View from our dinner table

The girlys

The boys

Luke Sutton..our waiter always made things our of our napkins, he was hilarious.

On our way to Vegas baby! This was was our ship!

Tara and me!

Catalina Islands...we want to retire here!

On the beach!

We will miss you Grandpa (4-20-1940 - 6-4-09)

This morning at 4:25 a.m. a very important man in my life passed away, my amazing Grandpa Daw. My grandpa was one of the most loving caring people I ever knew, and will very much be missed. Grandpa had been sick for quite awhile now with Parkinsons disease and some liver problems he had recently been battling with for the past few months. Last Friday he was taken to the hospital where we were told there was nothing else they can they could do for him and that we should let him pass away peacefully from home. The nurse gave him 4-6 hours on Monday but Grandpa was a fighter and hung on until this morning. He was in a comma for a couple of days but before passing woke up to squeeze my Grandma's hand one last time and allow her to tell him that it was ok to go, that we loved him and that it was ok...and then he passed a few short minutes later. My Grandpa loved my Grandma Kaye very much along with all 7 of his other kids, grand kids, and great-grandkids. Him living here in Sandy Utah I was able to spend some much needed time with him these past few months and I feel very lucky to have had such an amazing Grandfather in my life. We love you Grandpa. We will miss your laugh, your smile, and your jokes... but we also know you are in a much better place and we are so happy for you. We love you, we love you, we love you.

Things I love and will miss about Grandpa Daw:

-His laugh

-His Smile

-His weekly (sometimes daily) phone call

-The way he always called me Rose from a joke he told that we can't even remember half the time

-The way he would come watch all of my basketball games and tournaments when I was in high school and even came and watched some college track meets.

-The way he loved his root beer

-He loved playing cards and always looked forward to the family getting together so we could play together.

-His movie collection, and the way he always had a new movie he wanted you to watch whenever we came over.

-When he would take us to Lagoon every summer and he would do that baskeball shooting game to win me a basketball pillow, even if he spent all his money trying to do that he would.

-Whenever I would go to his house when i was in high school and we would play horse or around the world in his driveway

-I remember when he got baptized

-Him falling asleep two minutes into any movie or TV show we watched together

-I will miss meeting him for lunch and seeing his name on my caller ID

-The little Mexican restaurant he used to take me to all of the time

-He would always send us money for our birthday and christmas

-His jokes...he always had a new one and how excited he was to share them with everyone

-The stories he would tell me about my mom and how fast she was in high school

-The way he loved my kids and was always talking them up to anyone that came over to visit. He would always tell me how smart they were and how much he loved them.

-The way that he always told me what a neat guy Ben was and how much he loved him

-How much he loved the JAZZ

-The way he would call Ben up and tease him whenever the Jazz beat the Lakers

-I will miss his hugs

-I will miss the way he called me sis

-I will even miss his 6:30 a.m. phone calls that would sometimes wake me and my kids up just to tell me good morning and he hopes we have a good day.

-I will miss seeing the way he looked at my Grandma, he loved her sooooo much.

*I could go on for days and days about how much I love my Grandpa and how heartbroken I am that he is gone. But I also want him and everyone else to know that I am so so happy that he is in peace now and in a better place with our Father in Heaven. Grandpa had a rough road these past few months and it was hard to see him go through that. We all know he is happy now even though if I could still one more hug and one more joke I would in a hearbeat. We love you Grandpa....we miss you, and we know you are always with us.

* I also wanted to add that my middle name comes from this wonderful man (Daw) and I couldn't be more proud

Newest Project!!

So as many as you moms know, we like to make up projects for ourselves to keep us from going insane some days!! For so long I've wanted new kitchen cabinets because I'm not a huge fan of the natural wood look in our house. I knew it was way to much get brand new ones, so have been toying with the idea of painting them black myself. Ben was VERY VERY against it because it was such a BIG thing do just decide to do one day and it is a pretty big part of our home...so if it turned out bad...oh well! Last week i was at Walmart and just decided to get the paint and do it. It took me about 3 days of straight painting, but it's done...and I LOVE it! It looks so much better! I just put a coat of primer on, then had to do about 3 coats of the black paint on each cabinet. I did the inside of the doors as well, so that's why it took so long. Anyways, it's funny how a little bit of paint can change something SOOOO much! It looks like a completely different kitchen to us! Oh, and Ben loves it as well and is so happy I did it, so it was way worth it! Just thought it'd be fun to post a before and after picture!

I also wanted to tell my activity day girls how cute they are and how much I love them! We had an activity Wednesday at my house and made the cutest little Mother Day craft! We made sugar cookies, frosted them, and put little skewers in them with leaves attached on them listing the things they loved about there moms on each leaf. We put a gumdrop in the middle of the cookies to get them to hold and put starbursts and skittles as the grass in the pot. Anyways, they turned out so cute. Ben actually had a young mens activity that night and he even liked the idea so much he had me teach the boys how to do them as well....not quite as coordinates as my girls...but I still gave them props for trying and doing them!

Hope all is well and you all have a very Happy Mothers Day!!

Kitchen before

Kitchen AFTER!!

Darling Jennaka Christensen with her Mother's Day cookie boquet

My cute kidos

New PJS...he WON'T take them off because he LOVES the lion

Talon LOVES to sit in his high chair...as you can tell!

Posing with big sis

Quick Update!

I just wanted to hurry and post some new pics that I finally downloaded on my camera! I haven't put any on from my trip home or from Easter so just wanted to show off my cute kids! A couple of weeks ago I was missing my family and found out that my little sister Kyli happened to have two track meets that same week. SOOO, being the independent venturous person I am, I packed up me and the three kids and drove the long 7 hour drive to Boise Idaho! (It should only take 5-6 hours but we always have to stop twice so it takes longer!) Anyways, the kids were great, they are kind of used to it because I got home pretty often by myself with them because when I go I want to stay for a whole week and Ben can't take off a week of work obviously. Anyways, I am blessed with patient easily entertained children that love their Grandma and Grandpa's house so it was really good. It was a very fun and eventful week. We went to two of Kyli's track meet, WHICH, I have to hurry and brag about my awesome little sis! Not only is Kyli a freshman on the Varsity track team, but she's kicking butt in all of her races and it's so much fun to watch her. She did AMAZING while we were there so it was so worth the trip.

We came back home in time to spend Easter with Ben. It was good but pretty low key. Our ward had a Easter egg hunt Saturday morning, and yes, we were about 30 seconds late and almost missed the whole thing. Ben ran Brooklyn and Austin over to the field and by the time I got Talon out of the car it was over! But they LOVED it anyways. It of course was raining so went into the gym to have the Easter pancakes...as you can imagine it was PACKED and a little crazy. So we fed the kids an headed home! Easter morning was cute. The Easter bunny of course left a trail of chocolate eggs leading from their bedroom door to each of their Easter baskets. They each got a new swimming suite, some fun sand toys, and of course lots of candy in their Easter basket. They now LOVE the Easter bunny and keep asking when he's coming back. Anyways, it was a very fun holiday and kind of nice to be able to just spend it my little family. Hope you all enjoyed yours and are enjoying the wonderful spring weather ahead!

Kyli in action right before her 100m race...it make me nervous just looking at this picture (2nd from the left in the navy blue)

The meet was at BSU so this was her first time competing there, she did awesome!

Kyli and her 4x1 team, they did great!

Hanging out with Grandpa at Kyli's track meet!

Loves from Grandma

Talon camping out in his car seat at Kyli's track meet...it was so cold!

Loves from Grandpa...he's in the middle of sticking his tongue out at me...such a personality my little Austin



I know, I get all of the time how much my mom and I look alike, so thought I'd get a close up!



Taucia was home for her last week before she left for college while I was there too, so it was tons of fun to be able to spend some time with her as well!





The kids loved dying Easter eggs




Austin didn't know what to think about it at first, but he got the hang of it pretty quick.


Blue of course, everything is blue!


My smiley little Talon, always so happy and lights up a room with that little grin

BACK TO DIAPERS

SO I took all of your wonderful advice....WE ARE OFFICIALLY DONE!!! I woke up today with a positive attitude thinking that today would be the day he would get it. I would be patient and loving if he did have an accident...didn't happen! By noon we had 4 accidents, and I've decided I don't want to ruin him for life! You know what though, it's kind of a HUGE relief! This whole thing has been so stressful it's crazy! It's funny how something so little can stress you out so much and be such a huge deal. I guess our main thing was two in diapers is kind of expensive, but hopefully one day in the next few months it will click...until then, paying for diapers is soooo worth my insanity! Thanks to all!