the life of a trike

Once upon a time, there was a handsome little prince named Sam.

He loved his green and yellow bike that Aunt Queen Ronda gave him.


Prince Sam loved to ride his bike.



Then one tragic day, an accident did befall the beloved bike.

Sam desperately wanted to help his dear bike. But he could not.

Thus, the sad day came.

Goodbye little friend. You have served us well.

up for a great read?

I am not much of a reader. And I am not much of a book-buyer.
But I loved these books.

The series includes five books. They tell the story of an Amish family beginning around the time of World War II or so. Beverly Lewis (the author) is a Christian writer, so the books are very clean and uplifting.

I won't give away the story, but they are seriously really good. I've been watching for a good deal on Ebay... very strange for me to be wanting to buy books! But that's how good they are and how much I enjoyed them! I strongly recommend them... even for people who aren't big into reading, like myself. I also learned a lot about the Amish life-style... so they're educational too!

Just know, they come highly recommended by a person who does not normally pick out a book first in her spare time. (But did with these books!)

the makings of our memorial day

Babies grow so fast. As of yesterday, Livia is 8 months old.


After Jason completed about 47 little projects around the house and yard, he played with Sam in the sandbox for about 30-45 minutes. Sam loves it when his daddy plays with him, especially in the sandbox, since daddy gets out the hose and adds an extra fun element to the whole sandbox play idea.


This is Sammy's birthday gift from Uncle Ron and Aunt Ronda.



Nothing like a good game of cow bowling!
Thanks Ronda! He loves it!

a ver?

So we rented this movie this last weekend. Wow. What a mistake! For anyone who has been wanting to see it, and hasn't had the chance yet... I am posting this to save you from what feels like 7 hours of your life just.... gone... just like that. Ok, it's really just under 3 hours... but it feels like it NEVER ends. There are like 6 plots and just when you think, ok, it's GOT to be almost over, they start another plot! AAUGGHHH! After the first 2 hours, we were feeling pretty anxious for it to be over and Jason just wanted to shut it off. I have this thing where as long as the movie isn't creepy or really dirty.... I HAVE to see how it ends. I kept telling Jason that it has to be coming to an end soon.... and he didn't believe it.... and he was right! The last 45 minutes or so, we watched on fast forward, and even with that I was getting annoyed about the continuing... and the continuing of yet another plot! Not to mention, I was a bit confused about several details from the very beginning. Pretty much the only redeeming quality was that the kid was cute. But that was it! I dare say this movie was not even worth the $1 we spent to rent it! It wasted 3 hours of my life that I can never get back! Please do not make this same mistake! It is for your own benefit!
Ok, I'm done, and I'm now breathing ok again....

uno, dos, TRES

Sam turned 3!! To celebrate we had a little birthday party for him and invited several of his little friends and close-in-age cousins. (There were a lot of little boys running around.)

While we waited for all the guests to arrive we had lots of fun kicking and hitting all the balloons around the house. (I forgot to pull out my camera for that.) Kids can be so easily entertained when balloons are available.

Then, because of the rain, we couldn't go outside, so we moved out to the garage to beat up a horse.


Sam has seen pinatas before, but is still learning the principle of it. (I hope he doesn't carry that into other aspects of his life... hitting to get a prize is not something most parents want their kid to learn...)



My favorite part is how his cousin Andrew is cheering him on. He is the little cutie in red off to the left side of the video.


Who said pinatas are just for kids?



He might try to tell you he was just 'helping out' but I think we all know better than that.


You should have seen how many 3 year-olds he beat off to get those pieces of candy.


After gathering all the toys and candy, we went back inside to sing Happy Birthday and eat some cake. All the boys were excited for the cake and presents.



Jason gave me a hard time all day because of all the time I spent on his cake. Pretty much the only thing I remember about birthdays when I was little was that my mom always made us awesome cakes. I've been wanting to take a cake decorating class for a couple of years for this very reason. I want my kids to have fun birthday cakes... and I want to be the one to make them for them. So this was my first attempt. For the most part it turned out the way I wanted, except for the engine, but from a distance it looks ok. So, I'm happy about the result, but I still want to take a class. (I WILL TAKE A CLASS. Someday.... anyone interested in joining me?)


The important thing is that Sam loved his cake, but since he loves choo-choos, I am not surprised.


I guess he was a little anxious to get on with it...



Maybe he'll stay involved with the singing for his 4th birthday....

We let him blow out the candles a few more times.


It's fun now that he understands a little more about opening presents. He actually looks forward to it. He hasn't completely got down the idea of showing his excitement once it's opened though... we're still working on that. Afterward, he always shows a bit more enthusiasm. He loved all his gifts. (Thanks everyone, you're all very nice.)





Here is the after-party. It looks more like a mini date, but whatever.



And this has nothing to do with Sam or his birthday, but it is just way too cute to not post. (Plus I actually got permission from Justin and Megan to put this on my blog.)



What a doll.

a night at the pool. or maybe it was about 20 minutes.

In honor of Sammy's last day as a 2 year old, we went to the Springville Pool to celebrate.


Ok, we went because it was the last day he could get in free.
Dangit I'm so cheap.




He had fun, but he was a little afraid of the water... if he wasn't clinging to an adult. And he got a little cold at the end.



He says he didn't like it, but he mostly did. We're not mean parents.

This little one enjoyed bouncing up and down in the water.


This is right before we left, when Sam was trying to forget how cold he really was.

a lil' 'bout livi

Babies grow so fast.

We decided it was time to get Livi a real seat. We've been just using a bumbo seat, but her reach has been increasing so much, that she has been taking over more than half of the table when we eat dinner.

Now she just looks so little again!


I haven't been the most eager mother to get her moving too much on her own. At her 6 month check up, the doctor told me to work on her gross motor skills a little more. That was a month and a half ago. I decided I should help her before her 9 month appointment... I don't want to get in trouble! I have finally accepted that my baby needs to get bigger... and start moving around a little more. So we worked on rolling last week.




It's funny how babies' emotions change so often and so fast. She's a little tired, but still such a sweetie!

zoo-bee-do-dah

In honor of Sam's 3rd birthday in a week, we went to the Hogle Zoo... before he turned 3 so he was free instead of $7!



She was awake most of the time...


Sam did pretty good... until I tried to get a very specific picture of him.
Maybe next year.


The bird show was really neat. I couldn't believe how low the birds would swoop to the audience.
Here is a clip of Poco:



This is a clever way to earn a little extra money....



Sam loves choo-choos. And this little ride was only $1/person!


Ok, so mommy was probably more excited to go on it than anyone else.


But Sammy loved it! He actually threw a tantrum when I physically had to remove him from this seat. He kept telling me he wasn't done yet.
(Can you tell what color his snow cone was?)

It was a fun day and Sam loved to see the animals. Hooray for the zoo!

mommies are so special

Mothers Day is not only to celebrate women and mothers. It is a day for women and mothers to look around them and see those special spirits in their lives that make life worth living.

Here are 2 of my many reasons that I know I truly have meaning in life:


Thanks to this guy for helping me get them here:



And of course, what would Mothers Day be without me recognizing my own amazing mother and mother-in-law!

My mom is so awesome! I was lucky enough to have her all to myself for my last 2 years of high school. During that time, she truly became my best friend. I don't get to see her very often but I always look forward to when she visits here, or I get to go to North Dakota to see her. (I'm planning a trip next month and I'm VERY excited!)
She taught me not only how to be a loving mother, but also a loving and caring wife. Her testimony of the Gospel is an example to me and was the strength behind mine while I was young.



I could not have asked or expected a better mother-in-law. I always hoped I would get along with my husband's mom, but I never knew I could love a mother-in-law like I love mine! I love her as if she actually did raise me! I truly consider her my mother. She raised the love of my life and for that I am eternally grateful.


I am so blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life. All my sisters and sisters-in-law are such a blessing to me. Happy Mothers Day!!


And look what my adorable husband and kids got me for this special day:


I've been wanting to get one... and Jason found me the perfect one! Now I just need to go get a plant... and then figure out what to do with it from there....

derby doings

Introducing, the grand Pinewood Derby race!

For our Cook Family Party yesterday, we had a derby race for each of the families that live here in Utah.

This lovely green one with the fan on the back is ours.
We didn't have the same restrictions (like weight) that the Scouts have, so we all had some fun with it. Jason spent a lot of time working on ours. He disassembled the motor to a RC helicopter, that no longer flies, and attached a fan as a propeller on the back. We tested it out a few times at home, but didn't want to wear down the battery, so we saved the true excitement for the actual race day.
But we encountered a problem. The finish line!
Before the heats began, all the cars were warming up and testing out the track. We ran it a couple of times without the battery pack, but with all the kids' (and adults') encouragement, we turned it on for a final practice run.
Ooops. Let's just say, our car won that heat by a long shot! It went zooming by... and crashed into the end... and the fan shattered into about 3 pieces and the battery pack went flying and the car, well, the wooden part was still intact, but that was about all the glory it had.
At least it was awesome one time!!

It actually did win a couple of heats, but it just wasn't enough to take the championship without the real power behind it.

Along with the races, we had points awarded to the best design, the most artistic, and the most unique. The winners (counting from left to right) were a tie between the 3rd and 5th cars, the last car (or London bus), and the first one, respectively. (yes, the first two are bricks!)

The final places, between the races and the votes for the making of the car, were as follows:
(the number following is again counting from left to right.)
1st Brian and Jenny (their car is #2, but they used a different motorized one for the races.)
2nd Terrell and Cindy (#5)
3rd Dad and Mom (#3)
4th Travis and Ashlee (#1)
5th Jared and Allyson (#6)
6th Jason and Sally (#4)

This video is one of the heats where our car actually won!




This video is the final heat:




Two of the prizes (for 2nd and 3rd place) were bags of popsicles. The grandkids really enjoyed that!

Brigham and Sam

Especially the little boys.

Cheers!




Andrew and Josh

A few of the participants:
Brian, Dad, Jared
Dad, Jared, Allyson, Livia, Jason
Jenny, Mom, Ashlee

I admit, I was a little worried about this activity. Jason has talked about doing this since our ward's derby race last summer. Since May was our month, it turned out to be a great chance to do it. I was worried that all the wives would be really annoyed with this activity... and maybe they were! But we had a lot of fun and I think the kids had a blast!

free meal

For lunch today, we went to KFC and the total came to..... $0.00
Yeah, for free meals! If you want to join in on the fun, click here
for your very own free meal. I think you need to print them off before midnight today though, and there is a 4/computer limit.
They are good until May 19th...
so print away and have a free meal today!

meet shell

Meet Sam's pet.









Shell is now dead. Thanks to Sam squishing him on the front step.
Rest in peace Shell.

cinco

Today May 3, 2009, is the 5 year anniversary of the day I found out the name of my dear, eternal companion!

As we were driving home from the cabin yesterday we were reviewing our story of how we first met. I realized the day we actually introduced ourselves was May 3, 2004. (A reason to celebrate indeed!) For the whole month before that we knew each other as 'the cute MTC guy' and 'the hot volunteer girl.' (Very original, yes, I know... considering he was working at the MTC and I was volunteering there...)

It was today, 5 years ago, that he asked me for my phone number... and then my name! (Yes, that is correct, he asked for my number before my name.) I happily gave him both... anxiously awaiting his call.

And now, 5 years later, this is the cute MTC guy, sitting right next to me at my very own kitchen table. How lucky I am!!

weekend at the cabin

On Friday afternoon we met up with our friends, Justin, Megan and Andrew Martin, to go up to the cabin for a short time. We got there Friday evening and stayed until Saturday afternoon.

We stayed up late playing a few games on Friday night.

Then on Saturday morning, since it was a mini vacation, lots of napping (or attempted napping) just had to happen.


No napping here... (actually she did take good naps during our time there.)

This little cutie is Andrew, the Martin offspring #1.


Even though it's already May, there was plenty of snow up there. We were a little worried we wouldn't make it to the cabin. At one point we had to turn around and go a different way, due to a very unplowed road. All the roads were either covered in snow, or covered in mud. Either way, we were praying we wouldn't get stuck!









(Livia wasn't restrained the entire time we were there... I promise.)