Did you hear something?

I'm so bad. We went to The Utah Museum of Natural History to see the frog display like..three weeks ago, and I'm just getting to the pictures now. We had so much fun that day! The kids were so excited to see the different kind of frogs.

Here we are posing with Prince Frog. I can never get a decent picture of Cohen.


This frog was so huge. I still shudder thinking about it. *blech*


I thought the blue frogs were the coolest, and they were little and smooth looking so the gross factor wasn't there as much.


You could crawl into a little hole that was in the middle of the aquarium, and the kids thought it was pretty cool. Of course it was with the big, ugly, warty froggy. Peyton really does love his brother and wasn't trying to shove his head down at all..not at all.


Ness was lucky and didn't have to deal with little brothers since they didn't fit in there with her.


Cohen is such a little pimp. He was following that girl all over the place. It was cute. Don't worry, he didn't fall in.




Ness has been in a summer math class and loves it. Peyton and I have been spending a lot of time together either baking, reading, or throwing the Frisbee outside. It's been fun. Cohen is back in pre-school. He had a rough first week, but it seems that he's getting back into the swing of things. Aja is still crawling around and being the ultra ham that she is. She is saying "Hi" and "Ma" now. She just went to her 1 year appointment and is apparently "too small". She's only gained 1 lb. in 3 months and so they are monitoring her. She's not even on the charts. I'm not too concerned, look at me! The girl doesn't stand a chance. As for me, I've been working out which helps me keep my sanity during these long days. I guess the change has been kind of dramatic. I don't see it but everyone else does and I guess that is all that matters right?

Also, I know I was going to unveil my recipe blog like..a month ago. Believe me, it's coming. I honestly don't know how my friend Melanie finds the time to pick a recipe, buy the ingredients, cook the food, take a decent looking picture and post it on her blog. I get to the "take a decent picture part" and that is where it stops. I've got like 15 on my camera right now. I PROMISE..It's coming. I hope you are all enjoying your summer and hopefully we can see some of you soon!

One year ago this Sunday:

Aja was admitted into Primary Children's Hospital to get her shunt placed. This has been such a roller coaster of a year and at times very emotional. The day Mitch and I went to the doctors, I remember us holding hands as we waited in the waiting room both of us anxious to find out what was going on with our baby. I remember us holding our little girl and crying after seeing her CT scan. They wouldn't let Mitch and I both stay at the hospital so it was just me, and I remember wandering the halls because I couldn't sleep and I was scared. What a crazy experience!

After her surgery and she was brought home, I went through a really tough time. It was hard to just even function. Looking back, I think it was so hard because everything happened SO quick and there wasn't time to process anything. We hadn't heard any "good" stories of shunt placements and they told me that I had to hold her at a 45 degree angle for 2 weeks so her brain wouldn't collapse in on itself. I was a nervous wreck, and honestly I analyzed EVERYTHING. So there I sat in my rocking chair, not doing a whole lot until I finally took a look in the mirror (realized how horrible I looked) and told myself that being how I was wasn't doing anyone any good.

So here we are today, and I'm happy to say that both Aja and our family have come out of this stronger. Aja is the most amazing little girl. She acts like any typical toddler. As for me, I KNOW I've changed, and I know that it has been for the better. That little girl is my little hip monkey and I thank Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to be her mom. We are eternally thankful to family and friends who have been there to lend a helping hand and a listening ear.

And of course a pic. This is one of my favorite pictures of Aja even though she's in the bath.

Baby Girl turns 1!

Yesterday was Aja's big 1st birthday! We had two small parties for her with family, and both were so much fun! The year has gone by so fast. She's such a fun/funny little girl. Most definitely our little diva. She has the most expressive face that cracks us up all the time. She loves to cuddle her babies, pose for pictures, pull out diaper wipes, read books, be outside, shake her little booty to music and play "chase me while I try crawling away really fast". This year has been so much fun with her. She's got her dad wrapped around her little finger and...okay, me as well.

Aja in her little tutu I made her (making one of those expressive faces I was telling you about). She was a ladybug.


OOOOH..What a pretty dress!


Her LadyBug birthday cake. This was so much fun to make and was super cute!


Aja's own personal cake.


Cake is good..Nom Nom.




Happy Birthday Aja! We love you!

Nadda..

Nothing much has really been going on, but I felt I needed to do SOMETHING with my blog so you all didn't think I dropped off the face of the planet.

Things are good. Since Cohen has been going to his new pre-K, I haven't had to run up to the university at all. It's been nice. Actually..I've been bored. I'll take it though. It's been so long since I've actually been "bored". Bored meaning: I've been baking..a lot. It's pathetic. I was standing in front of my fridge, after making 3 loaves of bread and a banana cake, today thinking I have gone through a crapp load of butter! It's insane actually. I used my last package today. On Monday..There were 4 packages in there. Tell you anything? I've started my own little food blog for people who are wanting my recipes and such. It's taken a bit to get it off the ground, but trust me it's well worth the wait! I will be unveiling it next week. I'm pretty excited!

Also, going along with bored is a lot of reading. It's been heaven. I haven't read anything for the longest time and I've been taking full advantage of the Book Mobile that parks down my street every Monday. I've read 4 books in the last two weeks. I can't help it! I've been so focused on the kids and all of their activities that I had to take the opportunity to do something that I wanted to do. If I had my real choice, I would be going to school, but situations and timing is all off. I really miss it to be honest.

Cohen is potty training and we are pretty excited about that! He's doing pretty darn good. Aja will be 1 soon. Look for her birthday post here in the next week or so. I can't believe it's been a whole year! She's gotten so big and is doing so many funny things. Ness and Peyton are awesome and are excited for school to be out.

Other than that..I have nadda..Which is nice for once.

For some extra cuteness: FAT CHEEKS

Happy Mother's Day Monique

So.....this is Mitch.....and I don't have a blog of my own. So, I have commandeered Monique's blog so I can wish her a Happy Mother's Day.

This week I have asked each of the kids to think about why they are grateful for their Mom. Below I have listed their responses.



Anessa.......
I love when she helps me with homework.
I love her awesome dinners.
I love when she lets me help with dinner.
I love when she plays with me.
I love when she helps me do my hair and nails.



Peyton.......
I love it when she hugs me.
I love her cooking. It is delicious.
I love it when she tucks me into bed.
I love to talk to her and have her listen to my stories.
I love it when she buys me new clothes.



Cohen.......
Cohen's answers are a little shorter than the others. So here are his responses.
I love Mom because.......
She's beautiful.
She's nice.
She gives me jelly beans when I go potty.
She loves me.
and...Mom can kiss my big, fat, hairy butt. (Cohen thought this was hilarious. He was watching Monster House at the time I was asking him these questions)



Aja.........
Aja can't talk, but I'm sure it would go something like...

She is the only person I care to see in the morning.
She is the only one who can give me what I want.
She is the only one who can console me.
All others are insignificant compared to Mom.

Monique,
You are the best wife, mother, and person I know. Thank you for everything you do. The kids and I love you very much. Have a Happy Mother's Day.

I'm gonna be a supermodel!!

I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is. ~Derek Zoolander~

Aja doing her version of Blue-steel.

Cohen turned 3!

So our #3 turned #3 yesterday. It was such a fun day for him! He got to wake up and eat his favorite breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. He then went to the dentist (I know. Only time I could schedule it)and got a clean bill of health for his remaining 7 teeth that aren't capped. We then came home and he played with friends all day long. He had so much fun!

I can't believe he has gone from this:


To this:


So excited to open presents!! Yes, that is Christmas paper and yes that is masking tape..What can I say? What is funny is he kept saying "Oh my doodness" while opening his presents.


I like to have cakes represent what the kids have been talking about for the last year, and since Cohen LOVES AppleBees (why? I don't know. We have eaten there like 3 times since he's been alive)I decided to make him a cake that represented that. He also talks about the Temple a lot, but..The Temple didn't work out. If you want details..Call me. Thanks Becky for helping me out! She's the one who shaped it. I couldn't draw anything that resembled an apple..it kept coming out looking like a tooth. I'm so proud of it. It was amazing and super cute!


I hope your wish comes true!


Cohen is the funnest little boy. He's so loving and makes us laugh all the time. He has blossomed so much in the last couple of months and it has been so exciting for us to FINALLY see his little personality. What amazes me is that even though he was nonverbal, it didn't mean he wasn't learning anything. He knows his colors, body parts, animals and sounds, and can count pretty darn good. He has the most beautiful spirit and has truly been a blessing to us. We love you Cohen!!