Oregon Trip

Well, we just returned from our vacation on the Oregon Coast. We had such a good time, and were sad that it seemed to go by so quickly. These pictures are of the kids and I when Mike drew their names in the sand with a stick. They thought it was so cool! Brett and Emily loved playing on the beach and they were constantly covered from head to toe in sand. Brett was definitely in his element and on the last day on the coast told me that he never wanted to leave. "Live hir forwewver!" For those of you who don't know, Oregon is our favorite vacation spot. In fact in the 8 years we have been married
we have been to Oregon 9 times! Crazy huh? I loved going to Oregon with my family when I was growing up and thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. When Mike and I were discussing where to go on our honeymoon, I told him that I wanted to go to Oregon. Being the smart man he is, he listened to me and we went. He had never been, and now loves it as much (if not more) than I do. We will not be going next year though, we are going to go to Disneyland! That will be a ton of fun! We took a lot of pictures on this trip, so I am going to make a slide show from a selected few. That way, anyone who has not been to Oregon will quickly agree that it is such a
gorgeous place. The best part of the trip was spending so much time together as a family. With work schedules, and just day to day stuff, sometimes it seems we never have enough family time. Mike and I loved being together and so did the kids.

BRETT'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

Brett turns three on May 16th, we had his party on Saturday though since we are leaving to go on vacation soon. Mike made Brett's cake. It was a Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cake with homemade frosting - yummy! Mike made it from scratch and decorated it. He always does a much better job on the Birthday cakes than I do, and he enjoys it too! Brett was so excited to see the trucks on his cake and could not wait to play with them! When we asked Brett what he wanted for his Birthday, he would say "a mean shark!" Mike found a pretty mean looking shark for a present, and when he opened it, he ran around making growling and biting noises. He also got a shark shirt from my parents and he had the shirt growling and attacking Emily and Haylie. He loved the books on sharks and trucks from my sisters and the toy computer from Mike's parents. It was a really fun evening. We had everyone over for a BBQ - even though it was still a little cold we had a blast! I can't believe Brett is growing up so fast! He just makes me laugh every day with his increasing vocabulary and boundless energy. Happy Birthday Brett, we love you!

Happy Mothers Day!!

I really am lucky to have 3 adorable kids. In my previous life before three kids I showered every day (in the morning) not late in the afternoon........ or evening. I did my hair and makeup every day. I had a full time job and kept busy with friends and family outside of work, all of who are over 3 feet tall! I had conversations where not once was mentioned words like, "potty, snacks, use your quiet voice" etc. In my previous life I was a patient person and felt like I handled difficult situations and disasters well. That was before potty training; begging a stubborn 2 1/2 year old to "please try to sit on the potty for one minute" and bribing him with stickers, toys - anything! In my previous life I felt like I was a very good listener; that has been all put to test with a 5 year old who never stops talking throughout the entire day. Whether it is a running commentary on the day, the cartoons she watched, the friends she has or about the food she is eating. I never knew that such a young child, being so innocent and honest could hurt your feelings! "Mommy, I thought your tummy was supposed to get smaller after you had the baby, why is it still big?" 4 months after the baby was born! I used to have a hard time falling asleep, so many things going through my mind of things I had to do etc. That was before a babies cries would get me up in the middle of the night. When she is asleep, I also quickly fall asleep. Now, as a mother of 3 I spend my days trying to keep my emotions in check as I remind my two oldest to share, play nice, and please stop whining! I sort laundry, wash, fold, only to repeat. Cook dinner and try to clean as much of the house as possible, all the while being pulled, tugged, hassled, stepped on, sat upon and desperate for some solitude! I am jean-clad, juice stained, bleary eyed and overwhelmed. And, sometimes I wonder who I am and what I've become. Then one of my children smiles and says, "mommy, I love you" and it is perfectly clear. I have the best job in the whole world! Someone once said, there are 7 wonders of the world, but to a child there are seven million. Thank you Emily, Brett and Savannah for helping me see the millions of wonders in this world. They find it in so many places, dandilion weeds to wish upon, fresh spring grass, a cardboard box or a flashlight. Everything is amazing. I thank my Father in Heaven for entrusting me with them, and I wouldn't go back to my previous life for anything!

Husband Tag!

I got this idea from another e-mail and thought it was fun!

WHAT IS HIS NAME? Michael Chad Neeley

WHEN WERE YOU MARRIED? May 20, 2000; wow - I can't believe it has been almost 8 years!

WHO LIKES TO EAT SWEETS MORE? This is a tough one. I am definitely the chocoholic, but he really does like sweets, especially fancy ones or ice cream. Those who know him, know that he likes to make really good homemade treats!

WHO SAID I LOVE YOU FIRST? Mike did, we were at Temple square. He told me and I replied, "I think I do too". And then added, "no, I know I do!" He still teases me about that.

WHO IS TALLER? Mike is by a long shot! He is 6'5" and I am only 5'3" - big height difference!

WHO IS THE BETTER SINGER? That is definitely Mike. He has an amazing voice, I love to hear him sing. One of my favorite things is to hear him sing to the kids at night. It makes me fall in love with him all over again.

WHO IS SMARTER? Well, I think that I am. I was a better student, I always had good grades because I studied so hard! Mike will say that he is smarter. Not the best student, but smarter. He didn't always study, but still managed to do well in school. When he studied just a little bit he did amazing. So, his argument would be that he is naturally smarter!

WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY? Me, unfortunately. I feel like it never ends!

WHO PAYS THE BILLS? Mike

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? Me, it is closer to the bathroom. Which, comes in really handy when I was pregnant and getting up to pee every 20 minutes!

WHO MOWS THE LAWN? Mike, thank goodness! He is really good to work on all the outside stuff! He even weeds the flower beds!

WHO MAKES DINNER? I do, and Mike has admitted that I have become a good cook! When we were first married he was telling me that his favorite cooks in the world, in order are: his mom, his sister Cheryl and his sister Shauna. I didn't even make the list! He apologized pretty quick and said, I was getting better - what a goof! Mike is a really good cook, but he works up until dinner.

WHO DRIVES THE CAR? Mike does because he is the worst back seat driver in the world when I drive! So to keep the peace whenever we are together in the car he is driving.

WHO IS MORE STUBBORN? I think it is a toss up. We can both be pretty stubborn about things at different times.

WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? Mike kissed me first. It was not when he had planned because right after he told me that he loved me at Temple Square he started to lean in for a kiss when we were interrupted! A guard was telling us that the grounds were closing and we needed to leave. Totally ruined the mood! So, later that night he kissed me outside of my house by the gutter. We still laugh about that!

WHO PROPOSED? He did. Again he had a plan that didn't work out. He wanted to ask me while we were on a carriage ride by Temple Square. It was just a few days before Christmas and there weren't any carriages available! He had called ahead to reserve one, but they said there would be a lot available - there weren't! Temple Square was packed so we hiked up to the Capitol and he asked me on the front steps. He pulled out some mistletoe, we kissed and then he had my ring on his pinkie finger. He asked me and of course I said Yes!

WHO HAS MORE SIBLINGS? Mike does, he is the youngest of 6 and I am the oldest of 4.

WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP? I think that we both do at different times. We really are a good team that way.

WHO IS MORE SENSITIVE? We both are, but I think Mike is more so. He probably cries more in movies than I do! I love him so much for it. He really is a good guy and I love him so much.

Alright I am going to tag Jenny, Stef and Mandi! Have fun answering these questions about your hubby on your blog!

Spring!

I am so happy that spring weather is finally here! It has been the longest winter, and I am so happy to finally enjoy the sunshine. Having Savannah in January was a little rough since we really didn't get out much. Especially for Brett. He has been so much happier being able to run around outside. Mom has been a lot happier too having him run outside instead of trying to climb everything and anything in the house! Aren't these tulips amazing? I really wish I could say they were in my garden, but, Mike took this picture at the Bellagio. We were in Vegas last month, where it really was spring weather and they had a beautiful garden inside. We had fun being there with my family celebrating my mom's 50th Birthday and enjoying the sun. Anyway, yeah for spring! Hopefully we don't jump to the 90 and 100 degree weather too quickly!