Lost

Saturday night I lost my wedding ring. We were going to dinner with Bryson and Alyssa at Chili's. I had taken my ring off and set it on my lap while I put lotion on. I guess I forgot to put it back on and when I got out of the car it fell out in the parking lot. Actually, Bryce dropped us close to the door by the To Go parking, so it was visible for anyone entering or leaving Chili's. Well, it took me about 30 mins to realize it was gone, before we frantically started looking. We notified the manager and he said he had told all the workers. We finally left without it. At 10:30 we called the AF police and reported it lost. At 11:00 we called Chili's and they said someone had called them and said they had found a wedding ring in the parking lot and would bring it in that night. We finally had hope! We slept fitfully, but woke up expecting a call anytime. Well, Sunday passed with no word. We kept checking with Chili's but they hadn't heard anything else. Monday I decided they were keeping it and considered it stolen. I was told by the police I had to wait another day. So, yesterday, Tuesday, I went in, took them a picture and reported it stolen. The only consolation I got from this was the information that it was now on a national database and if it was taken to a pawn shop, they should check with that database and I could get it back. However, if the pawn shop people weren't doing what they should, then no hope. So, here I am Wednesday, still no word, and I am devastated. I guess it is gone and I need to move on, but it sure is hard. I am writing this hoping for some extra prayers. We are praying that whoever has it will have a change of heart and return it!

Broken!

We have horrible bar stools! I hate them. They were really cheap three years ago, and now they are rickety. Well, Libby fell off one Friday night and broke her collar bone! We didn't know it of course until the next day, when she would SCREAM if you picked her up. Think about it, when you pick up a baby you grab them under the arm pits and put pressure with your thumbs on their collar bones. We were hurting her bad! We finally figured it out and took her in. Yep, broken. Poor little baby! The doctor said there isn't anything to do for her. We could get her a splint, but she probably wouldn't keep it on. He was right there, can you imagine????? Anyway, so we just have to keep her medicated with Ibuprofen, and she will be better in about 3 weeks. She has done amazingly well. She actually naturally splints it, by holding her arm to her chest when she runs or does other things. She is still a cute bundle of energy. As my Dad put it, "I am guessing this won't be her last break!" If know Libby you would have to agree! Anyone know any great deals on bar stools?

What a Week!

It has been a busy week around the Owen house! First of all Bryson won the Reflections contest for his category Visual Arts! He is moving on to the next level! It is his first time entering! We are so proud of him!

Here is a picture of the picture he drew with Oil Pastels.
And here is him and his trophy!

Next, I made a wedding cake last week! It was for Bryce's cousin Evan and his wife Ann. I was super stressed about it because I hadn't done the draped fondant before. I think it turned out nice though!

Here is the finished product! The flowers weren't quite what I was expecting, a little overbearing, but still nice.

Here is my part of it!

I had to include this close up, these flowers looked so nice, that was more of what I was expecting for the rest of the cake. But, I wasn't incharge of the flowers, so oh well!

Lastly, Elysabeth just had her first haircut this morning! It wasn't on purpose though! Ty was mad at me for not folding a paper properly for cutting a snowflake. Of course, I was on the phone and distracted, but he was so mad he took the scissors and cut off a lock of Elysabeth's hair, right in front of me! Good thing I was talking to my mom because I screamed and had to hang up! Luckily she has crazy curly hair and I think it will blend it, but here is the picture!

The cut part sticks out funny from just to the left of her flower!
This is what she thinks about the whole thing!
What!!!!!!!

Snow Fun!

We had a fun snow storm last week! The kids had a blast playing in it!

We built a fort, but never got to the second layer! The balls were so heavy, I was too tired! How lame is that?

McKay and Ty's snowman!

Libby could barely walk in her warm suit, but she had fun! She kept falling down face first in the snow, but never cried!

Happy Halloween

We had a fun halloween! We carved pumpkins Monday night, and it was so warm Alyssa was worried they were going to rot by Friday, but they made it!

We had Indiana Jones!

Bryson

A darling witch!

Alyssa

A cute cowboy! (Bryce wore this costume when he was little)

McKay

A scary dragon!!

Ty

A sweet lady bug!
Okay, she is so the last child! We didn't get a picture of just her in her costume! Lame! So here she is with her little cousins! I guess I will throw it on her today and snap one for the scrapbook!

For those who know the family, here are the Sweeney cousins, minus Summer's kids! We are so happy to have Tiffany and her family back for good!
Bryson, Landen, Ty, Abby, McKay, Elysabeth, Alyssa, Ryan, Becca, Makayla, Chloe, Ashlyn, Kiegen

My Baby is in Nursery!

I can't believe this day has come! Elysabeth went to nursery for the first time today! It is 2 weeks early so I stayed with her. She loved it! They played with blocks first which she really loved, until she got bored and started eating them. I know, I am anticipating all the illness that comes with nursery! Next, they had snacks, fruit snacks and goldfish! Yum! It was funny to watch her. One time she looked around and I swear she was thinking, "Where has this place been all my life!!!" She didn't love singing too much, and the lesson was more than she could handle. But, then came coloring time! She even joined the group in eating their crayons, Yum, Yum! Toy time was next, and she headed straight for the dolls! She just sat and played and played! It was darling! With about 30 mins left she just wanted to sit on my lap, but I thought it was great for her first time!

Here is a picture of her picture she colored!

Hopefully next week goes as well, and the next I can even leave!

Fall is here!

Saturday, we decided to get out and enjoy nature! We took the kids up the canyon and went on a hike! It was great! We invited my whole family, but only the Bells and my parents joined us! We hiked from the summit of AF canyon down to a place called Salamander Flats. It was easy, yet beautiful! Here are some pictures! Enjoy!

Shoes, Minor Concussion, and a Soccer Star!

So it has been awhile! It has been a crazy first month of school around here! We have adjusted well, it has just taken me forever to actually sit down and do this! So I will play catch up! Here are a few things that have been going on around here:

Shoes
Elysabeth loves shoes! It is really cute. She loves to wear everyone's and walk all over the house! (Nicole Bingham- Libby and Tyler are destined for each other!) Anyway, the past couple of weeks the obsession has changed. She now insists on wearing her shoes ALL THE TIME! I even mean to sleep! She used to wake up, look around the room and say "GO" That meant, where are my shoes, please put them on. Now, however, she freaks out if we take them off. She loves these pink plastic clogsand now her feet stink whenever we do manage to get them off! Yikes, what to do! But, it gets better.... She now insists we all wear our shoes also! Seriously, if she sees you without shoes on, she goes to your closet and gets some for you. Then she holds them and screams, "GO, GO" till you put them on! It is really annoying when you are relaxing on the couch and she insists you have shoes on! Oh well, I finally went and bought her some new shoes so we have more options. Here they are-

Aren't they darling! They are fuzzy soft! I wish I had a pair!

Minor Concussion
Last Friday Ty was riding his bike and crashed and hit his head really hard on the asphalt of the track behind our house. To make matters worse another boy ran into him with his bike while he was lying there. So, he is bawling and bawling. Well, I wasn't home, I know horrible mom. I was actually at a Room Mother's meeting at the school, so I had left Bryson in charge. I get the phone call, can hear Ty screaming, but only know he fell off his bike. I tell Bryson to give him loves and make sure he is okay. When I got back he was asleep on the couch. Well, he slept for about an hour and a half and then woke up. I fed him dinner and he seemed fine. So, Bryce and I ran to dinner. We left Bryson in charge again. (It is great having a sitter around!) We were eating and get a call from Bryce's mom who had stopped by to get something from our house saying Ty had thrown up all over the couch. Yikes, we hurried to get home. I started worrying about a concussion with the head wound and vomiting. So, I called the nurse and she said to bring him right in! I found out the whole story then, from the neighbor kid who ran into him and how Ty had hit the asphalt really hard. Before this I just thought he fell and then the kid ran into him. So I was glad we were going in. Of course it was after hours and a different doctor so I had a ton of paper work to fill out. I was holding Ty on my lap and all of a sudden I knew he was going to throw up, so I tell the nurse, right as he throws up all over the floor. The nurse says, here is the bathroom so I run, but of course he is throwing up as we go! I couldn't believe the mess! Why didn't they have a garbage can or something? Why didn't I think to bring a bowl in? We had one in the car. I really won't be winning Mother of the Year anytime soon! Anway, we got him checked and he had a minor concussion. We had to wake him up every 2 hours all night and shine a light in his eyes and ask him basic questions. And he promised the doctor to always wear his helmet!
Well. that lasted all of one day! It is something that we are working on! It was scary and I am glad he is okay!

Soccer Star
McKay is finally playing soccer! He is so excited! Bryce is his coach, which has been fun! Well, he had a great game last week! He scored 7 goals! It actually got a little embarrassing The other parents were making jokes about him being the All Star! He is definitely the biggest on the team! He also really is talented at it. He has a natural knack for it! It is fun to watch! It is the stage where all the kids crowd around the ball, it is hilarious! But, if McKay gets it and gets away from everyone look out! I guess I am bragging, but oh well! Here is a picture of the soccer star!

7 fingers for 7 goals!

Summer is over!

Well, how fast time flies! I can't believe summer is over. We had a great time. I really relaxed this summer and enjoyed having my kids around. We had some fun vacations and the kids got to play with friends a lot! Fall is in the air and I am ready. It is funny, the week before school started I wasn't ready for school to be starting but last week cured me of those feelings. I was tired of the extra people my kids brought around, (about 2-3 friends each in our house!) One day I counted 13 kids in or around the house. Yikes! It just wears on the nerves! So, now that school has started it it much calmer!

Bryson and Alyssa off to school!

McKay starts Kindergarten on Monday and is super excited! He also starts soccer this week! Bryce is coaching and McKay is so excited! Well, off to keep enjoying the relative calmness of my house! ( We only have 1 extra friend here right now!)

LakeTahoe/Carson City Trip!

We had a blast visiting my sister Tiffany and her family in Carson City! It is just 30 mins from Lake Tahoe. Really you can see the lake in 20 minutes and it is beautiful!!! We had too much fun! We went to the beach everyday, but we also went bowling, to the Children's Museum, and fishing at a Trout Farm! It was so relaxing and amazingly beautiful! Thanks again Tiff and Gregg for letting us stay with you! Here are some pictures from the week!

City of Rocks

We have spent the past 3 weekends camping! First was the Mohler reunion, the next Bryce and I went with his singles ward on a river rafting trip to Green River, total blast! And then we had a little Owen family reunion at the City of Rocks. Needless to say, we are sick of camping for the time being! We have nothing planned this weekend and couldn't be happier! We have had a blast at all we have done though! It is just hard to pack for 7 people! Tent, tarp, 7 sleeping bags, 7 pillows, 7 clothing bags, blankets, 5 chairs, flashlights, etc. Not to mention food! Oh well, it has been fun and I thought I would show some pictures!

The kids had a blast climbing all the rocks for the first day and a half, until we realized they were hanging out in a cougars territory. There was scat everywhere, but when we discovered the deer leg in a crevice, we called the rocks off limits and were glad we were leaving the next day! Yikes!

Fun Run

Last weekend we had a family reunion with Bryce's very extended family! Saturday morning they had a Fun Run. It was a mile run on a gently rolling dirt road. The entire family participated! Ty and McKay did 1/2 a mile, the rest finished it! Bryce even took 3rd place in the Men's category and Allison took 1st place in the women's! It was super fun!
We also got to play lot's of games! Alyssa was brave and endured cold hose water being pored on her to fill up this garbage can that had holes in it! She did the best of all the teams!

Elysabeth really enjoyed her popsicle!

My kids can work!

We are having a fabulous summer! I make my kids work! We do regular chores and then about an hour to an hour and a half of "extra chores". So far we have washed all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen inside and out, cleaned with soap and water all the indoor garbage cans, scrubbed the laundry room walls, etc. We then do worksheets and flash cards. Am I the meanest mom ever? My kids sure think so! I think it is great! They are learning to work and I am getting a very clean house! Here is a picture of them hard at work this morning!

Notice even Elysabeth is helping?

She did this all on her own! What a cutie!

End of School Year Activities!

Here are some pictures of the kids in their end of year stuff! We had a dance recital, dance festival and McKay's preschool graduation!

Boy are we all glad it is summer!

12 years and a fish story!

So Friday May 23rd we celebrated 12 years of marriage! It was a fun day. Bryce's mom took the kids and we went to lunch, went and saw the new Indiana Jones, went shopping, went to dinner, got ice cream and came home and watched another movie in our theater! What a day! It was so nice to not have the kids around and just be with each other! I have to say I am way more in love with him now than 12 years ago! We were babies when we got married! Five kids later and we rely on each other a lot more!

2 Dozen Roses from Bryce!

So the fish story goes like this, so Alyssa was changing her fishes water and she had the whole tank in the sink. As she was lifting it out, it slipped and she dropped it back in the sink and the whole thing spilled. Well, I hear a big bang and then Alyssa is screaming. Bryson asks, "Where is Goldie?" The fish. Well, Alyssa screams louder. Turns out the fish is down the garbage disposal. So, I can't bring myself to stick my hand in there to get it out. I am having flashbacks to when this happened years ago, and Bryce went to turn the light on to see to get it out, and "accidentally", turned on the disposal. Yeah, you can imagine the sound that made. It still makes me cringe! Anyway, Bryson is brave and he reached in and was trying to grab the fish. You could hear it flopping around, and all I could think about were the steel blades and how gross it was going to be when he got it. Well, he finally got it out and we had a bowl of water ready. He put the fish in the water and it was fine! I warned Alyssa that it might not make it, but it is going strong 4 days later! What a fish! Needless to say she is not allowed to put the fish in the tank until it is safely on the counter from now on!

Yuck!

This is what happens when you turn your back on a 1 year old!

Actually it was my sister Tamara who turned her back! Her and her husband had 9 kids while we were at the temple! Yikes! Anyway, Elysabeth got into the bucket of frogs that the kids had just caught at a pond. Yep, frog mud! Yuck Yuck Yuck! The frogs got away, we hope anyway! Otherwise she swallowed them! She sure looks pleased with herself! What a cutie! She really is into everything and we have to watch her constantly!

Tulips as far as the eye can see!

We went to Thanksgiving Point to see the tulips on Saturday. They were gorgeous! I love tulips and daffodils so I was in heaven! Here are a few for you to enjoy!

My Baby is One!

I can't believe Elysabeth is already one! Time sure flies when you have a newborn! She is so fun, just started really walking and is all over the place! She is loved by everyone. On Monday Alyssa was holding her and then had to go to dance. She tried to hand her to me and Libby freaked out and started screaming! She went to Bryson fine, but when he got tired of her the same thing happened. She did not want mom! I have to say, I love it! They all love to haul her around and play with her!

Elysabeth and her cake! She wasn't so sure!

When we gave her the cake she looked at us like we were crazy!
She took dainty pokes at it with her fingers!

This is the messiest she ever got! Our other kids all made huge messes! Not Libby!

I guess I had better show a picture of McKay and Ty. I can't show favoritism to the girls. I don't have a good one of Bryson so he will have to wait! This was the boys trying to imitate Alvin and the Chipmunks. Well, really Simon on the Chipmunks.

Do you love the mic/headset! It is a wonder what you can do with pipe cleaners!

Alyssa's Baptism

Here are some pictures of Alyssa's Baptism!