The Second White Dress

At some point I must have blinked and about six years up and disappeared.  It seems like yesterday that she was getting blessed.  My sweet little baby is now a sweet young girl!

Because turning eight is a milestone in every girls life, I want to pay a special tribute to my little princess.  Alexis is a sweet and loving girl.  She is incredibly sensitive to those around her.  She loves gymnastics, dance, and friends.  She is very smart and thrives in school.  (I don’t know for sure, but I think she is the teacher’s pet this year.)  She loves to draw and do crafts.  She won an art contest in school a few weeks ago for drawing the best illustration in her class of Junie B. Jones.  She is an excellent example to her friends.  She worries all the time about doing what is right.  She always makes good choices.  She is already a missionary, and invites her less active friends to come to church. Her brother and sister adore her.  She loves having her hair done, her nails painted, and wearing new clothes.  She has always loved beautiful and fancy things.  She helped me plan and decorate for her baptism.  The dress Alexis chose for her baptism is a direct example of who she is. (Elegant, charming, beautiful and special!)  We are so lucky to have a daughter as wonderful as her!

                     Alexis was baptized on June 4, 2011

Catch Up Time

Oakley Turns 4!!   April

Alexis Turns 8!!  May

Crew Turns 2!!  June

Our October

We started the month off with a Halloween party for Lexi and Oakley.  We had 25 girls come.  It was a blast!  We had two treasure hunts, one for Lexi and her friends, and one for Oakley and her friends.  Lexi’s was more difficult, it included invisible ink, backward messages, digging, and breaking rocks.  Oakley and her friends searched for skull goblets by using picture clues.  We ate rats, spiders, mummy toes, monster eyes, and witches brew.  We ended the night with a scary movie!

Lexi reading her treasure map.

Oakley finding a clue.

Watching the movie!

PUMPKIN PATCH TIME!

 

Witches Night Out!

Spending time with my family and friends, and hundreds of other women dressed up as witches. 

Carving Pumpkins!

Halloween trick-or-treat with a Monkey, and

Two Witches!

We also had a classroom party, two preschool parties, breakfast with a witch, a school carnival, a Mangone family party, three dance parties, and trunk-or-treat!  What a busy month!

Ten Years Ago

Guess What Shawn brought Home?

I was doing laundry and in walked Shawn home early from work with 10 dozen roses!!  One for each year we’ve been married.  What a sweet-heart. 

Married August 4, 2000

I can’t believe it has been ten years!  The time has just flown by.  Shawn says he doesn’t remember ever being single, but then, he doesn’t remember anything. 

Eleven and a half years ago I was invited to go to Lake Powell with a friend.  I met some wonderful new girls who needed a roommate and I needed a place to live.  I went to see their place and met Shawn the same night.  I new when I saw him I would marry him.  It took him over a year later to realize he needed me.  He proposed to me on May 17, 2000. 

Shawn always joked that he would buy me a ring from a candy machine.  When my engagement ring conveniently went missing from the jewelry store,  Shawn bought me a $.25 one from the toy ring machines in the mall.  Out popped my real ring!! 

                

Engagement Picture July 2000

 

Our temple ceremony was really great and surprisingly funny.  Every one laughed and enjoyed themselves.  Shawn even passed me his gum over the alter.  Years later I had someone tell me it was the best ceiling they had ever been to. 

 

Fun memories.

 

 

I LOVE YOU SHAWN!!  Thanks for the best ten years of my life!

Bear Lake

Last week we spent a day at Bear Lake.  My sister-in-law and her family invited us to ride jet skis with them.  We left early Thursday morning.  We packed all our sand toys, coolers, towels, extra clothes, and chairs and headed up to Kaysville to pick up Sara and her family.  We crowded all Sara’s gear in and her two children.  Needless to say, four car-seats make for a tight fit.  Finally, we were on our way.  First we drove to Richmond and hit the Pepperidge Farm thrift store where we bought cookies, and fish crackers.  Then McDonalds for a quick lunch.  The playground area was closed because it was so hot, what a joke!  Sara and I let our kids play anyway.  Then off to Gossners for some yummy cheese.  At last, time to see the lake!  The kids loved the beach and jet skiing.  Shawn joined us in the early evening and had his time jet skiing as well.  We ate pizza and raspberry shakes for dinner.  We had such a fun time.  I was surprised how much fun it was, and how well behaved my kids were.  I can’t wait to go back. 

 

Lexi covering her feet in the sand,

Crew spent hours playing on this beach chair.

Oakley spent most her time making a sand castle.  She loves to dig and play on the beach.

4th of July Pictures of My Girls

My sister Eleena took these pictures of my girls on our front porch.  She did an awesome job and she is not even a photographer. 

Family Pictures

How Sweet is This?

Crew’s 1st Birthday

 We had a farm theme for Crew’s birthday.  We went to Wheeler farm, ate cake, looked at the animals, and climbed on the farm equipment.  Family from all over came to celebrate.  It was perfect weather, and all the kids had fun!

I made the same cake my sister made for her little boy.  It was easy, but it took all evening to make. 

Crew just poked at it, and then took off the graham crackers,  he didn’t really want to eat it.  Here he is with a red mouth.  There was so much red dye in the frosting, that when we wiped him down later he looked like he had a red sunburn. 

This is when we knew Crew was done!  I haven’t had one child yet that hasn’t cried while eating their cake.

 

Crew liked his gifts, and so did the other kids!

I made little gift bags with farm animals and farm animal masks.  Here is Oakley wearing her cow mask.

Crew loved touching the animals at the farm.

The girls loved running around and climbing on the equipment.

    They especially loved the rabbits.

  It was a really fun day at the farm!

One Year Ago

June 3, 2009

A miracle happened and our family was blessed with a little boy! Loving Big Sister.

Proud Daddy!

Suspicious and Curious.

When Crew joined us, our lives changed for ever!  Our family was complete.  The joy we have experienced this past year is indescribable.  He has been so happy and delightful!  He loves to laugh, smile, giggle, clap, and wrestle.  He is boy through and through.  He loves hitting the girls in the face, pushing cars, and throwing things.  He hates getting his hair (fuzz) styled, his diaper changed, and don’t even think about changing his clothes.  Though I must admit, his pre-Madonna sisters have dressed him up like a girl on numerous occasions.  (Wait, so have his mom and aunts.)  We love having a little boy!!

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

  Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Crew is one today!

 

We love you Crew!