The Snow Family

love love love the fall

2011-11-01T12:48:00.015-06:00

We have had such a fun fall and I am just glad to be a mom. I have realized as of late how precious these moments are and how quickly they flutter by. Our home is loud and chaotic but we are having more fun and stressing less about the mess and undone chores, though a clean house is a happy house in my book! I finally feel like we are functioning since Myles has been born, it has taken 6 months and is getting better by the day. I have the crafting bug and switched some things up in the house so it is brighter and less dark for winter. I love our new additions, thanks to pinterest.com, and this post and this post, we got new curtains.

The Inspiration: and

The real deal:
{never mind the toys and sock, I'm a real mom}

The lighting behind the roman shade doesn't do justice, but it is perfect and they only cost $6 each to make!!! They are functioning roman shades that go down at night to hide all the craziness that happens at the Snow's...take that last comment as G-rated! The striped curtains are not for everyone, but I had to have them and so did a friend of mine, we labored extensively, with very patient husbands mind you, and finished with an amazing product! If you are wondering about this pinterest.com obsession, don't log in unless you can devote hours of learning new tricks with the kids, in cleaning, cheap decorating ideas, style etc., etc., etc. It has it all! I LURVE it!
I am taking time to cook and teach the kids new things and it's refreshing to spend a day together and not popping in movies when we get bored. I have been using my pasta roller a lot this fall to make spinach pasta, lasagna, and ravioli, some successes and some failures, but the girls learned how to use it and they have fun, never mind the big mess it makes!

Anyway, Rasty is home at his normal time now and I can't believe how important time together is for a marriage and family. I thought I was so alone and in a dark place this summer with his crazy 70 hour/7 days a week schedule and with a new baby, but we are making time to be together and had a great few months. The highlight thus far was driving the Alpine Loop on a Friday afternoon when the leaves were magnificent and the kids were great. We drove like 10mph and Rasty had to capture every tree on the road. {He has never shot a picture with my camera, I think he resents that this camera costs more than the TV he dreams of owning!} He loved being the photographer and he got some great pics I will admit! So maybe I will end up in more pictures in the future. The kids were able to hike around and throw rocks like they love to do, it was all too perfect and I can't stand that these kids are getting so big. Annika is reading and asking questions and writing stories, and we're just getting started ...there's no stopping her, she is crazy smart! This is her crazy hair day at school, it took about an hour to convince her that other people will have crazy hair too...I forget how innocent kindergarteners are. They haven't been there and done that. People always told me when she was young that she looked like a little Cindy Lou Who, the cup inside was smashed by the time she got home! Miss Livy is still frolicking in fairy tales. She always has something sugar coated to say and has a care bear wrapped under her arm and butterflies to attend to. Cute cute cute, she is the sweetest. She is getting her ABC's down, which we have struggled with, she'd rather be nursing a baby back to health than sit and sing the ABC song. Daniel is still grunting his way through life. With boogers cemented to his face and a his blanky in hand, he is discovering the world the 'Rasty' way, taking things apart and putting them back together. 100% BOY! When Dad dresses him for bed, it is very obvious and Rasty tries to blame the child. I woke up one morning after a night where Rasty put Danny to bed and this is what I discovered, his church vest backwards (which he wore the day before for church) and inside out sweat pants, weird people residing here at the Snows. He also has an obsession with his church tie, we find him wearing it all day, everyday. He knows where it is, grabs it after his naps or night of sleep and wears it with pride!He is a funny funny boy. I just wish we had a video of him running or prancing, he's bow legged and pigeon toed, makes a great sight to see the kid run.

Myles is rolling all over the floor and up on all fours ready to crawl, but we are not teaching him yet...a stationary kid makes for a happy a mom! He is sleeping a lot better in the night and eating like a horse. The first time we introduced the spoon, he gobbled the whole bowl of cereal and wanted more, best of all the kids. He is just a little tike, his 6 month appointment showed he is still 20-30% in everything, weird for a Snow kid, Danny was 90 percentile all-around! These boys could not be more different.
As of late for FHE we have been acting out scripture stories, we are a bunch of thespians at heart! The kids pick a picture from the ensign or gospel art kit and we act it out. This particular night they picked the story of Nephi slaying Laban. Rasty and I eyed each other and thought maybe too gruesome for kids, but it's in the "book" so we should do it. We each had a turn being the king and getting our head cut off by a straw. This is Annika being the king and not handing over the plates, Livy took great pleasure using the straw to kill the king! Each week we have lots of laughs and a great time learning the scriptures.
We had a surprise visit from Derrick and his family this past month for his birthday. Deana kept it a secret until they got to the airport, awesome surprise! We had a lot of fun with Eddie and we sure miss them! The kids were putting on little productions, a costume change occurred every few minutes, but they were so funny. I was just waiting to for this day, I collect dress ups for this very purpose!
Halloween was so great this year. The girls were my childhood dolls, rainbow brite and strawberry shortcake and they were so cute. And Daniel was a dirty little boy! Myles was a tiger. We celebrated a bit early with aunt Missy's birthday party at my parents. My mom and dad are quite a pair, my mom dresses up each Halloween and it was awesome to see these 2 clowns answer the door!

This is the Livy {in preparation for the big night} that I want to bottle up and never let go!

Our dear neighbors had a Halloween dinner party before the trick or treating began and it was very festive, we each contributed some spooky food and had some good laughs of course. We are so lucky to have such great friends.

We set up a fire in our front yard to welcome the trick or treaters and I will never go back to answering the door a hundred times again. We got sit back a relax, enjoy great conversation and see all the hustle and bustle of the night. It was sooo fun! The fire was warm and inviting as the night grew cold, and we got to see neighbors and friends we haven't seen in a while.

Thanks Rasty for being so handy and willing to entertain my last minute ideas! This was put together just as the day was ending, it worked out great! Now we are on to Thanksgiving and then Christmas, I can't believe how fast time is going, our little critters are growing, (Rasty and I are not trying to grow, but we just might during the holidays!) we are all learning, and life is good.

Summer's end...photo style.

2011-09-15T20:56:00.008-06:00

This is a true story---
{ One day in the car, the girls were watching Cinderella and I, of course was driving and there was a shout out from the back of the car, "Hey mom, guess what? You're Cinderella! And we're the evil step sisters! You do all the cleaning and we don't!"}
So, this mom got a bright idea and we were all Cinderella together. House work is much more fun when you dress up.

It was the letter "T" day...Trax or Train, Temple Square, The Book of Mormon children's exhibit, The Gateway and TIRED at the end of it all!

This was just a pure crazy day...I must have been completely {not partially} sleep deprived! We made noodle dogs for lunch and it was a huge hit with the kids, just punch spaghetti noodles through hot dogs and boil...who knew? Then we had "messy" day after lunch, the pictures explain it all!

...and we did it, we got the child into school! We were all so excited for this day, all her little friends got into the same class, heaven help Miss Hansen! So proud of Annika.

Annika goes to school each day while the rest of us are scratching our heads to what to do. She was and is the life of the party, for good and bad! We miss her in the mornings, but we are staying busy. Livy is in a gymnastics class that meets once a week and so is Daniel. They each go on different mornings and the other mornings we go to the library and grocery shopping, so Friday is our only day off in the a.m. I amazed at how fast the day goes by now. The summer was spent looking at the clock waiting for dad to get home, now he pops in and we are busy with something or another. Granted he is now only working a normal 40 hour week, whereas this summer he was working sometimes 75-80 hours, 7 days a week, it was a summer I will never forget, but we survived and we are better for it! We did not take a single trip or have a single normal weekend all summer so we took a long labor day weekend to St. George and we had so much fun together. I loved not being a single parent! The kids are getting so big, I just can't stop looking at the older two and I want to bottle them up right now and not let the world get to my kids. They want to play with us and watch movies with us and do everything with us, when does that end? I hope never. Livy is especially getting so big. She is a sweet little thing, she giggles at everything and is so hopeful and creative! I love her. She turns any little fuzzy thing into a pet or friend named sprinkles and kisses it, you may think I sugar coated that, but it is all true! Anyway, leaving that mommy moment, we had a great weekend in St. George. The kids wanted to go bowling and swimming, those were the only requests, and go to IHOP, but that didn't happen, it's so embarrassing to eat out with this crew, seriously!
We are just waiting for Daniel to say something, we know he is thinking about and processing everything he sees, but the grunting goes on. He is saying what is necessary, like ma and da and such so we can't complain; but he is just cracking us up each day with his "boyish" mannerisms! Fixing everything with a screw driver and hammer and kicking balls in the road. It never ends with the kid! He is 75% of my worries in the day, he will wrestle the baby with love still and his grip is getting stronger by the minute. The second he lets go he runs straight to time out in the corner, what? He's one people! He is crazy! He likes time out. He like to smother the baby. He likes to take the A1 steak sauce out of the fridge every hour, yes, just the A1, nothing else. He runs to the road the second the front door opens, which he can open and gets a chair to unlatch the dead bolt. He cries every 3 ours at night. He uses only my tooth brush to scrub toilets. He now weighs more than Livy, yeah life is great. He has entered the terrible two's WAY to early!! But those eyes kill me every moment, they are dark and loveable and I just want to snuggle his little body all day. He is my little man and how I love him, heaven help this tired mom to make it out alive! Poor Myles is background noise, no more screaming from him, he just sits and takes it all in. I think he is taking note of all the good and bad the kids do, he is going to be perfect...in the real world he is just waiting for the perfect moment to throw some more craziness in our lives! He is good at that, he did that about a year ago:) He really deserves more camera time, he is growing so fast and is the most giggly little thing I have ever seen! You look at him and he laughs, he is heaven sent. Still not sleeping through the night, but he is trying, at least I hope he is. We will get there when the time is right, which I thought it was months ago, but I fully understand that my timetable for things is way off! We are a happy bunch of people living in a little chaos, but I am in awe by the lessons learned this past year. I am a different person than last October...to think of I was pregnant for the past 2 falls and I am going to live it up this year...or just try not to let the house burn down, that's good enough for me. The pictures are not cooperating anymore, so try to post more tomorrow...sorry Bekah, more pics of Myles will debut soon!

Little Myles Smiles

2011-07-28T15:59:00.006-06:00

This little man is melting my heart more and more each day. His personality is blossoming into a sweet, happy boy. He laughs for no apparent reason, and sadly it's mostly at 6am! He wakes up about 5:30 each morning and I am obviously not ready to attack my day that early so he is put into the swing to chill until the other kiddies get up. Rasty will be getting ready for work at 6 and Myles just talks up a storm and laughs every time Rasty is in sight. It is really funny. I can hear him all morning long cooing and laughing, what is so funny? Anyway he is just darling and already talks more than Daniel, God knows how to build families, each child needs to be different or else we get bored!

We made homemade crayons this week with a little neighborhood friend. The girls loved it and treasure their little creations. It's super easy, just break up old crayons and put them in a muffin pan and bake @ 350 for about 8 min. Bang the pan on the counter to pop them out...simple!

I also opened my own beauty parlor...or tried to save a few bucks and do the cuts myself, all I got were bad haircuts and hair everywhere! We are still finding it in our food...note to self: don't cut hair next to fridge, and strap every last kid down while cutting and do not feed toddler otter pop while cutting his hair...get the picture? sugar and hair don't work!

I have been wanting to make the girls silhouettes for their new room for so long and I finally got a creative bug one afternoon. I bought these canvases at a yard sale years ago and knew I could do something with them. I taped off the ugly print in the middle and sprayed it pink. I took the girls' pictures next to a bright window and edited it on the computer so the shadows were dark. I traced it onto card stock and cut it out with an xacto knife and sprayed them brown, they appeared to look like vinyl, exactly what I was looking for. Glued them with spray adhesive and ta da...very cheap art and I am thrilled with the results!

Went to Salt Lake and play at the Farmers Market and Gateway on Saturday. Rasty is working Saturday's so we met him up there, it stinks to be a single mom this summer, but we are surviving with some fum times. The fountains were a lot of fun for the kids, the best free fun in Salt Lake I believe!

Don't mind the background "noise" in this picture, should have zoomed in on Annika more!

A to Z summer

2011-07-14T21:39:00.008-06:00

So the wee babe has decided that crying is just not as fun as he thought it was, so he has calmed down quite a bit! That is a good thing, a really good thing. But Daniel has developed a little obsession for his brother and cannot keep his hands off him, this is bad thing, a really bad thing. Imagine a belly flop onto water, my son can officially belly flop onto my other son and lick his face ( or kiss according to Danny) before I can come to the rescue...I am no more than 2 feet away, skills I tell you. It doesn't matter if he is in the swing, in his crib, or in my arms, Danny wants to smother the kid with love! People laugh when they see our swing and/or Myles surrounded by a gate, the stairs are wide open but little Myles is behind a gate, which doesn't work half the time. I will hear whimpering and Daniel will be shoving the binky up Myles nose, it's constantly a battle with that kid! So my conclusion is the car, it is the best place for all 4 kids, there are 4 car seats...when all are locked in, I know where they are and they are not able to move...genius!
I have been brave and taken all the kids on various outings. We have really enjoyed the mountains and the family cabin up American Fork canyon, I take the kids up while Rasty goes to work and he meets us after, we stayed up there a couple days this past month and we absolutely love it. NO phones, NO internet, NO little friends, not that they are a bad thing, but Livy and Annika are forced to play together and I love to see their little minds create great adventures up there in the woods!
Earlier this summer, Annika and I sat down and wrote out all the ABC's, I asked her what are some fun things that start with each letter in the alphabet, this is where it all started and since then we have checked letter by letter off, it has been a lot of fun and we have until school to finish...so here are some pictures of our endeavor thus far...when we are completed I will document our A to Z extravaganza in proper order, we are making a book and DVD to show how crazy we were to attempt this during this particular crazy summer. It will be better than one of those cheepy A to Z books at Walmart, my kids are bored by letter D, they will love this one!

The lovely cabin...it's so weird to take my own family up there and creating new memories with them. Seemed like yesterday that I was a child being stuffed into back of a van and dragged up the canyon for fun at the cabin, now I am doing the stuffing and boy do we pack the Tahoe tight, never know if you are going to need that thingy or this thingy...hate packing for four kids!

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Found some birds in a nest by the cabin, not as cute as they sounded, yikes! But sadly they were gone the next day...what eats little birdies like that? Our entertainment for quite some time were squirrels. Yes, these pretty little critters. Those squirrels gained a few extra pounds that afternoon. They liked Cheezits, but cookies were the favorites and the girls thought it was so cool, Daniel could care less, but that's just Daniel.

B for butterfly, boating or boring...not exciting enough for the wee lad!
F for Fishing

At the new splash pad in my ol' hood in Alpine, summer is so fun with this crowd...smothering another child again, never quits.

S is for swimming...and shoes...

So my girls like to play with shoes, well so does Daniel, anyway, our shoes are all over the house many times during the week and they love picking them all up and putting them away, not really, anyway...I am just documenting one of their shoe episodes...too cute.

J Dawgs...mmmmmm! Check the letter J off! Toured BYU campus and of course the Creamery and the Bean museum ...Y, checked off!

P...Provo temple...the rain was refreshing, but not enough for Danny, he had to get into the fountain...that kid is something else!

Family. Food. Fun.

2011-07-06T20:59:00.004-06:00

I love the fourth of July! I always look forward to this holiday. It is always filled with fun colors, yummy food and lots of family. I got a new camera recently and the world looks so wonderful through the lens...I need to learn all the tricks and perfect the science of photography, I think I am going to love this little camera...or big camera! The kids were so cute as they played with their long lost LA cousins, Russell and Luke. They were all so darling as they played in the water, giving hugs, and swinging on the play set. I didn't realize I captured pictures in sequences...the start of a water fight...and a wrestling match! Daniel will only hug and cuddle people smaller than he is, that boy is a mute, but makes us laugh all the time!

A tribute....

2011-05-29T21:15:00.006-06:00

Memorial Day...sigh...a holiday! I love any extra day that Rasty gets to stay home from work, but there's more to this holiday than hot dogs and burgers...I was caught off guard this weekend as I was running all over the valley trying to price dishwashers to save a few bucks...not worth it! If anything good came from driving to every appliance store in the county was that I was able to listen to talk radio, yes I have slowly evolved into my parents, KSL radio has actually kept me sane from the squawking kids in the back, I get to hear proper English and the radio never says, "Why does...?" and "Look at...!" and " Where is...?" Not that I don't like to here all the kids innocent and brilliant question where 90% of the answers are, "you should ask dad, he knows" because I have no idea why cows like to sit all day and not play with their friends. Anyway, I got uninterrupted radio time and this women came on the radio show and said that she posts pictures on her blog of deceased ancestors and stories to pay tribute and remember them. I loved the idea! I hang these pictures in my home in hopes to spark conversation about these wonderful people that have greatly influenced my life and many more. I hope to pay proper tribute and learn much more about my ancestors through this endeavor! I had grandparents die when I was quite young and a grandfather I have never met, they will get their well deserved attention in the coming future, but Memorial Day is tomorrow and I am going to first pay tribute to my dear grandmother Margaret Gardner.

This lady was a beauty right? She has had the most influence on me, she was the only grandparent I truly remember. I have so many memories of going to her house in American Fork and her house had a very particular smell...I think all older people have this smell in their home, it's the same smell in antique stores. Their homes are filled with treasures, old china, artwork and artifacts past on to them from loved ones before. Anyway, the smell lingers still as I think about her home. She always had snacks in her cupboards that we never had at home. She had Kraft cheese, yes, gross american processed cheese slices that Annika will not even eat ( I bought it one time years back thinking I had bought them a special treat, that's how I remembered it, the girls wouldn't touch the stuff!). But it was special because we only ate it at grandma's and we would fold it in half and half again and again until we had a little pile of cheese and we would savor every little piece. We would pick raspberries in her yard and she would make YUMMY jam. The basement was filled with treasures and many hours were spent in creating plays, 'who-dunnit' mysteries, hide and seek and make believe. She would call our socks "stockings" and dinner "supper". She had a great laugh! I hear it now. It was very early one Christmas morning, maybe "4:30 or 5:00am and we were sooooo excited to go downstairs to see what Santa had left for us. All five kids gathered in the hall outside my parents door making some noise in an effort to wake up mom and dad, then here comes grandma from a bedroom, (she was widowed at this time and slept over on Christmas Eve often) and she initiated the making of a human train going up and down the hall yelling, " choo choo!" It was hilarious, I don't remember what I got from Santa that year, don't remember anything at all about that particular holiday, just good ol' grams chugging along with us in the wee hours of Christmas morning. I was still quite young when I knew her, but I do remember her attending my soccer and basketball games. It didn't mean much back then, but I appreciate now what this woman did and who she was. She was a mother. It makes no difference now or then, being a mother is hard and requires everything you can give some days. She raised 3 wonderful children, one being my father. I wish she was here now to learn how she did it, I need that motherly wisdom now more than ever. But I have no doubt in my mind my grandmothers are with me every step of the way cheering me on! Without knowing a lot about this woman and my grandpa, I know they taught the value of hard work, respect and most of all love. I hear story after story of how this couple served endlessly in their church callings and in their community. I hope people talk and admire my work here on this Earth as they talk about my grandparents, what a grand heritage I have. My parents were raised by amazing men and women and have stories to be heard, to teach us what they were all about. I am so grateful for my dreaded dishwasher hunt this weekend, this would have never been documented! So I pass the stick onto those that knew this woman and have a memory or story about her...I am honored to be her grand-daughter.

springtime chaos!

2011-05-21T15:10:00.003-06:00

It all started April 10...Rasty's Birthday, Myles was born, Livy's Birthday, Easter, Annika started soccer, Rasty's coaching Annika's team, new swing set (well, used...thank you KSL classifieds!) Play, play, play now that it is warm...wait, that's not the case, it's never warm! But playing nonetheless. Yeah for summer just around the corner...fingers are crossed!

wisdom of a 3 year old...

2011-05-16T21:44:00.003-06:00

Olivia, Daniel and I were reading books today...

Liv: "GASP!! Where is the page mommy? What happened?
Me: "Well one of you kids tore it out when you were little."
Liv: "Where is it?"
Me: "I think I threw it away, it's sad when we do that to our books, huh?"
Liv: "Let's get it out of the garbage!"
Me: " Oh it was a long time ago, it is gone Livy."
Liv: (Directed towards Daniel who only cares about chewing on the book) " Oh, Danny Boy, it's ok, the page is gone and is in heaven now, we will see it again."

A bedtime story...

2011-05-14T21:06:00.004-06:00

So the initial adrenaline rush is over and now we are trying to catch our breath, the fatigue is setting in more and more everyday....

ME ( 2 months ago): " I can't wait to nurse this baby, my last baby I was so busy with a calling and other things that I loved getting up in the middle of the night and it was just me and Danny boy, The night time feedings are so sweet when all is quiet and it's just mom and baby...."
ME (tonight): "Aghhhh! I am dreading going to bed! I know what awaits me...I finally fall asleep and am awakened after 2 winks of sleep...feed the babe...burp...spit up...change a poopy diaper in the dark, most likely getting peed on and maybe sprayed in my mouth cause I am not really awake...swaddle him...oh, he's still hungry...unswaddle...try to get him to latch on...feed...burp...fuss, fuss, fuss...poop...change diaper again...swaddle...binky...baby falls asleep...kiss baby...put baby down...and re-binky every 2 minutes until he truly falls asleep."

Just not loving the night time feedings! At about 7pm I am numb from the day of chasing, cooking, cleaining, changing, and 'milking' and I just sit and stare at the walls, not wanting to move or do anything. Rasty says something and I just keep staring! Ice cream used to cure these nights, but little Myles has asked that I stop eating chocolate and consuming dairy, I must oblige or I pay the price of even longer nights!

I sit and write this narrative because a) it's quite humorous how little Rasty know's what happens at night (his last words before he drifts into unconsciousness "really wish I could help you more at night but..." and he's gone! He knows and I know that waking that man is HARD to do, no screaming baby or kick to the stomach will wake him...so his apology really is sincere...kind of!) and b) I need to vent a little...I am done now, I can go on loving my little man and be grateful I have the right plumbing to get him fat and cute! Tried to upload some pics, but taking too long and I want to go to bed...go figure.

Introducing...

2011-04-23T20:10:00.005-06:00

Myles! He is here and our little family is now 6 big and we are filling up our car with car seats and our home with more craziness! Time is short at the moment to reminisce on the happenings of a week ago...post story soon...but here is a sneak peak at our handsome fella. My SIL is in love with her camera and for good reason, she did her first baby shoot with Myles here the other day and we just adore what she captured...

Billboard Beauty!

2011-04-09T18:28:00.004-06:00

So Annika has something to brag about...her cute little face along with her darling little friend made their debut on a billboard along I-15! We were so excited to see it today and Annika was in shock! It was pretty cute. Our neighbor took the picture a while back and it has been featured in a local magazine and now a billboard...she is an amazing photographer! Wish we could capture the billboard better, going 70mph in a rain storm, I think in turned out OK!

"if only" blogs

2011-03-28T16:02:00.004-06:00

Ever look at a blog and say, "if only" I had more time, more money, more resources...I would do everything in this blog...found one this weekend that captured everything I loved...food, quilting, decorating, and more...www.pleasant-home.com...love it! What are your "if only" sites?

'SICK' of it!

2011-03-27T13:47:00.009-06:00

So we are on day 11 of sick kids...seriously, sick of sick kids! This book has been my best friend through it all! Thankfully nothing has come my way, that would just drive me off the edge being VERY great with child and all...don't ask when this baby is coming either...all our kids have come 14 days early, we have a c-section on the 27th of April if no action before then so sometime in April is a safe bet and still no names...any suggestions are welcome! Still in a bit of denial can you tell?

So Daniel came down with croup, Livy had ear infections in both ears, Daniel got infections in both eyes, Annika flirted with pink eye, but caught it early before getting bad...lets see anything else?

And yes the snot nose epidemic is still in our midst, and coughing day and night! Fun right? I lay in bed knowing my night is going to full of cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, cry, cry...kick, kick ( from little critter inside of course...sleeping on the couch these days so it can't be from Rasty. Let me explain that, no, Rasty did not kick me out, I have voluntarily made my bed on the couch cause my hips are killing me at night, our bed isn't cutting it, so don't give Rasty guff for kicking me out to the couch...he is hating this little arrangement, I wonder why? :) So it's just great here at the Snow's! I do have a huge accomplishment to boast about! I got very ambitious last fall to do make both the girls matching quilts for their beds, got the fabric and started to cut a month later, started sewing a month after that and kept sewing a month after that. Every time I looked at my machine I got queasy, still do matter of fact...yuck!

Put the binding on Christmas Eve and gave them the quilts the next day unfinished, still needed to stitch the binding to the back...by hand! I fought this inner battle whether to just machine stitch the binding on or to hand stitch, the proper and more flawless way. Well the perfectionist in me won and I pulled the quilts out of the closet where they hid since Christmas and started the stitching on the quilts. 3 weeks later they are done...

x 2!

So excited to finish them and move on to something else. I have to bow down to many quilters in my midst that accomplish 10 fold what I do in 1 month, hats off to you! One day I will fit behind that machine again I promise! I have so many quilting endeavors I want to pursue, but these quilts were the road block to all new projects...perseverance! Don't you hate looking at unfinished projects all over the house and just wish you could rid yourself of them or pay someone else to do it? Well the cash flow doesn't allow the latter so it's either be bothered or just get 'er done!! I have tackled a few spaces that make me so proud, it gives me hope that I can keep this up, I may be revealing too much of my life in these pictures, but these spaces have seriously come a long way and have stayed organized for well over a month.

The pantry...don't laugh at lack of food, we are surviving! Hate grocery shopping.
The kid friendly crafty drawer... see how long this lasts.
The linen closet...only took 4 years to clean and organize...and best thing ever...The "shoe pocket over the door" thing saved this space! Think of all the medicine, lotions, sprays, this and that you store all over the house.
Each has it's own pocket...nighttime cold, daytime cold, childrens pain reliever, eye drops, bug spray, polish remover...each has a home...even the gold bond and butt paste has a home, hallelujah!

They aren't perfect but I am documenting them in hopes that I can remember what an organized life looked like before all craziness breaks out when the baby comes! I looked at the space, thought about why I used the space, what needed to stay and what needed a new home and what really had to go. The girls know exactly what the word D.I. means, they used to cry but are getting better at parting with their "treasures"! Life is bliss when I can find what I need at the very moment I need it, I think we have saved money as well, found long lost things and don't buy duplicates of things I can't find...so happy me! Holler back if you have handy organizing tricks that work for you or your family, I love hearing new ideas and I still have the rest of the house to go! I fail to post pictures of the remainder of the house, that would just be embarrassing, like I said...it's a work in progress! We can all do something little to make our homes a haven from the storm. We shall see what the last few weeks of nesting does for me and maybe hopefully document my success with my new motto..."get 'er done"! Wish me luck and wish more luck to Rasty who has until the 15th to finish the girls new room in the basement, he he!!

Love to all and thanks for letting this lady vent!

Happy Birthday Annika!

2011-03-14T10:27:00.005-06:00

We cannot believe we have a 5 year old! Where does time go? I forget how much fun it was to raise little Annicakes, she was such a cute baby and little toddler, I had to remind myself by going through the hundreds of pictures we have snapped over the years of her, too bad for the other kids who haven't had such an honor! This 5 year old has a mind of her own and will hopefully channel her energy to amazing things. She has to grow up fast as a big sister and will need to grow even more with this new baby this next month...pray for us!!! We had a Hello Kitty party with her little neighborhood friends and it has been so fun to watch them grow as well the past 4 years we have lived here. We painted their faces with whiskers and a little nose, played pin the bow in Hello Kitty, and had pizza...and ate Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches. All the girls were yelling, " I love fat boys!" It was hilarious!

mThese girls wanted water instead of milk, this was so fun to watch!

We had a funny episode on Saturday that I am reminded about everytime I look at Livy. We were watching the neighbor's kids and Rasty was downstairs with the older kids, while I was up with the babies. Livy came running upstairs and was missing a whole bunch of hair, a mom's worst nightmare, she has just grown it out from the last hair cutting disaster last year! So I run downstairs and find blonde and black hair all over the playroom...I thought she took the scissors to the Mulan or Pocahantas dolls, but they checked out....Oh shoot! Kenji (Livy's little boyfriend) has black hair and he was sporting a new hair cut! They were so proud of their new hair dos, it was too dang cute to get mad. So Liv has super short bangs now and Kenji got a short little buzz, it couldn't have turned out worst, but it was so funny to see their new found confidence with scissors...still don't where they got them!
Stay tuned for the after photos...

quick catch up...

2011-03-06T20:23:00.007-07:00

Church is exhausting! Daniel couldn't even finish his lunch, this never happens!

Went to a children museum in Las Vegas, Livy had wear this costume everwhere

Big shot with mom's glasses on...Livy had to have some too...on our way to Disneyland

At the beach during our trip, the girls loved the shells and sand...it was Sunday so no swimming:(

Went to Discovery Gateway, the kids had a blast, including Daniel!

Danny turned big 1! in January...he reminds us of a little monkey, hence the cake!

Holiday catch up...

Rasty's family has started a monthly newsletter and thought I could cheat and use it as a quick catch up for my blog for family and friends near and far... I just don't love posting so this is the best I can do for now...
Family life just seems to get crazier and crazier. I always thought that when I am older and have kids I will have it figured out, but it seems to steer in the opposite direction. The closer we get to number six in our family, the more freaked out I get! This past month we have had great highs and unfortunate lows, but life goes on. I got released as YW president and in the same bishop appointment, Rasty was called to first counselor in the YM. Talk about high and low. I have spent many months planning and preparing youth conference that occurred a few weeks ago and ended up sending Rasty and I got the kids for the weekend...blah! We were also ending our year long 'temple trek' to all the temples in Utah this month, and yes...sent Rasty to last temple while I stayed home with the kids...blah blah! So I have a void to fill in my life, YW filled every extra minute and brain cell I had. I served in some way in the yw for almost 4 years and it has been so hard to detach and grow in some other way in the gospel. I am so grateful for callings that make us stretch in ways we didn't know we could. And the moment you think you have it figured out, you get released and moved onto something to make you grow in a completely different way, God knows what he is doing! Now I am supposed fulfill my calling as a mom, something I struggle with right now, I am completely exhausted and trying to figure out how I will ever have enough time and love for 4 little ones, time will only tell! The condition of the house influences my attitude and mood, so I am starting with de-cluttering, de-cluttering , and more de-cluttering...or is it nesting? One closet or corner gets some serious attention each day, and leaves me time to play with kids or watch them play while I park myself on the couch while my whale-like belly crushes my lungs! Oh the life! Only 6 weeks left... or less, who knows!
So Rasty is finally working inside the elementary he is building, they got the roof on this month and life is good! He took a record breaking week off of work for a family vacation...minus Daniel who stayed at the Bob and Liz Hotel (Rasty's parents). We took the girls to So. California and Las Vegas, Disneyland was obviously the highlight. We paid for parking and that's about it, loved it! It's awesome when your brother works for Disney...we were spoiled with free tickets. We loved spending time at the beach for a few hours looking for shells and sand crabs, and the 80 degree weather wasn't so bad! Spent the rest of the vacation taking care of Rasty and the nasty flu he got. He was miserable, miserable enough to make me drive! That never happens. Annika and Livy have the worst case of cabin fever. They are ready to play outside again, had to pull the bikes out of the shed this month. Annika got registered for kindergarten and we are all so excited! Livy may just die for 3 hours a day, that girls is never 2 feet away from Annika, they are best frenemies! Daniel gave me his worst side ever the week after spending a week with his new girlfriend Auntie Emily and buddy Will at grandma Snow's. You looked at him he cried, touched him he cried...it sent me to crazyland. Then spent a day back with Emily and Will and life was good again, been a gem since! That little stinker! I am seriously obsessed with this little boy now. I don't know if it's his big brown eyes or his cute little pudgy body, but he is just darling and I can't wait to have another boy. He spent the day down in the basement helping dad frame up the girls new bedroom. He seriously sat in a room full of wood and sawdust for 2 hours and just ate up the construction world! Such a daddy's boy. The air compressor, nail gun, and saws just intrigued him the entire time, no crying or fussing...it was pretty cute to find him and his dad covered in sawdust just chilling in a big mess of wood and nails.
So I came came up with a "before dinner boredom buster", the girls get whiny and sassy while I am cooking so I filled cake pans with enough salt to cover the bottoms and tools from the kitchen to write or design shapes in the salt...keep the salt separate from cooking salt when done and pull it out for those crutch moments, works for us. I have insert the best recipe EVER...I usually don't ooo and ahhh over the food I cook, it just tastes better when someone else does the cooking, but found this recipe for valentine's dinner and it copy-cat my favorite dish at Macaroni Grill... Rasty and I were seriously in heaven, had to embellish because I didn't have everything it called for, but it didn't matter... girls loved it too.

Italian Lemon Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

Lemon Butter Sauce:
1/4 cup white wine (Didn't use...added few tablespoons of red wine vinegar)
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons heavy cream (used whole milk and tripled to make more sauce)
1 cup butter, chilled ( only used 1/2 C.)
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken and Pasta:
1/2 pound dry farfalle (bow tie) pasta ( used angel hair)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces bacon ( didn't add)
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and halved
2 teaspoons capers, drained ( found next to olives at grocery store...maybe $2, good in any pasta dish)
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

To make the sauce, pour the wine and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook at a low boil until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. Stir in cream, and simmer until it thickens. Gradually add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time to the sauce, stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
To make the chicken, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture. Without crowding, carefully place chicken in hot oil. (If necessary, cook in batches.) Fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to paper towels. Stir the bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, and capers into the oil; cook until the mushrooms are soft.
Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size strips, and return them to the skillet. Stir half of the lemon butter sauce into the chicken mixture.
To serve, place pasta in a large bowl. Stir the chicken mixture into the pasta. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Stir in additional lemon butter sauce as desired. Toss well, and garnish with parsley.

Well that's our story this month....all I can say is we are not naming this baby Jimmer no matter Rasty is telling you! Loves and kisses.

little secrets revealed...

2010-12-08T09:17:00.006-07:00

So we have a little secret, well not a secret for many of you, but kept it from my blog. For some reason I wasn't ready to face the reality of this yet, blogging it makes it very REAL! Can't word this just right, but we are expecting a surprise baby! And God loves Daniel just a litte bit more than I thought and is blessing him with a little sidekick...a baby brother! Two Girls and two boys, we are so excited! I am now 20 weeks, and can now talk about the horrid and terrible fall we had, wanted to blog about many times, but it was pretty pathetic. Dishes sat around for days, toys didn't get put away, the floor was being vacuumed by Daniels mouth and I was OK with that...the home went to the dark side all the while I slept...and the the toilet bowl was a frequent friend...yuck! I forget every pregnancy how dang tired you get the first few months, not that it has gone away, but man, 2 or 3 naps a day didn't cut it! This little blessing was a total and complete surprise, we are still scratching our heads...but God knows when these kids are suppose to come and we were just not prepared for it...yes it I thought Daniel officially made our home a circus, but we will be selling tickets starting April to see a crazy show!! The best show is going to be sacrament meetings on Sunday, too bad we can't charge for that one...excuse me while I panic for a second.....AHHHHHHH!! I am just excited to see the kids grow up together, they will have a lot of fun being so close.
I just have to thank my sweet little Annika that has grown up beyond belief these past few months, she went to 25 fits a day to none, and potty trained Olivia, gets her room clean and the kids dressed before I can even think about rolling out of bed...a direct answer to prayers! We were stumped months ago on how to deal with her energy and tears, then we consistently read scriptures with her everyday, before it was hit and miss, but she is reminding us every night to read...this is not supposed to butter up the Snow family, all I can say is that reading scriptures everyday with a child changes them!! So grateful!
Another secret to reveal is that I am a closet quilter...never posted about my little closet that i sew in, but I do and have just fallen back in love with it! Just finished this little gem, it turned out so darling...the process wasn't so pleasant...this pattern was terrible and awful! Wouldn't recommend it to anyone, I would do a ton of things different. Now working to make the girls twin quilts for Christmas, almost done, if only I didn't have to feed and wash children all day! I am not the best seamstress by any means, I have just found joy in something I haven't done in a long time...grant it I got a new machine that is WONDERFUL, but all the same it makes me happy!
Last secret that I want to spill, I cannot keep my children clean and I don't even care anymore! They are going to look like a lost children until they are teenagers...or longer! Annika is very clean, don't know where these little critters came from...
...one day at a time!

Pictures say a thousand words...here we go

2010-10-29T16:09:00.008-06:00

These are some of the happenings the past few month's, a few pics for my family far and near...mostly far, come home guys! My kids need their cousins! All our love to Colorado, Texas, California, Australia...and Roosevelt:)

Went fishing with Rasty's family for Labor Day, lot's of fun, not a lot of fish!

Found Livy hugging these things at Oktoberfest, don't know why we get such a cutie!

Oktoberfest at Snowbird

Annika was camera happy on the train...I like this one...mostly the person next to me!

Heber Creeper Ride!
Daniel and I went to California to visit the greatest friend! Visited San Fransisco, fisherman's wharf.
All the Gardner boys sport these furry hats at the cabin, Danny boy didn't want to be left out!

Scotty's wife, Marissa, practiced some photography while we were at Snowbird...not bad! Go Missy!
Grandpa G. could not resist the face painting at Snowbird!Just playing under the table like always...he's our vacuum lately.

Livy dancing with Russ at the wedding, they tied the chair ties around their waists for belts!

Swimming in Las Vegas, there for a cousin wedding

At the cabin

Lunch?

2010-09-01T10:22:00.003-06:00

I let the girls decide lunch most days:

me: what do you two want for lunch?
Annika: I love 'girl' cheese sandwiches mom! Do we have any cheese?
me: What about a 'boy' cheese sandwich? Mmmm!
Annika: Yuck! We only like 'girl' cheese...

Summer gone already?

2010-08-24T13:08:00.007-06:00

Jeff and Melissa's Wedding (Rasty's Bro)

Bear Lake - Snow Reunion

Silver Lake

Cabin

Boating at Utah Lake

Trek 2010

Girls Camp @ Heber Valley Camp

Here is our quarterly post! Not much to report on, but it has been a fun filled summer with reunions, swimming, and family! Daniel is getting huge, weighing in at 22 lbs, not even 8 months old. He is stinking cute. His big brown eyes could get away with murder. He is busy crawling all over the house, too bad I have to sweep and vacuum now! We just love that little kid! Rasty and I got to go on Trek with the youth last minute and we had such a wonderful time. He got a small taste on why I am so invested and love my calling, he had so much fun with the boys in our family, and pretty much acted like them the whole trip. We went to Martins Cove in WY and spent 4 days on the trail. I am so grateful for that experience. Got home and started prepping for girls camp! Another spiritual high! I love the youth, they inspire and motivate me to do better. The youth in our ward are in the middle of a Temple Trek, to visit all the temples in the state of Utah. It has been so neat to see the temple make such a huge impact in their lives. We have been to Jordan River, Oquirrh Mtn., Draper, Salt Lake, Manti, St. George, Logan...and have loved them all!
Annika and Olivia are busy with little friends, swimming lessons and riding bikes. They are so cute now that they can both communicate, not always sweetly, but they have so much fun playing family and hide and go seek. Daniel will fit in great I hope!
This post sounds so fluffy and perfect...our summer wasn't perfect and I never want to post sounding like we have it all figured out...'cause we don't!!! These are just highlights! I am grateful for my family and all the fun times we had this summer at reunions, weddings, and BBQs. We love you all and we LOVE the fall and welcome it! Go Cougs!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-21T12:35:00.002-06:00

I have been keeping this little video a secret from Rasty and it was worth the wait! We all love it and are so impressed with Enge who filmed and edited, and of course dear Ev and her amazing photography! The 2 of them came and spent a morning at our house and we just did some everyday activities to catch the girls at their best! I treasure these kids of mine and am so grateful to be a mom. I am especially thankful for a loving, wonderful husband and the grand-Dad's in my life! Happy Father's Day!!

Playtime from Enge Chen on Vimeo.

iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iPad.....

2010-04-30T12:45:00.004-06:00

So, I gave Rasty an iTouch for his birthday a few weeks back...we are pretty much obsessed with it, but i have a new obsession, my iPood! Love him!!!!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2010-04-23T10:45:00.007-06:00

I have been so excited for this birthday, it ends our birthday season until November for our little family, but I can now say I have a 4year, 2 year old, and 3 month old...sounds a lot better than 3, 1 and newborn! Livy brings so much joy to our home, she makes us laugh all the time. She is so different from Annika and that alone is refreshing! She strolls around the house all day with a baby in hand and about 5 other stuffed animals. We love her little cheesy smiles and her new found attitude, she makes terrible twos bearable. Love you Livs!

So still adjusting to our family of 5, I keep thinking there is a break or a time in the near future where things are going to get easier. But church callings and life in general remain busy busy busy! Can't wait for retirement:) I have been humbled more in the last 3 months than probably my whole life! Invisible was my motto, I could get through anything...Annika got the flu...no problem...then Livy got pink eye...piece of cake...Daniel feeding 4 times a night...sleep? who needs it? ..... Then God got a sense of humor and gave me the flu, pink eye, and strep at the same time! I was determined to go about daily business with these ailments, then Rasty kindly stated, "if you feel as bad as you look, you are not going ANYWHERE! Nobody wants you around!" Extremely humbled, I let it all go: housework, calling, etc. I did feel worse than I looked! Went to the doctor 4 times and pharmacy 5 times that week! I don't know why that came to mind again today, it was months ago, maybe to remind me that it could be a lot worse than my whining kids that are bored out of their minds today! No one ever told me about the ferocious fours, we are having issues, any ideas how to successfully redirect a stubborn 4 four year old? I am just grateful I have to the desire to clean, reorganize and cook again...getting dressed for the day still happens around noon!

Some pics to help catch up...

Livy always uses mascara as lipstick!

Daniel's Blessing Day - April 11

Rasty wore this little sweater onesie on his blessing day, so sweet! Daniel received a beautiful blessing and was blessed Daniel Robert Snow, we were originally using Anthony as middle name. FYI: Rasty's first name is Robert! Thanks for all you supported on this wonderful day!

Called out lunch time and came upstairs to this little gathering..."they are all hungry mom!"

Escaped to SLC one morning bright and early and were the only ones on temple square to enjoy the beautiful flowers. To miss any crowds in SL, go at 9am! Went to the Gateway splash pad too, perfect day!

Farm Country with Annika's preschool

Potty Training...wrong pot Livs!
Annika started soccer and loves it!

Mickey Mouse birthday for Livy
This didn't surprise me at all!

They just had to try out the umbrella during a hail storm...marble sized hail!!

feed, feed, feed, change, referee, then feed again!

2010-02-25T10:18:00.004-07:00

Life just seems to be all about this little baby lately, sometimes I wish we could give them 20 oz. of milk at the beginning of the day and call it good:) I seem to forget with each baby how hard it is...and NOBODY warned me about the third child and how HARD it is! I guess I am to blame, 3 kids, 3 and under ( until next week, Annika turns 4!) 3 mouths at breakfast, 3 changes of clothes in the morning, 3 mouths at lunch, 2 bums to wipe and change, more clothes after lunch ( ever seen miss Livy eat? WOW!)3 nappers, 3 more mouths at dinner, 3 baths, 3 pjs to put on, and putting 3 kids down before 7...phew! Quite a day!! I am exhausted and only pray I can get dishes in the dishwasher and clothes in the wash before Rasty gets home, but being the sweatheart he is, he ends up doing it! But when all is said and done, I LOVE my kids. I am loving the way Annika plays with Livy all day, the way they both want to hug and kiss Daniel. I love Daniel's smile. I love Livy's silly little words that make no sense. I love hearing ALL the laughter from the girls, there is a lot, especially behind closed doors! I love the dancing anytime music is playing, Livy has great moves! And I love holding and listening to Daniel's little noises in the middle of the night as he drifts back to sleep...just me and him. Being a mother is definitely hard, but so rewarding and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The girls are ALWAYS in Daniels face! They are in front of the swing all day....

This is what little Danny boy gets to look at ALL day! (Livy is always a mess! No worries!)

Showing off their muscles!

Zone Defense!

2010-01-16T23:22:00.003-07:00

I love my mom's interaction with Livy here

Spending my first few moments with little Danny Boy

We are no longer playing a man to man game at the Snow's, its zone from now on! It has been a crazy week with the three little tykes. We got home from the hospital Sunday morning, just in time for the girls to go to church with Rasty. 3 hours went by really fast! I think I needed a quiet house for the rest of the week to get some sanity back. We have been so grateful for all the help from family and friends with meals and such...THANK YOU ALL! So the story goes like this. Wednesday, the 7th, I saw the Dr. in the morning, he stripped my membranes, and I just knew that would do the trick, it worked with both my girls. So I got my haircut and a pedicure the night before:) There is something about having pretty toes in the hospital when all the rest of you looks like a train wreck! So Wednesday day...nothing...got all ready for mutual, got dinner on the table and bam...labor starts at 5:30. Canceled mutual.( tradition is that I go into labor at mutual, happened with Livy, she was born 30 minutes after leaving Young Womens!) Contracted for a few hours, thought it may be false pains, so walked a mile on the treadmill and they really started to kick my can! Called our sweet neighbor to be with the girls, who were already in bed...poor things went to bed thinking all is well and wake up to no mom for the next 4 days. So went to labor and delivery at 10pm and had to make a choice of C-section (Livy was C-section and recovery was great) or trying on my own...went back and forth for an hour. It came down to that I was tired and wanted to go to sleep! So he was born at 12:11am and sleep did not come, what was I thinking? So Daniel came out screaming like a healthy boy, then decided to stop breathing and take a "nap" for 3+ minutes. They couldn't get him to respond and rushed him to the nursery. I didn't know any of this, was kind of busy being put back together! Long story short, Daniel aspirated on something during delivery and had to be NICU for 4 days. I didn't get to hold him or see him for 20 hours. I am so grateful for the priesthood Rasty holds and administered during this whole mess. Daniel's condition turned right around when he got a blessing from his dad and uncle. I really actually enjoyed my stay at the hospital after the crisis calmed; ring a button and you get water, juice, a snack, drugs, food, anything you want! Only downer was that I had to make my way to the NICU to feed Daniel, kind of tricky when I couldn't walk without throwing up! It got better and owe my quick recovery to all that walking. We got to go home on Sunday and the girls are just in love with this little guy. Olivia and Annika are natural mommies and want to hold him all the time. Livy is really good at shhhh-ing him, whenever he fusses or cries, she pats his shoulder and whispers "shhh shhhh shhh". Its pretty cute. We are so excited to see our little family grow and we love Daniel! Post more soon!

They weren't kidding that the pics come less and less as more kids come into the picture!

Welcome Daniel Anthony!

2010-01-07T16:55:00.004-07:00

Just a peak, arrived today 12:11 am, 7 lbs 2 oz. ,C Section, Respiratory distress = lots of tubes and cords= no cuddles:( tired mom = emotional mess = no pictures of mom! We love you Danny Boy!

!

Fall Pictures

2009-11-10T11:21:00.004-07:00

We finally got some pictures of the girls and my amazingly talented neighbor captured them so perfectly, thanks Ev. Check out her blog! Click on the pic for more!

November Already?

2009-11-05T12:39:00.008-07:00

I can't believe it is November and soon December then January! (BABY COMES!) I am now in the middle of the third trimester and...don't know exactly how I feel...tired, excited, tired, anxious, tired, big... did I mention tired? I love feeling this little kick and squirm during the day, but it needs to stop during the night, sleep is all to important these next few months! I can' t believe I have let this much time go by since our awesome family reunion in September. The whole Gardner clan went on a cruise! It was meant to be, the cruise line doesn't let women who are pregnant 24 weeks or more on the ship, I stepped off the boat one day shy of 24 weeks...phew! Cutting it close is an understatement, the trip was planned well before this little guy was in the picture! It was 7 days of bliss with lots of fun memories....

THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!

The fall has always been our favorite season, the crisp air, football, and all the yummy food that you can only make this time of year...SOUP! Annika has a new obsession with soup, I just love hearing her say it....sssssoooop! We need some new recipeLivy is talking up a storm, her favorite command among many, "I'ont some"! It doesn't matter what it is, she wants it! These girls are so determined, I just hope we can channel this energy to good things!! Happy Fall to ALL!!
Until next time!!

Exercise anyone?

2009-09-17T10:51:00.003-06:00

Haven't had the urge or desire to exercise lately, but laughing at this may just check it off your list for the day! Says to work the waistline...mine is increasing daily, so maybe we'll give it a try!

Proud to announce, "it's a BOY!"

2009-09-16T10:42:00.011-06:00

It's amazing how different 1st and 2nd trimesters are...I couldn't even talk about being pregnant without getting sick! But now things are great and we are having a lot of fun as a family! It was 4 days before girls camp that the spewing and all day napping stopped, answer to prayers? I think so!! Camp was a lot of work, but I wasn't going to miss it for the world! We had so much fun up at Heber Valley Camp, very spoiled with cabins and showers and gourmet kitchens! A big thank you for all of you that helped with my kids during that week, I left with complete faith that all would be well, Rasty was the only one that walked around with his cell phone in hand all week hoping for calls from his long lost pregnant wife! I called once...isn't that enough?:) Some pics for a peek of girls camp...it's been a long time for a lot of you! Not much has changed, lots of laughing, braided hair, and snipe hunting...good times!Just prior to our skit...hence the 80's updo and makeup, love these girls!Some of the girls at the lake on site.

Now we jump to our fabulous trip to Lake Tahoe over Labor Day weekend with some dear friends! It was so amazing, we visited in the winter and got a glimpse of the beauties of the lake, but Tahoe in the summer is awesome! It was good 9 hour drive, but thank goodness for our recent upgrade earlier this summer...Rast finally got his Chevy! Ever since I met this boy he has had a feddish with Chevy trucks and he would make a this sad puppy dog face when he saw one on the road, particularly Silverados. I was smart when we were family planning earlier this year and I was not ready for another baby, we made a deal that if we were to have another child, we would get a bigger car. Miraculously...really! all things worked out... we got a baby and car! Anyway...our trip to Tahoe was comfortable! We played at the lake and boated all day. I was sad to not get out on the wakeboard, but I took a nice easy ride on the tube, the baby kicked the whole time...loving it I am sure! Annika had a cute little friend to play with and they loved the sandy beach. It was pretty much amazing! They let Rasty and I have a date night and we went out for great food with out pulling bibs and toys out at the restaurant!

Thanks Krisha and Brian for great times!

The water is crystal clear! Rasty was securing the anchor 20ft down!

Aren't fruit snacks the "go-to" on vacations?

A little down time, until someone tipped us! Rasty took a liking to Annika's sun hat!BYU was about to play their infamous game against Oklahoma, cougar apparel isn't an everyday thing!Rasty made a strange dead "crawdad" memorial...yeah weird!

And Rasty finally learned to wakeboard...finally!!!

A few days later we find out we are having a boy!! We are so excited! In light of the awesome win BYU pulled off days before in Texas, Rasty had the best week of his life! He is finally getting his football team going:) Right now we can't decide on any names so this little guy is being called "Cougar", any suggestions are welcome...please!!

Annika has started pre-school and I am loving the few hours alone with Olivia. Shopping is heaven when I don't have to argue about every thing going in and out of the cart, and stopping at everything we may pass that pictures a Disney princess! Livy is a little busy body climbing on everything and still eating dirt. Her mullet is down to her shoulders, still bald on the top! Seeing Annika's beautiful curly hair gives me hope, I am envious of that girls hair! Livy started saying more words, but not "mommy"! Her first words go...
1. No!
2. Mine!
3. Daddy
4. Da Da Dora
5. Elmo
She is a daddy's girl and that is OK, she insists on him putting her down for bed and diaper changes... I am not offended!
Well, this new baby should be here about Jan. 13! That's it for now, hope all is well for you out there!

Catch up!

2009-07-27T19:18:00.007-06:00

I dragged Rasty to Youth Conference, in our skit I was the balding boy asking him, the girl, on a date:)

Chubby Bunny!

My amazing counselors, love them!

Annika at Gooseberry Reunion, didn't bring a comb:)

Fishing in a St. George pond with G'pa Gardner...catching 2 in. guppies!

So our summer has been busy with various activities, it all started with Youth Conference, well planning it, attending, then picking up the pieces of my life that were neglected during all of it! It was a lot of fun though! I talked Rasty into coming for a bit and I loved sharing those moments with him. He never gets to see what takes me away all the time. We then hopped in the car the next weekend to attend a family reunion in Richfield, we were in charge of activities for the bunch and came very unprepared...no idea there was going to be 130+ in attendace, my bag of M&Ms didn't last long we will say that much:) Caught the flu the next week, everyone except Olivia, it was a nasty little bug. Apparently all those in our company that week caught it...SORRY! We left for a St. George reunion that same week, still recovering and it spread like wild fire, again! We did get one good day at the pool and Texas Roadhouse with my mom and dad, then dooms day hit 24 hrs later with them...sorry! Anyway, we have seen a lot of family this summer and it has been great. Spent the 4th with family and finally bought fireworks for the first time! I think Rasty finally felt like the family man as he brought home the good for the 4th, it was great to celebrate with my girls, Annika got so excited about the fireworks that she knocked a neighbor girl down with a 'big hug' as she calls it... pretty funny! July continued on with many days playing in the pool in the yard and slip n slide. Olivia is the first to go down the slide and plunge in the water, she loves it! She will play for hours in the water and I love just watching her fat little body splash around. The girls interaction is getting really fun to watch, I can't believe how fast time is going by. Rasty went backpacking with his Dad and brother one weekend this month and the next weekend I joined them with the girls on a camping trip to the Uintas. We camped at Pole Creek, it was beautiful...lot of mosquitoes though! I hate the darn things. Olivia came home looking like she got acne, screen tent is a must next trip. And yes I did out fish Rasty, I think that was a highlight:) We sent Rasty's little brother off to Columbia for his mission this past week, he is the last of the Snow boys to go and we are going to miss him! I am busy getting ready for girls camp in 2 weeks, but so excited to go! I definitely need this time away from my kids to reflect on how I can improve as a mother, spouse, in my calling. The spirit I feel at these camps is irreplaceable and to witness change in these YW is awesome, it love it! Our camera has been out of commission for the last few months, I am so sad about that. Our Livy is getting the shaft on pictures, we have so many of Annika, but I guess that is what happens kid after kid! Until next time...

The Return of the Snow's!

2009-05-20T13:09:00.007-06:00

Spring 09

So blogging isn't top priority, I get so far behind that you don't even want to face it so we will make this quick I hope. Life has been crazy at the Snow home. We worked tirelessly on the basement this spring and finally got the carpet installed...note- all the pics in the post are before and after in a weeks time, so monday to a friday, craziness! and I attempted to reupholster the sectional, that is still in progress! It was all done just in time to celebrate Annika's 3rd birthday, she is growing up so fast! We took a short trip to St. George at the end of March to break in my parents new "second" home. All the kids except Derrick were able to make it. It was a lot fun to see all the kiddies play. We jumped right back in the car, well I did with the girls, and went to Southern California to visit Mark and Bekah. It was so much fun! Rasty flew down later in the week to celebrate his birthday at Disneyland. I surprised with a special lunch to Club 33, an exclusive restaurant that only members can get in, thanks to Mark's work! Annika was in heaven! She took it all in and didn't stop for a minute! It was kind so wierd to be taking my own kids to Disneyland, when did I grow up? Livi just chilled in the stroller, drifted in and out of sleep so effortlessly, it was a perfect! We went to the beach, went on a double date away from the kids and had lots of laughs with Mark and his family, thanks for such great hospitality you two! We got home just in time to celebrate another birthday, Olivia 1st! Man these girls keep me so busy I don't know where the time goes. She decided to walk this very day, she was just waiting for the big day! The one thing I love about all these birthday's in a row is the cake making! I love it!
Rasty's work is going great, the high school it almost done and we love that he is still so close to home, home at 3:30 everyday, well most days! The school will wrap up in the next month and we are waiting to hear where he will go next. I am staying busy with Young Womens, maybe thats an understatement...we have youth conference in two weeks and I am so excited! I love my calling! And girls camp at the end of summer, one full week of bliss! Rasty reminds me that he can sympathize with the bishop's wife in a small way, lending his spouse to the ward many nights of the week...love you hon! This past month has also given a small taste of how raising a teenager would be. Rasty's parents were able to go on a month long geneology trip to spain with BYU so it was left in our hands to get Sam, the youngest of the Snow's, gratudated. It has been a close call, but I think we are in the clear! We have ecxused countless tardies and absences, but we've all been there, senioritis!
A big event in my family this week... Scott got married, the last of the little guys, all kids have tied the knot...in the temple! I am so excited for our new addition, Marissa Latimer, she is perfect for Scotty and we love her! What a blessing to have such great parents who have taught us the importance of the temple. It was so neat to be all together in the sealing room. The day was packed and the girls are still trying to recouperate from it all. They both had snot nose that day so sorry to those that got smeared with the stuff on your clothing! It comes out in the wash:)
So we will try to do better in staying caught up, hopefully these pics will fill in the holes of the past 4 months!

Let's hear it for the GIRLS!

2009-01-30T12:40:00.003-07:00

I have posted about my wonderful husband and such, but to be honest, the majority of the time I am thinking about 'my girls' and that includes Livy, Annika, and many others ages 12-17! I love them all and they make me so happy. This week was our New Beginnings program for Young Womens and it was a lot fun! I now have so much love and appreciation for my YW leaders, this job is not just on sunday and wednesdays, it's 24/7! I am constantly thinking about the needs for a 2 year old, 9 month old and a handful of amazing teenagers. Our NB was Mission:POSSIBLE and we were a top secret agents welcoming new agents (the new beehives) to the academy! So any readers out there that have YW responsibilities, lets exchange ideas, I come up short a lot!
So Annika and Livy are my absolute favorite, they continue to amaze me with their personalities. Liv's just wanders the house with a sweet little grin, and loves Annika's dancing and wiggles. These girls suck the energy right out of me but I sure love them and all the cuddles I get everyday. We took advantage of the sunshine this week and tried out their new wagon; can't wait for spring!!

Weekend Getaway!

2009-01-28T09:21:00.006-07:00

So have you ever had those vacations that you have been looking so forward to but are soo overwhelmed with life that you are dreading them? Well, that's my long story cut short! Rasty and I have been so excited to our little getaway, but life has been nuts! Our responsibilities in church, work, and home were spiraling out of control so thank heaven we sucked it up and left the kids and everything else for a weekend! Some friends of ours invited us to visit Lake Tahoe with them and we had a wonderful time. Rasty is the funnest person in the world to travel with and I love giving all my attention to him as we talk and just relax and not get distracted with all the crying and demands of children! The lake was beautiful with the snow blanketed mountains surrounding it. We played games, read, and ate great food! I love vacations, but pulling up in the driveway is never sad, we are so blessed to have a warm and welcome place to call home.

When we were in hawaii a few year back we ate at this restaurant and had this amazing dessert, Hula Pie! It was macadamia nut ice cream pie with an oreo crust and delcious hot fudge, well anyway, we have talked about this dessert forever and what we would give to eat it agian. Well, turns out that same restaurant owner had a second restaurant in Tahoe and it featured the Hula Pie!! I wish we could have stocked up:) I am an ice cream fanatic!

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How Could I Forget...the 5 year mark!

2009-01-15T14:07:00.011-07:00

The night he proposed...so unexpectedly...I bought my dress earlier in the day:)

Disneyland Honeymoon!

Our first little car...named her "barb"

Our first love...Hawaii!! 2005

Rasty's first true love, The Netherlands 2004

Loved Belgium and Paris 2004

Hello London 2004

On a long flight to Europe!! Resisted from putting the other 10 pictures in this series!

Cacun 2004 - way hot!

After a long ride on the four-wheelers at the cabin

San Diego

Annual Snake River whitewater trip

Rasty's first time down the slopes!

Happy New Years 2007

My hunk! Kauai 2006

Kauai 2006

Maui 2008 - Liv is in there too...3 months to go!

Good times at the Y!

Trip to Disneyland with Annika 2007

What a happy 5 years it has been! Rasty and I tied the knot 5 years ago, Dec. 27, 2003 and oh the memories we have made!!! We've moved from Gramdma Snow's basement, to our lovely Orem condo, and to our first home...baby steps! We have seen little bits and pieces of the world, changed millions of diapers, and put thousands of miles on cars...and did it all together! Its so easy to forget all the good times, thank goodness for pictures. All our pictures together are when we travel, I love to travel with Rasty, we have great memories exploring new places! Don't have a lot of pics of just us now days, they seemed to filled with little angels that came about because two people fell in love!
Love you hon!!

Baby, it's cold outside

2009-01-15T12:52:00.003-07:00

So the holidays are over and it's cold! The winter blues have never set in like this years. Annika is climbing the walls, Liv is crawling and bumping into walls! I miss the yard and park! I wish there was more to report on but, we are simply just going crazy! We are excited to have a mini vacation coming in one week to Lake Tahoe with our friends! 4 days away from the kids will be heavenly, these little trips put everything in perspective and I come back a better mom! Well here are some updated pics of the Snows.
My two sweethearts, a little jealous, forgot my suit!!

Grandma and Grandpa Snow (big BYU fans) and the gang, 6 girls age 3 and under and James, 5!!! All Rasty's siblings came home for christmas, lots of fun!

no words!

Liv is a sheep, if you can' t tell!

Our first fondue party...turning to marshmallow roasting!

...all is calm, all is bright

2008-12-18T14:33:00.006-07:00

I love the Snow. Whenever it is a snowy day, no matter how much I have to do, I look out the window and stare more often than I should. It is beautiful. The house is silent as I am so lucky to have both girls napping, something I should be doing! But I just have a few thoughts to post...and much anticipated pictures of the growing babe! I am loving this holiday season, Annika has grasped the idea of Santa and more importantly of baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In Alpine, my good ol' hometown, there is Living Nativity and we went this year with all the kids and their cousins on a snowy night, it was magical. We rode up this dirt road in a trailer with hay and had to hike up a hill of snow to reach "Bethlehem". We walked around the big barn decorated as the little city would have been, people playing games, preparing authentic food, etc. It was really neat. We were very chilled and I was anxious to go, but as we approached another barn where the nativity was set up, it was silent, no music, no laughing. Little children surrounded the manger where a little infant boy lay. Annika pushed her way up front and stood and smiled until everybody was gone, she remained and didn't say a word, just a whisper..."baby Jesus". It was so precious, I stood in the background and had a "mom" moment, this little girl that has more energy and spunk than I can handle was calm, still. I couldn't even snap a picture. I will never forget that feeling and want to thank the Hayes family, long time family friends, that do this every year in efforts to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Make sure all you readers go next year, we loved it.
Here are some pictures of the Snow's that have neglected to post... and yes we still wait for our new computer, delivery is set for TOMORROW!! 3 weeks waiting!

Hee Haws @ Thanksgiving Point (Halloween pics...it's been too long!)

Anni with her boyfriend Brock, we were the 3 Little Pigs and Rasty was the Big Bad Wolf

Oink Oink

Loves mom's makeup

Loves bathtime, Annika makes sure she has plenty of toys. And yes she is in pot, this is when she couldn't sit up!

Annika figured out the chopsticks

Playgroup always makes me happy, they are so cute

Cute couple!

TWO months later!

2008-11-26T23:40:00.002-07:00

Yes, I know, you are not holding your breath any more for a new post from the Snow's... we are getting a new computer THIS week! Since our last post we have not had internet for days at a time, switched internet providers, computer glitches causing all docs and pics to disappear, spontaneous shutoffs, and the infamous "program not responding" error. The list goes on and on, but there is light at the end of this madness. This modest little laptop that we have been using for 5 years was actually FREE! You know all those little popups that advertise "free this" and "free that" ? Well, we, being cheapskate newlyweds did all the little requirements to get this so-called free laptop and we actually got it! Lucky!! So this little Sony has been there through the thick and thin at the Y, the endless iTunes downloads, and kept our thousands of photos safe, now it's time to say goodbye, on to bigger and better! Anyway....
We have been busy, (isn't that always the excuse when you haven't kept in touch) well, the holidays have arrived and kind of scared me, I am usually listening to christmas music in September, but one thing or another has kept me from making cozy soups and hot chocolate. That is what fall and winter is about here at the Snow's. Halloween was spent away from our little Anni, while Rasty, Livi and I had such a fun opportunity to visit my brother Derrick in Denver and watch BYU, the ever so overrated cougs, take down the Rams at CSU. I was looking so forward to sleeping in at the hotel only finding that it was too quiet...the joys of being a mom! I missed the knocking and sweet "good morining" Anni whispers underneath the door at 6:30 am. No matter how many year I have aged since she arrived 2 1/2 years ago, she's a darling thing. She has conquered the "potty". I knew that one day it would just click; she went from not caring about wet diapers to perfection in her princess panties, not one accident since she put her big girl panties on!! Livi is getting huge and an eating machine, ALWAYS eating! She is crawling all over the place and each day discovering something new about the house, the stairs were discovered yesterday, babies don't bounce, they roll!:( Rasty finally got his satelite TV. HDTV is like having "Charles Barkley right in your living room!" That's how he would say it! Bad=ESPN has like 30 channels and there is always a game on .... Good=I can record all my shows and pause them if the baby starts crying and Food Network is HD, need I say more!
So, a lot of changes happened in the 'hood. Because we reproduce like rabbits out here in Saratoga Springs:) wards split a lot, we had to say good bye to a lot of good friends, but got a lot of new families in our ward. Our callings were going so well and I was loving the way YW's was going, the girls were just getting comfortable after the switches made at the end of summer, we had great plans and ideas for the new year...but the split came so suddenly and and my world has turned upside down, with Rasty's wonderful support and love I was called to be YW president. What a great and rewarding challenge. I LOVE it! I love having the excuse to be a kid again, I am allowed to goof around, plan fun things and am guaranteed one night a week to get out with the girls! If only we could just text for all the meetings!
There are a lot of pics to illustrate the last few months that i will post next time, but I thought I would do a quick catch up for you all!

PS Still working on basement!:)

Wowsers!

2008-09-25T22:24:00.012-06:00

Well, this blogging thing is not my 'thing'! When I have a spare minute or two...and honestly when does that happen with an energetic 2 year old and an infant that can't get enough to eat? Anyway, I will update when I can and satisfy your Snow appetite! We have had quite a whirlwind of events since last entry as per 'X' in my last post...X-Ray! Yes Rasty did break his hand in two spots and had to have surgery. All of our projects were put to stand still. He had 6 screws put in and he was AMAZING coming out of the anesthesia! First thing out of his mouth.."hey hot mama!" (very slurred and distracted with his ice chips!) He is now recovered and working hard on our many projects we like to start and not finish!
Olivia... what a sweet little baby! I love this girl! She is sleeping 12 hours every night and taking good naps all day...Annika on the other is not taking naps anymore, and that wears me down fast! Livy is getting so big and is laughing at the silliest things Anni does. Do they make king size cribs? Livy is put down to sleep and she ends up on the other side of the crib all tangled in the bumper pad and the posts, always one arm, one leg, maybe two sticking out of the posts and her face smashed up to the side. Love it! Also amazes me to what Annika does to Liv when I leave the room!

The girls had a bath together and I had to chase Annika down as she slipped out the front door naked and came back to Liv...wets the bed then falls asleep in her towel(her fingers trying to find her mouth!)

I was curious to see how my baby picture matched up with my girls...not striking that they belong to me or they are sisters!MeLiv

Annika

Annika is definitely in terrible 2's! A funny thing, not so funny at the moment, happened at Walmart the other day. I got the courage to run a few errands and took both girls. Annika had to have something, like scotch tape or hangers...had to have it! Anyway, I put it away on the shelf and she let me have it. The kicking and screaming on the floor, then it stopped...silence..."Wow" I thought, she is coming around without me threatening her with her life! Just as this satisfying thought came it left just as fast as I looked down at my devious child...she eyed me, glared at me...stuck her tongue out and licked the floor, licked it again just to make sure I saw it and got one more lick in before she was dragged by a loving mother to the nearest exit and to the car. Have you ever seen a cart in the middle of an aisle filled with stuff from around the store..."where is the shopper? Whose cart is this?" It's mine! I have left a cart full of stuff at every store I've been to at least twice! If one kid starts crying the other has to join...hey why not, the mother joins the party!! Oh the stresses of being a mother. Most weeks I am perfectly happy to not leave my little bubble in Saratoga Springs!
What a crazy kid!

On to a happy note, I ran my first race this past month! The Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon was on Aug 23 and it was a great run! So beautiful. Felt like a bus hit me the hours following, but other than that it was an awesome feat! Rasty was supposed to run with me, but his hand was not casted yet and if anything would have caused a fall or whatever...it would have been bad! I didn't get to train like I wished, lacked the energy...and my sweet little Annika thinks she needs to run and not sit in the jogger, so training had to happen at 5am or 9pm after the heat of the day. I was really excited the night before...had an awesome playlist on my ipod and it was going to be a beautiful day....oh wait, ipods or headphones are not allowed in the race as per race rules...
"Headphones are banned as it is USA Track & Field Policy that all sanctioned events have a ban on headphones."
Makes sense, music gives you a hypnotic advantage. You can't feel the pain when you are running to your favorite jams! Running 13.1 miles was going to be impossible without them, but everybody will be in the same vote! NOT!
So I show up at 5am and everybody has their headphones! It was a long bus ride up the canyon by myself wondering why I am a law abiding citizen! So the whole race it was just me and my thoughts..."ouch, this hurts, wonder what she is listening to? Looks like he's groovin' to Def Leoppard or something rockin'! OUCH! Just finish! Keep Running, keeping running!" Just a small sample!! My only goal was to keep under 10 minute miles and not walk, check, check! 2:07! not the best time, but good for a first time runner! Rasty was at the finish line and first thing he says or laughs aloud as he sees all the runners with headphones, "bet your POed!" sorry for my french, but I was!
Went to St. George for girls weekend for Labor Day, I had a lot of fun and a lot of chocolate! Livy came along and Anni had bonding time with her dad.

Our house is upside down in projects. Basement not done yet. Living room and kitchen got new paint and trim, crown moulding is in the works (the time on the camera was wrong, it was really 2:11am! Can't really paint with a 2 year old running around!). Backyard patio is half way dug out. Yeah, we got a lot to do before winter!

Go Cougs! We are loving cougar football! Rasty got season tix with his brother. I got to go to the infamous UCLA game and we are traveling to Denver to go to the CSU game and yes, I got an early 'birthday' present...tickets to the utah v. BYU game...I question if it really was an early present for me or a WAY early one for him! Oh well I am stoked!

I have chatted with some and want to see what keeps me busy being a stay at home mom...well here are some pics of a few projects I have done this summer.

Refinished our dining table. Pain in the neck! Black on the bottom and red mahogany on top.

Canned a TON! We love salsa, if you want an awesome recipe, just ask! We also did tomato juice, pears, peaches and applesauce.
I am obsessed with scrapbook paper, not that I scrapbook, but some are so cute I had to use them in decorating. This whole thing cost pennies! Made different size squares with 2 in. boards from home depot. (12 ft. for $2) Not bad!

Not a great presentation, the baby is sleeping, but made her crib set and quilt and curtains.

I love making dresses for the girls. There are so many cute prints for little dresses. Also made Liv's blessing dress, darling little thing.

And one last thing-

I LOVE THE NEW NURSERY MANUAL!

Anyone that has kids will love this manual for playtime in the day, FHE, sacrament mtg. etc!! They are not going to be used in nursery until next Jan. But they are at the distribution center or LDScatalog.com
Free shipping if ordered online. It is spiral bound and each lesson has current pics, not 1980's! (Anwer me this, why aren't all manuals spiral bound?) And there is a fun handout, just make tons of copies or print out online. LOVE IT!

Love you all, until next time!

Whoa! Summer A to Z

2008-08-18T20:53:00.003-06:00

Haven't posted for a while, 1) our computer is VERY slow so it's a pain, we also ran out of room for our pics:) 2) super busy! Life is going great here in Saratoga Springs. We have had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to our favorite season...football season. T-11 days till cougar kick off! Let's see if I can do all our updates A to Z!

A-Alpine Days. First weekend in August every year! Rasty was backpacking so I had the courage to pack up the girls and go with my parents. Annika only got lost once...finding her was a sinch when they announced over the loud speaker at the parade there is lost little girl in pink following a truck begging for candy!

B- Rasty grew a beard...has since shaved it!

C- Camping with Annika and Livy. Had a trial run before our big trip up to Jackson Hole, it was a lot of fun, learn what not to do...put livy and Annika in the same tent!

D- Dinosaur Museum. Went to the museum at Thanksgiving Point with Rasty's sisters.

E- Entrada. Rasty's Family rented a house in Entrada in St. George. This house was absolutely amazing. Private pool, hot tub, 6 bed, 6 bath, 2 kitchens, 5300 sq ft, and all for $299 a nite...I know, crazy! This is where High School Musical 2 was filmed, super nice! We had SOOO much fun!

F-When to Fishing at Tibble with Annika

G- Grew a garden with tomatoes and Green peppers.

H- Hiked to Cecret lake up little cottonwood canyon, best hike ever! We all did it! Grandma and Grandpa Gardner hiked with us.

I- I love summer...

J- Jackson Hole. Went up to Jackson with Rasty's Family, Mark and Bekah and Scott. Awesome trip!

K- Katie's wedding...another childhood buddy got married this July, friends since we were 3...yeah! Congrats Katie!

L- Lunch Counter! The biggest rapid on the Snake River rocked our world this year! We have never seen it so big. It tipped many rafts in our party and Mark and Bekah can attest to it's POWER! They were in a little kayak and got their moneys worth!

M- Movies- Saw Batman- loved it, Mamma Mia- could have been better, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2- Why? is all I can say.

N- New Calling- I just got called to be 1st Counselor in the Young Women's, very exciting. Loving it.

O- Olivia. Wow, what a big girl! She is smiling, laughing, rolling over...the best baby, sorry Annika! I am loving this little girl more and more. She smiles from the minute she wakes up until she goes back to bed. Annika is teaching her everything she knows. We love this little munchkin!

P- Pulled Pork Pizza- Do I get triple points? Made the most yummy pizza not to mention beautiful pie ever! If you ever have extra pork, or heck make the pork primarily for the pizza and eat the rest with sandwiches. Pork, onions, pineapple, green peppers, cheese tomatoes, cilantro...bon appetit!

Q- Quilted a personal progress quilted for one of my young women who earned her YW recognition award. Each piece signifies a goal she finished. Turned out well I think.

R- Rasty. He is playing on a softball league. He is still working on the basement...not holding my breath!;) Working hard at work. The school it building is moving right along, it is going to be amazing when complete next fall. It is the biggest project Alpine School District has done...$60 million and he is manning it all along with one other superintendant! Well done! Love you!

S- Snowbird. Swimming. St. George. Spent a week with my mom and sisters at Snowbird, we swam and played and swam some more! We had a lot of fun. The boys joined us for a few days also. Annika and Livy both love the water so swimming was a lot of fun! I also spent a few days in St. George with Rasty's sisters and mom staying a condo, the boys also joined us later in the week...too many vacations!

T-Temple. We spent an afternoon at the temple taking pictures of the kids on the Snow side, turned out so cute!

U- hard....utah! We love utah! ummm next....

V- ummmm I vacuumed.... next..

W- waterslide. The park in our back yard is perfect for slip'n'slide and we had a blast going down again and again with neighbors! Wii. We finally got one!

X- X-Ray. Rasty came home from softball tonight with a probable broken hand, XRay tomorrow!

Y- Yard work...or lack thereof...with all the traveling here and there our yard has seen better days, but Lowes guarantees its plants for 1 year...taking back a basket full of dead plants was embarrassing, but there's always next year and it's money back in our pockets:)

Z- Zzzzzz- Yeah, Livy is sleeping through the night, so yes there is more Zzzzz for me; now we just need to get Annika to sleep through the night...yeah pathetic, we know! She loves getting drinks.

So thats that... I hope we caught up for the most part... love you all.

...we're still here!

2008-06-22T14:49:00.011-06:00

can it get any worse? We were desperate for a 'normal' dinner with conversation and SANITY!!

Sorry for the pause there, life gets going and going and going etc. Anyway, what a fun month we have had. Lots of playing, gardening, cleaning and not sleeping! Annika and Olivia are becoming good friends, Anni makes "loving" gestures all day long to the baby. She really is helpful, we sure love her energy and have no idea where she gets it! Rasty and I are still busy working on the basement and putting some time into the yard. I am taking pride in my gardening skills, no dead plants yet! I am really excited to see how many vegetables we get! I love to can salsa in the fall, so my plants are getting TLC this year! I will narrate our comings and goings with pics.
I took the girls to the Zoo with Rasty's family and had a great time; Annika loved the giraffes and elephants. NO LIONS at the Hogle Zoo!! How disappointing, that was the one animal I wanted to see. I want to protest!
I threw a Bridal Shower for Amberly at my parents house and got to see so manygood friends. How lucky am I to have had such great friends!

Like I said, we have been working on our yard and had to put a LOT of top soil on the flower beds. Our soil was terrible so we had help shoveling the dirt to various parts of the yard from neighbors, thanks!! Annika, as always, was a great help!
We spent some time in the beautiful mountains at the cabin and I was lucky enough to cuddle with my girls on the hammock!

Good ol' Savannah down the street is Annika's new best friend and 'big' sister. Savannah loves to come over and play with the girls. She is such a sweetie to Olivia and Annika!

Annika and Rasty made a "fort" in the basement and Annika makes herself right at home.

Annika has her own flower to tend to. She is devoted clothes or no clothes! (Seeing the trend...she is an exhibitionist!)

Annika still has playgroup, this was the first one since I had the baby so I had to keep them busy with their own little babies...so cute!

We have a little strawberry patch out back and Anni loves to go out with Rasty or myself and pick some yummy treats.

What a pretty bride! Childhood best friend Amberly got married to her honey Anthony! Congrats!!

Can't get enough of "take your own" pictures!

"hi. I'm annika. You should take a picture of....

"...my belly button!"

"I have one of those!"

We joined up with several neighbors and went to the annual Saratoga Splash celebration and saw Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband play and watch fireworks... and no, they don't play rubberbands! I thought that until I saw them perform! One of our neighbors had their grandma come and she got Olivia smiling so big. It was truly a precious moment.

I got go to girls camp for a day to spend some time with our awesome young women and leaders. I love my calling! The leaders are such a blast to be with, I don't who had more fun, us or the girls?
...and going and going and going! Too much fun! Hope all is well, til next time!

tutuguru.com

2008-05-26T18:56:00.006-06:00

Now I have to do a shout out to my sister in laws new business, www.tutuguru.com. She makes the most darling tutus and shirts! I could not wait any longer to put little Liv in her first tutu. It is sewn onto a onsie and is the cutest and sweetest gift for the new babe! Annika also has one and loves it. I am not biased when I say that these are perfect gifts for little girls or baby showers, I am spreading the word cause I LOVE these pics!

Say "Cheese"!

2008-05-26T17:47:00.003-06:00

This past week I captured some pics of Anni going out to play in the sprinklers with her playmates next door, I am sooo excited for summer. They are so cute to watch!

Annika attempted a hula hoop for the first time!

Happy Memorial Day! We sure had a fun weekend with both sides of the family. Rasty's family came into town. We had a fun BBQ and Annika had a blast playing with her cousins. They all found it particularly fun to play in a pile of grass clippings in the back yard. It started out with some harmless grass throwing and watching it blow in the wind. It ended with a bunch of naked kids covered with grass from head to toe. It was fun to watch!! Bath time afterwards was fun as well, they had more grass on their heads than hair. We also spent time in AF canyon at the Gardner family cabin. It was rainy and gloomy outside, but we had a little BBQ and made a fire between rain storms. Daddy and Annika took a quick ride on the four-wheeler, it's fun to see a little toddler with a HUGE helmet...top heavy! But that's normal for the Gardner clan;)

WOW!

2008-05-13T13:25:00.005-06:00

Little Livy
Annika's regressing...We knew Annika would regress! Not to this extent though:) She is quite a character!
My mom had a 'mini' baby shower with Anni and I one day and Annika brought all her little friends! My mom brought little refreshments for us and sweet littel gifts! Love you mom!
We knew Annika would regress! Not to this extent though:) She is quite a character!
Why bathe these babies? Seconds after leaving her first bath, which she loved!
Got a good picture of Annika right before her usual splish splashing in Grandpa Gardner's stream.
Our little girls on Olivia's blessing day. Just dragged Anni out of the stream, not a happy camper!The girls first bath together!

Wow is all I can say about the last 3 weeks. Life has turned upside down for us here at the Snow house! Doubling the number of kids to feed, change, bathe, play, watch, and referee is more than I expected! Hats off to moms everywhere!! May has been exciting and exhausting at the same time. We got to bless little Olivia on the 4th along with my brother's little guy, Russell. We got to bless our babies in our home ward in Alpine during Scott's mission homecoming. The Gardner clan was there, what a fun weekend! Derrick and his family flew in from Denver and Mark came from LA, the Family hasn't been together like that for over 2 1/2 years! Good thing Olivia came 2 weeks early...she was due on the 5th! I am still recovering from surgery, but things are going well. Some days I think I am healed and do WAY too much and crash the next day, I am learning a little humility, I can't do it all! I am so grateful for all the help thus far, So thanks to many of you!
We have been frantically trying to finish our basement, Rasty is almost done with the drywall...we'll post pics when that is done! I have been busy trying to put together the nursery, yes, we weren't quite as prepared as the first baby. Post those pics when it done also! There are about hundred projects I want to do to the house... cha ching...it all takes $! We'll just have to get handy with what we have! Anyway, if anyone likes to paint, your invited to our many paint parties this summer!:) Love to you all!

Love it!

2008-04-28T20:07:00.004-06:00

Hello All!
We have been home for few days now and are loving our new addition! Olivia is a doll and Annika adores her little sister. She so VERY helpful, she is in charge of the binky! We have been showered with love and food and HELP with Annika, we are so grateful. I didn't realize how much a little baby adds to a home, I am loving every minute. I was worried I couldn't give Liv the same love I have for Anni, but there is more than enough to go around! Anyway, I was spending some time with Annika, can't do much with her since I am still healing, but we hopped on the computer and went to sesameworkshop.org like always. But they have recently added video clips of random clips that entertained us for quite a while, loved it! Just thought I would pass that along, I know how bored kids get and it was fun to find something new to do with Annika.
http://video.sesameworkshop.org

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-25T13:01:00.004-06:00

Little Olivia going home...now look at Annika's going home pic...twinners!!

Well today is the day we get to go home. Little Liv is perfect and mommy is recovering quickly! Still sore of course, but the pain can be managed at home. We are excited to take our little girl home! Annika is lucky enough to spend another day with grandma Snow while we get settled. Olivia is just darling and getting cutter by the minute! Here are some more pics of the babe! Also including pics of Elder Scott's homecoming...In all the bustle of having the baby, my little brother has just returned from the Riverside CA mission on Tuesday...had the baby Wednesday...and home again Friday! What a week! Phew!

Welcome Olivia!

2008-04-24T19:46:00.003-06:00

Well to our surprise, we welcomed Olivia to our little Snow family last night at 9:54! She is perfectly healthy and looks just like her other sister! It was a crazy night...went to mutual at 7:00, felt contractions, toughed them out until 8:30, left and got Rasty and Annika to go to the hospital, delivered at 9:54! She was breach so they rushed me into emergency c-section. Everything went great and now we are just chilling out at the hospital for a few days, soaking up every minute! In all the rush we forgot the camera so we have only a few pics of our little one thus far. Annika adores her little baby! She was so cute when she saw her for the first time, we are so blessed to have 2 little princesses! We'll post more pics tomorrow!

PS We're stuck on a middle name...any ideas on what will go with Oliva ___ Snow? Love you all!

2008-04-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

A friend of Rasty's had this old little bike and offered it to us...so we attempted the bike thing with Annika! She loved the helmet and all, but the bike was a different story. She couldn't figure out that she had to peddle, she'll get it one day! She is sure cute though!

Annika and I went to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point friday aftersnoon while Rasty went to the movies with his little bro. She hadn't been here since October and it was so cool to see her apply everything she has learned or picked up these past few months. She knew all the animals and their noise and demanded they come to her! She had a lot of fun riding the ponies and riding in the wagon! I am 38 weeks with child, so chasing her around by my lonesome self was another story.

We had time to got see the gardens while at Thanksgiving Point and they were beautiful. Why can't I garden like that. My daffodils only grew to be 3 inches...yep! Anyway, it was a fun date with Annika, we finished at Cabellas to see all the fish. It was feeding time and she was very concerned about the fish eating another fish...how do explain that to a 2 year old?!

Happy Birthday Ras Man!

2008-04-14T21:31:00.007-06:00

Ok Ok it was last thursday, but it has been a little crazy! I wanted to find all the best pics of my hubby to pay tribute to a great guy, but I only found a few...Annika was helping too much! I don't know exactly how to celebrate him on the blog, but he deserves some attention here! I'll name the 10 things Annika and I just adore about him...
1. He is a big hug-a-bug, always giving his girls cuddles!
2. He puts us first ALWAYS
3. We love his silly faces
4. He knows when mommy needs a break!
5. Annika loves his horsey rides!
6. We love his cooking, he should do it more!
7. He loves his Anni, t hat makes mommy love him more!
8. We love that he eats all the left overs
9. He works hard!!
10. He is OUR man, Happy Birthday Rasty!

*PS...the top pic IS Rasty, he still adores lacey tops!

Play Play Play

2008-04-11T14:32:00.003-06:00

This past week we have had a lot of fun. Annika has a new obsession with bubbles and has gone through bottles of it! She is surprisingly good at it for a 2 year old! She gets her coat and hat on and heads out to the deck for hours at a time. I love having our deck right outside the kitchen. We have a gate to keep her from going into the yard and she is quite content to do as she pleases out there. There's dogs and kids to yell at so she's never alone!

We also had the chance to watch my sister's kids as they vactioned this past week so the house was never dull or quiet! The kids played and played all day. We went to the park 3 times each day...it was a desparate measure on my behalf, I can only take so much noise in the house! We went swimming at the pool and went to Kangaroo Zoo. We LOVE this place. Annika has been before with neighborhood friends and I knew Jane and Raleigh would love it also. They have tons of blow up toys that the kids can play on: slides, mazes, bouncing toys, and more slides. All the while there is couches for the moms and a massaging chair! Great times! My mom came with and it was a fun morning for us all!

www.kangaroozoo.net
Check it out! They have promotions online for discounts. Go in the a.m. if you ever go, there is never any crowds.

Just for fun...

2008-04-04T14:17:00.005-06:00

My next door neighbor and good friend Eveline, wanted some guinea pigs for a photo shoot in her basement and of course I couldn't refuse FREE pictures! She is soo talented and took some cute pics of Annika and my 'little' belly! If anyone ever needs any pics, she is AWESOME! I love looking at her stuff on her blog for fun ideas and great pictures.

www.littlewunders.blogspot.com

www.littlewundersphotography.com

She has one little girl that is Annika's age and they play all the time. Ev has captured some cute photos during their play time. She just showed me some, but they took place last year.
The last one was taken one evening last summer when Annika snuck out the front door after her bath and went to Emi's house; Emi was out playing in the yard with her diaper also! Gotta love summer time ... we are so lucky to have such great neighbors!

Weekend in St. George

2008-03-31T16:09:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we went down to St. George for Rasty's work and got to play with Annika's cousins who live there. I have never seen Anni play sooo hard! We played all day for 3 days straight! We went to the park and enjoyed the green grass and warm sun and got to splash aroung a little in the water! St. George added a new splash park downtown that is so cool. It has shallow pools and streams throughout the park and a fountains similar to the Gateway fountains. It was a lot fun for the kids. Rasty and I just laid back and relaxed as Annika played and played! Can't wait for her little playmate to come in just 4 weeks, she definitely needs a little friend at home!

Annika's 2nd Birthday!

2008-03-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

We also celebrated Annika's 2nd Birthday this month, I can't believe how fast time goes by! And here we are expecting another in just weeks! Our little family is growing! Annika sang happy birthday to herself for days and she knew exactly how old she was...2! She started off with a wonderful gift from Derrick and Deana in Denver. Anni loved opening her first postal package, a pink tutu!It took a while to decide what kind of cake Annika would like most, and which one would turn out best... Elmo won! This cake just came together so well, ping pong ball eyes and plastic egg nose- perfect! Now getting the frosting red enough took a neighborhood effort, confiscating all the red food coloring we could round up from generous neighbors on a sunday afternoon saved the day... I didn't think my pink frosting would cut it for a die hard fan such as Anni!

Grandma Gardner got a lot of new toys for the new play room from IKEA, they are all sooo cute, the kids were so excited to try the new masks out...I see some great productions coming these next few years!

Easter was greatly anticipated! We went to the Saratoga Springs Easter egg hunt where we thought Annika would gather tons and tons of eggs given that they had over 9,000! So the music starts for the gathering and she goes after the stickers and 2 windmills! There was a bike for each age group if you got the special egg, she didn't really have a chance...she picked up 3 eggs, or was that Rasty?! Later that day, to our surprise, Annika came down with a terrible fever of 103 and was acting like she was dying! We had no idea what was wrong, we took her in and she had ear infections in both ears, she has never really been sick before. She recovered quickly after the antibiotics and we are glad for that, but Easter day wasn't the same. We just kicked it at home!

It's about time!

2008-03-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

I have really grown a disgust for our internet, computer...both perform under par about 99% of the time! It keeps me form posting the latest with the Snow family! Let's see if I can get caught up. This month has been quite busy at our house. Annika has turned 2, we have transformed a teenagers room to a bright fun play room at my parents house...sorry Scott! (He comes home April 22!) I am continuing to nest and took it upon myself to plan New Beginnings for the YW in my ward by myself. Note: I think I should have delegated! And there was a new addition to the Gardner count...welcome little Russel! Mark and Bekah had a cute little boy in Feb. and we are so excited to see him when they come up first week of May.

We'll start with our little project in the basement of Mom and Dad's. Last year I was thinking that they had way too many rooms and way too many things kids can break! So Scotty was gone and his room would be perfect for a little play room. I started drawing and Rasty created! It turned out great...with a lot of work!

OK, here we go!

2008-02-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well this is our first post on our new blog! My brother has so kindly shown how it is done and post our Hawaii pictures. A quick update... we moved to Saratoga Springs about one year ago and have really enjoyed our first home as a family! We love our neighborhood, just about a billion kids which is great! Rasty graduated from BYU last spring and is working for Bud Mahas Construction. They are currently building the new Saratoga Springs High School, scheduled to open fall of 2009. He is 5 minutes from the job so the commute allows delicious lunches at home everyday:) I get to stay home with Annika and she keeps me busy. We have another rugrat due here in about 8 weeks, I am MORE than excited to have this 2nd girl, it wears me out to play the mom, sister, and playmate all day with Annika! I am currently working with the Young Women in our ward as the Personal Progress leader and love it. It keeps me very busy which is great. Rasty is the secretary in the Sunday School presidency, just received that calling so we will see how that goes. Annika loves nursery, just when we get a kid out of our hands for 2nd and 3rd block we find ourselves having another muchkin! If this second one is half as crazy as our Anni, we'll officially have a circus in our midst!
So Annika turns 2 next Saturday and I have cursed the idea of having to change 2 sets of diapers so we have "casually" let Anni watch Elmo's Potty Time movie over and over and over, maybe a little too much. She has really started to love to say "potty" and nothing has come of it until yesterday, alas, she "went" in the potty!! She made me leave the bathroom and to my amazement when I came back in, she was all done and very proud of herself. She said "I'm awesome, high five!" That's my girl! So that is our big news this week! Keep posted for more adventures of the Snow clan!

Maui Pics

2008-02-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Maui. Enjoy!