Neigh's Extreme Makeover

You may recall that a few months ago I did a post about Landon's beloved stuffed animal Neigh. About a month or so ago Neigh went through an Extreme Makeover. Here are the before and after pictures.

Before

After

Landon's Birthday and Pirate Party

Landon's birthday was on August 7th. Since his birthday party wasn't until the next day as a family we had a little celebration for him. We went to Wendy's and got dinner and also rented "The Tale of Desperoux from the Redbox. We came home and set out a blanket in the living room and watched the movie and ate dinner. It was fun and low key. Landon also opened his presents from us. We gave him a V-tech Digital Camera and a "Phineas and Ferb" DVD.

The next day we had his birthday party. He chose a Pirate theme this year and I ordered 2 party kits from Stampin' Up! They came with invitations, banner, food toppers, pirate eye patches and treasure chests. It made party prep really easy. We started out the party by letting the kids swim for a little bit. Then we ate dinner. We had Submarine sandwiches, potato salad, chips, and fruit. After dinner we had a craft. The kids all made Pirate hats and eye patches. The eye patches came from the party kit and the Pirate hats came from a pattern that my mom has at her school. The kids all had fun making them.

After the craft Landon opened his presents. We of course set out the tape line that the other kids couldn't cross. I can't say that it works perfectly, but it is a lot better than it used to be! Landon got some really good gifts. Like all boys he doesn't care much for the clothes that he open, but he did get some cowboy boots and he loves those!!

After he opened presents we went on a treasure hunt. I had made up some clues and we hid them in the backyard at different places. The clues were typed up on paper, the edges were burned to look like pirate maps and rolled up and tied with string. The kids had fun listening to the clues and then running to the correct place to find the next clues. These are the clues I had:

1. I can roast hot dogs and marshmellows here (firepit)
2. I'm the shape of a rainbow but a little more bumpy (arch Jamie made)
3. I go here to look through the looking glass (telescope on the playset)
4. I'm pretty and I bloom in the Summer and Spring (Flower Bed)
5. When I am thirsty I can get a drink here (drinking fountain)
6. Landon's grandpa grows tomatoes here (garden)
7. You walk through me to get from the front yard to the back yard (gate)
8. I'm round and shaped like a ball--but don't try to bounce me! (fountain by the fire pit)
9. Here you can send or receive mail if you are playing house (play house)
10. Here I can build castles in the sand and X marks the spot where I can dig (sand box)

At the sandbox the kids had to dig to find the treasure. They each got their own individual treasure box that was filled with chocolate coins. The party ended with cupcakes. I think that everyone had a fun time!!

Finally.....An Update!!

I was told by a friend of mine that I needed to update my blog and she is right. I know that I need to, but things have been really busy lately. Now life is slowing down a little and I can finally update. I spent a lot of time the last 2 weeks making Payson's birth announcements and I finally finished them earlier this week. What an accomlishment. But I think I am getting ahead of myself.

Payson David Lund was born on June 23rd. He is the 4th and last. That in itself has made life more hectic. I am so glad that he has joined our family. He is such a sweet and good baby! I went into the hospital at 8:30 and it was probably around 10:00 or so that I recieved the epidural. I had to get it twice because the first time the doctor hit a blood vessell. That was the biggest shock of my life! Payson was born at 3:21 p.m. and was 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 20 inches long. During labor I also had low blood pressure and they had to get it back up before increasing the pitocin. It was making me sick and nauseous. They also had to use the vaccuum to get him out because his head kept turning sideways. He is such a joy to have around
The Sunday before he was born we were at my mom and dad's house. Reagan was climbing up on the piano bench and slipped and hit her chin on the edge. It started to bleed. Dave was at his parent's visiting his mom so I called and told him that Reagan might need stitches. We took Reagan to the InstaCare and she ended up getting 2 stitches in her chin. She was so brave the whole time. She didn't even cry but she did whimper a little bit. She is usually pretty talkative, but she wouldn't answer any questions the doctor asked. As soon as we left thought she was talking lots!The last thing that has happened is that Emma has started Kindergarten. I now have 2 kids in school even if one of them is only in school for 1/2 day. Her teacher is Mrs. Black and Emma really seems to like her. It has gotten awfully quiet here in the mornings with 2 kids off at school. On Emma's first day of school I took her and they had a little activity that they did with a parent the first 20 minutes. Emma took the bus home and I think she really enjoys riding the bus. She is really enjoying Kindergarten also!

My New Wheels

Due to the fact that we are 4 weeks away from having child #4, it became a necessity to get another vehicle. If we didn't get another vehicle as Dave put it he would be riding in the trunk of the car and Landon would be driving. Since that wasn't really a possibility we went with the better option and got a new car. Actually it is a 2006 Mazda 5, but it is nice!! It is nice to have 2 cars in our family again. The last time we had 2 cars was when Emma was born. We sold our Saturn the day after I brought her home from the hospital. That was 5 years ago. The only time we have had a 2ND car since then or I have had a car during the day is when Dave had a work truck or when he was working out of town. The freedom of knowing I have transportation if I need it is very nice!! Anyway, without further Ado, here is the new car!!

Neigh

Many people have an item that is very special to them. It may be a blanket they have had since they were little or a special toy. For Landon it is a stuffed animal horse named Neigh. Landon recieved this horse on they day he was born from his Aunt Mindy and it has become a very cherised and well loved possession. As you can tell he is very well loved. Compare this to the other stuffed animal he recieved also from Aunt Mindy on the day he was born. This one is a frog.

Neigh and Landon have been through a lot together. When we lived in our old ward he always took Neigh with him to nursery. The nursery workers felt very priviledged when Landon would let them hold Neigh. Neigh has also been lost a few times, once for about 2 weeks and he always manages to find his way back to Landon. He was found in my parent's couch cushion. I think that this stuffed horse has way more than 9 lives!!

Recently while Dave and I were helping Landon clean his bedroom Dave told Landon he could choose 3 stuffed animals to keep on his bed and the rest had to go in Emma and Reagan's Closet. If we let Landon he would be sleeping with 10-15 stuffed animals every night. I left for a little bit and Dave later showed me that Neigh was one of the stuffed animals that ended up in Emma and Reagan's closet. I was shocked!! I thought that maybe Landon was outgrowing Neigh. However, Neigh has once again resurfaced and made his way back to Landon. Landon is once again sleeping with Neigh. Maybe someday Landon will outgrow it, but I am not holding my breath!

Mother's Day

First of all I want to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the mother's out there! Today my mom and dad spoke in there ward so we went to hear them speak. On the back of the program was a list and I thought it was cute and so I have to share it with you.

What Mom's REALLY want for Mother's Day...

• To be able to eat a whole candy bar by herself, and drink a glass of Diet Coke without any "floaties."
• To have my 14-year-old answer a question without rolling her eyes in that "Why is this person my mother?" way
• Five pounds of chocolate that won't add twenty.
• A shower, without a child peeking through the curtain with a "Hi'ya, Mom" just as I put razor to my ankle.
• A full-time cleaning person, who looks like Brad Pitt.
• For my teenager to announce, "Hey, Mom! I got a full time scholarship and a job all in the same day!"
• A grocery store that doesn't have candy, gum, or cheap toys displayed at the checkout line.
• To have a family meal without a discussion about bodily secretions.
• Four words: Fisher Price Play Prison!!!

Hope all the mom's out there have a fantastic Mother's day. I know I will!!

Emma's Birthday

Emma's Birthday was on April 2nd and she turned 5 years old! I can't believe that next year I will have 2 kids in school. When Dave got home from work on Emma's birthday we went out to dinner at Chic-fil-A and then we went to the movies and saw Monster's VS. Aliens. What a great movie. We did not see it in 3D, but I kind of wish we had. It was a great movie anyway and if you haven't seen it go! It's worth it!!!

On Friday we had Emma's Birthday party. The theme for this party was "Littlest Pet Shop." It was a lot of fun even though funds were kind of tight. For dinner we had Papa Murphy's Pizza. Then we had a little game for the kids. I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of little stuffed animals. Jamie helped me make up adoption certificates and I numbered all the little animals. I also put numbers in a bowl and the kids drew a number and that was the pet they got to adopt. They named their pets and as the pet shop owner I signed all the certificates. It was fun hearing some of the names that the kids came up with for their pets.

After the pet adoptions Emma opened her presents and she did well. Thanks everyone.

A tape line was put on the floor that the kids could not cross. If they did they wouldn't get cake and ice cream. It worked really well. It also makes it possible for the adults to see the presents because the kids aren't all crowded around. Plus the other kids have a tendency to "help" open the presents.

Then it was time for cake and ice cream. Emma was a little bit shy about blowing out the candles on her cake so Daddy helped her blow them out.

All in All it was a fun party despite me not feeling very well and being very tired. Happy Birthday Emma! We Love You!!!!

A Happy Ending

A couple of weeks ago we went to Ruby's Inn by Bryce Canyon for an Annual Lifferth Retreat. It was a lot of fun and I really wish that I had some pictures, but as usual I forgot my camera. One of the things that we did while we were there was play a baseball game. I did not play, but I did go to watch. The game was played at a baseball field near the high school in Tropic. At the game they had a little zig-zag walkway. Reagan had a lot of fun walking up and down that walkway during the game. I was a little ways away at the dugout but she was always in my line of vision and I was watching her. However, when the game ended I could not see Reagan anywhere. I saw Landon and I saw Emma but Reagan was nowhere to be found. I asked Dave if he had seen Reagan and he hadn't. At the place we were at there was a long parking lot with a dumpster at the end then it went into canyon area. I was starting to get worried. I called Reagan's name and thought to myself "Please let me find Reagan." Shortly after my Brother-in-Law Marty spotted Reagan in her pink coat. She had gone up into the canyon area. Dave ran over to get her but when he first got there he didn't see her anywhere because the shrubs were taller than Reagan. He did find her and my dad drove his car over to pick them up. I was so happy to see Reagan again! I gave her a big hug. When we asked what she was doing she just shrugged her shoulders. I feel really lucky when I think that if the baseball game went any longer than it did we may not have found her. What a blessing that it ended when it did and that this story has A Happy Ending!!!

Pay it Forward

This is how it works.....The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones!Good Luck!!!

It's a.......

Boy!!! Today I had my Ultrasound and we found out that we are having a boy! I am so excited! I really wanted a boy so that our family would be even. Everything looks good with the baby. Here is the proof!

A Little Catch Up

I have been so bad at blogging lately. I really need to get better. For those of you who don't know I am pregnant. I am due on June 25th and I will be having my Ultrasound on February 2nd to find out what we are having. Every December we take the kids to The Quilted Bear to see the reindeer. They only have 2 of the reindeer there and "Santa" told us that he brought Vixen and Prancer. The kids all loved to see the reindeer and I also think it is a lot of fun.

Christmas was good and it was nice having Dave in town during the month of December. Now he is working out of town again and I am hoping that he will be local again soon. We sure miss him.

Next Monday I will be putting a poll up on my blog to give all of you to vote on whether I am having a boy or girl, so be thinking about it. I will keep you updated on that after my Ultrasound. I promise to try to be a better blogger!!!