THE DANCING FRANDSENS

Halloween

2011-11-04T07:31:00.004-06:00

Just a few pictures of the girls for this Halloween. Taylor was a girl from Monster High-Frankie Stein, Rylie was the BEST Fancy Nancy in the world, Camryn was a Spider Fairy, and Pyper was a princess.

Garth likes to get in the spirit of Halloween and scare people! :) He stayed out in the yard and scared the few kids who came to our door. Good thing it was a pretty nice night so he didn't freeze.

My "costume" came from Liz and the wonderful internet. It was pretty darn cute. Everyone loved it!

We were able to visit Grandpa and Grandma and see all the cousins who live in town. I think Pyper had the best time! :) She was always the first to say "Ticker Treat!" And always said thank you. It was pretty cute and she was so excited about it. Her ticker treat bucket goes with us almost everywhere. :)

First Day of School

2011-09-16T18:16:00.003-06:00

So this year i just sent Taylor and Rylie off to school without much fan fair. I forgot to take their picture that morning and I didn't even walk them in. I did tell them that I loved them, but that was it. Really I don't feel too bad about the not walking them in bit, because they didn't seem to care or notice and it's a little tricky with the other two in the car. But I did get a picture of them by the third day of school. They wear uniforms so I think I'm still okay missing the first. :)

I did get Camryn's first day of preschool.

...and her second,

...and her third. :)

When I dropped her off on her first day, I almost cried!! It was kind of tricky. My eyes started to sting and get a little watery so I walked out before it turned into a full out cry. Camryn was brave and got her journal and sat down at the table to color. When I went to pick her up, her teacher asked if I leave her much. I told her, "No, no I don't. Which is why I almost cried this morning when I droppped her off." Well, Camryn had a little melt down during the pledge (she calls it the judge) and wanted her mom. But she calmed down after a bit and was okay for the rest of the day. She hasn't had a problem since. My only problem is that she thinks she needs to wear a dress to be beautiful. The kids at school won't think she's beautiful if she doesn't have a dress on. I don't know if we can keep this up. Notice the dance tutu with the leggings on the third day of school picture. We had to get creative because I needed to do laundry. I need to go through the bins downstairs and figure out what I might have in the dress department. One day we went over to my friends house, whose little boy is her "boyfriend" and she about had a melt down because I wouldn't let her change out of her clothes into a dress. She said Tage wouldn't think she was beautiful in her shirt and shorts. When we came home she did tell me that Tage didn't even care that she wasn't in a dress. :) She is funny.

Pain

2011-09-02T04:15:00.002-06:00

So it's 4:15 in the am. I've been up since a bit before 3. I am in so much pain!!. Last Saturday, I sneezed and hurt myself in the worst way. It has not been pleasant. I keep hoping the swelling will go down and I can move like a normal person, but that hasn't happened yet. I take Tylenol, but I swear it doesn't even touch the pain. Not enjoyable. The worst part of the whole deal is last Saturday I did 2 Tae Bo classes with Mr. Billy Blanks himself and felt really good afterward. Not too tired and my body didn't feel very sore by Saturday night. But then a sneeze knocks me to the ground. It really stinks. And really hurts. It's hard to be the mom when you can't move very well and every step hurts. When it's normal people time today, I have to get some laundry done and do a bit more grocery shopping, oh joy. But who else is there to get it done? (I'm husbandless, the HUNT is going on right now.)
All I have to say is that this better go away!!! I don't have time to feel like this. Dance starts next week and I am the teacher. I have to be able to move, get up and down from the floor, and all that jazz. Right now it's not looking so good.
Are boys really worth all this trouble? My girls never put me through so much pain! I had other issues just last month that caused me great pain. I have a little more that 10 weeks to go and I hope my body can survive it. I also hope it goes by quickly, but I know it won't, it never does. This is why it's insane to have a bazillion kids, your body falls apart!!! :)

August

2011-08-07T17:02:00.002-06:00

Happy August everyone. August means school and school shopping, new dance schedules and getting organized for the coming school/dance year. But August also means memories for me. We have 2 dates in August that are tricky ones to "celebrate".
Two years ago we spent the majority of August in Salt Lake between my parents place and Primary Children's Hosptal. I wouldn't change that summer for anything.
Today I'm making pumpkin cookies with the girls. We made pumpkins cookies for one of the lemonade stands we did for Vittoria. Of course I think of Vittoria often, but August is the hardest with the 2 year mark of her death and the birthday we celebrate with her in a special way. I love you Vittoria and miss you very much. Life continues to go forward, but I always think of the way things would be a little different if you were here with us physically. To James and Val, I love you both very much too. Keep moving forward, because I think that's all we can do.
So, I'm going to eat a pumpkin cookie, pour me a class of lemonade and look at a few pictures. I might even have myself a good cry, but that's okay.
I love you Vittoria!!

Blog Blah

2011-08-02T21:33:00.003-06:00

To blog or not to blog, that is the question. And it looks like it's been - to not blog - lately. Since that the computer is downstairs it makes is harder to blog because I don't go downstairs. Now if someone or many people would like to come to my place and work on my basement, I wouldn't object and then I'd have more of a reason to be downstairs.... The family room would be finished and the playroom done so we would hang out down here. But, until then, we'll have to make a conscious effort to come down stairs. Side Note-if anyone really would like to help with the basement, the baby gets here in the middle of Nov. and I'd love to have another room done down here. Just sayin'. ;)
So, here's a little post to keep things updated, sort of. Things are good at our house. School stars in a few weeks and that means dance gets back into motion. I'm praying for more students this year, like always, but only having positive thoughts this year. I'm hoping it works. I have a few new teachers to add to my studio and that should put me there a little less or at least my girls there not so often because Taylor is a great babysitter!!
Our little man gets here in November. We're still planning for 11-11-11. If he's early, I won't mind a bit. I have a total of 1 outfit for him and 2 pair of jammies. He's set for the ride home from the hospital and that's it. A boy at my house! CRAZY! But it will be wonderful.
There's plenty more to update on, but that makes for a long post! So, here's a picture just for fun - Dance Technica at the parade last weekend.

Word Verification

2011-03-14T23:25:00.004-06:00

So I've always wondered what is the word verification people have to enter when they leave a comment. I think about it every time I leave a comment on someone's blog.
So please, what is your word verification? Do I even have it on my blog? Oh, just checked, I do. :)

New

2011-02-27T17:12:00.006-07:00

Since we haven't seen some of our family members in a while, here are some of the "new" things at our house...
Taylor got her hair chopped!!! She has been waiting for this lovely event for at least 8 months. Usually I let her cut it every other year after the dance recital. This past year I asked her to wait until the college did their Locks Of Love event at cosmetology. Well, I waited to hear information about the event and didn't hear or see a thing about it so I had a friend cut her hair. Taylor LOVES it. Side note - found out the Cosmetology department did their big thing this Saturday. Not too happy about that. They sent home info to all the schools but the one my girls go to. Sweet. Not happy at all. We stopped by the cosmetology department and I let them know I wasn't too pleased about it, dropped off Taylor's hair -over 16 inches worth- and they let my girls get manicures. But Taylor missed out on all the other fun stuff they did for those who donated their hair. grrr Next time I guess. Rylie wants to grow her hair out and Taylor will grow hers again. :)

And this "new" thing is for Mary - I still don't like having my picture taken so much, but I've lost a little weight lately and the other night Mary bugged me enough on facebook to get me to post a picture of myself. So here it is Mary,
Now, I still have plenty more to go. My hope is that by the end of March I can lose 10 more pounds and go down one more clothes size. I'm pretty darn happy about my progress though. It's very exciting. I haven't been this size since 2005-2006. And really, I'm probably in better shape this time around too. I workout 3 or 4 times a week and eat SO much better. My friend and I are planning to do a 5k this summer too. Who would have thought I'd want to run a 5k?

So, I've gone from this - hiding behind my kids......to this

And because they wanted their picture taken too. Here are my girls. (Pyper was taking her MUCH needed after church nap.)

The Basement

2011-02-08T21:29:00.004-07:00

Here it is folks - the few rooms that are finished.

Taylor has been waiting and waiting for her room to be finished. Well, on Saturday the carpet was finally installed! She (and me too) was so excited about it. She just laied on the floor and rubbed her hand over the carpet. :) Sunday Taylor was sick so we didn't do anything more down there.

Here are pics of the office. It needs to be put together, but you get the idea.

Yesterday Garth and I got the dresser from the warehouse and put the head board up in Taylor's room. Today I got her bed skirt and tonight Taylor and I made her bed. So guess where she's sleeping tonight...in her room!!!
One HAPPY girl! We still have plenty to do in there to really get her set, but this is all she needs for now.

So there you have it. A new post and pictures of the basement. Don't fall over, I'll try to be better. But I make no promises.

And because I have beautiful kids :)
and this picture with Aunt Vale is cute. :)
These are pictures from Christmas break. No pictures from the cabin for quite a while now. VERY sad. VERY big mess. VERY depressing.

Halloween

2010-10-09T21:11:00.003-06:00

Finished getting the rest of the outside stuff up today! Looks pretty good I think.

Found this gal at the dollar store. Taylor suggested we put her up there.

And here's the front door. I'm not sure Camryn really likes the spiders.

Crafty With The Girls

2010-09-25T20:56:00.005-06:00

(Don't be shocked, a new post, I know)
Today the girls and I got a little crafty. I love Halloween and decorating for it. Last night we put most of our stuff up inside the house (still have to put up my spider webs and spiders outside) and I thought it would be fun to make our own Halloween blocks. So here they are...

Taylor and her "BOO"

Rylie and her "WITCH"

This is my "SPOOKY"

The girls had a great time making them and I think they turned out pretty darn cute. Some friends in my ward are making these WAY CUTE Halloween subway signs (as soon as she posts it on her blog-red couch recipes-I'll link to it). I think I just might have to make one for myself. :) I have the cricut at my house right now and I'm having the best time with it. I've made signs for the studio and I've used it in the girls dance scrap books. I love that little machine!

p.s. I do have other things to blog about, Heber Creeper, time at the cabin, but I haven't made time to blog about them yet-obviously. I plan to though, really. ;)

Dino Mania

2010-08-18T13:40:00.000-06:00

The weekend after the 4th, Jared and Liz and the kids came to our house for a fun visit. Madeline is in love with the PBS show Dinosaur Train and Jared and Liz decided to have a fun little dinosaur trip. And when you think dinosaur, you think Carbon County, right? Well, okay. maybe not, but you should. :) (also, the main exhibit in Vernal is closed for remodeling) We headed on over to the CEU Prehistoric Museum and had a good time there checking out all the skeletons and other fun stuff.Then we headed over to the Dino-Mine Adventure park where the kids had a great time sliding down dinosaur tails, swinging on the swings and playing on the monkey bars. Only bad thing that happened that day was that Liz left her camera there. :( So all her pictures from the day are gone. Poop!!

After a night of good food and styrofoam picking (hehehe), we left the next morning for the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. ( Taylor is MIA. She went with Grandma Bonnie to the Scottish Festival that day.)checking out a replica of a dig site

so strong!

The visitors center is the most exciting part about that place. If you have older kids, the rock walk is good, but with all the little ones we had with us, there wasn't that much to do there. We ate lunch at one of the picnic tables and then jumped back in the van to head off to the Museum of the San Rafael. Only to pull into the parking lot 2 minutes AFTER they closed!!! Grrr. Sorry Jared and Liz. Next time I guess. :(

On our way back home, we stopped by the farm to show Madeline and Bradley the chickens.that Madeline is such a poser :)

When we got out there, Neil was moving some dirt and came across a bird's nest in the rocks. Very cool.
Thanks for the visit Jared and Liz. We had a great time. We love it when people come our way every now and then. :)

4th of July 2010

2010-08-11T13:13:00.000-06:00

We spent the 4th up at Scofield this year. We had a great time. I love being up in the mountains. Scofield puts on their 4th of July celebration called Pleasant Valley Days. Vendors come and set up in the park, they have all sorts of activities through out the weekend and have a fun parade. This year I talked my girls into doing the Little Miss Pleasant Valley Pageant. I love to show off my girls and their talents. Taylor played the piano and did an amazing job, and Rylie did her solo. It was a little tricky for her because the stage was SO tiny, but she did her best. Rylie ended up getting second attendant in her age group. Way to go Rylie! So Taylor and Rylie got to ride in the parade in the Little Miss float.cutest girls on there, I think

Here is Camryn at the paradeand here is Pyper at the parade :)

The girls had fun playing with their cousins, riding the 4-wheelers and riding the horses. (looks like a missed a picture of Rylie, but she rode too.)Taylor LOVES the horses, but ever since she was thrown off Bo, she's been a bit afraid to ride. She's finally getting to the point where she doesn't have a breakdown when she gets on a horse now. She loves to go for rides and it's great that she can ride without a lead. Big girl. :)

Guess who actually got on a horse too...what the? (love you Vale) :)

I hope all of you had a great 4th of July weekend!

The Manti Pagent

2010-08-05T12:46:00.001-06:00

After our weekend at Mom and Dad's house, we took off the next weekend and joined Em and Darren and their girls in Fairview to go to the Manti Pageant. It was a fun weekend. The girls played and went on adventures. Pyper even had a little fun in the dirt.We went swimming in Ephraim, had yummy food and saw the Pageant.
Garth and I haven't seen the Pageant since we were dating. So that means this was the first time for the girls. Taylor enjoyed it, Rylie slept through it, Camryn was awake the whole time going from person to person and Pyper was awake through most of it. Funny girls. It wasn't too cold and really, all the girls were great. Thank you Emity and Darren for inviting us. We had a great time!

Pyper's Birthday!

2010-08-04T12:00:00.001-06:00

Finally, here it is. Since I don't have any kids at home, I thought I'd try to catch up on what's going on at the Frandsen house. :) So here is Pyper, the big 1 year old! (how did that happen)

Here are a few "presents" pics.

she loves to have her hair combed

This is Pyper's favorite toy right now. She LOVES it and knows that it's hers. When Jared and Liz came for a weekend, Bradley was on it and she was TICKED! It was pretty funny. She's not a good share-er when it comes to her car. :)

I can't believe my baby is one. Where did that year go? We went from this...

to this...

funny picture. she found my "stash" hehehehe

in nothin' flat. I love you Pyper. You bring such a sweetness -and craziness- to our home.

Taylor is 10!

2010-08-03T12:29:00.005-06:00

So I'm trying to catch up on things and just realized I left out Taylor's birthday, so here it is.
My first born has hit the double digits! Can you believe it? Crazy life. I love Taylor so much. She is such a good girl, loving sister and beautiful daughter. I lucked out on her. She was a wonderful baby and now a wonderful young lady. (I hope that doesn't change when she gets to be a teenager, yikes.) Here are a few pictures of her big day.

what a spaz!

Taylor had a blue cake with blue frosting, her favorite color!

We were up at Mom and Dad's the weekend of her birthday. Mainly because of dancing at Lagoon, but also for a weekend away from home after school was out and recital done. It was a fun, busy weekend.

I Love You Taylor!!!

I WON!

2010-07-14T21:11:00.003-06:00

That's right folks, I won something cute from Fabulous Friday Freebies!!!! I'm so darn excited about it! Check it out and tell me what you think I should get with my $45 gift certificate. :)

I have a friend who has a wonderful food blog. It is called Red Couch Recipes. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. She is part of the food blogging world and I love popping over to her blog. I've even made a few of her recipes. YUM! Well, I tried to win one of her giveaways a while back and didn't make out like I'd hoped to. Well, tonight she told me about another

Stone Gable

Check out this lovely lady's blog. She is doing a giveaway also. So hurry and enter TONIGHT! I would LOVE to win an ice cream maker!!!

Ahh, I feel so happy. :)

Crafty?

2010-07-08T18:18:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I try to be crafty. Sometimes I succeed...and sometimes I fail. Here's what I've been up to lately.

Binky clips and wipes cases. What do you think?

I saw the wipes cases last year at a store and thought they were so cute, but there was no way I was paying for it. Then I saw them again at two different baby showers I went to and it got me thinking that maybe I could figure it out. I think they are pretty cute. Some of my extra wipes cases are green, but I think they work out okay. I still have one more to make. Should be pretty cute too. Black and white with red. :-0
And the binky clips, well, I've been making those for awhile now, but made some new ones for the baby showers and for my friend. I think Pyper is going to get the pink and yellow one on the end. :)
But this little cutie is for Hayley and the new babe. I love it! It turned out pretty darn cute I think.
What do you think Hayley? Be honest, I can take it. And if you'd like a binky clip, let me know. I'd LOVE to make an orange one for the little guy. :) (can you tell I'm getting excited to meet him!)

I do have stuff to post about our 4th of July weekend and Pyper's first birthday, but had to hurry and put this one up for Hayley. So more to come of the adventures of the Frandsen Family, promise. Here's a sneak peek...

Courtesy of Camryn

2010-06-26T19:43:00.002-06:00

So we were eating dinner, listening to my iPod, and Katy Perry's Hot N Cold came on. Well, the other girls were outside already and Camryn was still sitting at the counter finishing up her "beaches" (peaches). So I sing along with the song because I know the second line is not the nicest. So here are my words, "You PMS like a GIRL, I would know." About 30 seconds later Camryn says, "Mom, I pee like a girl." I am STILL laughing!!!! I think it's SO funny. :)

Look Out World! Part 2

2010-06-07T23:42:00.007-06:00

It's official, Pyper is a walker!!! She took her first real steps on May 25th and I think she's got it down pretty good now. She's still a bit tippy, but on Sunday she started standing herself back up without holding on to anything. It's been fun watching her progress the last two weeks. I had the Drill Team girls from the studio and Missy over on the 25th to watch the recital, so they were all a part of her big moment. Pretty fun. I took a few videos on my camera tonight so I think I'll share. :)
P.S. Camryn would not stay in bed tonight. She came out I don't know how many times. Camryn is a collector and likes to bring it ALL to bed with her. There isn't room in her bed for all her treasures and tonight she thought she needed to bring everything to bed. One of the times she got out of bed she wanted to show me her back(?). Crazy girl. So the last one has Camryn out of bed showing me her back...and "helping" Pyper.

CUTE STUFF! I have a few other things to blog about that I plan to get to later this week - Garth's 4oth birthday (old man) and a few others. But here's a cute thing from the mouth of Camryn to end with.
Tonight when we said our prayers (it was Rylie's turn), she prayed and then remebered she forgot to pray for Tiff that everything would go well. So she said another quick prayer. When we said amen, Camryn said "what about Carter?" So Camryn said a quick prayer for Carter (with some help from me). Then we said amen again and Camryn said "what about Mike?" So Camryn said another prayer for Mike that he would be safe and happy. It was great! No help from me at all. LOVE that girl!

Birthday, Show, School Stuff, Birthday...And We're Not Done Yet

2010-05-26T08:18:00.006-06:00

WARNING...LONG POST. but there are pictures

What a CRAZY past couple of weeks we've had around here! Rylie's birthday was on recital night this year and she was awesome about the whole deal. Sweet girl. So I guess she had a big birthday party. I had the audience sing Happy Birthday to her. :) But our little family didn't celebrate her birthday until Wednesday. The Frandsen fam celebrated on Sunday. So, I think she made out just fine. When you're young it's great to party all week long! :) Here are a few pics.

Thanks Bonnie for getting the cake. You saved me.

The dance recital went great! To be honest, I was a little worried after Saturday's dress rehearsal, but Joy said a bad rehearsal means a good show. I guess that saying is right. It was really nice. The dancers did great and the numbers dedicated to Vittoria were so nice. Once I figure out how to get the video off the video camera, I'll post it on here. I could not have done it without my Mom though. She was awesome too! Since I have to be teacher, Mom gets my girls changed and this year was CRAZY! I had Rylie in two classes this year because our class sizes were so small. She had 8 dances! Costume changes were hectic, but Mom is amazing. Thanks Mom. Also Mom, did you take a picture of all the girls after the show? I didn't get a single one and would love a copy if you did get some.

So Monday was recital, Tuesday was a break, Wednesday was the school talent show for the girls. Rylie did her solo and Taylor danced to Single Ladies with 2 of her friends. They did SO GOOD! Rylie took FIRST PLACE and Taylor and her friends took SECOND PLACE!!! I'm not talking in their grade, I'm talking about for the whole school! AWESOME! Rylie got a $25 gift certificate to Cold Stone and Taylor's group got a $15 gift certificate to Cold Stone. I'm so proud. :)

Thursday was Kindergarten graduation. They did a fun program. Love it when they're so little and so full of energy. Along with the program, each student also had a power point about nutrition to show to their parents. Pretty neat.

Rylie wants to be a hair cutter when she grows up

Friday was Rylie's last day of school. I went with her and the Kindergarten and walked to the Dino Mine Park. It was a beautiful day to be at the park. All the kids had a great time, even my little ones.

Rylie and her two good friends.

Saturday and Sunday were lazy days, but Monday...Monday was Garth's Birthday!! Big guy is 40 YEARS OLD! We had family and friends over to celebrate. It was fun. One of our friends from the ward gave him chocolate covered prunes. It was great! The girls and I got him a cane with an "Old Fart" crossing sign on it, a pill bottle full of pills (m&m's) to cure different things, a horn, a magnifying glass and some fake teeth. It's awesome! I hope he had a good birthday.

Trick candles, the old guy just didn't have enough breath to blow them out. ;)

Last night I had the girls on the studio drill team over to watch the recital and we decided to do summer classes. Should be fun and hopefully girls will take class.

The rest of this week is full of shuttling Taylor to and from school (she is done on Friday), had piano lessons yesterday, school BBQ this afternoon and getting ready to go to the cabin for the weekend. Busy, busy but so worth it! I love my life, craziness and all. I couldn't ask for a better husband, my kids are so sweet and so good, I have awesome parents and siblings and lucked out to get such great in-laws whom I love like my own family. And I've got the gospel to keep me on the right track. Life is good. Busy, but good. :)

Just Some Photos

2010-05-10T23:25:00.007-06:00

I was looking through the pictures on one of Garth's cards for our family picture to send off to Mom for Grandma's video and came across these. I really like them so I thought I would share them with you.

Liz and Madelyn

LOVE this one of Taylor!

Pretty Shelby

Sweet Rylie

Ohh, Pyper

Cool one of Carter

Sweet one of Bradley and Camryn with Nana

Here is our family pic. Just in case you were interested. :)

She's 3!

2010-05-06T10:53:00.005-06:00

Camryn turned 3 on Monday! I can't believe it. A 3 year old, wow. And what a cute 3 year old she is. While she was opening her presents at grandma and grandpa's house, she would say "Dad are you ready, Grandpa are you ready?" She had to make sure everyone was watching. Funny girl.

She had the "cheese" down perfect!

New clothes! She looks like such a big girl in them.
Look at all that loot.

I think her favorite gifts are her computer (thank you grandma and grandpa) and her bear- Cinderella (thank you Nana and Papa).

She picked out a pink cake and pink ice cream. The cake actually went a bit on the orange side. :) The eggs from Grandpa Neil's chickens have very yellow yolks. :) Sorry, no fancy cake this time around. Boring I know, but stuff at the studio is consuming my life right now.

What a cute "cheese".

Blow Camryn, blow.

Happy Birthday to you.

Whenever my girls have a birthday, I think about their birth-day. Camryn's was NO picnic! But here she is, funny little sayings, cutest dimple in her left cheek and sassiest little 3 year old I've ever had. I love her so much. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMRYN BRIELLE! I LOVE YOU.

Any ideas?

2010-04-21T22:30:00.000-06:00

Okay family and friends, I am in need of your help. I was wondering if anyone knows any good work from home jobs? Things are tight around here and we are trying to figure out if this is an option we should persue. If you have any ideas, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Here's Another

2010-04-15T11:32:00.003-06:00

This morning when I opened Camryn's blinds she said, "There's the garbage, we got to go get it!" So we put her slippers on and went to go get the garbage can from the road. When I opened the front door, she bursts through, arms open wide and says, "I'm free!"

Freckles

2010-04-14T22:39:00.003-06:00

It went something like this . . .
Camryn - "She has freckles."
Me - "She has freckles?"
Camryn - "Yeah, she has freckles on her teeth."

Tuesday night at dance, Camryn noticed freckles on Alexis' teeth. She has braces on her teeth. It was pretty cute. :)

Dance Pictures

2010-04-08T11:58:00.003-06:00

Dance pictures are on line this year. If you'd like to take a look, click here. The code is tori32710. It's been a wacky year for the studio this year. Some classes are very small, but that's okay. I guess we'll wait and see what the next year brings. Just an FYI, the recital is May 17th (happy birthday Rylie).

Where She Stops, No body Knows

2010-03-30T08:53:00.005-06:00

Camryn still needs a nap in her sweet young life, but getting her to take a nap doesn't really happen. Mostly she falls asleep in the car when I go pick the girls up from school, that's her nap. Sometimes she'll fall asleep on the couch or if she's being a stinker I'll tell her to go lay on her bed and she'll fall asleep there. But recently she has started falling asleep in odd places.

This one happened back in November. She was being a stink and I was kind of ignoring her and this is where she ended up.

This one was after dance. I was feeding Pyper in the high chair and Camryn was playing with the magna-doodle. After I got Pyper out of the high chair and cleaned up, I started on some stuff for the studio. Soon I realized I didn't hear Camryn. And this is where I found her.

These last two just happened last week. This one happened after coming home from the studio one night. This is as far as she got.

And this one happened after we had gone to get ice cream because of the girls good grades. She actually fell asleep in the car but woke up, sort of, when we brought her in. I thought she would wake up all the way, but she didn't. She tried to get off the bed, but just couldn't wake up enough to get all the way off.

Oh, if only my life could be so rough.

Look Out World!

2010-03-22T13:35:00.002-06:00

She is on the go! Pyper just started crawling Friday night! It's pretty funny to see. Her little arms and legs get moving, but she doesn't get very far. :) I'm sure all that will change quick though. So now it's time to put the gate up at the top of the stairs and make sure all the little things are off the floor (that one is going to be a little tricky with Camryn around). What a big girl!

Adventures is Diapers

2010-03-12T08:07:00.003-07:00

This is kind of a gross story, but pretty funny. So, if you don't want to read about poop - STOP, but if you do and want to laugh at me, keep going. :) I think its a great story to share.
I always put the clean diaper underneath the one the baby/child has on already when I'm changing a diaper. Just in case there's more there than I thought or just in case the cold air causes a little something else to happen. Well, I was changing Pyper's diaper and slid the new one underneath her and then my nose itched. So, I scratched my nose and then I felt something wet on the tip of my nose. Nice. Grabbed a wipe to wipe it off and sure enough, it's a little bit of Pyper's potty on my nose! Gross! Funny. Not so good.
So I still slide the clean diaper under, but will now resist the urge to scratch my nose. Ahh, motherhood. Always an adventure.
Now here's one about Camryn. She's wearing panties!!!! I could have had one less daughter last Thursday, I wasn't so happy with her and her potty skills. So Friday I decided that was it, no more diapers. She's going to be 3 in two months and I'm tired of buying diapers for two kids. I know there's all the bit about waiting until the child is ready, but what about the mom? Anyway, it has gone really well. I think my "persuasive" words the other day did the trick. The little stinker is ready, she has just been lazy about the whole thing and I let her be. But she's doing so good and likes to put stickers on her potty chart. It's great. Mom is happy and Camryn is a big girl. Ahh, motherhood.

Courtesy of Camryn

2010-02-15T19:11:00.002-07:00

Caught Camryn picking her nose the other day, so I got her a tissue and wiped her nose and the boogie off her finger. Then I asked her, "Is that all of them?" Her reply, "Yup, all clean!"
LOVE HER!

I WON!

2010-02-12T09:07:00.001-07:00

CLICK HERE!

You heard right Liz, I won! How exciting is that? With the craziness of sick kids, I didn't check her blog until today. So hopefully I'm not too late in claiming my prize. I won a beautiful tunic from India! How exciting! So, check out her blog and enter yourself for a chance to win something. Today's giveaway is really cute. I'd love to win and put my cutie girls in something from Mia Carina. :)

Virtuoso

2010-02-07T13:30:00.003-07:00

Here they are, my girls, piano virtuosos.

Taylor is so good to take Pyper for me when I'm trying to get something done and Pyper is being fussy. She has discovered that Pyper likes to play the piano with her. It's pretty cute don't you think? So, maybe some day she'll be a famous concert pianist. I'll let you know how it goes.

Just like Liz!

2010-01-30T17:15:00.004-07:00

Check it out

I have been checking out this blog for a while and not as many people enter for these give aways as Give Away Today, and I still can't seem to win! So Liz, if you get it on your first shot, I'll be mad! :)

Chaco-latte

2010-01-27T13:41:00.007-07:00

So today is another snow day and Camryn, Pyper and myself are taking it pretty easy this morning. Well, Camryn tells me she wants some chaco-latte. We watch Dora often and there is an episode about chocolate and Dora's Grandma, so she says chaco-latte. (Go ahead Garrett, teach her Spanish, I think she'd catch on pretty quick.) Anyway, she said Carter wanted some chaco-latte and Tiff needed to drive him to our house. I thought it was pretty cute, so I called Tiff and told her and then made the chaco-latte. Garth got me a cocoa-latte machine for my birthday - that he uses EVERY morning. So making hot chocolate it a snap.
And Camryn can't have chaco-latte without a strawb. That's right, a strawb. Remember, I said we were taking it easy this morning, hair is not done yet. :)
Ever since our visit to Carter's house, Camryn had been Carter this and Carter that. Did you know that Carter was wondering if they could adopt Camryn? :) Too cute. The other day Camryn said she was Daddy's girl and Mike was Carter's boy. She's a funny girl. I asked her if she was my girl and she said "No, I daddy's girl!" Poor me.
Well, everyone enjoy the snow and have yourself a cup of chaco-latte!

SNOW!!

2010-01-23T17:06:00.003-07:00

I know what you're thinking, Tori is still alive? Yes I am, sometimes just barely. Things are just a different kind of busy around here. I've been thinking about it lately, trying to figure out what it is, and I think it's probably all Pyper's fault! :) Honestly though, she's at that stage where it's hard to put her down and when I am able to leave her for a bit, I have to do "house" things and stuff for the studio. Anyway, to the one or two of you who read this blog, sorry. Lots has happened in our little home since the middle of December. Hopefully I'll be able to post a bit about it. But here's what's going on now.
Price has had snow for the past week! It's been crazy. It started Monday night (should have left Tiff's house a bit sooner. Drove 20-30 mph down Price canyon) and we have had snow everyday since. It's not been too fun taking the girls to school every morning in it, but we're all still alive so I guess it's okay. I've also gotten some pretty good excercise shoveling snow here at the house and the studio, so that's been okay too.
Yesterday, all the girls, Garth and myself were able to play outside in all the lovely snow for a bit. We did get some good snow for snowman buliding. Tell me what you think. . .
Garth got a little carried away I think and we had to get Taylor to piano lessons before we could finish the face. Rylie and Garth are going to go out today, so hopefully they will get her face finished. (They did make some changes to her, I'll post the pictures tomorrow.)
Here is Taylor's little Hawaiian girl. She still needs a face too. (The snow started to really fall just then.)
Taylor plopped down in the snow and Garth started throwing snow on her. Next thing you know, he's got her packed in a pile of snow. He told her she couldn't bust out of it, so she had to crawl. Well the snow had hardened around her, so Garth had to did her out, but still kept the "cave".
I think everyone had a good time. Pyper helped me make the bottom of the snowman until she fell asleep and went inside, Camryn had fun until she realized there wasn't a bium, bium to ride on with Daddy (snowmobile) and the older two had fun snowboarding and making snowmen. It was a GREAT day!

My Collection

2009-12-02T13:46:00.003-07:00

So, I love my Nutcrackers! I love putting them up every year and I'm pretty sure the girls do too. Taylor has 2 of her own and Rylie has one (maybe they each need another). This year, with our "office" being in the front room, it has made me have to rethink how we are putting things up this year. We're down 2 side tables. So, I set the Nutcrackers up on the sofa table that's in the entry and I love it! They look so good there! I was so excited about it, I made Garth come in and look and guess what he said. . .

"Looks nice. We won't be needing any more for a while."

Are you kidding me! There's always room for more! I'm not saying I need tons of Nutcrackers, but if I find one I like, there's room for it. I think I'm pretty selective when it comes to my Nutcrackers. I don't buy them just to buy a Nutcracker. In fact, I don't think I've bought one for the last three years. But there you have it, my Nutcracker collection. Aren't they great?!

And poor Miss Camryn is sick. This is how I would like to spend my days when I'm sick. Sitting in a comfy chair with my blanket, watching movies and taking naps whenever I needed to. Little sweetie.

2009-11-25T08:59:00.002-07:00

Oh yeah for Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving break! What a busy last couple of weeks we've had at my house. I'm ready for a break, but not until the house is clean and the laundry is done! Then it's pack for the cabin and spend the weekend with family in the beautiful mountains. Bring it on, I'm ready!
We've had so much sickness at our house, it's been crazy. Kids have stayed home from school, Garth has stayed home from work and Pyper has kept us up at night. Ear infections, fevers, yucky noses and coughs that never seem to stop. It has been a blast!
But I've seen New Moon and thought it was really good, had lunch with two of my most favorite people (I love you guys SO MUCH, thanks for coming), went to CEU's dance performance with Taylor and Rylie and took all my girls, along with the majority of the Frandsen girls, to see The Sound of Music that was put on by the local community theater (what an adventure, one parent and 4 girls-thank goodness for family). So there have been some pretty good moments in there too.
But I'm definitely ready for a break, especially after my VERY busy Tuesday.
-wake up late
-get kids to school
-make cookies for a funeral
-get myself and 2 kids ready for the funeral and dance class
-go to funeral
-go teach dance
-pick up kids from school
-go visiting teaching
-get ready for dance
-teach dance (3:30-8:00)
-come home, have dinner, get kids to bed and GO TO BED (and watch Dancing With The Stars)
Not really a break in that day. It was go, go, go! So glad it's over.
So this weekend I plan to get a little crafty with Vale and maybe even to a little scrapbooking. We'll see how it goes and what the kids let me do.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. One of the things I am most thankful for is my family and friends. I love you all so much!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Five Things Tag

2009-11-14T13:41:00.007-07:00

Okay, so Emity tagged me a week ago. This took some thinking and finding time. So here it goes. . .

Five Things I don't leave the House without

Purse
Phone (sometimes I forget too Em)
Diaper Bag
At least one child
Keys

Five Cartoons I watched when I was Younger
This one is tricky because some of my siblings have already done this and I don't want to look like a copy cat, but I guess since we lived in the same house, that's kind of the way it goes.

My Little Pony
Rescue Rangers
Duck Tales
Inspector Gadget
The Flintstone's

Five Things That Terrify Me

Something terrible happening to Garth or my girls.
Getting hit by a train. This is a new fear of mine since living in Price. I always check before I cross.
Walking through a field full of grasshoppers.
Some one breaking into my house while I'm home.
Being alone in the dark - scary!

Five Things I hate/dislike that everyone else seems to like

Diet Coke
Bell Peppers
Mafia Wars/Farm Town - I don't play the FaceBook games
Oprah - not really a hate, but not a big fan
Raw Onions

Five Things I want to do before I Die

Go to Europe, mainly Italy
Go on many cruises
Go to Hawaii with my family
Live debt free - I'm with Garrett on this one
Go to the temple with my kids - stole this one from Em

Five People I tag

Mary
Joy
Clisty
Jana
Becky
(Alexis)

Free Stuff

2009-11-06T19:32:00.002-07:00

Hey, I'm a gal who likes to win free stuff. I never have, but here's to trying right?
Check out this blog, Seventh Smith and see what she is giving away. :)

All About Pyper

2009-11-06T09:01:00.005-07:00

So this post is devoted to the newest addition to our family (if you don't count the cats, but that is an entire different post).

Pyper turned four months old on Oct. 15th. She weighs 13 lbs. 6 oz. (40%) and is 24 1/2 inches long (54%) and the cutest thing you've ever seen! (at least in my opinion).
Here is a bit of her first experience with cereal. She usually does pretty good. The video might be a bit long, but she starts to giggle toward the end. You don't want to miss it.

And a cute picture, because one of the days, I will print this blog off.

Pyper also started rolling over on Halloween, we were at Jared and Liz's house. What a big girl! No more just putting her down where ever.

And one last picture of Miss Pyper in her Halloween costume. Nana made this costume for Taylor and I have had all 4 girls wear it every Halloween. Each one of them has looked just as cute.

These days Pyper likes to chew on her fingers, suck on her lips and when she's on her back, grab her toes. She likes it when her sisters make her laugh and she is turning into a real mama's girl. If I walk into a room and she hears my voice or I walk past her and don't pick her up, she gets upset - the stinker. She is such a sweetie. We love having her in our family.

So Many Choices

2009-11-02T21:46:00.005-07:00

I have so many things I need to blog about to share with this virtual world, but I only have so many hours in the day. I still need to share camping pictures, Halloween fun, new kitties, I killed the new cat, Pyper rolling over, the girls hunting with Garth and many other everyday craziness, but Time always disappears on me. He is very good at hide and seek. I, on the other hand, stink at the game.
But I do want to share a little bit of a conversation I had with Camryn Sunday night. When we put her to bed, she will call out to one of us, usually me, and ask for her milk or to get out of bed or whatever. Well Sunday night was no exception. She called out for her milk, we go her some. Then she called out for me and I went in her room. She says to me, "Mom, I want ham."
"You want ham?"
"Yeah, go get it."
Funny girl! I laugh at her, she laughs with me and I tell her she can have ham in the morning, its time for bed and she says okay.
If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will. I love that girl. Tonight her voice sounds a little hoarse. So darn cute. Imagine her sweet little voice a little bit low and raspy. Too cute! I definitely think I'll keep my little monster.

Halloween Recital

2009-10-23T08:55:00.002-06:00

Taylor had her Halloween Piano Recital last night. She Played two songs; With a Yo-Ho-Ho and Spanish Caballero She did an awesome job! I love listening to her play the piano and of course I think she's fabulous! :)

Candy Corn!

2009-10-22T21:53:00.003-06:00

So, how happy was I to go to the back door and see a package from my sister? A totally unexpected package. I was SO happy! I open up the box and find a cute card from Emity and Tiffanie and a Target bag with 4 different kinds of candy corns and a bag of Hershey Kisses, candy corn flavor. And a cute candy corn bucket to put these wonderful things in! Aren't they great girls!

Here is how it started...Emity posted on her blog about the different flavors of candy corn she had tried. I am a fan of candy corn and mentioned I didn't have access to such wonderful flavors. I told her she should come to my house with all these wonderful flavors and we could have a candy corn tasting party at my house. Well, she did the next best thing, her and Tiff sent me all the great flavors they had tried. S'mores, Toffee, Green Apple, and Original. The last three also have CHOCOLATE COVERED in their bag! Who doesn't LOVE chocolate covered?!

So, here is my ranking.
1. Carmel Apple still is my favorite
2. Original
3. Green Apple
4. Toffee
5. S'mores

Thank you girls! I love you both so much. Thanks for thinking of me and making my day, along with every time I see the candy corns or eat them, I think of the two of you and how much I love you and know that you love me too.

2009-10-19T14:48:00.002-06:00

Did you know that I have the BEST sisters ever!!? Thanks Em and Tiff! You totally made my day.
I have to go teach class right now, but I'll let you know what I think later. =D Can't wait to try them.
More to come.

Next Please

2009-10-15T12:08:00.004-06:00

So I definitely need to get rid of the post below this one so, here is cute baby Pyper! She is 4 months old today! What a big girl. And super cute too. ;) She is so chatty. It's fun. When she wakes up she gets a little mad, but then it turns into her "talking". (but that turns back into crying if you leave her too long) She wants to roll over, but can't quite make it all the way yet. She chews on her hands like crazy and if her hands get caught in her blanket, you can guarantee it will be a slobbery mess. If she could just hold on to something for more than 10 seconds, we'd be in business. I love this girl, she's a keeper!

These are from our camping trip out to the Wedge over conference weekend with Garrett and Hayley. We had such a good time. (More pics on that to follow, I promise.) This is one of my most favorite pictures from that weekend.

cute kids!!

This is also one of my favorites from that weekend. =D

I love Halloween. I think it's fun to decorate my house, but not in the scary way. I have some BIG spiders I put up on the outside of my house and Camryn wasn't too sure about them at first. But I have this pumpkin kid that I got on clearance from Kmart one year after Halloween. Every year the girls love to put him out. This year was no different. Camryn calls him her friend and will give him hugs randomly. Sometimes when she gets out of the car she'll go to the front door, instead of through the garage, just so she can give him a hug. So cute.
There, that should do it. Beauty Queen gone. Thank goodness! :)

No Beauty Queen!

2009-10-12T11:14:00.006-06:00

Here she is folks Miss Midvale!

Okay, so I haven't been Miss Midvale for YEARS, but I thought it would be funny. Hayley did a post on her blog and I thought I'd give it a go too. (Liz played too!)
Here's me looking oh so lovely.... Miss All Natural.
Here's me how I go out most of the time, I hardly ever put on eye makeup, but do try to cover up my scary face a little bit...
Sometimes makeup just takes too long to do. Not really, but that's what I'm going with.
And here we are all done up. (p.s. I really stink at this taking a picture of yourself thing)
Like Liz, I think I remember my mom saying something about putting on makeup before you go out. Maybe it was at least some mascara, I don't really remember. But I guess I'm just lazy. I know I'd feel better about myself if I took a little time to fix myself up, but I feel like my days are busy with the "mom" thing and in my mind, that doesn't require dressing up and really getting ready for the day. My baby is only 4 months old (almost), going out is really not something we do very often. Since Hayley's little challenge, I've had makeup on for 4 days in a row now. (I started this post on Friday.) We'll see if I can keep it up for a week.
So there you have it folks, Miss Midvale 4 kids later! I dare all of you to show off your beauty queen!

Look At Her Go!

2009-10-11T19:10:00.002-06:00

So last weekend on our trip to the Wedge, we brought along our bikes for fun. Rylie had Garth take the training wheels off of her bike a few months ago, but she has only tried with out them on maybe twice. Well, her second go at it out there and she had it! Way to go Rylie!!! You are awesome!

Articles of Faith of Mormon Culture

2009-10-09T19:12:00.002-06:00

Nicki Stevenson had this on her facebook status earlier today. I thought is was hilarious, so I decided to share. Hope you have a good chuckle - I did. :)

1. We believe in SUVs and minivans, as the form of transportation, and in knee length shorts, which are always nice, and in the multilevel marketing.

2. We believe that church ball players should be punished for their own fouls, and not for unsportsmanlike aggression.

3. We believe that through bread crumbs, cheese, creamy soups, and rice all casseroles can be saved through obedience to ward cookbooks and creativity in the mixing bowl.

4. We believe that the first layers and ingredients of the Dip are: first, beans; second, cheese; third, chopped tomatoes; fourth, the gift of sour cream; fifth, olives; sixth, salsa; seventh, guacamole, that is, if you have it.

5. We believe that a Mormon should have a distinguished or a cute name, that it is appropriate to name a child after a church leader or a historical figure including an ancestor, that alternative spellings and French prefixes only add to a name, and that when referring to the names of General Authorities, middle initials should be a part thereof.

6. We believe in the same wall decor that exists in many Mormon homes, namely, framed family proclamations, vinyl lettering, inspirational word signs, family photos, pictures of temples and Jesus, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of the re-gift, church books, crafts, family photos, baked goods, emergency supply kits, and so forth.

8. We believe in sparkling grape juice so long as it is nonalcoholic; we also believe in bringing root beer and sprite to ward parties.

9. We believe in all that we have scrapbooked, all that we will now scrapbook, and we believe that we will yet scrapbook many great and important things pertaining to our family, friends, pets, and vacations.

10. We believe in the literal mixing of ketchup and mayo and in the generous application of ranch dressing; that CBAs (church-based acronyms) will be used to describe YM/YW, PEC, the Y, NCMO, and CTR; that Mitt Romney will get Mormons to vote for him any time he runs; and, that the Mormons will enjoy reading Twilight and The Work and the Glory.

11. We claim the privilege of trying to identify common acquaintances with any visitor at church, and allow all other people at church the same privilege, and let them name drop the names of Famous and general authorities how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to scoutmasters, pampered chef hostesses, and the writers of the U.S. News and World Report Rankings for professional schools, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining Glenn Beck.

13. We believe in being above average, good at crafts, optimistic, and being fifteen minutes late everywhere we go. Indeed, we may say that we follow BYU football. We believe rumors about famous people joining the church, we hope to meet the three Nephites, we have endured many pyramid schemes, and hope to be able to endure all pyramid schemes. If there is anything cheap, free, sold in bulk, or given away when somebody is moving, we seek after these things.

Lesson from Jonathan

2009-10-07T16:18:00.001-06:00

He discovered it doesn't matter
whether or not you're best.
It's what you do with what you have
that helps to pass the test.

How Cool!

2009-09-27T20:53:00.005-06:00

So we were visiting James and Val this weekend and Val was talking about printing Vittoria's blog. We were talking about different ways to do it and guess what I found out ... The Cutest Blog On The Block will print your blog and make it into a book! How cool is that?! I think it's pretty darn cool. You should check it out HERE. Of course it doesn't show any video or slide show that you might have posted, but it's still pretty neat. You can even have it printed with the comments on each post. So cool!

For Shelby

2009-09-21T19:44:00.003-06:00

I told Shelby I would post this on my blog and then the world turned upside down. So, better late than never. This was the weekend after Tiff's surgery. I came up for a quick visit to the hospital and to see Garth's cousin Cari, but the main reson for the visit was to help Tiff out. On Friday we went swimming at the Riverton Pool. It was good times. Somehow Shelby talked Taylor into jumping off the high dive. When I saw her up there, I thought for certain she would turn around and climb right back down. I was shocked to see her jump. Way to go girl! I had to take a video so we could show Garth that she really did it.

Here is a picture of the other kids playing "duck" it was way cute

Nana was able to come out for a bit so she loved on Pyper, and Camryn got cold and Emity was done swimming so they hung out for a bit. And Tiff just took it easy.

The other cute picture I have from that weekend is Tiff, Pyper and Camryn taking a nap on the couch. I just couldn't resist taking a picture.
Cute girls. :)

A Name and a Blessing

2009-09-16T09:03:00.007-06:00

We were finally able to do Pyper's blessing this past weekend. Yeah! And what a busy weekend it was. We spent all week getting ready for the Yard Sale, I had my Scensty party at the house Friday night and then Saturday was the HUGE Yard Sale. (Which was an AWESOME success!) Saturday night we also did birthday for the family members who have a birthday in September. So when Sunday came, I was pooped, but the day was great! I really love having family come to my house. It gives me a happy feeling. The girls, Carter, Jacomo and little Bradley all played really nice together. They even cleaned up their messes! :) It was a great day! I love my family so much and feel so blessed to be a part of each one.
So here are some cute pictures of the sweet babe.

Pretty girl. Nana made the dress and all 4 of the girls have been blessed in it.

Sweet girl.

All the guys in the circle. We were just missing Mike. Our chapel is really small and it was a bit of a squeeze to get them all in there. (the bishop is missing from the picture too)

Happy parents.

The youngest babies.
Pyper (3 months) Bradley (6 months) Adelia (3 months)
That Bradley is SO long and So darn cute.
And that Adelia is so strong. She'll be crawling before you know it. :)

Pyper's 2 month check-up

2009-09-08T23:32:00.004-06:00

I finally got Pyper in for her 2 month check -up. She will actually be 3 months old next Tuesday, but better late than never, right? I had it scheduled when she really was only 2 months old, but that's when the world went crazy, so here we are now.
Pyper weighs 12 pounds. That puts her in the 51% for her weight. Her height is 23 inches, 44% and her head circumference is in the 11% range. (I don't know where I came up the the 75% I told some of you yesterday...my brain...gone) But she is doing great. I LOVE her smile. She gets her tongue involved and it is so cute! When she starts to giggle, she gets the hicups and that's the end of the laugh, so sweet. She did not like getting her shots and about 3 hours afterward, I think her legs really hurt. She had such a sad cry, broke my heart, poor thing. Pyper LOVES to be swaddled. When she starts to get fussy and you know it's nap time, all you have to do is wrap her up tight, love on her and give her a binky. Nice. I love it when a baby has a trick, it makes life easier. Taylor's was rubbing her blanket across her forehead, Rylie's was putting something over face (usually a burp cloth) and Camryn's . . . still trying to figure that out. :) But I guess as long as she has her thumb and her hair, she's good to go.
Sweet baby. I love her so much. Life with 4 girls in my house is going to be awesome! :) (if I keep telling myself that, maybe it won't be too bad during the teenage years)

Scentsy Party!

2009-09-08T17:41:00.004-06:00

So all you lovely people who read my blog, I am having a Scentsy party this Friday, the 11th. The consultant is donating her ENTIRE commission to James and Val. How nice is that? Anyway, I'd love to have a great party so James and Val can get a good amount of $ from it. So, if you are in need of a new warmer (they have new mid-size warmers and I love the plug-in warmers), some new smells or whatever, come on over to my house on Friday between 6 and 8 pm. If you can't make it, check out the Scentsy website here and let me know what you want. (This is my official invite to my family, sorry I didn't get anything in the mail.)

here's the cute Sept. warmer!

Also family, don't forget we are blessing Pyper this Sunday. Church starts at 11 am. See you this weekend. I'm so excited!

School

2009-09-02T19:24:00.002-06:00

So, I haven't blogged in a while. I haven't felt much like blogging, but I'll give it a try.

School. . . School started last week for Taylor and this week for Rylie. Taylor was ready to go and excited. We had a little bit of a rough day on Thursday (I forgot to tell her teacher about Vittoria, last she knew she was still in the hospital), but hopefully things will be okay from now on.

Rylie has been SO excited for school to start! Today was her first day and she popped right out of bed this morning. We had kind of a crazy morning. Pyper woke up right after I woke the girls up. That meant I had to feed her and that meant we would be running late because I couldn't get girl's breakfast or do hair till I was done with Pyper. But we made it to school just in time. Here's the sad part, RYLIE DIDN'T WANT ME TO WALK HER INTO SCHOOL! How sad is that. She said Taylor could do it. Her first day of kindergarten and I didn't walk her into class. I guess I shouldn't feel too sad. It's not like this is totally new to her. She did go to pre-school at this school. Anyway, she said I could walk her in tomorrow if I wanted.

So there you have it. The first day of school for my big girls. I can't believe how big they are all getting. Life is crazy. Where did the time go?

After the crazy summer we've had, I'm trying to get things back under control and on a schedule now. We'll see how long that takes. :) Can you really have a routine when you have a baby and a 2 year old? Not to mention that dance starts in a week and a half. But that's another post.

Chop Sticks

2009-08-12T14:06:00.004-06:00

Taylor had her piano recital last night. She did such a great job. I love listening to her play. She really is a good little piano player. The recital was actually more of a going away recital for her piano teacher and 2 other students who take from a different lady. They have graduated and are heading off the college. So Taylor was the only other person on the program. She actually started the recital. She really was great. Here's the last half of the song.

I also got a little bit of Pyper smiling at the girls this morning. It's pretty cute. I love how babies smile with their entire body.

Dress Up

2009-08-06T19:42:00.004-06:00

This has to be one of the funnest things about having girls ... Dress Up!

Okay, so Pyper doesn't really play dress up, but I guess I play dress up with her. I try to get her in every outfit at least once before she grows out of them. Of course I have my favorites that she wears more than once, but still I try.
This one is from Aunt Tiff and the booties are from Aunt Liz. All I need now is a brown and purple flower to put around her head. (I have purple-haven't made it yet, but have to work on finding brown.) I think she looks so darn cute!

Here is Camryn in Rylie's old dance costume. What a pretty princess. I am so looking forward to Camryn starting dance this year. She is just too fun at home dancing around the house. And I already know that she looks way cute in a dance costume.

Home?

2009-08-04T21:57:00.007-06:00

What a crazy week! We are finally home and it feels great. We have been in Salt Lake since last Thursday evening. I'm so glad we went, but glad we are home.

This roller coaster ride with Vittoria has been such an amazing thing. Such a strong testimony builder. Two miracles in one weekend, how could a person not believe in God. I know our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I also know that He knows the Frandsen family very well and is aware of what it going on with their little girl. I love James and Val and LOVE that little girl of theirs. I really enjoyed being at the hospital with them this past week. (not so much when things didn't look so good, but I think that's understandable-right?) It has been fun getting to spend time with them and with Val's parents and brother. I love her mom. Anna is such a sweetheart. I love watching her with Jacomo and my girls too. I can see and feel the love she has for her little granddaughter and for her daughter. It is something special.

Anyway, I'm grateful for the gospel and the amazing power of prayer. Vittoria's future is still uncertain, but she is still here with us and I'll take that any day.

I also wanted to say thanks to my mom and dad for ALL that they did for me and my little family this weekend. You two are so awesome! I love you so much. I hope you know how much I appreciate you and love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Jared's gallery opening was also this weekend. All I have to say is that it was awesome. Jared is an amazing artist. He is so creative. I was very impressed with his stuff. I would love to have his work all over my house. My favorite was his black and white cup set. It was very neat. If you're down town, go check it out. You won't be disappointed. (54 Finch Lane, near the University) (to see some of his work, click this one too)

I just wanted to post one picture of little Pyper. This is Sunday night while we were waiting for the word on how Vittoria's surgery went. Pretty cute if you ask me. I think that Pyper got a little spoiled this weekend with everyone willing to hold her. I'm not complaing though. :)

I think we'll probably be back up Friday or Saturday and who knows how long we'll stay. Garth has work to do on Friday and we've got Mary's baby's blessing to go to on Sunday. I'd also like to be with Tiff on Tuesday. Crazy, crazy. But that's life, right.

Wellington Pioneer Days

2009-07-29T13:15:00.001-06:00

Chillin at the Wellington Parade. Cute kids!

Another Yard Sale?

2009-07-29T12:53:00.002-06:00

You bet another yard sale! We are planning to do a charity yard sale for Vittoria. We're just in the beginning stages of figuring it out, but I wanted to put the thought out there to people I know. It will probably be the second weekend in September. . . Jana's birthday and James and Val's anniversary. :) So, if you've got a basement or garage full of nice stuff you don't need/use any more, don't throw it out, send it my way! Any bit we can raise to help this awesome family out will be greatly appreciated.
Just a bit of an update on Vittoria, she's on the list for a heart transplant!! There is still a lot to go through, but things are looking so much better than they did just a few days ago. Check out her blog if you'd like to get the full version.

Vittoria

2009-07-26T23:13:00.002-06:00

If you haven't had a chance to check out Vittoria's blog, please do. And if you can help in anyway, please visit helpvittoria.webs.com. Vittoria is a fighter and hanging in there. Garth and I went up to see Vittoria and to be with James and Val today. It was quite an experience for me to see Vittoria hooked up to so many machines and tubes going every where. It just made me think that she is an amazing little girl. Such a strong little fighter. It also made me realize how strong her parents are to go through this with her now and also past surgeries. I know that they are emotionally and physically exhausted, but I think they are so strong. I believe the Lord only gives us what he knows we can handle and James and Val are being pushed to their limits, but they know the Lord is taking care of their baby girl and hearing all the prayers being said in her behalf. So, please keep praying for her, her parents, her family and her doctors. She's strong and stubborn and amazing and I know she can feel your prayers.

We love you Vittoria!

Catch Up

2009-07-23T08:27:00.007-06:00

Okay folks, it's catch up time with pictures! Yea! Fun! I've been reading so I haven't done much with this blog. But this morning I finished the book(s) so, I'll take a little time here.

I didn't post anything about the 4th of July, so here it is. We spent time at Mom and Dad's/Jared and Liz's and at the cabin.
check out the scrapbook pages here
The girls just did the Drill Team Junior Camp last week. I think they had a good time. It's nice not to have to put that on any more, but hard to sit back and watch someone else do it when you think your ideas are better. :)
check out the scrapbook pages here
We had yard sale and the Frandsen Family Reunion over the weekend. We also visited my Grandma. Not the best 4 generation photo, but it will definitely do.

Pyper had a Cheeto at the reunion. :D

And last but not least, here is Pyper in the jammies mom made her. Pretty darn cute if you ask me.

Also, Vittoria had open heart surgery on Tuesday. Things were quite touch and go, but it's looking a little better now but still very serious. Please keep Vittoria in your prayers. I helped them set up a blog to post updates on, so feel free to check it out. (I only did the first post, the rest is James and other family member. James needs to set up his goggle account so his name shows up as the author.)

Oh What a Day, Friday!

2009-07-10T22:49:00.010-06:00

The day started like most days . . . and then?
The two older girls got all their jobs done.
Pyper finally lost her cord.
We finally made a small dent in the weeding.
Realized that I've done a bit too much weeding, my body is still healing from having this baby.
Garth pulled out all the dead trees we've been growing. :)
Finished Pyper's announcement with Jana, very cute.
Watched my girls work the mini track hoe by themselves.
Took the girls and Taylor's friend over to the farm too see all the animals. Then left Taylor at her friends house for a sleep over.
Discovered a delicious summer treat - the Cherry Limeade Chiller at Sonic.
Put Camryn in bed because she had fallen asleep on the way back home from the farm and the yummy drink run.
Got Rylie dinner and in the tub.
Got in the shower only to get out and hear my two babies crying loud and hard. ( you know the kind where they breath hard) Not one of my better mom moments.
Had Garth bring home dinner on his way back from dropping off the scouts because finding time for me to eat just didn't happen.

One day I'll figure out how all this is suppose to work. :)

Here's a little video of the girls working the track hoe.

Can't forget pictures of the other two.

Camryn wasn't too hip on the idea of taking a picture right then, but oh well.

And here's cute Pyper in the tub for the first time!

Growing Like Flowers

2009-06-30T20:18:00.006-06:00

On Monday I took the girls to the doctor. Pyper is 2 weeks old and needed to have that MEAN blood test done - they have to fill up 7 circles now instead of 3 - and I never got Camryn in for her 2 year old check up and Rylie needed to get caught up on her shots so she can go to kindergarten. I dropped a pretty penny at the office. But I guess that's okay because they each came out with a clean bill of health. Taylor was there for moral support, but was out of there as soon as it was time for shots.

Pyper is now 2 weeks old. She weighs 9 lbs and is 21 inches long. That puts her in the 71% range for her weight and for ger height she is at 76%. Way to go girl!
Who doesn't love a good stretching picture?

Camryn is 26.5 lbs and is 34 inches tall. That puts her at 38% for her weight and 38% for her height. She is just a little thing. But at least she's good and healthy right?

Rylie started out as such a chub, but check her out now. She weighs 39 lbs. and is 42.5 inches tall. 41% for her weight and 45% for her height. I knew she was small because most of the other girls in her dance class are taller than her.

So there you have it. The update on 3 of my sweeties. All of them growing like flowers.

Let's Roll!

2009-06-26T21:47:00.004-06:00

So the one thing I decided I needed with this baby was a double stroller. And here it is - ta dah! Camryn really likes it. So does Pyper, she didn't make one squeak while we were out. We walked around the yard yesterday and today we went for a walk around Hillside Drive. I think we'll try and go again tomorrow. The stroller comes with 2 seats like the one Camryn is sitting in. They can face any way you would like. When I turned Camryn's seat to face out, she said "Thanks Mom!" She was very excited. I like the carrier attachment that comes with it. Even though the seats fully recline, it's nice to just be able to pull out the carrier and put it in the stroller, especially while Pyper is so little. Yes it's huge and bulky and a bit heavy, but I think it's going to be great to have.

Did You Know

2009-06-24T20:07:00.002-06:00

Did you know that my two big girls are not here? Taylor and Rylie left with my parents on Sunday to spend the week with cousins. Don't I have a great family? Liz had them both til Tuesday, when she met up with Emity and Taylor went home with her. I only mention this because I just looked at Hayley's blog with the fun swimming pictures and then just read Emity's comment on the Pyper pictures. I miss my girls, but we have been busy these past couple of days to keep my mind occupied. I miss them most at night when it's time for bed and it's just Camryn to tuck in. (I've been letting Camryn stay up late so she sleeps in late so I can get a few extra zzz's in the morning.) I hope they're being good girls and eating what is for dinner without causing a fuss. :)
So, this rambling post is really to let my sisters know how much I appreciate them. I'm sure my girls are having a great time and Camryn is getting some personal get to know Pyper time, which has been really good. Thank you Liz and Emity and all the other family members who are helping to entertain my girls. Thank you Jana for keeping them while I was in the hospital. You are all awesome. I really am blessed to have such a great family - both the Wards and the Frandsens. You take care of us like angels. I feel so blessed and know that I truly am.

More Pyper

2009-06-22T19:52:00.004-06:00

Jana finished taking Pyper pictures today and there are a couple I just had to share. They are TOO cute! I'm sure Jana would have liked to fix them up a bit first, but I couldn't wait. :) I figured you wouldn't mind seeing more baby pictures, because who gets tired of seeing cute little babies? Not me, especially when she's so darn cute! :)

Baby Byper

2009-06-19T21:18:00.005-06:00

I mentioned bath pictures, but this was too cute. Camryn wasn't sure what to think of Pyper when she first arrived into this world. At the hospital, she didn't want too much to do with Pyper. Now I think everything is going to be okay. Camryn likes to to hold her and love on her. She doesn't like to hear Pyper cry, but likes to imitate the little sounds she makes. It's very sweet. So, here are a few pictures of the cute little couple.

Say "cheese"

Telling Pyper a story about her princess.

Here, eat the princess. :)

Trying my hand at video. This is pretty cute if it works. Don't forget to pause my playlist. (unless you really want to listen to Celine Dion:) Should I take my playlist off? It's been on my mind for a while.)

Pyper Emma Frandsen

2009-06-18T13:53:00.005-06:00

Here she is folks . . .

Pyper Emma Frandsen

Born on June 15, 2009 at 2:08 pm. She weighs 7 lbs. 8 oz. and is 20 and 1/2 inches long. She is perfect!

Her sisters love her very much and so do her parents! I just want to tell everyone thanks for the visits and THANK YOU Jana for taking care of the 3 big girls while I was in the hospital. You are a superwoman! Garth and I appreciate it SO much.
Here are a few pictures.

Proud parents!

Awesome room we were moved to to recover in. Very nice.

The 3 youngest Ward grandchildren. How cute. Check out how long Bradley is!

Loves her baby sister.

Loves her baby sister too and would hold her all day!

Tomorrow Pyper will get a bath and I can guarantee more pictures will be posted! :)

what do you think?

2009-06-16T03:52:00.000-06:00

Pyper Emma? Pyper Emilia? Pyper Minnie? Or Pyper Emma Minnie? What are your thoughts?

Happy To You!

2009-06-12T11:26:00.008-06:00

MY FIRST BABY IS 9 YEARS OLD!!!! What happened? She is turning into quite the young lady. I have been so impressed with how helpful she's been lately. I think she is realizing how much I am going to need her help soon. It's been awesome. She really is such a good girl. I'm pretty lucky to have her around.

Her birthday party went really well. We had 10 girls here plus my girls. Surprisingly, there was not one problem! It was great. All the girls played together nicely, made new friends and even kept Rylie involved. We had pizza, made slipper flip flops, opened presents and watched a movie. In the morning we had birthday muffins, eggs, bacon, and sausage. The hardest part of the whole deal was getting them to settle down and go to sleep. But that's to be expected.

Click here to see the scrap book page. I couldn't get it to load!!!

So now that I don't have any more crazy things to do, I think I can have this baby now. We head to hospital Monday morning at 6 am! How exciting! I'm a little nervous, but very excited to have this baby here and be able to move around SO much easier.

Show's Over

2009-06-10T09:28:00.003-06:00

Well, we made it through last week. The show was GREAT and I didn't go into labor after doing high kicks and the splits! The girls did a great job with their dances and Mom was a super hero getting them dressed and on stage in time. Dad, Em and girls, and Tiff and Mike and Carter were also able to come. Thank you all for being there. I love it when you come! And thank you Bonnie and Neil for keeping track of Camryn. I have an awesome family! Here's a picture of me and the girls...

So, I finally think I have things mostly together for this new baby. I have washed clothes - and forgot how much I actually have! Put the bassinet together, made it to the store to get a few of the essentials, (still no diapers) and packed my bag last night. Hopefully I've got things under control. I plan to put the baby seat in the car today. I go to the doctor at 2:30 this afternoon, so hopefully we will know a time for Monday. After my visit with the doctor last week and after explaining the busy schedule everyone has for this month, he said he would start me on Monday or Friday, well, Monday works much better, so we'll see what he says today. I'm hoping I can go in early Monday morning. So it looks like June 15th!
Taylor's birthday is tomorrow and crazy me it letting her have a sleep over party! We're having pizza, making slipper flip flops, watching a movie, having ice cream and then birthday muffins in the morning. Taylor and her birthday muffins instead of cake, silly girl. I'l post pictures of the fun.
I think that's it! What a week and what a week still to come. Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it to the show and also BIG thanks to Jana for being in charge of the biggest class at the studio. You and Amy are rock stars!

12 Years

2009-05-29T06:40:00.004-06:00

Things are crazy around here, but I was having a thought the other day as Val's and Garth's birthdays approached. It was 12 years ago, on Val's birthday, that I met Garth. Crazy stuff! It was Val's surprise birthday party. James and Val thought Garth and I would be perfect for each other because of a talent my dear brother Jared helped me to perfect - belching. I was at Val's dorm one day for lunch and James was there. Well I, in true Tori fashion, let one go. I guess James was impressed and thought I should met his brother. So tadah, here we are today. Crazy stuff I tell you. Who would have thought - 11 1/2 years of marriage, almost 4 kids, a home in Wellington, UT, 2 dogs and 2 cats - all because I went on a date with a truck diver who had a cool bronco!
So Val, Happy Birthday, you old woman. I totally respect my elders! :-) Thanks for helping make my life so great!
And Garth, Happy Birthday you old man! Just wait til next year - the big 4-0 is going to be a PAR-TAY! I love you babe!

Mermaid cake and tapioca, what a lucky guy!

The Big 5

2009-05-21T18:52:00.007-06:00

So my Rylie is 5 years old! Can you believe it? We had Garth's parents over on Sunday to celebrate with us. Jana and Casey and the girls came over a bit later. Rylie wanted to decorate cupcakes for her birthday, so that's what we did.

Her friend party was Wednesday. I knew I would have a hard time entertaining 5 year olds (I don't move around very fast or very well these days) so we rented a bouncer for the party. It was great. Not all the kids who were invited came, so it was a small party and the kids had a great time (at least I hope they did).

They jumped. . .

Made flower leis. . .

Jumped some more. . .

Opened presents. . .

And had cake and ice cream.

Don't you love the mermaid cake! I think she turned out pretty good. It took 2 cake mixes to make her. I have so much left over cake! I think I'll take it to the cabin this weekend. Maybe Garth gets mermaid cake for his birthday too. :-)

We finished off the party with more jumping and then I filled water balloons and they threw them on the driveway to see who could make the biggest splash mark. It was a pretty good party. It went pretty smooth if I do say so myself. Thank you Jana and Becky for helping me out.

After the party we headed over to the studio for the Splits and Donut Club party. The girls had about 3 months to get their splits flat and donuts touching. If they did, they were able to come to the party where they could have a donut, banana split or both, depending on what they did. I plan on posting that on the Dance Technica blog if you want to see a few pictures. It actually turned out pretty good too. They girls were saying that it was fun. So hopfully they were telling the truth and not just trying to make me feel good.

I also wanted to let you all know that Rylie graduated from preschool! She really is growing up. It was the perfect graduation ceremony. It was no longer than 30 minutes. Here are a few pics.

Keeping that hat on was a challenge.

The big graduate. Doesn't she look so grown up?!

There you have it. A quick update for our little family. Taylor has one more week of school before she's done, Rylie has an ear infection, but other wise just happy as can be and Camryn is doing fine. After her adventures in diarrhea, she is back to being the happy, bossy girl we know and love. Garth will be 39 on Sunday (holy crap) and I'm still pregnant. :-( But I guess that's okay cuz I don't have things ready and she really should cook a little longer. I hope everyone is doing well. Happy Memorial Weekend!

Check List Update

2009-05-21T13:55:00.003-06:00

Okay, here is where things are now:
1. check
2. still almost check
3. scheduled for the 29th
4. check
5. check
6.
7.
8. check
9. ordered, but haven't heard from the guy, calling him today
10.
11.
12. check
13.
14. Liz, I emailed your sister, but haven't heard back from her, do you mind checking to see if she got my email?
15.
There are a few more things to add to this list, like someone to run the sound, find some one to video the show, make copies of the program, and all the tiny little odds and ends that need to get done, but hopefully I can keep a mental list of that. Five definite checks - progress!
The birthday party went well. I plan to post pictures of the fun tonight. Wait til you see the huge cake I made! It's awesome. Rylie is 5 years old, WOW! I'm not sure how I feel about sending her to a full day of school. It's going to be a bit rough I think.
I'm also hoping to post dance pictures. Very cute!

Check List

2009-05-15T19:02:00.003-06:00

1. Reserve place for show - check
2. Get program done for show - almost check
3. Get decorations done for show -
4. Plan a birthday party - check, does that mean everything is ready for the party, NO
5. Plan a "splits & donut" party for the studio - check, does that mean everything is ready for the party, NO. Is it the same day as the birthday party, YES! (what, who does that?)
6. Get baby stuff ready: clothes, diapers, basinet, everything -
7. Get lighting guy for show -
8. Cut all music and make a CD for show - almost check
9. Make sure all costumes are handed out - almost check, I still have to get the shirts ordered for the mom's dance. Yes, I AM dancing in the show! Might even do high kicks AND the splits. You don't want to miss that! Mom's dance is #11 out of 38. I think I might make it through the show if I send myself into labor. :)
10. Relax -
11. Make sure my girls have all their costumes together for the show -
12. Make studio poster of class pictures -
13. Order flowers for show -
14. Get teacher thank you's for show -
15. Get my stuff ready to have a baby -

I make this list mainly for myself. It has the potential to grow. Will it get all finished, sure it will. But how I get to the end product will be a miracle in itself. Today is the 15th, I have only 1 item with a definite check. The majority of these items need to be checked off before the 6th of June. I hope to get at least 3 checked off tomorrow. I'll post my progress. :)

Dance Technica Rectial is June 6th at Mont Harmon Junior High in Price. Show starts at 7 pm. You are all invited!

Interesting

2009-05-07T09:16:00.003-06:00

So my high school boyfriend's wife just sent me a friend request on Facebook. Not sure what to make of it. Very interesting and kind of funny. Seeing his name brings back memories. I just stumbled across the box with all the notes he sent me in high school, good times, good laughs. :P
To those of you who know about the whole Brian/Tori high school love, what are YOUR thoughts?
P.S. Answer to Julie's question- No, I don't know her at all. Wouldn't have known who she was if it weren't for the name.

Oh Yes She Is

2009-05-03T16:25:00.006-06:00

Did you know that my baby is 2 years old today! Can you believe it! What a cutie she is. Our little monster. She is turning into a "big" girl. She sleeps in her own bed, can talk up a storm, and will even give you a good talking too if she doesn't like what you're doing. She loves to wear shoes, is afraid of bugs, loves to suck her thumb and twirl her hair, loves her babies, likes to wear "sun gasses" and loves her papas. So, happy birthday Camryn! We love you tons and tons!

Woot woot! It's my birthday! All ready for church.

Dressed in her new birthday clothes. So pretty, or as she says, so coot!

Where did the time go?

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-04-26T15:51:00.004-06:00

I had to write this down somewhere because it's priceless.
Rylie is playing in my room right now. She's standing on our bed, playing with Garth's toy airplanes that are on top of the headboard. There matchbox ones. They're WWI or WWII style. Anyway, she's playing, I'm in there doing some ironing, and all of a sudden I here, "I saved Jesus!" me "You did?" her "What? He was about to fall. I did." Priceless. ( We have a picture of Jesus on our headboard because I'm not sure where to put it in the house.) So there you have it, my Rylie saved Jesus! I love her!

You Go Girls!

2009-04-23T21:46:00.004-06:00

Just thought I'd let you all know, my girls (Taylor & Rylie) are competing in a dance competition tomorrow night (Friday) If you happen to be in Price/live in Price, or want to make the quick trip down, they are each doing a solo. Saturday is the studio competition. I have 8 classes competing then. Should make for a fun day. :) I'll let you know how it turns out.
Everything is at the high school.

Ouch!

2009-04-22T21:47:00.006-06:00

So tonight I was hoping for a normal evening at home. No dance, no errands, I even told Grandpa we'd come see the new chicks tomorrow so we could be home. Well, not even 10 minutes after walking in from piano lessons, I hear Camryn crying/screaming through the open windows and Rylie has just come in to tell me Camryn is hurt from getting on the trampoline. I go outside and find her face down on the ground. Rylie, bless her heart, tried to help her onto the tramp and ended up doing more damage than good. Camryn must have hit her mouth on the bar on the way down to the ground while Rylie was trying to lift her up and her bottom teeth went clear through her bottom lip. Lots of blood, lots of crying. Not good. After trying to decide what to do, I head out to the hospital with her. An hour and a half later, the doctor has glued her lip and given me a prescription for an antibiotic. Good times! Here a the pictures I took. They aren't the greatest. It's tricky getting a close up of something so little without it going blurry. But trust me, the hole in her mouth is pretty big.

at the hospital

at home with the glue still in tact

trying to get a good shot of the "big hole"

Now the glue is gone, she has picked at it so much. Should I be worried? I put one layer of glue on just a bit ago and she didn't like it too much. What do you do? The mouth is pretty amazing at healing it's self right? Taylor has a dentist appointment tomorrow. I guess I'll see what he thinks. Plus it will probably be good to have him take a peek at her teeth. You know, Rylie hit her mouth not too long before her 2nd birthday too ( think she was almost 2). I hope this isn't a pattern we're falling into. I take Rylie to an oral surgeon next month to have him take a look at her teeth from that lovely incident.

Just for fun, here are a few pics from Easter. Had a good time, despite the weather. Thanks fam for coming.

I'm Lovin' It

2009-04-07T13:39:00.002-06:00

My kids don't have school this week and it's only day two, but it's been awesome! They've been able to get some work done around the house, which means I don't have to do it, and so far, they've played really well together - all 3! It's really been nice.
Sunday we put the trampoline up, and with this great weather, the girls have had a blast. I feel so content right now. Today is a good day to be mom.

Adventures in Hair Cutting!

2009-04-01T10:04:00.004-06:00

So Friday I got my hair cut and colored (I promise I'll post a picture, it's pretty fun) because I had dance pictures on Saturday and had to have my picture taken too. (last time I got my hair done was in Nov.) I had to take the girls with me because Garth had just left for a scout camp. Just before we left, Camryn had downed at least a third of a bunch of grapes (really I don't know, but for a little one, it was a lot!) Anyway, we get to the girl's house and she starts on my hair color. Shortly after, Camryn comes in a throws-up on her floor. Yum, grapes! It was nice. I get her cleaned up, Patty gets me one of her daughters old shirts and I struggle to keep Camryn on my lap, just in case she isn't done. Keeping her on my lap fails and she head off to the playroom. Next thing I hear is "Mom, Camryn just threw up." Oh, let the good times roll! Hop out of the chair and head back to the play room to clean up. By now I'm stressing and all that good stuff that happens when your child gets sick somewhere other than home. Patty can tell and is being great about the whole thing with some thanks to my good friend who has told Patty to be nice to me (not that she wouldn't be and always is) because I have been SUPPER stressed out lately (she is an awesome friend by the way, love her guts) We get started again. I've got Camryn on my lap in just her diaper now and she spews again! Yum, grapes!
So here we are, Camryn has now thrown up in Patty's house 3 times, I have this fun new color on a good portion of my hair, I think we've trashed 3 towels by now, and I am at a loss as to what to do. Patty is so sweet and says it's up to me. I know Camryn isn't sick, just has an upset tummy from all those grapes, but really, a person shouldn't stay in someone else's home when their child has thrown up 3 times! But I did! Is that bad? Camryn fell asleep shortly after the third round, and Patty finished my hair and cut Rylie's.
Adventures in Hair Cutting! I know they didn't cover this in school! So Patty, thanks for awesome hair! Becky, thank you so much for caring about me, it means so much. And Camryn, thanks for keeping life interesting!

Tag and much much more

2009-03-20T18:36:00.009-06:00

First of all, Jared and Liz had their baby on Wednesday! Yea for them! Hopefully we can head up and see him and visit for a while tomorrow, but money is very tight, so I'll have to see how that goes.
Second of all, Emity tagged me with a photo tag. I've actually seen this one around on quite a few blogs, but here's the deal . . . the rules are, go to your fourth folder, and fourth picture, and blog about that (I've been seeing it 6 and 6). Well, I don't have my pictures in folders, so I went to my fourth "event" and picked the fourth picture from that.

Like Garrett, I do believe this picture has been seen on my blog before. This is our trip to California last April. We went to visit Garth's cousin Cari. Did a little Layers party, but really, had a great time with Cari and her family. It was a great trip. I was actually just thinking about it yesterday. This is our trip to the beach, in case you were wondering. It was pretty cold and windy, but we had a good time just the same. I would really like to go again, soon!
I tag Becky (I think Amy tagged you already, get with it would you! :P) and anyone else who reads my blog that hasn't done this one already.
Thirdly, I feel so crafty! It's costume time at the studio, and making sure everyone has all their costumes and stuff has been very stressful. This amazing lady in town makes dace costumes, but she doesn't have all the accessories the big companies do. So, I have been running around (along with Garth) trying to find enough buttons to accessorize this one costume. Then I get another costume she has made and realize it needs something added to the front. So, I decided to make a flower to go with it, then thought, I need a hair bow or something, as well. So, I headed back to the store for more orange flowers. Then realized again, the costume we went hunting for buttons for needs something for the hair too. Back to the store (only to find that the buttons we searched MANY Walmarts for were back in stock at my store) for ribbon and stuff. Then, I decided to have one of the classes make these cute dance skirts out of tulle (like the one Liz and Madeline gave Taylor for Christmas). So more trips to the store for tulle, ribbon, and flowers. It's just been crazy! Costumes are tough! But with all my flower making, I made a few for my girls' hair too.

The top three are just flowers I did for my girls, the two bottom orange ones go with a costume, and the other bottom two are left overs from the ballet skirt project so I made them into clips for my girls.

So, not am I only so crafty that I make people (ha ha hayley :D), I make hair accessories too! I still have to make the other orange costume hair ribbons and realized yesterday that I need to make a green flower for a green costume too. But, my Walmart doesn't have any pretty green flowers, so maybe that will be my excuse for going up North tomorrow, totally a dance expense. I can go for that, right?
Well there it is . . . A post (a long one too) when I didn't really think I had anything to blog about. Most of it is ramblings of a mad woman, but hay, that's my life! :)

Lucky Morning

2009-03-17T07:47:00.003-06:00

So I think it was Emity's blog last year that showed her green food on Saint Patrick's Day and I thought, I can do something like that. So, this year we had green breakfast! Green eggs, green pancakes, green orange juice, and sausage. Rylie was a little worried about how it would taste, but once she realized it tasted just the same, she was just fine. My only problem was I worried about this most of the the night so, I didn't sleep very well. I was worried I wouldn't wake up in time to do a breakfast like this. Our breakfast ritual is usually cereal. So, I tossed and turned most of the morning and then worried I didn't have any green food coloring. I used most of my food coloring at Halloween on my "brain" and let Jana borrow the green paste I had for Payton's birthday cake, but obviously, I had enough, barely. (I had to add a little water to the last bit, it's gone now) I'll have to let you know if Camryn eats the green pancakes. :)

I'm So Proud

2009-03-03T21:42:00.005-07:00

These are some awesome pictures from my Grandpa's funeral. I was looking forward to the salute he would receive at the cemetery and was glad Garth was looking forward to it too. He got some awesome pictures. Here are just a few.

I'm so glad there are men like my Grandpa in the world today. My Grandpa was an amazing man and I'm proud to be a part of his family. I will miss him.

Grandpa Ward

2009-02-24T21:20:00.006-07:00

My brother called me Tuesday night while I was teaching class. I looked to see who it was and first thought I would let the voice mail get it, but then decided to pick it up. I'm glad I did, but feel a bit embarrassed for my class. I don't think they knew how to deal with Miss Tori crying. But Jared told me that my grandpa had died. Try holding back tears when a man you love and admire has just passed away. Right at this moment I wish I lived closer to the rest of my family. It would be very nice to cry with the rest of them instead of by myself.
My favorite memories are the camping ones. I want to tell my parents thank you for all the time we were able to spend with our grandparents growing up. Those memories are priceless. I LOVED when grandpa would let us a ride a tree. Who can say they've had that experience.
Like my sister said, he was a big, strong man. Biggest guy I knew. Biggest heart too. He loved his family very much and was very proud of each of their accomplishments. He knew about your life and wanted to make sure everything was still going well. He'd even add his own story to relate. :)
I can't remember which grade it was, but in elementary school, Grandpa came to my class one year to talk about the war. I thought it was the coolest thing! I was so proud. I will never forget when he started taking about the concentration camps and the things he saw there. He cried a bit and I cried right along with him.
I can remember fishing with Grandpa, huckleberrying, walking through the leaves, and so many more adventures. I loved him very much and will miss him even more.
I think of my sweet grandma and pray that she will be alright.
I am so thankful to be a part of the Arlo Ward legacy.

This picture was taken at Easter in 2007.

Not Nice, Oh Well

2009-02-23T12:01:00.007-07:00

This is probably really bad, but I just helped a friend out with the Miss CEU Pageant. She asked me to choreograph the opening number and of course I said yes. Well, then she called last week to tell me that the local "event photographer" had taken pictures of the whole night and that our girls were in a few because Taylor's class also performed that night. I just thought this pictures was pretty funny. Sorry about my crude humor. I do like this girl, she really nice. I almost had her as a teacher at the studio, but her schedule didn't work out. She's an amazing dancer. But here's the link to see the rest of the pictures (then you can see them in FULL size). Can you spot my swimming suit I used when I went to Miss Utah? I've, really other people, gotten good use out of it. I should charge a rental fee. I can't remember how many girls I've let use it. :) Here's a cute one of Taylor...

Not A Secret

2009-02-19T12:47:00.005-07:00

It's no secret that I don't like doing laundry. I don't like staying on top of it, making sure when one load is done the next gets in, and I really, REALLY don't like folding it. And not folding leads to ironing! But here are my thoughts for today...
I just did laundry last week. I'm doing it again this week because I need some of the things the girls wore last weekend at the cabin clean so they can wear them again this weekend. Usually I do laundry every two weeks because I hate it so much. But after today, I realize that it's not too bad if you get it done each week. The loads aren't as big (or it doesn't take two loads to do each batch) and it doesn't take as long to fold them. But here are more thoughts, I'm sure after having this great epiphany (which really isn't that great cuz I think I've thought all this before) my laundry habits really won't change! Maybe every now and then, but I don't think it will be a regular thing. This is not a job I enjoy doing!
More random thoughts...
I wonder if my household would survive if I was gone for 2 weeks. That is something I would really like to see.
I also feel like I look like a house! I swear I look like I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant instead of 4 1/2. People will ask when I'm due and I say middle of June, I know there thinking, "man she's huge!" Sure this is my fourth pregnancy, fifth according to the doctor (gets confusing), but still. I'm huge and still have 4 1/2 months to go! Really stinks.
And, my house is a mess. We're dancing at one of the care centers tonight and tomorrow I need to get us all packed and ready to go. So it won't get done. And much like my mom, I hate coming home to a dirty house. Where are the cleaning fairies when I need them?

So there you have it. I guess I'm having a mom moment. Oh well, what do you do? Say that's life and move on...right?

Snow Ride

2009-02-17T22:05:00.004-07:00

Okay, so Jared and Liz have done a great job at blogging about their weekend at the cabin, so check their blogs out. Here is a picture I have of Jared falling gracefully off the snowboard. Not nearly as good as his first trip down the driveway. I really wish I had pictures of that one!

I had my camera with me the entire time we were at Tucker for lunch, and didn't take a single picture. So, while we were back in the parking lot at the cabin, Liz said,"That's a cute picture." So I snapped a couple real quick. Here is Bonnie loaded with all the tiny grand babies for the ride up to the cabin. From left to right you have Camryn, Jocelyn, Harley, Tianna, and Jacomo in the carrier. Too cute for words. Grandma definitely had her hands full. Rylie went on the first half of the ride with Garth (so he could play around, there's no way Taylor would go for that) and she had a blast. They had a "signal" if Rylie needed to say something to her Dad - she would pat his leg. Pretty cute stuff if you ask me. Rylie is a bit braver than Taylor when it comes to things like this. Taylor went on the second half of the ride with Garth and she described her ride as "terrifyingly fun." I think she didn't know what to think of her dad's crazy driving, but realized that she was safe the whole time and really had nothing to worry about, just her own fear. Me, I love to ride with Garth because there's no way I can do all the stuff he does on a machine. He's a crazy man! A little bit more reserved now that he has a family, and I do mean just a little. Or maybe he's just a little smater. Who knows, but at least he still has a great time.

We had a very nice weekend with the family. I'm glad Jared and Liz were able to come since they will be missing this weekend with the Ward family. The guys and Jana were able too get a few good rides in and still have time to play with the kids. Taylor and Rylie love to sled, but Camryn would much rather spend her time riding on a snowmobile! The entire time she's headed down the hill with her dad to pick up the sledders at the bottom, Garth said she was saying "woo whoo". She loves it! (So does her dad.) I shuttled kids back and forth for a bit, but after a while it was too much. My gut is getting too big to fit in my snow clothes and it doesn't feel so great. But I did my part playing with my kids too. I love them so much. I couldn't ask for a better family!

So, thanks Frandsen Fam for making this past weekend a great one! We had awesome food and plenty of good times. It was nice to see everyone! And thanks for welcoming Jared and Liz. They had a great time too. (sorry if my pictures are all over the place, sometimes I struggle)

I'm ready, I'm ready

2009-01-28T18:24:00.003-07:00

Really she's not ready, but it's pretty darn cute anyway. The other night, Camryn picked up a pair of Rylie's clean undies and wanted me to put them on her, so I did. She thought she was pretty cool. Tell you what though, if she was ready for the potty, I would be soo excited! She has only peed in the potty twice, just before getting in the tub, and she pooped in the potty once, just before getting in the tub. That one scared her a little bit. But here's to hoping, right? She is too cute for my words sometimes. I love that Cam-b.

What the . . .

2009-01-26T21:17:00.004-07:00

So, this is what Garth's truck looks like now. he decided he wanted to "open up the front" and make more room. HE HIT A DEER THIS MORNING on his way to work. Crazy guy. He said the deer just jumped out of nowhere. Garth is fine and the truck is still drivable. As soon as the claims guy comes and does his thing, Garth will send it off to the shop. Good times.

It's A . . .

2009-01-22T11:07:00.003-07:00

Here it is folks . . .

Number 4 is on her way! We might be moving the due date back a bit, but next month we get to take another peak to measure everything again and really decide on the due date. Right now everthing is measuring a bit small, but the dates I've given him all add to the date we have set now, so we'll see. So ta-da. Girl city at my house. Poor Garth.

What a Weekend

2009-01-20T21:59:00.005-07:00

Garrett and Hayley are now official!! Congratulations to the two of you.

It was such a nice weekend all around. I truly enjoyed my self. On my way home Monday night I got to thinking of the things that I love that happened this past weekend, so here it goes.

I love that my brother found his eternal companion.

I love that I was able to sit in the sealing room with my husband, my parents and all my brothers and sisters and their spouses...McKay...spouse?

I love that I was able to see friends and family I haven't seen in a VERY long time.

I love that my husband puts up with my crazy moods, whatever they might be.

I love that my girls were finally able to spend more than a few hours with their Ward cousins.

I love that Jared and Liz welcomed my family into their home. Thank you, thank you.

I love that Camryn sits and sings to herself.

I love that even though I'm "far away" from my sisters, I am still close to them.

I love my family very much.

I love to see that Taylor is growing into a beautiful, thoughtful person.

I pretty much loved this past weekend. It really was a nice one.

Just a few other things going on at the Frandsen home...

Garth and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this month (wow), I found my camera (yay), we find out what we're having on Thursday (cross your fingers), and we made it successfully through another year (holy crap)!

Still Here

2009-01-08T23:06:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to EVERY ONE! I thought it might be time to update my blog. I hope you all had a great holiday. I know I did. We spent our time between the cabin, home, and Salt Lake. Good times had by all. I was planning to post some pictures, but I can't find my camera!! I just wanted to let you all know that I love you all very much and had a great time seeing you all over the break, minus Jason, Joy and Jocelyn (next time). Family is awesome! Once I find my camera, I'll give a brief overview of our break. (Surprisingly, no one was sick!)
I look forward to a great year with my family and wish you all a great year too.

Bridal Shower, Chocolates, & TREE

2008-12-14T19:44:00.006-07:00

So Saturday was Hayley's bridal shower! I thought it was pretty good turn out, considering the snow and the person who was in charge of the invitations got them out late. So irresponsible. DO NOT put her in charge again! But, it was nice. Tiff did a great job with the goodies. You can't go wrong when there is a chocolate fountain involved! I loved the visit and it was nice to meet two of Hayley's sisters. By the way Hayley, you looked FABULOUS in your Minnie ears!
After the shower, I went to Jared and Liz's home to help do home made chocolates. HUM! It was great fun! Sorry if I embarrassed anyone. Sometimes things just come out. :) he he It was nice to visit though. Thanks every one! We made it home without a problem and just in time to see Santa at our ward party. P.S. Please save me one cherry chocolate, if possible. I'm begging.
Finally the tree. It is up and looks nice! I ended up putting all the lights on myself (I think the lights are the guys job), with a little help from Miss Rylie. But that's the way life goes sometimes. The girls, and myself, missed Garth, but I'm sure I can find something else for him to do. he he he. Anyway, here are the pictures.

This is the only one I was able to get with the 3 of them. Here is what the Monster was doing while I tried to get one more...

She is such a good fit thrower! So, here are the other two and the wonderful tree in all it's splendor!

I love my girls! Thanks for your help pretty girls! And thanks Grandpa Neil for picking it out, cutting it down, bringing it to our house and putting it up. You're the best.

It's Official!

2008-12-11T11:46:00.002-07:00

Well sure it's been official, but now that I've finally been to the doctor and heard a heart beat, it's even more official. We're having a baby! I am 13 and a half weeks along and the baby's due date is June 14th. So, just a few days ahead of Mary, but Grandpa Neil's birthday. Really hoping to go a bit early though. :) So there you have it folks. I'll say it...we're praying for a boy, but what we really want is healthy. My next appointment is Jan. 22nd. We'll get to find out what we're having then!

Thankful

2008-12-04T12:30:00.004-07:00

I'm very thankful to have had a wonderful weekend. Although it wasn't like our typical Thanksgiving weekends, it was a nice weekend just the same. We got my parents moved with out a hitch, at least in my opinion. Things went pretty smooth. I'm just curious, how is the cat doing? Also, it was so nice to spend time with my family. It seems our visits lately have been too short, so this was a nice long visit. Thanks Jared and Liz for letting us stay at your place. And thanks Hayley for keeping the kids out of the sink. :) I think Rylie is your number one fan! Can't wait for the big day!
Garth is recovering from his c-section ha, ha. He gets pretty tired halfway through the work day and does his best to come home early, but he's doing pretty good. He's not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds, but just can't resist picking up the monster. She's a whopping 21 pounds these days. (only in the 12% for her age)
As for the kiddies, they are doing great. Taylor had her school Christmas program last night and did an awesome job. Rylie is still as busy as ever. Love me some Rylie hugs. The monster has hit the terrible twos at 18 months, but that's ok. We love her just the same, maybe a little less at moments, but they don't last that long. :)
Taylor did an "I'm thankful for" turkey at school and I just wanted to share what she wrote...spelling and all.
I'm thankful for... my family who sill love me no matter what. They will always be there for me
I'm thankful for... animal that are good to me and that are soft and cuddly.
I'm thankful for... my silky blanckey is silky! That's why I love it!
I'm thankful for... being a good artist, is fun. I don't know why but that's what a lot of people say.
I'm thankful for... my church that is fun. I have good teachers that teach me more about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

I'm thankful for pretty much all those things and more (I'm no artist though, people don't say I am either.) I hope you all had a good weekend too!

Life

2008-11-21T11:40:00.006-07:00

It never ends around here. Life is always crazy. Whoever said "Once things slow down, I'll be able to ..." should be shot or at least strung up by their feet, because things always come up! I can't think of a time in my life when things have ever slowed down. There is always something on the horizon. Not that it's a problem, but sometimes enough is enough.

With all my ranting, you'd think life at our house was bad, but really, things are fine, just full. Garth is finishing up his bout with strep, I am constantly sick, and Camryn is finishing up her bout with and ear infection (not to mention the couple days she had the stomach flu, sorry Jared and Liz). Well, it gets better. Garth has been in massive pain since Tuesday - I think - only to find out he has a hernia in his belly button. He goes in on Tuesday to get it taken care of and I took Camryn in to the doctor Thursday to get her caught up on her shots and came out with another prescription for breathing treatments! Her lungs are really rumbly. And did I mention I feel sick all day? Taylor also has an infected toe. :) Good times. But hey, that's life right. If I'm not busy, I'm bored.

So there you have it. My house is a mess, because who really wants to clean when you don't feel good and are in major pain? No one around here, that's for sure. But the girls make it to school on time, get homework done and piano practiced, I'm still able to get to my classes, so it all works out - even if it seem like just barely.

The other thing on my mind these days are my parents. They are moving out of the home I grew up in. This has brought many memories to my mind. But the thing that I think of the most is how much my parents love each other. I also wanted to let my parents know how much I love and appreciate them! My parents are awesome! They have raised 6 pretty darn good kids and still have their sanity (even if it seem like it's mostly gone at times :)). They did their best to provide us with the things they thought we needed and the things we thought we needed. I will be forever greatful to them. I enjoy watching them now that all the kids are out of the house. It's like I'm able to truly see the relationship they have. The love they have for each other is amazing. Anyway, I love you mom and dad!

Halloween

2008-11-05T13:55:00.005-07:00

Here is the best I can do for you as far as a picture of my girls go dressed in their Halloween costumes. And I stole this picture off of Jana's blog. I was having a bad mom moment and didn't take a single picture of my girls on my camera, bad Tori. If you want to see what we've been up to for the past little bit, go check out Jana's blog. She has some great pictures. I haven't had my camera out when I should, but Jana's got it covered. So check out her blog for more pics of the girls carving pumpkins. It's great fun. Taylor is a ballerina princess, Rylie is a black cat, and Camryn is a purple dragon.

Halloween was quite the adventure at our house. Last year I had this great idea to do spook alley in our trailer at the ward trunk-or-treat. I thought the bishopric should do it. Well, it didn't happen. This year I mentioned it again and Garth said the bishop thought is was a great idea, but that the primary should do it. No thank you, we have enough going on. So Garth brought the idea to the youth and they thought it was a great idea. Here's the kicker though, the youth in our ward is practically non-existent. So what it came down to was me doing it with some help from a few people. Mainly my friend Robin - THANK YOU! Well, it was such a crazy night, and like I mentioned earlier about my camera, I didn't take a single picture - bad Tori. Here is the best I can do...

Eyeballs in green goo. If you want to hear about how cool it was, read on. If you've read enough, you can come back later and finish my reading my story. :)

When you first walked into the trailer, I had stuff set up on the kitchen counter of yucky things: the eyeballs, brains, skull, spider web with a huge spider, witches brew. It was pretty good. My brains where macaroni noodles I had over cooked with every color of food coloring in them to make them look gray and gross. It was awesome. Also, when the kids walked in, one of the young women scared them by poking her scary pig head out of the door to the bedroom. I think that scared the kids the most. After checking out the "stuff" you crawled through a box that we had lit with orange lights. When you came out, there was a black light and I had another person standing still in a ghost costume who jumped out at the kids as they stood up. Then you kept walking and spiders fell on your head. (had another kid laying up on the bed and dropped the spiders.) Then you turned the corner and went through and area with some blinking eyes and a blinking "floating" pumpkin. Then you turned the corner one last time and I had a strobe light going and we had tapped wet ropes to the top of the bed and the kids had to walk through it. Then as they went out, off the ramp on one side, Garth was there and sprayed silly string all over everyone. It was pretty cool, trust me. We had kids going through over and over again. (just a little FYI, I sectioned everything off with black plastic table cloths and made the back end of the trailer go back and forth like a maze.) It was pretty fun.

So, by the time Halloween was here, (trunk-or-treat was Thurs.) I was done. I did get the girls picture taken and the local "kiddy kandid", but that is about it. I promise to do better next time. :)