The Romberg Family

Thanksgiving... A Few Months Later....

2012-01-08T18:04:00.011-07:00

I am apparently very behind on the blogging! We spent Thanksgiving in California with the Rombergs and had a lot of fun! We took a lot of pictures and it was really hard not to just put all of them up. Zack is so cute and had a lot of fun with his cousins and grandparents and spending time at the beach! It was a great trip and we are so thankful that Ken and Valerie were able to have us there all week!

These ducks at the park were CRAZY and were obviously very desperate to get the bread! Valerie ended up just chucking whole slices and we got Zack and ran!

Zack with some of his cousins at the LA Temple Visitors Center

Pumpkin Prep

2011-10-31T23:39:00.013-06:00

We have this awesome pumpkin patch just down the street from our house. They even have Hay Bail Mazes, a petting zoo, and a corn kernel pit! It was fun to go there and play, and pick out some great pumpkins as well.
The next night, we carved and decorated the pumpkins. Zack and I worked on painting his pumpkin, while Clayton worked on carving one for us to light up. We've had a lot of fun this Halloween, and it's so fun to see Zack experience it all!
And of course, the aftermath of pumpkin painting... :) Fun tub time!

Halloween

2011-10-31T23:26:00.005-06:00

Zack has dressed up for Halloween before, but this year was his first year really going trick-or-treating, decorating the pumpkins, and really being involved. He is so adorable! All day I tried working with him on saying "trick or treat" but it usually just came out "or treat!" He did say it a few times, and I was very proud! :) We went to a Halloween party at Clayton's office in the afternoon after running errands. Everyone at Clayton's office for their company trick-or-treat thought he was an adorable BYU player, and he had fun picking his treats from each employee/department, and even playing human Angry Birds that the Finance dept. in Clayton's office had set up! Zack had a fun day! He's still working on learning "the ropes" of Halloween, but overall, I think today was a success!

Family Pictures

2011-10-31T22:59:00.011-06:00

I have been wanting to do our family pictures for quite a while now. Clayton said he'd take them and edit them, if I just picked out the place and the outfits. 1 1/2 years later, I made a decision and we took family pictures over the weekend! Thanks to our cousin Elizabeth for actually snapping the pictures for us and for helping us out! I thought that things turned out great! Clayton was very good at finding places for us to pose where the lighting would be best, and coming up with our poses and being very creative in trying new things. I am so proud of my photography husband! He does an amazing job, and he edited the pictures beautifully! Zack wasn't the happiest, unfortunately. But I don't think it is possible to get a bad picture of Zack. Happy or sad, Zack is the cutest little stud muffin around and is always super handsome! Here are a few favorites. And I'm super excited to print some out and mount them on my wall (which will be an upcoming craft that will be posted soon!) Until then, here is our family. I love my boys and am so blessed to have them in my life! What more could a girl ask for than to be surrounded by handsome men who treat me good! ;)

Conference Weekend

2011-10-06T10:12:00.017-06:00

We had a great time spending conference weekend with my family. Kacie and Nathan came in to town, Dusty had just gotten back from a business trip in El Salvador, so it was really fun to have everyone there in time! :) Thanks mom and dad for hosting such a fun weekend for us!

Zack begging for Grandpa's treats.

But he's so cute, how can you resist! ;)

We had an "Iron Chef" competition, Girls vs. Boys between Sunday conference sessions. We were given 3 secret ingredients and we had to make a main course, vegetable side, dessert, and drink using the ingredients along with whatever else we could find. Our ingredients were chicken, lime, and raspberries. Then all teams were given about 1 1/2 hours to complete their dishes. My parents and their good friends from next door were our judges, as we presented our dishes to them at the end of the time. The kitchen was crazy, but we had a lot of fun! By only 1 point, the girls won a grand prize of $10 each. :) It was a fun activity!

Grandma Kathy watching all the grand-kids so that we could cook The kids waiting for the contest to be over so that they can get their parents' back.
Jaxon, Brystal, Lilie, Boston,
Alex, ZackBoys 2nd place dishGirls 1st place dish
Zack loved the trampoline, in case you can't tell! He begged to be out there all weekend. He was so fun and he had such a blast! "Ring Around The Rosies" and being bounced by the older kids was his favorite. But he also just loved running and bouncing himself too! So cute!
Mr. Alex man. What a cutie head!
Jaxon, the studSweet Miss Brystal
Kacie and Nathan, looking oh so happy together! ;)
My awesome dad
My beautiful mom
And my ADORABLE son!
And again, all the cute grand-kids together. Boston KILLS me in this picture! He's so adorable!
Boston, Brystal, Zack, Jaxon, Alex, Lilie

Because He's Cute

2011-09-24T10:17:00.006-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, because I really don't like to blog without posting a picture to go with it, and we have been slacking in the picture taking department as of late. But one night we finally busted out the camera and caught these cuties of our cutie, Zack! He was just playing and practicing how to smile for the camera. :) He's a stud. That's all that needs to be said!

What's Been On Our Minds....

2011-08-22T15:55:00.005-06:00

4th of July Fun

2011-07-12T17:28:00.013-06:00

This year for the 4th of July we went camping with my family for a couple days. We then returned their house for the 4th in time for parades, BBQs, and fireworks! We had tons of fun swimming in the hot springs, playing games, making smores, the kids made homemade bouncy balls (which is a craft that I wish desperately would have worked better) and overall had lots of fun with my family!
Everyone wanted me to get a picture of Nathan looking gay... This is the best I got! :)
Here is how Zack enjoyed the fireworks. :) Hope your holiday weekend was just as fun as ours!

Nap Time?

2011-05-24T01:47:00.000-06:00

For the past few months, Zack has slowly been giving up his official "nap time." I let it drive me bonkers for a while, but ended up transforming "nap time" into "quiet time," mostly for my own sanity. I tuck him in just as I would for a nap. But the decision is now his if he chooses to sleep or not. His decision is usually made after an hour of playing and trashing his room. If he actually does sleep during the day, we resume the process of "play before sleep" to make a decision on whether or not to go to bed for "bed time." Here are some results of some of Zack's recent "nap times" and "bed times":

Randoms....

2011-05-24T01:41:00.000-06:00

My phone tends to be a lot more available than our digital camera most of the time. So, a lot of the pictures I've taken lately have come from that. Clayton and I have officially put all our pictures from our phones onto the computer now! So here are some recent pictures from our phones that I thought you'd all enjoy!

He had the stomach flu for the first time in these next 3 pictures... Poor boy! :(

Making a mess at Grandma Kathy's house!

Golf Day with Daddy!

Yes... We are a bit obsessed with this boy! But look at him... Wouldn't you be too? ;)

Happy Birthday Zackary

2011-05-24T01:29:00.001-06:00

Who would have ever thought that I'd be able to see the day where I was able to say "I have a 2 year old!" We threw Zack a Toy Story themed birthday party and was flooded with so much love from family and friends of Zack's who attended his party. Thank you so much to all those who were able to come. It meant so much to us! Zack is such a sweet boy, and it is such a blessing to know that other can see just how special he is also. Here are some shots from the party. It was a blast!

Don't worry, plenty of food filled these tables later! This is just the before shots...

And this is not the actual birthday cake eating below: These are pictures from the cupcake that Zack needed to have in anticipation of waiting for everyone to arrive. You should have seen how fast he shoved that in his little mouth! It was hilarious! ;)

Of course, watching Toy Story was a MUST HAVE for Zack's party to be complete!

And of course, "Puppy" needed to make his appearance at the party!

Happy, happy birthday to the cutest 2 year old boy I know! I love you Zackary Roy!

My Amazing Little Boy

2011-05-24T01:07:00.001-06:00

Couldn't you just squeeze his little ice cream covered cheeks? Oh I love this boy so much, and I realized just what an amazing boy he is today. Although I feel that everyday, today I had an "ah ha" moment:
Today was Zack's 24 month check up with his doctor. He had also woken up a couple hours early, and I had not gotten much of a good night sleep for the past few days. I had been concerned with some things about him lately, particularly his sensitivity to loud noises, and his limited vocabulary. When I took these concerns to my doctor, he began to ask more questions about Zack to get a better idea on his behaviors. As I talked with my doctor, I found myself telling him all the things that Zack "can't do" or "doesn't do." When asked how Zack comprehends and how his ability to follow directions from us is, all I said was "he does good for the most part." My doctor reassured me that I have a normal 2 year old boy, but referred me to someone who could do some social analysis on him just in case. I love my doctor! He always makes me feel like I'm doing this whole parenting thing alright when we talk.

On my way out of the office, I felt very disappointed in myself as a parent. Zack is a GREAT listener and follows directions VERY well. I get compliments quite often from other moms as they see how quick Zack is to understand and obey the things we ask of him. Yes, he has moments where he chooses not to, but who doesn't? All the way home I thought, "Shame on me. Why did I spend that whole visit talking about the things he "doesn't do" when I could have spent so much longer bragging about the things he DOES do. I was tired and grumpy, which caused me to be frustrated all morning and steered my thoughts toward the negative.
Every parent has concerns for their child. But it hit me so hard just how blessed I am to have Zack and for the amazing things that he CAN do. Despite the concerns that I'll always have for my son as he grows up, I need to remember to always focus on the positive. So with that, I feel I need to share with all of you the AMAZING things that Zack CAN do:
~He is very polite, always saying "Peeee (please)" when he wants something, and "day do (thank you)" when he receives it.
~He CAN say words. Not many, but he has some:
puppy, bye bye, please, thank you, cookie, all done, set doe (ready, set, go!), swing, slide, ball, heh (head), eee (ears), mou (sometimes mouth...sometimes mouse... they sound the same), ya, no (which, thankfully, translates to nose), uh huh, shoes, and others that come as he chooses.
~He likes to play "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and only skips his knees and eyes (even though he waits till the very end to point to his shoulder).
~He has been sleeping in his big boy bed for 5 months already!
~He cleans up after himself (after some persuasion and several verses of "The Clean Up" song).
~He feeds himself with utensils and manages to stay pretty clean!

~He can throw, kick, run, tackle and LOVES to be active and be outdoors
~He can quote Toy Story (yes, all three) as he watches them. If you've seen the 3rd movie, you know the scene where Ken models his wardrobe...Zack sings along with the words "Freak Out!" as the classic song "Le Freak" plays in the background!
~He folds his arms for prayers, and says "meh (amen)" when we finish.
~He always gives kisses after family prayers to both Clayton and I.
~He likes to be silly and loves to make people laugh!
~He throws his head back and gives a loud, robust laugh when he thinks something is simply hilarious!
~He brings Clayton and I more joy than we could have possibly imagined was possible!

We love Zack so much, and I could go on about the many things he DOES and the many ways he blesses our home. Zack is such a special boy. My doctor reassured me that my boy is "a normal 2 year old boy." But he isn't "normal," because he brings more happiness to our lives than any other 2 year old that I know, and that is something special. I love my little Zack-man for all the things he DOES for me.

Park Playin'

2011-05-09T20:39:00.006-06:00

Zack LOVES to play outside! He's pretty good at it too, and is ADORABLE while doing it! ;)

Easter Pictures

2011-05-09T20:27:00.006-06:00

Oh Zack-man is such a stud muffin! I love him and he just gets cuter everyday! Clayton and I were both out of town to two different funerals over Easter weekend. But Monday night for family home evening, we put on a little Easter Egg Hunt for Zack. He didn't really care to find and gather them. All he cared about was opening them, and then throwing the candy to the side and opening another! :)

And here he is in his studly Easter attire the following Sunday! What a handsome boy! Must have a pretty good lookin' dad! ;)

Aloha Hawaii!

2011-03-22T18:48:00.015-06:00

Clayton and I went on a Hawaiian cruise with his family in March and left Zack to play with my parents and Kacie and her kids. We had so much fun hopping from island to island, surviving tsunamis, and just being together! I was going to be super cool and organize pictures and tell you what they are, but we have 1,000s of pictures and too many of them I wanted to post. So you just get to enjoy the fact that we were in Hawaii and have pictures to prove it! Clayton and I would love to go back sometime (especially to Maui, our favorite island) and are aching to go on another cruise. Thank you so much to Ken and Val for making this trip possible for us. It is one we will never forget, and we are so thankful for the fun company and many laughs that we all had together. Enjoy some of our experiences!

Oh Zacky, Dear Zacky...

2011-03-02T13:33:00.005-07:00

Zack will be 2 in May! He is getting so big, and as he's growing up, he's getting quite a little personality and it makes us laugh everyday! I've been meaning to write down some of the funny things he does so that I won't forget (and if you know me well, you know that I forget things very easily...). I figured I would do it here so that everyone could enjoy them with us!

December 2010
I went with a friend of mine one day to get her oil changed, and then out to lunch after. Zack was getting a little restless waiting, and he got loose from me and ran off. When I turned the corner to see where he'd gone, he was laying on the rug in front of the help desk. I kept asking him to get up, but he was laughing as he rolled around and kicked the air on the gross mat. At least he was having fun! All I could do was laugh!
February 2011
We were having family prayer in Zack's room before bed time. During food prayers he is very good about folding his arms and trying to help say the prayer. But family prayers are a little bit more difficult to stay focused on for the little guy. And being the "wonderful examples" that we are, we sometimes open our eyes to peek on Zack to see if he's folding his arms. We have him sit on one of our lap's while the other one prays. I was saying the prayer, and Clayton and I both peeked up at Zack. Zack decided he needed to play "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" during the prayer. (the only ones he does is head and toes... But you know that's what he's doing!) So as I'm praying Zack is reaching to touch his head, and then making a big effort to lean down to touch his toes, as Clayton was holding him he was a bit of an effort for him! We both began to laugh and it took all I had for me to finish the prayer with some dignity. But afterwords, we decided Heavenly Father has a sense of humor as well, and was probably laughing right along with us! :)

January 2011
When we first put Zack into his toddler bed, it was quite a task getting him to stay in bed. The only thing we could find that worked was for one of us to lay on his floor and if he tried to escape, we would be there to remind him to stay in bed. On one particular night, it was my turn. I was so frustrated because I'd been laying on his floor for an hour and a half trying to get him to stay put and relax and go to sleep. But of course, when I'm frustrated, Zack always finds a way to be adorable and loosen my mood. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him saying "muah! muah!" I peeked up to see what he was doing and he was repeatedly giving his Curious George he had in bed with him kisses! The kisses lasted for a good 5 minutes as I tried to contain my laughing. Then it stopped and I hear him saying, "eh? oh? mou?" Again, I was laying low so he couldn't see me. So I lifted myself up to see what he was doing. He was practicing his anatomy as he pointed to his head (eh), his nose (oh), and then his mouth (mou). He did this several times, and then drifted off to sleep. I left the room as quickly as I could so that I could finally laugh out loud!

December 2010
We had gotten a package in the mail for Christmas. The box was still out and we found Zack climbing inside. Not only did he climb inside, but he tired to close himself inside. Guess he wanted to be mailed off to Cali for Christmas early!
January 2011
Zack only gets his binkie when he goes to sleep. He knows this rule very well, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's always happy about it. One morning we were playing in his room (it was about 9:30am... no where NEAR nap or bed time!) and he saw his binkie up on the dresser. He pointed to it saying, "dee dee?" (I'm assuming he was trying to say 'binkie.') I told him, "No. It's not night-night time. You only get your binkie when you go night-night." And without missing a beat, he ran to his bed, laid down and said, "nigh-nigh? dee dee?" All I could do was laugh, and tell him it still wasn't time. What a smart little kid!

January 2011
Zack learned how to get into mischief. I didn't know he had it in him, but Zack discovered how to climb one day. Check out my little dare-devil here.

February 2011
Zack is learning how to play. He isn't always one to play rough on his own, but he loves to wrestle with Mommy and Daddy. One night he decided to use his imagination during play. Clayton would tackle Zack to the ground. Zack would then kick his feet up and Clayton would "be launched" by Zack's kick back on to the floor. Then Zack would get up, run and jump on Clayton's stomach. Clayton would play like he was wounded. Then he would tip Zack upside-down and bounce him saying, "Give me all your lunch money," and the imaginary money would fall out of Zack's pockets. Zack would be released, laughing, and would then tackle Clayton again. Clayton would "throw" Zack down to the floor, and the whole game would start all over again! I had so much fun that night just sitting and watching them laugh and wrestle together. Zack has a pretty good tackle! (it is, after all, one of his favorite games to play.) :) Dinner sat on the table and got cold for a good 15 minutes or so. But it was worth re-heating to watch them play and have fun!

February 2011
Zack and I were playing in his room. Suddenly, Zack runs in his closet and tries to close the door from the inside. He almost got it, but his fingers were sticking out. So when he moved his hand, I played along and shut him in the closet. He started to laugh, so I called out "Zack?! Where are you?" Then he burst out of the closet and tackled me to the ground! Laughing, he got up, ran into the closet, and tried to close it again. This turned into a little game for a good 20 minutes! Hahahaha Too funny that he thought of that on his own!

Random...
Zack also really likes to try and copy what people are saying. He doesn't always get it right, but he does his best to imitate things he hears, and is learning to talk quite a bit. Here are some that I've caught:

*In the midst of his REAL vocabulary that is growing, he has developed a little "Zacky-babble" of his own. It's hard to type out unless you've heard him, but it sounds something like "ticka tucka tucka tucka" with the 'ck' said in the back of the throat... You may need to practice it if you would like to speak with my son! ;)

*At the beginning of the show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they say the phrase "Miska, Mooska, Mickey MOUSE!" Zack knows it's coming, so at the same time you'll hear him saying, "meh meh, moo moo, meeee MOU!"

*There is an App on the iPhone that is called Peek-a-Boo Barn. There is an animal behind a barn door. You click the door, it opens, and reveals the animal. The animal makes it's sound, then a child narrator tells you the name of the animal. Zack will imitate both the sound and the name of almost every animal.

*If he hears a police siren or ambulance, he will imitate the noise they make. Whether it's on the phone, TV, or out on the street, he'll make the sound!

*While we bless the food at meal times, Zack will fold his arms and mumble along with us, "de de bleh meh, ticka ticka... MEH! (that means "amen.") It varies from prayer to prayer, but the "amen" is always the same!

*When we go out to play, our grass is what me and my friends affectionately call a "dog poop mine field." (Oh the joys of condo living.) So when we are out, I'll say to Zack, "Don't step in the poopies! BLEK!" And as he passes each pile, he yells, "BLEK! BLEK!"

*When we aren't avoiding the poop, Zack loves to run down the grass hill by our house. As he stands at the top, I would say, "Ready, Set, GO!" and then Zack would run down the hill. Once he'd caught on, he would stand at the top of the hill and if I don't say anything, he looks at me and says, "Set?" and waits until I finish with "GO!" to run down the hill. So now whenever he wants a race of any kind, he just looks at me and says, "Set?" :) I love it!

Oh, I could go on and on about my little stud muffin! We love him so much and are so blessed to have him in our lives. We truly got lucky to have him sent to us and we love him more and more each day!

Discovery Museum

2011-02-25T15:39:00.005-07:00

Since Clayton was busy in meetings during our stay at the Grand America a few weeks ago, I decided to take Zack to the Discovery Gateway Museum for a day. It was so much fun, and Zack enjoyed it a lot more than I thought he would! We were able to stay for pretty much the whole day (1, because Zack was having fun, and 2, because I wanted to get our money's worth... It's a bit pricey!) But it was a blast and I definitely want to take him back sometime! I took tons of picture and video of Zack exploring and having fun, and put up some of my favorites. It was also a very good experience for him to be around that many other kids learning to take turns and share, something we've been trying to reinforce with Zack recently. He did such a good job and I was so proud of him. His cheeks are so rosy because they were super dry. :( But he's still adorable and I love him to pieces!
They had this adorable little-kid grocery store and Zack loved to push the cart around.
They also had a farm where you could "plant and harvest" your own veggies. Zack is testing one of his potatoes he harvested. :)
Zack climbed up in there (almost) all by himself, and I was so proud! Then he quickly wanted out and back down to the ground. :) But I thought it was cute!
Zack thought this was pretty fun. He wasn't too impressed when I would drop the ball from the top like the epic game of "Plinko!" He just wanted to do it himself from about 2-3 rows from the bottom. But I guess doing it himself was what the whole museum is about, so I let him at it!
Zack also had a lot of fun making up new songs. He did a marvelous job!
His favorite place was the water discovery though. I think he just liked climbing up on the footstools, but he would always run back to this station and spend a lot of time there. He had so much fun!

And here is some fun videos of Zack discovering more in all these places! Other than the water, he really loved The Beehive where the balls would get sucked up the tube and travel through the hive. SO MUCH FUN! I can't wait to take him back someday!

Staying At The Grand

2011-02-24T19:41:00.001-07:00

Zack and I had a lot of fun staying in The Grand America Hotel while Clayton was there on business. We didn't get to see him much, but we had fun together exploring.
Yup... That's the bathroom in the lobby!

Zack was also kind enough to be my "hot" date to many a restaurant, including Arby's as you see here. What a stud!
We also invited our friends Aubrey and Avery to come up and go swimming with us one day in their amazing pool!
After going swimming, Zack took a bath in the tub, and we decided to live up the life in The Grand. So Zack got all cozy in the hotel robes and lounged around...

And even sent out a message to impress the ladies he may meet there!

Then he said, "Forget the robe! I'm havin' a naked party!" And he proceeded to jump on the bed in all his little cute naked glory!

And at the end, he and his puppy were all tuckered out and went right to sleep.
It was so fun to hang out with Zack and to be with him. He is such a stud and he is growing up so fast! I love him so much and am so glad to have him as my little buddy. We had fun together those few days, but were so glad to get back home and to have Clayton back from all his hard days of work.

Play Date

2011-01-24T17:14:00.006-07:00

Zack and I went out on a play date with some of our friends to the Bean Museum at BYU the other day. We had a lot of fun! Zack got tired fast, but he still had fun with his friends. I think his favorite part was the Liger that they have by the front door. It was fun to be out and about with friends and to go and see the cool animals! We had a lot of fun!
Zack and Kailyn with the Liger
Go Katy!
Katy and Aiden. Love them!
Jenn and Kailyn. Two beautiful ladies!
Aubrey and Avery. Happy little campers!
Stopping for a snack time. Zack's face is SO dry! Poor little fella! :(

Home Improvement

2011-01-24T14:18:00.008-07:00

We have been in our home long enough that we decided to add our own little personal touch to it and make it more "ours" by painting this weekend. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now and I am pretty please with how things turned out! First we did our study. These are the before:

This is what Zack did while we painted...Good little helper!

And these are the after! (We didn't get too many "during" shots of this project... But oh well!
I have been talking about doing Zack's room for quite a while! So we taped out the design that I wanted and I did all the painting last night. I am so proud of myself and excited with how it turned out! We just did one wall for now, but it is still in debate if we will do anything with the other walls in his room! This room has a lot of fun during shots, so enjoy! :)
Zack's "helping" by being cute and adorable! ;)
Waiting for the paint to dry...
And here is the finished product! I was so excited it worked out so perfectly! I'm thinking about doing the rest of the walls with just the brown color, but that is debatable. Any input would be welcome! Clayton doesn't want to, but the thought is still there for me. We really like the way it has turned out and are very proud of the work we put in!
And Zack is happy too! :)

Playing in the Snow

2011-01-20T10:52:00.004-07:00

I took these a while ago. We had gotten a bit of snow so I decided to be a nice mom and take Zack out to play in it one day. It was the day after the big snow had hit, so it was all hard and he didn't enjoy it so much. But I got some cute pictures, and that is what matters! ;)

Family Movie Night

2011-01-17T10:30:00.004-07:00

On Sunday night, I decided it would be fun to do something a little different. So, while Clayton was giving Zack a bath, I laid out some blankets and pillows, popped some popcorn, and set up our family room to have a little family movie night before Zack went to bed. Even though Zack only lasted the first 10-15 minutes of Toy Story, (because we ran out of popcorn for him to eat,) it was still fun to be together and do something different. I love my boys and am so thankful for the many ways they bless my life. We have such fun and I couldn't have asked for more!

You could NOT keep this kid away from the popcorn!
Gross, yet pretty funny! He LOVES popcorn!

My Toddler Man

2011-01-16T17:31:00.003-07:00

Zack is no longer a baby. He is a toddler, and my little man. He is so adorable and I love being home with him everyday. He is getting so smart, and boy is he such a goof! But the most recent transition we've had with this little guy from babyhood to toddlerhood is this:
His crib easily converts into a toddler bed, so we decided to try it out. He is doing pretty well with it. I tried to get a picture of him in it, but he was so excited he'd jump on it, laugh, and then run away screaming for joy. But this is with it just set up for his first night. I ordered a new bedspread for it to hopefully make it more exciting for him, and in anticipation for my project to paint his room! (I'm so thrilled, and more pictures will come.) His first night it took about an hour to get him to stay in the bed without sneaking out to play with his toys. Once he was asleep, he only fell out of the bed 3 times during the night. A LOT better than what I had anticipated! Don't worry, he was not hurt. Look at how close he is to the floor! He just got disoriented and would whine for assistance. But since then, he has only fallen out one other time during a nap and he stays in his bed all night! The only tough part is still getting him to understand that he needs to stay in the bed and go to sleep! My sneaky little munchkin! I'll post more pictures once I get the new sheets and hopefully Zack will be in it. He is such a sweet boy and I love him so much! He's getting so big and I am so proud of him for all the things he is learning and doing!

Christmastime with the Rombergs!

2010-12-28T16:19:00.021-07:00

We had so much fun this December spending time with family, getting ready for Christmas, and getting ready to pack up and head out of town for the holidays! We went and played with Grandma and Grandpa Wood...

And had fun setting up our own Christmas tree and decorations!

Then, this year for Christmas, we packed up the gifts and headed to California in hopes that Santa would know we were traveling for the holidays and know where to leave our gifts! He most certainly knew and we had a wonderful Christmas! It was rainy for a lot of the trip, but we still had fun with the family and did some fun things. It was fun to see Abby's dance recital, singing Christmas carols and eating French dipped beef sandwiches Christmas Eve, drive down by the Harbor to see the lights, play games with the fam, and watch each other make fools of ourselves while playing on the Kinect that we brought down with us! Zack had a blast! On Christmas, he still didn't grasp the concept of how to unwrap a gift. But once we began trying to help him and we'd gotten them all out, he began to realize that they were new toys for him and he went crazy hopping from one toy to the next playing with each of them and figuring them out. He is one smart kid! We got him some toys that were more fit for 3 year olds, but he was able to figure out how to use them and he loves them all! He is such a fun and happy boy, and I loved watching him have so much fun, and watching him laugh and play with his cousins as well! Here are some pictures and highlights from the trip! We had a blast!

Christmas Eve singing and presents!SANTA CAME!PJ Fashion show!

Zack on Christmas Morning
And we closed off the trip with a drive to Malibu and Hollywood! I loved it!

What an exhausting trip! Thanks so much Ken and Val, Kevin and Brandi and all the kids for keeping us entertained for our Christmas break! :) It was so fun to see and spend time with family!

Kinect Adventures

2010-12-28T16:12:00.003-07:00

We recently got the new Kinect system to go along with our XBox360 as an early Christmas gift for our family. Zack LOVES to watch us play and laughs hysterically through each game! Sometimes, we even let him try to play with us. But one night we caught him trying to play with us without being prompted to do so. He was trying to jump to get the coins in the game, just like Clayton and I were! Zack doesn't know how to jump yet, so it was quite adorable to see him attempt it!

Preparing to jump....

How high did I get!?!?!

Vegas Baby!

2010-12-28T16:00:00.005-07:00

In November, we had the chance to go down to Las Vegas to Sam and Kaylee Marshall's wedding (Clayton's cousin) and we had a blast seeing his family! We took a few pictures at the temple and I just wanted to share a few. My little stud muffin is getting so big! I love this little guy.

Sly little man! ;)
The Johanson's styling the newly married Mr. and Mrs. "Flat Samlees!"
The nieces and nephews ready with their "Flat Samlees" and "Flat Kaylees," as it is now growing to be a tradition for the Flats to make appearances at frequent family outings!

We had a blast seeing everyone and it was a beautiful, rainy, fun-filled day!

Disney On Ice

2010-11-15T14:42:00.004-07:00

We got some free tickets from my friend to go see Disney On Ice. I thought Zack would enjoy it, and it was something that my parents' took me to once as a kid so I was excited to see it again. I thought Zack would enjoy it for maybe twenty minutes and then the rest of the time I would be playing with him to keep him entertained. But he was glued to the ice the whole 2 hour show! It was great! He would clap at the end of songs and would want to hold his Mickey Mouse we brought from home every so often. It was so cute! It was really fun and I'm glad we had the chance to go. Thanks to Jessica Hiatt for our tickets and night of fun! We took a few pictures from our phones because they wouldn't let us bring our camera in. So that, plus the fact that it was dark and everyone was skating everywhere, the quality of the pictures isn't the greatest. But I still thought I'd share!

Waiting for the show to start.
Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy getting ready to go to Africa and see Simba!
And there he is! Rafiki was singing "The Circle Of Life"
And here come Captain Hook! The ship was so cool! It had two more ends that came on the ice with it and the took it apart so they could dance (If that even makes sense...). It was awesome!
The Alligator coming to eat Captain Hook!
See? He loved it! We had such a blast! He's so cute!

So Big... So Big...

2010-11-08T16:48:00.002-07:00

Look at my little man: Getting so big. I can't say "all grown up" yet, and I don't anticipate that day anytime soon! :) But yesterday was this little guy's first day at Nursery at church. I figured he might cry when we left and the recover shortly after and have a good time, as he usually does when we leave him with other people. But I took him in and met the nursery leader. She told him they were going to make Fruit Loop necklaces, and I set him down by the toys. Fearing the loud shrieks that usually are heard when he is set down in a new place, I heard none from my child! :) He simply started to go for the toys, and the nursery leader wanted him to go color and make necklaces first. He just looked around very curiously, and I sneaked out in him moment of curiosity. I didn't hear one cry from him through the door, and so Clayton and I left to class.
When I came back for him, the nursery leader was holding him, which indicated to me that he had previously been crying and upset. I asked how he did and she said he only got nervous and scared when he saw parents coming and taking the other kids home. But other wise she said they kept an eye on him, being his first week, and she said he did great! I was so proud of him! I was a little nervous and was tempted to go peak in in between my classes. But I was talking to some friends, so I figured I should not be rude and disrupt what I was hoping was a fun time for Zack! :) He is such a cute and fun boy and I'm so glad he had fun. He is so happy, but is definitely a Mama's Boy and gets a little clingy when we are around new people. But he did great and I am so excited for him to get in there and make some new friends! And so this little guy's primary career begins with a BANG!

Cougar VIPs

2010-11-08T16:20:00.005-07:00

Clayton's company, @task (Attask), was one of the sponsors for last Saturday's BYU game. So to say thanks, they gave some complimentary tickets to the company to disperse to its employees. Not everyone got one, but Clayton's manager had a drawing for his department and Clayton won and got us tickets to the game! Not only did we get great tickets (4th row in the South end-zone), but we also got some VIP treatment! Other members (including the CEO of Attask) got to sit in one of the box suites and have a meal catered to them. But I like our end of the deal a lot better! :)

We started out by gaining field access before the game started to watch the players warm up and to cheer in the players as they ran onto the field!

Clayton and I just hanging out on the field! :)
Just watching the players practice their plays and warm up.
And there goes Cosmo!
Curtis Brown (a former BYU Running Back) getting ready to run the team in to the game.
Bronco getting ready to lead the way! We were all cheering for him, and he continued to stay just like this. He must have REALLY been in the zone!
The boys all lined up. And of course, the officer trying to hold us all back!

It was so cool! After we welcomed the players in, we went to the sponsor tent for a wonderful lunch, catered by The Chef's Table (probably the most expensive fancy restaurant in Utah County... Or Provo at least!)

Clayton had the steak and potatoes. There were veggies, but Clayton ate them before we got the picture!
I had the salmon with pasta. SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!
Clayton enjoying his wonderful lunch! It was amazing! And they had a TV in there for us to watch the game so we wouldn't miss anything while we ate.
We returned to watch the AWESOME GAME! We were 4th row, and I loved being so close and in the action. It's been a long time since I've been able to cheer like that at a football game!
Enjoying my HOT date with my HOT hubby!
At half time, we went back to the tent for dessert. They had shrimp, fruit, and wonderful desserts along with a chocolate fountain. YUM! And did I mention free the free, unlimited drinks! :)

We had such a great time, and the Cougars played GREAT! The final score was BYU: 55 UNLV: 7! Thank you Attask for allowing us to treat ourselves to an AWESOME game and a day out with each other!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-11-02T18:28:00.004-06:00

I'm a complex person. I don't tend to make my birthday a big deal. I am like most other people where I want people to know it's my birthday, but I tend to shy away from the attention birthdays bring. It's crazy, I know... But I have to say, this year for the big 25, I have to say that everything went perfectly!
It all really started the Wednesday before. Shade Clothing had a going out of business warehouse sale and I went. I spent a little more than I should have, but it was totally worth it!
It looks like someone threw up a mess of clothes on my bed, but here is what it all is: I got 3 swimsuits (tops and bottoms for each), 3 pairs of pants/shorts, 2 dresses, 3 skirts, 9 tank tops to wear under things, 2 t-shirts, and 3 cute tops. The grand total for the day: $160! When I told Clayton, all he could say was, "Well... Happy Birthday I guess!" hahahaha When we added up the price tags and what everything WOULD have cost had it not been a going out of business sale, I ended up with over $600 in clothes. So we both figured that $160 was a good bargain! But I like to consider this all part of my birthday.

On Thursday I got a package in the mail from my in-laws and it was full of wonderful birthday goodness! They got me an Old Navy gift card, some cute sea shell jewelry, and my Valerie made this awesome picture of The Legend of the Sand Dollar for me!
My mom had told us this story growing up. If you haven't heard it, let me know and I'll get you a copy! (You can't really read it here.) But I was so thrilled to have one in my home, and it meant all the more knowing that she made it for me.

On Saturday, my parents came down to spend the day with me to celebrate my birthday early. They had recently gone to Texas to visit Kacie, and had gone with Kacie there to pick out my birthday gift. It's a good thing my clothes all suck and I've been wanting to update my wardrobe lately because I definitely got a lot of help doing so this year for my birthday! My mom and Kacie had picked out this adorable outfit for me and I love it!
After I got all excited and tried everything on, my parents took us out to lunch to Magleby's and we came back to our place to watch a movie. I LOVE when my parents come to my house and come to hang out with us. It made my day and made me feel really special that they would come down here for me!

On Monday, the day of my birthday, I was hit with my complex attitude again. But something in me changed and said, "Dang it Kristie! You're 25! You deserve something special!" So I treated myself to a day at the spa, receiving a set of acrylic nails and an awesome pedicure! Zack was a perfect angel all day and was so happy and was very good while I got my self-awarded birthday gift! That's a long time for a little boy to hang out, especially at a spa! He did a great job! Clayton brought home pizza (my favorite) and Diet Coke for dinner (also a favorite!) He then told me to go to the back of the house and find my birthday gift. Once I found it, I was ordered to use it. Intrigued I began my search. I found this in our master bathroom:
A luxury bath set! He then said that he would play with and entertain Zack so that I could lock myself in the bathroom and treat myself to a nice relaxing bath. My man knows me SO well! I love to just soak in a warm bath, and this makes it a lot more fun to do so! So I took the time to explore my gift and relax.

My "Birthday Week" was absolutely amazing! What a way to kick off my entrance into my second quarter century here on this earth! :) This was one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time. I have the best family and friends that made it possible, and I truly felt very loved and spoiled on my special day. Thank you to everyone who gave gifts, and who sent birthday wishes! I love you all, and am truly blessed to be surrounded by such good people!

Halloween!

2010-11-02T15:34:00.005-06:00

We had a lot of fun going to different Halloween parties, dressing up, and being together as our own little family this year for Halloween. Clayton's work did a big Halloween party where they all decorated their cubicles, dressed up, and invited the families to come in dressed up and take the kids trick-or-treating to each cube. It was so fun, and Zack was quite a hit in the office! Everyone thought he was so adorable! And who wouldn't! :)
I had him wear his squeaker shoes so he was squeaking all around the office! Everyone thought it was adorable! At first he was pretty nervous about all the people, but he eventually got the hang of reaching into each bucket, taking a candy and giving it to mommy to put into his bag. He got really into it when he started to go back to the same bucket for 4 or 5 different treats and we had to drag him to the next bucket so he wouldn't take it ALL! He's so fun!He got so excited when he got the sucker! He cried when I put it in the bag. So we had to open it for him to munch on as he continued on to the rest of the cubes! He's so funny! Who would have thought that a DumDum sucker was so important! :) I dressed up as a Hockey player and joined in the fun.
He started to get tired towards the end. But he was quite a trooper! We had so much fun! It was also really fun for me to see where Clayton works. Thanks Attask for having us! It was a blast!

Conference Weekend

2010-11-02T15:06:00.008-06:00

We went to my parents' house for Conference weekend and had so much fun being with my family! I always look forward to the girls time with my mom and sister-in-law, Hilary. Then we call my sister Kacie who's in Texas so we feel like we are all together! Between some of the sessions, some of us went down to the pond and fed the ducks. Zack had fun just running around and being outside! It was a beautiful day and so nice to just do something so simple and relaxing! We had lots of fun playing with nieces and nephews and just having a great time!

I love that he stopped to eat some for himself. It made my day! :) He's so cute!

Go Cougars!

2010-10-28T22:59:00.005-06:00

It's football season, so of course, I had to get the family decked out in our Cougar gear! Zack didn't have any, so we definitely had to "pimp" him out!

The shoes squeak... I LOVE IT!
My two BYU studs! Zack wasn't happy this day and was ready for a nap... But aren't they still adorable!? :)

GIVEAWAY!

2010-10-28T18:19:00.002-06:00

My friend is doing a give away on her blog. If you want to win FREE tickets to Disney On Ice, feel free to go to her blog and enter a comment. I hope you win, but I hope I win too! :)

http://mitchandjessica.blogspot.com/

Being a Mother, and a Daughter of God

2010-09-28T22:31:00.010-06:00

I haven't posted in a while, and I am hoping anyone still keeps up with us! We have been slackers with taking pictures, and the month of September has been a bit of a whirlwind. But my thoughts today were something that I felt I could not and should not keep to myself.

I had the chance to go to the General Relief Society Broadcast with some good friends on Saturday night. I was deeply impressed with each of the talks, but particularly Pres. Monson's talk. He spoke on not judging others, and being charitable. This sent many thoughts into my mind, and encouraged me to swallow some pride and make some changes to make myself a better person. I started that task off today. I went to visit a friend of mine who went through a miscarriage and then struggled for another year to become pregnant again. She had her baby 3 weeks ago, and so I decided that I should go and see her. I felt impressed to visit her because we have not always gotten along, and I really wanted her to know how genuinely thrilled for her I was that she finally has her baby she's been wanting for so long. I had a great visit with her, and we talked a lot about how motherhood should never be taken for granted, and that pregnancy should never be taken for granted or complained about. I expressed to her my sincere joy for her and her growing family, and returned home with a great love for my own experience as a mother, that has been growing TREMENDOUSLY everyday. Words cannot express the blessing of motherhood and having the opportunity to carry a child, and I am so thankful that I have had that opportunity, and that I have Zack in my life forever.
The day went on and, with no explanation, acquired a sense of anxiety and self doubt. I was invited by some friends to relax on the lawn and visit, and Clayton encouraged me to go, which I silently thanked him for forcing me to get over my internal anxiety! I visited with my friends about our Relief Society lesson on Sunday which was wonderful, and just caught up on life. I sat back and reflected on my situation I'm in right now and how I can truly say that I am very happy, and what a blessing that is. However, my anxiety and self doubt stayed as a slight nag through the remainder of the night. Until now.
I got on Facebook, which I often do just to check status updates when I am bored, and I came across this video posted by a friend of mine. It was entitled Abortion Survivor. This sparked a curiosity, as I have personal and very strong feelings on the subject, and it had pertained to my many thoughts of life's blessings for me today. After watching this video, I could no long deny that I am a daughter of God with great potential. He loves me, and I know that. My self doubt and anxiety subsided, and I am at peace with who I am, and have received a renewed desire to push on and make myself better. I want to be more worthy of that love that my Heavenly Father has for me, and to be a better person to bless myself and the lives of my family and those around me. I consider it the greatest honor to be a mother, a wife, and a daughter of God. In in the large scheme of things, nothing else matters. Several of my thoughts turned back to the Relief Society meeting Saturday night, where the hymn Count Your Many Blessings was sung. The third verse struck a deep impression on me that night, and continued to ring true to me today:

When you look at others with their lands of gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings; money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

How truly blessed we are to be here on this earth, and may that blessing NEVER be taken for granted. (I apologize that half the screen is cut off. But the message is still clear.)

My thoughts immediately after this video: I am a Child Of God. And HE HAS SENT ME HERE. He has sent us all here, and how lucky we are to be here.

Our Silly Boy!

2010-08-22T16:18:00.005-06:00

As Zack has gotten older, he has developed a silly personality, and he just does some funny things, a couple of which I thought I'd share. Each morning, I get Zack his breakfast and will usually clean a little and get my breakfast later. I had left my empty bowl of cereal on the couch and Zack decided to do this:
He dunked his head into the bowl multiple times and would laugh each time he came up! His last venture into the bowl brought a slight visitor up with him:
It was pretty funny, and he thought it was hilarious! Another activity he likes to do is push his head across the floor. It is so funny! He'll be walking along, and then he'll drop down and start doing this! He is also getting pretty particular in the decisions he makes. Watch this and you can see how he just makes the smallest decisions that are so random, but obviously seem to make perfect sense to him! (Excuse the poor quality of the video... Mine and Clayton's phones are the only things we had handy for these videos, and the computer loaded them on kind of small!)

He is always just doing silly things and is so funny! He also loves to be chased and to tackle you when you try to chase him!

Yup, I have a silly boy and I love him to pieces!
I know I already posted this pictures, but his face makes me laugh every time!

Family Home Evening

2010-08-22T16:14:00.002-06:00

For Family Home Evening one night, we had a quick lesson (because Zack doesn't last longer than 2 minutes!) and we decided to head to the park for an activity. Usually Zack just swings on the swings and we go home, but this time we got him to climb on the playground and take a little stroll! He was so cute and he had lots of fun exploring and getting more brave on the playground! I love this little boy!

Weekend at the Beach

2010-08-20T13:49:00.004-06:00

We went to California over the 24th for a quick weekend holiday trip, and we got to take Zack to the beach for the first time! At first he wasn't too sure about it all, but once we showed him how to play with the sand, he was all about throwing it and trying to eat it! It only took him one bite to figure out that that wasn't such a good idea, so he just went back to throwing it! We had so much fun and I loved seeing him in the sand, and of course, I loved being on the beach myself!

Wood Family Reunion

2010-08-20T13:19:00.014-06:00

After going to Clearlake we had a family reunion with my family. We started out with a family home evening on missionaries, specifically my brother Tyler on his mission. We put together all the things he needs as a missionary, then wrote him letters and got to take pictures with him throughout the rest of the reunion!

The next day we went to the Zoo. Clayton couldn't come because of work. :( We missed him a lot, but the rest of us had a great time!
The next day, Clayton was able to come with us all to the Aquarium in Salt Lake! Zack didn't feel good that day, so it wasn't as eventful for him, but we still had a good time!
The rest of the reunion was spent just hanging out together, BBQs, and lots of good times! We loved being with my family and had a great time!

Oh The Joys!

2010-07-08T15:56:00.006-06:00

While at Clearlake, we had Zack's crib right next to the kitchen table. On Sunday morning, I came down to find my child laughing and covered in white! Confused, thinking it was just the light through the window reflecting weird, I began to notice his whole bed was white. Clayton came in and helped me investigate. And there it was....
That is right... I had been making treats for everyone on Saturday and had left the powdered sugar on the table. Zack had pulled the whole bag into the crib with him and had a party before Clayton and I got up! All we could do is laugh, bust out the camera, and take him outside to show him off!

4th of July/Family Pictures

2010-07-08T15:38:00.007-06:00

Every year on the 4th at Clearlake, each family takes family pictures wearing the red, white and blue! We then drove the boat out to the middle of the lake and watched the fireworks from there. Here are the family photos we were able to take, and some of the action from the boat while we waited for the show!

Our Family
Grandpa Kenny and Grandma Valerie
Now on the boat with Dancin' Abby!
Kevin and Brandi's Family
Dane, Abby, Brandi, Ella, Kevin, Ema
Vanessa's Family
\Bryan, Vanessa, Logan, Layla, Dylan, Rylie
Another one of our family on the boat
Ken and Valerie's Family Clayton, Kevin Vanessa, Me, Brandi Valerie *We missed you Krystal and Erik!* :(
Zack with all his cousins (minus the Hansen Bunch) :(
Clayton and I
Zack watching fireworks with Logan
Statue of Ema (aka Liberty)

Clearlake Trip 2010 (with LOTS of pictures!)

2010-07-07T00:06:00.030-06:00

We headed to Clearlake for the traditional Romberg get-together this year! This time we drove, which was an interesting experience... Fun, but there are definitely benefits to flying! Zack got pretty restless at times, but overall he did pretty well! We had to stop along the way and stretch and take some pictures while we were at it...
We were the first ones to arrive, while everyone else still had a couple hours to go on their drive there. So again, we had a little bit of time for some pictures!
We got there on Clayton's birthday, so once everyone got there and had unpacked and set up, we celebrated my man's big 25th birthday!
That night we headed to the good ol' Lakeport Raceway for some white trash car racing! We were nervous about how Zack would be, because the races can be pretty loud. But he loves cars, so we figured he'd be ok... Well sure enough, he LOVED it!

Our whole group!
Cute Ella, who was best friends with Zack all week! ;)
Spin out!
The rest of the week was filled with lots of wake boarding, tubing, laying out, swimming, relaxing, and fun! We had such a great time and loved seeing everyone. Can't wait until next time we all get together!
Abby makes me laugh! Again, another best friend to Zack for the week!
Kimberly and Ema

Go Clayton!
Zack loved the boat! He would cry when it would stop! :(
Towing the Cox's back to shore. :(
SUNSCREEN!

We literally took thousands of pictures through the week, so I tried to just post a variety! Thanks for sticking it out till the end! We had so much fun! Thank you to all those who made our vacation possible and fun!

My (Angry) Testimony

2010-06-18T14:16:00.009-06:00

I hope you will bear with me as I get this off my chest. I have a friend from high school who fell away from the church to become a VERY devout "Born Again Christian." I am friends with him on Facebook (those of you in the facebook world may be able to sympathize with this a bit...) and as his "status," he has been posting a lot of things that are questioning our LDS faith and how he thinks so many of our practices are "hypocritical." Many of his posts pertained to the temple and the "secret" works (as he calls them) that go on inside. Many people responded to his posts. Some LDS who asked him to please just leave our church alone and continue on with his beliefs, and some who stand up in defense of our church. Others who are "ex-members" that agree with him, and some who continue to talk about their negative views of the church. In response to those who remain members of the LDS church, he claimed he was not "bashing" the LDS faith, but only wished to get them to leave their religion! I was shocked and appalled, but, I chose to not involve myself in the "online conversations." I had so many feelings stirring inside, that I needed to get them out somehow.
Quite frankly, the posts made me very, very angry. I contemplated on my angry feelings, and something came to me... Those angry feelings were my testimony in action! As weird as it sounds, my testimony has come out through anger. Because I was able to form my own arguments and explanations of what I would tell my friend if he were here now, became a testament to me of just how strong my testimony is of the temple and of our church.
I am so thankful for this beautiful building here. Here at the Provo Temple is where I received my own personal revelation that Clayton was the man I was to spend eternity with. The experience that I had is so sacred to me, and one that changed my life forever. The Spirit testified to me so strongly that Clayton was to be my eternal companion, and the best partner for me in this life and the next. It was like no feeling that I have ever had before, and I knew that the Lord was on my side and had a path for me. And that path would only be bearable if I had Clayton by my side.
This gorgeous structure is where I received my Endowments. It was such a spiritual experience to me. My parents, and many others encouraged me to pay attention only to my feelings this day. As I did that, I can recall only a few times where I have felt such a feeling of peace and serenity as the Spirit testified to me that the process I was going through and the blessings I was partaking of are REAL. And as I met my family in the Celestial Room, both my family and Clayton's, and joy fell over me of how great it will be to be with these people for eternity in the Celestial Kingdom, and my love for them grew more than ever that day. It was such a beautiful experience, and one I will never forget.
And this... This is probably one of my favorite places. This is the beautiful place where I had the glorious opportunity to be sealed to Clayton and our future children for all eternity. Words truly cannot express the joy that I relish in each day as my love for my husband and my son grow more and more. And to be able to add to that joy that I have these two in my life not just now, but for all eternity. When I prepared myself for my wedding with my mom, and to see the pride and overwhelming joy in her eyes as she helped me look as perfect as I could be there in the Brides Room was such a special moment to me. And as I walked the halls with her to find Clayton and join him in the Celestial Room as we awaited our sealing. I felt such peace as we sat together and I knew that our eternity was becoming a reality. And when we entered the sealing room to be joined together in the presence of our closest family and friends was truly the happiest day of my life.
Without these beautiful Houses of our Lord, I would not have so many of the blessings that I have been given. I love my Savior, and I know that being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints makes Him proud of me, and I know that he loves me. I can only do my best to increase my faith and worthiness each day, and I know that He sees me trying. I can only hope that one day I will be worthy to be in his presence.
This is the day that I strive for each day. The day where not only can I be in the arms of my Savior, but for Zack to see his Savior and to know Him and to be blessed by Him and His love and sacrifice. Again, I love my Savior, and I love His church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And I have such a testimony of the temple and the work that happens inside. They are truly, each a House of the Lord, and a place where miracles happen and souls are saved. I love this gospel, and feel so blessed to know and have the truth in my life.
So, to my friend: I know that the church I belong to is the true church of our God. Others may believe otherwise. But all I can do is hold fast to the truth that I know, and let nothing shake it. I will keep my beliefs firm, and I will do my best to be worthy to stand at His right hand when He comes again. Do not question my beliefs in a demeaning way. Asking questions to learn are great. But asking questions to demean and destroy is not what God would have any of His children do. So your goal will NOT be accomplished through me. I will stay with my religion, and share my testimony with pride. The happiness I feel each day is a testament that my choices are good, and that Jesus loves the life I have chosen to live. So, please, show your love to Jesus in a way that is not demeaning to others, and I will live my life doing the same.

Seven Peaks

2010-06-14T14:55:00.007-06:00

While Clayton had some time off work last week, we took Zack to Seven Peaks Water Park, since Clayton and I both had come across some free passes. The water was a little chili at first, but over all, we had so much fun, and Zack loved being in the water! We spent a lot of time playing, but we were able to snap some pictures in between! Please excuse our white, blinding bodies... We are working on that! ;)
Zack was so tired by the time the day was done! Poor guy, but he had a lot of fun getting to play with Mommy and Daddy!
This on is for Aubrey! Thanks for the cute Sun Outfit! It is perfect, and he's so adorable in it!
BYE!!!

Art City Days

2010-06-14T14:30:00.008-06:00

Last week was Art City Days here in Springville! They have tons of fun activities and festivities going on all week. We tried to experience it as much as we could, since Clayton was home so much during the week waiting to transfer over to his new job. But the highlight was the Art City Days Parade on Saturday! We have been so excited to take Zack to the parade, since he loves to watch cars and things drive by, what better than getting to watch 2 hours of that! He enjoyed most of it. Here are the highlights of the parade.

Zack LOVED watching the cops doing circles in the streets on their motorcycles!
But what on earth could make such a happy boy do THIS at a parade you ask?
Why, all the sirens from the ambulance and fire trucks, that is what! Poor guy!
But cuddling with Mommy made things better until the mean ol' fire trucks were gone! :(
Zack was then able to watch again. Here are some of the things we saw!
Apparently we have our very own "Self Proclaimed Springville Drummer!" He enters himself as a float every year in the parade and just bangs his drums all the way down. He's just a random guy, not even that good! But it's funny to me! He's not advertising anything, doesn't perform big anywhere... Just enters himself in the parade and gets someone to haul him on a trailer through the parade!
In the end, Zack had a great time!
And even had some time to pull some funny faces! We had a great time, and Zack enjoyed being outside and seeing (almost) everything that Springville had to offer! ;)

It's Party Time!

2010-05-17T22:48:00.005-06:00

We had so much fun with Zack's birthday! He got so many fun things and had so much fun and attention on him! He got some fun things for Clear Lake from Grandma Valerie and Grandpa Kenny in the mail (that you can see he had so much fun with above!) :)
Then he got to have a fun party too with all his friends! We sent out this invitation to everyone to come over for a big taco lunch in honor of Zack's birthday! Enjoy this video of all the fun we had at our Cinco de Mayo/Basketball Birthday Bash for our little 1 year old!

My Little Boy... All "Growed" Up

2010-05-17T22:25:00.007-06:00

Zack just recently had his first birthday. Boy has he grown up so fast! He is crawling so fast, getting into things, pulling himself up onto things, and just being a boy! He is so fun and I love everything about him. I am so excited for when I can be home with him everyday and enjoy every minute of his mischief! He is also so sweet and I love that I can tell how much he loves both Clayton and I. He likes to play "Peek-a-Boo" and to play "Chase" and have me chase him around the house as he giggles and laughs! He loves to open and close any drawer or door he can find, and loves to play with the door stops throughout the house. He can pull himself to a standing position and "cruise" across any couch or table that he can hold on to. He still loves any type of ball and will throw just about anything he can get his hands on! He just started drinking "Real Milk" and is slowly getting away from the formula. He loves to play with books and flip through the pages one by one until he gets to the back cover, flip it over to the front, and start all over again! I could go on and on about the many wonderful things he does and the blessing that he is in our lives. We love Zack so much and couldn't be more honored and blessed to have him in our home. Here is a little "Zack Timeline" that I have been so anxious to put together and see! He has grown up so fast, and I think this definitely proves it!

Just minutes old...
1 day old
1 week old
1 month old
2 months old
3 months old
4 months old
5 months old
6 months old
7 months old
8 months old
9 months old
10 months old
11 months old
1st BIRTHDAY!

Happy birthday Zack! We love you and are so proud of you, and love that you are in our family!

Clayton put together a video of Zack's First Year Highlights that we played at his birthday party. You can click here to see it! I think he did such and awesome job, and he worked really hard on it. We hope you enjoy looking at pictures of our adorable child just as much as we do! ;)

Froggy On The Loose!

2010-05-05T15:23:00.003-06:00

There is a froggy on the loose! It took a lot of work to catch this one...He almost got away...But then he inched closer towards us...

HE'S COMING RIGHT FOR US!
We lured him in with a basketball and it worked! And we're pretty lucky we caught this one. Who wouldn't want to catch a frog as cute as this one, and keep him for their very own! Yup, we are pretty lucky to have our little froggy around! :)

*ok... Slight disclaimer... I set the froggy on the loose after his bath to scare daddy! The only scare daddy got was that I didn't warn him fast enough to get his camera! hahaha*

Saturday, In the Park....

2010-04-25T22:27:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday, we decided to have a little family day and go have a picnic at the park by our house. We had so much fun, and so did Zack!
Here he is waiting for us to get ready and go! Once we got there, Zack wanted to play a little game of catch, which he always does and loves!
We decided to take him over on the playground to see if he'd enjoy the slides...
Not so much... Mommy had to give lots of hugs after the whole "slide" episode! But hey, I like hugs! So it was alright! Especially Zack hugs! ;) So before eating lunch, we decided to try the swings... You be the judge on how he enjoyed THAT!
YUP! He LOVED it! He actually let me push him really high and was laughing and squealing the whole way!
We then ate lunch and headed home for Zack's nap time. We had so much fun! I can't wait for the weather to be consistently warm so we can take him back! Such a fun family memory and a great time together!

Happy Birthday Vanessa!

2010-04-25T22:21:00.005-06:00

We had Vanessa and her kids over last Sunday for Vanessa's birthday! It was so much fun and we had a great time spending time with them! We tried to take pictures of the kids... Some of them were a bit reluctant to be on camera...
But eventually we got everyone to take a minute and say "cheese!"
I made a cake and was super excited! Until I realized I only had a few candles...
My sad attempt at forming Vanessa's age out of my limited supply... Looks like no one will ever know! You lucked out this time Vanessa! ;)
But hey! The candles were sparkler candles! Can't get much better than that, right?!
We are so glad they were able to come down and spend some time with us. Hope you had a wonderful birthday! WE LOVE YOU!!! :)

Zack and the Animals

2010-04-25T21:44:00.010-06:00

We had a weekend full of animals a little while back! On Thursday during my Spring Break, I went with my friend Amber and her sister Jessica to take our boys to the zoo.

Zack is waiting patiently to get into the zoo...
And so is Ryker....
And Kyler too!

Once we got in, we saw a whole bunch of fun things! The trip went rather quickly. But Zack was being fussy. I think he was dehydrated a little bit too because as soon as we got home, he chugged down a bottle and was as happy as could be! But here are some things that we saw.
We had fun and stopped to take some pictures on the way.
Zack got to pet a monkey!
The boys just chillin' with the lions...
Then on Saturday, we went to Cabela's with Kyle and Heather. Most of the animals were dead and stuffed, but Zack still liked it. His favorite part was the aquarium with all the game fish! He LOVED seeing all the fish swimming around!
Then on Sunday, we went on a walk with some friends. There is a house by us that keeps lots of fun and interesting animals. So we stopped and had a look at those!
We had so much fun, and so did Zack! We want to take him up to the Aquarium up in Salt Lake since he loved the fishes at Cabela's so much. So whenever that happens, you'll all get to hear! Zack is so fun and loves to observe and watch things. It was great to take him out to see all these fun things!

My Good Little Eater

2010-04-12T11:13:00.003-06:00

Where is the Beefaroni? It's not in the bowl...

Oh! There it is! It's on the baby!

I guess we had some casualties along the way... The baby ate the Beefaroni... ;)
I tried to clean him up... But the mighty baby was too fast and he got away!
It was quite a funny day! I love this little boy! He is such a good eater and I am so proud of him! He makes me laugh everyday!

My Boys

2010-04-12T10:24:00.004-06:00

I love these boys with all my heart. They mean the absolute world to me and I wouldn't know what I would do without them. Clayton is the best husband a girl could ask for. He is so patient with me, and is unbelievably accepting of me, despite my flaws and imperfections. He is a hard worker and never quits until a job is done. He has such great goals and always has a plan on how he will accomplish those goals. He is strong in the gospel and I learn so much from him both by his example and the things he shares with me. We have such a great partnership where we work as a team, not "the man" and "the woman" in the relationship, and I love that! He is an excellent father and Zack adores him.
I love Zack more and more each day. He is such a happy boy! His laugh and his smile make my day bright. He is becoming quite the little athlete. He loves to play basketball and is a pretty good shot!
He loves to play catch, whether he is throwing the ball to someone or throwing it across the room and getting it himself. He will literally spend hours throwing and chasing his ball around the house, giggling the whole way! He is so active and crawls everywhere! He is a great eater and loves to be able to feed himself. I know that he loves me when he gets excited to see me and crawls more quickly when I enter the room. He wakes up happy every morning and gives you the biggest smile when he sees you coming to get him.
I could go on and on about these two wonderful boys in my life. My life wouldn't be nearly as good as it is if I didn't have these two. They make me complete, and I am a better person for having them. I LOVE MY BOYS!

Easter

2010-04-05T12:52:00.005-06:00

We had a fun Easter weekend! We made Zack a little Easter basket Saturday morning and had him "find" the eggs that were scattered around our family room. He loved it! As soon as he found they were filled with cookies, that's all he cared about! After eating the cookies, he spent the rest of the morning throwing the eggs around the room!

We then headed up to Grandma and Grandpa Wood's house for conference. While we were there, the kids got to dye Easter Eggs. Again, Zack just chased his plastic one around the kitchen floor!

We had a lot of fun being with my family and had a Happy Easter! Hope you did as well!

My Perfect Husband

2010-04-05T12:35:00.004-06:00

I am still learning what Zack likes and doesn't like as far as food goes. One thing is that he isn't quite ready for chicken yet. He's eaten it fine before, but since then it's been a struggle, so I still try every now-and-then. Last week, I made another attempt and he wouldn't have anything to do with any of it! I was getting quite frustrated as my child was throwing chicken across my kitchen. Then, calmly, Clayton brings up the idea to try a chicken nugget. We had just bought some that day for him to try. So Clayton heated up a chicken nugget, and sure enough... Zack loved it!

I am so lucky to have such a calm and collected husband. I tend to stress easily at times, and he is always there to calm me down and figure out a reasonable solution. He is so understanding and we make a perfect match. Whatever I am weak in, he is strong and lifts me up. Thank you to my perfect husband. You mean the world to me and I love you!

Our wedding... One of the happiest days of my life!