Update!

I mailed out Christmas cards with our blog info on them, which is so much easier then a family newsletter! However, I haven't been that great on updating the blog! Well, I am finally on break from school, so guess what?? I will be updating all week! We have had such an amazing and CRAZY 2011 year! So come back to see some more! :)

Finally...Updates!!

I started the "catch up" post in October, so here is April to October with some of my favorite pics:

So I have been way behind on blogging! Try 7 months behind! And we have had so many things happen in 7 months, so I am catching up!! We will start with the most recent and go back to April! If you know me, I take lots of pictures, but blogger takes forever to post, so I only put up a few of my favorites! Crazy how time flies!

October:

This month went so quickly for us! I love halloween and always try to find a family theme for us to dress up as. Kaden wanted to be a shark, so I decided to be a mermaid and Patrick was a fisherman with mermaid bait (big shiny rings) and shark bait (lots of candy)! I had a hard time finding a shark costume I really liked and finally found a potterybarn one in Charlotte, North Carolina! Thankfully, Kaden and I took a quick visit to my mom in South Carolina and were able to pick it up! We got to spend time with my mom and sisters, as well as my uncle who is stationed in Japan and his wife and baby. It was good to see my grandma and aunts and uncles and Kaden loves to play with his cousins! We went to the state fair, boo at the zoo, carved pumpkins, and spent some time to play and just be toghher! We had lots of fun, and as always, it went by to quickly. For halloween, we went to Jodie and Dennis' new house for a costume party and to do some greatly anticipated trick or treating!! In Utah, since halloween fell on a Sunday, most of the state celebrated on Saturday, so we did all of our tricking Saturday night, and even though it rained, it was lots of fun and filled with too much candy!!

September:

This month we celebrated Patrick's 30th birthday! We were going to go to Vegas originally, but with work, school, the hunting season, and the rest of life!!! it didn't work out. So instead, I threw a surprise Vegas themed birthday party! I had an amazing cake made with the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, PATTY bingo, a late game of poker, a fajita barr, and lots of fun with friends and family! We also went on our annual friend Waweep trip! It is so nice to spend a few days with our friends and have fun out on the boats, around the campfire and for all the kids to get to play together. We missed Spencer and Shalynn this year, as they were having a new baby girl! We still had a blast though and look forward to next year!

August:

August was another month loaded with activities! We had the Lierd family reunion, lots of camping, and water fun! It rained and was a little cold at the reunion, but we still had fun playing horseshoes, which I did learn to play this year and got quite a few ringers, to my surprise! We took 4wheel and rhino rides, had yummy food, and a good time with all the family! My dad also came down for a visit to Hanksville and we had a geat time sight seeing and taking the boat out for a Sunday ride!

July:

We love the 4th and the 24th of July! Of course, we went to Hanksville for all the festivities and we brought some friends with us. They helped us haul some hay at Patrick's mom's house and then enjoyed the parade, bbq, dance, and fireworks! It is such a great time and I am so glad we get to go down there!

June:

Another hot summer month, so of course, we needed to spend ample time on the lake! We went on the houseboat for a few days and then took a great ride on the lake and went to some Indian ruins, which I had never seen before. They were so neat! The water ended up being so nice this trip and we got a great spot to park the houseboat! Wakeboarding was the goal and the water was perfect for it! We also went to Colorado for the Rivera family reunion! My sisters made it from South Carolina as well as my cousins from Arizona! We had so much fun and to get all the family together, well that happens every 12 to 120 years, so it was great!! We had some great family pictures and celebrated grandmas 3o-something birthday- haha!! I love my family, and love spending time with all of them!

May:

Yet another crazy month! I can't believe it, but my baby turned 3!! We celebrated with a water birthday party that started at home, but ended up at the Legacy Center, as it rained and made our slip and slides too cold for the kids. Kaden had so much though! He didn't even need presents, I think he just loves having all the kids over to play!

We went to Lagoon on his birthday, and I found out that my little baby loves rollercosters and park rides! He couldn't get enough! He also had his lastday of school party and we absolutely loved his teacher this year! We made it home from Hawaii the first week of May and the craziness never seemed to slow down! The summer was a blur!

April:

April's flights bring May tavels!! Whew April seems like it happend in the air! I flew to South Carolina to take Kaden to stay with my mom and sisters, grandma and aunts and uncles for 2 1/2 weeks, while we were in Hawaii! I have never spent that much time away from him, so while we were on vacation, it was still sad to have him gone for so long! He had a great time with my family though and really got to know them! I couldn't have asked for a better sitter!! I left on a Wednesday to take him to SC and came back on Saturday to a house completely painted!! Patrick knew I wanted the whole house painted, so while I was gone, Quinton and him painted..alot! It looks beautiful and was a great Mother's Day surprise! We got pedicures Saturday night and jumped on the 5am flight out to Maui. We had a fantastic time! We look forward to our annual friend trips with no kids, as it gives us time to relax and spend time together with no kids and no worries! This time to Maui, we did a few things we had done before, but also a few things we hadn't! We missed Ashley and Scott on this trip, as they stayed home with a sick baby! We still had a blast with Whitnie and Mark and Spencer and Shalynn. We went on a helicopter tour, snorkeling at Molokini again, but this time we also went to Turtle Bay and Patrick was face to face with a sea turtle! I enjoy snorkeling so so much! We tried paddle boarding and hung out at a few beaches we hadn't been to. Of course, we went to Hana, the boys and Whitnie went waterfall jumping, we went hiking, and swiming, and enjoyed the scenery! A luau and dinner at the PuPu Lounge, of course is also a must and we can't wait to move there...one day! It was a great vacation! can't wait for next year! We also are enjoying thecompany of Patrick's nephew Quinton. He is such a great addition to the family and Kaden loves having another person to play with! He is a fun young man and we enjoy having him around!!

(one of the biggest waterfalls in the world...from our helicopter ride)

(View from our helicopter)

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY11GreatWest?pg=entry&fr_id=28085

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY11GreatWest?pg=entry&fr_id=28085

The American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society:

Making Strides! TEAM AWESOME!

It has been a while since I have written, and I am planning on updating this weekend! Right now though, I am focused on the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event! I am currently just a few hundred dollars from my goal and need all the help I can get! Will you help me?? Please go to the posting above and click on THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY and donate! Even $5.00 will make a difference! I appreciate anything you can do!
Thanks, Candace and TEAM AWESOME!

Happy Mother's Day!... this is a long one!!!

So I know this is almost a week late, but Happy Mother's Day! After South Carolina, Hawaii, and a visit from my mom, I haven't had time to catch up until now! But I do want to say a few things about mothers, mine in particular!! I love her! I have always appreciated my mom, even if we didn't agree (mostly during my teen years! hehe!), but specifically, while she watched Kaden the last 2 weeks, I have a new appreciation for her as a grandmother! I never had to second guess if my child was being taken care of, treated kindly, or listened to. After seeing the bond Kaden and my mom had when she brought him back last weekend, I KNOW that she did all the above and so so so much more! Kaden has great communication skills and speaks very well. You have to listen to him , though and understand what he is telling you or he gets frustrated. My mom takes the time to understand what he is asking for and telling her and I can tell he enjoys talking with her! He understands everything and I know she understands him! He is so picky and a little OCD about how he likes things and she recognizes that and makes him feel comfortable. She loved on him so much and there wasn't a day they didn't have some activity planned, even if it was just a walk down the street to look at the flowers and trees. My grandmother is also a special lady!! She watched Kaden while my mom worked some days and he loves his GG so much! She loves him too and I love that! I don't think I have ever had a babysitter that I have loved so much! I wish my grandma were here so she could tend Kaden while I work and finish school!

Aside from being a great grandma, my mom is a great mom! I know she tried her hardest at everything and worked to support her children and their dreams. Though there were times I thought she was too strict, I know that the private school, strict curfews, and no nonsense parenting resulted in the person I am today! I can only hope that I aquire the work ethic my mom has and her drive and determination to acheive excellence. Even though my mom may at times have a tough exterior, and down to business attitude, when I was growing up, I would catch glimpses of this sweet, compassionate woman, that I have come to respect and admire in my adult life. A great example of this is when she had a terminal cancer patient. I felt like I knew this patient, as my mom spent the weekend nights at her home, managing her pain and offering comfort and care above and beyond what is required of home health care and hospice. I would often hear of this woman and the nights she would have and stories from her life, as my mom shared these, along with her personal experience nursing and providing quality care to a dying woman. In any job my mom does, she has this personal compassionate touch. Of course she strives for excellence, but a piece of her heart is always assisting in that perfection. I come from a very generous family, on both sides, and another favorite moment with my mother is when we were eating dinner one night at a buffet, and a large church youth choir's bus had broken down and they ended up there. When the youth pastor went to pay the bill, he had realized they didn't have enough money. My mom overheard this and looked at me and my sisters and took a vote on whether we should pay for their dinner. We all said yes, not realizing the sacrifice this would be for my mother. She walked up to the counter and paid $400 for their dinner! She asked to remain anonymous, but the youth pastor saw what she did and asked what church she went to. Months had passed and in a financial meeting with our pastor, my mom had noted the large expense that was the cost of that dinner. The pastor went to the secretary and took out a letter. The church choir had written a letter of thanks to the church for their member that was faithful and gave what she had. I know that youth pastor went on to tell that story and I cannot contemplate the number of lives that were touch by my mom's faithful giving attitude! That was an amazing selfless example that I pray I can pass on to my children. She has always recognized when the Lord has provided for her and has always stopped to thank Him. I am proud of my mother and I love her and wish we lived closer!! There isn't a day that goes by that I wish I could just run over to my mom's house and get her advice, go shopping with her, or just sit and drink some rasberry tea on the back porch and talk to her while she gardens. Maybe one day, if I could get my husband used to humidity, we will! Love you mom!!! and thank you for you have done, do, and will do!!

All the mothers in my life are so special! My grandmothers, in South Carolina and Colorado are two AMAZING women...I do not think I could have survived living in the time they did!! I rely on pedicures WAY TO MUCH! They have both raised some of the best people in the world!! REALLY! Besides my parents, my aunts and uncles are forces to be reckoned with! I think between my family, we could run a small country from healthcare to education, to finances, agricultural developement, firefighting, to social services, these people are some of the best in their fields! My heros do not come from popular figures in the world, no, my heros are my family! With my grandmothers being the heads of this family, they have completed nothing short of raising successful, kind, loving individuals, who have acheived many things I hope to in the future. Of course my grandmothers have shaped their lives and I love them for their sacrifices and love, which in turn gives me one INCREDIBLE family!

And of course, my mother-in-law...thank you for giving birth to the love of my life, best friend, and husband! It was the choices you made that gave me the opportunity to have the life that has unfolded. Thanks for sticking in there and years later having my hubby! Thankyou for your kindness and thoughtfulness as I moved to Utah (of all places!) to start a new life in marriage. We appreciate you!

Salt Lake City Marathon

So if you didn't already know, it has been confirmed.....my husband is a STUD!

Patrick and Mace! Patrick finished in 784th place out over over 4,600!! Their time was 1hr. 50 min. and 2 sec.! That is 7-8 minute miles!! Way to go guys! They never stopped running!

Patrick , Trail, and Mace

On Saturday, he ran the Salt Lake City half marathon with a few friends! He did so great and I am so proud of him! It was fun to see Mace and Amanda! So glad to spend the weekend with good friends and activities!

Here they come!

And there they go!

Kaden was a little grumpy (it was very early on a Saturday!) waiting for dad to come down the finish line, but when Patrick was done, Kaden was so excited and had fun splashing around in the water and playing with the Signing Time Frog! My friend Amanda has some photos, so I will put those up when I get them from her! He was so dang cute with the frog!

The Gateway was so fun! Lots to do and see and of course a little shopping afterwards made it just right!