Silly Little Hallie

Hallie is SUCH a funny little girl and is constantly making us laugh. The other day she put on these glasses and immediatley started hamming it up. Abbi and I were laughing so hard I'm surprised I got these pictures.

The picture below is my favorite. I love how she's peeping at me through the top of the glasses.

The best part is she knows she's cute and she knows she's funny. So when stuff like this happen, she hams it up even more.

Jeff, Hallie and Abbi on the tube

This is video of Jeff, Hallie and Abbi being pulled on the tube behind the boat. They were having so much fun. You can see that we didn't pull them very fast because Hallie was on there. But they had so much fun.

Boating With My Dad

A couple of years ago my parents bought a boat. They told us that we could take it out whenever we wanted to. So last night my dad took us out to show us how everything works. We went to Utah Lake and had so much fun. My kids were so excited to go. Hallie kept saying, "Papa's boat?" all day long. She couldn't wait and neither could Abbi.

Here is my dad with the girls letting them put their feet in the water off the back at the boat.
Jeff and I wanted to go together and have my dad go really fast. It was a blast. I was laughing the whole time. Dad got the boat going really fast and we were having so much fun until Jeff fell off.

Crazy Cat Lady

Okay, so I caved and let my kids get a cat. Oh who am I kidding, I wanted the cat. My brother in law brought by this cat for my mom (my mom lives out in the fields so she needs cats to keep the mice down.) Anyway, the dang thing was so cute and my girls just loved it. So I begged and begged until Jeff caved and let us keep the little thing.
HIS name was Freddy until we found out it was a girl. So now HER name is Stella. Stella has been a pretty good kitty so far. She is pretty tiny and won't eat soft cat food, so we have been feeding her milk with a dropper. It's kind of a pain, but Abbi and Hallie love it. I've realized that cats are so easy. They come automaticaly potty trained. She goes right to her kitty box and does her deed.
I came downstairs to find Hallie sitting on Sadie's pillow (which Stella has decided to share with her.) It was so cute.
The dogs were fine with Stella. Jemma just kept staring at her. I'm sure she was thinking, 'I'm supposed to not like you.' But Jemma never did anything to Stella. Hopefully they will always get along.

Pool Time

My work threw a party at the Provo pool so I loaded up the kids and headed over. They fed us yummy hamburgers, corn on the cob and watermelon (I chose not to eat the watermelon thank you very much.) They had games and prizes. I won a $15.00 gift card to the movies which I was pretty excited about. Then we swam for the rest of the time. The kids had so much fun. A few of my friends met us there and hung out. It was lots of fun.
This is Abbi and Bennett. Bennett and Abbi are pretty good little friends. We decided to take her with us to have some fun. They had a blast going down the slide.
Here is Hallie and Max. They played pretty well together.
Hallie was so much fun in the water. She would go up to where it hit her at her waist and she'd say, "Bye, Mom." and wave and then she would go clear under the water. Then she would come back up and start all over again.

Abbi had to wear a life jacket when she went on the slide. She is a pretty good swimmer, but I just feel safer when she has one on.

Rule of 3

I was tagged by Michelle to play so here is yet more stuff about me

3 Joys

My kiddos. This includes my girls and my little boy coming in September. Nothing makes me happier or can cheer me up than being with or even thinking about my kids. I love 'em to pieces.

Jeff. He's the best. He is seriously my best friend and I love to be with him. He's so good to me and the girls.

My birthmom's. I wouldn't be a mom without them. All 3 of them have shown me selflessness and I put them on a pedestal. They have given Jeff and I the most precious gift a person can give.

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3 Fears

Car wrecks. I have been in 3 in my life and all 3 were extremely scary.

Scary movies. I HATE them.

Getting electrocuted. I'm such a wimp that I make Jeff unscrew the outlet covers when we paint because I'm sure I'm going to get shocked. I just think he'd be able to handle it better than me.

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3 Goals

Go skydiving one day. It's on my list of things to do before I die.

To have Hallie potty trained by the end of July. Suggestions please!!

Be totally and completely happy with who I am and where I am at in my life.

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3 Obsessions/Collections

I collect frogs. Jeff counted once when we were first married and I had 72. I need to find somewhere cute to put them all because right now they are all in a box.

Keeping my house clean. It drives me NUTS to have things out of order.

Getting ready for Korver. It's all I think about anymore.

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3 Random Surprises

My middle name is Kasey and I really wish that people still called me that. I used to go by it when I was little, but then in kindergarten, there was a little boy named Casey so I thought it was a boys name. So my teacher and my parents decided to start calling me by my first name. My dad and his side of the family only call me Kasey. In fact, I really can't remember him ever calling me Shannon. That would just be weird.

I ADORE my siblings. They are wonderful people and I love hanging out with them. Very seldom do we have any issues with each other and if we do, we care about each other enough to resolve it within a day. They are amazing people to me and my kids.

I would not trade the fact that I can't have baby's for anything. It may be hard for some of you to understand, but there is so much I have learned from my infertility trials and through adopting my kids. I would not change the way my kids have come to me in any way. We have such great little stories that have evolved with each one of our kids.

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Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people. I tag Karen, Dani, Kevin, Lindsey, Candi. Some of you may have already done this, if so ignore the tag.

Food Fight

So I totally just got in a fight a Macey's with this Hagatha of an old lady. My happy little family walked into the grocery store tonight only to pass some delicious cheesecake being handed out as samples. We walked by and Abbi wanted to try some. So I told her to go ahead and go back and get some. Jeff, Hallie and I walked over to the produce section of the store. I was getting some lettuce for a salad and turn around to see my sweet Abbi in tears. I asked her what was wrong and she said the lady giving out the samples told her that she could only have one if her mom or dad was with her. One look at Abbi told me that the lady wasn't nice in her ways of telling her she needed a parent. So I took Abbi's hand and we walked over to th lady behind the samples. I said, "So, I'm here now so can she have some cheesecake?" The lady behind the samples said to me, "Ma'am, you need to listen to what I have to explain to you. One of our sister stores had a little boy ALMOST DIE because he was given a sample that he was allergic to." I said, "Well that's fine, but there's a nice way to ask her to get a parent and you obviously didn't do it, so I'de like my sample now." I grabbed some cheesecake and walked away. This stupid white trash hagatha of an old lady pushing her shopping cart said in the snottiest voice imaginable, "SHE was NOT rude." I turned around and said, "Excuse me, but you had nothing to do with this, so maybe you should stay out of it." Hagatha said, "Well, she wasn't rude." I said, "As a mother, if I see that someone has made my daughter cry, I'm not just going to sit there and do nothing about it. There is a nice way to say what she needed to say. You didn't have anything to do with the situation, so just drop it." All the while my even tempered (sometimes too much) husband is between us telling me to just leave it alone and not to drop to her level. Which I probably should have, but seriously! That's not the type of person that I am. I proceeded to grab a few more vegetables and get on my way. Hagatha said, "What do you think, you walk around on gold." Oh no, did she just go there?!! The nerve of some people. I turned to her and said, "Honestly, who do you think you are. Why can't you just leave it alone and drop it? You had nothing to do with the situation. Just leave it alone." Hagatha then said something under her breath, and I was forced, by Jeff to walk away. I was so upset I was shaking. I hate confrontations, but when it comes to my kids I gotta stand up for them. Needless to say, I am so mad right now. Honestly, the nerve of some people. Funny thing is, she's probably home blogging about the same thing.

20 Questions About My Mom

Abbi was tagged by Quaid and Ainsley to answer questions about me. So here goes:

1. What is something mom always says to you? "Abbi, clean up your room."

2. What makes mom happy? When I do something nice.

3. What makes mom sad? When I don't pay attention to you.

4. How does mom make you laugh? When you tickle me.

5. What was mom like as a child? I'm pretty sure you had red hair.

6. How old is your mom? 20

7. How tall is your mom? 20 feet

8. What is your mommy's favorite thing to do? I think you like to read.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? That I don't know because I'm not around.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Singing

11. What is your mom really good at? Cooking

12. What is your mom not very good at? Doing flips on the tramp

13. What does your mom do for her job? Nightwatch

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you jump on the tramp with me.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Bessie Higenbottom

17. What do you and your mom do together? Clean, but I like to help you clean. And mostly because you're cleaning all the time.

18. How are you and your mom the same? We both LOVE pizza.

19. How are you and your mom different? Our eyes are different. Plus you have blonde stripes in your hair and I don't. Pretty much we don't look alike at all.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because you say it all the time.

Now Abbi tags: Lindsey, Laura Ann, Abby Wood and Whytli.

...You Make My Heart Sing

So today we got to go with Michelle to her doctors appointment. It was great! We got to hear the heartbeat. I'm such a baby, I got kind of teary eyed. She is 27 weeks along and she is very healthy and so is Korver. I was confunsed on the due date, but I'm all cleared up now. Michelle's actual due date IS September 25th and she'll probably go in for a c-section a little early because she has a growth disorder that makes it so her hips don't move. If she was to deliver Korver normally it could dislocate or possibly even break her hips; OUCH! So she's really pushing a c-section. After the doctors appointment she had to go to Timpanogos hospital to drink that yucky orange stuff and we went along with her. I'm kind of a nerd, but I've always wanted to know exactly what all you pregnant people go through. Michelle is nice enough to put up with me tagging along with her. Hopefully I'm not too annoying.

Name 10 Non Living Things You Can't Live Without

I was tagged by Kristie. I am supposed to name 10 non living things I can't live without:

1. Diet Coke with a lime, need I say more.

2. My notebook, I am such a list maker that I would be lost without it. I can't do anything/ go anywhere without making a list.

3. My handbag (that's for you Kellye!) I need all my "stuff" with me at all times.

4. Paul Mitchell hairspray. It holds my kids hair and mine great.

5. My beloved computer. I am attached (literally) to it.

6. My iPod. I love the thing. It keeps me motivated when I'm excersising or cleaning.

7. Nail polish. If I'm feeling really not so cute all I have to do is paint my toes and I feel much better.

8. The color RED.

9. Lotion. I love the stuff. If I don't put it on right after I get out of the shower, I itch all day long.

10. Saturday Night Live. I love love love SNL. I don't think I have missed an episode in over 5 years, probably longer. It is the most hillarious show. Thank goodness for TiVo.

Now I'm supposed to tag some people. So I tag Janean, Michelle, Angela, Kellye and Holly.

Remember When...

Remeber when you used to sit in your purple Dora chair eating a bag of M&M's, watching Dora the Explorer? Man, those were the days!

Trampoline Fun

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to sleep outside on our tramoline with my friends. Since our girls aren't quite old enough to do that, Jeff and I had this crazy idea that we would sleep out there with them. We piled on blankets and pillows and cuddled under the covers.

We got out my laptop and watched the movie Hot Rod which is a favorite at our house. We spent the night laughing at the movie and enjoying some beverages out on the tramp.
Here we all are watching the movie. It was so much fun. However, at about 1:00 in the morning I felt the trampoline bouncing and woke up to fine Jeff trying to make an escape back into the house. He said he had a headache. I was freezing my butt off (well, not all the way off, because I looked and it's still there.) So we decided to go inside and sleep in the family room. But when we woke the girls up, they were both mad at us and said they really wanted to sleep outside. But luckily, we were able to convince them that inside the house would be much better.
It was a really fun night. I'm now trying to convice Jeff to let Abbi have a sleepover with a friend at our house and set up a tent in the backyard. It would be so fun, we could even roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire pit. We'll see how long it takes to convince him on that one.

Cake Decorating Contest

Hallie's actual birthday was celebrated up at Jeff's family reunion. One of the activities that they did was have a cake decorating contest. There are 5 main families so we had 5 cakes and the male head of each family was chosen as the team captain. Each team captain could choose 2 other people to be on their team to help them decorate their cake. Hallie shared her birthday with Jeff's cousin's wife, Maria. So Maria and Hallie got to judge the cakes. I was really surprised at how crafty and creative each team got.

The judges hard at work.
Here is the winning team with their cake. Aubrey (the cutie in the front) wasn't actually on the team, but gave the team the idea to do a cat because she is Hallie's cousin and knows that she likes cats.
The winners: Jeff's uncle Cliff, cousin Jenn, cousin-in-law Russ, and Neice Aubrey.
It was a lot of fun and such a special way to help Maria and Hallie celebrate their birthdays. The cakes were all very yummy and I'm sure those decorations had everything to do with the way they tasted ;)

Top 6 Reasons Why I Love This Girl

I have seen on people's blogs where they post the top however many years old reasons why they love their kids. I decided that 3 just wasn't enough, so I doubled it to 6. Here we go (in no particular order.)

1. She has the most infectuous laugh I have ever heard. When she laughs I can't help but smile and laugh along with her. She definitly brightens a gloomy day.

2. She is her own person. Hallie knows what she wants and rarely lets anything get in the way of it. She is a very determined little girl.

3. She is naughty. That's right, I actually love that she's naughty. She looks so dang innocent with those big brown eyes, but don't let her fool ya. She's trouble. If she wasnt' naughty she wouldn't be Hallie. Most of the time her naughtiness makes Jeff and I laugh (I said MOST of the time.)

4. She loves to cuddle. Everyday at some point she curls up on my lap and snuggles with me. She's a busy little thing, but when she feels like cuddling she becomes very still. It's one of my favorite things ever!

5. She's extremly vocal. Even though her speech isn't as advanced as some 3 year olds, she knows what to say what she wants. Lots of times it's just jiberish, but she thinks she's saying something. This may sound horrible, but I laugh everytime she yells out the back door, "Shu-up! choo choo!" (when she hears a train) or yells at our dogs to be quiet. Or when she tells a fly to get off of the wall. It's just funny seeing this little girl voice commands at the world.

6. She is caring. Hallie is so concerned about other's feelings. If she sees someone sad she'll go up to them and ask, "whas matter?" or "wha happen?" She truley cares for others and that makes me happy.

I seriously can't believe our girl is 3 years old. I remember when Jordann placed her in my arms and I just looked down at that precious little face thinking there was no way she was ever going to grow up. I drove all the way home from Salt Lake to Spanish Fork in the back seat of the car (I know, I'm a nerd) wondering what her personality was going to be like and thinking to myself, "I am the luckiest mom alive." My heart was so full that day I thought it would explode. Jordann had given Jeff, Abbi and I such an amazing gift and I was just so thankful to welcome Hallie into our family. She was just the tiniest little thing sitting there in that big huge carseat. I could barely stand it until we got home and I just kept kissing her little cheeks. It was one of the most perfect days of my entire life.

Hallie is 3!

That's right, folks! Hallie is 3 years old now. We celebrated her birthday the day before because we had a family reunion to go to on her actual birthday. There were lots of people there to help her celebrate and she got so many fun things.

Kristen got her a BBQ grill that blows bubbles. Kristen was just a little more excited about it than Hallie, though. I swear this girl is going to make a great mom one day.
Hallie picked a Rella (Cinderella) cake this time. It was pretty small so we got cupcakes to go along with it. It turned out really cute. Macey's seriously does a great job at making cakes and they are very reasonably priced.

Jeff and I have wanted to get the girls a trampoline for quite a while now. So we asked Abbi how she felt about getting a present early to share (since they are pretty expensive.) Abbi was totally fine with the idea. So Jeff assembled the tramp so it would be ready in time for the party. Both girls loved it so much. Again, Kristen was stoked about the tramp. She and Weston (her boyfriend) stayed over until about 10:30 jumping with the girls.

Forever Sisters

I've mentioned in an earlier post that Abbi has a biological sister named Rain. Teressa and Asthon (Abbi's birthparents) live in Kentucky right now and they came out last week for a little visit. Teressa, Jenny (birth-grandma) and I decided to take them to Kiddie Kandids to get some pictures taken of the two of them together. Abbi has been wanting a picture of Rain in her room for a long time. The photographer there was so good and quick to get the perfect expressions out of each of them.

I think they look quite a bit alike. They both have their own looks to them, but they are definitly sisters. I think it's so great that we have this relationship with Abbi's birth family. The next day, Jenny invited us over to their home for a BBQ. She bought a little blow up pool for the girls to play in that was just the right size. Rain decided to sleep this one out so there are no pictures of her in the pool.

Here is the delicious spread of food that we had. Steve (Teressa's step dad) made yummy BBQ chicken that was to DIE for. Jenny made a really yummy green salad with spinach and lettuce and I made my famous potato salad. Jenny also made Strawberry rubharb cake and served it with vanilla ice cream.
She also got Hallie something for her birthday. It was a darling orange dress and a Dora the Explorer telephone with stickers. Hallie loved it all and looks adorable in the dress (you'll see in a later post.)
Jenny always surprises the girls with "just because" presents. She got Abbi a really cute doll with long hair that she can brush and some stickers.

Campfire In The Backyard

Jeff got a fire pit for his birthday back in April but the weather has been so yucky that we never got a chance to use it. So when we finally had a good day, we invited Michelle, her sister Ariel, Kristen and Weston over to roast marshmallows. We had a really good time roasting (mostly lighting on fire) marshmallows

At one point someone asked what time it was. We all thought it was around 9 o'clock. When we checked it was 11! Time flies when you're having fun, right!
Both kids ended up falling asleep. Abbi made herself a little bed on one of the camp chairs and Hallie fell asleep in my arms (love it when she does that.)
Here is Michelle and Abbi getting ready to roast a few mallows.