A Nice Sunday Afternoon

I was driving past the cemetary on my way to Ayme's parent's house and saw that some nice person had place a fresh wreath on every headstone. The whole place was also covered with a fresh 5 inch layer of snow. Deciding I would have none of the fresh snow bit, I stomped through it to bring all of you this nice picture.

Actually, I couldn't pass up this chance to capture such a meaningful picture.

Words cannot explain the feelings I felt on this;

A Nice Sunday Afternoon

18 months and growing

I can hardly believe Tyson is 18 months. At church he got to go to Nursery for the first time, by himself. He cried when we left. I was told he eventually stopped. I refuse to check on him every 5 or 10 minutes like some parents. If they settle down, then the parent peeks their head in the door, the crying starts all over. He'll get used to it. We have an AMAZING Nursery Teacher in our ward. All of the kids have their own placemat with their picture on it. Sister Patterson has made each of the kids sock puppets and is VERY organized. I know he'll have alot of fun. I took this picture real quick before we left for church.

Parade of Lights

Saturday we took Tyson and my mom to the Parade of Lights downtown. Finding a place to park was nuts, however, my brilliant husband saw two big mounds of dirt in a parking lot and parked between them. Tyson wasn't sure what to think of it at first but we told him to wave and wave he did. He waved for the next 45 minutes. I think he actually enjoyed it. He clapped for a few floats too.

Thanksgiving...

Yeah, I know Thanksgiving was 2 1/2 weeks ago. We've been busy. We had Thanksgiving at my parents house this year. Josh's sister Heather and her family came over, and my brother and a friend came home from SLC. The guys went out in the morning and shot trap. I didn't get to go. I had the realization that I am now an adult, with a kid, so I get to stay home and cook. Who made that rule? Oh well, in a few years Ty can go shooting then I can go too! Anyway, we had a nice day and have so many things to be thankful for. I am thankful that I have a loving husband that is my best friend. He is a great provider for our family and it's fun to watch him with Tyson. I am greatful to have my little boy. He cracks us up. He is 99% of the time a happy kid. Even last night he was asleep and laughing, it was too cute. I'm greatful for our parents, friends and extended family. We are very blessed to have so many great people in our lives.

Below are pictures of the table. For some wierd reason I like to set the table all fancy for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. A friend of mine made these little turkeys for our music makers class. She got the idea off of someone else blog. So whoever that is...Thanks!

Turkey Bowling

In our house, we play with our food.

Tip-toe through the Tulips

Well, before you tip-toe you have to plant them. That's what Grandpa Tom and Tyson did today. My dad said that after throwing the first four, Tyson learned to throw the tulip bulb in the hole then they covered them up with dirt. They planted about 50 bulbs and had a lot of fun!

Ground Check.

Throwing the bulb in the hole.

Covering it up with dirt.

Mr. Destructo

We were at Khols tonight and Josh was holding Tyson. Tyson wanted down. Josh put him down and went to look at some stuff. I was watching Ty and he was trying to take his coat off. So being the good mom that I am, ha ha, I took it off of him. As soon as the jacket was off, he ran to some very cute snowman ceramic bowls and before I could do anything he picked up a bowl and threw it. Yep...it shattered. So we picked up all the pieces we could and told an associate they needed the vacuum and we proceeded to the checkout with our broken bowl. We go up to the checkout and placed our bowl on the counter and paid $5 for a broken bowl we had the clerk throw away. What a kid! He throws EVERYTHING! I have to admit, Josh and I tried to keep from laughing. We knew we shouldn't laugh, but we were so shocked that he actually threw the bowl. Anyway, that is the story of Mr. Destructo.

UT, CA, & Halloween Pics

High School Musical 3

Some of you know that I am in California visiting my sister. Last night, actually, VERY early this morning, 12:01 am to be exact, we took the girls to see High School Musical 3 in the theater. Heidi and I took Taylor, Sarah and Brooke. Heidi's friend brought her 4 kids too. It was actually Heidi's friends idea that we do this. We got the kids to bed early and then woke them up at 11:30pm and took them to the show. Yes, they did have school this morning. The show was actually pretty good. The girls loved it. I must say there were also some high school kids there that were totally in to it. At the end of the movie (don't worry I won't give anything away to any of you dying to see it) one of the charaters announces what college he is going to and this girl infront of us started cheering and screeming, like the character is REALLY going to this school! It was so funny! Anyway, take your kids, it was cute. Oh, the girls weren't happy this morning like they promised, but Heidi said they were pretty good. I didn't see them because I was still SLEEPING!

"Doggie"

He did it! Tyson said his first word. Well, he says mama and da, but "Doggie"... that is more than just a sound, it is an actual word! We always joke that doggie would be his first word, and it was! That's my boy!

I'm a Shrimp!

Tyson started "swim lessons" yesterday. He is in the Shrimp class. He was so funny. The teacher passed us a ball and we said our names, then we had to pass the ball back, and it went on around the circle. Well, Ty has a deep love for balls. The teacher was trying to move on to something else and Ty just wanted to play with the ball. She finally had to remove the ball from the pool. That's my boy! We worked on floating on their tummies and backs and holding onto the wall. He had a lot of fun.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Tyson got to experience his first pumpkin patch. Honestly, I think it was mine too. It was soooo cold so we didn't stay very long. Tyson prefered riding in the wagon with the pumpkins rather than walking around. We had a fun time.

Mom and Ty
Ty picking his first pumpkin.
Ty happy to be in the wagon with the pumpkins.

Baby Shower

I did a baby shower for a friend of mine today. Her little boy is 5 weeks but she wanted to wait until after the baby came because they didn't know what they were having. They had a little boy and his name is Jaxton. He is very cute. We had a nice time.

The cupcakes

I stole this idea from my sister-in-law...THANKS HILL!

However, I don't have a cool mantel like she does so I had to use the window!

We kept it simple with little cakes, fruit, fruit dip and nuts.

I stole this idea from my sister...THANKS HEIDI!

Mommy's Little Helper

When it is Tyson's laundry day, he likes to push his laundry basket to the laundry room. After I put it in the washer he crawls in his laundry basket, grabs onto the sides and gets to go on a ride back to his room. I just hope in a few years and when his a teenager that he will still want to help. I won't hold my breath!

Life of a 1 year old

I was thinking today...and yes, it hurt, Tyson is so funny when he learns something new, discovers, tastes something new, etc... Well, about a month ago he boycotted his crib and started sleeping his the single bed in his room. Yesterday, Josh and I took down the crib and put it away. My little baby is still little, but not a baby. He feeds himself, walks, points to whatever he wants, knows how to get me to give him what he wants, he's just growing up.

Friday, Josh introduced Ty to Oreo Cakesters. Josh gave it to Ty in my car driving home from the store. What a MESS! Josh has created a monster. Josh bought more to show me how Ty could devour them. (See picture)

Then we went to the car races. It was just street legal cars so it wasn't too loud for his ears. He clapped and like to watch the cars. Josh held him and told him about the cars. It was cute. Josh liked going to the races with his dad. I'm glad he can share that with Ty. I just wish Grandpa could be there too. I know Josh does.

Today he got to pick apples (he stood on the ladder for a minute) from a friend of my parents orchard. But he was more interested in their black lab and throwing an apple for her to fetch.

Then tonight, yet another Cakester. He inhaled them and it's hilarious because he gets so excited. Anyway, it's fun to watch him learn about new things. He makes us laugh. We are so blessed to have him.

Pro Apple Bobber...In Training

Tyson loves to play with balls. He picks up all balls with his hands...except this particular one, he picks up with his mouth. It is so funny to watch. It's like he is copying the dogs when they play fetch. He throws the ball, runs after it, picks it up (in his mouth) then throws it again. We didn't get the entire thing on video, but here is a little bit.

Posted by Tana New Flowers

Hi, Thought you would like to see the new flowers I put up for Jack. The others weren't bad but I wanted to get some fall done, as it is getting to be fall here. The work I did at the flower shop many moons ago is helping to make me feel good about the arrangements that I do. The feild in the picture is to the side of the cemetery there in the evening you can see the deer grazing! It's pretty impressive. I am going to try to get my own blog someday but until then I have an excuse to come and use Ayme's. Enjoy!

No Double Chippin'

Last night Josh was eating chips and salsa watching the Bronco game. Tyson went and sat next to Josh and dug his hand into the chips. Tyson would take a bite of a chip and then put the chip back in the bag and get another chip out so Josh told him "No Double Chippin'!" Ty would just laugh and get another chip, dip it in the salsa, take a bite then put the chip back in the bag. It was hilarious! I went to get my camera to take a picture but my battery was dead.

Ty also had his 15 month check up today. He weighs 21 lbs 9 3/4 oz (13th percentile). 31 1/2 inches tall (64 percentile). He got two shots so he wasn't too thrilled with that. But he is a healthy little guy.

Josh is still working his tail off. However he is going to take a three day weekend this week!!! So we'll have to so something fun! YEAH!!!

The House Guest

We have a little house guest. She is 10 years old and her name is Peaches. She is a toy poodle. My mom's friend is in Oregon so Peaches is staying with us. Tyson LOVES her. He loves to throw the ball for her and this morning was so funny because Ty was chasing her around the house and Peaches tolerates him. He gets so excited when she chases the ball or when she licks his hand. Here is a little video. I wish I could get it when he is walking around with her giggling, but whenever I pull out camera, his focus shifts to me.

Pictures from August

There are more pics of the cake I did this weekend on the Ayme's Cakes page. (Link on the right)

It's been awhile...

It has been awhile since my last post. This month has just flown by. Here is a recap of our crazy month. First off, we hired 3 employees for our business. Josh has been working his tail off trying to train. He has been working 6 days a week, 10-14 hour days. I keep telling him it'll be worth it. I'm not sure he believes me.

Josh and I both had birthdays. I turned the dreaded 30 and Josh is a wee lass at 29. Josh got me an airbrush for cake decorating and I got Josh a fire pit for the backyard. We had, what is turning into our annual birthday BBQ and had fun.

Tyson is walking (more than just 6 steps). He is going all over the place. It is so fun to watch him grow. However he got his first bruise on his forhead. He and the entertainment center had a discussion and the entertainment center won. He also tripped on a kitchen chain and cut his lip with his top tooth and got his first fat lip. (That was two days ago after discovering he has a double ear infection). It's been a rough couple of days. Oh, and at the beginning of the month he cut two new top teeth. The total is now up to 8!

Last weekend we went down to Salida for my cousin Megan's wedding. It was so good to see everyone. My cousin Gina and her husband were there with there new little boy Dillon. He is 9 months. I haven't seen Gina in probably 5 years. Check out Gina and Anthony's Blog. Cute family.

My mom, my mom-in-law, my sister-in-law, Ty and I all went to Ridgeway one Saturday for the Arts and Crafts show that my friend Erica was in. I am so proud of her. She is an amazing artist. Check out her web site. http://www.ericaesser.com/ She is amazing. And today is her birthday! Happy Birthday Woman!

Lastly, I have a new calling at church. I am now the 1st Counselor in the Relief Society. I am very excited about it actually. For those of you who are for familiar with our Church, the Relief Society is an organization for women 18 and older.

I think that catches us up. I'll try to get some pics up. I'm doing a wedding cake this weekend so I probably won't get them up until next week!

Oh I almost forgot. Tyson has also discoved unrolling the toilet paper and throwing things in the toilet! It's been fun at my house!!!

Gone Fishing

A friend of mine called today and asked if I would do a cake for her husband...for tomorrow. He likes fishing so this is what I came up with. I had an idea in my head but I wasn't sure how it would come out and this is what I got. I think it turned out pretty good.

Silly Girls

This past week my sister was in town with her five girls. I was so glad that they came out. We had a lot of fun this week. On Tuesday we took them bowling then Wednesday we left for Salida. We took the girls to see Grandma Flower and the rest of the family down there. We took them swimming and Tyson and Riley (they are 1 month apart) had a blast playing in the little fountains in the pool. Tyson did really well in the car due to the fact that he had cousins as entertainment. The girls kept him laughing the whole way. I guess there was one exception on the way down. He cried for the last hour of the trip. We came back on Friday night and on Saturday we took them to the dinosaur museum in Fruita. My friend Becky and her kids went with us. Then, Saturday night...the BIG event...the Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana Concert on the Disney channel. We pulled the big screen down and had a party. It was actually pretty fun to watch the girls. Brooke and Sarah spent the night and we took them back to my parents house on Sunday.

So today Heidi was outside and found a little toad and brought in the house. She put it on Riley's head and on her back. Riley didn't seem to mind. We played with the little toad for awhile inside then the girls took it outside and helped it slide down the slide into the pool. By help I mean, put it in a cup of water and dump it on the slide. After a while we did give the poor little toad a break and put him in the garden.

They are leaving in the morning and I am sad to see them go. I don't get to see my sisters family all that much, usually about once a year...and it stinks. We wish they were closer, but what can you do? Tomorrow they are going to see my brother and grandma in SLC. Ben is going to take the girls to see East High School where High School Musical is filmed and he got them cast t-shirts. He will be in High School Musical 3 as a teacher. I guess Charpae (sp?) walks by him or something. Anyway, enjoy some pics from the week.

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Another post for Pops!! (Another post from Josh)

This is the headstone that we picked out for Pops. I was so happy that it is finally in place. I try to make it out to see him once a week and have been doing pretty good. So, imagine my surprise when mom called and said the stone was up. I was just there 4 days previously and no stone. I went out to see it on my lunch break today, and even though all the stones in the park are made identical, Pops' looked so nice. What made it even more special was that the little flag Tyson got him on the 4th is still there along with a coloring page left by one of the other grandchildren. They were his true joy in life. Give them all a big hug from Pops!!
This stone marks the final resting place of a man who most deserved the rest!!

Stolworthy Reunion

This weekend we went to southern Idaho for the Stolworthy Reunion. This reunion was celebrating my Great-grandparents (on my mom's side) 100th wedding anniversary. We drove up on Thursday and on the way stopped and saw our friend Kristy and her little girl Payton and our friends Zack, Erica and their new little baby Owen. Tyson got a little jealous when I held Owen. Ty didn't think that was too cool. We really enjoyed our visits and wish we could have stayed longer but it was on to Idaho!

First I have to say that I have some of the most talented family members. They always impress me. Below is our "Family Tree." My Uncle Carl painted the tree. It was probably 6 1/2 feet tall. Then my amazing Aunt Bonnie made every family member an apple to go on the tree. Each family is color coded and the kids are all linked to their parents. There are 427 apples on this tree. My great-grandparents, William and Martha Stolworthy had six children: Rowdon, Dean, Gordon (my grandpa), Elaine, Geneil, and Fern. From these six children it is amazing to me that there are 427 people (not including spouses). Josh and I were on the same apple.



We went went swimming, played games, shot the BB Gun, had a little "fish pond" for the little kids, our family auction and just got the chance to visit with cousins that I haven't seen in a long time. We had a really nice time.

My Family's Apples

Ty in the pool.

Cousins Jackie and Shawna

Just hanging out.

I think there was something like 120 people there. A big thank you to everyone that put this together. We had a nice time.

When we were driving home, my sister Heidi called and said that she and her girls were at my parents house. She lives in California and was going to surprise my parents. Well, mission accomplished. We got there and Heidi and the girls were hiding in the back bedroom. We got my dad in and sitting on the couch and my mom was in the kitchen. The girls all ran out and yelled "SURPRISE!" I am just glad we set my dad down. He was in total shock. He said it was the best surprise he has every received. So now we will have a fun week with the girls.
The fun never ends!

Happy Birthday Pops!!

I (Josh) don't write in here much. But today is special because it's Pop's birthday, so all readers get to hear from me. Mom, Matt, Veronica, Ayme, and I (and all the kids of course) went out to the cemetery and let off a bunch of helium balloons with little notes attached. At the same time Heather and her family in Delta did the same, and Hillary and her family in Chandler, AZ did the same, and Chris and his family in Tuscan, AZ did the same. While we were out there a deer came walking across the field, it really let me know that Pops was there with us to join in the festivities. It was really nice to be together even though we're hundreds of miles apart. It's nice to know that we can all share in such a special memory of Pops. He left a true legacy and such a strong spirit within all of us. I'm happy we get to celebrate such a great man!! We love you lots Pops!!
(Hey Hill, check out the pics and vids)

Happy 4th Of July!!!

We hope everyone had a safe a Happy Independence Day! We did! We took flowers to Josh's dad's grave. It always feels peaceful, and still a little sad when we go there. Then we went up to my parents house for a BBQ, Botcci Ball (it was me and Josh against my parents and well, we won't mention the score. My dad is still bragging!) and of course FIREWORKS! Let me just say how cute my little Tyson is! He LOVED the fireworks. He clapped and squealed and laughed. It was so cute. Then Josh lit some of those ones that look like a strobe lights and he put his hands over his eyes and turned away. The way he did it was, well, you guessed it...cute! He had a lot of fun. Josh and I were not sure how he was going to handle the noise and everything that goes along with fireworks since Josh was afraid of them until he was about 6 or 7 and I was afraid of them up until (ashamed to admit this) about 4 or 5 years ago.

We hope everyone remembers why we have this important holiday to celebrate our nation and all that it stands for. We are so blessed to be Americans. We have so many rights and privileges that other countries don't have. GOD BLESS AMERICA, MY HOME SWEET HOME!!!

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On the Move!

Tyson is starting to walk and stand up on his own. He gets so excited for himself.

Here is a little video.

Zortman Family Reunion

This weekend we went to Denver for the Zortman Family Reunion. Josh's cousin Katey set us up in the Marriot in Broomfield where she works. THANK YOU KATEY! It was perfect. Pretty much all of the out-of-town family stayed there so we had some fun pool parties. On Saturday everyone went to Josh's cousin Kim's house for lunch, dinner and we can't forget the Zortman Family Olympics. Thank you Kim, Michelle, Deana and families for all your hard work. Cousin Joe organized the Olympics. There were many rounds of sack races, three-legged races, the sponge relay and a fun little craft that we built to represent our families.

On Monday we went to Water World. I was going to take my camera in but forgot it in the car so I don't have any pics, which I'm pretty bumbed about. Tyson had so much fun! He loved going down the waterslides! He clapped and laughed. It was fun to watch him. He also enjoyed the little kids part. It was even better because they pump WARM water in the kids areas. Tyson even went on the big family tube slide with me, Josh and Josh's brother Chris. At first he was a little scared but then we all started clapping and saying "yeah" so then he stared clapping and laughing.

Here are some pics from the Zortman Family Olympics! Enjoy!

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Tyson's 1st Birthday Party

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