Claybaugh Life

Christmas 2011~

2012-01-31T19:53:00.001-08:00

It was a Claybaugh Christmas this year and we were so excited to get out of the heat and feel the cold again...... wait, usually that is said the other way around! We have definitely acclimated to Arizona weather. It was going to be a short and sweet trip since Tim only had a few days off so we headed for Kanab (midway) right after work on Thursday. Which worked out perfectly for us to see Ashleigh's family, who were on their way to California, to exchange gifts with them. So Thursday at 9:30p.m. we had our first taste of Christmas presents. Friday morning we arose ever so early to finish the rest of the drive to Orem, where we would freshen up and head straight to the Hale Center Theater for A Christmas Carol. This was Hudson's first time attending. He loved it! Then after the show we quickly made bean burro's and met the rest of the Claybaugh clan at Grandma and Grandpa Claybaugh's for dinner. So glad we could squeeze them in! That evening found us at the mall exchanging last minute gifts without the children, where we ran into friends and chatted longer then planned.

Saturday morning Tim and I met Kim at her lovely gym to work out real quick, then it was off to the mall and other errands before the Christmas Eve dinner and program held at the Hansen's home. Dinner was delightful and the entertainment was fantastic! On our drive back to the Claybaugh's, Tim and I felt a rush to go visit our dear friends the Bishops and Beardalls. When we got back to the house we opened our traditional Christmas Eve pjs and put the boys to bed! Santa had to finish up wrapping and stuffing stockings! Then finally we settled down for a movie. (insert breath here)

Christmas morning was wonderful! I wish Christmas day was always on a Sunday. We got up, let the boys open their stockings and then got dressed for church. Sacrament meeting was beautiful, spiritual, and just lovely. I didn't want the program to end. The messages were so insightful and brought you to the true meaning of Christmas. Once we arrived back home the boys quickly changed, and opening presents commenced. Let's just say Hudson and Lex were spoiled! We ended the day with dinner at the church where the children could try out all their new toys and we could visit with family. My parents spent the holiday up North and joined us for dinner. We loved it!

Monday Tim had to leave for home :( Seriously it was so sad for him to leave. Our time was so short with everyone but it was still worth the drive. The weekend was packed full of family and fun. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful parents who make the holidays so special. We miss everyone terribly and looking through these pictures we want to relive it. Here is our weekend in review

Lex went around to everyone saying "hands up" while shooting his new gun from Grandma Kanab!

Hudson and his date, Juju, for Scrooge!

I only have a few pictures of the many talents that were shared on Christmas eve. I'm still waiting for the whole thing to to come out on video....

This little lady is the sweetest thing. She sang the cutest songs for us. I could eat her up!

Indian love song on the wii. The best Just Dance song ever!

For our family skit we had papa play a few songs on the guitar while we dressed up as Arizonans. Complete with stashes for Feliz Navidad!

Hansen boys.... hmmm bop!

Sisters, Sisters.... These lovely ladies lip synced an ol' classic. I could not get over the get up. Seriously who owns those types of dresses anymore?

We made the mistake of having Hudson open up a book for one of his first presents. He immediately had papa start reading to him. When asked to open up another present Hudson responded with "No thanks" Seriously a book over toys? Where does this kid come from?

I love baby Gavin in this picture!

An original Nintendo, need I say more?

We saved the rest of the books from Santa for last! Also Hudson is the type to put on everything he gets, hence the Dino shoes and batman t-shirt!

The Weeks Before Christmas~

2012-01-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

The month of December flew by so fast as it always does. Why is that? We had a party every weekend starting with my Uncle's Christmas concert with EVMCO. AMAZING! and such a great way to bring in the Christmas spirit. Second weekend- my friend Amanda and I were in charge of the ward Christmas party, Classic Christmas, where we had breakfast with Santa and his elf. We had a flash mob, family/solo performances, and a live Nativity put on by the primary. It was a busy morning. Third- Tim's work party and Stake Christmas program. We also squeezed in time for our good friends the Sharpe's, whom we met in Chandler. I still forget my camera a lot so these few pictures sum it up for us.

SANTA! I know him!! Hudson was more than ready to sit on his lap to tell him exactly what he wanted...... Lex, not so much!

There was a petting zoo outside the church before you entered for the Stake Christmas program. The chicks, turtles, bunnies, Mini Horse, and a donkey had the boys captivated.

Lex, Aiden, and Hudson at the Mesa Temple Christmas lights

Tide Pools~

2012-01-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

California is always an adventure when Papa and Juju are with us. Papa will look on line to see when low tide is so the children can go explore the tide pools. This particular outing by far was the most creature-filled. There was a guide out on the beachy rocks (Sandy, fitting right?) who showed us where all the good creatures where hiding. We saw purple, red, and orange starfish, sea urchins, hermit crabs, sea anemones, crabs, fish, and an octopus. We spent as much time out on the pools as we could. The air was so clear we could see Catalina Island. This happened to be on Thanksgiving day and what better way to spend it then with family at this beautiful setting.

Fight on SC~

2012-01-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving found us in Southern California with Tim's parents, Bailey, Clay, Cara and Andrew at Grandma and Grandpa Garlocks. The weather was beautiful and the company even more so. We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving with just those mentioned. We went shopping, did puzzles, hit the beach a few times, walked through downtown Disney, and the best part of all, attended my first USC football game. HOLLA! The Garlocks are serious about their SC football! Their home is decorated in Trojan clocks, statues, signs, blankets, and more. They hang a flag out for every game. Grandpa Garlock taught at USC for many years and have been a season ticket holder for even longer. My mother-in-law Judy has memories of going to the football games when she was a small child. Sitting next to her was such a treat. She informed me about the history of their many, many traditions. I could feel her love and appreciation for the team (even though she is a true blue Cougar fan). She could even chant parts of the school song. My favorite part was at every touch down the Trojan would ride around the sidelines on his white stallion horse holding his sword high! We got to see the horse a lot because the score was 50-0. Did I mention this was a rival game against the dreaded and ugly UCLA? Now, I have been to plenty of rival games between BYU and the Utes but I have never witnessed so much intensity from the fans in my life. The whole campus becomes a party place. People start the pregame tail gating well before noon when the game is at 7. Pure craziness is the only way I can describe it. We thought we were dressed up for the game with cardinal and gold shirts, but we were no match for the rest of the fans with their SC necklaces, earrings, flags, tattoos, hats, scarfs, face paint, or boots. Tim's favorite was a guy with a T-shirt on that read "My maid went to UCLA." Enough said.

If you are a true USC fan you would know that I am not flashing a peace sign.

V for VICTORY!

Star Dragons~

2012-01-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hudson's last tee-ball game was played at the Peoria Sports Complex where the Padres and Mariners have spring training. Games were being played all over the field. His name was even on the jumbo screen! Over all, we decided that tee-ball is not the best sport for Hudson at this time. He needs something a little more fast paced to keep his interest. I posted before about how entertaining Hudson is during the games. So we came up with a few rules specifically for Hudson:

1. Do not touch your coach 2. Do not spank your coach 3. Do not play in the dirt 4. Do not hit the ball backwards off the tee 5. Pay attention to the game

Every once in a while he needed a reminder but overall he did so good and had fun.

Bowling for Hudson~

2012-01-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

A while back my cousin Kyle suggested we go bowling. Bowling is one of those things where I go"Oh yeah, bowling! How could I forget?!" When I lived here as a child it seems we went bowling all the time, ok maybe not all the time, but for birthday parties at least. My Uncle Mike is a pro bowler with his own ball, shoes, and a ring for getting a score of 300. Little Mike (aka Junior) worked at a bowling alley for years. Every time we'd come down to visit Ash, Eric, and I would spend our evenings at his alley "DISCO BOWLING." Fun times! I couldn't believe we have never taken Hudson, especially after living here with the pro bowlers. So we rallied up the family and met in Gilbert for the big event. We had such a blast. Hudson and Lex were entertainment for all. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson even came to watch the kids. I also can't believe I only took pictures of the boys. I want to remember that Uncle Mike, Lil Mike, Xochi, Kyle, Ashley, Suzie, and Glen all bowled with us. Also Ashley was our pro for the night!

Hudson's first bowl!

This was Halloween~

2011-11-10T20:53:00.001-08:00

Our Halloween lasted all weekend long! We started on Thursday with Hudson's preschool party and ended on Monday night, Wheew it was a long weekend but packed full of fun. Hudson decided to be a Ninja Turtle, sorry Leonardo, this year and Lex was a bat. The pictures are out of order so I'll explain.

We started our Monday night trick or treating at my cousins', Mike and Xochi, where they give out serious candy! They just got this cute dog Arnold who the boys just love. Arnold was a bit loud so had to be put outside, though he is super cute in his Firedog outfit!

Arnold jumped on Lex and gave him such a scare. Just look at that sad face.

Saturday evening found us at the Peoria Community party held at a baseball stadium. There was bounce houses, face painting, cake walks, pumpkin carving, music and much more. But the highlight, and the reason for us going, was the Hot Air balloons. I remember my grandparents taking me to a place here in Arizona to see Hot Air balloons when I was young and I loved it. Hudson not so much. We had to wait 20 minutes in line to see these balloons up close to take a picture and Hudson freaked out. He was kicking me while I tried to hold him because he did not want to get close to the fire! We took a quick pic and tried to calm Hudson down. Seriously I thought he'd totally dig this, I guess it is just from a far.

Coolest thing, Right?

The lines were so long for everything that we played tag on the grass instead and left as soon as we could. Hudson was so bummed, but leaving the place would only be the best idea yet!......

The firefighters where letting children into the firetruck just outside the stadium to take pictures. We were one of the first people there so we only waited about 2 minutes. Hudson was in awe! The best part was while Hudson, Tim and Lex were in the back cab the firefighters had to close the doors and start up the truck so the battery wouldn't die. They got to be in there for a while. Hudson tried on the head gear, Tim took pictures and I just about cried because Hudson was so happy! Made our whole night! Just look at those smiles

Thursday was Hudson's preschool party. They practiced and learned proper Trick or treating skills, made spooky spiders, and had yummy Halloween treats. He was so excited to wear his costume to school!

Our ward party! Bounce houses, Chili cook off, trunk or treat, fun booths, and friends!

I can not get these two to look at me at the same time, ever!

Friday night while Tim and I attended the temple Glen and Suzie took the boys to their ward Halloween party. We are candied out!

Tempe Town Lake~

2011-11-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

The Weather is just starting to cool off and we are once again reminded why we live here in Arizona! At least that is what everyone says. I really don't mind the heat. I'd rather be smothered in it then be cold in the snow. One Saturday found us at Tempe Town lake enjoying such beautiful weather. Our life has slowed down lately and we try to take in as much time as we can with our two boys. They are growing and learning so fast these days that I sometimes feel that I can't keep up! Hudson has really enjoyed preschool. Although, when I ask what he learned about that day he responds with an "I don't know" followed by "What does I don't know mean?" But he brings home all sorts of crafts so I assume he is learning! Lex on the other hand has turned on me. His nick name should be destroyer. You know what I mean! I clean a place up and he follows with disaster. I think he likes the sound of dumping out all the toys from their bins. I'm in for the terrible two I can feel it! HELP!!

Here are the boys looking for fish in the lake. Every time we have guest come we talk about going to Tempe Town but never do. Next time for sure even if we just stroll around the area! I'm looking forward to many more days like this one.

Tim is such a hunk!

Tee-Ball~

2011-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hudson is on a Tee-ball team called Star Dragons. (Not sure where that name came from) This is the first time he has played any organized sport and we were a little unsure what he might think of tee-ball. 2 Saturdays ago was his first game and we are kicking ourselves that we didn't record how awesome he played. Hitting the ball is no problem it is what to do next that he gets confused, or should I say distracted. Tim has gone over it with him where to run but for some reason he runs towards the pitchers mound after he hits the ball. Then, my favorite, when running from first to second he gets distracted by the ball rolling past him and the other team chasing after it that he joins them instead of going to the base. He also doesn't think he needs to run to home plate because the dug out is much closer then home. Last Saturday was the same thing. Once again not caught on film. Let's just say he is the most entertaining on the team.

Last Minute

2011-09-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Remember my post a few weeks ago about how we are moving to Tucson? Well, on Friday while the boys and I were visiting Tim at work, he got a call from his boss asking him to be at the Chandler office in a hour to meet with him. Tim thought it was just a visit to make sure everything was in place for him to start work on Monday in Tucson. The boys and I went along for the ride. To our surprise his boss said there was a change in plans and he will now be the Executive Administrator of the South Mountain facility! What?!

Tim was so shocked that he did not say much for an hour or so. We couldn't believe that they changed plans last minute. Non the less, we are happy to not move. We are happy to stay in our ward, and Hudson can now start preschool.

Tim starts today at South Mountain. Good luck babe!

Children's Museum

2011-09-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Tim had the day off and we wanted to do something fun but just didn't know what until a friend of mine text and said she had a pass to the Children's Museum of Phoenix that expired that day. Perfect timing! We have been wanting to go for a while now but just never made the time for it. Hudson was thrilled, although I didn't think he knew what it was. Lex loves to do anything and everything Hudson does lately so this catered to his needs quiet well.

Behind Lex is a racetrack. Need I say more?

I love when they play together

The Market was my favorite place. Although it was packed with kids, we were able to score a cart for Lex. I showed him once how to place the cans into his cart and he didn't need much help after that. Hudson was busy on the receiving end of the store. He loved stocking the food and getting it off the truck.

Lex pushed his cart up to the checkout and started to hand these girls his stuff all on his own. He is a very observant kid and it shows.

This picture is for my parents. Sandstone painting, perfect for the cave don't yah think?

I think this picture is so cute of Hudson holding onto Lex. The boys were not huge fans of this play place. They got a little scared on it.

This moose is awesome! Made out of sweaters and cardboard. In this room the boys played with puzzles and playdough.

These air tunnels were very entertaining! Hudson could have stayed here all day!

Car Wash!

We had such a nice afternoon playing and discovering. Monkey see, monkey do!

Didn't See It Coming~

2011-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

We are moving to Tucson!! Didn't see that in our plans. Tim had been awaiting a new assignment to be an Executive Director of his own building for a few months now and we knew that there were building openings in Mesa (where I was hoping to go), Scottsdale, (where Tim was wanting) and South Mountain, (3rd choice) Well, when Tim had his interview with the Stake President, not really but for my mother-in-law and I to understand all of Tim's bosses we use church terms. Anyway when he had this interview we felt that we'd go to one of the mentioned locations. We had a few days of playing with the idea of moving closer to family and got all sorts of excited. Well the official offer came on a Thursday, we were shocked to hear Tucson! Not in a bad way but just didn't see that coming. Also we would need to be there by September 12! Yikes!

We got right to work looking for housing. Now the last time I had been to Tucson was in High School when BYU made it to the Copper bowl and Tim had never been. So where to live was going to be a challenge. We decided to go visit Tucson and look for housing on Saturday. I had been looking on Craigslist and other sites since Thursday afternoon for houses. It was frustrating! But I know that when you ask the Lord to place you where you would be most effective He will lay out a smooth path for you. Friday night as we put the boys to bed we prayed for help. I pulled up Craigslist and found a new entry, Googled it, mapped it to Tim's work, and called for an appointment to view it on Saturday. I also put the address in the church website to find the ward to call the bishop to see what the area was like. You know how these Arizona towns are in the winter? Lots of Snow birds! I wanted a good ward for the boys to have friends.

So.... it is perfect! I called the Bishop while we were down there and he said all the right words. Over 100 kids in Primary, 80 youth, and the best part for Tim.... he has a son and a daughter on a mission in Chile, one actually in Santiago East! Our new home is 2 miles from Tim's work, Gold's gym (my new bff) , and my favorite farmers market Sprouts. Perfect! We are renting still since we don't know where we'll be in a year, but non the less, we are excited for this new adventure!

What is a post without pictures? So here is a little somethin for our Grandparents!!

Bath time is lots of fun at our house, usually filled with toys, but in this case

smoothies and smiles!

I could eat them up!

Cara + Andrew

2011-08-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

It seems like every post I have done lately or thought of doing involves us going to Utah for some reason or another. I think we have been up there every month this year! Crazy~ This trip happened to be very special as it was Cara and Andrew's wedding! The boys and I flew up the Monday before to help get ready for the big day, Tim followed on Thursday. We were so busy the whole week that it just flew by. I was able to spend much needed time with the bride to be. I have missed this little lady since we have moved and felt so out of the loop with the engagement and wedding plans that being able to help the week before was so special to me. Their reception was beautiful, (with the help of my oh so talented, creative mother) and sealing was very inspiring. Just a wonderful weekend for a wonderful couple. I know Cara and Andrew will be very happy and I am so thrilled we got to share in their special day.

The reception was held in the Mallory's immaculate back yard! Seriously this yard is so beautiful with flowers of all kinds, green green grass, an overflowing garden, and the hit of the night with the kids, a play set! Auntie Sage came up with my mom to interview for a few job interests and graced us with her presence at the reception. Can you believe this girl starts college in just a few days?

My mom had Lex laughing and playing so hard on the play set. Most of the pictures I took were blurry so these two are all I have until Cara and Andrew share their pictures.

While waiting for Cara and Andrew to come out of the temple, we kept Hudson entertained with Dinosaur Train on the Ipod. . . . Addie made him share! Best idea of the whole day!

Baby Lex had a little fall at the temple and cut his lip pretty bad. Such a cute baby and very handsome husband!

Our eternal family!

My favorite parts about weddings are being with family and friends.

Thank you Judy and Jonn for flying us there so we could spend more time

with everyone.

Thank you Mom for letting us borrow your decor and help!

Four Hudson~

2011-07-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

While we were in St. George for the Claybaugh Family Vacation we celebrated Hudson's 4th birthday. He was so thrilled to spend it with his cousins and best buds Clay and Bailey, whom he calls Boo boo.

The only thing missing was Chamberlain.

We had a pajama party with presents, cake, and popcorn with a movie.

He loved it!

I love this picture of Hudson. His silly smile, big brown eyes,

and beautiful dark skin melt my heart.

Hudson is my big helper with Lex. He loves to have races with Lex, wrestle him, tease him, and share his toys with him! (wishful thinking) His best friend is his daddy. When Tim gets home from work he does not stop talking to him. We can hardly get him to finish his dinner because he has so much to say about his day. I asked him the other day what are some of the things he likes to do, his response "Go on a run with my dad, go to the store with my dad,and play wrestle with my dad!"

Hudson loves to learn about animals. Especially Dinosaurs! For his birthday he got a few dino books and has loved looking over the dinosaurs features. He will often pretend he is a meat eating T-Rex, or a flying Pterodactyl. Hudson also loves to watch TV or as he calls it "shows". His favorites are Dinosaur Train, Wild Krats, and Fetch. All these shows teach about animals. The best part is after he learns about a new creature he will tell me all about it! We limit his watching or seriously he would watch shows all day long.

Superheroes are the big talk around our house. He'll ask a million questions about Superman's powers, where does Batman lives and what is his real name. Or my favorite questions "Do superheroes clean up there rooms?" Big yes on that one! He will even pray for the Superheros and is often found wearing his cape where ever we go.

We love our Huddy Buddy very much. He is so smart and full of life!

Here are some other fun facts about this bodacious boy

-calls baby's slobber "Tree Sap"

-eats broccoli, or any veggie

-does not like whole fruits but

will down a fruit smoothie

-loves to play with cars

-is learning how to swim

-does not like bad guys

-has to have someone

with him all the time

-loves to dance

-loves to be read to

-has to sleep with toys

-loves primary

-likes to ride on airplanes

-loves to ride his bike

-is a pro at Candyland, wins every time

-is so sweet

-very curious about life

-favorite color is blue

-favorite animal... T-Rex

-loves to be with our family

Happy birthday to Hudson.

(even though it was a month ago..oops)

Farewell~

2011-07-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

My cousin Eric is starting the next chapter in his life... Medical School at Touro University in Vallejo California, near the San Francisco bay area. He leaves tomorrow. I am so happy for him in this new journey but also a little sad that he is leaving Arizona. I just got here and have really enjoyed seeing him on a weekly basis. Eric has been such a great cousin and friend my

whole life. Some of my favorite memories of him are singing MC Hammer songs, playing Fish out of water in my grandparents pool, (I always cheated by looking into the side window), playing cards, and visiting parts of his mission with him many years ago. He is also quite hilarious and brilliant, hence the medical school. I'm excited, I really am, but will miss him so much.

Last night we had a little farewell party at Cafe Rio for him. We always have a good time with lots of laughs when we are all together. We all brought presents to send him on his way.

My grandparent and Uncle Mike got him a toilet bowl cleaner. I'm guessing it was an inside joke because all were laughing and I didn't get it!

Let me explain this next picture of Eric holding a "Token". I sent a text to everyone telling them details of the party and also to bring a small token of your love for Eric for his new adventure. Well, leave it to Mike and Xochi to make a joke of it! They kill me!

We gave Eric the game Operation to help him practice for school!

The boys were very entertaining, as always! They raced each other most of the night!

Uncle Glen, Aunt Suzie, Uncle Mike in the way back, Grandma, Grandpa, Little Mike, Xochi, Eric, Gabby, Hudson, Me, Tim, and baby Lex. Not pictured Kyle, Uncle Brian and Ester.

My Dear Eric,

I am so proud of you and excited for this new journey .

Thank you for being the great man that you are.

You will do great things and I know you will be an amazing Dr.

I will miss you so much.

Remember that if you ever need a break call us up and

we'll meet you in So. Cal.

Good luck

I love you!

Love Shelbs

Pass~

2011-07-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

HE DID IT! Tim passed the NAB test!! What does this mean you ask? The NAB is a national test that all future Administrators have to take in order to run a nursing home/rehabilitation facility. Tim had to know even the smallest details like how far off the floor do you have a toilet paper roll? Crazy! So passing this test means he gets his Administrators license and could run his own facility. We are so proud of him! Yesterday was such a long morning for us. Tim started his test at 8:30a.m. and had 3 hours to take it. I kept myself busy by cleaning/organizing the house and skyped Chamberlain and Ash. I had Hudson watch a few more shows then normal to help pass the time. Finally at 11:50 Tim called and delivered the fantastic news. We are thrilled! I told Hudson and he starting screaming out of excitement! Tim said that as he read the word PASS his whole body just relaxed.

Last night I had to run to the store to get a few things for breakfast, as I was leaving Hudson asked "Does Dad get to babysit me while you go to the store?" The best part is when I got home Hudson exclaimed "Mom, dad was a great babysitter for me!" Hudson's views of dad are about to change! No more early morning or staying late after work to study.

We are so proud of you Tim!

WE LOVE YOU

Love my boys when they are all together.

Five~

2011-07-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

wonderful, fun, exciting, loving, fabulous, happy, joyful, eventful,

fantastic, silly, meaningful, enlightening, adventurous

YEARS

Lucky Us!

2011-07-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of this year and the last half of last, Tim has been studying for these crazy tests that he has to pass in order to become an Administrator. Seriously! He has already taken his state test and past with flying colors and is now in crunch time for the National test which he will take on Tuesday. As I type this I am super nervous for him. I don't need to either, it's not like if he fails he loses his job, it just means he has to hit the books harder and studies longer, which means we don't get to socialize with him much. And to me that's a big deal, don't get me wrong, I love to look at him(he is so handsome), but I looove to talk with him even more. Lately our conversations are fit in right before he or I fall asleep, usually me. So to past this test would mean I get my husband back, stress free, and the boys get extra wrestling time! Lucky us!

For Father's Day Hudson and I made Tim a book that recorded Hudson saying things he likes to do with his dad. I was worried that Hudson wouldn't say much for it but if you know Hudson, he is a talker! It turned out so cute!

I consider myself a pretty lucky gal to get this guy to marry me! He is fantastic in every way! Sure do love him!

Proud to be an American~

2011-07-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post months ago. The biggest thing is we have moved to Peoria, which is on the west side of the Phoenix Valley.(Have I mentioned I hate moving?!) We made lots of trips to Utah, one to work for Dr. Larsen for 2 weeks, a Claybaugh family vacation in St. George, a quick trip to Kanab for Sage's graduation, and last week was spent in Kanab for the 4th. We've also had family come and visit us here several times. In the midst of all that we celebrated our 5th anniversary along with Hudson's 4th birthday! I am happy to say that we will not leave for another month until Cara's wedding in August. Tim and I have decided that we have spent way too much time apart this past year, since moving to AZ, and vow not to do so in the next. I get a headache just thinking of all the things that need to be documented for us.So I will start with the most recent the

4th of July!

The 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the parade, city park fun, food, family, friends, and fireworks. We had to drive home after the festivities in the afternoon yesterday so that Tim could work today, which was a little sad, but we made it home in time to watch an amazing fireworks display.

Every year the last "float" in the parade is the firetrucks with sirens blaring and water spraying, it is always a highlight. I must admit that I never liked it growing up, but Ash and Tanner would follow the trucks down the street coming back soaking wet! It is fun to see Hudson get a little more daring each year!

This little miss is my favorite! She is starting to walk! I love her turquoise bracelet.

The splash pad is a must on this hot day! Although we did have nice cloud cover for most of it.

We found the best spot to watch fireworks outside a baseball stadium near our home.

The boys were in awe! Who isn't?

My favorite part is cuddling with my boys as they watch the fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!

Easter Weekend Overload~

2011-05-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

What does 1 Easter Pageant+ 3 egg hunts + 2 chatty cousins + 2 beautiful babies + 1 silly Uncle + 2 sweet Aunts + 3 wonderful days + 2 doting Grandparents add up to be? One Fantastic Weekend!

The only thing missing was Truett and Kelsi.

The pictures will explain our overload..

Lex was my little buddy while reserving seats for the Easter Pageant the night before we left for Kanab. Suzie, Glen, Eric, and Gabby joined us! Lex is my observer. He sat on that seat for a good half hour watching people pass by and the little boy playing behind us just taking it all in.

Uncle Glen brought binoculars or eenoculars as Hudson called them.

My boys love this little lady! Aunt Suzie's lap was the hot seat of the night. Lex would see how comfy Hudson looked on her and would try to squeeze his way in between them. At one point he succeeded in pushing Hudson off only to have him hit his head on the chair in front of us and cry.

Saturday morning we hurried down to the Egg hunt at the Kanab City Park only to discover all the eggs were found. Luckily a little boy took pity on our boys and gave us a few of his eggs.

Thank you Spiderman!

Lex was being silly, but what kills me in this picture is Chambs. He looks so much like my dad when he was a young boy.

Oh how I LOVE those red hills and the sexy man in the hat with a hoody on!

Saturday afternoon found us at the Cave for another egg hunt and lunch. The cave was so busy that at one point all of us were helping out! The boys love being at the Cave. They explore outside, check out the new toys, wonder through the florescent minerals, rummage through the rock display, and eventually find a treasure that they just have to have! Chambs found a horse, Hudson found a dinosaur that roars, and Lex sucked on some rocks. Yuck!

I think my dad has a picture just like this when he was a little boy!

Lunch at the bar. I bet my grandpa never thought his great grandchildren would be

eating at his bar!

Tanner Lex and baby Lex

After dinner we took a stroll down Bunting trail, because apparently the weather was gorgeous.....to the Utahns that is!

Easter morning the boys found their baskets filled with goodies. Lex found Siri's pink ball and played with it all morning. He got a blue one just like it but liked the pink one better!

I love this Little Miss!

Egg Hunt #3 had the boys all over Grandma's house.

This picture cracks me up the way Chamberlain is standing. I'm sorry Ash to post this one but it is the only one with the boys close together, but I'm not gonna lie, it cracks me up! They looked so dapper in their Easter get up! Thank you mom and dad for the great weekend. You always make being home so much fun for everyone. Once again Truett and Kelsi, you were missed~

Dreaming~

2011-04-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Of this~

(Picture taken from Pottery Barn)

But this will do~

Yep you are looking at my craft room on the window bench and floor. One can only dream of such organized crafting! The boys love when we do crafty things. In this case it was Easter cards to the cousins. That still need to be mailed out. Oops!

Visitors~

2011-04-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the best visitors come to our house from Hullett Wyoming! Yes if you have never heard of it before it is a tiny town, smaller then Kanab, in Northern Wyoming near the Dakotas. Nate and Melissa came to enjoy the warmer we

ather, don't blame them it is still snowing there. We had so much fun! We layed out by the pool, went shopping, ate at some delicious restaurants and take out, saw the Easter Pageant, checked out the Mesa Temple Visitors center, talked until the late evening, and like I said before, had the best time! My boys love them! Especially Lex! We had just come from Utah were Lex was so clingy to me but he forgot all about me once Nate was here. Seriously the kid would go to him when he was hurt or crying! Crazy! Tanner would be so jealous! We love the Hartsocks so much. Melissa said that we probably wont ever live by each

other, which broke my heart and made me want to cry at first, but skype and our annual visits will make up for living sooo far apart. Melissa and I served our missions together at the Mesa visitors center, we were never companions but became close through our time at the VC. Melissa and Nate were able to go see some of her converts, friends, and did a session at the temple. Ahh, now that I am typing this I am sad they are gone. Nate and Melissa you are always welcome to come visit and we hope to see you in the early Fall. Sadly we didn't take enough pictures and I even got a new camera for my birthday!(thanks Tim, Mom and Dad)

Here we are going through God's Plan for His Family for old times sake. I remember going through this presentation a thousand times and dreaming of what my family would be like. Now I am here with them and it brings me so much satisfaction and joy!

I love Melissa's face in this picture. I can only imagine what she is thinking as we listened to Christ. I have met so many wonderful people in this little room!

The classic Temple picture! Love it and love you guys!

Hudson loved the Pageant this year. He listened so well and asked the cutest questions about Jesus. At one point when all the children were gathered around Christ he asked if he could go up there with them. Also when Christ was about healing the sick Hudson said " I have lots of owies Jesus can fix!" Hudson and Lex loved the animals, of course!

Before the Pageant we ate at Mango's!

Sisters, you will love this. In the big theater they have it set up so you can take picture with the cast. They actually take the picture for you and mail it to you! Crazy huh?!

Nate and Melissa we love you! Thanks for having fun with us!

Utah left us feeling......

2011-04-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

EXHAUSTED!

I think these pictures say it all! We had so much fun visiting family and friends, playing with cousins, riding bikes in the sun, throwing snow balls, (yes I did say sun and snow in the same sentence. This is Utah we're talking about) lunch dates, museum, Conference, Spring crafts, jumping on the trampoline at Juju's and Ashleigh's, MTC devotional, sleepovers, Tangled, games, Priesthood session, Just Dance 2 (my favorite Wii game), baths, and more visiting. From one visit to the next, I felt like we were running the whole

time we were there. So worth the time and effort to see everyone we could though.

We were able to fly to Utah on Thursday night. Our flight was scheduled for 9:15 but as we walked away from the check-in desk we got a call informing us that our fight would be delayed 2 hours! Yeah, wish we got that call 10 minutes earlier but we made the best of our time and found ways to entertain the boys. Actually we found a little corner where there were several other couples, all LDS headed to conference, also waiting for their flight.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being a part of such a wonderful culture where you can immediately trust someone to watch your kids while you run to the restroom? We arrived in Utah at 3 a.m. Poor Juju was there to pick us up to take us home. Hudson opened his eyes to scream hello at Juju but went back to sleep as soon as we got in the car. Both the boys did great on the plane! Wish flying wasn't so darn expensive or we'd make this a habit!

Like I said before our weekend was packed with lots of action. Friday Tim and I split up to visit friends and family. We met back up at 5 for dinner then went out on a date with Tim's BFF, Doug. Saturday was conference! Conference was definitely a highlight. I felt refreshed and determined to make my home a better place. There is so much I want to teach my boys but it starts with me. In between sessions we ran a few errands and of course visited with friends.

Judy and Jonn hosted a wonderful dinner at the church on Sunday to accommodate all of their family and mine. Love and miss those Sunday dinners for sure!

Monday we were able to see the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU. Beautiful. My question is how do you even begin to paint pictures of Christ? I have always loved his paintings and now want to have one for my home. Tim had to leave Monday night so we made our visit to the museum brief so he could get in more family time. Most of his morning was spent with Tanner at the doctor. Tanner broke his ankle Wednesday night so Tim was his support and translator for him at the appointment.

Tuesday was more visits with friends, which I wish I had more time with. Judy and Jonn serve in a branch presidency at the MTC and invited me along for the devotional that evening. I haven't been back since I was there in training 8 years ago. As we walked through the doors to hear hundreds of missionaries singing hymns I was was hit with overwhelming emotions of gratitude, love, and excitement. Gratitude because I feel I wouldn't have married such a wonderful man, with an amazing family, if I hadn't served a mission. Love for my Savior and His gospel, and Excitement for these worthy young men and women who will embark on an incredible journey to gather Israel. We sat close to the front but I kept turning around because I wanted to look at all of those amazing missionaries! Loved it! Thank you Judy and Jonn for letting me go with you! I topped the night off with a big bowl of Mint cookies and cream ice cream from the BYU creamery along with my siblings! Yum

Wednesday we visited more with the sisters and got ready for our departure. Before we got to the airport we stopped off to see Truett's new home! He has done so much work on it and I was very impressed. I feel like I didn't see Hudson the whole trip! He was so busy with cousins and Juju that we hardly saw each other. I was excited for the plane ride home so he could tell me all of his adventures but he fell asleep before take off. No joke, we sat down in our seat, buckled up, and within 5 minutes he was out. I woke him up about 15 minutes before landing so he could have some apple juice and crackers. (He would have been so crushed to miss out on that.) We discovered that Lex is a huge Mama's boy. He came home with a few good cuts and bumps. He also learned how to climb stairs! As I type all this I feel like it was a dream! We had a lot of fun. I already miss everyone:( Sadly I have just a few pictures of our whole trip. My camera was being weird. Guess it's time for a new one and just in time for my birthday!

Thank you Juju and Papa for letting us crash your home for the weekend and Thanks Ash for tagging along with me everywhere I went. Love you all so much

Utah or Bust~

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We are so excited to be in Utah in one week!! That's right all my Northern friends and family, we will be there Thursday night until Wednesday afternoon, actually I will be there that long, Tim will be home on Monday, sad. We are looking forward to Wingers (hoping for all you can eat wings!), Smoking Apple, Zupas, conference, oh and spending lots of time with family. Hudson and I made a count-down chain to celebrate our excitement everyday! Although he keeps saying he can't wait to go to Hawaii to see Juju and Chamberlain. I correct him every time, but I guess Utah is paradise to him, Who knew?! Everyday we talk about what we will do there and who he will play with. Today while skypeing Ash and Chamberlain, he said in a very sincere voice, "I miss you Chamberlain." Chamberlain said he will get his room ready for a sleepover. That is if Juju will let him go!

Tonight while saying prayers, Hudson said "Please bless that I can go to Bailey's house when I'm at Juju's". Listening to Hudson say prayers at bedtime is the best way to end our night. He still thinks he needs help but will add the cutest things. In some of his recent prayers he has said "Thank you for all the super hero's and thank you not for the bad guys", "please bless that Jesus wont die again", "Thank you for my toys", and while saying "Thank you for Jesse" he gets a big smile on his face and shakes his body full of joy. I can imagine him thinking of all the fun things they do together while saying Thank you. He is consistent in praying for Uncle Jonny on his mission and President Monson, but he says it so fast that you can hardly understand it until he says Amen! He will also whisper to us what to say while we pray! Love that kid. As a mother it is rewarding to hear him say and speak sweet things to our Father in Heaven. It makes me feel that I am doing my job right! Most days I feel like nothing I am trying to teach him or show him is sinking in, like I'm a horrible mother, but not when he prays it comforts all my worries.

Utah, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Notice our picture of Utah has all the Counties? I quized Ash on her County skills and she did quiet well. I thank my dad for taking such interest in knowing such random facts, like your County seats! Jennie, jog any memories for you?

Lex is excited too!

Happy~

2011-03-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the best day ever!! Tim's birthday always makes me so happy!! Happy that he was born into this world to amazing parents. Happy that he has wonderful life experiences to share with me. Happy that he chose to serve a mission. Happy that he finished college. Happy that he is so patient, humble, kind, thoughtful, strong, helpful, healthy, friendly, faithful, hardworking, and smart! Happy that he is all these things and more to me. Happy that he is such a great devoted father to our boys. Happy that he has a job which he finds rewarding. Happy that he is mine forever!

Happy Birthday Babe!

I LOVE YOU~

The boys love Tim so much! Lex kept kissing him over and over this morning. I think he knows how special his dad is today! I woke Hudson up so we could open presents and serve breakfast to dad before work. He was not in the best mood for pictures until dad made him laugh. Like I said before Tim is such a great and fun dad!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!

Amigos~

2011-03-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

We have the best neighbors! They live down stairs from us and happen to have a little boy that is Hudson's age. Marc Anthony, or Jesse for short. We didn't discover our new friend until almost 3 months of living here and we have played with him ever since. These boys spend hours outside riding their bikes, rolling down the grassy hill, throwing rocks (big no-no), coloring with chalk, playing in the mud, having races on bikes or running, eating snacks, playing tag, finding worms (ew), chasing the neighbors cats, all the while screaming, laughing and just being silly boys. Lex loves to watch them play. He will crack up at them rolling down the hill. If he is not outside with them he will usually watch them from the window and laugh.

Jesse has been so kind to teach Hudson phrases like "you're cheating", "that's not fair", and "You're not my friend anymore". I've gotten that last one a few times but my favorite is "You're cheating!!" I know he has no clue what that means but will say it anyway. Jesse has an older sister Francesca and an Aunt Lucy, who he calls his sister since she is only 8. Vee, is Jesse's mother and is the sweetest lady. She will make me these wonderful Mexican dishes, they always look amazing! To be honest I have never tried them, not a huge fan of shrimp pasta, Chili relleno, or Flan to name a few (is that bad?). I want to always remember this family. Today while the kids played I took some pictures of the fun they have.

Lex wants to be a big boy so bad!

Bike races. Jesse in front, Lucy on the wiggle car and Hudson at the tail end.

Hudson flashed me this smile as he rode past! Love it! He needs a haircut.

Francesca is holding Lex, Lucy is in the red. Lucy cracks me up. She rocked her pj's all day with killer black knee high boots.

When I told the boys to get together for a picture Jesse pulled this move. Too cute. Also wearing the pj's!

Francesca is 11, usually she doesn't play with the kids but today she was very sweet to ride with Lex down the hill.

This was actually Hudson's second time riding the wiggle car down the hill. He is not the most adventurous kid. He usually would stand at the top and run down with everyone but today he faced his fears. His facial expression says it all!

In the summertime when Hudson is at his darkest, these two can pass as cousins.

Fun Times~

Mission Field~

2011-03-09T21:09:00.001-08:00

Another great thing about living in Arizona is that we get to actually see, feed, and help out the missionaries around here! It has been so fun to get to know them and see them grow in the gospel. I think our area is good soil for training because we always have greenies. Which we love! Hudson thinks they are the coolest. Every Sunday after sacrament meeting he has to go shake their hands (sometimes a hug) and tell them about a dinosaur or car or whatever is on his mind that is so important that he has to tell the missionaries. We have started a little tradition, well we've done it twice now, when an Elder is

transfered we take them out to our favorite frozen yogurt shop, Orange

Leaf. Our friends in the ward introduced this delightfully delicious place to us a few months ago and we've gone every week since! No joke, all who have visited know what we are talking about. It's self serve, with about 14 or so different flavors, and

the best part is the toppings! Any thing you can think of they have. So when you see me this will explain why I haven't lost the rest of my baby weight. Every time we pass it Hudson will call out for it! So yummy!

Tuesday night we had to say goodbye to one of our favorite missionaries. Elder Evans, a greenie. He reminds me so much of Jonny, Tim's brother who is serving a mission in Bolivia, whom I miss dearly. One big difference though is he has a "girlfriend". Big time Lame! We tried to convince him of writing her off but no such luck. His companions were on board with us. Still too fresh but I know he will be a great missionary.

I only wish we could see these Elders when they are done serving. Seeing the change that a

mission has on these young men and women is so amazing to me. I love it,

I love the gospel! I love that we can move 10 hours away and still have the same connections with other people. I love that we can see a boy wearing a Jimmer shirt in the mall and know that he is "one of Us", as my dad would put it. Oh, how I love the work these missionaries do!

Here is Elder Lee and Elder Evans with our future missionary Elder Hudson! Love their coordinating ties!

Orange Leaf, located on the corner of Ray and Coronado Street. Did I mention it is less then a 1/2 mile from my house! Walking distance. Killer! Sweet Elder Lee, he will be training this transfer!Elder Evans, Can you see why he reminds me of Jonny? Look at that nasty 80's jacket?!

To my Uncle Mike~

2011-03-05T23:12:00.000-08:00

I have this amazing Uncle who has developed his talents and shares them quite well. One of my biggest excitements of moving here to Arizona was to be around my mother's side of the family. Before we moved to Kanab when I was young, we were all so close. We went over to my grandma's house to swim everyday, at least it felt that way, had Sunday dinners, dad took us (my siblings plus my cousins) to the park around the corner from my grandparent's on weekends. Uncle Mike lived just down the street from them, so we would ride our big wheels to and from his house. My mother, Aunts and Uncle would gather around the piano after dinner sometimes and sing away while my ever so sweet Aunt Sharon (Mike's wife) played for them. I loved it when they sang. All of their voices sounded like angels to me. I remember thinking when I grow up I want to sing with them!

My Uncle Mike's voice is so beautiful, I would describe it like butter! Very smooth, like the kind of voice you want to do the back stroke in when you hear it! He joined the East Valley Mormon Choir a few years ago that has brought so much joy into his life. I say that there is no greater joy then when you are using your talents the Lord has blessed you with.

This Choir is amazing and tonight we were able to hear and feel the power of scriptures through music. The production was called Bring the World His Truth featuring the Arizona premiere of Messiah in America. Amazing! I am in awe over the conductors who wrote this beautiful music but more over my dear Uncle Mike! We love

you so much and thank you for letting us share this special night with you!

I'm also quite fond of these concerts because I get to be out with just my hubby!

My Uncle Mike after the concert! He is always beaming when we see him. Isn't he so handsome?!

Memory Remains~

2011-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

The other day I cleaned out and organized our closet. You know, got rid of all those clothes that are never worn but seem to sit in your closet for years. Well there was a few shirts of Tim's that need to go to a good home so I put them in the Good Will pile. When Tim saw this certain shirt he asked why I would put it in there. My response was, "You never wear it!" He so kindly reminded me how special this shirt is. See this was the shirt he wore on our first date many years ago. How could I let it go?

Our First date is one that always puts a big smile on my face. Tim picked me up in his Nissan Sentra, drove me to his parents house where we made cookies for our roommates and wrote little Thank you notes to them. Cheesy but totally up my alley! I met his ever so sweet Mom that night. She had to help us make the cookies since we tried twice before but totally ruined the dough. Hey sugar cookies are tough to make!(Especially when you are trying to impress a future love!) That night seems like a dream these days but I am so glad it happened and that he wore this shirt!

Pictures~

2011-02-23T14:08:00.001-08:00

While in Kanab the week before Lex's birthday party I met up with Michelle Federkeil, who is a very talented and fun photographer. I am always so in awe of people who have such amazing talents as Michelle. Thank you so much Michelle for the exciting morning and creating memories of my boys. I love the stage they are in so to capture it in picture is awesome! There are a ton of pictures but I wanted to share just a few of my favorites.

This was our Valentine's picture we took for Tim. He loved it! I think he even teared up when he saw it.

One year older!

2011-02-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

Our baby Lex turned 1 on Sunday. We can't believe how fast this year went. To celebrate, all the Claybaughs met us in Kanab. Not only was it Lex's birthday but Todd's was on Saturday. At first I didn't have any plans to do anything special but the more and more I thought about everyone coming down to celebrate I knew we had to make it worth their while, especially since there would be 8 other children there. Since we would be in Kanab, a Cowboy themed party was only fitting. My mother is the queen of decorating so I picked her brain and, with a little help from google, we came up with a great party. I made gun holsters as the goody bags filled with cowboy and indian figures, play dough, rubber bands, a sheriff badge, pop gun, and bandannas. We played Pin the Badge on the Sheriff, Drop the snake in the boot, and Wild West Shoot Out. We also had a yummy cowboy supper. It was so fun to have everyone there, even Aunt Cara graced us with her presence, even if she and Papa had to leave Saturday night. I think I can say that fun was had by all.

The goody bags.

The cowboy table.

I couldn't resist getting a picture with the birthday boy, he was just too cute.

Hudson was being a helpful big brother by opening Lex's presents for him.

These three caballeros use to be the three babies...

These three amigos are the new babies.

Who could resist this little cowboy?

The birthday boy in his getup.

Sage made our "Pin the badge on the sheriff" sign within an hour before the party.

Austin and Kolby are the 2 oldest of the Claybaugh grands. They crack me up. They went outside and did this shoot out on their own!

Birthday Wish~

2011-02-11T09:01:00.001-08:00

Look who is the big 30 today!! Happy birthday sister! You are the best. I wish I could be there to spend the day with you. I wish I could take you out for lunch, get pedis, maybe some hair did, and watch your kids for you while Josh takes you out on the town. I wish I didn't live so for away. I wish for sunshine on this February day just for you. I wish I could clean your house for you today while you take a long nap. I wish I could go shopping with you! I wish we could stay this age forever! Ash my biggest wish is for you to feel special on this day because you deserve it! I miss you so much! Thank you for being the best big sister ever! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Boys~ Boys~ Boys~ and more BOYS

2011-02-04T09:00:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am surrounded by boys and I love it! Hudson and Lex get more cute, more fun, and more chatty everyday. They find new ways to keep me entertained and busy. They love to wrestle with their dad, go on long walks in the jogger, make ice cream runs, play cars, sword fight, color, play with Jesse (our neighbor), walk, eat eat eat, watch shows, dance and really do just about anything boys like to do. Tim and I were discussing what our life would be like without them and basically it would be dual or as I like to put it colorless. They bring us so much joy and fulfillment! I am loven the stage they are both in. I keep telling Hudson to stop growing because I want him to stay 3 forever. His response is "But I need to get big like you and dad so I can fly a plane then go on a mission with Juju." I'm a little jealous of Juju in this statement and the thought of him serving a mission brings tears to my eyes. Well, until then I will continue to eat them up every second I can!

Hudson loves to help us in the kitchen. He even has an apron, which he usually wears with clothes!Lex has started to fold his arms for prayer. Too cute not to captureSeriously the second Tim walks in the door the boys jump all over him! In this case Hudson wanted to do my Jillian Michael's workout one evening, random I know, and this is how they did the push ups. My cheesier!Lex found the cheerios, need I say more!Testing out their new chairs.Lex likes to help in the kitchen as well. Only he likes to take things out while I put them in!
So Hudson and Lex ...................PLEASE stop growing!!

Away from HOME~

2010-09-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Is it true! Can it be!? The Claybaughs are still alive? Yes, it's true! We all know that I am a slacker at keeping this thing up and going. It is very difficult for me, so let me tell you my excuse. See we moved from Utah at the end May, to the lovely but ever so hot, Arizona! We love it! We have a cute apartment with vaulted ceilings, pool, and gym. Only thing is we do not have the Internet. I know, I know why so long without it? The boys and I have been away from home and dad waaay to much these last 4 months. We are in Utah right now and wont return HOME until Tuesday. But I do promise to update soon. Until then take a peak at my SISTERS blog.

Help!!!

2010-04-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

So I don't know if it's my blog or my computer but when I want to upload pictures it does some funky word coding thing and not the picture when it is loaded. What do I do? It's been doing it for a month now and it's really bugging me. HELP!

Snapshots~

2010-03-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Lex is GIGANTIC! At his 2 week check-up he weighed 10lbs 2oz and was 22in long. He has already outgrown some of his 0-3 month clothing (Hudson was always on the mark). We feel like he's not even a newborn anymore.

Hudson has been quite entertaining lately, he put together this "gold medal" with bungie cords on his own as well as his cowboy getup.

VIVA CHILE~

2010-03-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

As many of you know on February 27th a major earthquake hit Concepcion Chile. What many of you might not know is that my wonderful husband Tim served in Santiago Chile where the quake was also felt. Like all missionaries, Tim fell in love with the country and wonderful people he served. Ever since we found out about the quake my poor husband has been deeply concerned and has been in frequent contact with a family he taught and baptized there. The Diaz Cortez family lives in Santiago and are doing fine, but their extended family lives in the heart of Concepcion and has been without necessities for many days. Tim has felt the need to help their family and since money doesn't grow on trees we are limited to what we can do. So Tim has set up a blog to ask for help, click here and it will take you to his page where you can learn about the family, the devastation they are facing, and how you can help.
Before I left the mission field President Watson told me that Arizona would no longer be a place where I would vacation to see family, or where there is great shopping! Mesa, Arizona would now be a sacred, holy place. I am sure this is how you feel about where you served or how your husbands feel about where they served. This is why we are trying to help these wonderful people of Chile. Please take a chance to look at his page and help.
This is the Diaz family on their baptism day!

HOLY C.O.W.

2010-02-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Holy Crush Of the Week is right! Tim and I are lovin' the Olympics these last 2 weeks! It's not been good for us being that we have a new baby and are in desperate need of sleep but stay up 'til who knows when to watch everything we can. Anyway, I'm not going to lie, I have a major ugly-man crush on Shaun White, seriously, he is so entertaining to watch and very talented! He has been my C.O.W for 2 weeks now along with Evan Lysacek, Apollo Ono, Tim loves any and all skeleton racers, and I even have a girl crush on Kim Yu-Na(I secretly want to be her!). We've been so into everything that we've caught ourselves actually watching a ton of curling! We love how NBC gets you so connected to the atheletes with their life stories. I nearly cried when Joannie Rochette skated on Tuesday after the passing of her mother. I'm so sad that there is only 2 days left. We don't know what we will do with ourselves once they are over.

Ok so the Japanesse girl totally bugs, she wouldn't even smile when she won the silver. Seriously, it's the Olympics woman, be happy you made it this far!

He's Here!

2010-02-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

Well, he's here and yes it's been over a week, sorry. Lex Timothy Claybaugh entered this world on Saturday, February 13th at 2:32 p.m. weighing in at 8lbs 12oz. He is healthy, big, and beautiful! My original due date was the 11th. My wonderful sister's birthday, but if you know me I'm late for everything, so why not be late giving birth to my second child? I really didn't want to be induced but by the time the Monday before I was due came around I was miserable with a headcold and all so I set up to be induced on Saturday morning.
Best decision ever! I checked in at 7am, had to be on some antibiotics for 4 hours, by 1pm I was dialated to a 5, slow progressions I know, my reason is my body just doesn't want to give the baby up, anyway, Dr. Saunders checked me at 1pm, he stayed in the room and visited with my family and by 2pm I was feeling a lot of pressure so he checked again and said we would be having a baby in 10 to 15 minutes. Well, the room wasn't ready because Saturday happened to be a busy day for Labor and delivery and that also meant that we only had the Dr. and one nurse to bring Lex here. Good thing my Mom was in the room with us to help coach and Judy gave me water to refuel! Several pushes later and Baby Lex came into the world screaming! Such a wonderful sound! I think this is the only time I've really heard Lex cry. He is such a good baby! We love him so much and are so happy he is healthy and happy. So far Hudson loves to smother him with kisses and hugs and show everyone his baby brother!
Blogger is being lame right now with me and I couldn't upload any more pictures other than the first one, so check out my sister in laws' Kim and Cami for pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

This is Tim, I'm secretly doing this post to wish Shelbie a Happy Valentine's Day. I know it's a few days early, but, for those of you who don't know, Shelbie is due with baby #2 today! So, I don't know if I'll have a chance to do this by the real Valentine's Day. I'm not a big fan of this holiday, but I'm definitely a huge fan of Shelbie.

Shelbie and I met first when an institute teacher at UVU tried to set us up, but it didn't work out. We were then set up on a blind date about 3 months later by my cousin Ashley Garlock. These first two pictures are from our dating days, the first was at an aquarium in Colorado where I took Shelbie to meet Cami and Brandon. The second is in California with my mom and dad. My parents have always loved Shelbie since day one, especially my mom (that's a great relief to a momma's boy like me).

Shelbie and I were married in the St. George temple on June 10th, 2006. Shelbie has been the greatest decision in my life and a day rarely passes that I think about how much she has changed me for the good. I can contribute so much of who I am to her. It doesn't seem possible at the time of marriage, but my love for Shelbie has increased so much, and, even though it might not seem possible, I imagine that it will still continue to grow.

Hudson has come into our lives and Shelbie's mother skills have really impressed me. She's been such an amazing mom that we really should have about 12 more kids, except I don't know how I'd handle that without a reality show to pay for them all!

I love you so much Shelbie and I know I'm so lucky to have you as my wife and eternal companion. Happy Valentine's Day babe! I should be scared to have another child, but not with you taking care of them... and me!

Catchin' Up

2010-01-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Last Friday at Grandma Claybaugh's 83rd, I mean 38th, birthday party, Aunt Mona mentioned that it had been a while since I last posted. So this one is for you Mona! Enjoy!! I got the idea of posting a picture for every month this past year from my sister-in-law Kim. I thought this would also be a good way to catch everyone up on our CRaZy LIFE! We had a wonderful year and had a hard time narrowing down our life to just a picture a month so, warning, this might be a long post.

January brought lots of snow and one last sememster for Tim. We filled our days with sledding, snowball fights, and trips to the Aquarium.

February took us north to the frozen tundra of Idaho to visit our good friends, Nate and Melissa Hartsock! I had never been to Rexburg before and didn't know what to expect from it, and, because of the great company, we had a wonderful trip. Melissa is a good friend of mine from the mission and Tim was a bit worried about going to Idaho to hang out with people he doesn't know, but he ended up becoming as good of friends with Nate as I am with Melissa. This picture of Hudson shows Idaho in two words...snow and horses.March was Tim's birthday month and we planned an exciting trip with our friends Cody and Jennie to Southern California to visit Tim's grandparents, the beach, and Mickey Mouse. It had been years since we had been to Disneyland and it was so much fun to show it all to the first-timers Hudson and Cody.

April was a busy month starting with Hudson getting his tonsils out, Tim going to Wisconsin for a school research presentation, Tim also spent the month studying for finals, Easter, and I went back to work for Dr. Larsen.

May was Tim's graduation from UVU and Todd & Alexis' wedding in the Draper Temple. To top off the month, we were excited to find out that we were expecting our second child!

June we celebrated our 3rd anniversary and Hudson's 2nd birthday with friends and family.

July is my favorite month because its full of fun, family, and friends. We had our 2nd annual Johnson Family reunion in Kanab with an awesome turnout thanks to Uncle Mike's invitations. Sadly, these 2 pictures are the only ones I have of that reunion.

August was a great ending to a great summer! My brother, Tanner, returned from his mission in Brazil and we've loved hearing his stories and spending time with him since then. We also had a wonderful vacation to Lake Powell!!! Tim, Hudson, and I love playing in the water and especially LOVE Lake Powell.

September we found out that we are having another BOY (we brought Hudson and Juju to the ultrasound)! We also took a quick trip to St. George for Grandma Garlock's 80th birthday party.

October was Halloween, Hudson was a very spooky and adorable bat. We discovered that this month is the best time for a zoo trip, the weather was perfect which meant that all the animals were out and active. Tim also started a new job working for Patient's Choice Medical as a Medical Device Rep and so far he has really enjoyed it.

November was slow with the pictures but we had an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner with the Chamberlain family in Alpine, our family hasn't had Thanksgiving together for many many years. One thing's for sure is that Hudson continues to steal our hearts and grow bigger and bigger. Ever since his tonsil surgery in April, he has grown like a weed and, as Tim says, he gets his mother's trait of talking ALL THE TIME. What can I say, we're social.

December is the month of tradition. We spent the first weekend in Kanab, helping my mom with her Christmas Festival that she decorates for. We went to the play A Christmas Carol with the Garlock/Claybaugh clan. And, of course, we had the best Christmas yet with Hudson. He got waaay into it this year especially with the songs. He became obsessed with Feliz Navidad and we still sing it to him everynight. No Joke! We spent the holidays with the Claybaughs and had a blast.

This year seemed to just fly by. We had so much fun being with family and friends and want to Thank you all for being part of our wonderful memories. We hope 2010 brings the same joy and excitment! (Starting with baby due in February!)

Dad the Hero... and the Birthday Boy

2009-08-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is Tim trying out my hand in the blogging world. Today is my dad's birthday and I wanted to do a blog post for him. My dad has always meant so much to me throughout my entire life. I don't have any older brothers, so at a young age I did all the boy stuff with him and I learned that my dad is pretty much the coolest guy on earth. As I have grown and matured, I still believe he's a stud. I've got a couple of pictures that remind me of things that come to mind when I think of my dad. I don't have many pictures of him on my computer, but I've managed to find pictures of things that remind me of him, this first one is him and his two loves in life, my mom and the beach. One of my dad's biggest passions is body surfing, he taught me at a young age how to do it. A quote that I once learned from him was that "body surfing is one of the closest ways you can be with God's creations... it's just you and the wave and your swimsuit... and you don't even need that."One of my fondest memories is playing catch with my dad as a kid. He could throw that ball so high (for my pop fly practice) that I thought he should be in the major leagues. He also coached my little league teams growing up.

My dad also taught me to ride motorcycles. I can't remember how old I was, but he once bought himself and me two old yamaha enduro dirt bikes that got hours of riding and many falls on my part. I remember really bonding and thinking my dad was real cool even as a teenager.

Snorkeling is another great memory with him.

When I was in 6th grade I went to my parents and told them that I wanted to tryout for a soccer team. They both knew nothing about the sport and had no previous experience with soccer and were kind enough to let me go play. My dad is the kind of dad that would research all he could about something I was interested to be able to talk with me about it and coach me. This picture is my little brother, Jonny, playing soccer. My parents were known for never missing a game or meet of ours. When I got into running my dad, again, studied up on that and was one of the best coaches and fans (the only fan) I ever had. I can still picture him sneaking down on the middle of the track field (where only coaches and athletes are aloud to be) with a stopwatch around his neck and in my face chearing me on and telling me how to improve during the race.

Many memories come from the time he was a Mission President in Costa Rica. He was known for getting us out of school all the time to take us to the beach, the jungle, or a volcanoe and he would say that he didn't want school to get in the way of our education.
As I went through school, dad was there for me everystep of the way.

Happy Birthday dad!!! I hope you know and feel how much I love you and appreciate you. We all adore you so much and love being around you. Thanks so much for still being the biggest stud in the world!

Pomp and Circumstance~

2009-05-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today my ever so handsome, smart, funny, dedicated, and hardworking husband graduated from UVU and I couldn't be more proud! He has worked so hard for this, especially the last few years when Hudson came into our lives and we decided I would stay home so Tim worked full time at RC Willey and had a full schedule at school. Though we hardly saw each other (at least it felt that way) he always made time for Hudson and I. So today was his day and I am so so proud of everything he has done for our family!
Here is our happy grad in front of his department office.Tim decided not to walk but we went to the commencement to see President Monson speak to all the grads. He was perfect as always and gave some sage advice to Tim.This is Tim with Dr. Slack who is one of Tim's favorite professors!More of his favorite teachers who he could tell you the funniest stories about.Judy and Jonn were with us on this special day. Tim couldn't have made it this far without the help of his very supportive parents. They have watched Hudson for us so we could go on dates, helped us pay for different expenses in school, and have been there for Tim in every way. We love them so much!
I can't say it enough how proud I am of Tim and this great accomplishment. I know that it will better our family's future and although we may not know what lies ahead we are so grateful that Tim was able to get his education. Way to go babe!

2009-03-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was Tim's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Poor guy spent the whole day driving 8 hours to California, where we celebrated his birthday for the rest of the week. There is so much that I could say about how great Tim is as a father and husband and how he makes my life complete but I will spare him. (Tim is a little shy) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY babe I LOVE YOU!!!

To the BIRTHDAY GIRL~

2009-02-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister Ashleigh's birthday! Happy birthday sis! I am a little sad because usually I am with her on her special day, and we usually go out to eat or shop, but, since she has been living in Kanab we are not able to be together. As I have been thinking about her these last couple of days I thought of the many things I love about her. We have been really close since college and I turn to her for everything. I love her to death and here's why!

28-She is always up for fun

27-Her laugh is contagious!

26-She is a fabulous cook!

25-She can make me laugh harder then anyone!

24-She is ubber talented in the Athletic department, (BYU/UVU Baller)

23-Right or wrong, she'll always give you the facts, (even if it is made up, study show...)

22-She teaches me how to be a good parent

21-She is Artistic-from doodling on paper to painting on a canvas

20-She is very creative-She takes after my mom!

19-She is an excellent crank caller, just ask Karly

18-She has this other personality, Maggie Tombstone, that can make anyone smile!

17-Did I mention she is gorgeous?

16-She gives comfort to anyone, especially when I'm worked up

15-She is thoughtful

14-I love to watch her dance, can you say DDR master?

13-She is always willing to try New Things

12-She can talk to anyone (as long as it's not on the phone)

11-But, she will talk on the phone with me all throughout the day, which makes me feel special!

10-She is considerate

9-She is always Happy

8-She loves her son Chamberlain so much

7-Her height is amazing, and she's proud of it

6-She is Faithful

5-As much as she likes to have fun she is very Responsible

4-She can find the best in everyone

3-She is a great driver, I never get car sick with her

2-She is beautiful inside and out

1-She is my very BEST FRIEND in the world!

I could go on and on, but I'll spare you. Happy Birthday Ash, I hope it is full of fun. I love you so much and can't imagine what life would be like without you. Have a fabulous day!!

FlashBacks of High School

2009-02-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

On Thursday of last week I drove down to Millard, with Hudson and a few of Sage's friends form PG, to watch her play some basketball, or baa ball as Hudson calls it. We met my Mom, Ash, and Chamberlain there. When I walked into the gym it brought back many memories of playing on the court. Sage even wears my number 20 jersey, actually it was my dads number back in the day. It was so fun to watch her play. Sage really has enjoyed playing ball and even says she likes the road trips! We loved watching her play and can't wait to see her again.

Here she is with a few team mates sporting #20!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the the Cowboy gear! Can't go to a game without em!She's open! Way to post up Sage....... Ashleigh taught her well!Time out~ A few action shots~These next 2 pictures of Chamberlain crack me up. He is such a silly, intense, smart, loving, happy, and energetic little boy. He kissed me about 50 times and asked me over and over if I could go to his house with him. He also loves to play with Huddy buddy! We miss living near him.Now this picture really takes me back to high school when I had to be taped before every game. Tim is in a Sport Medicine class that teaches him how to tape up shoulders, wrists, and in this case ankles. He wanted to take a picture of his work and post it! Great job honey!!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish~

2009-01-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

On Presidents' Day, Tim wanted to go check out the Living Aquarium in Sandy. We both enjoy aquariums, and a few years ago went to the awesome one in Denver with Cami and Brandon. So we knew this one wasn't going to be as extravagant, so our expectations were not that high. When we pulled up to the building, all our preconceived thoughts were confirmed, it was in an old grocery store. "YIKES ,"I thought to myself, but it couldn't be as bad as the cave when my grandpa Garth owned it and had everything behind chicken wire! We went in and much to our surprised it looked well put together. It was divided up into two sections: Utah's own and tropical fish. We really liked the set up and displays, and we would recommend it to anyone with children. Hudson loved looking at all the fish and got a kick out of the touching pool with some kind of fish and sting rays! In my pictures you can see how cute the aquarium is with a sunken ship, a coral reef area for kids to play in, and a boat that they can pretend drive!

Utah Trout! I liked these displays the best because as you can see, they had cool pieces of drift wood above the tank (Growing up in a museum my whole life I appreciate cleaver displays).Hudson would not take his eyes off the fish to smile for us.
Jelly Fish! They had different colored lights that would change the way the fish looked. A really big star fish! This tank also had a nasty octopus in it.
Tim got stung by a sting ray a few years ago so he wouldn't touch the thing but Hudson sure tried! Don't worry moms, they have a hand washing station right near the touch pool.
This is the big fish tank which had about 6 sharks and other really big ugly fish. I thought the sunken ship was so cool. Inside was a table with puzzles and games for kids and, of course, a fish tank.These last 3 pictures are taken by the coral reef area. It was so cute with tunnels that had little fish tanks with Nemo fish inside.

The Things We Do For Love!!

2009-01-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

So Tim had the bright idea a few weeks ago, when we were pounded with snow, to take Hudson sledding! Mind you we both hate the snow so why would we want to torture ourselves by taking Hudson out into the freezing cold just to make some memories. Well, being the good parents that we try to be, we got him all dressed and headed down to Grandma Juju's to get sledding stuff. By the time we arrived at Juju's, the weather was so bad that we didn't want to drive anywhere else. Good thing Juju has a little hill on the side of her house because it was perfect for our little sledder.
This picture of Hudson and Tim has to be one of my very favorites because I love Hudsons smile and how he looks with his cute little boots on!
Getting ready for take off!

DECEMBER IN REVIEW

2009-01-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

We had quite the busy, fun, family and friend filled month! From weddings, to parties, to Christmas, and to Arizona and back here is a quick review of our fun.

This was going to be the picture on our Christmas card but it was never made so it was never sent! I was a slacker but still wish everyone had a Merry Christmas! (and by looking at everyone's blogs I can tell you did!)

To kick off our Christmas Cheer we went on a double with Tim's bestfriend Doug and his date Emily, who went to school with these 2 crazy boys. We made Gingerbread houses and had a lot of fun making light of our construction jobs!We had Jason and his date Julie judge to see who's house was the best and, of course, we did!

I had to put this picture in of my Young Women and our Ugly Sweater party! I love these girls so much and have so much fun with them.

Tim's best friend since he was born, Nate, fianlly got married, in the snow and all, in the beautiful Salt Lake temple to the very beautiful Katy. We couldn't be more happy for them. Nate and Katy started dating about a month before he left happy valley for medical school in Virginia near his home town. It was such a special day and we are so glad we were able to be a part of it. We love them and miss them much.

I'm still waiting to receive pictures of Christmas morning from my family, so here are a few that Tim took on his camera phone. This year we were with my family in Kanab, we had such a good time hanging out with everyone and eating lots. I will post later about the events of Christmas eve and Christmas when I get more pictures. Grandma and Grandpa Laycook gave Chamberlain and Husdon these cute animal rugs that the boys use to watch their movies on! They love them!Grandma and grandpa Chamberlain gave Hudson a cute Radio Flyer tricycle! He hasn't quiet figured out how to ride it yet but sure loves to sit on it and have us push him around. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Ahh, now onto my favorite part of our Christmas Vacation... Arizona! We left the day after Christmas and returned the following Tuesday. We enjoyed visiting with family and friends but mostly the weather. It was a chilling 72 degrees the whole time! We got a kick out of all the people dressed up as if they were in the middle of a blizzard! Seriously boots, scarfs, and big puffy coats! Not only do I love to visit AZ because my mom's whole side of the family lives there, but I also served a mission in Mesa. Part of my mission call was to the Visitors Center so we just had to go see the Temple lights. As soon as I stepped in the front doors, the smell of the center brought back a flood of wonderful memories. We forgot to bring our camera so these pictures were also taken with Tim's phone. I think Tim took some great pictures of the Temple. It's so beautiful to me!Another highlight of our trip was visiting with poeple I taught and served on the mission. On Sunday, Sage, Tim, and I went to church at my favorite ward and area, the Lehi 2nd ward. We also visited with my favorite family, Monica and Seth Hall. Monica and Seth have the cutest boys ever, Billie, Dominic, Jared, and little baby Aiden who is the size of Hudson! Ok not really but close. I have loved this family since the first day I met them. I wish I lived closer so we could see each other more!

Hudson's First Snow

2008-11-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning we woke up to about 2 inches of SNOW! Which that, much to my dislike, means winter is officially here. Before I went to bed on Tuesday, I had decided to just enjoy the winter and not get so bothered by the cold. So, in my attempt, I got Hudson all bundled up and headed outside to watch him experience snow for the First time!Maybe I will enjoy this winter. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!

More Halloween Fun

2008-11-06T12:45:00.001-08:00

My good friend Lacey threw a Halloween bash at her house on Saturday. I was so excited because last year we went to one at my cousins house and had a blast and I really wanted to do something like it again! Nothin beats dressing up and hangin out with some good ol' friends, and do I mean OL'. Lacey and I have been friends since she moved to Kanab in 8th grade. She has been one of those friends that no matter where I live or how long it has been since we last talked she is consistent in her friendship. Lacey is amazing and truely has been an example of a Christlike friend and mother. She is the craftiest, talented, funniest, and sweetest person you will ever meet. I thank you Lacey for all the good times we've had and for the times to come! Love you girl and thanks for the "groovy"night!
Sorry, sometimes you just have to let people know how much you care! Anyway back to the bash. We borrowed some costumes from Tim's sister Cami, and were all set to go and party! Tim got really into it this year and even said his costume was comfortable! We had delicious finger foods that Lacey gave creepy names to and of course for the dessert carmeled apples! In all it was such a fun night! Thank you Lairds for the invite. Jennie and Cody were Cowboy and Indian! Jennie is another Ol' friend of mine only we go way back to the 2nd grade when I first moved to Kanab. She is also amazing along with her Husband. Never a dull moment with these two!

Nate was Joe Dirt, Lacey Cleopatra, and little Maddison was a scary witch!

We were Hippies. Tim's handle bars are real! So sick, how can anybody like kissing that, yuck! I think Tim looks like my Uncle Mike back in the 80s when he would perm his hair!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, WHAA AH AH AH~

2008-11-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

To start out our Halloween festivities, we had a fabulous dinner at Cami and Brandon's with the whole Claybaugh clan (except for Judy, Jonn, and Jonny who were in Cali). Hudson was not feeling good so we decided to make our Trick-or-treating quick and went to a few favorite houses in Tim's old neighborhood. Once Hudson got his first pieces of candy in his pumpkin bucket, he was a happy boy! We went to a few more houses and had a good time watching Hudson eat his few pieces of candy, wrapper and all! To finish off the evening we ended up at Kim and John's house for Hot Coco and doughnuts! YUM YUM!

If any of you have seen Kim's blog lately you know that she has 4 adorable little kittens. Hudson loves kittens and doesn't really know how to be gentle when holding them.

MONSTER MASH!

2008-11-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

To start the halloween spirit off, for family night we went to Judy and Jonns to carve some pumpkins with family and friends. We had such a good time listening to Halloween music and eating delicious pumpkin cookies. The above picture is Hudson crying at the insides of a pumpkin that Tim pulled out, Hudson deffinitely has his mother's feelings when it comes to gross stuff.

Jonny is feeling the spirit of the pumpkin to know its true jack-o-lantern potential.

This is the cutest picture of Todd and his super cute girlfriend Alexis and our big cheeser Hudson.

What is Jason so diligently carving?(by the way ladies he is single!)The one and only Popeye the Sailor Man, toot toot! He seriously carved that.

When Hudson discover that he could blow out the candles in the pumpkins he became a little obsessed about it and blew them all out again and again.

Summers end :(

2008-08-26T13:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that summer is over for us. We have had such a fun summer with family and friends, so it makes me really sad to see it end and not to mention get cold again. Tim starts school tomorrow! Might I add this will be his last year at UVU! It's back to books, tests, and single parenting! (sometimes it feels that way) I realize that I am not the best at posting current activities in our lives, so I will be looking back at some of the highlights of the summer.

To start the summer off our baby boy, Hudson, turned 1!! I still can't believe how fast this last year went. We measured him so we can chart his growth with all the other grandkids.

We were able to go to Kanab for the 4th of July. I haven't been home for it since before my mission so I was reallly excited! We also had my moms whole family come up from Arizona to visit. So you can just imagine all the fun we had with a full house!
My Grandparents were so happy that most of their children and grandchildren were all here together. They had the sweetest smiles on their faces the whole weekend.

Tim's work gave us free tickets to the zoo. We invited his sister Kim and her kids, our cute neighbor kids Rachel and Parker, and of course, grandma Juju and Jonny. It was a lot of fun and the animals were so funny.

And last but not least we went to Bear Lake for the Claybaugh Family vacation! We only took a few pictures of Hudson so I will post more pictures later.

John Mayer Concert

2008-07-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

On Monday night Lacey Jean hooked us up with tickets to John Mayer at the USANA Ampitheatre. It's an outdoor theater and most of it is grass so we brought our blankets and relaxed (and danced) the night away! It was so much fun! We sat pretty far in the back so Jennie and I decided we needed to get a closer look. We became friends with a few guards and were able to get pretty close. John Mayer would say the weirdest things when he wasn't singing, but over all it was a great concert. Thanks Lacey for the fun night out!

My friend Katy happened to be at the concert, so while Jennie and I were out we met up with her. She had great tickets in the seated area. You can see John on Jennie's shoulder.

2008-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Hudson loves the camera so we obviously take lots of pictures of him. I hope these pictures make you laugh! This first one is with grandpa Lex (chief Moqui) at the cave and cousin Chamberlain. I don't know what face my dad is making here.

He was being so funny the way he was eating his mac and cheese, so I grabbed the camera and, of course, he had to put the bowl down the bowl and give the camera a big smile.

His first big bump on the head from learning how to walk, he's almost 100% walking, but he still has little falls every once in a while and this time he hit the middle of his forehead on the leg of the table.
Tim sat Hudson down in his highchair and then he turned around to clean the tray and when he turned back around to put the tray on Hudson was sitting like this in the chair. What a funny boy!
Finally, this last one was when we were driving home from grandma juju's house and Tim and I turned around and this is how he was sitting in his carseat.

Hudson's 1 Year Pictures!!

2008-07-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

They finally arrived!! We got these pictures taken for Hudson's first birthday and we really are lovin them! Tim's friend, Jen, from work owns a photography business and we had her do them down at the Riverwoods Condos. Here are a few (ok a lot) of our favorite ones!

I love this picture of my boys. It was one of those practice, random, test type pictures and it is one of my favorites!

This is Tim's favorite picture. Hudson was totally cheesin it up on his own. He is the funniest kid around a camera.

Hudson's First Birthday

2008-07-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hudson's 1st birthday was on June 11th. I know that this is way late but hey I'm still new at this, and besides, I was waiting to get his birthday portraits back to post them but that is taking longer than I thought, so here are a few of his special day. Hudson was such a trooper running around with mom doing who knows what that day so he didn't get the full nap that he needed, so in most of the pictures he is making a funny face! We had a bbq at grandma Juju's, opened presents, and, of course, had some delicious cake. I can't believe he is 1! I love him so much and can't wait for more birthdays!

I was really excited for Hudson to dig into his cake and get it all over, but as you can see he touched the candle. OUCH! He burnt his little fingers and for the rest of the night he would scream if the cake was near him.

Tim wanted to make Hudson's cake, so I let him although I was a little worried that it wouldn't turn out, but he suprised me with this "artistic"(as he put it) sail boat! He ended up doing a great job! Thank you babe!

2008-04-09T18:55:00.001-07:00

It's official I have a blog and am in with the rest of the world. I decided to create this blog when a few days ago I got a Swiffer dust/mop for the first time. I was cleaning my floor the other day and thought to myself "I've got to blog about this!." Sad I know, So here I am. I'm actually excited about this because I hope to stay up with friends and family and also use this as a journal.

So did I mention how much I like the swiffer mop? It is so easy to use and now that Hudson is crawling around like a mad man I feel it is cleaner for him.

So get one if you don't already have one!