Do you remember??

How many of you recognize this photo?

Yep, it's the A-Team, that awesome show from the 80's that all of our fathers got us to watch, and of course we thought it was awesome. Who wouldn't love Mr. T, with all his bling. That was back when bling wasn't cool yet, I wonder if he was responsible for that trend? Hmmmm. Anyway, Ross has gotten ahold of all of the episodes and he and the kids have been watching them non-stop. They love them! Then yesterday while I was cleaning, the boys were playing outside and I overheard Caden calling Brayden Murdock. He is the insane member of the team. I said so if Brayden is Murdock then who are you? Of course he is Mr. T's character, BA Baracas (spelling?). Ross and I got a big kick out of that. I do have to say though, with all the crap that is on TV nowdays, I am glad my kids love these old shows, where I don't have to worry.

Men will be...boys??

So yesterday morning the kids and I woke up to find Springville City employees tearing a big hole in the sidewalk at the intersection between the side and the front. We think they are going to replace the crumbled mess of a sidewalk that was previously there. When I got home from getting my hair colored, Ross and the kids were outside (minus Brayden as he is with his mom for his summer break) playing. Ross had been doing some jackhammering to the lawn (long story) and they were just kind of relaxing. Being that it was almost 8, I went into the house to fix dinner and clean the kitchen. A little while later Ross comes into the house with his “fake mad” face, saying that I have to come and see what the kids have done. This usually means that something is a mess and it was all Ross’ idea, lol. I go outside to see that they have filled the hole with water and Ross had made a ramp going from the hole onto the sidewalk. The kids were riding their bikes, getting a good speed going and hitting the ginormous mud puddle. Needless to say, they were having a blast, and who am I to ruin their fun. Ross tried to take pictures but our camera is on the fritz so we have no proof of this blessed event, dang it! By the end of the night Courtney, 3 of the neighbor girls, and Cade were covered in mud. I actually think Cade must have sat in the puddle and had a mud bath because he was covered from the tip of his head to the bottom of his shoes. Their clothes will never be the same, but like Ross says, as long as the kids are having fun, they will remember this stuff for a lifetime. He is such a great dad, and a great husband. He amazes me all the time with the sweet things that he does for us, we are so blessed to have him. Love you babe!!

Baseball Season Comes to a Close

T-ball is over for the boys, they had a blast and Cade's dad has started working with him on pitching. Matt was a pitcher in little league up to like 9th grade and was pretty good. Cade has the natural talent for athletics but baseball is his fav and he has got quite an arm so it will be interesting to see how it pans out. That kid can hit anything, and I mean anything, you throw at him, it's amazing! It was really fun to see Brayden progress from the first game to the end of the season. The very first game, though I had practiced catching with him a little, Ross and I neglected to tell him how to actually play the game. He ran to first, and then ran all over the field, not sure where to go, it was hysterical! By the end of the season however, he could hit really well, was a great runner, and could even field the ball pretty well. It was awesome. Courtney finished up softball last night. Her team ended up taking 4th in Springville so Monday and Tuesday we were down in Ephraim for a tournament. At the beginning of the season she was doing ok, getting hits sometimes, striking out others. As the season went on however, she started getting all self conscious about striking out and therefore wouldn't swing unless it was perfect. She started striking out a ton, mostly from strikes the pitcher would throw that she wouldn't swing at. Last Wednesday I took all the kids to the batting cages and she did awesome! Her dad bought her a bat of her very own and batting gloves. He took her to the cages Monday morning and she did great. Then at her game Monday she struck out, but at least she went down swinging. This time however it was different, she really wanted it, so it made her upset enough for a couple tears. "I just want to hit the ball and be able to run around the bases", she told me. My heart hurt for her, I know how it feels to want something so much and have it not come together. Well her dad took her to the cages again Tuesday morning, and after getting hit with a baseball at medium speed (she has an awesome 'show and tell worthy' bruise on her upper thigh to show for it) she did even better with her hitting. So at yesterdays game, she steps up to the plate with that "bring it on" look in her eyes. First pitch, and BAM! She hit it, and hit it hard!! It was a great hit, she got on first, and was able to make it all the way to home. Seeing that ear to ear grin that didn't stop, and having her throw her arms around me as she got back to the dugout, made the whole season of sitting in that hot sun, and driving 1.5 hrs each way to get to the tournament, totally worthwhile. She is super excited for next season, and now that her dad is finally involved with helping her, I am excited to see her progress. It was an awesome day.Check out that concentration!

For Cade, baseball is serious business

Brayden puts a whole new definition to "stepping into the ball"

Wedding Pics...Finally!!

Believe it or not, this was Ross' doing-since Scooby is a part of the family, she had to get all pretty too!

Isn't she pretty? Ross got the tiara for her, aaah sweet!

Courtney and Ross coming down the aisle

Jami and the boys

Putting on Ross' ring

Kissy Kissy!

Ross putting on Jami's ring

What a beautiful family!

Just relaxing from all the picture taking

What a good man, no shoving of the cake!

Isn't the cake topper fitting??

I know I know!!

I am a bit, (that's putting it lightly) of a slacker in updating my blog. We have been married for a month now and I still haven't put any new family pictures up, let alone any wedding pictures. They are coming, I promise! It has been quite an eventful month though! Mother's Day was a lot of fun. Brayden was able to go to breakfast with his mom, and I didn't even have to go, which was a HUGE blessing for me! The other two kids made me breakfast and gave me some presents and then we went to church. Brayden met us at church and then after church, my mom and sisters and my grandma came over to our house for a big brunch. After they all left we were able to relax for a few hours before going up to see Ross' mom and family in West Jordan. Nick and Libby (Ross' brother and his wife) have a new baby that has more hair than I have ever seen a newborn have. It's crazy!

Last weekend we went up to the Steele's family property up Nephi canyon and much to our surprise, we were able to see a bear while we were there. An adolescent black bear was up a tree, so after the DNR got it down and into a trap (a.k.a. a barrel) they let us see it. Poor Scooby, (that is our great dane) she was probably at least 3 times bigger than the bear but as soon as she heard the bear growl, she took off like a bolt of lightning! Good thing no one was in her way!

Lastly, it is now coming on Memorial Weekend, and apparently I am a lot older than I thought. I used to crave long weekends with thoughts of big bbq's with lots of friends, late nights full of games or movies, and just trying to pack as much fun into those 3 days as possible. However, I made my poor husband promise that we wouldn't have to go anywhere this weekend. That we could just stay home, and relax. I look forward to cleaning out the fridge, and cleaning my car. That is pretty much it. Other than that I will be catching up on the Desperate Housewives season finale, hopefully posting some new pictures to my blog, reading a good book in the tub complete with bubbles, and sleeping in. Aaaaaah, now that is my little piece of heaven.

Black Sunday

This past Sunday we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday, we had a blast! We all dressed in black, even the grandkids, and the girls all wore black netting veils over our faces. We had funeral potatoes to eat, and I made a cake for dessert that looked like tombstone. My mom was a good sport, and her neighbors all thought it was hilarious. Happy Birthday Mom!

What a cute little family!!

Cade's Drama

My little man Caden, he has such a heart of gold, but he has been having a bit of a rough time. A couple weeks ago he went running with me one morning before work and tripped, totally faceplanting onto the track at the high school. Then a short while later, he was using Grandpa Mac's treadmill and got his hand caught. Smart little guy that he is, he was able to pull the plug in order to get his hand out. Nothing was broken, luckily, and it looks like he is healing pretty well, hopefully no skin graphs will be needed. When we told him that he needs to be staying off the treadmill, that this was the whole reason we have forbidden kids to use the treadmill, he responds by saying that grandpa needs to hide the key better!! Leave it Cade to be able to make us laugh in a situation like this. Love you buddy!!

Big Announcement!

Not sure if any of you noticed, but i have a new title on my blog! Yep, as of April 26th, we will be known as the Lee family. Ross and I are getting married!! We will be having a small ceremony for close friends and family in Lehi at my grandpa's home. Ross owns a home in Springville, Utah, and we will be moving there. The kids are super excited, especially because Cade will no longer be the only boy, he is getting a brother, one that is his own age!! Brayden is Ross' son from his first marriage and is 6 years old and in kindergarten. They get along great, but the rhyming name thing makes it a little hard! Ross is a great guy and the 5 of us couldn't be happier!