The first big snowfall......SAD!!!!

This is Bruce when he finished shoveling during a snow storm. Funny that the snow collected on his bushy eyebrows. Man, do I miss those bushy eyebrows.

This brings tears to my eyes to share this story but it needs to be done for healing reasons:

Alan got up early this morning to use his new snow blower. Little did I know it brought back some good memories, but made for a sad day. He's been waiting to use it and I was expecting him to act like a little boy on Christmas morning. When I looked outside I could see he had done clear down the street. WOW, he really was excited....so I thought. Later in the morning, when I spoke to him on the phone, he said he remembered his dad getting off work at 4 or 5 a.m. and shoveling the whole block. He did this so the kids wouldn't have to walk in the snow for school. I could hear the crack in Alan's voice. The snow had reminded him of his dad. This is one of the many "1st without Bruce" we have experienced over the last 9 months!!!

WE MISS BRUCE SOOOO MUCH!!!

The saying is true, "You don't know what you've got til it's gone." My sweet husband has learned so many good things from Bruce and has acquired some really sweet and kind qualities from his dad. He reminds me more of him each day. We miss you Bruce and will always remember all the selfless things you did throughout your life for everyone else.

New family pictures!!!

Here are our new family pictures. My dear friend Kelli took them. She does such an amazing job. We didn't get one of all 3 girls because Kamryn was only happy for about 2 minutes (long enough to get one good picture of her) and that's all.

I LOVE FALL!!!

Fall is probably my most favorite time of year. I love the smell

outside. I love the feel of the crisp morning air. I love the

colors of Fall. I love decorating for Fall. I love making crockpot

soups. I love the smell of rhodes rolls rising. I love the Fall

scentsy smells. I love getting out my sweaters to wear. I love

that it's not so hot outside. I love that my girls can play more

outside without heat exhaustion. I love that I gave birth to my

little Lauryn in the Fall. I have some wonderful memories of

Fall. Most important, it seems like Fall is a good time for a

fresh start. It's like that every year. It's nice to clear my

thoughts and start fresh with new things. No other season is like that for me. I LOVE FALL!!!

I can't post a page without pictures. So here's a few of Kamryn. I've taken a lot of Lauryn and Maddie but not so much of Kamryn lately. So, I took a bunch of her for a few days to make up for it.


Me and the girls cleaning. I've trained them well.


Kamryn devouring her corn on the cob.

Look at that cute pony tail. Can you believe how much hair she has.

This is often what Kamryn looks like when she wakes up from her nap. She has wild and crazy hair. Ohhhhh, I LOVE IT!!!!

My Kamryn's 1 year old pictures

Yesterday, I borrowed my dear friend Jenica's camera (Thanks Jenica) and took some pictures of my girls. I had a great time taking them. I didn't realize how fun photography could me. I guess with the right equipment anything can be fun, yes anything.... ha-ha. Anyway, I posted a few pics of them. Let me know what you think.







This one's a little yellow!!!



This one's a little washed out!!!


I don't think I did too bad of a job for an amateur!!!

Summer Fun!!!

( Kamryn in the dog kennel...silly girl )

Wow, life goes by fast. I wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive in the blogging world, it just hasn't been top priority for me the last few months. Kamryn turned 1 on the 9th of July. She's so big and walking everywhere. Lauryn is excited to start Kindergarten and Maddie can't stop talking about going to dance. Summer has gone by too fast. I've posted some pics of the girls. Enjoy!!!


(Maddie in the tent...we camped over night in the backyard)


(Kamryn and me opening presents on her birthday)

( Maddie swimming...She would much rather sun bathe than swim)


( Kamryn swimming on her birthday. Thank Aunt Holly and Uncle Jason for letting us have a party at your house and swim in your pool)

( Hayley and Lauryn at the Roy Aquatic Center)

(Kamryn and Grandma Kathy at the Cherry Days Parade)

(Lauryn and Kamryn snuggling in the recliner)

Spring, Yeah!!!

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been really busy and blogging hasn't been on my top 10 list. But, Alan's sister, Jamie, just posted a spotlight on Lauryn and I logged on to read it. I figured I'm here so I might as well post. I realized how much I've missed reading blogs. I've been trying to accomplish some other goals I've set for myself and my time is limited (like everyone else, I know) Life is good, busy, but good. I've been enjoying the nice weather and taking advantage of every moment I have with my girls. I love them so much. I wanted to post some pics of them to show you how much they've grown over the last few months. It's crazy how fast time flies :)

I Licked a BIRDBATH in an elevator because I can !!!

Just Fun To Do...Please try!!!

Pick the month you were born:

January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbour
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:

1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White---------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself!

This was on my dear friend, April's blog. It's pretty funny and gave me a good laugh. You should check it out and let me know what you came up with. I could use some good laughs.

Alan was pretty funny...I danced with my brother at the dinner table because that's how I roll.

Madalyn's was funny too...I kicked a squirrel sliding down a hill because I think I need some serious help.

Lauryn's was the best....I sang to a homeless guy in a hole becuase I'm cool like that!!!

We're back!!!

To start off with good news...Lauryn has lost her two first teeth. This is a picture of her with her $$$. The first came out easy but the second was pretty hard to get out and very painful. It was hanging on for dear life. She deserved every penny she got from the Tooth Fairy. Great job Lauryn!!!

( They're buddies)

Life has been crazy this last month. I haven't done much blogging. As most of you probably know my sweet father-in-law passed away the end of February. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. My sweet Alan has had a very hard time and it hurts me so bad to see him go through this. Alan's mom, Kathy, is really struggling and I wish so bad I could take her pain away. I can't even imagine how they are feeling right now. I know how sad I feel and I can't imagine how they feel. We're so lucky to have each other to lean on. I have learned one very important lesson (which I've known before) but have never really had to live it. That is, it doesn't matter what clothes we wear, what cars we drive or how big our house is. What matters is who we love and how we show it. You never know what might happen tomorrow, so make today count. Alans mom has put pictures everywhere in her house of her and Bruce throughout their life together. I love seeing him everywhere. It reminds me of what a great life they had together. One picture frame says "Some people come into our life and end up changing our world" This has become one of my favorite phrases. It is so true.

On a happier note...I downloaded pictures from my camera and this is what I found....

HMMMMM. I wonder who it was taking pictures with my camera????? MADDIE!!!!

...Yummy Mac and Cheese...

...Nice Alphabet ....

....Very artistic....a little crooked... but nice...


...I've saved the best for last......

...don't encourage her Daddy...ha ha .....

GOOD TIMES...GOOD TIMES.... I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Wow, what a beautiful temple!!!

Yesterday, we went to the Draper Temple Open House. Alan took the day off work and just the 5 of us went down together as a family. It was such a great experience. The girls we so behaved and reverent while we were there. Maddie kept telling all of us the "SHHHHH, we in duh tempa" They walked around quietly and held hands. Everyone kept smiling at them and they would politely say "Hello." I was so proud of them. The celestial room was amazing. When we walked in Kamryn kept staring at the chandalier and was cooing and smiling. It was like she was talking to the Lord and was so happy to see him. It was so touching, I started to cry. I am so proud of my family. They are one of the best things in my life. The temple is a special place and I am so grateful that becuase of temples I can be with my family forever.

My First!!!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No, I miss counted my cycle.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? only on the weekends (Alan's comment)

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? shocked but happy

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? uhhhhhh, NOOOOOOOOO

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 23

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I took a test and Alan was the first one to look. He told me it was negative and acted sad. Then he let me look at it and what happened next...I smiled and slugged him :)

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My mom

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes

9. DUE DATE? November 1st, 2003

10.DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? I was nausious but only threw up a few times til about 16 weeks. Then I was just fine.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? I really can't remember what I craved but I remember what I hated. Chinese food and chips and salsa...That changed with the other pregnancies

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Everyone and everything. I'm a bear when I'm pregnant...ask my sister

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? My georgous little girl.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY??about 55 pounds...WOW!!!

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?I knew about them

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No, I was very lucky.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? McKay Dee Hospital.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? about 10 miserable hours.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My sweet husband, ALAN.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?My mom, Deanne, my sister, Jenn, and Alan's sister, Holly.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I can't handle pain very well so of course I had an epidoral. It made me sicker than a dog but I was grateful for it.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs 7 oz

WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? October 30, 2003

WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Lauryn Taylor Marietti

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5 years old going on 13

I now tag anyone who reads this.

Who says pretzels are for eating?

At our house we don't eat pretzels we stick them in our noses...

and make funny faces...

...Although, Lauryn didn't enjoy it too much...

...So, we're a little strange. Life's too short to do things the same as everyone else. We've had a crazy day today and what better way to end it than sticking pretzels in our noses. Is it the weekend yet?