{29 years old . . . not so bad}

I've been looking forward to my 29th birthday for some time now. Not that I'm some kind of crazy woman that enjoys aging, because that couldn't be farther from the truth. But because of a little thing called . . .

We've had our tickets for almost 2 months now and I have literally been counting down the days.

My birthday started off with a bang when I woke up to a house FULL of love . . . (aka balloons!)

My husband blew up 216 balloons manually (the pump he bought wouldn't work) so I could have a fun and exciting birthday morning. We all had a blast dancing and playing in the balloons, and the kids continued to have a blast throughout the day as friend after friend stopped by to play at balloon land!

At 4:00 I headed off to wingers for a pre-movie meal with some of my good friends/twilight fans!

Because our movie was being played at 7 we weren't able to bring cameras into the theatre so we weren't able to get a shot of us all together there. But we all had a bast drooling, screaming, and swooning over Jacob!

I was one of the few women to enter the theatre part of "team Jacob" . . . but I left in good company!!

But my night didn't stop there. When I found out that our movie was playing at 7, I immediately called my sister (who goes with her inlaws) and asked if they had any extra tickets for their theater! They did, so I asked my "die hard" friend Texie, who I read all the books with, if she wanted to see it again! And so we did!

{sisters}

{die hards}

It was an incredible night and an incredible birthday! I was so touched by all the texts, phone calls, facebook comments, and gifts I recieved. Thanks for thinking of me.

Pepero day!

Happy Pepero Day!!

A special thanks to Nana and Papa for helping us celebrate eleven eleven! In Korea they call November 11th pepero day because one of their favorite treats look like 1's!

Hope you all have a very happy pepero day!

A little carried away . . .

A couple of weeks ago we had a "Super Saturday" with a few wards in our stake. It was so fun and there were so many cute things there I had to limit myself so I didn't go too crazy!

Since my daughter refuses to wear anything but skirts, I jumped at the opportunity to learn how to sew one. Well, once I learned, I got a little carried away and next thing I knew . . .

Ta da!

I made 7!

I even adjusted the pattern so I could make some for baby girl hammer!

I made 2 of this one for Abby and Sophie since the Buchanans will be here for Christmas!!

And here's my little model . . . the skirt lover herself! She keeps telling everyone I made skirts for her at the church!

Sometimes it is so fun to learn a new skill since we don't get to do that very often as moms.

Happy Birthday Logan . . .

At least I'm only 1 day late with this post!

Yesterday was my sweetheart's 29th birthday! I can't believe how old we are getting! Isn't it unfair that as men age they just become more handsome? Well, this is definitely the case for Logan.

Here's a list of some of the reasons I love this man:

*He is so kind to me and always puts my feelings first.

*He is an incredible Dad to our 2 (soon to be 3) children and they absolutely adore him.

*He is a hard worker and extremely motivated. He stays up late almost every night working so he can put the needs of our family first.

* He is so generous.

*He is a happy person and always keeps us laughing and playing. He makes our home a happy place.

*He has a good heart. He wants good for others.

*He is patient.

*He is so smart. I don't think he even knows how brilliant he is.

*He is the man of my dreams.

I love you, babe! I hope you had a very Happy Birthday!

Ayden is 5!

My baby boy is 5 years old!

5 years ago . . . on a cold October morning, after 21 hours of labor, our sweet little Ayden Sean came into the world.

He was an angel baby. Literally. I read a book that breaks it down into categories and he fit right in with the angels. He hardly ever cried. Although he wanted to eat every 2 hours, he would nurse on both sides in a matter of minutes, burp, and be on his way.

Around 8 months he really stared using his signs and by the time he was 1 he could communitcate with us pretty well. He loved watching the Signing Time videos.

As Ayden got older, he started becoming really independent and by the time he was 15 months he knew what he wanted. Since then he's always been very good at keeping himself occupied. He can turn anything into a toy with his incredible imagination.

Ayden loves making things. He loves coloring and cutting things out. I can't count the number of signs and pictures he has made for me. He is also very smart. He is already reading and he isn't even in kindergarden yet. He loves so sound out words and understand the world around him.

Ayden is a good friend. He still loves to play with the neighbor kids, and in his preschool class he is constantly being fought over by the girls. He brings gifts and pictures home every day from his many admirers.

For Ayden's birthday he wanted to have a pizza party and go see the movie Astro Boy with his boy cousins! It was a crazy day but I think he had a good day!

{Brandt, Braden, Ayden, Brandon, Jacob, Josh, and Zack|}

Happy Birthday to my special boy!

{ Our Soccer boy }

Well, it was a great season! It started out a little rough, but it was amazing to watch these little guys improve so much in such a short amount of time.

When he started, Ayden was really timid. He was very concerned about his teammates and making sure he didn't push or kick anyone on his way to the ball. (meaning he didn't go for the ball at all) But by the end, he was stealing the ball and running down the field to score a goal!

In this league they play 3 on 3 which gives the boys more of a chance to get in and get the ball. It also helps them stay focused since there are so few of them on the field at a time.

Ayden's team

the Panthers

{Preston, Gabe, Ayden, Carter, and Ryland}

With Coach Jeff

It was a great experience and I can't wait for the spring league to start!

{ Lewis }

Our little Sophie girl has been talking so much lately. She got off to a much slower start then Ayden did, but man is she catching up fast! 

She loves to remind me of her nicknames. She says, "Hey Mom, you know you call me sis and Dad calls me Lewis . . . that's silly"! I wish I could explain how she adds a y to every word too, its so funny. For example: instead of saying more she says moyer. 

So the other day I got one of those Costco bags of swedish fish. She came and asked me for some and as we were walking to the kitchen together she said, "You sure do love me Mom. And I sure do love fishes." It was so funny, she's always cracking me up. 

She wants to have control over her world a little and so when you do something that upsets her she makes up some kind of comeback like, "Well then you can't come to my party" or "you can't come in my room" or her latest "well, then you can't have a polly pocket".

I think 3 years old is one of my favorite ages because they want so bad to be a big kid. She is always telling me how big she is. But truthfully, sometimes I'm blown away at how big she really is! I guess it's good that she won't be the baby of the family much longer!

( farewell to the cookster . . . }

We had a sad day today as we bid farewell to our pet turtle of over 2 years.

Cookie (as Ayden named him) was a good pet to us. Wether he was chomping on fish . . . dive bombing off his sun bathing rock . . . or  making various hills out of the rocks at the bottom of his tank, he always kept us entertained. Even neighbor kids would come over to see what funny things our little friend would do.

{retiring the tank and carrying cookie to his final resting place }

{watching Daddy dig the hole }

{putting him in the ground . . . and a sad little Sophie girl}

{placing flowers on the grave}

He was the most energetic turtle I've ever know, and we will miss him.

{ Number 6 }

That stinking cute number 6 is my little soccer boy. 

We have been excited to get him started with soccer since he was born. Logan played in high school and still plays here and there on city leagues. Hopefully he'll find a love for it like his daddy.

I sat there for a full hour with a smile on my face as I watched these little boys run after that ball. Half of the time I don' t think they even understand why they are doing it, except that when they look back, mom and dad have huge smiles on their faces. 

Unfortunately . . . . . he got his aggressiveness from his mother.

He did kept turning around and giving us the thumbs up. So precious.

{ Salsa day }

Not only was yesterday the first day of school . . . it was also Salsa Day! We started at 9 am and and here we are wrapping things up just a little after midnight!!

Last year Michelle and I made 4 batches of Salsa and they only lasted us about 3 quarters of the year . . . so this year we stepped it up a notch! We invited our other neighbor Nicole and between the 3 of us we made 10 batches!! That's right . . . 182 jars of Salsa!

I know what you're all thinking . . . that means there's plenty to share, right? But after the blood, sweat and tears we put into that stuff, good luck prying a bottle from our greedy little hands!!

It was a really fun day, and I'm glad I have fun friends to do it with!

{ First day of school }

My baby went to her first day of preschool yesterday! I can't believe how grown up she is! She had a great time, she loves her class, and is so excited about being a big girl! 

I'm so proud of the sweet girl Sophie is. She still loves to get into trouble, but you'll never find a sweeter girl. She is also very smart and I know she'll do a great job in school. She loves to learn. Sophie has lots of friends. She is very into playing pretend and Mommy. I'm a little nervous for the time when our baby comes, because I'm pretty sure she will think it's her baby!

And Ayden started, not his first . . . not his second . . . but his third year of preschool yesterday too! He's being a good sport about it. Ayden knows what he wants and doesn't give up easily on it. That makes for a challenging 4 year old but I think it will make for a successful adult. He loves to learn and even though we took the summer off from reading, he still loves to sound out words and is always impressing me with his knowledge.

Ayden is curious about everything. He always wants to know where things come from and how they work. And he doesn't accept his Mom's simple answers either. He is a good student and his teachers always adore him. 

There's nothing like the first day of school!

{ Labor Day '09 }

We just returned from an exciting Labor Day! We have made it a tradition to go to Riverside Country Club with my family down in Provo. Every year they do a big carnival and provide lunch for all their members. 

The kids couldn't get enough of the games and prizes. (especially since Ayden is obsessed with little toys) They especially love spending the day with Nana, Papa, and their aunts and uncles!

{riding the swings}

After lunch the girls needed a nap, so Logan and Ayden went to a new fun place called Pirate's Cove down by the mall. They played more games and had a great time!

It's been an especially fun Labor Day for the Hammers!

{ Day Farm }

Out in west Layton there is a great little family owned farm. We go there every year to get pumpkins and go for a hay ride. Last year we decided to make salsa and can it so went there to get all of our peppers.  

Well it's salsa time again and this time we decided to take the whole gang out to the farm to pick all of the tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, and anaheim peppers that we need to make 9

batches of salsa!

We had a great time with our neighbors, the Flittons and the Botts, and all the children out working in the field, harvesting our own fresh vegetables to make delicious Salsa!

{Sophie and Ashlee picking Big Jims}

It sounds kinda funny, but every time we go out there I have a semi spiritual experience. It is just so amazing to me that we have a Heavenly Father that created this beautiful world for us. It's an awesome experience to see what that world can do and how we can use it's resources in our lives.