FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

Spring Break With The Kids

2010-03-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Went to Utah for Spring Break with the kids. We had a great time! I took them to Kangaroo Zoo one day and swimming another. We really had a good time. The kids got to spend a day with Grandma, while I spent time with friends running and eating. Which are my two favorite things to do. The kids had a great time with Grandma Reed and Grandma Hughes. They also enjoyed playing with there cousins so much. They wish they could see them more. Unfortunately daddy spent spring break studying his bum bum off. We both can't wait to get this test over with. I also got to spend time with Desmon at the hospital which was a lot of fun and got to enjoy all my nephews. All and all GREAT Spring Break! Love my family so much!!!

Del Sol 2010

2010-03-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Another Del Sol another great race! Our team took first place in our division. We had such a great time. We ran our behinds off for Coy and Dez and it payed off. Can't wait 'til Wasatch Back in June!

Sledding with the "Fearless Duo" Boston and Statton

2010-01-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

Papa Hughes and Dad even joined in the fun!

2010-01-08T15:42:00.001-08:00

Fun At Grandma and Grandpa Reed's December 2009 Utah

2010-01-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is how bad Brooke wants a sister...

2010-01-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Doesn't he make the cutest chubby princess? One of the few negatives of being the youngest. When I was posting this Mason said, "Maddox never wear that again!"

Friday November 13, 2009 RIM2RIM2RIM 46miles and 22hrs of an AWESOME adventure!

2009-11-16T22:14:00.001-08:00
Thelma and Louis, I mean Me and Lori, and her brother-in-law Mike decided to conquer the Grand Canyon. We started Fri. morning at 5:45am. We hiked down South Kiabab trail to Phantom Ranch, filled up our water, had a bagel and hot chocolate and started up North Rim. On the way we hit every type of weather you can imagine. There was sleet, sun for 10min. (just long enough for us to get hot and strip off our layers.) Then it rained, hailed and snowed off and on for the next 35 miles.

It was SO much fun though. Lori and I took pictures along the way, mostly to bug Mike (AKA Mr.Grumpy Pants). It was so beautiful! Especially the North Rim. There were these BRIGHT PINK leaves that looked amazing. I have never seen anything like it. There was fog, but just a little....Just enough to make it even more breath taking.

We hiked for about 20 & 1/2 hours, but it took us just under 22 hours to finish, because we stopped at Phantom Ranch for about 30min. coming down, and about an hour before we headed back up. Our goal was 20 hours, so we are pretty happy with our results.

I had such an AMAZING, FUN time! (But...I have been told I could have fun in a cardboard box.) Lori and I are already planning our next adventure. We are just so much alike and love to try new things and challenge ourselves. We keep each other young. I am so glad I took this challenge and conquered it. It was such an AWESOME experience and adventure! Thanks Lori! And thanks Mike for keeping us on schedule. If it wasn't for you Lori and I would probably still be down there taking pictures. And last, but certainly not least, THANKS HONEY for all your support while I was training and taking care of everything while I was gone. You are the most amazing husband and father! I LOVE U MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS!

It was a DARK night and a long way down!

2009-11-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

This is the South Kiabab Trail we followed down...

2009-11-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

As you can see Mike kept us on task...We were always running to catch up, because we were having to much fun enjoying the outdoors!

2009-11-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

After 8hrs with Lori and I this is what Mike wanted to do to us....

2009-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Going up the North Rim about 9 hours in and about 12 more to go....

2009-11-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Coming off the North Rim and Going BACK UP the South to our VICTORY POINT!

2009-11-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

Halloween 10-31-09 Tucson, Arizona

2009-11-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

We had a FUN Halloween! We invited some friends over, Maya and Jack Porrino, and Jen, Steve and baby Victoria Hoy. We ate and then dressed the kids up and went TRICK-OR-TREATING. Briggs was a Grim Reaper. Chris painted his face and did a fabulous job as always. Brooke was an ugly witch with a wart on her nose. She was very specific that she did not want to be a nice pretty witch she wanted to be a green, scary, ugly witch WITH A WART ON HER NOSE. I thought she turned out pretty good. I crimped her hair, teased it, and sprayed it black. Then of course I painted her green all over and most importantly made a wart on her nose with eyeliner. She loved it! Mason was a swamp monster. He loved his costume! Maddox was afraid of it for the longest time. Mason would put it on just to torment him. He would come running over and hide behind me saying "He gonna get me mom, I scared I scared!" It was a little mean of Mason, but Maddox sounded so cute it I cracked me up. Luckily I was on the ball this year and bought their costumes early....So by the time Halloween came Maddox was wearing Mason's costume around. Maddox fell in love with this Thomas the Train costume. I tried and tried to get him to be Yoda (just because I had the costume already), but he wanted this train costume so bad I bought it for him. Halloween night we go to put it on him and he wouldn't put it on, he wanted to be Yoda. So Maddox ended up being Yoda. So if anyone wants a Brand new Train costume let me know. I was glad he was Yoda though, because he looked so darn cute in it. Great Halloween! Cheesecake, Chocolate, and great company, it doesn't get better than that.

10/29/09 Red Ribbon Week (Spirit Week) Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary

2009-11-15T23:23:00.000-08:00

The kids had spirit week the week before Halloween. One of the days was the 60's. Brooke asked me what I wore in the 60's. I told her I wasn't alive in the 60's. She said are you sure? She says some of the funniest things. I was taking them to school and I looked in the mirror and started complaining about my wrinkles around my eyes. She said "Mom those don't bother me at all, but that mole on your face bugs me aren't you going to get that thing taken care of??" She is so funny, she keeps us laughin'. Anyway, back to spirit week. The kids and I did Tie-Die shirts, which the kids had a blast doing. They loved the shirts, but were bummed, because they didn't have anything with the PEACE sign on them. So when they went to bed I decided to find some old pants and decorate them with peace signs and I put flowers on Brooke's. They were so surprised and SOOO appreciative. It was alot of fun and I think they looked great! Chris had to leave for work before he got to see them all dressed up, so he wanted pictures. I'm so glad we took pictures, because they turned out so cute!

Mt. Boldy 10/03/09 (Training for Rim2Rim2Rim)

2009-11-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

2009-11-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Lori and I got some couples to hike Mt. Boldy with us for part of our training for Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim. It was so much fun and it was SO BEAUTIFUL. I had my sister with me which made it even more fun! It was a little cold at the top, but so amazing! All those in the pictures are Reese and Marinda (my awesome sis. and hubby), Bruce and Shawna, Rocky and Lori, Tim and Leslie (Lori sister and husband), Monty and Robby, and me and my husband in spirit. Yeah, I was the 11th wheel...my hubby had to work. We had a great time though and hope to do it again soon, maybe next time I'll have my hubby with me.

Mason's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

Mrs. DeWeerdt is his teacher. She is amazing and he just loves her!

First Day Of School 08/04/09

2009-11-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

This was the kids first day of school. Mason just started kindergarten which was a little hard for me, because he's always been my snuggle bunny and we just had lots of fun together. You know once they start kindergarten things are never going to be the same. They change so much and grow up so fast once they hit kindergarten. Each time my kids start school it's always a mix of emotion, excitement because I won't have them home fighting, but sadness, because I miss them too. I loved having the kids home for the summer. We decided not to put the kids in extra activities and it was so nice. We just did our own little thing during the summer. We went to the park, to the movies and swam alot. It was just a great summer! They all have great teachers this year and are doing great! Mason loves school and like the others doing amazing. Thank goodness they all have daddys brain so far. We are so proud to be there parents!

Maddox 2nd Birthday June 25, 2009

2009-11-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Maddox is my little chunky monkey! He was our little surprise, but are so thrilled to have him in our family. He was the missing piece to our puzzle. After I had him I felt so complete! He is 2 and 1/2 now and he is all personality...He is so fun and you can't get on to him without having one of his siblings come to his rescue. He is a cuddler and loves for you to sit and watch TOY STORY or EMO (NEMO) with him. He quotes the movies before the seen. He knows how to work the VCR all by himself. He loves his brothers and sister and mimics everything they do. Brooke is his second mom. In her eyes he does no wrong. He is all boy, but he will play baby dolls with her, which she loves. He's not the most gentle daddy when he plays. Alot of times the doll becomes a ball he throws around, but he loves to play with his sissy. He is growing up so fast and it makes me sad my baby is turning into a big boy. He's all potty trained now and does not like waring clothes. The Fitness daycare came and got me one day, because he kept on wanted to take off his clothes and hang out in his undies. I have taught him he has to ware clothes in public, but as soon as we get home they are stripped off and he's hangin in his undies...I blame it on his dad. He has the Bowers temper that we have to control, but all and all he is GREAT! We are so happy we were blessed with him. Heavenly Father truly new best! He new Maddox would complete our Puzzle. We love you Maddox and are so happy to have you!

Briggs Birthday May 30th 2009

2009-11-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am really behind...but I finally took pictures off my camera. Briggs had a really fun pool party for his 9th Birthday! We bought lots of pool toys and the kids just had a blast! Not to mention the day of his birthday party his baseball team won the championship game. What a great Birthday Present! His fall ball team just took second in their tournament on Sat. We are so proud of all his accomplishments! He is such an amazing kid! He is very devoted and hardworking. His teacher's only complaint was him doing more work than required. He has always been an over achiever. He is a sweet boy and a GREAT example to his brothers and sister. He is very polite and loves to learn and challenge himself. His vocabulary is more advanced than most college students. He is so much like his dad in that aspect. He is such a handsome wonderful boy and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for giving me the opportunity to raise such wonderful children. They are a BLESSING!!! WE LOVE YOU BRIGGS more than words can express, and are SO PROUD of you!

Brooke's 7th Birthday!

2009-08-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Brooke wanted to have a Spa Party for her birthday. Of course I couldn't just go simple it had to be perfect (thanks mom). I set up tables for a facial area and then we had a pedicure-manicure station and of course a hair and make up station. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. Thanks to my friends and sister, without them I could have never pulled it off.

Brooke loved every minute of her party. She was so cute when she was getting her hair done. She wanted to lay on the couch and eat chocolate, while my friend Maya went to work on her hair. She definitely took advantage of her day at the Spa.

Brooke has been such a blessing. I don't know what I would do without another girl in the house. Thanks to her dad's genes she is very smart, confident, and beautiful. She is very compassionate and is so GREAT with her baby brother Maddox. She has saved me from having a nervous break down more than I'd like to admit. She is so motherly. Her motherly instincts at such a young age amaze me. She is very talented. She loves art like her grandma Reed and is very crafty like her grandma Hughes. She still loves to be around her mom and even wants me to play with her still. We love to color together, do crafts together and of course play fashion computer games together. I hope since she has her dad's personality we will also be best friends.

You are wonderful Brooke and dad and I are so proud of you! Happy 7th Birthday!
Love,
Mom and Dad

May 16th Anniversary,Tee Ball, Graduation, and Birthday Party!

2009-08-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

A lot has happen since my last post. A husband in residency + 4 kids + Enrichment Counseler + potty training a 2yr old = Always late and Always behind! Since April, yes, that is the last time I have updated my blog. May 16th was our 11 year Anniversary....AWESOME 11 years I must add, Mason's last t-ball game, Mason's Preschool Graduation and Brookes 7th Birthday Party. It was a long, but great day. Needless to say the Anniversary was a simple "Happy Anniversary honey, can you get Mason ready for his T-ball game, while I start setting up for, Brooke's Party? Then it was run, run, run, work, work, work, the rest of the day.

Mason did AWESOME in his T-Ball game and we made it to his graduation on time which for all those that know me, it was a miracle. To his disappointment, I forgot his change of clothes, so he had to ware his t-ball uniform. Which turned out to be fine...thank goodness for graduation gowns. He sang two songs. He did so good and it was just too cute not to post the videos. He is such a good little boy and I miss him terribly now that he is in kindergarten. Once the graduation was over it was off to get the house ready for a Spa party.

Mason's 5th Birthday Party

2009-06-01T17:24:00.001-07:00

Okay so I need to do some blogging. I am a bit behind. So many things have happened since I last posted. I had 3 birthdays, a preschool graduation, and baseball games going on this month. It's been a little crazy.

Mason turned 5 on April 30th. He is growing up so fast! He is still my little love bug, but makes me give him kisses and hugs before we get out of the car for preschool. He says it's embarrassing. Can you believe that. He has been so fun and Chris and I have enjoyed him so much. He is so smart and cute. Anyone who knows him says, "He is just one of those kids you just can't help but fall in love with."

He loves to paly video games, and he has conquered every game we have. We really have to moniter his time. He is a great swimmer. He loves to swim and loves to play with his big brother. He believes everything he says and to get him to do something, you just have to say "Briggs did it when he was your age," or "that was Briggs favorite," and of course it's his favorite too. I just love to see them together. We are so proud of our handsome love bug and I am so sad to see him start kindergarten. I really wish I would have spent more time with him and played with him more. Would a, could a, should a, a parent's guilt is endless.

"Dels Sol Ragnar Relay 204 miles"

2009-03-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

On Feb 27th and 28th me and 11 other friends and family ran a relay from Prescott to Mesa, AZ. It was so much fun. This was my 3rd relay I've done, and I'm addicted. My first relay I did was with my sister-in-law Raquel and an awesome group of women from Joe City. It was so much fun I put my own team together to run the Wasatch Back relay, which is in Utah. I had two of my sisters Nikki and Karleen, my amazing friend Lori Nelson, my sister from another father Zhalore, and Raquel run it with me. It was such a blast we decided to do the Del Sol. Now we are all addicted! Well I think all of us except Raquel, but we make her do it anyway.

My sister Marinda joined us this year for the Del Sol and my mom and sister-in-law Amy drove the van. We had SO much fun! You would think if we had a weekend together we would pick a relaxing spa and pamper ourselves, oh no not us! If you no us Hughes girls, we like to torture ourselves instead. We all had such a great time, and we did a great job too. We took 3rd place, in the all women's team division, and no, there weren't 3 teams. We were so proud of ourselves and are so excited to do Wasatch Back in June. I have my cousin Deni and some awesome friends joining us. We are so excited, especially since we did so well. We are hoping to kick some butt. My sister-in-law Raquel won't be joining us this time and we are so sad, "We will miss you Raquelly!" To all my team mates out there I love ya and can't wait to see ya in June!!!

Briggs Reed "Pinewood Derby Winner!"

2009-03-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Briggs cub scout pack had there Pinewood Derby on 2-27-09. He took first place. He was so excited, we all were. Before he built it with Chris he got on the computer and googled Pinewood Derby cars. He printed off a whole bunch of designs, and then he and Chris designed it together. They made a great team.

Briggs also got an award for most futuristic. When he went up to get his award he said, "not what I was going for, but I'll take it." I wasn't there, but I guess everyone got a real kick out of it. Chris and I are so proud of Briggs....I went to his parent teacher conference last night, and he is doing such an amazing job! He is such a hard worker and is always excelling in everything he does. He is an AMAZING KID!

What makes me HAPPY!!

2009-02-23T15:14:00.001-08:00

Eating is Maddox favorite thing to do. I was going through pictures and found all these cute pictures. Then after organizing them, I realized they are all of him eating. I just had to laugh and then share them with you. I take full responsibility of his obsession with food. Reason number 1, he takes after his mom. I love to eat if you want to put a smile on my face you put chocolate in front of it. And reason number 2, since eating makes him happy I am constantly shoving food in his face. What a great mom I am. The poor last child, by the 4th child the books are thrown out the window and you just try to survive, and hope they survive all the chaos with you. I love my fatty Maddy. He is so soft and cuddly. He is my little cuddly bear!

Briggs and Moms night out!!

2009-02-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

Briggs had a son and mom sports night. It was so fun! They had a 10 different extreme sports for us to compete in. The included sack races, volleyball with big blow up ball, cup stacking, bubble gum blowing contest, hamster races (a big ball Briggs went in and I pushed him), and more. We had a blast and I have to tell ya Briggs and I dominated in the sack races and hamster roll. Of course my camera wouldn't work, but they did offer professional pictures and so glad they did. At least I have one picture from that night.

I loved spending time with you bud! We never get that alone time anymore and I was reminded how much I miss it. I love you so much and am so thankful for you and love that you still want to spend time with me. I Love you, Love you!!!

Briggs "BIG" Award

2009-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

Briggs recieved the Certificate of Achievement award. This award is given to the student that has the highest scores in the class! We are so proud of him! He has always been so focused in school and always puts forth 105%. We are so blessed to have him in our home. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH BUDDY!!! Keep up the good work! And CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Good Job little buddy!!!

2009-02-20T11:11:00.001-08:00

Mason was feeling left out when I posted Briggs and Brooke with there awards. He just got this award in the mail, and I just had to post it on the blog. It's his first official award.
We are so proud of our little CTR. He is such a good little boy! He is so sweet and fun. He is just one of those kids you just instantly fall in love with. The award is for listening to the lesson, being reverent, answering questions, at Sunday school. Good Job bud we are sooooo proud of you!

Desmon is Home!

2009-02-10T21:04:00.000-08:00
Desmon came home today and is doing great! The results came back and everything looks good! Thank you for your prayers. We really appreciate them!

2009-01-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

"Made the Principal's List"
Briggs was on the Principal's list this quarter. He has had straight A's all three quarters. We are so proud of him. He is a genius like his dad. He always does his best and strives to be the best in his class. He is a Great student, who loves to learn. He is also a wonderful son. Briggs is always striving to be the best he can be, whether it's at school, on the baseball field or at home. We are so blessed to have him.

2009-01-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

"Our SuperStar Student"
Brooke was the SuperStar Student of the month, in her class. She went to Chili's for lunch with the Principal and other SS Students. We are so proud of her! She has been working really hard at home and school. She is a wonderful helper at home and always keeps us smiling with her little word mix ups. Here are some of them:
Nose Brain - Brain Freeze
Jumperline - Trampoline
Tortilla - Torpedo
Tarded - Tardy
There have been alot more, but being the good mom I am, I never wrote them down. Now of course I can't remember. Hopefully there will be more. This time I will write them down.
Brooke is such a joy to have. I am so thankful for being blessed, with my little girl.

2008-12-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

"The Polar Express"

2008-12-17T23:07:00.001-08:00