my mom. Sorry mom!

Sledding fun

2010-01-21T20:53:00.004-07:00

Travis and I were lucky enough to have a couple of days off together between Christmas and New Years. We made plans with his family to go sledding. We just went to the amphitheater by our house but the kids loved it. Austin discovered not to long after we got there that he could jump off his sled when he was almost to the bottom and got a lot of attention from people. I think the first time he hit and bump and went flying but after that he tried to get off his sled. Boys are so funny. Alex was a little different in his approach. He would get about half way up and just get on his sled and ride down. In the same place where everyone was walking. He said he was just too tired to make it all the way up. When he was done sledding he found a playground and he andKelsey got on the swings and went down the slides.
After all the sledding and playground fun grandma and grandpa had donuts and hot chocolate for everyone. Even Keira had fun all bundled up watching everyone sled down the hill.

Christmas . . . just a little late

2010-01-21T12:41:00.005-07:00

Christmas is always a busy time for us. With all our family so close we feel like we are running around like crazy people(we pretty much are but . . . we love it). Christmas Eve started off with the Gray family Christmas party. We exchanged gifts and did a white elephant. I think we were all pretty safe this year. I'm a little worried about next year though. The kids had fun sledding in the fields and playing in the snow. After that ended we went up to my parents house for our traditional Christmas Eve movie. We used to go to a theater but with all the little kids it's been easier the last few years to have movie night in my dad's theater room. We watched the old 30 min. How the Grinch stole Christmas and then watched Alex's favorite movie. The Polar Express. The boys were so funny dancing around with the songs. I think we told them a hundred times to sit on their bums so everyone could see. All of my grandparents spent Christmas at my parents house so we had a full house. After the movie my dad read from the bible about Christ's birth and then we loaded up in the car and headed home. We let the boys open their Christmas pj's and sent them to bed. Christmas morning we had to WAKE UP OUR KIDS!!! I thought they'd be up early this year . . . but nope they were sleeping soundly. We even tried stomping around upstairs to see if that would wake them up. I think it woke up Keira. . . but it didn't even phase the boys. After we got them up we opened presents from each other. And the kids got to see what they got from santa. Alex has been asking for hungry, hungry hippo for a long time and I think that was the first thing he saw. The boys both got scooters as well. Austin's is a razor and Alex got a buzz lightyear one. He's starting to switch from mickey to buzz. Austin got dinosaur, transformers, and hot wheels stuff. Our little Keria bug got some new clothes and some toys to get those chubby legs of hers moving. So far she's just figured out to grab whatever is under the toys to bring it to her. We were hoping she would go to the toys. . . oh well. After they'd opened all their presents we had to point out that there was something over by Keira's stocking that she might need help with. Alex saw super mario brothers for the wii and he literally started yelling (for joy). We had to start packing stuff up and getting it into the car so they couldn't play yet. They were very very disappointed. We had to get to my parents house by 8:30 though because Kevin was calling. It was really fun to listen to Kevin and hear how well he's doing in Peru. I know he is a great missionary. After the phone call we went to Trav's parents house to have breakfast and exchange presents. The boys were really excited to get their nerf machine guns which they shoot across the hall at each other. We spent the morning at their house and then went back to my parents house for lunch. We had lunch and exchanged gifts there as well. The kids got spoiled as usual. The boys were really excited to get new blankets from grandma and the new armchairs that are perfect for watching movies and playing wii. Late afternoon we finally made it back to our house and the boys FINALLY got to play with their toys. They had fun playing wii, transformers, hungry hungry hippo . . . and everything else. Super Mario brothers was a hit and not just with the boys. We got addicted too. It's a lot of fun. We had a great Christmas and here's to a great new year!

Christmas pics

2010-01-21T12:17:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T15:12:00.002-07:00

Holidays are always fun because we usually get to see both sides of our family. Travis started the morning out by playing in the Turkey Bowl at the church, while I went through the Black Friday ads. We started our Thanksgiving at my parents house. Everyone was there but Kevin. It was a lot of fun and good food. My Grandma and Grandpa Carpenter also had Thanksgiving with us. It's fun to have my grandparents around we always find out interesting things about them. So on Thanksgiving we found out that on one of the dates that my grandparents went on before they were married my grandma dumped her soda on my grandpa's head!! Austin then chimed in saying that, that was why Grandpa Great (I know it's reversed it's just what we say) didn't have any hair. Dinner was amazing with all the fixings you could want. I have to say that my raspberry cream pie was pretty much a hit. Thank you Lion House Pantry!! We finished up at my parents house and then it was off to Trav's parents, where we spent the rest of the day. We had some good pie, watched some football, and planned our Black Friday attack. We then came home and played a little guitar hero and went to bed. I had the alarm set for 12:30 am to get in line at Old Navy but when it went off I was dead tired and didn't know if I could get my shopping done and get home in time for Travis to make it to work. So . . . I went back to bed. All that planning for nothing! We have one thing for Keira and that is it. We need to do some major shopping. We have a list made, we just haven't had time to go out and get it. Now that Thanksgiving is past I can officially listen to Christmas music without Travis throwing a fit.
Here comes Santa Claus. . . . .

Church and FHE

2009-11-17T15:19:00.002-07:00

Two weeks ago Travis and Austin went to Sacrament meeting without the rest of us. Keira and Alex were sick so Travis and I did the trade off thing. He and Austin went to Sacrament meeting then came home and Austin and I went to Primary. Well, it was fast Sunday and Travis asked Austin if he wanted to share his testimony. Austin looked at Travis and said "yes, but mom didn't give it to me." It was so cute, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We decided though that the kids should start giving the lesson and sharing their testimonies during family home evening. Monday was Austin's turn for the lesson. He kept telling me that he knew what he was going to talk about. He didn't need any help. I finally convinced him to tell me his lesson just in case it wasn't long enough. He then told me the story of the three little pigs.
I told him he did a very good job but what lesson do we learn, or how could we make it more spiritual. He then told me that the big bad wolf is like satan and he tries to trick us, or gets us to make bad choices. Then I asked him about the brother that made his house out of bricks. He said that brother made a good choice and kept his family safe. He said the brother was like Heavenly Father and Jesus they help us make good choices, keep our families safe, and they scare the wolf away with a big pot of boiling water. He did such a good job for FHE and Alex listened the whole time and wants to do the lesson next week. I love my kids so much!! They learn so fast and bring so much joy into our lives.

Halloween

2009-11-11T15:16:00.004-07:00

We had a very busy Halloween this year. The Monday before Halloween was Grandma Gray's party. The kids had to wrap Krissi and Heidi up like a mummy with toilet paper (the hit of the evening) and they had a doughnut eating contest. We hung them with string and looped them over a long rod and the kids had to kneel down with their hands behind their back and try and eat it all. It was hilarious!! Then we went trick-or-treating at the legacy center on Friday. We played games, watched the magic show and of course got candy. Saturday we started out at Grandma Carpenter's house. We went over there at 10:30 so the grandparents could see all the kids in their costumes. We got home and took a short nap then it was off to the ward trunk-or-treat. We came home for awhile and then took the kids out. We had a Batman, Buzz Lightyear, and Tinkerbell. I made Keira's costume with the help of my mom. She helped me form and sew the wings. I dyed the onsie, spray painted the wings and added sparkle, and made the tutu. I see many more tutus in Keira's future. They are so cute and fun to make. Oh Travis was a hunter ( a stretch I know) and I was Mulan as the kids said. My dad brought me that Komono from Japan. The kids had so much fun and got way too much candy. Alex was dragging his bucket on the way home because it was way to heavy. There is a family in our ward who does cookies and hot chocolate every year. So, that was our last stop before heading home. Something warm to put in their tummies. They came home looked through their loot and made Travis promise not to steal it (or eat it). Then off to bed they went. They are already talking about what they want to be next year. I'm sure it will change a hundred times between now and then though.

The Deer Hunt 2009

2009-11-11T10:50:00.003-07:00

Travis was able to get Thursday, Friday, and Saturday off for the deer hunt this year. So up west canyon we went trailer in tow for our last camping trip of the year. The weather was so nice compared to years before. So the kids were able to play outside a lot. The bishop and his two girls came up Thursday and drove around with us trying to find a deer. Then the bishop came up Friday as well. He must be luck and I say luck because I'm not sure whether it's good or bad luck. Travis saw a buck and shot it. When he got up to it he found out it was a two by nothing! It only had one antler. He's probably going to kill me when he finds out that I posted about his "kill" like this, but he never reads my blog. . . so I'm probably safe :D. To save face, he says he was getting rid of the bad genes in that area. I think that's all that's there. His brother shot a three by none and a one by none the two years before. Aren't these supposed to be non-typical? I can't complain though, he got his deer the third day of the hunt and now we'll have jerky. It was a great camping trip with friends and family. It was a little weird not to be in oak grove but the kids had fun. They climbed up the hill, played in the trees, and got very VERY dirty. I guess it's not a camping trip unless the kids get dirty.

The MTC

2009-11-11T10:24:00.003-07:00

My father in-law is in a branch presidency at the MTC. They go every Sunday and Tuesday and then sometimes Wed to meet the new missionaries. Because of this I got to have a very unique experience. The last Sunday that Kevin was in the Provo MTC my mother in-law got home from Hawaii and was so tired she needed a helper to get her to her meetings. The boys were sick so Travis stayed home with them and Keira and I went. We went and ate lunch and while we were eating Kevin walked in right by our table. He was so surprised!!!! My mother in-law and another sister missionary had to stop him from hugging me. He kept saying, "It's my sister, I can hug my sister". They had to explain to him that even though they knew it was ok everyone else didn't know I was his sister. They aren't even shaking hands because of H1N1. So we rocked it :). His companion is the one next to him on the left and these are some of the missionaries in branch. He went and grabbed his lunch and then came and sat down and had lunch with us. It was amazing to see how much he had already changed. I couldn't believe it. He said he had been playing Volleyball everyday because the only time he got to play was at the CFR. He asked how everyone was doing and I gave him the run down. I even tried calling my mom and dad but they were in a farewell for a relative in Wyoming. I wasn't trying to rub it in or anything. I just said I had run into someone at the MTC they might know. Before he left for his meetings he gave me a list of things he wanted before leaving for Peru. We finished our lunch and Carol was showing me around. We had Elders and Sisters coming up to us to see Keira. She was the hit of the day. One of the sisters thanked me for bringing a baby in, and one of the Elders got a little choked up because he had just left a little sister at home. It was so cute. The MTC was amazing, there are so many people there, and the spirit is so strong. It will be something I never forget.

Carving Pumpkins

2009-11-11T09:01:00.003-07:00

Travis' parents grew pumpkins this year and each grandchild got to pick their own. The boys loved this!! They went out and marked their pumpkins before they were ripe so everyone would know who they belonged to. When they were ready we took them to our house and carved them out. Austin got right into it. He used his hands and pulled out all the seeds and guts, he thought it was cool. Alex, on the other hand, thought it was disgusting and told us so several times. He put his hand in one time and then immediately went and washed his hands. He did help Travis tape his pattern on. They didn't do much carving but they did oversee the whole thing. Then when we were finished it was picture time. They had to have a picture by their pumpkin before we put it outside. Keira's pumpkin is the ghost one. We had so much fun, I love Halloween.

The Colors of Fall

2009-11-11T07:31:00.005-07:00

Conference weekend we decided to go for a drive with Travis' parents. It was still a little cold and rainy but the colors were beautiful. We went up the canyon and ended up at Sundance. It was my second time in two days. The night before I went on the moonlight ski lift ride with some friends. It was dark though and we couldn't see anything. I'm glad we made it back up there. I love the fall colors. Nature and Conference is a good combination. After our ride we went to our traditional conference Sunday dinner.We had good food, good company and a good overview of the talks given. A great weekend, all in all.

A NEW JOB!!!

2009-11-10T20:57:00.002-07:00

On Oct. 6th I started my new job. I had a little falling out with Macy's and contacted an old manager I used to work for. I am friends with him on facebook and thought I would ask if he was hiring, and he was. I turned in my 2 weeks at Macy's on the 22nd of September and started at Deseret Book on Oct. 6th. I love my job!!! Travis says I come home so much happier, and I'd have to agree. It's such a different atmosphere, they care about their employees and their customers. I even won my first store contest with my group my first month. I am working at the DB on University Parkway next to the distribution center. I guess I'm trading in shoes and handbags for books and art. I'm ok with that though, I LOVE reading. I just finished The Undaunted by Gerald Lund. I wish it wasn't just one book, I wanted it to continue. I had never heard of the hole in the rock expedition and really enjoyed the history in the story. At the end of every chapter Lund tells you what is true history and what was fictional. Well now that this has turned into a book review. . . all I have to say is the next time you're in Orem, come see me!

Elder Carpenter going into the MTC

2009-11-10T20:43:00.004-07:00

Of course the day that Kevin went into the MTC it was freezing. We thought we'd be funny with our brothers and sisters picture and have everyone wearing hats. I hope that Kevin is learning Spanish quickly. I can't believe I have a brother on a mission. That's still so weird to say. He's supposed to be my little brother, still in grades school, putting together knex, and watching Jungle book and 101 Dalmatians. When did everyone grow up! I miss him, but I know he's having the time of his life. I couldn't resist putting up the picture of him sticking his tongue out, it's just so Kevin. Good Luck Elder Carpenter!!

Family Pictures

2009-11-10T20:11:00.004-07:00

Before Kevin left on his mission we got the fam together for some pictures. This was really interesting!! With 5 little ones I think it's impossible to get everyone looking at the camera and smiling. Melanie took the pictures for us and Sean tried to get the kids attention. I think he's gonna need some more practice before he has kids. He finally found a game that Cambria liked, it was throw the pinecone up in the air. It made her happy though, and I guess that's what counts. We got tons of pictures, but these were the best. This is also my favorite picture of Kevin.

Carpenter Family Reunion

2009-10-25T15:35:00.004-06:00

So I am once again playing catch up. I've had all these pics on my computer forever but our internet kept going in and out and finally we just canceled it and went through someone else. Well, when the new company got here they couldn't get a signal so we were still without internet. Linz and Bryson recommended a company they used and TADA we have internet. It's so nice to get on and not have to wait forever for it to pull up a page. Or whenever the winds blowing not be able to get on at all. So now I have to catch up on the last couple months. The Carpenter Family Reunion (CFR) was so much fun. Travis was there this year which made it so much better. Last year he was pig hunting in Texas. We got up there Friday night and set up our trailer. Saturday morning we went and watched all the 5K and half marathon runners. The auction was on Saturday afternoon and I made this super cute witch hat. I am not a crafty person so this was a big deal for me. We also worked on a craft while up there. It's these really cute picture blocks. But. . . . I haven't finished mine yet. I'll post a pic when it's done :). Saturday was also the big BYU vs. Oklahoma game. BYU was picked to loose. Travis worked all day trying to set up a satellite so we could watch the game in our trailer. It started pouring rain and still he was out in it trying to get a signal. It was all for nothing though, the stupid thing never worked. So like every other year we listened to the first game of the season in Trav's truck. The game was amazing!!! BYU won, it was incredible. We did end up watching it after we got home. But it was still fun to listen in the car. That night the played The Price is Right we got to see the final showcase after the BYU game was over. Sunday we got up early and went to my grandparents house to shower then go to 9 am Sacrament meeting. 25 people showered and bathed at my grandparents house before church, I am still amazed that we do it every year. And we usually add one or two each year now that we're all getting married and having kids. After church we had a big lunch and then went to the old homestead for some family pics. This is just a few of. I have a lot more on my facebook page. My mom has some too, I haven't seen them yet though. After the fun of family pics we went back to camp. Then we had the sawdust dig. The kids (little and big) are excited for this every year. I love the CFR. We play games, talk with family, and eat good food. People can't believe how close my family is. Sunday night we got the trailer packed up as much as we could and tried to get the boys to bed early. Monday morning we got up and hit the road. We met Trav's family at Lagoon. We were there all day. We had so much fun. We went to Lagoona Beach and even though it was a little cold, we still had fun. We didn't think that Keira would have much fun though, so she stayed with Aunt Lissa and Grandma. I like some roller coasters but some. . . you have to do some major talking into for me. Well, that's what Travis had to do for wicked. He got me on, and it was fun. I'm just glad it was so fast I didn't know what was going on. We went on a few rides like that. I think the wild mouse scared Trav the most. That's one that doesn't scare me :). After all the fun at Lagoona Beach we went to Firehouse Pizza. It was delicious!! All in all, a very good Labor day weekend.

CFR 5K and half marathon

2009-10-25T10:32:00.002-06:00

These are the 5K runners.
Leslie took 1st place. She didn't push the stroller all the way. Her hubby is behind her. She just pushed it a little ways. This was the first race she won. YAY LESLIE!!!!!
Dana took 2nd place.
This year at the reunion they decided to have a half marathon and 5k race. Brenda and Kalvin (my aunt and uncle) helped set everything up. We had a lot of people participate and even more cheering on. We started yelling and cheering everyone on as soon as we could see them. It was a lot of fun and everyone got a medal. I think we will be seeing this race from now on every year.

CFR Half Marathon pictures

2009-10-25T10:15:00.003-06:00

My Uncle Kalvin came in 3rd. That is Marcus, my cousins little boy, running beside him. He ran down the road so he could run the last little ways with him.
My Uncle Mark took 4th place. I think I could put him under the crazy category with my grandpa. He doesn't train for any of the marathons he runs. He just tries to push through them.
Pam came in 5th, and once again a pink shirt. I think that when I do this next year I will have to have a pink shirt.
Travis loves the "action" setting on our camera. This is my brother, Kevin, crossing the finish line.
Isn't she just the essence of cool :) Hair done, pink shirt, and sunglasses. Did you even break a sweat Brenda??

CFR half marathon

2009-10-25T10:05:00.003-06:00

Melanie coming over the finish line.

Austin finishing his "half marathon and my crazy grandpa riding a bike in COWBOY BOOTS!!

Check out Rikki's shoes!!! LOVE THEM.
Cindy walked the whole way in 3 hours. Finishing an hour faster than she thought she would

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-21T20:25:00.003-06:00

It came, Alex's first day of preschool. He was soooo excited!!! He woke up that morning when Austin did (6:45) and asked me every five minutes if it was time to leave yet. Preschool didn't start until 9:30, I was glad he was excited though. It makes things so much easier. I thought he was going to explode when I asked him to sit on the bench outside Miss Krissi's so I could get a picture. You can almost seeing him bouncing in the picture. He just wanted to go in and start learning. He comes home every Tuesday and Thursday singing the letter song they learned that day. It is so weird to just have Keira for two hours. I can't believe how quiet it is. I should clean my house or something of that nature, but usually I go workout or read. My little boy is growing up.

Travis' Birthday

2009-09-21T19:48:00.003-06:00

So I am playing a bit of catch up here. Trav's birthday was on Aug. 28th. I wanted to do something fun that he would enjoy. So, we got some friends and family together and went fishing up AF canyon. It wasn't a great night to catch fish, but it was fun to get together with friends. Jeff and Jamie have 4 kids, Nick and Steph have 3, and our 3. When I met everyone Jeff and Jamie were the only ones married, and they just had Jax. It's kind of funny how things turn out. Travis' friends all married the girls they were dating when I met them. I must be lucky :D lol. Anyways. . . we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and the kids had tons of fun feeding the ducks. I think they threw every piece of left over hotdog buns to the ducks. They also had fun playing on the rocks. Right next to where we were fishing there were these huge rocks all pushed together. It was "nature's little playground". I also learned it doesn't matter how young or old little boys are

they always manage to play in the mud. Fisher is only 3 months old!! I think he might have had a little help with this one. We had a great time catching up with everyone especially because we all just had babies, well except for Jason of course. We missed Kimball and Bonnie and Ryan and his wife. It was a fun night though, I hope Trav enjoyed it.

Work

2009-09-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my first day back to work. I started out my day waking up Austin and getting him ready for school. It was crazy hair day so we put his hair in a ton of tiny ponytails. After sending him off I got breakfast for Alex and I and started getting ready for work. Packing the diaperbag was interesting. I kept remembering things that I should put in, although I'm not as bad as Lissa :). I swear she packs EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink. So bag packed and we were on our way. I dropped Alex and Keira off at Krissi's and after lots of hugs and kisses I finally left for work. It was really nice to be back. I love working in shoes and I had a lot of fun getting back into the swing of things, I even made my sales goal. Everything was going great until Travis called. He wanted to know where the Mylicon drops were and Keira was screaming in the background. It just made my heart hurt. If any of you saw my facebook updates . . . well they explained it all. Travis' mom called and said she had cried for hours at her house and then she cried two hour with Trav, I felt horrible. Travis was just finishing up her feeding when I got home. I took her and talked to her while I was getting her jammies on. She cooed and awed and even giggled for the first time. It made me feel loved. Then like a good little girl she turned over and went to sleep until 6:45 this morning. Hopefully the worst is behind us! I am going to the CFR (Carpenter Family Reunion) so I don't work until next Wednesday. That's definitely the way I like to ease back into work. Go to work for one day and then go on vacation for a week :D

Austin's all grown up

2009-08-25T07:55:00.003-06:00

Today is the fourth day of school and I finally let Austin walk without me. He walks with three other boys in our ward. The oldest is in sixth grade and the other two are in first with him. He has wanted to walk by himself since the first day, today I finally gave in. He is so independent now! He wants to do everything on his own. School starts in three minutes and I just keep thinking I hope he's there. He had to give me a hug and kiss before I let him leave and he told me I could meet him at the cross-walk after school today if I wanted to. Tomorrow though, he wants to walk to and from school with just his friends. I know, that with him walking, it will make things easier for me. But I am a mom, and it's hard to let go. Alex starts school on Thursday. He is so excited for preschool. I really think he's just excited to finally be able to go downstairs at Krissi's. It's so fun to watch them learn new things but at the same time, I just want them to stay little.

New Moon

2009-08-24T11:02:00.002-06:00

So as many of you know, I am a huge fan of the Twilight saga. I can't wait for new moon to come out this November. I think Jacob looks much better with short hair. ENJOY!!

Austin's first day of school

2009-08-21T11:05:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that school has started again. I feel like we just started summer!! We have had a very busy and exciting week. Last Friday we got to go over to the school and find out who Austin's teacher was. Her name is miss Southard. Then on Wednesday it was back to school night and we got to meet her. She had a little scavenger hunt for the kids so they could get familiar with the classroom. Alex kept trying to follow Austin around, it was so cute. Austin kept telling him that this wasn't his school, he had to go to Krissi's. It's so weird to have him gone all day long. I keep looking at the clock. Yesterday he gave me a card he made in class that made me a little teary-eyed. The front the card has his hand cut out on yellow construction paper with a chocolate kiss "in the palm of his hand". The inside was a little poem. "Whenever you feel lonely and need a little love from me, just press your hand to your cheek and think Austin loves me and this very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts." -The Kissing Hand by Audrey Wood So after his first day of school, he had his first soccer game. He had so much fun and his team did really, really well. Austin even got to play goalie for part of the game. Austin loves school, his teacher, playing soccer, and is coach (daddy). It was a pretty good first couple of days of school. Alex starts preschool next week with Krissi. I can't believe that two days a week I will only have Keira in the morning. What am I going to do with myself?

More pics of Keira

2009-08-21T10:58:00.003-06:00

Sorry I just couldn't decide which ones to post. This isn't even a fourth of them :)

Keira's Pictures

2009-08-21T10:39:00.003-06:00

Tuesday I went to Jami's house and she took pics of Keira. I have to say I had too much fun playing dress up and accessorizing. Jami is amazing and I can't believe how well everything turned out. We were there for a few hours and the boys did really well while we were taking pictures. Once again this isn't the finished pics, I just couldn't wait to get them posted.

Family Pictures

2009-08-21T10:03:00.004-06:00

Last week we had family pictures taken by Jami. The boys had a lot of fun, but were a little difficult when it came to getting a good picture. With the entire family there though, there was a lot going on. Each family took individual pictures, then the grandchildren had pictures together, and then we had the entire family together. We had a lot of fun, but I think we all came to the consensus that we will not be doing that for a few more years. Here is just a few. The finished product will come later.

Another Basement Update

2009-08-10T10:58:00.004-06:00

Summer started and the great outdoors (and many other things) have been calling. Our progress on the basement has been really slow. We've started mudding and taping, and hopefully we'll be done soon. It isn't that hard, it just takes a long time. Travis' parents have come out a few nights and helped us out. Trav's dad is great at mudding. Oh and as you can see there is finally proof that I work in the basement. I made Trav go get the camera so I could finally be in a picture. Until next time. . . .

Keira's Blessing Day and our busy weekend

2009-08-10T10:32:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was a busy one. Friday night Travis and I had a soccer coach meeting. Saturday morning we had a baby shower for Teresa, my cousins wife. After the shower I had enough time to pick up Travis and run home and change. My brother, Kevin was going through the temple for the first time. After going through the temple we had dinner at my mom's house. Like I said, a very busy weekend. On Sunday we blessed Keira Michelle Gray. Thank you to all the family and friends who were there to support us. After the blessing we all headed to my in-laws for lunch. We decided to BBQ good ol' hamburgers and hotdogs. Jared manned the grill for us, and everyone complimented him on his great burgers. It was fun to sit in the shade of the big trees and chat with everyone. Keira looked beautiful in her white dress wrapped in the blanket that my great grandma made. I have been saving this blanket for a little girl for years. And of course with my family around we couldn't end the day without taking a hundred pictures :).

2009-08-10T10:17:00.001-06:00

2009-07-12T12:48:00.002-06:00

Just some more pics of Keira and the fam.

She's Here!!!!

2009-07-12T11:58:00.003-06:00

Keira Michelle Gray arrived on July 2, 2009. She was born at 3:10 pm weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 18 inches long. The hospital called us about 10:00 am and asked if we could be there at 11:15. We were already on our way in so we dropped the boys off at Grandma Gray's and headed over. They started inducing at 12:00 and just three short hours later we had a baby girl. I have to say I do prefer 3 hour labor to 11 or 22 hour labor!! We called the fam and Carol brought the boys over. Travis went and got Austin and Alex so they could be the first to see their little sister. They couldn't wait to hold her. After the boys spent some time with us we let the rest of the family in to see her. Then they whisked her away to the nursery for a little bit and she came back with two little bows in her hair and smelling good. That night Travis went and got Cafe Rio for me, it was delicious!!! That night went pretty good. Keira woke up about every three hours to eat and be changed and has continued that at home. Friday we had a few more visitors and just hung out at the hospital. About 2:00 they asked if I wanted to stay another night or if I wanted to go home. I was feeling good, so I said I wanted to go home. They had to do a hearing test and some other things with Keira so we didn't leave the hospital until 8:00. We picked up the boys stopped at Walgreens to pick up my prescription and then came home. Saturday Trav's mom came over and Trav took the boys fishing with his dad. After they came home we all got ready and went to Lindsey's house for a BBQ. We ate and the boys played in the water and we set off fireworks. Sunday still feeling good we decided to go to church. Keira looked so cute in her little dress. The dress fit her but the diaper cover went clear up to her armpits!! I guess only the dress was preemie. My mom bought the dress for her along with a pair of booties and a bracelet. The booties and the bracelet were too big, they fell right off her. Oh well, she still looked super cute. It's so much much fun dressing her up every day. We love having her in our family.

Father's Day

2009-06-22T12:34:00.002-06:00

Our Father's Day started out early. My mom was making breakfast for all the dad's at 9 at her house. So Trav and I got up and got ready for church but just let the boys wear normal clothes. Fruit juice and syrup on their suits didn't sound like much fun. My mom outdid herself. We had french toast, scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and juice. It was delicious!!!!! After breakfast we came back to our house and changed the boys into their Sunday clothes. Austin sang with the Primary and all the dad's got cookies. After church we came and and relaxed for a little while. Travis' mom had a BBQ at her house at 6. Once again we ate way too much food. Then Travis decided to start asking everyone when they thought the baby would come. He got everyone's guesses for the date and the weight. We haven't decided what the prize will be yet, but he said there would be a prize. Travis got his Father's day present early this year. I had been saving up for three months to get a generator for our trailer. Well just before he left for his father and son's campout he realized that the battery was dying. So. . . I gave in and he got his present early. He wanted to go fishing or camping for the weekend but I ended up having to work. I guess we'll just have to make plans after the baby gets here.

Our very short but long hospital stay

2009-06-16T17:34:00.002-06:00

Saturday was Trav's last day of Youth Conference. They went around helping people in our ward clean up their yards. He finished up around 11:30 and didn't have to work and I didn't work until 5 so we decided to work around the house. Travis went downstiars and hung sheetrock and I cleaned the house. I did laundry, cleaned bathrooms, swept and mopped floors, and dusted. About 1:00 I started having contractions. I was keeping track of them but they weren't very strong so I wasn't too worried, a little excited, but not too worried :). About 3:30 they started getting really close together, about 2 to 3 min. apart. So I called in to work and let them know I wouldn't be there for my shift. Of course Jill was super excited and told me to call her as soon as we had news. I still wasn't sure if these were real contractions but they felt stronger and were lasting longer so I called the doctor who was on call for the weekend. I told him what had been going on and he said to go to the hospital and get checked out. You would think after 4 1/2 hours of having contractions I would be ready right away to just grab our bags and head to the hospital. Well, you'd be wrong. I hadn't packed anything!!!! I threw some clothes and stuff in a bag for me and then started packing the diaper bag. I couldn't remember what to even pack, it's been way too long since I've had to pack for a little one. Then we packed pj's and clothes for the boys. We threw everything in the back of my car including the carseat and we were finally on our way. I wanted to have everything just in case so Travis didn't have to come back to the house and try and get everything together himself. We dropped the boys off at Grandma Grays and then went to the hospital. We finally got there at 6:45, and my contractions were still very close together and going strong. They monitered me for an hour and came to see if I had made any progress. At my appointment on Thursday I was 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. When they checked me at the hospital I was at a 3 and still 70%. In that hour that they watched me nothing changed. But they decided to keep me another hour because we lived so far away from the hospital. They didn't want me to get home just to turn right back around. So the nurse came back an hour later and checked again, still nothing. She said the doctor would probably send me home because I was only 36 weeks. Meanwhile the doctor had gone into a c-section. So we waited another hour for him to get out to see what we should do. I was still having contractions 2 to 3 min. apart and they were getting a lot stronger. I have never had any pain with my labors but I was in pain!! Apparently Keira wants to make me suffer :). The doctor finally came in and said he was going to have the nurse check me one more time and then we would go from there. And you guessed it NO CHANGE!!!!! So he said my options were to be admitted and have them watch me over night or go home and sleep in my own bed and if they got any worse come back in. Travis asked what he would do being the doctor, and he said he would probably stay at the hospital. So we said ok we'll do that. He then leaves the room and we don't see anyone for about 20 min. The doctor comes back in and tells me he can also give me a shot to help me sleep and send me home if I wanted to do that. I am really not one for needles so I passed on that one. He leaves and once again we don't see anyone for another 20 to 30 min. Then he comes back in and says we are going to give you an ambian and send you home. I was so frustrated and confused. I've only seen this doctor once and I didn't really hit it off with him. Now, I'm really not impressed. So the nurse came in and gave me my pill and she tells us that they've had like 4 other women come in tonight all in the same situation as me. None of us considered full term and none of us really progressing. 4 hours after we got to the hospital we went home. Of course once we got home I couldn't sleep. My contractions finally stopped around 4:30 am and I was able to fall asleep after that. It was a very long, very tiring Saturday that I don't hope to repeat anytime soon. And the next time I go through that much pain I better have a baby in my arms to make it worth my while :D!!! 23 days and counting

My Work Baby Shower

2009-06-16T16:45:00.003-06:00

Last Friday Jill and Crystal threw me a baby shower. I was getting a little worried because earlier that day I started having contractions. I almost called Jill three times to warn her that I might be going to the hospital, but they eventually stopped and everything went on as planned. After everyone got there we ate. We had those little sandwich wraps, fruit, and drinks. When we had finished eating they broke out the games. The first game was guess mommy's tummy size. Everyone had to take a roll of toilet paper and guess how big around I was. Jill was my favorite, she only took two squares :), but Liz was the winner with 11 squares. I measured 10 squares around my tummy. Then Crystal brought out a bunch of magazines and everyone had to cut out different body parts to make what they thought Keira would look like. This was really funny. I wish I could post all the pictures, but this is the winning one. After games I got to open presents. I got some really cute stuff. I think Dianne wins the prize for most stuff in the smallest bag. I wish I had a picture of everything she had in the little gift bag. She had 3 sets of socks, 2 headbands, 5 onsies, a pair of shorts, and a top!! Donna gets the most interesting prize. She gave me a box with cupcakes all over the outside. When I opened it up there were 12 mini cupcake liners with 12 newborn rolled up socks to look like cupcakes. They are so cute!!!! Crystal made the picture frame. It's a little hard to see but Keira's name is across the top. I also got tons of cute little clothes, blankets, toys, and a flower arrangement for me :). Oh and diapers. Jill and Crystal had a raffle, anyone who brought a package of diapers was entered in it. So I've got tons of diapers now. After gifts we had yummy chocolate cake with strawberry mousse filling. Then we just chatted the rest of the night. I had so much fun having a night with friends. Now Keira just needs to come so we can use all of her cute new presents.

Our first successful fishing trip of the year

2009-06-16T16:11:00.002-06:00

The weekend of my birthday we decided to go fishing with some friends. We decided to head out to Vernon because they had just planted fish there. Of course the entire drive out there it was pouring rain. I don't know what it is but every time we decide to go fishing it's raining. When we get to the spot we want to fish it's beautiful, so I guess we are really lucky. Alex just got his very own fishing pole so we set up our chairs and Travis helped the boys cast out. Travis caught the first fish and the boys were so excited. Alex ended up catching 2 fish!!!! He was so funny, he kept telling me he caught more than daddy and Austin. Austin was getting a little frustrated because he hadn't caught anything yet. But before he left he got one as well. Austin also got his first kiss, yes I said kiss. I knew we were going to have to watch him, I just didn't think it would be so soon. He and Kenya are quite the little mischief makers!! Well, we ended up taking home 4 fish and Travis cooked them up the next day. The boys liked eating the fish they caught, and have become excellent bone spitters. Every mom's dream!!! I'm sure there will be many more fishing adventures this summer. And hopefully they are JUST fishing adventures.

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-29T11:20:00.002-06:00

Today was Austin's last day of Kindergarten and his graduation. They started school at 8:00 am today instead of the usual 9:15. When he got to class he signed autograph books with the other students. It was so much fun watching him go around asking people to sign his book. I think we are going to have trouble with him later on though. He is all about the girls! After they signed books they started the graduation ceremony. Mrs. Benson, his teacher, handed out an award to each child and gave them a candy bar. Austin's award was for being the funniest. He loved to tell the class stories to make them laugh. After all the awards were given out they got to take pictures with their friends and the teacher. Then it was on to the Kindergarten program. The kindergartners sang 5 songs and told us what they had learned that year. I can't believe that he's going to first grade, it just seems so unreal. Austin can't wait to go to first grade but he has assured me that he's excited for summer vacation too.

34 Weeks

2009-05-29T10:49:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I hit 34 weeks, only 6 weeks left until my due date. I had a dr. appointment yesterday too. The last time I went in to see the doctor, they said I was measuring small and they wanted me to go in for an ultrasound. So I went in for the ultrasound first. The tech said that our baby was still a girl (hurray) and that she was just small. She's in the 35th percentile right now and is a little over 4 lbs. She also is no longer breech, very exciting news for me. I thought she had turned but it's always nice to see it on the screen. This little girl is already holding her own. Every time I go into the doctor and he tries to listen to her heartbeat she kicks him. She did the same thing during the ultrasound. She doesn't like being pushed around that's for sure!! And she was being very stubborn and wouldn't show her face, so I only got a pic of her little foot and a pic showing she's still a girl. I was so worried they were going to change my due date, but thankfully I am still due July 9th. The doctor said everything looked good with me and the baby so now we just wait until she gets here. I got to schedule the rest of my appointment until my due date yesterday as well. It seems we are coming down the home stretch, not too much longer before we get to meet our little girl.

Kickoff to Summer

2009-05-29T10:24:00.003-06:00

The Monday before Memorial Day we had a kickoff to summer FHE. Austin got a lot of water toys for his birthday and was dying to try them out. So we asked Grandma Gray if we could have a water party at her house. She said yes, so we invited the cousins to come and play too. We had a triple racer slip 'n slide, water jet guns, and water balloons. The slip 'n slide had blow up boards that you could use to slide down. Austin tried to use it like a skateboard. . . it didn't turn out very well. Alex wouldn't get near the slip 'n slide while anyone else was using it. But of course, after dinner when the camera was put away, he finally slid down it. He was so proud of himself. It was really funny watching the kids try and sneek up on their parents and throw water balloons at them. Kelsey and Alex had to be the funniest. Everytime they went to throw their balloons they didn't pop or they popped on them before they threw them. After the water fun we had a BBQ with the fam. All in all I think it was a great way to bring in the summer. I am sure there will be many more water parties to come.

Mother's Day

2009-05-18T10:58:00.003-06:00

So I am finally getting around to posting about Mother's Day. Saturday after my shower I went home and got the boys and we headed to Grandma Gray's. We had a BBQ with the entire family. We used to have family dinner every Sunday but it's awhile now that Grandma and Grandpa are in a missionary ward at the MTC. We also celebrated my niece, Madison's, birthday. The kids had a lot of fun. When we got home the boys gave me presents. Austin gave me a dozen roses and Alex gave me a hanging plant. They were so excited they couldn't wait until Sunday. Travis scheduled a massage for me Friday night. That was heavan!!! I was able to sleep through the night without waking up once. And I actually felt like I could breathe a little better. Sunday morning my dad and brothers made breakfast for the mom's at their house. We had church at 11:00 so we did breakfast at 9:00. It was an early morning but it was a lot of fun. We had poor man's omelets, bagels with cream cheese, and fresh fruit. I forgot to take pics at my mom's house. I was so mad, I remembered the camera and then didn't get it out. Anyways, after breakfast we raced home to make it to church on time. I teach primary and the primary choirister asked all the sisters teaching primary to sing with the primary in a special song. So Austin and I got to sing in Sacrement Meeting. After church I just got to relax and take it easy. I even got a short nap in, it was great. Travis had another surprise waiting for me when we got home from church. He bought me Twilight and a gift card to Olive Garden. Now we just have to find a time to use it!! It a perfect weekend. I LOVE being a mom!!!!!!!

Baby Shower

2009-05-15T16:05:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday my sister (Lissa) threw me a baby shower. It was great, I loved getting all the girly things for little Keira. I think she will be a very well dressed little girl when she gets here. Oh and thanks to my sister-in-law she even has a swim suit!!! I got lots of cute little blankets, dresses, and outfits. Lissa did a great job with the food and her friend made the cake. This cake was AMAZING!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it. It's one of those things that you feel bad eating because it looks like it took way to long to make. Oh and an update on the diaper bag. Lissa went to go and get it for me and they were sold out of the style that won on the poll. She called and asked if I wanted to order it online and wait for a few weeks for it to get here, or if I wanted the pink one. I'm not a patient person so of course I said get me the pink one. Everything is up in my room just waiting for a home. My hope is to clean out the toyroom closet next week so I can at least hang her clothes in her closet.

A Basement Update

2009-05-11T14:48:00.002-06:00

WE PASSED!!!!! Our second inspection passed. We are now putting up sheetrock. I am so excited! The next time we have an inspection will be when our basement is finished. We are hoping to have everything done by middle of June. Unfortunately because of how our house was built we couldn't get the sheetrock down in one piece, we had to cut it in half :(. We had a lot of help and got it all downstairs though. We have our tub/shower in place and have purchased our toilet and lighting. We still need to get a vanity and sink but the bathroom is coming along great. The plumbing was Trav's least favorite part. He kept at it though, and did a really good job. We welcome any helpers who want to come spend an evening with the Gray's. We will even provide dinner and drinks of your choice.

66 days and counting

2009-05-04T11:22:00.002-06:00

We are getting closer to D-day and I can't wait. As little baby Gray's due date comes closer I am learning to live without sleep. It seems like 10:30 hits and she decides it's "wake-up mommy time". I feel so bad for Travis because I just toss and turn all night. I usually try watching a movie or reading but sometimes I don't have the patience for it. I get so agitated when I'm exhausted and can't sleep. That's when I end up soaking in the tub at 2 am or sitting in my rocking chair. Other than the sleepless nights this pregnancy has been great. I'm only working three days a week so my feet are thanking me this time around. With Alex I worked full time until I delivered. I have plenty to keep me busy until July though. It looks like summer is filling up fast. With camping trips, family reunions, birthday parties, baby showers, and trying finish our basement I think these last two months will go by pretty fast.

Let them Eat Cake

2009-04-23T11:44:00.003-06:00

So Travis thinks he's really funny and likes to take pictures of people with their mouths full. So, I thought I would post his most recent victims. Enjoy!!

2009-04-23T10:31:00.000-06:00

Austin's Birthday

2009-04-23T09:49:00.002-06:00

Austin's birthday was on the 14th and Travis is a firm believer that you should get presents on your actual birthday. So, Austin got to open presents from us and Alex. He was so excited because he got pirate legos, a spiderman bike helmet, and HEELY'S. He has been asking for them for a year and a half and we felt like he was finally old enough to handle them. Last Saturday we celebrated Austin's 6th birthday with a pirate party. We invited everyone to come in pirate costume and when they got here they got to pick out a pirate tattoo. After everyone got their tattoo, we told them that someone had stolen the treasure and we had to go find it. Their first clue was to go outside where we played a game. We played musical islands and when your number was called you had to walk the plank. We got some great pictures of the kids jumping off the plank. Their second clue led them to the bathroom where they found a sack full of sashes to add to their pirate costumes. Once everyone had a sash they got their third clue which led them back outside. Travis had drawn two pirate ships on the road outside. We divided the kids up into two teams and they had to answer pirate questions. If they got the answer right they got to throw a water balloon at the other teams pirate ship. The first team to "sink the ship", or completely erase the chalk won. I guess I got the wrong kind of water balloons, because they wouldn't pop!!! They had to stand right over the ship and throw the balloon straight down as hard as they could. Oh well, they still had fun. The winning team got the next clue which led them inside to the play room. There were 20 black balloons and only one had the next clue. The little pirates had to pop all the balloons to find it. They had so much fun with this too. The next clue led them to the family room to decorate their very own eye patch. We had patches in a bunch of different colors and then had glitter pens ( a huge hit) and markers. Once they finished decorating they went and had the elastic measured for their head and put on their patch. For their next clue they were supposed to go "fishing" but we were running out of time. So, we just started handing out the gold fish in little baggies. The last clue was attached to one of the bags so when that person found it they read it out loud. It led them to the basement under the stairs. They found the treasure!!!! We brought the treasure chest upstairs and divvied up the loot while the kids had cake and punch. I just have to say that the only person to spill their drink was . . . MY DAD!!!! All of those little kids running around the family room and my dad was the culprit! While all the little pirates were eating their cake Austin opened presents. He loved his party and all his pirate friends that came. I think we counted 23 pirates all together and about 16 adults. I had a very full house! It was a very busy day, but we had so much fun!!! By the end of the day I couldn't move!!! I'm so glad I don't have to plan another child party until January! Don't worry though, Alex is already talking about the kind of party he wants to have. Can anyone say "To Infinity and Beyond. . . ."

Poor Austin

2009-04-20T09:26:00.003-06:00

Last Monday Austin woke up and had a few little red spots on his back. We thought he may have been bitten by a spider. I had a Dr. appointment though so I loaded the boys up and took them to Krissi's. By the time I got back Austin's couple red spots were all over his body. We took him into the doctor and they said it was hives. He had an allergic reaction to something and to put him on Claritin. They did start clearing up after he started taking the medicine but he just looked horrible. Here are a couple of pics we took. We are still not sure what he got into, but I hope for my sake and his that it never happens again!!

More Easter Pics

2009-04-14T11:19:00.003-06:00

As you can see, like the rest of my family, I am a little camera crazy.

Easter

2009-04-14T10:58:00.002-06:00

Easter weekend was so much fun. We woke up Saturday morning and went to Nolan Park. The boys were so excited to go hunt Easter Eggs. Before "the hunt" started Austin told us he was going to get all the eggs. Alex then told us he wanted the blue eggs (his favorite color). So the firetruck horn blared and they were off. Austin took off like a rocket he picked up eggs along the way and was soon lost in the chaos. Alex went by several eggs making a bee line for a blue egg. After he got a blue egg he just kept looking around. Parents were not allowed on the field so Travis was yelling from the sidelines for him to get more eggs. He went to pick up another one and put it in his basket then he stopped and looked at. It was purple!! He wasn't going to have any part of that so he put it back on the ground. Travis and I just laughed. I love that little boy!!! When all the eggs were gone the boys came back and showed us what they had got. Austin, being a great big brother and cousin, shared his eggs with his cousins and brother who didn't get a lot of eggs. Grandma and Grandpa Gray had an Easter Egg hunt and BBQ. And after that we started a fire and roasted marshmallows, YUM! We went home and colored Easter Eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide Sunday morning. They boys loved this, we even tried getting fancy (for us) and did two and three colors on the eggs. They decorated with stickers and crayons and then left them on the table for the Easter Bunny. Sunday morning we had the boys' third Easter Egg Hunt. They had fun finding the eggs they had decorated and put their names on. We ended up with way too much candy, but it was a lot of fun.

TOTALLY WICKED 2

2009-04-13T08:22:00.001-06:00

Just a few more pics from WICKED.

TOTALLY WICKED!!

2009-04-13T07:42:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday I finally got my last Christmas present. Travis bought me a ticket to see WICKED. My sister, Lissa, went and stood in line in the freezing cold for 6 1/2 hours in the middle of the night so we could all go together. She actually called me after she'd purchased the tickets and told me she wasn't able to get any. So, I was very surprised when I opened my gift from Travis to see a ticket. I even cried a little, but that's because I'm pregnant :). So back to Thursday, we had tickets to the 2:00 pm show so we decided to make a day of it. I met my mom and my sisters at my mom's house, then to my Aunt Brenda's house to pick up Aprille, and then we went to lunch at Johnny Carino's. So there were 5 of us all together. My mom, Lissa, Megan, Aprille, and myself. It was so much fun to have some girl time with NO KIDS!!! After lunch we went up to Capitol Theater. The show was AMAZING!!!! This was the first time seeing it for all of us and I think we would all go see it again. . . if tickets weren't $1,000 a piece right now!! I loved the set, the costumes, the acting. . . I loved everything! Well, everything except for the enormously tall man sitting right in front of me. Him I could have done with out. I think Elphaba was my favorite, although Glenda did a great job too. Defying Gravity was my favorite song, I know I've said amazing like a hundred times but . . . it was amazing! I loved the costumes in One Short Day and Dancing Through Life. I liked Popular and What is This Feeling as well. As you can see I did love all of it. I have been listening to the soundtrack since I found out WICKED was coming to Utah, but I have to say I didn't see the end coming. It was a great surprise. After the show we went to the Oz Dust Boutique and purchased our WICKED shirts. Then we went outside and took a few more pictures, then headed for home. One of the best Christmas presents I've ever received!! Thanks Babe, I LOVE YOU!!!

New Basement Pictures

2009-04-10T17:11:00.004-06:00

Travis works so hard in the basement. Once he sets his mind to do something he doesn't stop until it's done. He has all five heating/cooling vents done, he finished the fan in the bathroom, and has the hole cut in the cement to do the plumbing. It's really coming along now, we can't wait for our first inspection. The picture hanging from the beam is part of the future playroom. It's the cubby under the stairs the entrance is in the playroom and then this will be like a little window. We do still need to run a gas line for my new fireplace and finish up the plumbing. I LOVE my new fireplace and I finally have pictures up so you all can see it!!

Austin Riding His Bike

2009-04-10T16:47:00.004-06:00

Now that it is finally getting warmer outside we've been teaching Austin how to ride his bike without the training wheels on. At first Travis had to hold on to him a lot, but now he can do it pretty much by himself. He still has a little trouble stopping . . . but who needs brakes??? He can't wait to ride his bike to school.

My Cute Boys

2009-04-03T07:17:00.003-06:00

My boys surprise me every day. I just have to tell you how cute they are. Now that my tummy is getting bigger, they are impatiently waiting for the day when our baby sister gets here. Every night they have to give my tummy a kiss and a hug. We are thinking about naming her Keira so they say "goodnight baby Keira". Alex has been sick this week and has just wanted to cuddle. He'll come and sit on my lap but if he squishes my tummy he'll turn around and tell me sorry and then tell the baby sorry. I am so happy that they want a sister and they are excited for her to come into our family.

Las Vegas Vacation

2009-03-31T10:24:00.003-06:00

So with buying our house from Trav's mom, my new job, and working on the basement. I needed a vacation. Travis concurred and we went to Veagas. We left on Friday the 20th after taking Austin to school. My mom said she would watch the boys for us, so it was just the two of us (yay). We stopped in St. George and did some shopping. We picked out some things for the boys and of course a cute little outfit for baby gray to come. I have to say I'm sure this is not the Vegas vacation Travis had in mind but he was so nice. We went shopping, shopping, and more shopping with a little time at the pool as well. I guess he can't complain too much, he came home with a new wardrobe!!! And we did get a picture with some scantly clad women. That is the cast from Sirens of T.I. My favorite part of our trip was going to see Jay Leno, we even got to meet him. It was a late night though, the show didn't start until 10 and got over just before midnight. The walk from the Mirage to the Westin where we were staying was very long for a very tired, very preggo me. It was our first Vegas show and I think it was definitely worth it. We came home on Monday and went right back into the daily grind. Travis started again on the basement that night and we both started work the next day. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted, and definitely needed!!

THE BASEMENT

2009-03-31T10:09:00.002-06:00

We are making progress on the basement. Travis has finished all the framing with help from dad's, brothers, brothers- in-law, friends, and the young men. Thanks to everyone who came and helped out. We have almost finished the electrical we just need to add a few more outlets. Travis has impressed me once again with all his knowledge, and his ability to call someone if he has no idea what he's doing! We just have to do the heating/cooling and the plumbing before our first inspection. The boys have been our constant little helpers. Every night that dad is downstairs they grab their tools to go help. They can't wait to have their new toy room finished and neither can I. Once we move it downstairs I can start decorating the baby's room.