birthday

Magical Mousetery Tour | December 2015

Welcome to the next
MAGICAL MOUSETERY TOUR

I was so thrilled to receive a message from the team at Magical Mousetery Tour, inviting me to join in a fun Disney Blogtrain! I jumped at the chance to be creative again and anything Disney is just my favorite thing! In fact, when this post goes live, I will be at DISNEYLAND with my family!

Thanks for joining me here on my blog! If you haven’t been here before – please take a look around and make sure to download all my Freebies.

Take a look at all of my products in my store HERE.

This month, we are on exploring
A MAGICAL CELEBRATION

Pick up all the fun freebies on the tour to have a great mega kit full of papers and embellishments to scrap all of your Disney celebrations!

Check out my contribution:

DOWNLOAD LINK

Welcome aboard the December 2016 Magical Mousetery Tour. If you’re following the Tour route from start to finish, you should have arrived here from Magical Scrapper and your next stop will be Peppermint Creative. If you get lost along the way, head on back to the main Magical Mousetery Tour post to view the master list and get back on track.

Be sure to follow the tour through the BLOG and on FACEBOOK!

Have fun and please feel free to leave your comments, questions, and suggestions by leaving a comment! I love to hear from you!

Life 2014 | Beth’s 9th Birthday

We celebrated Beth’s Birthday a week before her actual birthday. She wanted a RAINBOW PARTY so that is what she got! We decorated with rainbow streamers, rainbow tablecloth, rainbow plates and cups, and rainbow balloons! We had a family party this year with Dad, Mom, JJ, (of course Beth), Uncle Aaron, Uncle Cody, Aunt Becki, and Cousin Mallory. For dinner we had Rainbow Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Rainbow Bread, and of course Rainbow Cake (with rainbow butterflies). She loved her gifts – she got: an Anna Costume, Horses and Girls from Horseland, a Black Sketch Notebook, Frozen Blu-Ray, and an awesome stuffed horse (Buttercup) that whinnies and responds to touch. Beth was so excited and it was really fun to spend the evening with family. We can’t believe she is really 9 – she’s just getting to be such a beautiful young lady and we love her!

– April 6, 2014 –

Here’s the layout I did:

I used my You Are My Sunshine and Fill ‘er Up Templates by Britt-ish Designs

Life 2013 | JJ’s 11th Birthday

My JJ turned 11 on January 26, 2013. I don’t know what happened to my little boy, but he is now just a young man. JJ is all about Phineas and Ferb, specifically Perry the Platypus, Angry Birds, and Star Wars, so that’s what his birthday was all about.

We had originally planned on visiting Grandpa and Grandma Smith for his birthday, but a nice big storm made its way through Utah and so we opted to stay home. We spent a casual day at home. We were awakened by a very excited JJ. All he could think about was opening his presents, so we decided to just let him do it, even though it was early.

He received: A Perry Pillow Pet, a Phineas and Ferb Game, an Angry Birds game, the complete Star Wars Movies on Blu-Ray, and 2 Star Wars Books. He was THRILLED and he pretty much hasn’t put down his Perry Pillow Pet since then. It has become his constant pal – I think if we could get a real platypus for a pet – he would be over the moon!

He played all day and then we had his favorite pizza for dinner and brownies with ice cream and hot fudge! We ended the day playing the wacky Phineas and Ferb game that is quickly becoming one of our favorites. Everyone really had fun using the Perry Blindfold from the game. We even got Uncle Aaron to join us!

Happy Birthday, Agent J!

I’m so blessed to have you as my boy!

Here’s my layout:

I used a template and Just the Way You Are by SuzyQ Scraps plus a few elements of my own!

Life 2012 | Spring Break

This is going to be a rather long post….but I needed to get the memories posted!

Amidst an emergency room visit and sickness, our Spring Break Vacation was actually a time of relaxation and peace. I really enjoyed the time of leisure. I mostly stayed away from the computer. We watched movies, we played the Wii, we did puzzles, I made meals for the family, and we just spent quality time together. It’s just nice to get away from normal life from time to time.

It all kind of started on Wednesday, April 4th when the kids and I used different flavors of Kool-Aid to dye our Easter Eggs. It was so fun and I can’t wait to try new flavors out next year. Before we dyed the eggs, the kids used crayons to draw designs on the eggs. We found out that the blue Kool-aid turned out the best!

The next day (April 5th) the kids still had to go to school and I cleaned and packed and prepared for our trip. In the evening, Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen and Uncle Clint arrived. We had a good visit before all heading off to bed.

Friday, April 6th, the kids skipped school and helped me with the last of the cleaning and packing. Grandpa and Grandma had some errands to run as well. Finally in the afternoon we we were ready to leave. We traveled the 2 1/2 – 3 hours to Eden, Utah, also stopping to pick up some KFC for dinner.

We arrived at our vacation condo and started unpacking and settling in. I was taking the last stuff up the stairs to Joey and I’s room and Beth and JJ followed me up the stairs. We had opened the windows because it was a little stuffy. As I went through the door with Beth close on my heels, there was a gush of wind that slammed the bedroom door shut……with Beth’s poor left ring finger with it. She just happened to be turning around to talk to her brother and her finger was right by the hinge when this all happened. I quickly opened the door and was shocked to see the blood pouring from Beth’s finger. I was also shocked to see that I could actually see Beth’s bone and the skin around her fingernail was just hanging off. Beth took one look at her finger and just started bawling, with the tears streaming down her face. I went into panic mode and Joey ran up the stairs and picked up his little girl and ran her to the kitchen.

After a quick Priesthood blessing and getting some ice for her finger, we rushed off to the hospital that was 1/2 hour away in Ogden. Thank goodness that Grandpa & Grandma were there to take care of JJ. Beth was in a lot of pain on the way down. Joey is amazing when things happen – he stays completely calm, while I panic. He drove, while I held on to Bethie Girl. We tried to keep her distracted, but she was in pain and really scared to go to the hospital. We started talking about how it could have been worse and it was awesome to hear Beth say, “Well, it could have been worse – it was my left hand instead of my right hand, so now I can still use my right hand.” We kept talking about how much we were blessed and it really seemed to help her.

Once we got to the hospital (at about 6:30pm), things got a lot worse. Beth was really scared to be at the hospital for some reason, even though we told her that now we had doctors/nurses to take care of her. The worst 15 minutes or so of my life were when they brought in the big needle to numb up her hand. She screamed and we had to hold her down and tears were gushing out of her eyes and she just kept saying, “No, I don’t want it, please don’t let them do it!” They gave her 2 shots by the knuckles of her finger and it was so hard to watch that happen. I just held her other hand and kept whispering calming words to her, as my own tears flowed from my eyes. I wished so hard that I could take it for her. It even made Joey tear up, not being able to do anything for our little girl. But finally that was over and it numbed her finger so well. It took the pain completely away from her and it was such a relief for all of us. Beth had to get a x-ray of her finger and it was actually kind of a fun adventure for her since it didn’t hurt anymore. She liked that they showed her the pictures of her hand. She was fine seeing the x-ray picture, but she wouldn’t look at her finger anymore (ever since that one glance at it after it first happened). It was extremely scary for her.

Another relief came when they told us that nothing was broken. Unfortunately, they had to call in a hand surgeon and he was at the other hospital, busy with other patients. We ended up waiting about 4 hours before he was able to meet with us. In the meantime, we watched some tv, played on my phone, and the nurses brought Beth some coloring pages to color. It was such a relief to have her out of pain. Joey and I both went through some waves of emotions about having our daughter go through something like this, but we made it through.

Finally the hand surgeon showed up. Unfortunately by that time the pain meds were wearing off and they had to give her another couple of shots. It wasn’t as bad this time because it was mostly numb. Then, they cleaned the wound up and the surgeon sewed her up, using 4 stitches. They let us know that they call it a partial amputation and she would eventually lose her fingernail, but that it would heal just fine. They put a splint on her finger, bandaged it up (in pretty purple and blue bandages), and sent us on our way. It was after 11pm at this point and we were tired and hungry. We stopped to get some ibuprofen and tylenol at Smith’s before heading back to the vacation home. On the way home, Beth’s finger started throbbing and I was sure that we were going to be in for a long night. Beth kept asking “why did this have to happen” and “this is the worst vacation ever.”

When we arrived, we found JJ still awake and really glad to see us. He had been pretty anxious and worried about his sister. He gave a bit of a hard time for Grandpa and Grandma. We were able to visit with him for a bit and get him to go to sleep. Grandpa was already in bed and Grandma and Uncle Clint were ready to go to sleep too. We got Beth in her pajamas and put her in bed with us. By this point she was not hungry, but Joey and I took turns eating. Then, Beth just konked right out and surprisingly didn’t wake up all night. Joey and I did not sleep well after the whole ordeal and thinking that Beth was going to be in pain.

There was a few times where Beth needed some medicine, but throughout the whole vacation, she was just happy and calm. The prayers offered by all of our friends/family were heard and answered by our loving Heavenly Father. I know that he was with us and I just feel so blessed. Beth was able to enjoy the vacation and, besides just having to use one hand most of the time, did really well. I’m just so grateful for this true miracle that our family experienced.

On Saturday, April 7th, we had planned on going on a hike, but we decided that that wouldn’t be a good idea for Beth. So, Grandpa and Grandma went into Ogden to run some errands and meet Uncle Lane. We had a quiet morning just kind of settling in and relaxing. I began making preparations for the evening’s Easter dinner by making some crescents, putting the ham in the crockpot, and preparing the funeral potatoes. Uncle Clint and JJ were quite the buddies and had a good time playing the Wii together.

After Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Lane returned, we went on a drive around the Pineview Reservoir and explored the surroundings. It was quite the adventure with “Hospital trips, billboard watching, dead ends, and bears with chainsaws!” Just kind of a joke that came up as we were driving. We were driving around, getting a little lost, finding deadends and billboards, and all kinds of funny things. We were saying how this vacation was just so exciting, being sarcastic, and it ended up being pretty fun because we were all together and that’s what really mattered anyway. We were able to find President David O. McKay’s home in Huntsville on our drive.

After we returned from our drive, I stuck the food into the oven to cook, while Uncle Clint and Uncle Lane took my kids on a Easter Egg Hunt. Grandpa, Grandma, Joey, and I sat down and watched “Sons of Katie Elder.” It’s always fun to watch a John Wayne with my Dad.

Then we had a wonderful Easter Dinner together. I am so happy that we were able to spend this time with my parents and brothers. It was so great to just have some fun times together.

On Easter Morning (April 8th), we woke up and had did our traditional Resurrection Rolls and talked about the Savior. I also started a new tradition with some special plastic eggs, filled with scriptures and a special symbol that represented the scripture. It was special to read these with Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Lane and Clint. The Easter Bunny found us too. There was candy and the kids got Squinkees – Beth’s was Disney Princess and JJ’s was Disney Cars. The kids had a fun time playing with their squinkies throughout the rest of the vacation.

It was sad to say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Lane and Uncle Clint. It was so fun to have them stay a couple of days with us.

Most of the rest of the vacation wasn’t really eventful, but it was nice to just spend time together.

We played the Wii and watched lots of movies:

We did a lot of coloring and crafting and decorating:

We went on walks and played at the park:

We did lots of puzzles:

We made treats and just spent lots of quality time together as a family. I feel so blessed for my hubby and children.

Our last big adventure was that we celebrated Beth’s 7th Birthday during our vacation. On Thursday, April 12th, we started the day with a special treasure hunt for Beth to find her birthday gifts. The clues were written by her Dad and they all rhymed! It even included a clue, put up on the Wii – the kids thought that was awesome!

Once the presents were found – Beth had to open them! She got some Magic Treehouse Books, a jump rope, a princess dvd game, kids headphones, and the highlight……an ipod touch, with lots of fun apps, including books already installed! (actually we just converted my old iphone into an ipod touch for her – the phone part doesn’t work now. 🙂 Beth was THRILLED!

We then had to have cake and ice cream!

Then we headed off to Ogden to have a checkup on Beth’s finger. Everything looked great. They said she would need to keep the splint on her finger for 3 more weeks, but could have the stitches out in a week.

The sad part of the day was dropping Dad off at the Trax Frontrunner station. Joey had to do his podcast and a Political Convention, so he wasn’t able to spend the last couple of days with us.

After returning to our condo we had breakfast for dinner, more cake, and lots of playing with Beth’s new toys! She said (like she says every year), “it was the best birthday ever!” She’s so excited to be able to text her cousin, Whitnee every day now! She loves all the fun, educational games I put on there and I even got her some Rainbow Magic Fairy e-books that she can read. She was even thrilled that now she can read her scriptures on her ipod too! Definitely a hit!

Well, we started the vacation with chaos, that I guess we needed to end it with some chaos as well. I was in the shower on Sunday morning, when Beth ran in and said that JJ was acting really weird and shaking. He had been experiencing what I thought was just allergies, but it turns out that it turned into a sinus infection, which included a fever. I ran down the stairs in a towl, with shampoo still in my hair. JJ was having a seizure (after a couple of years without one). I had really hoped he had finally outgrew his febrile seizures. 🙁 By the time I got there, the seizure was over, but he was still unconscious. It freaked me out a bit because this time, he still had his eyes open. I held my boy for awhile, just making sure he was breathing okay and whispering prayers up to Heavenly Father. Finally when I calmed myself down, I asked Beth to keep an eye on him while I ran up and finished my shower. JJ was still sleeping, as I hurried to pack the car with all of our stuff. He finally woke up and we spent some time with him, giving him a shower and meds and just making sure he was alright. Beth was a real trooper and stayed calm – even helping me to calm down. We finally got everything loaded and we left Eden about noon. It was such a relief to get home and be with Joey. He was so devastated that he hadn’t been there to help. But, JJ was doing much better by the time we got home. (Of course the next day we went to the doctor and got meds and he stayed home for the first couple of days of school the next week – but everything was fine.)

So that was our Spring Break 2012 Adventures! It’s never completely sane, but we still had a good time! Now onto our next adventures of this life…..

Life 2012 | J.J. turns Ten!

JJ turned 10 on January 26th. I can’t believe my little boy is 10 already. He has gone through a lot in is young life as we struggled with his developmental delays and the eventual diagnosis of Autism. But I’m so proud of him for all he has accomplished and the person he is becoming.

I wanted to share 10 things about who JJ is at this time in his life:

1. He is so excited about everything. He always seems to have a inner delight about even the little things in life.

2. He has an amazing memory and can remember even the littlest things about life or things people say, even if you don’t think he is listening or noticing what is going on around him, HE IS.

3. He loves video games. Getting a DS for his birthday was a huge event in his life. The first thing he talks or asks about every day is that DS and the games. “Can I play the DS as soon as I get home?” He also loves to play on the Wii and computer games. He has a bit of trouble with the coordination of it sometimes, but he keeps trying and enjoys it even if he loses. He also LOVES to just watch other people play, especially his Dad.

4. He loves going to Cub Scouts. Its hard for him sometimes with the requirements and the things he has to do – but he still loves to go. I’m so grateful for the leaders and the other boys who are patient with him and make him feel like he belongs.

5. Everyday when JJ gets home from school, I read little notes from his teachers and they always say how happy he is and how helpful he is with everyone. It’s so good to hear. Sometimes we struggle at home with him getting overwhelmed and overstimulated and it causes fights and grumpiness with his sister and us (his parents), but its so nice to know that he is so happy with everyone else. He’s happy at home too (most of the time), but its good to know he gets along so well with the teachers and the other students in his Life Skills Class.

6. He loves FOOD. It seems like we can never fill that skinny little tummy of his. He will eat twice as much as I do and still be hungry. He rarely has things he doesn’t like and its nice to just put something in front of him and have him eat it. Not sure what we are going to do when he is a teenager as he is already eating us out of house and home!

7. JJ ADORES the show Phineas and Ferb. His favorite character is Agent P/Perry. He just loves everything about it. He’s always pretending to be Agent P and playing with his Phineas and Ferb toys. He loves talking about the show and reading about the show and playing the show. It’s pretty much all we hear about from him.

8. JJ is very helpful. He hardly ever complains when I ask him to do chores and little things to help me around the house.

9. JJ has a movie bug just like his parents. He loves watching movies and tv shows. Even though you would think it would be an overstimulator (and it can be sometimes) – most of the time, it is something that actually calms him when he needs a little down time.

10. JJ loves to travel. While I can’t wait to take him on a plane someday, cause I know he’ll love it, but for now he loves to travel in the car and he loves taking the school bus everyday. And he loves riding on trains and the TRAX. He is very content to gaze out the window and see where we are going. I’m never sure what is running through his head, but I’m sure its inspiring and its fun to watch his delighted eyes as he gazes out that window!

I love you JJ and I’m so happy to be your mom.

JJ was so excited about his birthday and he had a great day! I just thought I would share some of the fun he had that day.

He was so excited that his birthday fell on a Thursday – which is pizza day at his school. Pizza is his favorite. Even better, it was parent teacher conferences this week and they invited parents to come to lunch with their kids. So I got to go have a picnic with JJ in his school’s gym on his birthday! I also brought donuts for him to share with his class and he was so excited about that.

While JJ was at school, I spent the morning/afternoon (after going to lunch with him), creating a Agent P cake for him. I first made 4 mini cookie cakes. (I just made my red velvet cookies and put some cream cheese frosting in between each layer). I think I did about 5 cookies on each little cake. Then I frosted the cakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Then, I used fondant for the first time to create the Agent P, that I put in the middle. It didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned, but it was pretty good. I used green sprinkles on top of the cakes to look like Agent P was peeking out of the grass/ground to head out on a spy adventure. I admit that cake decorating is not my forte, but JJ loved it and that’s all that mattered.

After school, JJ got to watch some movies and play. For dinner, of course, we had Pizza and JJ was so happy to have it twice in one day!

Then the moment he was waiting for…his presents. I wasn’t quite able to capture how truly happy he was when he opened his Nintendo DS. It was really like a dream come true for him. The rest of his presents were games and additional stuff to go with the DS. (Oh and of course he wore his Perry Shirt on his birthday).

And then of course we had to blow out candles and eat cake and ice cream before going to bed! And JJ got overly excited about the blowing out candles too as you can see in the photos! I’m so glad JJ had such a fabulous 10th birthday!

Wednesday SayingZ | Birthday Quotes

{ This week’s quotes }

A birthday is just the first day of another 365 day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.
– Author Unknown –

Age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying you.
– Author Unknown –

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
– Mark Twain –

A true friend remembers your birthday, but not your age.
– Author Unknown –

Yep, today is my birthday. I am 32 years old. 32 just happens to my favorite number – so this should be a really great year, right?

Wednesday SayingZ I am a collector of quotes/sayings/titles and I am excited to share them with you each Wednesday. I hope they will inspire you and make your day a little better! I am also creating pieces of wordart with these quotes and will be offering them to you as a freebie! Feel free to use them in your scrapbooks or just print them out for wall decor!