Herlean

Sweetest Little Thing

2009-11-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Cash is the best baby in the world (knock on wood). He is so content and happy and he sleeps pretty good for a newborn. I am so lucky because Cole has taken a turn for the worse. He is suddenly throwing tantrums and screaming and hitting me. I know its a hard adjustment for him, it was always just me and him hanging out all day, now he has to share, but come on!

Here are a few favorite pics of Cash. I just want to squeeze this little baby all of the time.

Cash

2009-10-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a little collage of pics of Cash. My friend took them and has offered me a giveaway. She will give me a free 8x10 if I can get 25 comments on her blog. She recently posted about 5 other pics of Cash on her blog so if you could go there and comment on the beautiful pictures of Cash then I would greatly appreciate it. You can click here to go to her site. Thanks all. Here are a few pictures of my beautiful new baby boy.

Here He Is!!

2009-10-07T18:00:00.001-07:00

Cash is here. 7 lbs. 8 oz. and 20.5 inches long. He was born a week ago but it's been hard for me to get around to doing this. He is such a good baby, and such a blessing in our family. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with 4 kids but I'll get it figured out.

Baby #4

2009-09-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

8 months pregnant. could I be any bigger? he's almost done cooking. i can't wait to see what this little guy is going to be like.

Catch up!

2009-08-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been getting crap from some friends to update the old blog. I told them that it has been so long since it has been updated that I don't even know where to begin. I can't possibly update everything that has happened in the last three months!! So whats important enough? I still have no clue. So I thought of the only thing that is REALLY important in life.

So this is Herlean baby #4. A healthy baby boy. Due October 9th but I will definitely be doing all I can to get the sucker out way before that date. So there you go. We are very excited to have another addition. Maile started crying when the radiologist said the baby was a boy. She wants a sister so bad. We have tried to tell her that now she is going to be the only princess in the family and she will never have to share a room. Hopefully she can get excited about him before he comes.

Easter pics '09

2009-05-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the kids that my friend took. Love them! I just want to squeeze them when I look at them.

My man is HOT...Need I Say More??

2009-05-05T13:44:00.001-07:00

Spring Break 09

2009-04-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Spring Break 09 was a blast, for the most part. We went clear to freakin the end of the world to get there. I don't think I have spent that much time in a car since my dad would make us drive everywhere on our family vacations when I was a kid. We drove to mexico. That's right, we drove to Mexico. Three and a half hours south of Phoenix is a little town called Puerto Penasco, right on the beach in the Sea of Cortez. Some friends of ours go there every year and absolutely love it so we decided to go with them this year.

The trip started out awesome, pretty nice weather, the kids had a blast and the hotel was much nicer than we anticipated. We spent every second of every day on the beach and by the pool eating junk food the whole time.

The "excitement" came Tuesday night. Lets just say there was a Mexican hospital involved, a few catheters, a 10 hour drive with said catheter, a 2 hour hospital stay in Phoenix and a 5 hour hospital stay in Vegas and 2 nights of no sleep. The trip could have ended better. Everything is fine now but those two days were hell and the most pain I have ever been in in my life.

So here are some pics of the fun we had.

"Stay"cation

2009-04-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted. I haven't been feeling very well lately but I will try to make up for it.

A few weeks ago we had a "stay"cation. That's a vacation when you don't actually leave town. We went with some good friends of ours to Lake Las Vegas and spent the weekend in the sun. Good times.

We spent the whole day at the pool and spent the whole night making ourselves sick on candy and playing cards. then our kids ruined the next day by waking up at 6 am. Not cool. We were all sharing a suite too, so our friends got a good dose of

Cole that morning. Needless to say, they probably won't ever share a room with us again.

Sorry my finger got in the way of the picture of Willow and Shane. They really are an attractive couple when my finger isn't in the way.

Bad Guys

2009-03-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

The other night Cole did not want to go to bed. I asked him what was wrong and he said that "bad guys" were going to get him. So sad. So I said, "No honey, there aren't any bad guys in your room. Jesus is here, he will protect you." That terrified him, he started looking around for Jesus in his room and he couldn't see him, so now he was even more scared. So now Cole is afraid of "bad guys" and Jesus. Perfect.

Playing Hooky

2009-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

So, the other day we decided to play hooky. I kept Carson home from school because he had a pretty bad cough, but otherwise he wasn't sick at all. But I thought that we should do something fun with a free day. So I called my friend who said she would go hiking with me sometime and asked her if she wanted to go with me. She did. Then I called my other friend, who I carpool with, to tell her that I wasn't going to carpool today and she asked what we were doing. I told her we were going hiking and she said that she wanted to come too.
So, on a random school day we had 7 kids miss school and activities to play hooky and have an outdoor day. We went on a walk on an old railroad track. It goes right along the lake and has a ton of tunnels for the kids to play in. It was a very cool place and the kids loved every second of it. It was quite long however, I would guess that we walked almost 4 miles and by the end the kids were so done. Carson was the oldest kid there and he's only 6, so they were all troopers. Very little complaining. I would do it again in a second.
The next day Maile's teacher asked her if she was sick since she didn't come to school. She replied, "No, we were just hiking."

Presidents Day

2009-02-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

For this presidents day Greg and I wanted to think of something fun to do. we couldn't go out of town because we had many things to do on saturday so we were trying to get creative. So we decided to heat up our pool and have a pool party. Now keep in mind it has not been warm here. The last two weeks have been a high of 55 so its not hot at all.
So we invited some friends and family over to participate. Of course, the day we have a random winter-time pool party is the day it decides to be like 45 degrees and raining. It rained the whole time. But the kids couldn't get enough of it. The pool was 90 degrees and steaming and the kids played outside in it for 3 hours.
It turned out to be the perfect thing to do. On a day like that we would have had to play inside and they would have driven us crazy. Instead they swam like crazy and it was a great day.
Now we will wait for our power bill to see if it was worth it.

Bikram Yoga

2009-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Bikram Yoga is a yoga class that consists of 26 poses, each done twice. The kicker is that you go into a room heated to 105 degrees and 40% humidity to do these 26 poses. Being from Vegas 105 degrees doesn't sound that scary, but the second I walked in there I thought I would for sure get sick and nauseaus. It was hot.
My sister-in-law suggested that I go with her to this class which she attends regularly. I wanted to try something new so I went with her. I knew the basic idea (hot room, yoga poses) but when I asked her exactly how hot the room gets she casually said, "Oh a nice summer day." I walked in that room and thought I was going to pass out.
I stuck it out though. I lasted the whole hour and a half of this class, without puking. I was quite proud of myself. I never really sweat while working out so I was surprised to see sweating dripping off of me. Which is of course the point of the heated room, to release all of the toxins in your body.
Afterwards my sister-in-law asked if I liked it and I didn't really know. Even now I don't really have an opinion of it. I kind of liked it yet I kind of want to murder her for taking me there. I just don't know. Weird thing is, I think I could be talked into going again. You definitely feel cleansed and relaxed after the class. I won't be going back anytime soon though. I need my memory of the experience to fade a little bit before I agree to that kind of torture again.

Birthday Boy!

2009-01-22T14:07:00.001-08:00

This kid is so awesome. Do you ever just look at your kids and just think, "They are so cool." I think that about Cole all of the time. He has such a strong personality, I just think he is so cool. He is absolutely crazy. He gets into everything and makes constant messes, I can't keep up with him, but I think that's why I love him so much. He is a pain in my butt. I think that is why we, as mothers, love our kids so much. Because we stick with them even though they are pains in our butts. Anyway, this little pain is 2 now and I love him more than anything.

Can we say addicted?

2009-01-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

I was trying to tell Cole that he didn't need two binkies so he shoved them both in his mouth. "See mom, I do need two." My other two kids never took binkies, he is my first, and I told myself that they were only for the first year. Well, now he is almost 2 and he still has them. I always hated seeing little toddlers walking around with binkies in their mouths and them trying to talk through the binky. So gross and annoying. Well, now I am the mom doing it. How sad! I am annoying myself! I tell myself that I have to take them away but as you can see he likes them a lot. It is a sad day when you realize you are doing exactly what you hated seeing other moms do. I WILL TAKE THEM AWAY! I just don't know when.

People These Days

2008-12-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

What has gotten into people these days? What happened to common courtesy? Has the Golden Rule just flown right out the window?

Setting: 7pm, 30 degrees outside, busy gas station. All three children present.

Yesterday evening we were getting gas when all of a sudden our car wouldn't start. The battery died. We have a very big car so we didn't want to ask people who had these tiny cars to give us a jump so we waited for a few minutes. Finally a man pulls up in an SUV so we think that this is the perfect candidate to help us. He's alone, doesn't appear to be in a huge hurry, so we patiently wait for him to fill his car up with gas and when he is finishing Greg walks over and asks if he would help us jump start our car, we have the cables. What does he say? "No." I'm not kidding. Not a, "Oh I wish I could but I'm in a hurry", or "Sorry, I can't". Just plain "No".
What is that? It takes all of two minutes to jump start a car. Yet he can't even muster a "Sorry"? Seriously, people these days.

Tis the Season

2008-12-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Basketball season that is. My boys love nothing more than to go to a game with their daddy. Carson actually knows the players names and understands what penalties the ref is calling. Its crazy.

I don't mind that they go to these games a couple times every week, it gives Maile and I some girl time. We went out to dinner the other night, just her and I. It was great. This is a great season, and I love this picture of my favorite boys getting ready to go to a game.

How To Talk To Girls

2008-12-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is so cute, and funny. Watch it.

Nine year old Alec Greven, who attends school in Castle Rock, Colorado, wrote "Girls" as a handwritten, $3 pamphlet sold at his school book fair; he wrote it after he noticed his peers were having some trouble talking to the ladies, though the book is geared for all ages. Among this advice: Comb your hair and don't wear sweats; control your hyperness and cut down on sugar if necessary; a crush is like a love disease that can drive you mad; it is easy to spot pretty girls because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry but are like cars that need a lot of oil.

How To Talk To Girls

Christmas Photos

2008-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

My friend has been taking some photography classes and I asked her if she would take some pics of my kids. I love them and couldn't be happier. I know that every mom thinks her kids are the cutest, but mine really are. These pictures are beautiful, thanks Lesli.

Hawaii 2008

2008-11-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have been told that I have to post some Hawaii pictures so I will. This is a little late (we went to Kauai on Oct. 23) but better late than never. We went to Kauai with another couple and NO kids. I had never been to this island before so I was very excited. All in all though, I have to say it is not much different than Maui. Same stuff to do for the most part, just a little less commercialized. Anyway, we had a great time. We ate way too much (like always), watched way too much "The Office" (every second we were in the room "The Office" was on, even if we were just going to be in there for a few minutes), and got a little too little sun. It rained everyday we were there. It didn't rain all day, so we did get some sun, but it rained a lot.

Here are some pictures of all of the fun things we did. Thanks to Jamie and Shawn for watching our crazy kids, we love you guys.

Still My Latest Obsession

2008-11-17T19:40:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I posted about my latest obsession, Red Mango. Well, it is still an obsession of mine and even more so after tonight. I was totally craving it so I went to get some and there was such a surprise there. They have a new, seasonal flavor: Pomegranate. NO artificial flavoring, NO artificial coloring, just straight pomegranate juice mixed into something that was already pure heaven. Now, I know a lot of you don't enjoy Red Mango (weirdos) but for those who do, you have to try this flavor. It is so yummy. But hurry it is only seasonal so you only have a couple of months to eat as much as humanly possible.

Silverman 2008

2008-11-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Greg decided to tackle the Silverman this year. He has done many triathlons and ran a marathon so I guess this was the natural next step. This race consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13 mile run. (Sounds horrible to me but I'm impressed that he wanted to do it). Well, we woke up the day of the race with it blowing wind and raining. It rains 4 times a year here and it happens to be on his race day, go figure. Anyway, the race was supposed to start at 8am and the weather made it postponed until 9am. I don't have pictures of the swim because I forgot my camera but here are some pictures of the rest. He did awesome and we are so proud of him.

We followed him around the city every step of the way, it was a long, fun day.

My Favorite People

2008-11-12T13:35:00.001-08:00

I love these guys.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

October 2003 - Me and Carson

October 2008 - Greg with Maile, Carson and Cole (in same costume as Carson in 2003)

Our Version of Camping

2008-10-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

so, greg and i realized that we have never taken the kids camping. are we awful parents or what? we were talking with some friends whose kids are grown and they were talking about all of the family memories they have from camping over the years. now, if you know my husband you would know that camping isn't really his thing. he was totally jaded by a childhood full of camping trips (that's all they would do) and now he wants nothing to do with it. besides, who wants to pee in the squatting position? not my idea of a vacation. however, we thought that maybe we were depriving our children of something, so we actually really considered going on a camping trip. we thought that we could go up to mt. charleston and stay a night (that's right, only one) and then we realized that we have never even opened up the tent we got as a wedding gift (8 years ago) or the sleeping bags and besides, it's getting cold outside now. so what did we do? we wanted to break ourselves into the whole camping thing, so we thought that we would take baby steps.

that's right. the tent's in our backyard. greg lined the tent up so close to the house so he could still see the tv and watch the Cubs game once the kids fell asleep. greg called a buddy and invited him to come to our "camping trip" with his kids. honestly, i am not one bit ashamed that we are totally cheating on the whole camping thing. this was the best of both worlds; sleeping outside, not as cold as the mountains, bathroom close by, and i could sleep inside in my own bed with the baby. and the kids thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen. we roasted marshmallows on our fire pit in the backyard (so did at least have a campfire for the kids), then my friend and i went to our own homes and beds and let the men and the kids enjoy the good old outdoors.

Bedtime

2008-09-29T21:56:00.001-07:00

I just overheard the sweetest thing in the world. Greg was putting Maile to bed and as he was turning out her light he said, "Goodnight Rapunzel." She responds, "Goodnight Handsome Prince."

Summertime is Leaving

2008-09-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the kids swimming this summer. They love the swimming pool and they actually swim really well. Cole thinks that he is just as big as the other kids and tries to do everything that they do, so he is actually very daring and crazy in the pool. I love these pictures.

Sleep Walking

2008-09-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

so, my little carson is a sleep walker. once he is asleep he isn't easy to wake up, so when he has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night it is quite a fun time for us. who knows what he is going to do because he doesn't fully wake up. so last night, it was about 10pm and Greg and I were watching TV downstairs when we hear him whining. we know he has to go potty because that's the only reason he gets out of bed. so greg jumps up to help him. he sees carson coming down the hall and greg asks if he has to go potty. he says yes and then starts sprinting towards greg down the hall. then he stops, turns around and walks back to his room. greg follows him and tells him to go potty so carson then turns back out of his room, sprints back down the hallway towards our room and goes into our bathroom. greg continues to follow. carson then opens up the shower door and climbs into the shower and proceeds to pull his pants down. luckily greg was there to stop him and direct him to the toilet, but it definitely makes me wonder where he could have peed that we don't know about??

Tina Fey = Sarah Palin

2008-09-16T16:45:00.001-07:00

I had to put this on here. The first time I saw Sarah Palin I thought that she looked exactly like Tina Fey. I just knew that there would be a skit on it on SNL. I have waiting for SNL to start just so I could see this. Watch this, it is HILARIOUS!!

Our Favorite Family Pasttime

2008-09-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

BOATING!! of course. greg and i first bonded over our love for boating. neither of us grew up with a boat, but we always had friends who had boats. one thing that both of us loved about boating was the atmosphere of it. it is such a great way for families to spend time together. even when our kids are teenagers boating will still be "cool". they can invite friends to come along and what a great way to get to know your kids friends.

anyway, we feel that the boat is a great way to spend our family time. so whenever we were home this summer, we were boating. carson has learned how to wakeboard and unfortunately i don't have any pictures of him doing it, but it is the cutest thing you have ever seen. i never take my camera to the lake because we go so often it doesn't seem like a neccesity every time we go out. however, on labor day i decided to take it out with us. here are some good pictures of us tubing, wakeboarding and hanging out with some friends on the boat.

Carson and Kristy tubing

Matt and Angie Roylance out for a joy ride

Greg catching some sick air

Not too shabby

San Francisco

2008-08-25T13:25:00.001-07:00

So, one of our favorite babysitters was coming home from college for a couple of weeks this summer and mentioned that if Greg and I wanted to go somewhere she would love to watch the kids for us. Well, I'm not one to disappoint anybody so we (of course) took her up on that. We decided to go to San Francisco. Why? We're not really sure, one of us mentioned it and we thought it sounded good so off we went. We were only there for a weekend but had a ton of fun. Did I mention it was freezing cold!!?

We went to a Giants game (we can't go anywhere without sports being involved somehow) and sat front row. I usually just go to games to people watch, but being on the front row was actually real fun and I really watched the game. Mostly because if a foul ball was hit it could have very possibly taken my head right off. I'm not kidding either.

The best part of the trip was after dinner the first night. We went to a restaurant (on someones referral) that was not right in town. After dinner we had to get to the game so we started walking, just waiting to spot an open taxi. The stadium was way too far to walk to and it was freezing cold outside so we walked to the busiest street around and tried and tried to get a taxi. All of the taxis that passed us were occupied so we kept walking in the direction we were supposed to be going just waiting for one to be open. Long story short, we ended up walking more than halfway there before we scored a taxi. This ended up being real fun because we were in a part of town that we would have never seen had we found a taxi easily. We walked by the design district, government buildings, the Opera House, an Asian History Museum, about 1,000 homeless people talking to themselves (why do they do that?), and a ton of cool shops. It was a great night.

The next day we went to Union Square for some shopping and ate lunch at a little outdoor cafe. A protest broke out right in the middle of the square where we were eating. I'm not entirely sure what it was all about but lets just say that I am a little miffed about the way the Tibetans are being treated by China. "Don't believe China's Olympic lies". Who knew there were so many people from Tibet in San Fran?

I love going on vacations, especially with just me and my husband. I recommend it to everybody. It is such a great way to keep falling in love with each other.

What's Your #1 Song?

2008-08-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

i just found the coolest website! (http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm) you can look up what the #1 song was in the nation the day you were born. it's pretty funny. i included a few birthdates and songs so you could see. so what's your #1 song? leave a comment and tell me; the older, the better.

Kristy (Feb. 23, 1979) : "Do Ya Thing I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart
Greg (July 19, 1978) : "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb (go! BeeGees)
Carson (July 25, 2002) : "Hot in Here" by Nelly
Maile (April 18, 2004): "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Ludacris
Cole (Jan. 21, 2007) : "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce

My mom (November 21, 1956) : "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley
My dad (October 16, 1954) : "Hey There" by Rosemary Clooney

The big 3-0!

2008-08-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

this post is a little late but greg turned 30 on july 19th. we were in utah on his birthday so we didn't do anything too crazy. we took a raft down the provo river with the kids and had a blast. the water was freezing cold so we didn't swim but we paddled and floated down. we started at the top of provo river by the dam and floated down for an hour and got out at vivian park. the "rapids" aren't too exciting but just enough for an 18 month old. we went down the river with my parents and jamie and shawn muaina.

when we got back into town i threw a party for greg. we had a dinner at the rio secco golf club and invited his closest friends and family. it was a great night. after dinner and mingling we all went to a friends house and played games and cards until the wee hours of the night. i think greg had a nice time, i did. i love getting together with friends any chance i get.

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My Baby is 6!!

2008-07-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I already have a first grader. The weirdest part about this is that I remember my own first grade, I remember lots of things about it, and now my son is going into 1st grade. These could possibly be memories that stay with him for life. Crazy. Anyway, we have a birthday party rule in our house: you can invite as many friends as you are old. I don't want to throw this massive party for every birthday so this rule helps to keep it simple. Now for the big birthdays (5, 8, 12,16) they can have a bigger party. So last Friday we had Carson's party and he just wanted to have a swim party, which works for me. Pizza: easy, pool: easy, cupcakes: easy, 6 boys: easy. He had a great time.

I got a slip 'n slide for them to play on too, and Greg came home in the middle of the party to say hi to Carson, and the first thing he said was, "We have this huge pool with a slide, cliff jumping and rope swing, you seriously thought they needed a slip'n slide too? Those ruin the grass." I just laughed at him, but of course at the end of the party we moved the slip'n slide and the grass was totally burned underneath. In a perfectly straight strip right across the main part of the lawn. Ok, Greg, you were right (for once) but the kids loved it.

Summer Hiking

2008-07-27T18:32:00.001-07:00

Beautiful isn't it? Here are some pics of our adventures in Sundance. We enjoyed spending time with our friends the Derricks. This is the hike to Stewart Falls. Beautiful.

Here are some pics of our adventures in Sundance. We enjoyed spending time with our friends the Derricks. This is the hike to Stewart Falls. Beautiful.

Riggs' triplets

2008-07-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

many of you knew the Riggs when they lived here in vegas. i am often asked how they are doing and what they are up to, so i will tell you and give you some pictures of the triplets. we spent the last couple of days at a cabin in sundance and the riggs joined us one day. kim and i were close friends and it was hard to see them go, but they seem to be happy. for all of you who miss her too she did tell me that she really misses living here and has tried to think of ways that they could have stayed or could come back. she said that they had a real hard time adjusting to life in utah.

anyway, the triplets (as most of you know) were born very premature and the two boys, Cole and Brock, are deaf. they are almost 1 now and they are getting their implants at the end of august. insurance covers it once they are 1. they are the cutest little things and kim and clayton seemed very together. when the time came to feed them it was like tag-team feeding frenzy. clayton took one, kim took one and our friend courteney took another one. it was actually quite under control until courteney's 6-week old baby started crying and she had to stop feeding one of the triplets. not to mention the other 8 kids we had in the cabin running around us and yelling and playing. it was actually a great time and not as chaotic as it could have been. kim said that she may start a blog soon, then we can keep in better contact with them.

i promise i did help once i took a couple of pictures.

Cabin Fever

2008-07-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

we spent last weekend at a cabin with some friends. we were up in Duck Creek and it was beautiful. the weather is great and the whole cabin atmosphere is so wonderful. my kids loved 4-wheeling. cole would just sit on the 4-wheeler while it was parked, just waiting for somebody to take him on a ride. then the helmet was too heavy for his little neck so his head would flop around and he still wanted to go!

we also went hiking, and my kids love to hike. we have done so much hiking this summer and the kids never complain. i don't know if i am just more brave or the kids are better, but i would have never even considered hiking with all of them a year ago. now we have a blast and even cole walks for most of it.

Denver

2008-07-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. we love to get away from the vegas heat during the summer so we have been busy. last week we spent some time in Denver with my sister and her family. the weather was perfect. we were there for my nephews baptism. he is the first grandchild to be baptized and it was a great experience. i don't see my sister very often so when we get together we just want to do nothing and hang out and talk. so greg kept the baby in vegas a couple of days so i could hang out with my sister without him. one year olds are too high maintenance. greg and cole joined us in denver a few days later. both of my parents are from denver so we still have a lot of family there so it was great to see everybody.

now we will stay home for a week and then off to utah. it's just too hot here. here are some pics of the week in denver.

the pictures:

- the cousins
- everyone watching fireworks
- my sister and her family
- my parents

California Dreamin'

2008-06-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

this past weekend we went to cali to get away from 107 degrees here at home and we accomplished it. i have to say it was even a bit chilly there. the weather was cool and cloudy and i loved it. we stayed at the hyatt on huntington beach and if you have never been to this hotel you should go. it is beautiful and right on the beach. we went with a couple of friends and the kids played on the beach the majority of the trip. it was very chilly and the kids complained a bit, but then we would run up to the hotel and jump in the hot tub and all was well.

we love traveling and i have to say it is getting easier and easier as the kids get older. the baby was the only one who was kind of a pain in the butt on the beach. not because he didn't like it, in fact he loved it, but the sand is incredibly annoying when you have a baby. but for some reason he was rubbing his face in it, and if i cleaned him off he would drop down to the ground and rub his face and head in it all over again. go figure. he loved it.

just for future reference. if anybody is planning a trip somewhere and thinks, "man it would be fun if another family came with us to hang out with" then call us, we are pretty much up for a trip any time, and we love going with other families. The kids have so much fun playing with other kids and lets face it, if the kids are having fun, then we're having fun. so let us know. here are some more pics of the trip.

To all of you readers out there

2008-06-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

As you may have noticed I have changed a few things around here. Just needed a little revamping. I added some new sections on my sidebar. Books I have read, books I am reading and books I want to read. I put this here to spark some on going conversation. I love to read, but I often find myself not sure what to read. This year hasn't been so bad since I have a bookclub to tell me what to read, but in years past I was never quite sure what books were good, tasteful, entertaining, and well worth the time spent reading it. So, what I want from you is your input. Have you read any of these books? What is your opinion on these books? What are you reading that you just can't put down? I want to know.
Since I am asking so much from you, I will be the first to start. I will give a quick rating on a few of the books I have recently read and maybe inspire a few of you non-readers to dive in.

The Twilight Series - I feel it is almost pointless for me to comment on these books since pretty much every mormon woman has read them recently, and if she hasn't she is being pestered by all of her friends and family to get to it. A great, easy, fun, quick way to lose yourself for a few days. That's right, I said a few days. Even though the page total of this series is roughly 1800 pages, it seems most people can get through it in about a week. You do forget that you have a husband, children, friends, or for that matter any responsibility at all while reading these. That's part of the beauty of them. I give this series 4 stars!!

The Thirteenth Tale - Very interesting. I don't quite know how to critique this book. I really enjoyed reading it, it is very eerie and very fascinating, you really want to know what happens to these characters, but I don't think I would read it again. I would definitely recommend reading it just for the sheer weirdness of it. I give this book 3 stars.

The Eyre Affair - Extremely clever. It's a story set in the future but the year is 1985 (try to figure that one out). Very cleverly written and if you love Jane Eyre you should probably read it, but I don't think I would run out and buy all of his books. I give this book 2 and a half stars.

The Book Thief - Loved it. It is set during the Holocaust, so it definitely isn't going to cheer you up, but it is incredibly moving and a beautiful story. The most interesting thing about this book is that it is told from the point of view of death. That's right, the good old grim reaper is telling the story and it makes for the most intriguing point of view I have ever read from a book. I definitely give this book 4 stars.

Help me Utah friends!

2008-06-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am in need of some information. We are planning on spending the month of July and part of August in Utah, we have a house in Alpine we will be staying at to escape the Vegas heat. Hwever, I need some things to do with my kids. Play groups, swim lessons, youth basketball teams, fun activities for the kids, gymnastics, dance, pools, anything. I would love to enroll them in classes and things so we kind of have a schedule and I don't wake up everyday thinking, "what are we going to do today?" So if anybody has any info please pass it on. I would love to see all of you and get together with you all as well, so let me know what you are up to this summer too. Thanks, see all of you soon, Kristy

Another Scare

2008-05-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Man, when it rains, it pours. I have done nothing but sad posts for weeks now. This one is no different. Carson has been complaining about a neck ache for a couple of days. I figured he just slept on it wrong and told him to stop being a baby. (I'm a bad mom) So, yesterday I barely touched his neck and he started crying and I thought, "Ok, maybe something is really wrong". So I looked more carefully at his neck and it was bulging. I took him to our family practitioner and he started asking me all these questions about how he had been feeling. I said that he had been sent home from school last Friday because of a high fever, but it went away after a couple of hours. Anyway, as I started thinking about it as he was questioning me I realized that he had been acting very odd for a couple of days. Very low energy, periodic fevers, and moodiness. I didn't even think that the the neck problem would be related to him not feeling well. The doctor said that he was very concerned because he could feel a growth on Carson's neck and with the high fevers it was something that needed immediate attention. He told me to take Carson to Sunrise Children's Hospital immediately. Carson needed blood work done and a catscan to determine what the growth was. Scary.

So Greg took him to the hospital, and I had to wait at home with the other kids with a huge pit in my stomach, just waiting to hear. After an IV, many viles of blood and a catscan (my poor baby), their diagnosis was very fear-relieving. He has an infected lymphnode. It is easily treated and nothing to worry about. If, for some reason the medication doesn't calm the lymphnode then they will have to do further tests and possibly remove it, but the doctor seemed pretty positive that it would.

There is nothing worse than not knowing what is wrong. So many possibilities run through your mind (and none of them are good), so while I was waiting for the diagnosis, I was just praying that they could determine the problem quickly and that the doctor would be thorough in his examination. My prayers were answered, I am so happy that he is going to be fine. Thanks to my friends who were so quick to call and ask if I needed help when they heard that Carson was in the hospital, I am very blessed.

Victim: Maile

2008-05-17T19:19:00.001-07:00

Location: backyard

Culprit: slide

We were having such a nice morning. It was Carson's soccer team party in our backyard and there were about 30 people over. I had to leave the party a little early to get to my sister-in-laws baby shower, so I had just left when Greg calls my cell and tells me (very calmly) that I need to come back home because Maile has been hurt and an ambulance is coming. So I rush home and she is lying on the patio table with some bandages on her forehead and some paramedics around her and I lose it. I didn't even know what had happened but I started crying and all 30 people are all gathered around. It was not fun. Anyway, come to find out, my friend was playing with Maile and going down the slide with her on her lap. (Sound familiar Amy?) Maile must have sat up too high and WHAM! Her head nailed the top of the slide. Her forehead split open all the way to her skull.

So at the hospital the doctor checks her skull to make sure there isn't any damage (thankfully there isn't), and says that she needs some interior stitches and exterior stitches. Luckily she never passed out or vomited so she didn't even have a concussion, which is incredible considering her head nailed cement at 10 MPH. Things like this really shake you up. Even though she's ok it makes you kind of shaky and emotional the rest of the day. So now there is a standing rule with our slide, NO LAP RIDING!!

Her head hit the slide right there at the top. Very dangerous. We are so thankful that she is ok, and I'm very thankful that Greg is a good dad and was able to give Maile a blessing. We are very blessed.

Cabo Wabo

2008-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

I love vacations, don't you? Nothing is better. Sure, it seems to be absolute chaos before leaving, making sure the kids are all taken care of, with their school schedule and sports schedule and nap schedule and on and on and on, and you even may wonder, "Is this worth it?" I answer with a resounding, "YES!!" The week of this vacation turned out to be complete chaos, not to mention it was the first time I was going to leave my baby over night with somebody else, I was very stressed and not sure it was going to be worth all of the work that surrounded it. And then we got there........

If this picture doesn't relax you, then you need help. We went to Cabo San Lucas with two other couples and had a most relaxing time. We rented a house right on the beach and a golf course. This is Greg in the pool right after an early morning jog. He didn't know anyone else was awake and my friend shot this picture.

We didn't relax the whole time, however, I am the type that wants to "do" while on vacation. This fact about me bothers my husband at times, he likes to "do nothing" on vacation, but luckily the people we were with wanted to "do" a little as well. We played some tennis, went zip-lining, race car driving, Wal-Mart shopping (I include this because it is quite an experience in Mexico), dinner eating and card playing. Nertz can get very physical. All in all, I would say that vacations (without the kids) are definitly worth all of the work that comes a long with it.

I would just like to say "Thanks" to Jamie and Shaun Muaina. They were so great to come down to Vegas and watch our kids. Our kids loved them and didn't even seem to care that we were gone. Which is comforting and yet quite disturbing. Jamie said that Maile fell in love with Shaun, and would just follow him around. She always had to sit by him and hold his hand and she never left his side. She said that Maile didn't even know Jamie's name the whole time, just called her "that girl", and stayed right by Shaun. It is a blessing to have good people you trust to watch your children, and we are very thankful for it. Thanks guys, once you re-group we may ask you again.

Family Photo

2008-05-03T20:50:00.001-07:00

a couple of weeks ago we shot some photos in our backyard of Greg's family. It was pretty impromptu and it was actually quite dark, but surprisingly the photos turned out great. In this photo is Greg's two sisters and one brother and their families and his mom and stepdad, and us of course. Greg's got a pretty good looking family huh?

In Memory

2008-04-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

I know it might look like I am repeating myself, but I assure you I am not. Last wednesday I attended my grandmother's funeral in Oklahoma, as I was flying home from that, Greg's grandmother passed away. What are the chances? So this post is in memory of Greg's grandmother, Dorothy Metzger. I have to say that I am so thankful for these two women. They raised our mother's. I didn't know Greg's grandmother very well, but I know Greg's mom well, and his grandmother must have been a wonderful person to raise a daughter like Greg's mom. Greg is the amazing man he is today because of his mother, and that directly reflects on his grandmother. I am very thankful for her. She will be missed.

Quick Little Quip

2008-04-21T17:36:00.001-07:00

The other day out of nowhere Maile said, "Mommy, I want a sister." I said, "I know honey, maybe one day." She said, "Can we go to the Target right now and get a sister?" I wish.

In Memory

2008-04-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

My grandmother passed away yesterday. She was 75 years old. Her and my grandpa live on an indian reservation in Oklahoma. She is the one in the middle in the red shirt. She was my moms mom. She is 50% american indian (Choctaw tribe) and she lived there on the reservation with my grandpa for many years. She will be missed and she is very loved. She had 6 children and she's not even Mormon. Crazy. We love you Joyce Campbell. Now is her chance to accept the gospel. I have no d0ubt that she will.

My Latest Obsession

2008-04-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Red Mango. If you have ever tried it, that is all that needs to be said. It speaks for itself. However, if you have never tried it, now is the time. This stuff was sent straight from heaven. It is a tart frozen yogurt, only 90 calories, and they have the best toppings. Fresh fruit. I don't mean the previously frozen, kind-of soggy form of "fresh fruit" (which I hate). I mean true fresh fruit. Also, it is full of active live cultures, this stuff helps keep your body flowing nicely, who doesn't want that? So, now is the time to find a new sweet treat. You won't be disappointed. If you live in Henderson it is located right across the street from Cafe Rio on Eastern. Enjoy.

Sexy Greg

2008-04-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

While cleaning up some things I ran across Greg's old photo album. Now there is some hilarious stuff in there. I just had to pull out this pic and show everybody. I find nothing funnier. I don't know what he's doing or why, but it is the best picture in the world. I'm guessing he's probably 14-15 years old here, and probably thinks he's the coolest guy in the world. Good thing I didn't meet him at this stage of life. I would have ran away. Not that I can say much, I was the ugliest pre-teen ever, and no I will not be showing any of those pictures. It is way more fun making fun of Greg anyway. I love ya honey. Please forgive me.

2008-03-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

Easter comes at such a beautiful time of year. It's so fitting. It just so happened that our Spring Break came the same week as Easter this year. We thought about going to California. So Greg (always so on top of things) immediately started researching hotels and booked one that looked like great fun for the kids. We tried to get some friends to join us (things are always more fun when there are more people to enjoy it with), but they, I mean he, didn't want to go out of town until he was sure where UNLV was playing in the tournament. Well, UNLV got selected to play in Omaha. Who wants to go to Omaha?
So I overheard Greg and his friend talking about our Spring Break trip and trying to convince him to come to California anyway and his friend said that he just wants to sit all weekend and watch basketball. (It was a very big basketball weekend). So Greg says, "That's all I want to do too, man, we can sit in the hotel and watch some games or go to a sports bar to watch them". That's when I chimed in. Hell no. I'm not going to a hotel in a city I don't know well, with three little kids, just to hang out by myself. I would rather stay home. What a waste of a trip. So I told him this and mentioned that my mom invited us to Easter at her house and that's now where I wanted to go. If he was just going to watch basketball all weekend, I was going to have my mom to hang out with. He was happy with this idea, more basketball watching for him anyway, so that's where we decided to go. Right when we cancelled our hotel, our friends called and said they wanted to go to California now and had booked a room. Of course. I felt a little bad, but going to Utah worked out for the best. Greg kept Cole, my baby, at home with him and watched basketball all day and my mom and I and the two older kids went to movies and shopping and out to lunch. We had a ball. It turned out to be a lovely weekend there too. So sorry to those friends we didn't end up going with, I don't think they ended up going either, but this was a way better Easter for us. Here are some pics of us in our easter clothes.

Easter Egg picnic

2008-03-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the Easter Egg Picnic. Thanks for coming, we had a great time.

2008-03-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!!

A Moment to Treasure

2008-03-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Greg was out of town, he had to go to a seminar in Orlando. Which leaves me all alone to try to handle church all by myself. We did ok, we sat by some friends who helped out. It was only a 2-ring circus, not a full-fledged 3-ring circus, so that's not bad with three kids 5 and under. After church we were home and it was the most beautiful day ever. So the kids started to play outside. So I go into the computer room to try to get some things done, thinking they will be in there any second asking me for something, or wanting me to play with them. Or me having to leave the computer room to break up the fight that inevitably occurs. But that didn't happen. After about 1 hour, that's right, I said 1 whole hour, I decided to go peek at them. (I didn't go sooner because I didn't want to break the spell that had to have been placed over them in order to play well together). What did I see? The most precious sight ever. I think the picture says it all.

Carson, reading a book to Maile!! My prayers were so answered. I did not know what I was going to do with them for a whole Sunday all by myself, and they played together for over 2 hours that day. Not one fight!! Now if you know my kids, your mouth just dropped, because this is not a normal occurance. Carson is a boy, he wants to wrestle and play basketball. Maile is girl, she wants to color and dress up. And my kids do not like to watch movies or TV, so they always want to be entertained. They typically do not get a long. It was the most beautiful sight a mother could see. They really do love each other!! What a relief for me, it made the whole day so wonderful. So for the record, I definitely believe in answered prayers.

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are

2008-03-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Where did Cole go? I could hear him kind of whining, but I couldn't find him. Finally I open the pantry door, and there he is. Stuck. He is a climber, so I'm not surprised. But I didn't help him right away. I ran away from him to grab the camera, which ticked him off. He thought I wasn't going to help him. I just had to get some pictures of the little guy stuck on a shelf in my pantry. I love the little messes they get themselves into, what would they do without Mommy?

March Madness

2008-03-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

March madness.....What can I say, it is that time again. March Madness is when college basketball is at its best. All of the tournaments begin and there are about 8 bazillion games on TV every single day. All I pray for at this time, is that UNLV loses. Why? Because my husband and son go to every single home game, and are obsessive fans. If UNLV wins the Mountain West Conference tournament that means that they make it into the NCAA tournament. Which no longer sticks close to home. UNLV could play anywhere in the country, which means every single weekend my husband and son will "have" to go to where ever they are playing, until they lose.

Now I do think that this is so cute. Carson genuinely loves going to the games. He can tell you the players names and jersey numbers, he'll shout "defence" at the right times, and if the game is too late and he isn't allowed to go to it, he'll make Greg Tivo it and he'll watch it the next day. He really loves it. It provides great father/son bonding moments. However, since there about 15 home games a season and the Mountain West tournament is here in Vegas, I feel that that is plenty of father/son bonding a year and UNLV does not need to continue on in the tournament, so yes, I cheer for UNLV to lose.

Sorry to all of you Rebels out there, but I have a feeling that many of you agree with me, regardless of what team your husband is a fan of.

Do You Ever...

2008-02-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks ago a friend of mine had a little contest on her blog. She put a list of Do You Evers... (I'll tell you what a "do you ever" is in a minute)on her blog and asked people to contribute and she would give a prize for the best one. A chocolate prize to be exact. So I of course wanted to contribute so I could possibly win a chocolate prize (who doesn't want free chocolate?). However, I never got the chance, I think I was so concerned about it being deep and meaningful that I never actually sat and wrote anything to her. So I missed my opportunity.
So a couple of nights ago, my baby woke up at 5:30 am and I went in his room and rocked him. As I was sitting there my mind was suddenly very clear and I thought of a whole bunch of Do You Evers... They aren't deep and meaningful, just simple and true. So I thought that I should share them and see what all of you are thinking in your rare moments of clarity. I would love to promise a chocolate surprise for the best, but since I don't have clarity that often I would probably forget to do it anyway, so lets just share our Do You Evers... and buy ourselves some chocolate. So Lesli, this is for you, thanks for the idea and I'm sorry I didn't participate in your contest, but I would love to hear some more of your Do You Evers...

Do You Ever....
- watch your husband wrestle with your kids and think that this is one of the best memories your children will have of their father in their childhood?

-listen as your kids fight and just let them duke it out without intervening, secretly cheering for one particular child?

-hide a 5 lb. bag of peanut M&M's so nobody in your home can have them but you, and if the kids happen to discover them you immediately find a new, even more secret spot to hide them because that is just something that you won't share?

-wake up ticked off because your baby is awake and crying at 5:30 am, so you rock him in hopes that he will fall back asleep, and you actually find the moment to be incredibly enjoyable and thought provoking and end up cherishing it?

So let me hear your Do You Evers... I can't wait to see what everybody else has to say.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!

2008-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

We just had the best time! We went on a Disney trip, 4 days on land and 4 days at sea. We flew into Orlando (Cole did not cry once, by the way) and spent 4 days at Disney World. It was a lot more crowded than I expected it to be. I figured we were beating the Spring Break rush, so it wouldn't be too bad, but it was more crowded than expected. But still not bad, we never had to wait in line for more than 20 minutes. We did all of the regular Disney stuff. Maile got a "princess makeover", which she loved. You should have seen her sitting in the salon chair getting her nails done and her hair done and makeup put on. She loved every second of it.

We went on this trip with some of my family. My parents came and my brother and his family. It was so much more fun to have cousins around for the kids to enjoy it with.

After we did all of the Disney World stuff, we went to Cape Canaveral to get on our ship. We were on the Disney Wonder and had a great time. If you have never been on a Disney cruise I would definitely recommend it. The kids (3 and older) can go into the "Oceaneers Club" any time they (or you) want and they have nonstop activities for them and they loved it. Carson and his cousin begged to go in there. We had to schedule babysitting for the baby, so we didn't get alone time without him very often but that was ok. There was so much to do for the kids that it was fun having them with us most of the time.

Our cruise went to the Bahamas and then to Castaway Cay, and then back. We had so much fun. I have to say, the cruise was anything you could ask for in a vacation for the family. It was lacking a bit in food quality, I would compare the dining to a Chilis or something like that, but don't go for the food, go for the kids. It was great. There were princesses walking around the ship, which made Maile's day, and Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook for the boys.

It was so nice to escape the monotany of the daily routine. But it is so good to be back and be able to sleep in my own bed. This vacation was definitely not relaxing, but it was a blast.

Is This Las Vegas?

2008-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

So the other day we woke up and it was raining here, which is unusual in and of itself, so we thought, if it's raining here maybe it is snowing in the mountains!! So we jumped in the car, after frantically running through the house trying to round up warm clothes for everybody, and headed off. We had to stop off at Walmart to get some sleds and don't you know it, they don't sell sleds. At least not in Las Vegas. So we headed off to the mountain in hopes to find some sleds there. Of course Mt. Charleston is only about an hour drive away, but we made some wrong turns and it took us about 2 hours to get there. Then we finally went to the lodge to buy some sleds, and found some!! So we drive to the sledding hill and a cop pulls up next to us and says that all of the parking spots are taken, and that we are parked illegally. He was not nice about it either. So by now we're starting to get ticked. We've been in the car way longer than necessary and we can't even find a place to sled. So we drive around and just see a hill across a canal. We stopped and hiked to it (with three kids, two sleds, a chair, some snacks and diapers, a camera and all of the clothes the kids are losing off of their bodies). But we finally made it and it was a great hill. We ended up having a blast and it is so fun to play in the snow. It is such a novelty for the kids that they can't get enough of it. We ended up having a great family day, and the kids were so worn out afterwards that all of the trouble getting there was totally worth it.

My Baby is 1!!!

2008-01-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

My baby has turned one! I feel like I was pregnant yesterday. I can't believe this crazy Mormon world, people are already asking me when I'm going to get pregnant again. Relax people, let my body chill for a minute! I lost so much hair with this third one that I had to cut bangs to even look normal. So for the record I am NOT pregnant. But my little Cole is so cute I should have more.

2008-01-16T10:30:00.001-08:00

This slideshow is 2007 at a glance. Some of the years highlights. I can't believe it is already 2008!! Last year flew by. I wonder what 2008 has in store for us?

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-16T10:23:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2007

2008-01-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

My cousin got married last October 31st, in Denver. The wedding was a "Costume" wedding. Everybody at the reception was dressed up. This wedding was a full on Halloween wedding. When the flower girls walked down the aisle they threw plastic spiders instead of flowers. I'm not kidding. So Greg and I wanted to go all out, we tried to pull off being Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson. How did we do? I didn't want to go too skanky because my parents were there (and my kids, for that matter), so I did the best I could without going out of control. It was the most creative wedding I have ever been to. We actually had a good time considering we were the only sober ones.

2008-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

My little family is so great. Carson is in Kindergarten, and he loves going to school (I don't mind it so much either). He loves to wakeboard, play soccer, swim and go to UNLV games with Dad. Maile is in preschool and she loves it as well. She is obsessed with princesses and loves to swim, watch princess movies and go to gymnastics. Cole is almost 1, and he is a handful. I have to admit this is not my favorite age. It is definitely the cutest age, but the most maintenance. He goes in the kitchen and pulls out everything he can get his hands on. Needless to say, none of my cupboards are even remotely organized. But it's ok, he is such a happy baby and sleeps amazingly. Who can complain about that?

I've finally done it!!

2008-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Ok Ok, I'll do it. Many people have tried to get us to do this. I thought that I didn't need one more thing to maintain, but I keep getting emails from people to look at their blogs and I actually enjoy looking at them alot. So, I have succumbed to the pressure and will attempt to do one more thing. Here is our Herlean Fam Blog.