Big Blue & Brooklynn's Dance Revue ~

Here are some fun picture's of the last couple weeks for us! On May 9th we threw a Big Blue party at our house w/our neighbor friends The Higgenbothoms! It's a long story of how this party came about but the short version is we were at a Utah State women's sport's fundraiser last fall and won it at the auction! We were bidding against eachother along w/other people & finally realized we could just share the cost and throw it together since it ended up just being the two of us in the end so that's what we did!!! It was a lot of fun and we had great weather! Big Blue was scheduled for only 30 minutes at our house but he ended up staying for a little over an hour, it was awesome! I think he was having so much fun he just didn't want to go - or it could be the fact that he knew some of the people there and wanted to give them a little extra :) For whatever reason we were sure lucky and very happy! Thanks to everyone that came and helped pull it all together, it was a great success!

So I had to add the hot tub shots in b/c this was the end of the day when everyone had left. Brian and his dad were taking down the bounce house and cleaning up the outside while Brian's mom and I were inside cleaning up from dinner when all of a sudden Brian looked over to find Spencer and this is what he found! Some of the kids at the party (mainly our daughter) had left the hot tub cover off and Spencer decided he wanted to swim and when Spencer decides what he wants he does it! Thankfully that is the only spot he had gone in and Brian found him soon enough but he was still soaking wet and we were all panicing w/our hearts pounding and it took a while to feel ok after that experience that's for sure! You know the feeling you have when your almost in a car wreck (I mean really close to it) well that's the feeling I had inside...and my heart wouldn't stop pounding for a while realizing what could of happened. We were very lucky and the daughter definetely got a talking to about the importance of closing it &/or asking someone to do it for her b/c we could of found him floating and drowned which my heart is now pounding again writing about it and re-remembering that day! So these are the stunts that are really wearing on me/us as parents and I sure hope he get's out of this phase FAST!!! I/we love this boy but boy does he give us a run for our money!!!

Brooklynn's end of the year Dance Revue was Saturday May 16th at the Skyview High School Auditorium and she did so good! She took a year or two off and I wasn't sure how easily she'd get back into it and she was amazing! Her class performances were some of the best one's (not being biest or anything) I really hope she continues to do it and I think she could be an amazing dancer one day if it is her dream! She had a fun year doing it and I really hope she continues to love it and progress! We love you Brooky and are so very proud of you! Her grandma & grandpa Hirschi also made it to watch her and even though she doesn't show her feelings too well she was really excited they came and I know it helps her to have those she loves there to support her!

(fyi) most of these pictures are horrible, it was dark so flash doesn't work and I don't have a really nice camera to get good shots with, without making them blurry so sorry but you get the idea!!

May Update...

Well life in the Hirschi home is back to many trips through the canyon, long long working days, watercraft to be prepared for rentals, many phone calls and figuring out employee schedules! This is just the beginning of our hectic & stressful summer but that's our way of life and our livelihood so I try to be as supportive as I possibly can as a wife and mother and try really hard not to let it get in the way of being a good mom & wife. It is definitely hard that's for sure b/c I tend to feel like a single mom a lot this time of year but Brian makes up for that the rest of the year! So it's worth it in the long run!

An update on our home in Bear Lake! It's finally DONE!!! We have all our stuff moved over & just some organizing still left to do. It's gonna be so great to have the little extra space and I can't wait to share it w/our family & friends! It's not decorated yet so I'll put some pics up of that when it's done but here's some recent one's for those who are interested!

So it's just the basics in each room for now until I have the time this summer to decorate and have it exactly the way I want it but it's a good start! Some rooms are done and some not but enough to live in it in just 3 short weeks! I have so much more cupboard space I don't know what to do w/it! Compared to the Funtime home we didn't have much space at all so I actually have some empty shelves & cupboards..it's GREAT!

Also the mini crib I had for Spencer b/c of space previously may not work for much longer! He is so tall that he is the length of the bed so I may just have to do what I've been dreading for months now and that's putting him in his toddler bed..uugghh..that is a step I was wanting to put off as long as possible but it's looking like I just might not be able to wait anymore! I want the poor dude to be comfortable at least and not hitting his head and feet on the bed every time he turns around!

So that's it! Kind of the short version of what's been going on in our house these days...Yes short version! So we are moving over for the summer the first weekend in June and will be there until the middle of August! We'll miss our friends, neighbors & ward members a lot but it's not forever just a couple months!

6th Folder 6th Picture Tag ~

This is when Brooklynn was 5 yrs old at her first class for swim lessons! She was sooo excited and obviously since she's posing and hamming it up for the camera! That was her favorite dance pose, she also was starting dance for the first time that year too!

Calling ALL Parents...

Well it all started w/being woke up by some footsteps downstairs...it's always Brooklynn but this time was different. I yelled down to Brook and the response was a little 2 yr old's mischievious voice saying "hi mommy"... I went down and found him w/the freezer open getting into the ice cream...then his hair was covered w/hand sanitizer, our electronic system on the wall was all messed up & all my papers on the counter all over! He had climbed out of his crib and came down the day before during his nap so now he thinks he can come down any time he wants -- let the game's begin ~

I didn't get pics of the early am mess but here is the rest of our morning! The pictures should tell the story quite well...

YES this is PERMANENT marker... It was all over the glass of these doors too but I luckily got that off -- the walls had to be completely repainted... Daddy your such a trooper -- that's what his whole Saturday consisted of, we've been needing to do a lot of touch up places in the home anyway so he was painting throughout the whole house all day!

On our furniture .. Thanks to some paint thinner that came off w/out taking the varnish off -- lucky boy!

"Daddy that wasn't me" -- On our hardwood...came off w/paint thinner as well!

It's okay daddy -- I really don't know any better, promise!!!

Not even 1 hour later... Purposely threw his cereal bowl on the floor food, milk and all!

WHO ME??!!??!! How can you not still love me w/this cute face!!! I didn't get a picture of it but as he was in Time Out for the wall ordeal he would sneak over to his tools and shove them into the vacuum hole in the wall trying to stuff it full of his toys -- thus almost getting one stuck inside & ruining our central vac system. And all of this happened before it was even 11 am & he gets up at 8. It was a really rough morning .... let's put it that way... The lord was really trying our patience for sure!

And to top it all off the exact moment I caught him writing on the walls I looked outside to this--snow at the END of April!!! The pictures don't even do it justice...The size of the snowballs coming down were humongous and so depressing. I wanted to cry at that very moment of punishing my son and really not sure how we would fix the mess...I'm so grateful for Brian he is Mr. fixit around here and we appreciate it so much!

So to all you mom's out there...please tell me I'm not alone--sometimes I feel like I'm the only one w/a CRAZY little boy... I really mean he's CRAZY--we love him but he's so CRAZY!!! Are boys just more wild then girls?!?! I really don't remember Brooklynn giving me this much of a challenge, or maybe I just supressed it and don't remember!!! Anywho that was our day on Saturday hope yours was better than ours!!! :)

Silly & Crazy little boys -- Gotta Love Em'

So I forgot to put this on my last post and had to add it! This was such a funny moment at the baby animal days, Easter weekend. Gavin (right, blue & grey jacket, Spencer's cousin) & Spencer are so cute together (most the times) ;-) They feed off each other and it makes for great entertainment. In this video their watching the sheep being clipped (getting it's wool clipped off for the summer). Spencer is making it's maahhh noise, Gavin is laughing so cutely at the sheep making the noise, then Spencer mimics Gavin and laughs...they are two peas in a pod! Love those boys!

Easter Hoppings

As our Easter week began we wanted to color Easter eggs w/Brooklynn since she was going to her dad's for spring break and Easter. So we had grandma, grandpa, Aunt Randi & Gavin over Wednesday evening before her dad picked her up that night! It was nice to fit in one Easter activity w/her and share it w/our family! I made Raspberry Soufle' and they were really yummy! Thanks for coming out and sharing that night w/us...it was fun!

Easter weekend at our house was packed w/fun, family, friends and good food! It started out w/Friday at baby animal days w/a lot of Brian's family. We met up w/his sister and her kids, his brother and his family and his parents. Thanks Brent and Randi for inviting us that was a lot of fun! Spencer did great the beginning of the day but we were there for so long and he started getting really cranky b/c it was way past his nap time! This kid has a lot of energy and spunk but when he's tired he is a crab!!! But it was fun and when the animals were around he would smile and loved our time outside! It's funny how sometimes I don't get a lot of pictures at all but then when I do I get a ton so there's a lot to look at this time! We had a picnic on the grass for our personal intermission and went back at the fun afterwards! All the kids had a blast and that makes for happy parents :)

(So if you look closely you'll see a picture of a sheep being shaved..then Spencer crying...kind of fits doesn't it! At the end of the poor animal having to be shaved the guy let all the kids go up to it and pet it...So Spence went up and the sheep called out for it's baby really loud and it scared Spencer...he's such an emotional boy--hhmm wonder where he got his emotional side from!! ;))

Then we had some friends come in from Utah County to stay w/us for the weekend. Brian's best friend from his mission came up w/his dog Maggy on Friday night and he helped me make my first Creme Brulee'... That was the highlight of my weekend I think! Check out my recipe blog for the picture and recipe which I'll be posting soon! Then Saturday Brian's friend from the Dominican Republic came up w/her husband & kids. It was a rainy day so the kids were stuck inside to play and that doesn't always go so well when it comes to sharing toys but they have to learn sometime, right!! But we all hung out, Ilonka made Dominican food and brought it up for dinner and I made some Bruschetta for the appetizer -- like I said GOOD FOOD!!! I'll also be posting my Brushetta recipe on the blog soon as well just havn't gotten to those yet! Then caught up on good conversation, good Dominican music and once the kids went to bed we all jumped in the hot tub to relax and enjoy the peacefullness and friendships. Then we started talking about Pina Coloda's and we had to make them as our midnight snack -- sooo good! Brant complains that he always gains 5 lbs when he comes to our house... I guess he could be right b/c I think my sister, Rachel, has made the same comment before -- there's a trend here I think! We just like to have fun and eat good food, is that a crime!!!

Easter Sunday was fabulous all except for missing our Brooky. We really missed having you home Brooklynn:( but we celebrated it w/her when she got home Monday night! After church Brian and I decided it would be best to do the Easter basket then b/c our church starts at 9am so just not enough time for him to enjoy it and of course he would of threw a fit b/c of not being able to play w/his stuff and eat his candy - good choice I say! So then we had an Easter Egg hunt in our backyard w/our friends and their kids since they had to leave later that afternoon and it was beautiful outside! Then that evening after Ilonka and Jared went home we went over to Brian's parents' house for Easter dinner and another egg hunt, lucky Spencer! Especially since grandpa puts money in his easter eggs for the kids to find - how fun! The dinner was fantastic, thanks to Marcile as always, she's amazing when it comes to feeding so many people every Sunday, not sure how she keeps doing it after all these years but it's very much appreciated and we love her!

After dinner we walked across the street for some airplane flying, cannon shooting and playground playin fun! Brian loves his airplane and that's a good thing since we're getting our money's worth out of it :) Brant left that night and back to life on Monday! Brooklynn came home Monday night since she was out for spring break and at her dad's. So Brian blew up the new bounce house we bought off the internet for the kids to play on and try it out! We got it for a party we're throwing in May b/c of course it was cheaper to purchase one online then it was to rent so Brian just bought one and then we can use it at Bear Lake in the summer!

Well that's finally it...there was so much to fit in this one blog post but that was our weekend so I just did it all together! Hope everyone had a great Easter and remembered why we really celebrate it and remember Jesus and what he did for us! There's an amazing post on my sister's blog about the true meaning of Easter that I'd like to share it is amazing!!

Bear Lake House Update...

Hey all! I've had some requests of pictures to see what our house is looking like these day's so here they are!!!

(This will have black shutter's on each outside window soon, a deck and sidewalk to the front door when the house is complete)

Kitchen still has some odds and ends to be finished up but almost there!

Definitely my favorite part of the whole house!! :)

Our Pantry (we had to have a second fridge for all the drinks we have at the lake, was a must have!)

1/2 Bath

Laundry Room/Mud Room

Master Bath...still some odd's and ends as well but almost there!

Looks like we are a little less than two weeks away from it being completed and ready to move stuff in! Just in time so we can get settled before the hectic summer begins! We are so pleased w/the results thus far and actually for the first time can't wait for summer!!! I always dread the summer's b/c of how hectic and stressfull it is plus not having a safe and private place to live w/the kids so needless to say I am very excited and actually anxious for that time to start! So we can enjoy our summer home! It will be so good to live on a quiet street, have more space inside and eventually have a big yard w/a fence to send the kids out in to play and not worry about them constantly b/c of traffic! Also the park is just a 10 minute walk from our front door so that will be a big plus!

Kids & Guest Bath...

So anyway the inside is pretty much finished except for the last few odds and ends to be finished up like a couple electrical things, hook up appliances, paint touchups and the final cleaning to be ready to live in! Also they are leveling out the dirt to pour our sidewalk and get the deck built next week! So we are so happy and hope you enjoy the pictures!

Birthday's and Vegas!!!

OK so I know I don't blog much anymore...at all...but I really want to it's just the extra time it takes that I don't have!! But here is our latest adventure and I'm squeezing in Spencer's 2nd b-day in here as well since he's been 2 for a month but have I blogged it...NOPE! So here it is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY big boy! He turned 2 on March 5th and after all the big parties we've been having lately mom was too tired to throw yet another big one so we just had an intimate small celebration at home w/cupcakes and our good friend Kris next door and Duncan! He got some fun gifts from the grandparents, his aunt and uncle's and his buddy Duncan & Kris! He loves them ALL and plays w/all of it frequently! I can't believe he's 2 already where has the time gone?!?!

We just got back from Las Vegas on Wednesday and had a fun, hectic at times, weekend w/all my side of the family! My sister Rachel and her hubby Adam adopted 4 beautiful babes from Columbia last summer and were able to be sealed to them for all time and eternity on Saturday! It was so special and such a great experience! Their eldest, Danny was also baptized on Friday evening and he asked Tio Brian to give him his confirmation in Spanish! That was really cool to witness and also his Dad baptized him in Spanish (which he didn't know a word of it before they adopted them, so he has learned so much since then) also his Tio's gave their talks in Spanish as well so Danny could really understand what was going on. They've all come such a long way in their language but to fully comprehend things it is still much easier in Spanish! So that was all really special and the food was GREAT!

Also we did family pictures since we had all my family together, which doesn't happen much at all and they turned out really nice! I don't have a copy of that yet but I will post it when I get it! We did a lot of fun things in that week...After things calmed down on Saturday w/the sealing, BBQ and blessings of all the children we had Sun - Tues of fun! So we played games of course, went to lots of parks, went on a hike, many trips to the grocery store ;), Target (my fav part), Diet Coke trips and so much more...The only downer was that their was a lot of sickness going around which is pretty much inevitable when you have 10 kids & 10 adults all living under one roof for that long of time, it just happens...So Brian and I feel a little under the weather but luckily so far our kids didn't catch anything and I would so rather feel sick than take care of sick kids any day!!! So now it's back to life and routines which I was ready for but do miss my family already! Can't wait to see mom & dad again in June!! And thanks so much to the best hosts ever, Rach & Ad's...You have a great home and we felt very welcomed there! We appreciated all your hard work in making the trip the best it could be! We love you:)

So there's our fun Vegas trip...I was so bad at taking pictures this trip, not sure why just kept forgetting--so this is all we have but at least we have something I guess!

What Winter Hat Are You???

Saw this and thought it looked fun!

You Are a Ski Cap You are a comfortable, low maintenance, and even practical person. You use fashion to look good, and you don't stray too far from the mainstream. You are friendly and accepting. You don't really judge other people for their fashion choices. You enjoy clothes and accessories as much as the next person, but you're not superficial about it!

What Winter Hat Are You?

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Warning: Picture overload...and a lot of mushy stuff to go along w/it so beware!!!!
I wanted to get this up today since it's our 3 year Anniversary! Many of you know we've been together much longer than that so 3 year's seems like such a small number but it's just as special as if it were 10 years or more! We met and started dating just shy of 6 years ago so that's why it seems like it has been so much longer...But I am so blessed to have such a great husband in my life and want him to know how much he is loved and appreciated! No matter what trials or obstacles we face I love you through them and I think it makes us stronger as a couple and only makes me love you more in so many different ways! You work so hard for our family and put so much energy and time into everything you do and it doesn't go unnoticed, trust me! I am so grateful for your determination, dedication, passion and loyalty in everything you do whether it's me as your wife, our children, our families, friends, neighbors and most of all our business! You have kept it going w/out fail and I know even through these tough times right now we will prevail and it will be because of all the hard work and passion you have for it! We are so blessed as a family to have what we have and it is never taken for granted and love you so much for providing us with it! Your such a great provider for us and everyone we know, always wanting everyone taken care of and happy and that is the greatest quality I love about you. Thanks for being my husband, friend and companion and I hope we continue to strengthen our marriage in many more years to come! I love and appreciate you even if you may not hear it all the time please never forget it! Happy Anniversary babe :)

These are pictures of us from the very beginning in 2003 all the way up to now the present! We've done so many different things and had so many adventure's from meeting on the freeway, to many weekends spent driving to see each other, swimming w/dolphins, going on many trips, getting sealed to each other as a family, annual Lake Powell trips, building new homes, building our family, getting in a 4-wheeler accident & breaking some bones while doing it, snowmobiling and having fun on the lake, going to concerts, seeing Park City from up in a hot air balloon, running marathon's together (well you out of my eye of sight) but accomplishing them together, hunting, dance recitals and so many more I could of put up but well I think this is plenty! We've come so far and have so many memories and I love making them with you!!!

Love,
your wife and the mother of your children :) (I just love how that sounds)