It's been a while!

Has it really been a year (almost) since I've updated? Geez! So much has happened in the last year. We moved back in with my mom last year, which was a super smart move. And, as most of you know, my mom passed away on April 26, 2010. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with... EVER! I know she is in a better place and she's no longer unhappy. I have many, many, many regrets, but I also have the BEST memories of her. It was just me and my mom for 20 years of my life and I miss her so much. I thought it would be a good thing to share some of those memories in my blog post.

This may seem pretty strange to a lot of people, but because it was just my mom and me for so long in this house, we went to the bathroom with the door open :D haha. Anyways, one day my mom was "going potty" and a little neighbor boy walked through the front door. My mom hurried to finish her "business" and, super embarrassed, politely asked the little boy what he was doing. He asked if we had any popsicles. This little boy had never been to our house before, and I don't know if he's really considered a neighbor because he lives down the road and around the corner on a different block (?!?!) My mom thought it was so funny, but so embarrassing.

When I was younger my mom and I would go to Arctic Circle every Friday for dinner and then come home and watch the TGIF line up. Does anyone remember this? They played shows like Full House and Dinosaurs. That was like a ritual until I got to the age where I'd rather be with friends. There's regret #1. I wish I would have never broken that ritual.

I think my mom was a little hesitant when I started hanging out with Benny, but he wanted to prove to her that he was an alright guy, so he invited her out to dinner many times, and came to the house to see if she needed help with anything. She soon found that Benny is a great guy. He always made her laugh. After she passed away we were going through some of her things, and I found a little piece of paper in her purse that she was writing all sorts of "Benny Quotes" on. She had written down things that Benny said that made her laugh, like she never wanted to forget those things. One of the "quotes" she had written down was when Payton was about a year and a half old. Benny was telling Payton "Can you say Grandma? Can you say OLD Grandma? Can you say Dinosaur?" He always joked about her age, even though she was still very young, and she always laughed. They used to go back and forth with the "Nancy" "Yeah?" "Stinks!" bit. My mom always fell for it, but she rarely got Benny to fall for it :).

There are so many memories that I will cherish until the day I get to be with her again. I love you Mom! You will forever be in my thoughts and heart!

It's been a minute...

Wow... no post for almost two months! It's time for me to catch up. Let me try to update everyone on what's been going on with me and my family.

Right now, Payton is in the "dipping phase". He loves to dip his food into sauce and lick it off. Here are some picks of his Chicken Nugget and Ketchup Night.

I just had to take a picture of Khemri in her cute little hat. Our friend Jason's mom made it for her and it's adorable.

Payton and his dad have been doin a whole lot of nothing lately, just hangin out...

... and wrestling.

Benny got some more ink, but he's finished for a few months. He likes to do alot of swimming in the summer, and he doesn't want to miss out on that because of a new tattoo.

Some more pics of Payton and Khemri just hangin out.

We have had some fun in the last couple months, not all just lazing around. We took the kids to have a picnic and feed the ducks with their cousins in Idaho Falls. I have been waiting to do that ever since I found out I was pregnant with Payton. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are about feeding the ducks. Payton was such a good kid and he had alot of fun.

We finally set up Paytons Froggy pool and the kids had a blast.

Khemri learned how to roll over. This time must have been alot of work, she fell asleep in the middle of the action.

Bennys sister and her family came for a few days from Colorado. I wish I would have gotten more pics. His nephew will be staying with us for the summer.

AND... WE GOT OUR WEDDING RINGS!!! ISN'T MINE FABULOUS?!?!?! =)

Khemri's First Easter & Paytons First FUN Easter!

This year Easter was so fun! Payton is old enough now to play with toys and eat treats. Last year, he was the same age Khemri is now and they don't really care when they're that little. I loved buying all the fun things for their baskets though. Benny got a basket too. All the plastic eggs were filled with fishing lures, hooks, and bait. He loves to go fishing, and he liked my basket idea.

These were our babies baskets.

Their Easter outfits.

Payton loved his toy camera. He didn't put it down all morning.

But I think the biggest hit of Easter morning was the ring pop. De-Lish!

The Easter Bunny left a new bright red trike at Grandmas house. Paytons legs aren't long enough to ride it yet but it's adorable! My mom had a yummy Easter Dinner ready for us when we got there. We ate like Easter Kings. :)

Khemri looks SO pretty in her Easter dress, right? Man, she's a doll. Her new binkies suck though. She can't keep them in her mouth, even when Paytons not in the room.

A visit from Babu

My dad came for a visit a few weeks ago, bearing gifts from his trip to mexico. It's always nice to see him, even if it's only for a day or two.

Payton was SUPER interested in the keys attached to his grandpas belt loop. He had to try to do something to distract him so he'd look at the camera, not the keys.

So he held his keys up in the air... that did the trick.

Khemri was having a bad hair day aparently. :)