Carter turns 5

Carter celebrated his 5th birthday on October 4th. I can't believe how fast the past 5 years have gone. We let him pick where he wanted to eat and he chose Red Robin (not because he loves to eat there, but because they have video games in the waiting area). Then we headed back to our house to open presents and have Star Wars cake and ice cream. Ryan's Applonie grandparents came along with Ryan's parents and our bestest friends, the Thomas family. It was a fun day for a great kid! We love you Carter and we are so glad you're part of our family.

The birthday boy!

Awesome Star Wars cake-Ryan gets all the credit for this one the only thing I did was buy the wrong cake decorating supplies. :)

Our little buddy Sean, he LOVED the cake and ice cream!

Rylee with Sean (future husband and wife)!

Doing Big Kid Things

Being a mom is great (most of the time), but one of the bittersweet things for me is to watch my kids get bigger and older. It's sweet because they are so cute and fun and it's amazing how much they are learning, but it's bitter because it's sad to think of the babies they once were and how fast the time has gone by. This fall both of our kids began knew adventures. Carter started preschool and Rylee started dance lessons. They both LOVE what they are doing, and that is the pay off right there, it's hard to see them get big but they are both so happy, I have to be happy too!

Rylee all ready for dance

Carter's first day of school

Mom's Birthday

I have a lot to catch up on...I've been a blogging slacker lately I guess. My birthday is actually 4 days before Rylee's and I just realized that I hadn't posted about it yet. We had originally planned on leaving the munch-kins with Ryan's mom and dad and going out to dinner and a movie. Well...Ryan's sister had her baby at 5 AM on my birthday (yes, this does officially make her my favorite niece!) so, needless to say, Grandma and Grandpa were needed halfway across the country. We moved on to plan B...we took the kids to The Olive Garden with us and then we came home and ate yummy Harry Potter cupcakes made by my amazing husband (I am what Ryan likes to call a "Pott-head"). It was a good day! However, Ryan still owes me a birthday dinner and movie! :)

Carter eating the yummy cupcakes!

Rylee

Me with Ryan's wonderful creations!

The famous Harry Potter cupcakes!

Rylee's Birthday

Well, it finally happened, my "baby" girl is officially 3! I found myself wondering all day where the last 3 years have gone. And then I remembered the many sleepless nights, tantrums, and many unsuccessful attempts to make her take a bottle and the last 3 years didn't seem like they went by so fast anymore :). I am really excited for her to be 3 and potty trained and more independent, but part of me wishes for all of those sleepless nights back again because she'll never be that small again. I guess that's the bittersweet-ness of motherhood though huh?

On a lighter note...we had a good day for her birthday. She wanted McDonald's for dinner and then we had T.J., Hanna, and Olivia (my brother and his family) over for "UP" cake and ice cream. (And I gotta say that the cake turned out pretty cute!) Happy Birthday little Rylee! I hope the next 3 years are as great as the last 3 have been!

4th of July, Ogden Rodeo, and everything else...

So, I'm really annoyed because I can't figure out why this stupid blogger thingy is underlining everything I write! Anyways... we had a fun 4th of July (even though it was more than a month ago). We went to the Kaysville parade with Ryan's siblings and our good friends the Thomas'. It was a fun, but very long parade. The kids LOVED it. Afterward, we met up with Ryan's family at our house and we had lunch and let the kids play in the water. They had a good time, but we only have videos of that event.






One of our favorite things to do as a family every summer is to go to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. It's always REALLY hot, but once the sun went down we had a great time. Grandpa and Grandma Lloyd along with Uncle Mike, Aunt Sharon, Cameron, his girlfriend Taylor, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Applonie came with us. Oh and Grandma and Grandpa were babysitting Chase and Kayla, so they were there too!

My cute kiddos. They really are having fun, they're just really hot!!!

Grandma Lloyd, Kayla, Chase, Carter, and Rylee

We've had a great summer, but I am looking forward to Fall (my favorite time of year)! We've been to Bear Lake several times and enjoyed every minute. We went for the annual Applonie vacation up there and we got to spend some time with my mom and dad and Kenz before the ENTIRE, crazy, fun, hilarious Winegar family came up for the annual retreat. We only took our video camera those weekends, so if I ever figure out how to post videos, I'll put some up. Maybe one day I'll actually stay caught up on this blog!!!

Cruise!

I need to do some major catching up on our blog. So here's part one of what we've been up to the past couple of months...

Ryan and I were very fortunate to go on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise in the middle of May. We had an absolute blast. It was so nice to get away for awhile, just the two of us, and forget about everyday life and all the challenges it brings. We are SO GRATEFUL to Mom and Dad Lloyd, Jenni and her kiddos, and Mark and Erika for taking care of Carter and Rylee for us while we were away. We missed them like crazy, but we didn't really worry because we knew they were in excellent hands (ok, I worried a little bit, but that's just in my nature as a mother).

Just hanging out on the ship

Mother's Day sunset

Mother's Day dessert!

1st formal dinner night (Mother's Day)

Stop #1: Cozumel, Mexico. It was so beautiful here and the snorkeling was AMAZING! The shopping was pretty great too.

Reading a book on the beach in Cozumel just before going snorkeling.

Stop #2: Grand Cayman (my personal fav.)

We just hung out on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Last stop: Ocho Rios, Jamaica we totally climbed these cool waterfalls like the people in the background. This was a big accomplishment for me because I don't like deep water or heights! (The water ended up not being very deep)

view of the island from the ship

Jamaica was a very interesting place and I was super glad to be back on the ship after we did the waterfall thing :).

The cruise was so much fun, but we were ready to come home and see our cute kids again.

P.S. I am obviously having trouble with my blog formatting, if you know what I am doing wrong. please let me know! Thanks!!

Today

Today I am grateful for...

Kids who play well together so I can clean my house

A good book that makes me really think about what I value and if I am going to be a sit around and whine about my life kind of person or a do something and enjoy the challenges that life brings kind of person. (I hope to one day be the latter).

The smell of lemon cleaner that currently fills my house

Gratitude

I've decided that I need to focus more on the things that I am grateful for each day, rather than the things I wish were different! So here it goes...

Today I am grateful for...

my sister-in-law Jenni who is such a great mom and friend

my trees that miraculously survived the winter and are starting to have leaves again

sunshine!

Rylee's giggle

Carter's hugs

Ryan's hard work and companionship

EASTER!!

Wow 2 posts in one day!! That's a record for me. I couldn't resist sharing some of our fun Easter activities. Of course, I managed to post the pictures backwards (man I struggle with this don't I?). The Sunday before Easter, Ryan's mom did an Easter egg hunt for the grandkids at Great Grandma and Grandpa Applonie's house.

All four kids holding still, a small miracle!

The support staff Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Uncle Dave

Counting the eggs to make sure the boys didn't overcompensate!

Chase and Kayla!

You gotta catch this one while she's not looking at you or she won't let you take her picture!

THE BOYS!

Rylee's biggest concern was that her beloved pink sandals were getting dirty. Man I am in trouble when she is a teenager!

The anticipation is killing them!

Easter weekend, Ryan had to work Saturday night and again on Sunday afternoon so we were unable to head to Bear Lake with Ryan's parents and sister. We tried to make the most of it! The Easter bunny came on Saturday and the kids were in heaven!

I believe we had 60 eggs to hide in our living room because the weather was to icky to go outside.

Concentration!

The Easter bunny sent the kids on a hunt for clues to find their baskets. They loved it!

Note from the Easter bunny!

So grateful for these two crazy, mischievous, adorable munchkins!

What We've Been Up To!

It's been so long since I have posted anything and I have A LOT of pictures from the last couple of months. They may be in a strange order since I am not very advanced in the technology world, but they are still fun to look at!

Our ward had a fun primary activity. The kids got mission calls and were told to report to the MTC (the church) at a certain time. While in the "MTC" they learned how to pack a suitcase, play basketball, iron shirts, and tie a tie. They then boarded a plane and headed for their various missions. Carter got to go to England. They had different adults from the ward give presentations using stuff from their own missions. Ryan did an awesome job and the kids who went to his "mission" loved it! Carter had a blast once he figured out that it was only a pretend mission and he wasn't actually leaving us for two years. I hope the next 14 years go by slowly because I'm not ready for that either!

Rylee is OBSESSED with my make up. She insists upon being in the bathroom every morning while I am putting it on. This particular morning, she decided I was taking too long and took matters into her own hands!

A couple of weekends ago, we headed south to sunny St. George to see my family. Everyone was there except Josh. It was way fun and nice to get away for awhile! We went to an awesome Rec. Center in Washington. It was perfect for the kids and fun for them to play with Olivia since we don't see them very often.

Aunt McKenzie with my cute little niece Olivia

Cousins!!!

I love this picture of Carter and McKenzie! Where did my "baby" sister go though?? I am SO OLD!

Yes she is trying to drink the water! She has the silliest, cutest personality!

A few days before we went to St. George, our ward had a bowling activity. We had so much fun!

Obviously I have a ways to go with my bowling skills!

"Maybe if I turn my head a little bit, the ball will curve?"

My other darling niece, Kayla celebrated her 2nd birthday in March. We headed to a recreation center in Murray and had a great time! We love that they are living close to us right now even if it's only for a few more months!

Yes we did show up with our kids in matching swimming suits, this was a total coincidence. You can tell they have the same grandma who likes to shop for them!

Silly kids having a great time!

Ryan's sister Jen with her two kids Chase and Kayla. Her husband is away in the military right now and we love them all so much and our so grateful for their sacrifice!

Overall, life is the same as always with us. I am starting to really enjoy having kids old enough to play with and entertain each other. LIFE IS GOOD!!!