LeCheminant Family

Say What!?!

2012-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had a movie night and watched the movie 'Soul Surfer'. We thought the boys would enjoy it and hoped it would maybe show them how blessed they are. Maybe by seeing the trials and challenges that others have faced they would realize how "fair" life is and how lucky they are to be able to do all the things they can do. That small hope was shot down at the end of the movie when Kaden burst into tears, throwing his hands to the floor screaming, "It's not fair that I don't get to have my hand bitten off by a shark." Heaven help us!!

2012-02-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

A beautiful sunset outside our front door! It got me excited for summer nights to come...that was of course before we got slammed with 15 inches of snow!!

Winter Break Activities

2012-01-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

With two and a half weeks off for winter break you have to come up with a lot of things to do to keep these kids busy! One afternoon we went and surprised Jeff at work for lunch. The kids loved seeing where daddy goes every day!

The best part was a ride on the up & down chair!

Some liked it more then others.

On another afternoon we enjoyed some time at a wildlife museum by our house. They have different animals displayed every few months. This time we learned all about sharks!

The kids favorite section is the fish. They have a fun game where fish are projected onto the floor and whenever you walk on it the fish swim away! The boys love it and are determined they will catch a fish someday! This was towards the end of the day and Avrey was so tired she said she was sleeping with the fish.

Our winter break is never complete without a day at the pool! I guess we still have a little CA left in us!

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-05T11:57:00.001-08:00

We ended the year off with our good friends the Bell family. While we enjoyed delicious treats and drinks we played dance games on the Wii. The kids were all a little shy at first but after a few times we couldn't get them to stop.

The dad's were good sports and danced a few rounds!

Even the girls took a turn!

By 10:00 the younger kids had had enough of a good time! We brought the new year in right and broke out the noise makers. Of course what little boy is not going to love a noise maker?

Even Avrey was sure to toot her own horn! The darling picture below capturing Avrey's cute face as we blew the noise maker at her. So cute!

Even though we headed home at 10:00 Trey was determined to stay up until midnight. So we got the younger kids to bed and enjoyed playing games and bowling on the Wii. Trey was so proud of himself for staying up till midnight...

...and dad did not! What a great year 2011 was for us we can't wait to see what is in store in 2012!

White Elephants

2012-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Every year on New Years Eve my family has a big white elephant party. When we told the kids we were not going to UT for Christmas the first thing Trey asked is if we were still going for the white elephant party. Sadly no. Luckily these kids have a wonderful aunt Laura who made it possible for them to still take part in the party!

Jeff's handsome new tie!

My Christmas kitty!

Trey's woopie cushion! Thanks for that one!!

Kaden's snake!

And Happy Fun Ball for Avrey! Thanks Aunt Laura for a night of laughs!!

Simply Wonderful Christmas Time

2011-12-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

Every year Christmas turns out to be such a magical event and this year was no exception. I always have to take one last picture of the tree and stockings before the destruction begins.

All time favorite photo is always the one that captures the kids faces as they see what is under the tree!

Trey was speechless, yes for the first time in his life, when opened a Wii from Santa. We are still trying to remind him it was a "family" gift however he believes otherwise.

Other highlights for Trey, Broncos shirt, Legos, football & remote control truck!

Kaden on the other hand was VERY disappointed in Santa's work. He had specifically asked for a Bumble Bee Transformer that transformed into a car and the guy so you can see from the picture why he was so upset that he only brought him the guy. Before he had even finished unwrapping it he started crying and hitting his gift. Once we were able to calm him down, and signed him up for an anger management class, he was happy with the gift and willingly opened more.

A huge sigh of relief when mom and dad gave him a Bumble Bee Transformer that was a guy and a car!!

Avrey was so excited to open presents and made sure she opened all of her all by herself. She was very excited about her new baby stroller and sat in it the rest of the morning to open her gifts.

She also loved her new baby doll, Elmo shirt, Barbie doll, and necklaces.

My parents always send the life saver gifts!! Everyone gets their favorite box of cereal that gets devoured once we are done opening gifts. We love it!

I love that Christmas was on Sunday this year. Once we enjoyed the fun of Christmas and a nice big breakfast we got all dressed up and headed to church to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.

Thank you Gram & Grandpa for the darling Christmas outfits!

Needless to say we had a wonderful Christmas and are so grateful for our many blessings!

Christmas Eve Adventures

2011-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

With 12 inches of snow outside we thought it would be fun to take the kids sledding. To be honest I am not big a big fan of sledding or any winter sport that forces me to be in the cold but the kids love it so what is a mother to do! We started out on the "bunny hill" for the sake of the girls but that did not last too long!

The boys went straight for the big guns! Jeff took Trey & Avrey on the first run and were showered in snow the whole way down. Needless to say Avrey was not happy about that and was ready to go home!

I talked Kaden into riding with me assuring him I would keep my feet on the sled and we would not get covered in snow. At the bottom covered in snow, Kaden is ready to go home too!

Even with half of us waiting in the car and after several injuries we could not get Trey to stop. This boy is all about the adventure!

We got home and spent the rest of the day trying to get warm!

Visions of sugar plums...

2011-12-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours had told us that one of their favorite traditions is to sleep by the Christmas tree on Christmas eve eve so once our boys heard that they were all over it!

I'll be honest at first I thought what a pain it would be to try and get the kids to bed and honestly it was so much fun to re-live that childhood excitement. And surprisingly they feel asleep pretty fast.

Christmas eve morning I woke up to the sounds of little whispers as Trey told Kaden a made up Christmas story at 5:30 am. Even with the early wake up call I can't wait to do it again next year!

Dreaming of a White Chocolate Christmas

2011-12-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to come up with something new to make for our holiday treats and every year I resort back to our favorites! Why give up the classics when they are so deliciously yummy!

White chocolate chex mix...VERY addicting!

White chocolate popcorn drizzled in dark chocolate!

We are also enjoying our fair share of candy canes.

And something new for us, sprinkle pancakes. The kids LOVE them!

It looks like we will be having a real white Christmas as well. We woke up this morning to 12 inches of snow and love that we get to stay inside and enjoy our hot cocoa!

It looks a lot like Christmas

2011-12-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

I love the weeks before Christmas and all the fun activities there is to do. We have been having so much fun I am scared we will be exhausted by Christmas. The kids in their new Christmas pj's.

Letters to Santa. Trey's list was pretty long but his #1 request was video games.

Kaden's focus is Transformers and Super Heros.

Avrey's wish is for a new baby doll.

Watching movies by the Christmas tree and eating popcorn.

Making gingerbread houses with friends!

Decorating sugar cookies with friends!

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

We had our ward Christmas party this weekend which I wouldn't normally post, however, I was partly in charge and I'm so happy with how it turned out. We planned a "mocktail" party, aka: a mormon cocktail party.

Our theme was Winter Wonderland for the adults...

...and Polar Express for the kids. We had train tickets made up for the kids and Trey played the Train conductor. All the kids came in their pj's and watched the movie 'Polar Express' while they waited for Santa to get there.

Trey not so sure this was the "real" Santa, but was not going to miss the chance to say what he wants for Christmas.

Kaden ended up sitting on his lap a few times. I think it was so he could get more candy canes!

Avrey wanted nothing to do with Santa but was determined to get a candy cane. She didn't take her eyes off me for a second!

Bye Bye Binkie

2011-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am pretty sure this is the sign that it is time to say good-bye to the binkie!! We actually lost the last two this last week and I thought for sure we would be racing to the store at midnight to buy more just to save our sanity but, surprisingly she never noticed they were gone.

Our many blessings

2011-11-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

For some reason I forgot how much I truly LOVE Thanksgiving. This year was extra special because we had my mom and dad and sisters Laura and Kelly here with us. While we waited for the Turkey to cook we made turkey pictures and watched a lot of football.

We enjoyed delicious appetizers. I think I made too many because when I was setting them out Trey and Kaden both thought it was the actual Thanksgiving meal!!

Since it was 70 degrees that day we enjoyed our appetizers outside and then took the kids to the park.

The Feast! As much as I love all the deliciousness of the holiday nothing compares to sharing it with family.

Actual proof that our meal was a success!

Not only did we all gain 10 lbs we also went swimming, saw the new Muppet movie, and attended Trey's first annual White Elephant party. My family has a W.E. party every year at Christmas and since we can't be there Trey really wanted to have one here. We had an amazing weekend and are so grateful for our many blessings!

Extreme Table Makeover

2011-11-30T13:10:00.000-08:00

We have been in need of new chairs for our table for quiet some time. I found 4 on Craigslist that I really liked but knew we needed more than that so I was really excited when I found 3 more at Goodwill that matched. The only problem, they were all different shades of brown so, let the sanding begin!

I didn't think about how fun, and how long it was going to be to sand all of the little parts. Luckily, my good friend Lisa was nice enough to come help me sand them all.

I decided to paint them white and then antique them with a dark stain over the top. I, of course, had the time to start painting them the same day we got hit with 12 inches of snow. A little too cold to be out in the garage so the kitchen became my workshop! We got all the chairs done and placed them around the table but I wasn't really loving it. I did love the new chairs but thought the table was too light which got us started on project #2. We decided to sand the table down and stain it darker and here is how it turned out...

...TA-DA!! It was a lot of work but I think it turned out great. Just in time for our Thanksgiving visitors!

Family Night Fun

2011-11-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

The other night it was time to get ready for bed so we told the boys to go get their pajamas on. They had a different idea. Running out of their room with ammo in hand, the pillow fight begins!!

Lucky for Avrey & me it was attack dad night!

Kaden's call of the wild before he attacks!

Avrey could only sit by and watch for so long. These kids held nothing back and fought hard till the very end...

...and earned their victory!

Halloween Weekend

2011-11-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

This year Halloween turned into a weekend's worth of activities. We started out by carving pumpkins. Thank you to Grandpa Gillespie's garden!

Little Miss so excited about her pumpkin!

Trey felt pretty cool when we said he could carve the pumpkin all by himself!

The finished products proudly placed on the porch for viewing.

The three cutest kids I have ever seen ready for trick-or-treating!

Mobster Police

Batman

A Dragon...with a girly touch.

Our first stop was at the fire station. They always hand out fun halloween bags and treats. The kids were especially excited when a call came in and they got to see the fire truck in action.

We had such a great time trick-or-treating. So many houses go all-out even building full-on haunted houses in their front yards.

We also went to the ward trunk-or-treat. The kids scored a bunch of candy there since they went through the line about 9 times. Kaden loved the car dressed up like Lightning McQueen!

Our Home Depot also had a fun Monster Inc. night. The kids got to come and meet Mike & Sulley and have another round of trick-or-treating. Trey was really excited that he got a "dirty rat"!! We had such a great weekend and have enough candy to get us through 'till Easter!

Ready, Set, Jump!

2011-11-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

When we got home from our little trip Fall had set in. Our massive tree in the front yard had dropped half of it's leaves and the kids could not wait to jump in!

The boys showing off some of their killer moves!

The kids had a such a great time even though we only had a short time to play in them before the snow came in.

Fall Break Part 3: Las Vegas

2011-10-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

After 10 years of marriage we finally made the leap and left our kids while Jeff and I got away for a few days. Jeff had a conference for work that was held at the Venetian Hotel so even though we are not the "Las Vegas" type we wouldn't pass up the chance to stay at this beautiful hotel.

The amazing lobby!! No matter which direction you looked there was so much detail and artwork!

Each night we enjoyed amazing food and a short walk.

During the day while Jeff was enjoying his conference I made a few new friends...the pool and my pina colada!!

Jeff would join me during his lunch break!

Because we are not "Vegas" people this trip really did turn out to be a little bit of work with a lot of relaxation. We had a great time and are forever in debt to our wonderful family for watching our kids.

Fall Break Part 2: Provo

2011-10-30T19:57:00.001-07:00

After our weekend in Moab we headed up to Provo to spend some time with family. We only had two days but we were very grateful we got a chance to see everyone and get out and do a few fun things. We had a great dinner with the Gillespie family and then had the kids decorate Halloween cookies.

We spent one afternoon with my mom and sister Kelly and drove up Provo canyon to see the fall leaves. We made a chilly stop at Bridal Veil falls and walked around Sundance.

Jeff and Trey also spent an afternoon hiking to the "Y".

Even though they were hiking the "Y" Jeff made sure Trey showed some respect to his Utes!

Fall Break Part 1: Moab

2011-10-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

This year for fall break we made 3 stops so I thought I would make them 3 different posts as well. Stop #1, Moab, UT. Several months ago Jeff signed up to run a half marathon and we had a great weekend spending time with family in a beautiful setting.

A little family picture with Landscape Arch behind us.

Kaden sporting his rock star pose for everyone.

Miss Avrey showing off her smile with a little dirt mixed in.

Jeff's grandparents from Idaho made the trip as well. They had never been to Arches before, and we were fortunate enough to have them in our car for the day. Needless to say we talked and laughed a lot as we drove through the park.

Jeff and Kaden sitting under Window arch. Kaden was pouting because Jeff wouldn't let him get too close to edge up there. Just love that stage where kids think they know it all!

Jeff finished the course in just under 2 hours. He said it was hard to keep an eye on the road with all of the scenery around. It was a perfect day for a race with no wind and a blue sky. A few hundred yards from the finish line, Jeff's brothers Nic and Derek were waiting with Trey who ran across the finish line with him. Trey was pretty excited to run part of the race with his dad.

Originally, Jeff thought he'd be running the race by himself, but was thrilled when his aunt Sharon decided to run it too.

The finish line was at a ranch about 15 miles up the Colorado River from Moab. What an amazing accomplishment and a wonderful weekend!

Racing To 4!

2011-09-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kaden's 4th birthday a few weekends ago. He said he wanted a race car party but only cars that did not have eyes, so no Lightning McQueen cars!

We built a fun race track and got out all of the cars for the kids to play.

His darling cake! I thought it turned out pretty cool.

Not only did I decorate the outside of the cake, I went the extra mile to make the inside of the cake look like a checkered flag.

Rice Krispie treat traffic lights...

Avrey was loving those!

Opening presents is always the best part for any kid. Kaden had such a fun birthday and is already planning his party for next year.

I think his favorite gift was that his Gram got to be there!

14,270'

2011-09-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a pretty ridiculous idea to take Trey hiking up a "14er." Gray's Peak was our destination. This meant getting up at 4:30, making the 90 minute drive up the hill, and starting early to beat the predictable afternoon thunderstorms. Here's Trey at the trailhead, not too excited because his face was cold; and rightfully so it was a balmy 30 degrees.

The trail ahead of us, and the Continental Divide on the left.

Rounding a turn with our first view of Gray's Peak. To the right is Torrey's Peak, also a 14er that we were not going to "bag." Up to this point Trey was moving well, but was consistently whining about his cold face.

A little shot of us making our way up the trail. To keep Trey motivated I kept mentioning how the sun was coming up over the divide and he'd soon be warm. He didn't believe me until...

It finally rose over the ridge and hit his little face.

Looking back with the suns rays finally breaking through. Needless to say Trey started putting a little more to his step once it warmed up.

A little cookie break with Gray's behind him. Throughout our hike just about every person on the trail wanted to know his age, and they were very encouraging which, of course, he loved...including the many high fives. It was fun to see grown adults struggling and then watch Trey go right on by. The route up was definitely steep, so to help him out I'd hold the walking pole behind me while he hung on to it. Also a good way to keep track of him.

Up to this point, Trey had mentioned several times how much fun he was having and how happy he was to be here with me which was very reassuring. The closer we got, I could tell that he was getting pretty worn out so I had to keep the encouragement coming. We stopped when we needed to, but I still had to push him along, especially when we reached the snow.

Finally, resting above 14,000 feet. Once we reached the top he received a huge round of applause from those already there. Honestly, and yes it's corny, it was a very proud moment to see him make it after a long morning. I, of course, hooped and hollered myself.

A very proud papa with Trey at the summit. After 10 minutes I could sense that he wasn't doing so well with the altitude. He was getting sleepy, understandably, but was also nauseous and saying he head a headache. He would later say he didn't know if he was just tired, dehydrated, or if it was all of the Oreo's he ate at the top. Mmm, maybe all three plus being on top of a mountain.

Looking south with the Continental Divide on the right.

South.

West with Breckenridge and Lake Dillon in the background.

After Trey mentioned he wasn't feeling well, it was time to go. As we started down he was obviously out of gas and not doing well in the snow. I began to wonder if I had made a huge mistake since we were really only half way done. Admittedly, I had to drag him through the snow and hang on to him as we made our way down. It definitely made walking slippery, and I was anxious to get back to the dirt myself. When we finally made it out of the snow he fell back saying he wanted his "nice warm bed." Me too.

After another half mile he started to perk up which was a relief.

We stopped here for about 20 minutes to rest and take in the view which undoubtedly was beautiful. The trail weaves its way through the valley below.

On the way down with Kelso mountain behind us.

Still smiling at the end. Once I told him there was an ice pop waiting for him in the car I couldn't slow him down. The last mile was spent laughing, and enjoying our surroundings.

After the 4 mile drive to the freeway on an awful dirt road, he was out. In all, it was 4 hours up, 3 hours down, and 8 miles roundtrip. I was confident that he would make it, just wasn't sure how long it would take, and it was worth every step.

A "Dashing" Warrior

2011-08-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Jeff ran the Warrior Dash at Copper Mountain, a 5K run at 10,000 feet full of obstacles...this was the before picture.

After. Nuff said.

Ok, so a little disclaimer about the mud pics. Jeff beat us to the mud pit during the race and I missed the photo op. So, being the sweet wife that I am I made him trek through the mud again for the sake of our posterity, plus the boys got a huge kick out of watching their dad swim through a ridiculous hole full of mud. There was barbed wire above the pit so unless he wimped out, there was no way through except to swim below it. This was one of the first obstacles so he said the remainder of the race was spent keeping his shorts up...nice.

To end the race, he had a to leap over two piles of burning wood. There were several other obstacles he traversed during the run; hard to explain but he said if he lost his footing on some of them he could have been seriously hurt. Not too comforting for a wife to hear.

After the race, we had a chance to ride one of the highspeed lifts up the mountain. We hiked around for a little bit, and the boys had a blast jumping off the rocks and climbing on fallen trees. Incredible beauty up here. We absolutely love having Colorado as our home.

Just a little family picture at the top of the lift.

Kaden being silly with his dad on the way down.

The boys had a ball playing around on the bumper boats too. The boats had little squirt guns on them which made it a bit more interesting. Avrey wasn't too sure about it so luckily my boat didn't get too wet, but Trey and Jeff went to town on other boats.

Avrey saw the boys playing around in the creek and decided she had to get in too. She stepped right in without hesitation and started splashing her brothers which made it all the more fun.

While we were playing by the creek she decided to sit down in a little flower patch, pretty good moment for a picture. Wildflowers in Colorado are something to behold, no doubt about it.

The ultimate warrior!

Ok, so this picture obviously has nothing to do with the race, but Jeff snapped this picture of Avrey right after getting her out of the tub one Sunday morning. She was quietly looking at a book, and caught a darling little photo.

First Things First

2011-08-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

We officially have a first grader! Trey was excited to get back to school but not so sure about going all day. We are a few weeks into it now and although he is still not loving being gone all day he is doing great and says he does enjoy 2 recesses and having lunch with his friends!

You can almost tell by the look on his face that he is not to sure about this. He also wouldn't smile showing his teeth because he had lost one top tooth and the other one kind of stuck out funny. Nevertheless a handsome young man!

Boots & Piggy Tails

2011-08-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

One afternoon I was organizing some boxes when I came across Jeff's baby box. Inside we found these darling little cowboy boots that Jeff wore as a kid and Avrey fell in love with them!!

Her hair is also finally long enough for the worlds cutest little pig tails!

Got Groban?

2011-08-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

A friend in our ward gave us tickets to a Josh Groban concert a few weeks ago. When we went we were not huge Josh Groban fans but after an amazing performance we have become "Grobanites"! Okay we are not that crazy, but it was a fun concert!

Camp Out

2011-08-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

As one last hurrah before school started we decided to go camping. This was very last minute but we found a beautiful camp spot at Jones Pass near a little town called Empire.

Our spot was right next to a little waterfall and a great hill for the kids to climb up and play on.

We were sure to get right to work. Dad and Trey were in charge of putting up the tent.

Avrey watched over the goods while the tent was being set up!

Once the tent was set up Kaden and Avrey were so excited to blow up the air mattresses.

For dinner we enjoyed Jeff's wonderful dutch oven sweet chili and the sunset while eating s'mores! This was Kaden & Avrey's first time camping and as the sun went down Kaden kept saying he was ready to go home. He was a little nervous about sleeping outside but had a great time.

Everyone survived the night but woke up freezing. The kids didn't love the cold but once we got the fire going they had a great time!

Before we headed home we went for a short hike along the creek. It was such a beautiful place!

Worlds cutest daddy's girl!!

You know you have been on a great camp out when you walk away with 10 pounds of dirt on your body and you pass out the moment you get home! Can't wait to do it again!

Hike to Devils Head

2011-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

A few weekends back we decided to take a little day hike up to Devils Head Fire Lookout. It happens to be the last manned fire lookout in CO.

The view from the top was amazing! You could see a hundred miles in every direction!

Right below the tower is a little meadow and a cabin where the ranger lives. The kids enjoyed a snack and climbing around on the huge rocks. It ended up being 3 miles round trip and these two little guys did the whole thing without being carried once.

Avrey enjoys being in the backpack for the most part, but every now and then she had to show us how grown up she is.

Fantastic 4th of July

2011-07-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is seriously one of my favorite holidays and I think that is because my family has so many fun traditions. Because we've lived in 3 different states since moving away from Utah, this was the first time our kids experienced our crazy family traditions and we loved every minute of it!

On the eve of the 4th my WHOLE family gets together at my mom and dad's to set up tents in the backyard for the big sleepover.

Before the night is done we stuff ourselves with smores and snow cones.

Even after a very late night everyone is up at 6 am to go down and see the hot air balloon festival. 20 kids, and Andy, piling into Grandpas truck is the most exciting way to start the day!

I love these pictures of Kaden & Avrey! It was like nothing they had ever experienced.

That afternoon we headed to my sisters house to play on the worlds biggest slip n' slide!

Kaden made a new best friend with my niece Keena! The evening of the 4th we had a huge BBQ and Uncle Andy brought his motorcycle to give all the kids a ride. Kaden was so excited for his turn with Keena and from that point on could not be separated from her!

That night we all went down to the grounds outside of BYU's Lavell Edwards stadium to watch the fireworks. As if the kids had not had enough sugar we watched the sun go down while sipping squeeze its, eating popsicles and treats.

If there is one thing my family know best it is how to have a great time!!

Best Grandpa Ever

2011-07-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about going back to UT is letting our kids enjoy things that we did as kids. One HOT afternoon we got together with the Gillespie cousins and played in the irrigation water at my parent's house.

My dad flooded the whole yard with water for endless amounts of fun!

The older kids competed to see who could sit in the water the longest. Despite the look of pain on Trey's face he had such a great time.

Miss Avrey even enjoyed dipping her feet in!!

The women folk aren't big on playing in the water, so instead they pass out the endless amounts of ice pops!! Forget water parks...irrigation at Grandpa's is hands down the best way to spend a hot summer day!

Salt Lake VIP Tour

2011-07-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

While we were in UT we took the kids up to Salt Lake to spend the day with my sister Laura and see the sights of downtown. We also met up with my brother-in-law Andy who happens to work for the church; he treated us to a VIP tour of the conference center. We were able to go to the top garden area. We did get stuck up there in the rain for a few minutes but it was totally worth it!

He also gave us a backstage tour of the Conference Center. Trey thought it was pretty cool to go up on the same stage as the Prophet.

Andy works at the church office building so we were also able to go to the top and see all of downtown.

Since we were right there we took the boys on a tour of Brigham Young's home, the Beehive House.

You can't stop at the Beehive house, and not stop in next door at the Lion House pantry and enjoy some delicious pie!

We had such a great day with Laura, and to top it all off she surprised me with a great new find. A gluten free bakery!! We met my brother Kris, also a celiac, and his family there for some delicious cupcakes!

LeChem Family Reunion

2011-07-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

We started our Utah trip out right by meeting Jeff's family in Park City for the first annual family reunion. We had such a great time and made many great memories...so many in fact that I can't share them all so here are the highlights.

We all stayed together in a beautiful home in Bear Hollow Village just down the road from the Utah Olympic Park. The kids had such a fun time with sleepovers and waking up to gift buckets from Gram.

Spending time at the pool was a favorite for everyone!

Time at the park playing basketball & baseball.

Trey smacking Uncle Jason in the face with a baseball giving him a bloody nose! Trey was so excited about his good hit, but then felt really bad that he hurt Jason.

Some choose to spend their "green fee" money actually playing the greens at Wasatch Mountain.

Others choose to spend their "green fee" money getting manicures and pedicures!!

A sunny afternoon at the Olympic Park watching the arial ski jumpers and enjoying lunch!

And, of course, a trip to Park City would not be complete without a ride down the Alpine Slide. We had such a great time and can't wait to do it all again!

Signs of Summer

2011-06-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

You just have to take one look outside to see we are loving summer. Could our little beach baby be any more cute?

At least 3 times a week we have a water day and spend the afternoon in the backyard. Trey enjoys filling up the water guns and trying to shoot anything that flies by.

We bring every toy we own out to the worlds smallest kiddie pool!

Running as fast as you can threw the sprinklers!

Once the kids hands and feet have turned to raisins we head to the front yard to ride bikes and scooters. Trey has loved his new bike and learned how to ride it in about an hour. Kaden is pretty proud of his mad scootering skills!

And because the summer's are so nice and hot, and we don't have air conditioning, we wait for daddy on the front porch looking forward to all the fun things we will do tomorrow!

A week with Derek

2011-06-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The best way for our family to start out the summer is spending a week with Uncle Derek. (Jeff's little brother!) We had such a great time playing at the park, swimming, and just chilling in a heat wave. We spent one afternoon down at the Air Force Academy and checked out all the cool air planes.

It didn't take Avrey to long to get used to someone else spoiling her!!

Turning 30 is a day at the beach!

2011-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I celebrated my 30th birthday and for all those who said it is the worst birthday ever, well they are wrong! Originally this birthday was titled 'Turning 30 is a BEACH' but as you can see here it was more like a PERFECT day at the beach! It started out with a wonderful surprise from Jeff Friday afternoon. He decided to take advantage of his parents being in town and whisked me off to Manitou Springs to stay overnight at the cutest little bed and breakfast! This is the most darling little town at the base of Pike's Peak!

After a wonderful overnighter we came back home to set up for my beach party. There is nothing better then celebrating your birthday with good food and wonderful friends! The boys had a great time helping with the decorations and made sure every guest arrived in style with a lei.

I guess when you celebrate the milestone birthdays you have the right to celebrate for three days instead of one!! On Sunday we enjoyed a delicious family dinner with Jeff's parents and little brother Derek. Afterwards, they surprised me again with amazing gifts that are every girls dream...gifts cards for a day of shopping and a massage! I am pretty sure I am liking this whole 30 thing!!

One tip on how to make turning 30 incredible: Surround yourself with people who spoil you rotten!! Here's to another great 30 years!!

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

To finish off kindergarten we attended Trey's graduation to officially make him a first grader!

Trey was so excited that Gram, Grandpa, and Uncle Derek were able to attend!

We had a great kindergarten teacher. I can't wait to see who he gets next year. I am still not sure how I am going to do having him gone ALL day. So, for now I am just not thinking about it!

Winter Park Weekend

2011-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial day weekend we spent a few days in Winter Park. This was our 2nd time up there and once again had such a wonderful time. There is nothing better then being with the family up in the mountains!

The kids loved running out on the deck every two hours and watched the trains go by literally right outside our condo. It was fun to see them get excited every time one went by but not so exciting at 3 am!

We spent the weekend exploring the outdoors. Going on hike's, throwing rocks in the river, swimming and most of all relaxing!

"Ski Idlewild" is an abandoned resort on the east side of Winter Park. We enjoyed walking around an old chair lift that still stands.

Our hike to Adam's Fall's was beautiful. The trail went right along the river and at the top was a quiet meadow surrounded by pine trees.

For our family, the best way to end the perfect weekend is with some soft serve ice cream by the lake!

Fire Station 45

2011-06-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past year we have done a little play group with Kaden and 5 other boys. For one last get together we took all the kids to the local fire station for a tour. The kids had a ball!

And it Came to Pass...

2011-05-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yup, Kaden got it taken care of this morning! We are just glad he is okay and that we are done with this. The funniest thing was after he "passed" it he ran out in the living room and he and Trey were excited and cheering. Kaden said: "Trey I am so proud of me I am a big brother now!!"

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2011-05-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

For reasons unknown to his parents, Kaden has the tendency to put things in his mouth(without swallowing) that normal children know not to. Dirt, rocks, and marbles among other things. Today, however, it happened to be a an inch long screw. We, of course, had no idea he was even playing with a screw he had found somewhere in the house, but soon we discovered something wrong when he came running over to Jeff and was gagging quite heavily. After about 15 seconds or so of distress on both sides, he seemed come out of it and the poor little guy was quite scared. After admitting what he had swallowed, Jeff took him to the emergency room for an x-ray just to make sure it wasn't stuck in his throat. So, all day he has been telling people there is a "screwdriver" in his tummy like it's something to be proud of. The medical staff got a kick of this little blonde kid with bright blue eyes who was very cooperative and would not stop talking. Now come a few days of sifting through his poop...we'll be sure not to post how that goes.

100 PBJ's...and No crust please!

2011-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks our house has turned into one massive daycare! I started watching these two little girls in the mornings and then last week we also had another little friend come each day while my friend was in Mexico. Although the kids played so great together and it really was a lot of fun there are a few things I learned...with 6 kids we went through a loaf of bread a day, three kids is more then enough for me, you really don't have time to get things done, and on the bright side I lost 10 pounds because I never had time to stop and feed myself!

On the days it was too cold to go to the park we had to get really creative. The kids loving turning the music up loud and dancing around. Favorite song picks: 'Party In The USA', 'All The Single Ladies', and the CARS soundtrack.

Avrey LOVES music and laughing at all the dancing!

Some Bunnies To Love

2011-04-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Even with the winter like weather we had a great Easter weekend.

The Easter bunny always seems to spoil the kids with all sorts of goods. Kaden was so excited about his new Buzz Lightyear shirt.

Trey and his awesome pirate shirt.

Avrey's pretty new sunglasses.

The kids got done looking at their baskets and then walked away not even realizing the eggs over taking the living room. Once they realized they were there it took them no time at all to find them all. Avrey even figure out how to open the plastic eggs and knew full well there was candy in there.

In an effort to spare some sugar the Easter Bunny also brought special eggs with a letter T or K on them that ended up having some money in them. Trey thought that was pretty dang cool!

Miss Avrey is ONE!!

2011-04-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Avrey's first birthday with a delicious cupcake buffet. She was so happy all day it was like she knew it was all about her. I still can't believe how fast this year has gone by, and even though I love watching her learn so many things I just need it to slow down a little.

We enjoyed several different kinds of cupcakes with the most delicious buttercream frosting I have ever had. I also made these cute marshmallow cupcake suckers. The kids LOVED them!

Can someone please get this girl a cupcake?? Oh my goodness she was so excited and could not wait to get her hands on it.

I love the little smirk on her face!

She did not hesitate for even a moment and enjoyed every bite.

Avrey brings so much happiness and joy into our family; words cannot express how much we love her.

Happy Birthday Trey!

2011-04-05T19:32:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Trey's 6th birthday. We decided this year to have a family party and we made sure to start the day off right. So, as soon as Trey woke up the party began. Jeff and I decorated his and the living room while he was asleep, then started the day with breakfast cake. Trey couldn't wait to open his presents, and since you can't tell a kid "no" on their birthday we did that next!

A new baseball glove and outfit from Gram and Grandpa!

Nerf Gun from Kaden and Avrey!

An awesome bike from mom and dad! Thank you to everyone who sent birthday cards. Trey loved checking the mail box... sometimes 4 and 5 times a day!

For lunch Trey requested a Pizza Party with our good friends the Castleton's. When I asked Trey what he wanted on his pizza he said, "chicken, tomato's and artichoke's". I explained that not a lot of other kids would like that kind so he did chicken and pineapple for one, ham and sausage for the other.

For dessert a zucchini cake...what can I say this kid loves his fruits and veggies!

That afternoon we took the kids to The Wildlife Experience Museum.

We also got to see 'The Living Sea' movie on the IMAX & enjoyed some popcorn.

Avrey loved the fishes and pointing to each one that swam by.

The kid's enjoyed dressing up as the animals and being silly!

We would be "lion" if we said it wasn't a perfect day to celebrate Trey and what a special part he is in our family. We love him so much!

Out with the old & in with the new!!

2011-04-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true we are finally a mini van family!! This past year we have squished our little family of 5 into our Outback, but after our weekend trip to Moab we were done. One morning, Trey had asked me why we didn't just buy a bigger car. So I explained to him that cars cost a lot of money and we needed to find one that we could afford. Without hesitation he went into his room, dumped out his piggy bank and brought me $2.41...just enough for a down payment!!

Lovin' the sunroof!!

Lovin' the third row!!

Unfortunately we also had to say good-bye to Jeff's car. Tears have been shed, I won't mention by whom, but we are very grateful for our new car and hope it brings us many good years.

Show and Tell

2011-03-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, most fridges look something like this. A toy for the kids to play with, this week's menu, the Costco coupon I can't forget to use, and Trey's latest adorable drawing of our family.

But not our fridge. Yes, we have the coupons, the toys, and the menu for the week but we also get x-ray photo copies of Jeff's latest and greatest surgeries. Jeff came home one day and saw all of Trey and Kaden's artwork on display and he thought it was only fair that his work be displayed as well.

Yes, those are actual screws he drove into a man's ankle. Although gross to some, I love that Jeff enjoys what he does. Trey has become a huge fan of Jeff's work and loves to hear all the bone sawing details.

Moab Weekend

2011-03-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met my sister Laura and her good friend Deah down in Moab. We had such a great time in Arches. The boys loved all the cool rocks and pixie dust, AKA: Sand!

Laura and Trey under Sand Dune Arch. This was the boy's favorite because there were a lot of rocks to climb on, and plenty of sand to play in.

We had planned for a little warmer weather so I ended up going kangaroo mode and carried Avrey to keep her warm!

Kaden said he wanted to climb up this tree to be a little birdie. Once Laura helped him up he went from cute little birdie to a velociraptor.

Checking out Balanced Rock!

Not only did we enjoy good hiking we also enjoyed time at the pool and some really good food & ice cream!

I was a little worried when we decided to hike to Delicate arch. 3 miles round trip, up hill for most of the way and I knew the boys would have to walk pretty much the whole thing. I guess I underestimated my boys because they did awesome! There was a little complaining at the end but for the most part they had such a great adventure. Avrey enjoyed a nap on the way up!

Although it was cold and windy when we got to the top it was still an amazing view.

Everyone had such a great time and I hope we get to go do it again soon! Thanks Laura and Deah!!

Weekend in Winter Park

2011-03-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Jeff took us all up to Winter Park for a few days. Someone he works with has a condo up there that they let us use and boy was it wonderful. This was our beautiful view!

Saturday morning we started the day off right with some doughnuts and chocolate milk!

Later that morning Jeff took the boys to the park to sled and play on the playground.

To warm up after playing in the snow we spent the afternoon at the pool and hot tub. Jeff talked Trey into giving him a back rub. Yeah that didn't last long!!

That night we enjoyed a horse carriage ride downtown and then headed back to the condo to play games by the fire. It was a wonderful relaxing weekend and hopefully we will get to go up there again soon!

I love a good mess!!

2011-02-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Although little miss Avrey is so stinking cute she sure knows how to make a mess in a hurry! Whenever I am making dinner she is either reorganizing our tupperware shelf or,

stuck in her high chair with a cracker!!

I love that look on her face like "what cracker?"

"Oh you mean this cracker?"

"Good job mom how about a high five!"

Valentines Day

2011-02-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

We started Valentines day off right this year with some fun little gifts for the kids. Piggy banks, chocolates and a toy. Who could ask for anything more?

Avrey wanted to just eat the gifts which worked okay since they were baby crackers!!

Later that morning we had a few friends over for a delicious pancake breakfast and a Valentines exchange. Trey was so excited that he got to have two parties in one day!!

And the day would not be right unless we finished it off with a heart shaped pizza for dinner!!

The boys also got a surprise package from Gram and Grandpa filled with their true loves...candy and money!! :)

Lovin our visitors!!

2011-02-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had Jeff's mom and brother Peter out for the weekend. We were all so excited to see them and the boys could not wait to take them to Hammond's Candy Factory. Probably because they knew Gram would buy them the treats that mom always says no to!!

Avrey and Uncle Peter.

Our boys LOVE their Gram and seriously can not get enough of her. No matter what they are always right by her climbing ALL over her. Sorry about that!!

Peter was gracious enough to play computer games with the boys!!

We had a nice relaxing weekend except for some minor car troubles so we owe then a re-do weekend in the near future!

Winter Swim Day

2011-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

Back in January we got together with some friends and went swimming at one of the rec centers near by. The kids had such a great time and it was a great way to burn some of our coped up energy. Kaden played on the lion slide the whole time we were there and loved every minute of it.

They also had a fun lazy river that had a really fast current. Trey spent most of the day in there and said he liked how fast it made him swim.

Avrey, looking so stinking cute in a swim suit, was not so sure about the water being colder but loved putting her feet in.

Growing Up Fast!

2011-01-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

For some reason over the last few weeks the kids have seemed to grow up really fast. Trey lost his first tooth and actually lost his second last night. This morning he came out of his room looking kind of sad and I asked him what was wrong he said, "The tooth fairy brought me a dollar but stole my tooth". I guess he wanted to keep it!!

Kaden has moved into Sunbeams which always makes kids seem so big. Although he is not fully loving it he does love singing 'Jesus wants me for a sunbeam' so at least we know he is listening!

Avrey has figured out how to pull her self up to any thing and EVERY thing. I am not sure if she is trying to keep up with her older brothers but I wish they would tell her to just stay small!!

A Snow Day At Last!

2011-01-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we walked out of church to a blizzard. The boys were so excited until we got home and I told them since it was Sunday we couldn't go out and play. I promised that if they went to bed fast there would be plenty of snow to play in first thing in the morning. Sure enough we woke up to another 6 inches of snow and school cancelled. The boys were excited about the snow but 10 times more excited that Daddy got to take a snow day too!

Jeff and Trey shoveled the walks and driveway and then made this darling snowman!

Kaden on the other hand LOVES eating snow so he didn't last as long because his face got too cold. Avrey and I enjoyed watching from inside and had the hot chocolate ready when the boys came in.

CO Railroad Museum

2011-01-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

I don't think our kids will ever stop LOVING trains so we were excited about a free day at the CO Railroad museum in Golden. It is a big open space full of old railroad cars & steam trains ready for kids of all ages to climb aboard.

We took a short break to enjoy lunch and then got right back to exploring. We all had such a great time and can't wait for the next free day!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

So, better late then never, but I thought I would share the highlights of our New Years Eve. Jeff was on call so we planned a night at home hoping the pager wouldn't go off! We started the night off with some delicious homemade pizza and root beer requested by Trey, played games and danced the night away. The kids were so excited when we turned off all the lights and broke open the glow in the dark necklaces.

Avrey even broke out some pretty nice dance moves!

This is my favorite picture of the night. Both Trey and Kaden are actually in this photo but can hardly be seen because they were dancing like crazy! Happy 2011!!

Elf Try Outs

2011-01-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

When Trey was a baby we got this darling little Santa outfit. I think I have a picture of each of the kids on their first Christmas but for some reason the boys wanted new pictures taken. Keep in mind this outfit is a 6-9 month size and for some reason one size fit all this time!!

So as you can see the boys will be trying out for the Buddy role in Elf 2!!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

There are always 2 pictures I have to get of Christmas morning. 1-The picture of everything set out before the kids get to it and 2-The picture of the kids running, not walking, into the room to see what Santa brought. Hands down my favorite pictures of the day.

The kids found beautifully wrapped packages along with a new castle fort.

Trey got a new Pirate/Knights castle.

Kaden was all smiles when he opened up BIG bowling.

The boys also got new pirate ships.

Miss Avrey turned into a little poser and smiled at the camera every time she heard it turn on. She enjoyed opening her gifts by putting them all in her mouth first.

I love Christmas and spending the whole day together as a family. The two funniest things said on Christmas day came from Trey after we were all done opening gifts when he said, "Man those Jewish people are not having fun today". Then Kaden spent the afternoon singing, "Frosty the snowman was a jolly roger."

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

Our family started a fun Christmas eve tradition a few years ago where we take a treat to someone who has to work on Christmas. This year we decided to take orange rolls to our local fire station. The boys were so excited to see the big fire trucks.

The fireman were gracious enough to let the boys climb in the truck and play around a little. They also gave them a tour of the hazmat truck. Afterwards we took the boys bowling and had a wonderful dinner with the Nakken and the Bird Family that I for some reason forgot to take pictures of. Probably because we were having too much fun!

Christmas cookies

2010-12-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

I almost let Christmas slip by without making Christmas cookies. Luckily one afternoon Avrey spilled the cookie cutters and reminded me to whip up some dough.

Gram sent the boys the most darling Santa's Helper's aprons, and we started cooking. The boys had a lot of fun picking different Christmas shapes, eating the dough, and licking the frosting.

The Jumpy Place

2010-12-28T19:49:00.001-08:00

To burn off some Christmas excitement I took the boys with some friends to Pump It Up for an afternoon. We ended up staying for almost three hours since we were almost the only ones there. When you put Dallin, Evan, Kaden and Trey together you have the four craziest boys around.

Avrey loved the little car and picking on her friend Beckham!

Kaden also LOVED spending the afternoon with his friend Bella. When we got home he told us he is going to marry her.

Polar Express Party

2010-12-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Last year my sister had a 'Polar Express' Party and my boys have talked about it so much we decided to adopt it and make it a tradition of ours as well. So, last night we did just that and had a wonderful time. The kids were so excited for everyone to come they started watching for people an hour before the party started!

For our invites we printed off train tickets. Trey played the role of the conductor and punched all of the tickets as the guests arrived.

All of the kids & most the parents came dressed in their pajamas which made it even more fun! We realized you don't need a big house to have a great time. The kids watched the movie while the parents had fun visiting.

Nothing makes a party great without amazing friends and great food. We had cookies and hot, hot, hot chocolate! Can't wait to do it again next year!

Christmas Candy

2010-12-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

A few Saturday's ago we went to Hammond's Candy Factory for their Christmas Festival. The boys were so excited when we arrived to see the train that was decorated for Christmas.

They also had a fire truck that the kids could climb up in, as well as some other games and activities. We didn't realize it was such a big thing and that it was all outdoors so we were pretty cold, but still had fun!

The trip would not be complete without a taste of Hammond's delicious candy! They make great candy canes, but the boys thought the Christmas tree suckers were pretty cool.

Story Time With Santa

2010-12-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the kids were so excited to go to the library and have story time with Santa. Santa read The Night Before Christmas and we sang jingle bells and then each of the kids got a turn on his lap.

Avrey was just fine on his lap but very curious about the fluffy white beard.

The boys could not wait to tell him what they wanted. Good thing they have been good this year!

Thankful for our little turkeys!

2010-11-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving last week and enjoyed the weekend at home with our little turkeys. All I have to do is look at this picture to know how blessed my life is each and every day!

This is the first time our little family has stayed home so I was a little nervous about cooking a turkey for the first time. Jeff and I both come from families with amazing cooks so the pressure was on. The day before Trey and I made some delicious pies...

...and mini tarts. When I was little my mom would always let my sisters and I have the pie crust scraps to make mini tarts. Trey loved it!

Our turkey may be small but it was DELICIOUS!!

Avrey was a good helper and played nicely in her saucer. No pictures of Kaden cause he was gracious enough to take a nap before dinner!

Trey was also in charge of the place cards and did a great job!

The beautiful spread! I broke out the fine china for the event and Trey was so excited that he got to have a glass cup and plate all in the same day! What a wonderful holiday and reminder of the many things we have to be grateful for!

550 Gallons Later

2010-11-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

When you have a BIG beautiful tree like this in your front yard you love it until all those beautiful leaves fall on the ground and you get to clean them all up!! Jeff and Trey started to rake them up one Saturday and then we realized how many were still on the tree and we didn't have any garbage bags big enough to get rid of them so, we left them for another day! Luckily a few days later we had a huge wind storm blowing the rest of the leaves off and a lot into the neighbors yard!!

Avrey remained inside during the clean up. She and leaves do not go well together!

(See post titled "Danger falling all around" for more details!)

The boys had so much fun raking and playing in them. In the end it took 10-55 gallon garbage bags to get it all cleaned up. Can't wait till next year!!

Welcome Home Elder LeChem!

2010-11-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

During the month of October we spent almost three weeks in Utah. One of the main reasons we went is to welcome back Jeff's younger brother Peter. He spent the last two years serving a mission in the Philippines. Kaden and Mo were so excited to see him!

Almost altogether again! Jeff was not able to come to the welcome home at the airport but arrived the following day to spend Halloween with us and be their for his brothers welcome home!

Trey was so happy to see his Uncle Peter and then, of course, once he saw him got a little shy.

Peter meeting Avrey for the first time!

Finally after 4 years the whole family is together again. Peter's Welcome home ended up being on Halloween Sunday. He gave a great talk and then we had a wonderful dinner at Jeff's parents home.

Avrey fell in love with her Great Grandpa Peterson.

As you can see we had a great time filled with many wonderful activities! Kaden tried his hardest to keep up, but finally passed out on Grandpa.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. Trey decided to be Michael Jackson this year, Kaden was Buzz Lightyear and Avrey was a seal. Not much of a theme, but they all looked so cute. The boys had a fun time trick-or-treating with their cousin cowboy Mo.

Trey was ready at any moment to bust a move or put on a concert.

Even in the rain and cold they had such a great time trick-or-treating and didn't want to stop.

Getting ready for Halloween!

2010-11-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

We are blessed when we go to UT because we get a chance to spend time with both sides of our family. One afternoon while we were at Grandpa and Grandma Gillespie's (Julie's parents) the boys wanted to go out and rake up the endless amount of leaves in the back yard.

They wanted to rake them up just so they could jump in them, but Grandpa was so happy when he got home he ended up paying them a few dollars. They, of course, wanted to go back out and rake up more!

That night we got to carve pumpkins with Grandpa and Grandma.

My dad scored HUGE points with the boys that night. Kaden wanted a simple pumpkin face which my dad was happy to do. Then he asked Trey what he wanted on his pumpkin and he said, "Michael Jackson'. Grandpa laughed and said yeah right. I finally talked Trey into doing the MJ and his hand so it would be like Michael's glove. Trey agreed but then said he wanted sparkles on it. I said we couldn't but then Grandpa pulled out some magic. He cut the hand out and then took it outside to use his drill to cut a whole bunch of little holes in it. Trey was so excited!!

To top it all off they shared doughnuts with Grandma and then got to sit in the hot tub. Such a wonderful night with some pretty cool grandparents!!

Cowboy Grub

2010-11-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

We had a very fun night with my sister Laura up in Salt Lake. She took us to this fun little place called Cowboy Grub.

In the waiting area they have free horse rides which the boys loved! They also have the yummiest ribs I have ever. Thanks Laura for a fun night!

Dr. LeChem makes house calls!

2010-11-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jeff broke out some skills and took care of an in grown toenail for his younger brother Nic. We gathered together in their very "sterile" living room. Nurse Trey was in charge of holding the light.

Nurse Kaden was in charge of not touching anything!!

The audience and patient were very pleased with Dr. Jeff's hard work and knowledge.

Danger "FALL"ing all around

2010-11-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

As the warm days are coming to an end I thought it would be a good idea to get all the leaves cleaned up before the snow comes. Yesterday afternoon I tried to do just that. Trey was at school, and Kaden was asleep so Avrey and I headed outside. I put Avrey in her saucer near the front porch and started raking. A short while later I noticed that a leaf had fallen onto Avrey's seat and she, of course, put it directly into her mouth. I ran over and got most of it out of her hand and the few pieces from the front of her mouth when I noticed she began to choke. I grabbed her out of her seat and began patting her back but it seemed to only be getting worse. All I could think is, get inside and call 911. So I did. Avrey was having a hard time breathing and seemed like she was getting no air in whatsoever. Her face was getting very red and had tears running down her face but she wasn't making the sounds of crying. The fire truck arrived within 3 minutes waking Kaden up wondering what in the world was going on. Luckily, by the time they had gotten here Avrey was breathing on her own and had apparently swallowed the leaf. She was scared and holding onto me pretty tight. Kaden became very nervous when the ambulance arrived. Thankfully, one of the fire fighters saw that and took him to check out the fire truck. Although that moment was the scariest moment of my life I feel so blessed that she did not need CPR or something more invasive. Everyone knows to keep small objects like legos & marbles from babies but never in a million years would I have thought a leaf could be so harmful. I am also very thankful for that still small voice and the comfort I was given to stay calm in such a scary situation. We did take her to the doctor afterwards just to have her checked out and thankfully everything checked out fine!

Trey's first field trip

2010-11-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

During the first week in October Trey went on his first field trip at school. He was so excited to ride the bus for the first time and they were able to pick their own vegetables. He spent the day at a local farm and ended up picking a pumpkin, a potato, a carrot, a radish and some indian corn. He had such a great day and can't wait for next time!

Cereal Girl

2010-11-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

That's right Avrey is a cereal girl living in a cereal world.

I am not sure but I think she likes the cereal!! I love this picture!

Yummy Traditions

2010-11-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jeff's family has a great tradition of making homemade doughnuts on General Conference Sunday. This year was another great success.

The boys never complain about this delicious breakfast!

And neither did Avrey!! You're never too young for a doughnut!

One Fall Day

2010-09-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

How can you not FALL in love with Colorado when it is this beautiful? We had a great drive in the mountains this past weekend and saw all the beautiful fall colors. Or, I guess I should say color since everything was yellow but it was amazing!

We had a great picnic lunch and did a little hiking around Breckenridge ski resort. A little weird to be hiking in the mountains at the end of September in shorts, but we're not complaining.

On the way home we drove over Boreas Pass that used to be an old railroad depot. The boys loved it of course! At 11,500 feet, we were all getting light headed.

It was so beautiful and only made us wish that I had a hot apple pie and homemade vanilla ice cream waiting for us when we got home!

Avrey was sick of being in her car seat with an hour left until we got home so out of a moment of desperation we gave the DVD player a try. Looks like we might have to invest in another player before the next road trip!

We're all so glad when Daddy comes home!

2010-09-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

The kids always get so excited when Jeff comes home each day! Jeff will always call when he is on his way and the boys will just sit and wait for him to get here! They can't wait to wrestle and play cowboy, poor Jeff always has to be the horse!

The boys were having so much fun but I think Avrey was a little concerned have all three of them hanging over her! She loves when daddy comes home too!

The Tonsils, The Potty & The Worm

2010-09-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

THE TONSILS: Trey had his tonsils and adenoids removed about two weeks ago and I can happily say we all survived it. He was pretty nervous about the whole idea of having surgery which made it hard on us although we knew it would be so much better for him in the long run. He came out of the surgery pretty angry but after some extra pain medication he chilled with Avrey in is hospital bed!

This is pretty much how we spent the week following the surgery. Luckily we had stocked up on plenty of popsicles and videos from the library!!

THE POTTY: Since I knew we were going to be stuck home for a week following the surgery I decided it was time to potty train Kaden. We had tried a few months back and he just didn't go for it so I wasn't sure if he was ready this time or not. We had 6 accidents the first day so I thought with Trey needing so much attention I would wait and try later with Kaden. The next morning he woke up and asked for under ware and has been dry ever since!

Kaden's new favorite song is 'Eye Of The Tiger' from the movie Rocky...this is him being the tiger!

THE WORM: Avrey has become our little inch worm and has figured out how to get from point a to point b rather quickly. She is already getting up on he knees and has figured out the cutest army crawl I have ever seen. I am not ready for my 5 month old to be crawling!!

My Daddy's Dress

2010-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Just over 30 years ago when Jeff's mom was pregnant with Jeff there was a small hope that she might be having a little girl. She purchased this dress and then had a darling baby boy!! This morning the Mini World price tag was finally cut off and if I may say so it is a perfect dress for this little cutie!

Maybe it is just me but I think Avrey was pretty happy to wear her daddy's dress!!

Happy Happy Birthdays!

2010-08-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated Jeff's 30th birthday! I think it is so cool that he turned 20 + 10 in 2010!

Birthdays are always great as long as there is good food and great friends to share it with!

Thanks to Jeff's mom for letting me borrow all of his "growing up" pictures we were able to hang them up all over the doors and walls for entertainment! It's fun to look back and see how much our boys look just like him as a little boy!

Also, happy birthday to Kaden who turned 3 this week! This little man keeps us always laughing and on our toes. Since he only eats breakfast food we had his party in the morning. His favorite gift, and survival food...

CHOCOLATE MILK!!

Ever since we moved (again) he has loved big trucks. I wish we could have rented a moving truck just for the day; it would have been heaven for him!

Trucks, Trucks, and more Trucks!

The perfect ending to a breakfast party, chocolate chip pancakes!

Avrey's new trick

2010-08-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Miss Avrey is on the move! Even when I was pregnant with her I don't think she ever sat still. Last week she was proud to show all of us her rolling skills.

All giggles the moment you lay her down she is rolling over. She is so proud of herself!

Most babies seem to learn to roll onto their tummy and wait to figure out rolling over to their back. Not this one. She must have thought it was so cool she rolled again. I guess this is the first sign of the need to baby proof! Although she is loving rolling over during the day, during the night she is not loving it so much. Every time she rolls over she wakes up screaming. We are so proud of her tricks and wish she would not grow up so fast.

Weekend with LeChem's

2010-08-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a wonderful visit with Jeff's mom, dad and brother Derek. We didn't tell the kids they were coming so the next morning they were quite surprised! One afternoon we headed down to the Air Force Academy for a nice lunch. How many people can say they have had lunch under a B52 Bomber? After that we headed to some great outlets in Castle Rock. Never too early to start your Christmas shopping!!

I guess Avrey wanted to join in on the picnic!!

Avrey and "Santa" Grandpa!! Jeff's dad doesn't normally have a beard so the boys kept calling him Santa!

We also went to see the Red Rocks Amphitheater in the Denver foothills that was really cool. Seeing a concert here is on our list of things to do for the next trip!

The view from the top of the theater looking out towards the city.

Trey loved the museum and all of the cool rock star stuff! He practiced his moves on the stage and said he can't wait to have a concert there someday!

We also celebrated an early birthday for Jeff and Kaden, more pictures to come. We had a great time and can't wait to see them again! Remember... visitors are always welcome! :)

First day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Trey started Kindergarten this week and seems to be having a lot of fun. I got to go with him on the first day and meet his teacher and see the class room.

His favorite part of the first day was getting a new backpack!

Everyone made it through the first day tear free!! Kaden was not very happy that he didn't get to go even after he lined up with the kids so well! We are so proud of Trey and hope he has an awesome year!

Echo Lake

2010-08-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

A few weekends back we were in need of some outdoor time so we headed up the mountains for a picnic at echo lake. I'm not %100 sure but I am pretty sure Avrey already has daddy wrapped around her little finger!

Trey was determined to swim in the lake even though it was pretty cold. We talked him into throwing rocks instead!

We enjoyed our little picnic and then went for a little hike. It was such a beautiful place we can't wait to get back up there!