Read...Our Family News

Look How much I've Grown!

2009-10-11T14:34:00.001-07:00

Camden just minutes old. Take notice to the way he is holding his hands--

(It's the golf grip--for all you non-golfers out there!)

So as you can imagine Cecil was an extra proud papa when he saw this!

Camden just hours after being born getting loves from Grandma Debbie.

Camden 1 day old getting his beauty rest.

Camden a couple of days old with his proud papa! ( love this picture!)

Camden at his 2 week old photo shoot. Taken by Sandy Landon Photography.

Camden 3 months old and cuter than ever!

Camden showing off his adorable smile that lights up his whole face!If everyone smiled like this once a day the world would be a much happier place-- don't ya think?!

We're Back!!

2009-10-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's been so long I almost forgot how to do this!! I am so behind with pictures to post but I'm telling myself ...."baby steps..." "You can do this..." With that little pep talk every day I hope to get up to date and keep up to date :)

I would like to find out whoever said "once you have 3 kids a 4th is no big deal" and let them know it's not true!! There is alot of ACTION at our House these days with a 9 year old( 4th grade) a 6 year old (1st grade) a 3 year old (preschool) and a newborn cute little one who loves to be held and held and then held some more. But I wouldn't trade all the ACTION for anything! They are all so amazing and I am really trying to enjoy each day because I know how fast they grow up and I don't even want to think about what happens after that! So with all that being said.....POST ON!

LITTLE MAN

2009-06-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

OUR LITTLE MAN IS HERE....

I HAVE MANY MORE PICTURES TO POST BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU

THAT CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER, HERE HE IS!

38 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!

2009-06-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to have 3 GREAT kids and we are all very anxious for the arrival of another. Morgan is always telling me "Mom, you shouldn't be doing that" or " here, let me do that." She is very concerned for me and the baby and is such a good helper. Ashlyn has officially declared herself as "The most Excited" for baby brother to be born and I know I won't even need to ask her to help out...in fact...she will probably be telling me what the baby needs and asking for my help! I don't know if Easton fully understands what is about to happen but he has already reserved one of his golf clubs for his baby brother and for a 3 year old who doesn't share much with anyone that equals= Lots of Love!!!

This baby has received so much love already from the kiddos--- They love to hug and kiss my belly every night before bed---some (Ashlyn & Morgan) more than others :) Easton prefers the bed night wrestling match or tackle kiss (go figure)

He may not have a name yet.... but he certainly is LOVED!!!

Easter Festivities

2009-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Easter wouldn't be the same with out peanut butter chow mein birds nests with cadbury mini eggs(YUM!) and peeps....if you don't like to eat them they are just fun to look at...I enjoy doing both!

Easton and Morgan were my good helpers making colored eggs. We all had fun with this activity...maybe because they are getting older and it isn't such a disaster of a mess as it has been in the past :)

Saturday we went to the City sponsored Easter Egg Hunt. Ashlyn insisted on wearing her bunny costume and I just love this picture of her and her friend Ashley and Morgan holding hands walking to the Egg hunt

We got to see the Easter Bunny....This one is not as frightening as others I have seen but Ashlyn was still scared to stand next to it.

Then we got to decorate cookies and enjoy all of our tasty treats.

Easter Sunday...We decided to take pictures after church so we wouldn't be late :) We all enjoyed the beautiful weather and having family over for an Easter Feast. We are so blessed and We are grateful for our belief in our loving Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. We are grateful for this Easter season and that we can celebrate his Ressurection and that someday we too will be ressurected.
HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

Introducing Baby....

2009-04-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

WILSON!

Really we are not naming the baby Wilson--it just happens to be a family joke gone BAD! One Sunday night after eating dinner with cecil's family we were discussing names for our new baby and since Easton is a sports related name we were thinking of all the other possibilities...and someone blurted out WILSON and we all thought it was so funny (one of those "you had to be there" moments) Anyways, my family is big time into volleyball and all I could think about whenever someone asked "How is baby Wilson doing" was that volleyball from the movie CASTAWAY with Tom Hanks that becomes his best friend while he is stranded on the Island all alone.....so like I said before....family joke..gone bad! I put Cecil's artistic skills to work and this is BABY WILSON! Hopefully the name doesn't stick for to long....poor kid!

(This volleyball is at 29 weeks)

Birthday Boy

2009-04-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Easton is such a HAPPY little boy and it is hard to believe that he is 3 years old already! We had a birthday cake with suckers for candles(minor details) and enjoyed the weekend at Zions. Here are some of the things Easton likes as a BIG 3 year old!

Favorite Foods: popcorn, apples, string cheese, juice, ham and cheese, yogurt, spagetti with meatballs, strawberry smoothies made by dad.

Loves to play: with cousin Josh, His peeps-Josh and Emily, "got you last" with grandpa, playhouse disney and webkinz (he is quite good at using the computer), his building blocks Grandma gave him for his birthday.

Favorite color: Depends on the day--today was Red

Favorite Movie: Peter Pan

Likes: Spiderman, golfing and fishing with Dad, wrestling Dad, Jumping on the Trampoline, Bike rides.

Favorite word: "Poop" (he laughs everytime he says it or hears it?!?)

Other intersting Facts: He loves putting underwear on his head and socks on his hands and chases the girls around the house( be afraid, be very afraid!), He has a SELF APPOINTED "spot" on the couch and a special bar stool and trust me you don't want to mess with him when it comes to either one of these things!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EASTON! We love you xoxoxox

Zions National Park Adventure

2009-04-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Easton turned 3 years old the 28th of March and we thought it would be fun to go on a little adventure for the weekend. So we packed up the RV and headed for Zions National Park. It was the perfect birthday getaway---perfect warm weather and somewhere none of us had been before! Cecil's parents joined us for the fun and the kids had a lot of fun hiking, fishing, and exploring the outdoors. We had a great time and have decided to take a little road trip every year for Easton's birthday.

Leppercons

2009-03-17T17:32:00.001-07:00

There is never a holiday that goes unnoticed around here....Thanks to our cute, cute Morgan. She is very intense about holidays and usually doesn't get much sleep the night before because she is so excited for the big HOORAY!! So all last week she has been busy at work building her

"Leprechaun trap" out of an old box and a cup full of peanut butter with shiny gold coins inside...(the idea being that the leprechauns would go in the cup for the coins and get stuck in the peanut butter.) She set it all up last night before bed and left a note that said

Dear Leppercon,

First of all, Please leave 7 dollars and I will leave my coines. Please right a note.

Morgan

Well those naughty little leprechauns jumped in the peanut butter and knocked over the box house and took the coins and jumped on top of the box house and left foot prints all over and left a note that said Shiney Coins!---but did not leave 7 dollars!?!? I guess peanut butter isn't sticky enough so they got away...... Better luck next year Morgan!

Happy St. Patricks Day from our little leprechauns to yours!

Lucky #4--You Look Marvelous!

2009-02-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

So, I was tagged by my friend Cheree---this is how it works: open your 4th picture file and post the 4th picture and then explain what the picture is about. I had a good laugh when I saw that this was the 4th picture---this is Cecil's brother Isaac (who is one of the funniest guys you will ever meet.) We took this picture of Isaac when we RV'ed it to Oregon for Thanksgiving---

side note: Ironically we just rented and watched the movie The RV with Robbin Williams, tonight which is a hilllarious movie---at least for us---(may have been the time 0f night we watched it!) So rent it if you haven't seen it yet!

Any Whoo! We went to the outlet mall in Oregon and Isaac saw this hat and fell in love---He really wanted to buy it and wear it to the OSU vs. U of O game a.k.a. the civil war game. We talked him into not buying it but rather just possing for a few "blackmail" pictures instead. Maybe he should have worn it to the game---then maybe the beavers would have won ---There's always next year---Go BEAV'S

Now I get to tag 4 lucky friends to do the same thing and the winners are: Jen, Kelly, Nicole and Janae! Don't disappoint :)

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

2009-02-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

For all of you that voted Girl.......You're wrong.......and for all of you that voted TWINS....I'll find out who you are:) ..... and for all of you that voted a Boy.......

Well you are right!This is me and the BELLY at 20 weeks (thank you Ashie for being my photographer)---- I Really Really don't like photo's of me when I'm pregnant but my sister-in-law has been begging me to post a picture of my belly.... so this one's for you Camilla ( I guess you do get what you want...most of the time:) We are very excited about having another little boy---- Easton can't stop talking about his "baby brudder." Now for the hard part---a name. We are open to suggestions but it must end with an "N" We can't let the little guy feel left out. (and I'm a little OCD---but who isn't?!?)

BABY VOTE

2009-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

I am very excited for next week! We get to find out the sex of our baby. I thought it would be fun to take a poll to see what you think. So check out the sidebar to the right and VOTE. Poll will be open until Monday February 2nd.

Dirty laundry

2009-01-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the need to air some dirty laundry......because there seems to be so much of it these days. I am TRYING to potty train E-Man and it's just been another poopie day. For the record, I really really really do not like potty training other than the cute little biscuits you get to see running from one end of the house to the other looking for a clean pair of underwear. Also, the end result is quite nice, but for the LOVE...... for the love of your Mother and her sanity pleeeeeeease just go on the toilet! I have bribed him with every cool toy or tasty treat any little boy could possibly want but he still does not want to do the DEED where it belongs. I know I just need to be patient... it will happen when he is ready Right?!?

Whew! I feel much better and all the laundry in the house is clean---at the moment.

Any tricks that have worked for you?

Cooking up some fun!

2009-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Morgan this Easy Bake Oven for Christmas and she has had a lot of fun making delicious HOCKEY PUCKS....I mean cookies! She gave one to Easton and then asked "Who's a better cook? ME? ore MOM?" His reply... " YOU are!" She was so excited and said " Yes! finally I am better than Mom!" No hurt feelings here----Considering the source! In all fairness....her second attempt at the cookies turned out much better.... we added more water and cooked it for way less time! Watch out Kelly---You've got some competition in the neighborhood! Thanks SANTA for the fun present!

GOODNIGHT MOM

2008-12-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

I love reading books with my kids at night and one of our all time favorite books is "GOODNIGHT MOON" I have read it so many times I know every word by heart. I found this funny poem about being a mom that goes along with the book goodnight moon, but it's called GOODNIGHT MOM. Oh! the joys of Motherhood! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

In the messy green family room

There was telemarketer ringing the telephone

And a crying toddler because his brother

just popped his red balloon

And a picture of--

The cow jumping over the moon

(which someone colored on with permanent marker)

And there was a missing teddy bear, and a girl

with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded and laundry to be folded

And a very hungry spouse

And something stinky in the house

(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky

baby who just won't shush

And a frazzled mommy screaming ?#@!

Goodnight messy room

Goodnight scribbled-on moon

Goodnight cow getting out while she can

Goodnight telemarketers and the popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear

Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over thedining room chair

Goodnight spitup and goodnight leaky sippy cup

Goodnight much-too-little house and

goodnight grumpy spouse

Goodnight comb and goodnight brush

And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old

who just needs to hush right now, I mean it

Goodnight Elmo

Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,

or the next day

Hello (DRINK OF YOUR CHOICE) and Tivo-

"me" time FINALLY!

Adventures in Oregon

2008-12-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year we piled in a RV and drove to Oregon to spend 10 days with Cecil's family and to celebrate his Grandpa's 90th Birthday! The kids had a GREAT time with cousins they haven't seen for a long time( we miss all of you already!) and making new friends with ELVIS the parakeet and MARSHMELLOW the bunny. We spent some time at the Beautiful Oregon Coast ----the beach---not so warm--but OH so fun! And we ate CRAB--OH so TASTY! The best part was not having a schedule for 10 WHOLE days and just being

"RV PEOPLE!!"

Secret

2008-12-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Do you want to hear a secret?!? Our Home is growing by 2 more feet! Little baby feet that is! We are all very excited about this news and thought it was time to share our excitement with all of you!

A little salute

2008-11-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

To all the veterans...Thank you for your service! We salute you!

Haunted Memories!

2008-10-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tis' the season

2008-10-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

October 2006

October 2008

The one thing I dread about this time of year is this! Easton starts to having a hard time breathing and has a nasty cough from Sept to April. "They" say kids tend to grow out of this around 3years old so I'm really really hoping Easton will follow that pattern. He is such a little trooper. He puts his dragon mask on and sits patiently until the breathing treatment is over. He's been doing it for so long it's just part of the routine.

2008-10-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

One of the days during fall break I took the kids to see the witches at gardners village. If you've never been, you should go. There are witches all over the shopping village... flying, rowing, playing, hiding,working....the kids had a good time trying to find all them, eating out for lunch and picking out treats at the candy store! Thanks kids for the fun date!

These are a few of my favorite things.....

2008-10-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

I love the Fall. The Weather is perfect during the day and the nights start to get a little cold making it ideal time to go camping "READ STYLE" in the backyard! This is one of our kids favorite activities...sitting around the campfire roasting marshmellows and eating smores....Then we pack it up and head inside. Now that's my kind of camping!

I Love Halloween---especially the decorating part! This year we added a BIG Mama spider to go along with the demented spider egg sacks hanging in the door way. I also made the cute pumpkin topiaries to add to the collection of Halloween decore.

Another favorite....I love having a project...these are some of the many baby blankets I have made for friends and family. They are so soft and just darn cute---I'm thinking about making one in my size!

And finally...Fall means yummy treats....I love to make carmel apples and I love even more to eat them!

Why do you love fall?

New Cousin Babies

2008-10-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Cecil's 2 youngest brothers, Abe and Jon both became daddys on the same day...Jon has a boy named Ohen and Abe has a girl named Marley. Look at those cute little cousins!

Ashlyn means business when it comes to babies....She loves, loves, loves them! I asked her if I could have a turn holding Marley and she told me " No Way!" Funny thing is..she means it! She was counting up all her babies the other day and came up with 9 different babies that she claims as her own! If you ever need someone to hold your little one for a minute... or twenty you know who to call! She is going to be a great little mommy someday!

OH! Ohen... Isn't he just the cutest little man!

Ginger-"The lost kitten, that's not"

2008-10-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

Meet "Ginger" She is a cat that my girls ( along with the rest of the neighborhood) have become quite attatched to. We all thought she was lost so the kids started making "lost" posters in hopes to find it's owner. Morgan even put the posters in page protectors incase there was bad weather---that girl is always thinking ahead!! Well, come to find out " Ginger" is really "Dodger" who lives a couple of streets over. Her owners just found out about her home away from home and are willing to share her every now and then, as long as the kids are nice to her. We are glad she has a home---she is a very sweet cat.

Harley doesn't have the same opinion....she thinks "ginger" would TASTE sweet for lunch!

Ashlyn and Ashley spent all afternoon with "Ginger" and were reluctant to let her go ...even if it was bed time!

Welcome Home!

2008-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday October 2nd was a great day! My parents returned home from their 18 month mission to Australia. All the Grandkids had Australian Flags to hold and a sign to welcome them home. We all started to cheer when we saw them finally come down the escalator. It didn't take long for the kids to run and give Grandpa and Grandma BIG HUGS! We are all very excited to have them back home with us again!

All the Grandkids PATIENTLY waiting to see Grandpa and Grandma

My parents didn't know that my brother Tyler was going to be at the airport...it was great to have the whole family together again!

All the kids decided that my parents house needed a little updating so the last month they were gone we had their door painted black,put new black shutters on, hung new outdoor lights on the house and also replanted the front yard. We had many Family Home Evenings together to get everything done! This picture is their reaction to their "new house." We were all a little scared they wouldn't like it but everything turned out amazing and they said they love all the new changes! Welcome Home Elder and Sister Tuckett!

New York Minute

2008-10-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

I heart NY! We took a quick trip to New York a couple of weekends ago and learned that 4 days in the city just isn't enough!! There is so much to see and experience in the city that NEVER sleeps! We had a great time watching baseball, shopping, eating,riding every form of public transportation--train, subway, taxi, and sight seeing! A big Hug and Kiss to my wonderful family and friends (Amber, Nicole, Jen and Mariellen) who took care of our kids while we were gone---no responsibility for a couple of days is soooooo nice! Let us know when we can return the favor. xoxoxo

Dipped in Chocolate

2008-09-09T20:52:00.001-07:00

One of my all time favorite bloggers (cjanerun) once said " Three year olds are so delicious they should be dipped in chocolate and sold in department stores at Easter time!"

I totally agree CJane, and although Easton is not quite yet three years old...he is absolutly, positivly, 100% delicious... with or without the chocolate dipped lips! I LOVE to love this boy! He keeps me going with all of his energy, and he keeps me laughing with all the funny things he says on a daily basis.

Recently I was pushing Easton on the swing and I was trying to teach him how to say his full name....so I said "Easton Domonic Read" and then it was his turn to say it...
but hearing his full name reminded him of only one thing... so he said it....
"GO TO MY ROOM!"
I couldn't stop laughing then he started laughing and we enjoyed a few minutes together laughing and swinging and laughing some more.

I love these small moments with my children. These moments feed me as a mother. They keep me asking for more.

I like chocolate but I am ADDICTED to Easton.... I need him, I love him, I crave him....... so Please pass some Easton with a side of dipping chocolate!

What do you crave dipped in chocolate?

Back to School

2008-09-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are back to school already. Morgan is looking pretty fancy for her 1st day of 3rd grade. She reminds me of a flight attendant in this picture...."...would you like some pretzels of peanuts? or perhaps a blanket to keep you warm?" If 3rd grade doesn't pan out for you Morgan atleast we know you have a future as a flight attendant!

This is a big year for Ashlyn...She started Kindergarten and she couldn't be more excited to finally get to go to the big school with her sissy Morgan

Ash and Ash waiting in line to go in their classroom. I was reading over the list of names in her class---there are 2 Ashleys an Ashton and Ashlyn- The teacher will just have to say "Ash" and half the class will respond!

Birthday Boy

2008-09-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

How old do you think this birthday boy is?!?

We celebrated Cecil's Birthday in Park City with a little alpine sliding and the alpine coaster( 2 thumbs up for the coaster!)and a lot of swimming at the pool. Cecil has been very busy doing golf greens this summer that it was nice to get away for a couple of days and just play.

Cecil and Easton getting ready to race Ash and I down the Alpine Slide

Ashlyn and her bestest buddy Ashley doing a little posing

Morgan and Cecil waiting to riding the coaster followed by Ashleys dad and brother Dave and Josh.

Easton and his peeps

2008-09-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Easton loves his peeps Josh and Emily.

It's Great to be 8!

2008-09-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

August 2,2008 was a very special day for Morgan and her family. It was the day she chose to be baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been something she has been looking forward too for a long time and we are so proud of her. She is such a great example to Ashlyn and Easton. We had so many family members and friends come to support Morgan and I know she felt good knowing so many people love and support her. We did miss our Grandpa and Grandma on a mission in Australia but we know their hearts were with us that day. We are counting down to October 2nd when they return home!

This picture was taken by my friend Tiffany for some Baptism announcements--Morgan looks like an angel! ( I will have to post more of the cute pix she took--she did a great job!)

Morgan and her friend Kennedy were baptized the same day and for part of the program they sang a song called "When I Am Baptized" It made my heart melt! She asked me that morning if we could practice together and the second she started singing I was in tears---pretty much for the rest of the day I was on the verge of tears---I love to hear her sing and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful, daughter!

Another Birthday!

2008-09-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

July is our PARTY month...Ashie turned the BIG 5 years old this July--She is very excited to be 5 because that means she will start Kindergarten and also because it means that Grammie on a mission will be home soon!

"Brecfist" in bed is served!

Last minute I decided to do a friend party for Ash. She said she wanted a late night party and if that is what the birthday girl wants, by golly, that is what she gets! We invited a few friends over that night. They came in their P.J's and had pizza and played games like musical pillows, made princess birthday hats and then watched Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's sleep over party video---Yes, I was made fun of by the clerk at the video store but the girls loved it and that is the important thing--right?!

Here is a picture of the cake I made for the party...it is a giant cupcake with brownie on the bottom and icecream on top---so cute!(the cake pan is from Williams and Sonoma f.y.i.)

Ash had a great Birthday---good thing because the next day she didn't feel well so I took her to the doctor---she had Strep throat---PARTY'S OVER!

NO MORE EXCUSES!

2008-09-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Okay! Okay! I am totally aware that I have been the WORST blogger of the summer---What can I say... We have been very busy this summer having lots of fun BUT I have no more excuses now ---it's time to play catch up!
Morgan's 8th Birthday was in July and we never let a birthday go by without an all day celebration.The night before her birthday she put a note on my bed that said " Reminder: Dear Mom and Dad remember that I get brecfist in bed" So first thing in the morning we made french toast and juice and let Morgan enjoy her "brecfist" in bed!

Morgan loves arts and crafts so we decided to have an art party---we invited a few close friends to go to Color Me Mine where they each got to pick out a ceramic piece and then they got to paint and decorate it how ever they wanted.

Then...we headed back home for cake and icecream. The Cake was an artists palate--made by my amazing neighbor Kelly. I have a link to her cake blog so check it out--She makes someof the cutest cakes ever!

Then we ended the party by going golfing as a family and out to dinner. Morgan attended a golf camp this summer and is becoming quite the little golfer---Cecil is very proud. Happy Birthday Morgan!

Happy Anniversay!

2008-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Cecil and I have been married 11 years today!! I am so lucky to be married to my Best Friend! It has been a great adventure and I can't wait for 11+ more years with you by my side! I love you Cec!
This is my family at the Temple

This is Cecil's Family at the Temple

We looked so young back then!

I love this picture....happy little school boy!

I love how little my brother Nate is in this picture...

I promise not to shove cake up your nose......oops! did I do that?!?

Father's Day Mid-Life Crisis

2008-06-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Cecil very well, knows how much he LOVES cars.....a love that is shared by his dad as well,so for Father's Day I suprised Cecil and his Dad with new cars!......Okay! so I didn't buy them I just sort of rented them for the afternoon--it's a 5 hour car tour up the canyon where they get to drive a ferrari, porche, lotus, astin martin, and a dodge viper. Needless to say, Cecil and his Dad really,really enjoyed their suprise. Happy Father's Day----and now that you got to drive all those cool cars, there is no need for a mid-life crisis RIGHT?!?

The Porshe was Dan's Favorite car

The Ferarri at 110 miles per hour was Cecil's favorite car...there was a reason I didn't go with him!

The Astin Martin was a second favorite

The Lotus was a little too small...is that really a car?!?

And the Viper was just a cool fast ride

May Madness

2008-06-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

I have been without internet on my computer for awhile so now I get to play catch up on my blog, so hang tight while I tell you briefly about our crazy month of May.

This is a picture of "Mother's Day tea" at Ashlyn's preschool. Her teacher invites the mothers to a short program and then we get to sit and visit and eat treats with all the cute kids in the class. Notice the braclet on my wrist... that was my Mother's Day gift from Ashlyn!

For my birthday this year Amber, Nicole and I (we missed you Sunshine)had a girls night out. We went and had pedicures and then went out to dinner. It was a lot of fun and I'm thinking we should make it a tradition!! Cecil took me to the Zermatt for my Birthday for the all you can eat seafood buffet--Yummy!---and for golf the next morning with our friends Matt and Beth. Between Mother's Day and my birthday I really get spoiled during the month of May! and I love it!

Ashlyn graduated from Preschool which means she will start Kindergarten in the fall?!?..... I am totally in denial about her growing up.We are so proud of you Ashlyn! And we will think about letting you go to Kindergarten!

This is Ashlyn and her Bestest Buddie Ashley all dressed up for their dance recital. Ash has taken dance for the past 2 years and has really enjoyed it. One of her favorite shows to watch is So You think you can dance....Who knows maybe someday she will be on it.

There is that Handsome boy again...with his first "real" haircut! I say "Real" because I don't really count the times he was crying in the tub while I was practicing my haircutting skills on him. I took him to a professional and he sat so still and didn't make a sound the entire time. It was well worth the $9.00---I should have given in a long time ago!

And last but not least.....Morgan has been spending a lot of time practicing and playing coach pitch baseball this past month----The weather has been kind of crazy...every game she has needed long sleeve shirts and jackets because it's been so cold. Cecil is the coach and it's been fun watching them enjoy baseball together.

How Cute are yours?

2008-05-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

I know as mothers we all think that our own children are the best and funniest,the fastest, the tallest, the smartest and so on......BUT SERIOUSLY!!! Is this not the cutest picture you have ever seen of a 2 year old?!? I know I am biased because I am the mother of this stinkin' cute little boy but.......... SERIOUSLY!I don't think they come any cuter(is that a word?). Easton is such a fun little boy---we are greeted every morning to him climbing into our bed and asking to snuggle or cuddle--- which I can NEVER get enough of! He sings "You are so beautiful", to me and is just a sweet, lovable, little boy. I am so blessed to be his Mom!

And The Winner Is......

2008-05-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last fall I started running and I had set a goal to run in a 5K run in the spring. (You have to start somewhere right?!) Well, last Saturday I did just that! I even convinced Cecil to join in with me---it was a lot of fun---I only say that because I beat Cecil to the finish line by 2 whole minutes!! That right there made it all worth it :) Afterwards, Cecil informed me that I sound like a herd of elephants when I run ( I am apparently a very loud runner)and he told me we need to work on "my form" but I kindly like to remind him who came across the finish line at 27:05, #16 overall out of about 80 who registered.......YEP!!---ME THAT'S WHO!! I love you Cec!---wanna race again?!?

The funny thing is that we both won medals!! Cecil took 3rd in Males 30-39 age group and I took 3rd in Females 30-39. We had a good laugh over that...and I may be speaking for just myself but I think there will be more races in our future!

Birthday Boy!

2008-04-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I love a reason to throw a party but this year for Eastons birthday we decided to play together as a family. I have to admit that I had a little blenvy (blog envy) this morning after looking at pictures from Hali's birthday party--Mindy, you are the coolest mom ever!! But, it did feel really nice not stressing over party plans and baking and decorating cakes and spending lots of money when really this is all Easton needed to make his birthday a happy one---a Shrek balloon bouquet!

We went to lunch at Carls Jr. to eat and play with cousin Josh

and when I say "eat" I am refering to fry sauce and sprite, of course!

That evening we went swimming and opened presents. The plan to simplify worked out pretty well! HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEDGE---WE LOVE YOU!

Happy Easter

2008-03-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

After many attempts from me to get the perfect picture of the kids Easter morning, Cecil took charge of the camera...and this is what he came up with....pretty darn cute if your asking me!!!

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How many people does it take to catch ONE bunny rabbit!?! You'll need at least 6 kids and 1 adult....and a really tired bunny! I watched this chase go on for about five minutes before I decided I should shoot some footage of it. I enjoyed it...I hope you do too!

City by the Bay

2008-03-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

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Cecil's Uncle Ned got married March 16th in Santa Rosa, California so we decided to make a little family vacation out of it. We spent 4 days in San Fransisco......What a fun city! And 2 days in Santa Rosa for the wedding. We rode the trolley to Fisherman's Warf where we saw Alcatraz, sea lions, sourdough bread company (there's a picture of a giant alligator made out of...yep you guessed it... sourdough). We went to the Rainforest Cafe---the kids loved all of the animals but I think Easton had some bad dreams that night because he woke up in the middle of the night talking about the fake monkeys and he was still talking about them the next morning..."MONKEYS, SCARY!" We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and also went to a children's museum called the Exploritorium. We went to Bodega Bay for a picture on the beach but we didn't stay long because it was very windy and COLD! We stayed very busy and there was little time for sleep....Easton had a nap on the bus one day and one in the car another day.....the rest of the time was GO TIME!!! We made some wonderful memories in the city by the bay!!

Flashback Friday

2008-02-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentines Day, I decided to post these pictures of Morgan(19 months old) and Harley expressing their undeniable LOVE for one another......

STEP ONE:

STEP TWO:

STEP THREE:

NOW THAT IS LOVE!!---Yikes!

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

2008-02-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

okay Sunshine, here goes!!

If I tagged you here's what you do. Post the words in all caps below and fill in info about yourself. Then, at the end you tell who you are tagging & go and tag 5 friends on their blogs. It's just a way to get to know fun little things about people.

TEN YEARS AGO.......life was so easy back then!! I was a newlywed of 7 months. Cecil and I had recently moved back from Florida and I was working as an orthodontic assistant. We lived in a little apartment that we called "The Cave" paying only $290 a month(including utilities.)

FIVE PLACES THAT I HAVE VISITED.........Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Florida, Washington D.C
(the real question was 5 places that I have Lived but that wasen't nearly as interesting as the places I have visited.)

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST........run, make valentines cookies (maybe I should reverse the order of those 2), apply for a passport, go visiting teaching, and clean my house(this is forever an always on my "to do" list.)

I ENJOY..........so many things!! Spending time with my cute kids and hubby, blogging, traveling, the sun, being with friends, listening to my kids laugh, reading Stephanie Meyers series(Twighlight, New Moon, Eclipse), a clean house, baking, wearing flip flops, golfing, the movie Dan in real life, shopping without kids, gerber daisies, Magelbys all you can eat crab legs!

THREE BAD HABITS........I stay up way to late at night, I have a very bad habit of leaving my bathroom counter messy and not putting lids back on things---like toothpaste, makeup, haircare products (I can't believe I am admitting that---I guess now I am 1 step closer to recovery!) And last but not least, I have a bad habit of letting my kids eat in the car so it is always a disaster!

FIVE THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME.........I am very claustrophobic(thanks to my brothers locking me in closets, toy boxes and sleeping bags when I was younger.) I LOVE American Idol!!(I am a horrible singer so I love to hear what it is supposed to soundlike.) My brothers and I used to go to drive-thru's like Burger King and Wendys and order a couple of things including a LARGE WATER and when we pulled up to the window to pay we would squirt them with a super soaker and drive away!(Not very nice, I know. Once again I will place full blame on my Brothers:) Sometimes I catch myself playing webkinz Arcade games on the computer at night---I'm just trying to earn Webkinz money for Morgan I swear!! My least favorite place to go is the grocery store!

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD.............When I was about 9 or 10 years old I used to deliver Avon Books for an elderly "Avon Lady" and she would let me order stuff out of the catalog as my payment, I worked at the Sugar Shack in the Mall all through High School, Allens Super Save as a cashier for 1 day---I Hated it so I quit!! Prestwich Farms as a Hostess( This is where I met Cecil---he was the General Manager who hired me and the rest is HISTORY!) I also worked as an orthodotic assistant for 7 years-----teeth are the first thing I notice when I look at someone---that could probably go under the bad habit list!!

I tag Mindy, Rebecca, Erin, Jillyn, and Heidi---Good Luck!!

Snow Sculpture

2008-02-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition in our family that every New Years Day or whenever there is enough snow, we create a GINORMOUS snow sculpture. A couple of years ago my brother Nate with the help of other siblings and my parents made this amazing snow horse.....

So this year in honor of my parents serving a mission in Australia we decided to make a snow kangaroo... so all the kids and grandkids got together and this is what we ended up with. It isn't as amazing as the snow horse, but it is pretty good for a kangaroo(They are kind of strange looking animals).

Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-02-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

Flashback Friday

2008-01-25T15:38:00.000-08:00

This is Morgan at 2 years old...She always looked older than she really was when she was younger.

This is Ashlyn at 6 months old...Look at that stinkin' cute ROUND head!!

This is Easton at 2 weeks old....I can't believe it's almost been 2 years!

redneck sledding

2008-01-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a little video clip of Morgan and Ashlyn sledding behind the snowmobile this past weekend....IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL YOU GET SNOW IN YOUR FACE!!!

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Winter Wonderland

2008-01-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

This past weekend went decided to spend some time enjoying all that Mother Nature has dumped on us. We were tired of cursing her for the cold and wind and all of the snow so we headed to a cabin a family in our ward owns(it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know!) We had so much fun riding snowmobiles, sledding, and just hanging out with friends and family! I was feeling the effects of "cabin fever" before we left because we have been cooped up in the house for weeks but now I have "cabin fever" for a whole different reason---because I can't wait to go back to that wonderful cabin again!! Thanks Matheny's! We had a great time!

Sooner or Later

2008-01-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen.... having 2 older sisters, Easton didn't stand a chance. I am actually shocked it took this long before it happened. Morgan and Ashlyn decided it would be really fun to dress Easton up as a princess---so cute! The funny thing is he didn't mind at all...I think he liked all the extra attention he was getting. Cecil said to delete all the "evidence" off my camera, but I thought it would be much more fun to post it on the blog and share it with everyone....sorry Cec!

2007-12-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds.......

Yeah Right!! I was lucky enough to get them to sit still for a few minutes to take a picture in their new christmas pajamas. They are bouncing off the walls tonight!!! It is so fun to see them caught up in the "Magic". I don't think Morgan will even sleep tonight because she gets so excited!! Good luck to all of you and Merry Christmas!!

Easton's Christmas songs

2007-12-23T23:10:00.000-08:00

Easton loves Christmas songs. His very favorite one is Jingle Bells and he has even learned some of the words!!! This video is super cute of Easton's version of Jingle Bells----sorry that you have to hear some of my singing?!? too!! Ho! HO! HO! Merry Christmas to you from Easton.

Flashback to 1980

2007-12-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my family doing the nativity scene. It was taken in December 1980 so I was 5 years old. This picture cracks me up because everyone in this picture is in their own little world. I am trying not to laugh and I love how "lady like" I am sitting! My brother Tyler is playing Joseph---so serious! Then we have the sleeping shepard played by me cousin Travis. My oldest brother Kameron is the wise man starring into the distance, and last but not least my Uncle John playing the part of......I don't really know..maybe the angel!?! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Sneaky little Elves

2007-12-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Sorry Mindy, I just couldn't help myself....This is sooooo much fun!!! Grandpa and Grandma look out....you never know when the sneaky elves Morgan and Ashlyn will get you with a snowball!!

Flashback Friday!

2007-12-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I'm doing this for your entertainment or my own but I've decided to post pictues from the past.....since Christmas is coming soon I dug up some old Christmas photos....hope you enjoy them!

This first one is a picture of Cecil(in the red PJ's) and his older brother Eric and sister Heidi and his younger brother Jacob(December 1978)

I don't have a date on this one but I look about 1 years old(I'm the one crying in the back!!)and my cute older brothers Kameron and Tyler!!! Santa looks extreamly happy as well!

This is a Christmas photo taken with my moms side of the family--Her mom and Dad and her sister Sandy and husband John and her brother Steve(back row). Yes, we are all in our new Christmas "jogging suits" that we got every year and I remember getting in trouble because I kept making funny faces in the pictures---I was an angel---most of the time!!

2007-12-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Which Disney Princess Are You?
	You are part Cinderella. You are hard-working and never complain, however, your trust is sometimes misplaced and people sometimes take advantage of you. Still, you are beautiful inside and out, and one day you will realize it and find true love.
	You are part Pocahontas. You defy convention and sometimes do what is considered taboo. Unfortunately, others do not always appreciate your differences, so it's good that you are so strong-willed. You are loyal and you believe in fate. Your true love will find you one day.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

So I saw this funny quiz on Sunshine's blog and decided to see what princess I was most like...I don't totally agree with the results. The Pocahontas stuff doesn't sound anything like me----maybe I'm in denial!!!! I think it's funny that I'm half Cinderella because Ashlyn and her friend Ashley call themselves Belle and Ariel and they call me Cinderella---so it must be true!!

2007-12-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Morgan had an assignment for her art class to draw a picture of the 1st Christmas...She came home and worked on it for quite awhile until it was "just right" and then returned it to her teacher who was entering all the pictures in a contest. Well, Morgan just happened to be one of the 70 chosen (out of about 200). So we went to the Springville Art Museum last Saturday for her to recieve her award and $10!!!! She had a perma smile all day......We are very proud of you Morgan...Good Job!!!!

SNOW!!

2007-12-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited to wake up to snow last Saturday!! I don't even think they ate breakfast before climbing into all their snow gear and heading out back! This is Eastons first time ever playing in the snow....He thought he had died and gone to heaven!!

Oh Christmas Tree......

2007-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it's sad but true... We finally bought a fake Christmas tree. We have bought a real Christmas tree for the past 10 years but this year we decided that it would be fun to decorate the tree the week after Thanksgiving. We miss the fresh pine smell but I know I won't miss cleaning up the pine needles and remembering to water the tree....for fear of a fire hazard...(We have had some pretty crunchy trees in the past.....OPPS!)

My BIGGEST Helper!!

2007-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

This is how my kitchen floor looks lately thanks to my BIG helper Easton!! He is all boy and loves to get into everything and see how big of a mess it will make!! So far he has experimented with Cherrios, Graham Crackers, Pasta, Suddenly Salad and GoldFish Crackers.....Oh! if only I had a pantry!!!

SHADOW

2007-11-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

It's True...Morgan has worked her magic again, with those big beautiful brown eyes of hers and somehow conviced us that she should have a pet bunny. She is good at that magic stuff because I believe one pet is plenty---so having a dog AND a bunny goes against everything I believe in. Morgan, A.K.A Dr. Doolittle, has been saving her money for months ever since she found out that our neighbors bunny was going to have babies. She has been obsessed with bunnies---every week she would come home from school with a new library book that talked about bunnies. She has become quite the expert!! She even dressed up as a bunny for halloween this year because that is all that she can think about, talk about, dream about.....so we bought a cage and here is the newest member of the Read gang......

Introducing....Shadow the 5 week old bunny

And as you can see, she is already recieving lots and lots of love!!!!

Sand Dunes

2007-11-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, this might sound a little "red-neck" of me to say but I LOVE the sand dunes!!!This past weekend we piled the kids in the truck and headed for the dunes. I have lived here my whole life and had no idea that we lived so close to such a fun place!! We spent the day riding 4-wheelers with Cecil's brother Eric and his family. I am pretty sure that the big smiles on all the kids faces is a sign that they had fun too!!

Boys and their toys....Easton is just like his daddy!!!

Cecil giving Morgan a quick lesson on how to ride the mini 4-wheeler.....

I think this picture is saying..."EAT MY DUST!!!"

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T21:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from Morgan the bunny, Ashlyn the princess, and Easton the dancing dragon!!!

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Very Scary....

2007-11-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

We decided for Family Home Evening it was time to carve pumpkins for halloween....We invited our friends over to join in on the fun!?! Roland and Azlyn Sawyer came over---His wife Debbie had to work that night(we missed you Debbie!!)The kids had a lot of fun deciding how to carve their pumpkins and Easton's favorite part was scraping out all the seeds with his hands then putting all the seeds back in the pumpkin and starting all over again. For dessert we had eyeball brownies( ice cream with M&M's an strawberry syrup for the blood shot effect set on top of a brownie.) My family knows how much I love making creepy halloween food---so let me know if you have any good ideas for next year!!!
The end results......

Surf's Up in St. George

2007-10-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

For Fall Break we hit the road and headed to St. George for one last time on the boat. The water was a little cold but that didn't scare Ashlyn from doing a little surfing behind the boat with Daddy---how cute is that?!?

Kauai or Bust!!

2007-10-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

CLICK THE LOWER LEFT HAND CORNER ON THE SPEAKER TO TURN THE MUSIC ON AND OFF

ALOHA!!! Cecil and I went to Hawaii the 1st week in September with his brother Isaac and sister-in-law Amy and I am finally posting the pictures-----(because of a few minor setbacks--like loosing the digital camera that had most of our pictures on them!!!) We had such a great time relaxing on the beach, eating, kayaking up the river, sight seeing, enjoying shaved ice, snorkeling, chasing chickens, scuba diving, hiking to the waterfalls, did I metion relaxing on the beach!?! Anyways! I don't know about you but watching this slide show just makes me want to go back----what are we waiting for!?! LET'S GO!!!

The Funny for the day...

2007-09-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already heard this story.... but here are the pictures to go along with it. Easton is such a funny little boy!! Last sunday we were all in the kitchen watching Cecil "Chef it up" which doesn't happen very often these days....He was making us breakfast bagel sandwiches and I noticed that Easton was not in the kitchen with the rest of us so I started walking towards the bedrooms to see if he was climbing on a bed or pulling clothes out of drawers or doing his own computer programming. Well, he wasn't in any of the bedrooms but I did hear water running so I opened up the bathroom door ----the light was off and there was Easton sitting in the tub in his PJ's with the water running and he looked up at me and said TUB!!! I do realize this could have been very bad....the water could have been turned to way HOT or the tub could have filled up to the top before we realized he was MIA but thankfully those things didn't happen and we can call that story FUNNY!!

School Days....

2007-09-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

We keep telling our kids to STOP growing because they are growing up too fast...and getting too big and too smart----Morgan started 2nd grade the end of August---Where does all the time go?!? Our "social butterfly" was very excited to get back to school and be with all of her friends.

Ashlyn is in her second year of preschool...3 days a week. She loves it and so do I!! Easton is not so sure about everyone leaving him behind. He loves his sissys!!! Who can blame him... They are pretty darn cute!!!

GOOD BYE TRAINING WHEELS!

2007-08-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

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Ashlyn is so very HAPPY---she can finally ride a bike without training wheels! This was the first attempt and she had no fear at all. After she got the hang of it I was standing in the road just watching and she started pedaling towards me and said " LOOK OUT LADY!" -----That's exactly what I was thinking! Good job Ashlyn, we are proud of you!!!

Summer Fun

2007-08-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This video montage shows everything the kids have been up to (so far) this summer--Dance recitals, Park City for the 4th of July, Swimming lessons, Thanksgiving Point childrens garden, St. George, Playing with cousins, and having lots of fun always on the move! gotta go----you know, places to go, people to see! Hope you're summer has been super fun too!!

Perfect Princess

2007-08-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn is 4 years old!! She had a princess birthday party and a special guest came to join in on the fun----Belle!! Ashlyn absolutely loves Belle--in fact, that is what she calls herself most of the time. So, you can imagine how suprised she was when she opened up the door and saw Belle standing there. The look on her face was worth every penny!! They played princess, princess, Queen (duck, duck, goose), and had story time with Belle and also did The Hokie Pokie--princess style of course!! It was a perfect birthday party for our perfect little princess!!!

Wa-Wa!

2007-08-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

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Easton's 2 favorite things--outside and Wa-Wa!! He is a very HAPPY camper if his day involves either one of them!!!

Morgan turns 7!!

2007-08-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

For Morgan's birthday we had a carnival party---it was alot of fun and a TON of work---What was I thinking!?! We had different booths setup---pin the tail on the monkey, ring toss, ball toss, fishing for treasure, clothes pin drop, spray away(ping pong balls on golf tees that had to be knocked off by squirting water from a little squirt gun), tattos,guessing game(guess how many gum balls in the jar), and a carnival just isn't a carnival without all the sweets----popcorn,cotton candy and drinks!! I know---I'll be the first to admit it---I really went over board on the birthdays this year---but it sure was fun while it lasted!!!

Read...Our Family News

Look How much I've Grown!

We're Back!!

LITTLE MAN

38 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!

Easter Festivities

Introducing Baby....

Birthday Boy

Zions National Park Adventure

Leppercons

Lucky #4--You Look Marvelous!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

BABY VOTE

Dirty laundry

Cooking up some fun!

GOODNIGHT MOM

Adventures in Oregon

Secret

A little salute

Haunted Memories!

Tis' the season

These are a few of my favorite things.....

New Cousin Babies

Ginger-"The lost kitten, that's not"

Welcome Home!

New York Minute

Dipped in Chocolate

Back to School

Birthday Boy

Easton and his peeps

It's Great to be 8!

Another Birthday!

NO MORE EXCUSES!

Happy Anniversay!

Father's Day Mid-Life Crisis

May Madness

How Cute are yours?

And The Winner Is......

Birthday Boy!

Happy Easter

City by the Bay

Flashback Friday

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

Snow Sculpture

Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

Flashback Friday

redneck sledding

Winter Wonderland

Sooner or Later

Easton's Christmas songs

Flashback to 1980

Sneaky little Elves

Flashback Friday!

Which Disney Princess Are You?

SNOW!!

Oh Christmas Tree......

My BIGGEST Helper!!

SHADOW

Sand Dunes

Trick or Treat

Very Scary....

Surf's Up in St. George

Kauai or Bust!!

The Funny for the day...

School Days....

GOOD BYE TRAINING WHEELS!

Summer Fun

Perfect Princess

Wa-Wa!

Morgan turns 7!!