Kevin Cherie & Fam

I guess this is considered news...

2011-11-03T13:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, so a few of you know my secret. I'm Pregnant!
I really wish I was one of those who could keep this a secret. Here are the things working against me: 1) Kevin can't keep a secret. 2)Mason can't keep a secret. 3) I get sick. 4) The biggest one of all is ME! I mean I am big!! I don't know how it is possible to poke out so far at 8 weeks! I have a visible baby bump! Just in case you were wondering this was an accident!!! A big accident! An accident that I'm thinking is really a gift. I'm getting more an more excited (and more and more sick) with each day. I don't care about gender and I'm just hoping for a healthy baby. I know Heavenly Father will give our family what is meant for us.

With all this being said this baby is FOR SURE the last and Kevin isn't even allowed to look at me after they are born!!

My due date is June 18, So Ashlyn won't even be 2 yet!! AHHH this is going to be an adventure!
Ready or not here comes baby #4!

Just a few things worth writing about

2011-08-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

My kids are pretty dang awesome. I wonder if they know I think that. I am with out a doubt too hard on them. They make my life worth living, and I love them so much! Here are a few things about each child.

Ashlyn: Where do I begin with this girl. She is SO sweet! She is Tiny, 16 lbs at 13 months... and I mean 16 lbs even. We are working on fattening her up. :)
She is starting to speak up when she is "wronged" (when I say speak up I mean scream.
She loves chocolate just as much as any girl out there.
She is starting to say hi and wave, it melts my heart!
She is walking very well now, but WONT wear shoes. I would have bought her so many cute shoes if she would wear them! :( Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. LOL
Ashlyn is my living doll and nothing is more fun to me then making her clothes and bows, doing her hair and showing her off!

Xander: Is a little out of control right now. I know he needs more attention than I give him.
He kisses me anywhere he can reach.
He hugs and wants to cuddle all the time. I wish I didn't say "that's enough" so often.
He is so funny! He said a prayer today that went like this:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. I'd like to bare my testimony and we'd like to eat this food. Please help us get a treat. Name of Jesus Christ amen.

Xander entertains himself very nicely. He doesn't need friends over all the time like Mason does.
He is happy doing his own things. As much as I'm enjoying the summer I'm getting excited about Mason going to school so me and Xander can spend more time together.
Xander loves Ashlyn, but is a little rough with her and sometimes even mean.
On Kevin's birthday we went to the store and he told everyone we passed by that it was his dads birthday! So cute!
He was plaing with a snake today... YES I know GROSS! Just wait... this is sick!! He was jumping around on the trampoline with the snake like a crazy person and the snake threw up all these slugs! OH it was sick! He let it go in the yard, and if that snake knows what is best for him he will relocate!
Xander keeps things fun! Our family wouldn't be complete without him!

Mason: Tries his best to please us. He does things so we can praise him. When we do, he drinks it up! The problem is if we praise Xander he gets upset. He is a praise hog.
He is naturally smart and curious about EVERYTHING! It can get under my skin at times, but I have to remind myself that is the reason he is so smart.
Mason lives for friends, he always has! He needs school again because he needs daily interaction with kids his own age.
Mason helps me around the house. I love having a helper! He will do anything for the right bribe!
Mason likes to plan. He likes to know when he goes to bed what breakfast will be.
He likes to have a schedule and I DON'T.
He is a manipulator, he gets it from me! HA He will try to twist any situation to benefit himself. Something I've been known to do. :)
Mason is a very kind and thoughtful of others. He is polite and takes care of Ashlyn very well.
He wants me to have more kids. HAHAHA

I hope I can be the Mom these kids deserve. I hope they know how much I love them!

I Want....

2011-07-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's safe to say I'm not a great blogger. I WANT to be though. The problem with me is I WANT to do and be so many things. I WANT to be a great cook and make amazing dinners every night my husband could brag about to his friends. I WANT to keep an immaculate house and have it decorated just like a magazine. I WANT to be the best Mom ever and take my kids to every event... read, play, relax, go on walks, to the park ( all while keeping them clean and stylin'.) I WANT to sew and craft all day and come up with cute things no one has ever thought of and I WANT it to be perfect! I WANT to be incredibly healthy and fit. I WANT to work out everyday and only put healthy things into my body. I WANT to restore old furniture and be so proud of the once ugly things I have made beautiful again. I WANT to learn how to type!! Yes that's right I don't know how! This post is being sent to you from 3 of my right hand fingers and 1 from my left. I WANT to be organized and have a spot for every teeny tiny thing I own. I WANT to be kind and serve my community, I WANT to be friendly to everyone. I WANT to be thrifty and save for my future. I WANT to Visit with family and friends often. I WANT to have a career and be successful. I WANT to be great at doing hair and work at a high end salon with an amazing clientele. I WANT to be a great wife and be there for my husband whenever he needs me. I WANT to be handy and know how to use all the power tools and be able to fix or make anything. I WANT to have a beautiful yard and garden. I want to be very spiritual and an example to others. I WANT to be a good neighbor.

I do try hard with some of these things, others I think about often and wish I was. I am such an all or nothing person and with blogging over the past year I've gone with nothing. There have been many times I have thought about blogging this or that, but then I talk myself out of it. I felt like I couldn't just start blogging again after all this time with out a recap (and it would have to be an amazing post to make up that much time). Well I'm going to start right here. I know everyone loves pictures, in the past I felt I couldn't put up a post without them. I've just told myself if I feel like writing about something I'm going to post it. I don't know if anyone out there cares, but I'm doing it for me anyway.

Right now I'm going to try to balance and juggle the best I can. I HOPE to become a great (accomplished) person someday. I know I will NEVER have it all together. Most of all though I WANT to find JOY in my journey!! I've been given so much and I AM grateful!

Our baby girl has arrived

2010-07-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn Cherie Mortimer born June 25, 5lbs 13oz, 18 1/2 in long. I was 25 when she was born, She was 25 days early, born on th 25th and the 25th grandchild on Kevin's side. :P Here is the story. I'll start a while back since I haven't blogged for quite a while. When I was 30 weeks along I went to the doctor for frequent contractions. He did a test on me that detects a chemical produced during early labor that helps you thin and dilate. I tested positive. He also checked me and said I was pretty thin and dilated to a 1. Concerned enough I was put on bed rest. When I was 34 weeks everything had stayed about the same and the bed rest stopped the contractions so I was able to do a little more. Not much though because my sciatic nerve was killing me and her head was so low I could barely walk. The day I turned 36 weeks I started having contractions 5 minutes apart. I was really having to breathe through them and since I have a history of fast labors I decided to go in. I was dilated to a 3 80% effaced and -1 station but I stayed the same as they watched me for an hour so I went home. I was really grateful because I really wanted to make it to at least 37 weeks. At 36 weeks and 3 days I was having a lot of cramps during the night and about 6:00 in the morning I started having pretty strong contractions. Not wanting to have the baby yet I thought maybe a bath would help me relax. But they kept coming. I had to yell to wake Kevin up to help me out of the bath. Still not wanting to go in I got ready and tried to relax again. At 7:30 I was in so much pain I knew we had to go in. We dropped the Kids off at the neighbors and headed to the hospital. For some reason Part of my uterus would not stop contracting. It just kept getting tighter and tighter. It was becoming so painful I couldn't take it anymore. Kevin had to get me a wheel chair because I couldn't walk. And as he pushed me every bump he had to go over made me scream out in pain! I just couldn't hold it back, it was kind of embarrassing. :) The Doctor was worried about both me and the baby because both our heart rates were pretty high. He had me sign some consent forms for a c-section which scared me a little. After an hour of fluids and antibiotics( I hadn't tested for strep B yet) I was able to get my epidural and things got a lot better. I was so exhausted from the pain though I didn't know if I had the strength to push. Thankfully She was so small that I didn't have to push... Not even once! She just came out as I was trying to sit up! It was such a blur! She looked so tiny and didn't cry much I was so worried her lungs weren't developed, but she was totally fine and didn't spend any time in the NICU. We are so blessed to have her in our home and she has been such a good baby! 3rd time really is the charm! My calmest baby yet. She never cries! The boys are in love with her and get so excited when they get to hold her.

Kids Marshmallow Experiment

2010-05-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Marshmallow Test

2010-05-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

So I recently heard about this test as a way to measure patience as well as instant gratification. They say that the kids who wait often have higher SAT scores and successful careers. I didn't have any marshmallows around so I used a whopper. I had kevin set the candy in front of Xander and Mason, explain the rules and then leave the room. I watched as Xander didn't touch his... he looked at it it often but just left it alone. Mason was a different story. He was touching, sniffing, licking, looking around and tormented by the waiting. Well at one point Mason went as far as putting the candy in his mouth. When Xander saw this he yelled at Mason "don't you want another one"? Mason felt ashamed he had been caught and started to cry because he was worried he would not get the second whopper. I told Xander I was proud of him for waiting so patiently which made Mason cry even more. Kevin came back and Mason was pleading his case immediately. He said, "you told me not to eat it and I didn't"! They both got another whopper. So what dos this test mean to me? First of all, Xander DOES understand instructions and will follow them if he feels the need. I thought he would be too young to grasp the cause and effect. I think Xander may be more compliant to rules and authority figures. I think Mason will tow the line a bit more. He may question rules and authority figures and try to manipulate situations to get what he wants. My boys are both very smart and I do believe that they will both be successful. It was just so funny to me how this played out! It gave me a little more insight on their personalities and how I'm going to have to parent them differently. Try it out and tell me what your kids do! :)

I don't see a difference!

2010-03-05T08:39:00.001-08:00

Okay so I just think that all the myths about pregnancy are so funny and so not true!
*If you carry high it means girl... well Mason was SO high and Xander was low and this one is just somewhere in the middle.
* The heartbeat... low heart rate means boy high means girl. I thought for sure Mason would be a girl because his heart rate was never below 170. When I went in for this one it stayed around 130.
*Cravings... Sweets and fruit means girl and salt and meat mean boy. I have had basically the same cravings every time. I love Taco Bell when I'm pregnant, which is mostly salty. But mostly I just crave the things I like when not pregnant- just a little more :)
*Round face is supposed to mean girl- I guess I should have 3 girls!
*Bigger left boob means girl, bigger right boob means boy. WHAT??
*Cold feet means boy. My feet are ALWAYS cold
*Big nose means boy
*Neon pee means boy
*If you won't eat the heal of the bread it's a girl
*Morning sickness means girl.

I have always thought these myths were funny, but I couldn't help wonder if some of them were true. When I didn't want fruit all the time, my feet were still cold and the heart rate was low I thought for sure it had to be a boy. I see little differences from each pregnancy but not many. Girl or boy Pregnancy, for me at least is pretty much the same. I hope you enjoyed my little rant! What do you think about all the myths?

It's a...

2010-02-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Girl!!!
I am in shock! I was totally expecting and preparing in my mind for a boy. It took me all day to except it was true. I kept making the ultrasound tech check again, I was sure it was just hiding and would pop up any second! LOL I've really been wanting to get crafty and boy or girl I wanted to know so I could get started on the room and stuff. Having a girl is going to be crazy! I don't know where to start! I have two girl things: a blanket and a dress I bought yesterday.:) I'm just so ready to have a baby again! Sometimes the answer to our prayers is YES! The Boy ultrasound picture is Mason I just have to look at it to reassure myself this is a girl... there's nothing there!

What We've been up to

2010-02-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I went on our 3rd cruise, 2nd Big Dog cruise! We are so blessed that Kevin works for such a great company! We had a blast!! We went to 5 different Islands and had a great time being together! We saw dolphins from our balcony and the most beautiful color of water I have ever seen! We soaked up a ton of sun and had a great time playing in the water, it was so warm too. We went on tours of the different Islands and learned about their different cultures. We had a great time on the ship with amazing food, great shows, room service, maids, friends... needless to say it was very hard to come back to cold weather and real life. I loved this trip and it was nice to spend some alone time and remember why we fell in love. Also a nice getaway before our lives are turned upside down with #3! We also had our 6 year anniversary a week after we got home. After such a great trip dinner and a movie was just fine for us!

2010-02-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

We found a baby mouse in our house! Which means the mouse we caught must have had babies!!! I feel so unclean!! I HATE mice! Kevin found it under the oven making a home in our pots and pans... gag! He caught it alive and kept as a pet for a day! Sick!!! The boys thought it was cool. He had a little home with newspaper and a few peices of cereal. My Husband sometimes!

2010-02-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Mason turned 5! We had a mostly Family party this year. We had a really good turn out and Mason had a great time. Thanks to those of you who came!

2 heartbeats?!

2010-01-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

So today I went to the Dr. for my 12 week visit. When we were listening for the heartbeat the nurse said she got a double reading! She was acting really excited and went to get the ultra sound machine (even though she said she really didn't know how to use it)I guess along the way she found someone who could help her see better if there were two babies. In the mean time I'm left in the room scared and trying to prepare myself for the reality of TWINS. In the past I've always thought twins would be so fun, but at that moment all I could think about is how expensive, overwhelming, stressful and how my life would truly be turned upside down. Well she did the ultra sound and to my relief there was only one! Wow I'm really happy now that I was able to see the baby and hear the heartbeat and now I have the peace of mind that I only have to prepare for one. :)

Time to face the facts

2010-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today I am 11weeks 5days pregnant. Ever since I was 6 weeks I started thinking I might be having twins do to the fact that I grew so fast. A lot of my symptoms seemed to be increased like my fatigue and hunger. I've been getting super dizzy, my eye sight seems way more blurry, My head is in a fog, my limbs feel weak and tingly... not to mention the fact that I've gained over 10 pounds, when the recommended (even for people who are under weight to start) is 3-5 in the first trimester. To make a long story short I feel like crap! My body just doesn't want to do the things my mind wants to do. Which makes me feel depressed. Yesterday I admitted to myself that I'm not gaining weight because of twins, it's not because it's my 3rd... I have gestational diabetes. It's a hard thing to face because the only thing that will help me is to not eat any carbs or sugar. That is NOT something I want to do while being pregnant if ever LOL. I've been diagnosed with it my previous pregnancies, but this time it seems a lot worse. More than I want sugar and carbs I want to feel good, I want my baby to be healthy, and I don't want to gain 60 pounds! This morning I tried to see if I could at least handle a piece of whole wheat toast with eggs, about 15 minutes later I could just feel my sugars were out of control. If I'm going to do this right I can't have any carbs. I don't know why I'm posting this for everyone to see, but I guess in someway I feel this will make me more accountable. I've got to make it through this pregnancy with my sanity. I'm only at the beginning and there are many days that I wonder if I will even make it alive! Wish me luck! This is going to be tough!!!

A few things to post

2009-12-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well I tried to catch up on what we've been up to lately. I posted so many pictures you might have to go to older posts to see it all. And just for fun my 4 week pregnancy picture... I swear I had already grown by this time but I will post my next picture soon and you will see I've definately grown!

Vegas

2009-12-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well I admit it was a while ago but I thought I'd still post about our trip to Vegas. Kevin and I had a blast! It was just so good to get away! We went to the Blue Man group, did a ton of shopping, ate a LOT of great food, spent time with old friends, and enjoyed our AwEsOmE Condo. We went in October and it was in the low
90's while we were there-- perfect if you ask me! The Condo had an amazing pool with a beach and a lazy river, so fun because we knew how cold we could be if we were back in Pocatello. The beach part made me miss the boys because there were all kinds of sand toys to play with and they would have had a great time. Just hangin out in the condo was one of our favorite parts. We rented a couple movies and watched them on a 60in Flat screen which was right in our room with our King sized bed. Enjoyed the jetted tub and steam room/shower. It had a really nice kitchen so we went and got some groceries first thing. Kevin cut me up some fruit one morning... I didn't know it at the time but this might have been my first craving lol.
We also stopped by the house I grew up in brought back some fun memories. I think the guy who lives there now is lovin the place! haha
I don't think I have ever had such a fun time shopping, mostly for accessories. I didn't like the way I was fitting into my normal size so I didn't love clothes shopping. It didn't stop me from buying a few items lol! Anyway we had a great time and when we came home we found out I was pregnant with #3 so it was the perfect getaway before winter and a pregnancy.

Halloween

2009-12-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Halloween was really great this year. Mason and Xander at such fun ages and it was so cute the way Xander said tic-o-tweet. They were the cutest little woody and buzz ever!! We went to the trunk or treat and a few places in the neighborhood. Needless to say they had a great time!

Had to share this HAHA

2009-11-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Noel's cake

2009-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

I made the cake for Noel's Birthday. Kevin thought it was a lot of work for a one year old... but I had fun!

New TV

2009-10-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Kevin put a 19" flat screen in my salon. It looks really nice in there and it is so nice to be able to put on shows for the kids... and everyone else :) It also has xm radio so I can listen to tons of different music commercial free. Sometimes Kevin's job really spoils me!

Pumpkin patch

2009-10-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

My mom came down last week and came up with the idea to go to a pumpkin patch. She found Swore Farms on the internet and for 3.00 we were able to have a fun filled day! We Fed Horses and Turkeys, Went through a corn maze, made pine cone bird feeders, pumkin bowling, and picked out a couple pumpkins.

A lot to catch up on!

2009-09-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's been so long I don't even know where to start! We have had a great Summer full of boating, swimming, vacations,stroller rides to the park, picnics... I've been having so much fun I didn't even take time for pictures! I do wish I had more proof of how much fun we've been having lately! I'll do better. My heck I love Summer so much!! This has really been a great one! I wish it would last a little while longer! I'm not ready for it to end :( I pulled down the fall clothes and I thought I had a lot more. Now I'm going to have to buy tons of warm clothes. One more reason for Summer to last forever. The boys are at such fun ages and I'm just having so much fun watching them grow! I love my family and my life! The Salon is going well, I'm having so much fun doing hair again! But anyway I'll try to keep up more on the day to day. It's funner that way :)

Time flies!!!!

2009-06-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe June is almost over!!!! It has been the fastest month ever for me! That means the 4th of July is coming fast and I'm almost 25!!!! It seems like a big age to me :) I think 25 sounds Mature while 24 still seems young. lol According to a study the brain is not done "cooking" until age 25. Well I'm not 25 quite yet but I think it will feel good to be fully cooked :)

I love Kevin Lee Mortimer!

2009-05-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Kevin really is my best friend. We have so much fun together! He is so funny and lives to make me laugh. His favorite thing is to make me laugh while I'm drinking. Today for some reason was one of those days where I looked at Kevin really closely and remembered all the reason why I fell in love with him. He is a great father and husband, he helps me out around the house (sometimes more than others) He is a hard worker. Today we went and jumped on the trampoline in the rain, it was so fun! I'm so glad I get to be with my best friend everyday and share life's memories together!

Vacation

2009-05-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Summer is always a busy time for us so we decided to go on an early summer vacation. We went with Kevin's brother and wife Larin and Lacey. They have a time share and were able to book a sWeeet condo in Wolf Creek... up the canyon by Ogden. We had a great time! It was so nice to cook our own food, do our laundry, and rent movies while vacationing. Larin and Lacey are so awesome and we are so glad we did this with them! We went to a Dinasoar Park, the Treehouse Museum, and the Hogle Zoo. It was so nice to get away! Mason and Xander love their cousins and I think this is something we are going to have to do again!

2009-05-24T14:01:00.001-07:00

Well I am about six days late posting this but better late than never! Xander had his 2nd birthday on the 18th. He sure is our precious little guy! We've enjoyed these 2 years so much and I am so glad he is part of our family! He is very curious, when he sees something new he has the most serious look on his face because he is analyzing every detail. He is learning new words everyday and we are starting to get pretty good at communicating with each other. He loves cookies. A lot of mornings it will be the first word out of his mouth :)His favorite movie is cars, but he calls it Go Go. He runs around the room in circles during the racing parts. He is very into blankets. He likes you to wrap him up in them. He calls his blanket doo doo. We love our little boy so much and We look forward to getting to know him better in the years to come. He got a table from Grandma Lisa. He really loves it. We also went to Golden Corral, where he got any desert he wanted! And we went to Outer Limits... an arcade and play area for little kids. I think he had a really great birthday! He has so many people in his life that love him so much!

Let's get organized!

2009-05-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

So I have been doing the coupon thing for the past couple weeks and I think I'm getting a little better. Yesterday I spent $33 and saved $51! It really does feel good to save! I don't know what everyone does to organize their coupons but a girl at work said her sister-in-law used baseball protectors. I thought that was a great idea! I now have my coupons in a binder where I can turn the page to see each one. They are also divided in categories to make them even easier to find. I have a folder to keep the adds in and paper for my shopping list. This is going to make life a lot easier! Oh and in case you're wondering I got by binder from the clearance isle. :) The whole thing cost less than $10

2009-05-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Kevin always makes a point to make my Mother's Day special. We have 9:00 church or else he would have given me breakfast in bed. He did get the boy's ready and give me a little gift. I love my job of being wife and mother.

2009-05-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Mother's Day. I have a great Mom who always made sacrifices so my life could be better. She has shown me a great example of what a good Mom is. I know I can turn to her when I am having a tough time with anything and she will help me feel better. Thanks Mom for everything you have done and continue to do.

I don't think I did very good.

2009-05-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I have been hearing so many stories of people getting sWeeeeet deals on groceries and stuff, so I thought I would give it a try. Well I cut up all my coupons and printed a bunch off line... then I looked for the sales and tried to combine sales with coupons. There was a sale on cereal at Albertsons so I took all my cereal coupons there. The only problem was the size of the sale and coupon were different. The other problem was they were out of almost everything that was on sale! Dumb! I should have gone this morning. Anyway This is what I got for 43.00. My savings was 33.83 and the cereal came to about 2.00 a box. Not a bad deal but not too good. I hope I get better at this before I give up.

Bye Sandi

2009-05-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

Some of the Girls from kid's klub came to my house and we had a going away party for a girl who is leaving for the summer. We will miss her, but we know that she will have a much better time in Washington. She is so fun to work with and we can't wait until she comes back!!! We love you Sandi!!!

We're moved in!!!

2009-05-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Townhouse!!!!! Hello the most perfect house for our family ever!!! I guess it has been a couple weeks now that we have been in the new house and we are loving it!!!!!! It has 4 bedrooms 3 bathrooms, 2 car garage, a bonus room and a fenced back yard. The backyard also has a really nice wooden swing set, sand box, and a trampoline we just have to set up. The 4th bedroom is downstairs next to the bonus room and is laminate wood. I knew from the moment I saw it I could have a salon there! Never again will I cut hair in my kitchen! I have really been wanting to get back into doing hair more and I'm so glad this house has a perfect place for me to do that! The boys love the backyard and are wishing for more warm days to enjoy it. I love the landscaping too! There are a lot of trees and rocks that are really fun to look at. Anyway we are so glad to be here! It is a good feeling o be a bit more settled.

Easter Fun

2009-04-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter!!! My family came down, we went to church, Mason and Xander wore their very cute suits. Unfortunately I forgot to take their picture and Kevin took them off right after church. He's new. haha j/k. The Easter Bunny came and brought some fun things... all in all we had an awesome day! Now to get moving. Literally! Did I mention on here I'm moving?

I can't believe it has been so long!

2009-03-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well it has been forever since the cruise. Our tans are gone, we're used to the bad weather again. So I don't know why it doesn't feel like anything has happened since then! Ever since we got back at least one person has been sick, and the snow is really on my nerves! I think I may have a case of the winter blues. It is a very sad thing to say that when it's almost April! It was fun to go be in warm weather but 10 times as hard to deal with the weather when we came back! There have been a few warm days that we were able to go outside fly a kite or go for a walk, but again it just makes it so hard to tell the boys "no not today it's too cold." I feel like we are waiting for spring for life to start again! I really can't take it! I want to move back to Vegas! Kevin and the boys are trying to enjoy the last bit of the snow. Here are some pics. Notice I am not out there! :)

We had a great time!!!

2009-02-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

We Left on Saturday the 7th to stay in a hotel. That night we ate at Famous Dave's and it was really yummy! Sunday morning we went to the airport really early and we were actually on the ship by 12:00. We ate lunch, checked out our room and went to the orientation. Tuesday we worked out for the only time and just had a great time on the boat... mostly eating. We also had our first formal night on Tuesday. We had a great dinner and then we went to a show. After the show Kevin insisted on going to the casino with a couple of the guys from work. I wasn't thrilled about it but he's going to do what he wants. I went and chilled with one of my friends and about 15 minutes later kevin knocks on the door and said he won 705 dollars!!! I was shocked to say the least. :) So he took 75 back up and like a half hour later came down with 350 more! So Kevin won 1055 dollars :) (He lost $100 the 4th night). He did have a good time. Wednesday we went to Puerto Vallarta. We went on a boat and watched whales and dolphins. The boat took us to a place where we went snorkeling. We got back on the boat ate lunch and then had a bit of a party. There was fun music and guys had to dance and then two other girls and I judged them. We had a blast! After we got off the boat we went down town and did a little shopping and went down to the beach. We got back on the cruise ship, had another great dinner and went to bed. Thursday we went to Mazatlan. We went to a 5 star resort right by the beach. We had lunch there and played in the water all day. We jet skied and boogie boarded and soaked up the sun it was great!! When we got back on the boat and of course had more great food. We went and listened to some karaoke and then called it a night. Friday we went to Cabo San Lucas. This was a short stop so we just did a little shopping and then we went scuba diving. It was AMAZING! We both had so much fun! I have some more pics of the water stuff that I will post later. When we got back on the ship we had our seconed formal night. Had dinner and went to another show. Saturday we were on the boat all day and it was rough! It was windy and we were going against the current. I think we just slept and ate all day. Except Saturday night there was a cool show that one of our friends was in so that was cool. And that was our anniversary so kevin took me to the jewelery shop and told me to get "anything I wanted" haha if you remember what Mason said to me that one time... anyway I got a really cool ring and that was exciting. Sunday we got off the ship way early and our flight wasn't until later that night so we went to the Mall for more shopping and then went to the movie "Taken" which Kevin and I both loved. And that was the end of it. We were ready to be home to see our precious boys again. Thank you so much to everyone who helped us with the boys! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends that we can trust with our most prized possesions.

The time of our lives

2009-02-18T16:49:00.001-08:00

2009-02-18T16:43:00.001-08:00

Photobucket Album

Let's Cruise!

2009-02-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

Well Thanks to my two stephanies my hair and nails are super cute and thanks to Kevin I have spent a lot of money on clothes. I don't think I could be more ready for this Vacation!!! starting tonight I will be traveling and won't be back until next Sunday! A long time to be away from my sweet boys!!! I know they will be in good hands, although I don't know if they'll be as sweet (from all the spoiling). They are just as excited as us though. Well I hope everyone has a great week and I will see you later.

4 years ago today.....

2009-01-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

I had my beloved first born! What a fun journey it has been! I am so glad he has come into my life.
M is for all the mile stones I got to witness
A is for his amazing laugh
S is for the smiles he brings to all he surrounds
O is for how overjoyed I am to be his mother
N is for the neatest boy in this world!

Mason I love you! Happy Birthday

Mason's Party

2009-01-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

My baby is turning 4!!!! I wanted to do something special this year since he has never had a party before. Where his birthday is in the dead of Winter it is hard to find fun things to do. We decided to have it at a gymnastics center where everyone could run around and be free. It really was soooo fun!!! I think the adults had more fun than the kids! I didn't get that great of pictures, I really need to be better at that! But there were two REALLY bouncy trampolines and of course the bars and the beams. The hottest attraction was the pit. A long strip of trampoline and then a pit to jump in at the end. We had contests to see who could jump the farthest and really had a great time being kids again. Thank you so much to those who came! I know it was not easy with the weather! I wish everyone could have been there but during winter with colds and bad roads I completely understand. Mason is sure loved and thanks to everyone for helping make his day so special!

A Christmas to remember!

2008-12-29T22:41:00.001-08:00

On Christmas eve morning when I went to get Xander out of his crib he was grinning from ear to ear. Somehow he knew it was going to be a great day. The Christmas spirit was in the air. We listened to Christmas music and had blueberry waffles for breakfast. We were off to a great start. Later that day we headed off to my mom and dad's house. That night we read the Christmas story and sang hymns, just enjoyed being with each other. Mason put out a LOT of cookies for Santa and even put out carrots for the reindeer. Christmas morning we woke up around 8:00 (nice!) and gave each other our gifts. We had such a great holiday!! Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do and for being the best parents ever! Thanks Nicole, Brycen, and Nathan for the cool gifts! You guys are awesome. And thanks to all my friends and family who keep in touch by blogging, for showing interest in my life and giving me advice. I am lucky to have so many good people in my life. By the way this blog is very long, you need to go to older posts to see the whole thing.

2008-12-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

2008-12-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

We're all packed... presents in the car...let's get this party started!

2008-12-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

Mason fell asleep the second we hit the road.

2008-12-29T22:15:00.000-08:00

We're on our way to Grandma and Grandpa's house!

2008-12-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

Kevin on the phone... what's new.

2008-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Xander got a doggie vacuum from Santa. Santa had to guess what he wanted because Xander doesn't talk. heehee

2008-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Mason got DJ from Santa. He must have been a good boy because thats exactly what he asked for.

2008-12-29T21:58:00.000-08:00

My brother Brycen gave Kevin over 20 2 liter pops! perfect gift!

2008-12-29T21:52:00.002-08:00

The day after Christmas we went bowling with my whole family. It was so much fun! It was so great to do something all together. We played girls against boys. Girls won the first game and we tied the seconed game. Fun times

2008-12-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

Gosh I sure do love these boys!

2008-12-29T21:45:00.001-08:00

Dad and Kevin Keeping score old school.

2008-12-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

2008-12-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen these 3 pins left?

Our roller coaster morning

2008-12-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

This morning started off very nice. Kevin took the morning off and had breakfast with Mason while Xander and I slept. When I woke up and was about to get ready I noticed that my wedding ring was gone!!! I keep my ring in a jewelry dish in my closet on a shelf. I thought that was a good place for it but I guess not. I wasn't wearing my ring while I was cleaning downstairs yesterday and in the mean time Mason and Xander got into my closet and were messing with all my stuff. I did notice that they broke two necklaces (only from clairs but still) and dumped out some really expensive face cream that I had just barely bought! I was really mad about that at the time and didn't notice that my ring was gone. When I saw that my ring wasn't there I told Kevin what happened and we started looking for it and trying to get Mason to tell us where it was. We looked everywhere! Kevin took the sink apart, we cleared out the closet, looked in every floor vent... where I found some other stuff that was missing. I looked in every shoe, in their toy box, dug through the trash, just to mention a few. Kevin was sure it had been flushed down the toilet, which made my heart sink. I was so sad and mad at the same time! After Kevin went to work I started to clean up since the house was turned upside down at this point. After I got most of our room put back together I pulled out everything out from under our bed (one of Mason's favorite hangout places) and inside a blanket I found my ring and a destroyed stick of chapstick. Now my emotions switched to so happy and mad at the same time. Earlier I had prayed that I would find my ring, so when I found it I said "thank you Heavenly Father!" Mason asked me why I said that and I explained that I prayed to find my ring and Heavenly Father helped me find it. Two seconds later I heard him praying that he would get DJ for christmas. HAHA What am I going to do???? I love my kids so much but at the same time they have the greatest talent to make my life misserable! What to do?? Every once in a while I think about having a third but I can't keep the two I have under control!!! Am I the only one? Is there some parenting technique that I don't know about? I don't know how to deal with them sometimes!!! Well anyway I'm sure you are wondering how I found time to write this novel?? Well to be able to clean up the house and not worry what they were getting into I sent them both to bed at 11:45. They both cried themselves to sleep and here I am. Loving every minute of peace! I guess this story has a happy ending, except I have no idea how to keep my kids from getting into stuff. Has anything worked for anyone else? Does it get any better? Am I doomed? Anyway... I'm just glad I still have my beautiful ring.

Xander says I love you

2008-12-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Xander is starting to talk! He hasn't had much interest until just barely and lately he will try to say all kinds of words! A few new ones are after he burps he will try to say excuse me which kinda sounds like susu. And yesterday as Kevin was leaving Mason said I love you and Xander said fffaaauuu (if you can try to imagine:) He is at such a great age and he just lights up my day!

Typical Man Already

2008-12-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

So Mason and I laid down to take a nap today... AWESOME!! Anyway we were just laying there and he asked me if I wanted him to scratch my back. I was like sure that would be really nice. After about two seconds of scratching later he rolled over and said my turn. He had the cheesiest little grin on his face and I couldn't help but to laugh out loud. What a little smarty!

Random things

2008-12-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Well We got our passports sent off today. I'm glad that is finished. I can't wait till we have them in our hands! I also have most of my christmas shopping done now... so I have a couple good things crossed off my list of things to do. Mason is very happy to buy presents for other people, but is concerned that we never buy him any. I guess he still has a few things to learn :) More good news is the flu and other sicknesses keep going around but none of us have gotten anything. This is a really fun Christmas for our family because of our kids' ages. And also because I'm not pregnant! This will be our fourth married christmas and I have been pregant for two! Things are going very well here and I guess that is all I will ramble about:)

Update

2008-11-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well it has been exactly a month since I last blogged. It has been kind of a stressful month. Our renter decided not to pay for October rent. So we have been through the whole eviction process and trying to get renters in. Thankfully that is all over with and we have a nice family renting the house now. Also in the month of October my sister Nicole and sister's in law Lanae and Lacey all had their babies. I had fun meeting my new niece and nephews.

It doesn't seem like we have done anything too exciting to report this whole month. Kevin has been gone a lot going to Boise. Mason started swimming lessons and a variety of classes such as gymnastics, dance, martial arts, and a few others I can't remember. I pay 21.00 a month and he can do any of the classes whenever he wants. He is having such a great time and he is actually doing better than I thought he would do in his swimming class. Xander is working hard on getting about 6 teeth at once. He can't live without his tylenol and a really long nap. I have just been having fun working out. Although I don't really see too much of a difference yet. :)Well that pretty much brings us up to date.

I am getting very excited to see everyone on Thanksgiving! Then comes Christmas, Mason's 4th Birthday, And our anniversary/cruise!!! A lot to look forward to!! See ya next blog!

Tagged again! :)

2008-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you first meet your husband?
The first time I laid eyes on Kevin Mortimer was at the Albert sons on 4th street in Pocatello. At the time I was addicted to juice and wouldn't drink much else. I was there stalking up. Kevin was there because he had used a role of film of my roommate's so he was buying her some more. He was with a group of friends and they came to our house afterwards. He was "friends" with one of my roommates and was talking to her about his last relationship. I just thought he was funny.

2. What was the first thing you said to your husband?
Kevin has told me that the first time I talked to him was one night when I had a really bad day at work(Denny's)and I came and sat right next to him and started venting about my night. The reason Kevin had to tell me about this is because it was dark and everyone was watching a movie. I just came in and sat anywhere there was a spot and talked to anyone who would listen. To tell you the truth I don't even remember talking to him that night!:) The first time I really remember is one time when I was practicing my braids on my mannequin at home he came over(I think to see my roommate, but she wasn't there) and it was just us in the house. We had a long conversation. All I remember saying is how I didn't want a boyfriend. Haha

3. Where was your first date?
Our first date we went to the Applebee's in pocatello and to his house for a movie. We held hands that night and there was definitely a spark!

4. Where was your first kiss?
Our first kiss was in his apartment. He went in before I did and made all his roommates get upstairs! So funny. We talked and cuddled for a long time before he got the guts to kiss me. After we kissed He gave me a look I will never forget and I knew right then that he really cared about me.

5. Did you have a long or short engagement/courtship?
We had about as short as they come. From when we met to when we were married was 6 months. We just knew it was right and we wanted to be together.

6. Where did you get engaged?
We got engaged at the Idaho Falls Temple visitor center. We had been apart for about a week and I was just dying to be with him! He told me he had to leave to go help his Dad. I stayed at my parents house and was bummed. My mom basically made me come to the visitor center to watch a movie. When we walked in There was my sweetie with roses. I was just so glad to see him and to get flowers! I had to idea there was more! I got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him! I
was jumping around and hugging him so much! I later saw on the video he had leaned in for a kiss several times before we actually kissed because I was all over the place. It is so funny to watch now.

7. Where did you get married?
We got married in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and all ETERNITY!!!

8. How did the reception go?
The reception went really well. We ate, watched our video...cut cake Just the norm.

9. How was the honeymoon?
The honeymoon was GREAT!! We went on a cruise to Ensenada Mexico and the Catalina Islands. Before the cruise we went to Las Vegas and LA. We had a great trip! The best ever so far. Hopefully we can beat it on our five year anniversary! Which comes this February.

The first tagg I've actually responded to!

2008-09-28T19:10:00.001-07:00

1o years ago I...
1- was in the 8th grade
2- had very short hair (not cute)
3- had braces
4- my biggest worries were boys and my dreaded technology class.
5- lived in Panaca

5 things on my "to do" list today (or tomorrow...)
1- two loads of laundry
2- work out
3- work at gold's gym from 3:15 to 7:15
4- make dinner
5- Clean up for the next day

5 Snacks that I enjoy...
1- chocolate covered raisins
2- granola
3- nuts
4- any kind of cheese
5- chocolate protien shake

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...
1- Travel the world
2- Get a cleaning Lady/ Personal chef
3- Get Trainers, teachers and coaches to help my kids with their education and talents
4- have the rest of my kids through seregat
5- be charitable

5 places I have lived...
1- Las Vegas, NV
2- Panaca, NV
3- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
4- Orem, UT
5- Nampa, ID

5 jobs I have had...
1- Waitress at Denny's
2- Johnny B Goodes
3- Brandin' Iron
4- Sizzler
5- Pioneer Pizza

I tag...
Sharee
Sandi
Lacey
Stephanie Woodward
Stephanie Williams

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

Camping trip

2008-09-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went on our first camping trip as a family. We bought a Huge seven man tent, some cooking supplies, and of course some fun camping food and we were off. We had a great time. The boys were in heaven! We had tin foil dinners and peach cobbler.... yum. We had a great site right by the bathroom with pleanty of space for the boys to roam. A couple things put a small damper on the trip... like Xander fell in the pit with the warm/hot coals. The good thing is he was only there for a split second and he just got some singed hair and a burn on his ear. Needless to say, he got as many marshmallos as he wanted after that! I think I was more effected than him because he didn't even really cry. Then the other thing was it started to rain super hard at about 5:00 in the morning. We stayed dry and warm but we didn't want to stick around after we got up. We ended up going to Kevin's Mom and Dad's. We had a good breakfast and just hung around there for the afternoon. We were also going to go to Bear World but the rain just wouldn't stop! It's okay we had a good time anyway. We just enjoyed getting away and spending time as a family.

Getting Paid to work out

2008-09-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

Some of you haven't heard that I started working in the daycare at gold's gym a couple weeks ago. I have enjoyed it sooooooo much! It is about one minute from my house for one thing. So before I got the job I drove by it everyday and I really wanted a membership. I went in one day to see how much it would cost for a membership, and although we could afford it we would have to sign a contract... the longer the cheeper. I don't know what is going to happen or where we will be in even one year so I really didn't want to sign a contract. Another issue is Mason so desperatley wanting "friends" to play with. The day I went in to see about the membership Mason and Xander went to the daycare and loved it. Now that I have the job we are all so happy about it! I work about 8 to 12 hours a week. I bring the boys with me and they get some good play time in. Most of the girls who work there are moms too, so it is fun to get to know them and their kids. I get a free membership, and Kevin gets one for $10 a month. There is also a youth fitness program that starts at age 3 so mason is going to start that pretty soon. He will do swimming lessons and other fun activities like that. I also get paid each time I take a class for the first time. So I am having fun trying out all the classes they have to offer. A few have kicked my butt! The best part is I'm doing it for fun but for some reason I'm getting paid for it.

Mason: my sweetheart

2008-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

I took my wedding ring in the other day to get dipped and the prongs redone. So today I went to Zale's to pick it up. When we walked in Mason said, "okay Mommy I want you to get anything you want." I was so shocked he would say that to me! All I know is someday he is going to make his wife very happy!

2008-09-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

2008-09-06T10:34:00.001-07:00

A few people have asked to see some pics of our house. Well here they are. Man we miss our house!

2008-09-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

My little babe! This is Xander before he got his hair cut. He sat there all by his self while I cut his hair because I didn't want to wait for Kevin to get home. What a cute little guy!

2008-09-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mason's new four wheeler. We got this at a garage sale fo $5! It didn't work at the time, but thanks to Kevin it now works great and Mason is in love with it! He is getting really good at controlling it, we can barely keep up with him.

Good friends

2008-09-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

We went to dinner at Winger's in Nampa with our good friends. We miss them really bad!

Wakeboarding

2008-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well the summer is comming to an end. It was very busy summer for us! We still managed to have some fun though. We took Mason and Xander out on the boat. They had a pretty good time except they hated the life jackets. Too bad! I had fun wakeboarding. It doesn't look very exciting... I don't do tricks or anything yet, but I did have a good time! Kevin had a great time as well, because he managed to skip out on the boating for one more year. Next year we will get him for sure!!!

2008-08-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

I guess it is about time to update the ol' blog! One day about a month a month ago I sat down to update everything... download some pictures... all that jazz. Well I had to go take care of Xander for a sec and when I came back the camera was broken! Mason was able to somehow destroy our camera in about 1 minute or less, quite talented. Not the first time he has broken a camera I might add. I have been so mad about the situation that I just haven't wanted to post anything :) I still don't have a camera, I'm hoping that I can get this one fixed from the manufacture warranty. It's just not something I ever feel like doing. Well as everyone knows we live in Pocatello now. Fun to be closer to family! We all miss our house and Boise really bad though! Mason will come tell me how sad he is about leaving his friends and his back yard. It is so sad because he really did have a great little life. I just barely got a job at the new Gold's Gym in the day care. They have activities and projects even little work outs for the kids. I think this will be good for Mason. He is so happy to be able to get out and play with his "friends" as he calls them. :) So I work 2 or 3 days a week and they are 4 hour shifts. So far it has been so great! Even Xander is having a great time! The best part is I get a free membership and Kevin gets one for $10 a month. I am also excited to drop the kids off in the daycare and get some time to myself.
Kevin is doing so AMAZING with Big Dog right now! I am loving it!!! He is home more and his paychecks are pretty nice too :) We are so happy to be in Pocatello right now, even though a few months ago we never would have thought this is where we would be! You never know what will happen! I count my blessings every day! I don't know why I deserve such a great husband and the best two boys in the world! Mason and Xander are my world. Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it comes with the greatest reward I have ever known! I just want to do everything I can for them and watch them grow into the amazing men I know they will be. It is hard to think of Xander as a man though :) Anyway things are well and I will try to be a more consistant blogger. I have been enjoying looking at all of your blogs though.

Weekend at Cascade

2008-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

We packed up the boys and went to Cascade for the weekend. It was so much fun! We haven't done anything like this just with our family since Xander was born. It turned out to be a nice getaway for me and Kevin as well as a fun family trip. The hotel we stayed in was super nice! They served fresh from the oven cookies at 8:0o the night we got there. If you look Mason has a cookie in his hand in most of the pictures :) And the continental breakfast was awesome the next morning. We enjoyed swimming in the pool and spending quality time with the boys. We also went up the mountain where there is still snow and kevin was able to try out a snow bike. Over all we had a great time!

2008-05-26T18:03:00.001-07:00

My sister and I went to the Carrie Underwood concert last night! It was so awesome. The year that she won was one of the years I watched the whole way through. I loved her from the very beginning. I was so happy when I found out she was coming right here to nampa! I'm glad my sister was able to come with me, we had a great time. I can't believe someone could be as talented as she is! Josh Turner opened and he is equally talented! He has such an amazing low voice! Anyway we had a great time!

The XMCK Family.... Xander,Mason,Cherie,Kevin

2007-11-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!!!
I decided I need to get with the times and be part of all this internet stuff. :) It really is a good way to keep in touch with family and friends when you don't live close. Our family is doing very well. We love the Boise area, and we really love our ward and subdivsion. Mason and Xander are growing everyday. Xander is rolling over like crazy and scooting a little bit. (mostly when he's mad) He is at a really cute age... laughing and smiling all the time. Most exciting with Xander though is that he is sleeping through the night! Mason thinks he is a grown up now, except for the fact that he still wants to go poop in his diaper. I would love to go full force on the potty training thing but he is not ready yet. :( I swear as I was typing that I started smelling something. The true joys of parenting!! Mason is a good kid though and he loves playing with his "friends." He loves to be my little helper, especially with dinner. He is a good little cook. Kevin is doing well with work and being the scout master. And I'm just having fun making my house my own and being a mom. My whole life I wanted to be a mom. When I was little I told my parents that the spirit told me I was going to have twins and triplets. haha. All I ever wanted to do was play "house". That is pretty much what I still do, I enjoy being the best homemaker I know how to be. I love my kids and my husband and we are so blessed. I couldn't ask for anything more.