The Last Couple of Weeks in REWIND!!

Hold on tight for a wild ride all in REWIND!

Crazy Hair Day- We had to take a few photos of Liberty's crazy hair...this year we decided to cover her entire head with her darling flower clips that McKinsey has made for her. It turned out so cute, maybe not too crazy but she got a lot of comments and compliments. Very cute....what will we do next year????

A view from the back!

Liberty's Kindergarten Graduation- Liberty was so sad to have school come to an end. She realized that she wouldn't be going back to Kids Village next year. She has fallen in love with her teachers Miss Cheri & Miss Alycesun. She did really well in her program and looked so cute in her cap and gown. I have to admit I cried. But what else is new!!! She has grown so much from the day she stared there and I am so sad to see her leave. She will do great at Grovecrest! (If anyone has been a long time reader you will know that Liberty graduated from Kindergarten
last year...when she started at Kids Village the 4-5 year old class was not challenging her so I moved her into the Kindergarten class, this year we started her in 1st grade there but they moved way fast for her so she did Kindergarten again which is where she was supposed to be anyway! I know it is kind of crazy but she enjoyed both years in the Kindergarten class and now is way ready for 1st grade!)

Lib just waiting for the program to start. She was looking at her dad when I snapped this photo. I love her expression.

Lib and Miss Cheri

Lib with Miss Alycesun...someone Libby really looks up to. She fell in love with her!

Caleb's Awards Program- As parents we were happy to receive an invite to the Jr. High Awards Assembly. Caleb received an award...way to go Caleb. I had a hard time getting a good photo but we were there to cheer him on and honestly this guy doesn't like much recognition...I can always tell when he is nervous, he does a funny thing with his mouth. We were happy he did so well in 7th grade!

Here he is receiving his award from the Principal

Here is the mouth thing I was talking about!

Backyard Fun- In all of our "spare time" we have been working on our backyard, moving huge mountains of dirt, leveling out the yard, picking up rocks, trimming trees, burning branches & junk, you know everything that goes into getting a yard done. This at times has been hard work, but it has been fun working together as a family.

Craig moving dirt! But of course with the Bobcat...he made it fun!

Craig on the roof cutting down tree limbs to burn.

Zach and Liberty getting ready to pick up rocks...they somehow turned this into a huge adventure.

Caleb getting ready to pull out a tree. At our house this is how we do things, tie a rope to the tree and to the bumper of the car and yank the thing out!

After pulling out most of it with the car, here is Caleb trying to get the rest with his big muscles!!!

Burn Baby Burn- Craig and the boys love to start fires, I know what you are thinking, and yes, I have to monitor them when they do it! When starting our first fire Zach says to Craig, "hey dad lets do a line of fire"...me being so well versed in fire talk didn't have a clue what this was. Craig made a pile of everything poured some "fire starting juice" (gasoline) on the pile then poured a line out in the dirt and lit the fire at the end of the gas. Well, it was something that I had never seen done but the boys were loving it. I tried to get photos but they didn't turn out super great!

If you look really close you can see our "line of fire"!!!

My favorite photo is Craig acting out the scene from Castaway when Tom Hanks finally gets a fire started. I was laughing so hard!

Fun Run- The annual Grovecrest Fun Run! I love the last week of school! I was taking Zach to school the morning of the run and he said, "don't worry mom, I don't care if I don't win because Conner always does, I will be fine to come in 4th or 5th. I am just going to run like I am running for a touchdown and someone is right on my tail." I love the way that boy thinks! He did a good job, he ran the entire lap and ended up coming in like 10th or so...I seriously have no idea cause they all came running to the finish in groups...I lost count. He was happy and had a great time.

Zach and other 2nd grade boys getting ready to run.

Zach and Stockton (cousin) just after the race.

Dance Festival- Another end of year activity at Grovecrest...the Dance Festival. This has to be one of my favorite events of the entire year. What other time do I get to watch my boys dance? Zach is so fun to watch. The 2nd grade did a Patriotic dance, it was really cute. I did embarrass myself here, I totally fell down the hill while carrying Brit in his car seat. Caleb didn't see me he was too far ahead, but where I fell, that is where we decided to sit (we moved over a little bit to sit by some friends). We lucked out, it just so happened that Zach was right in front of us. YEAH! I love watching his facial expressions and how he counts so he will remember the steps he has to do. Great job Zach!

Zach keeping the beat!! He is a cute dancer don't you think???

Pajama Party- The boys had Fathers and Sons over Memorial Weekend and that meant Pajama Party for Lib and I. She had planned out everything we would do. The main thing was we needed to wear our matching pajamas...which weren't technically matching just the same style. But whatever she wanted. We took these self portraits as part of the fun night. Too bad you can't see our "matching" pajamas!

Our "girls night" (plus Brit) self portrait.

And this is what I felt like while living this whirlwind, eventful, fun packed week or so...
like
ONE CRAZY MOM!!!

( Have you ever reviewed your pictures on your camera and find a photo that you don't ever remember posing for??? That would be this one! Just don't ask!)

3 Months Old

Brit at 3 months...he sort of crinkled up the number 3 paper, but oh well!

Believe it or not... Brit is now 3 months old. I can't believe how time has flown since he was born. He is getting so big, and heavy! He is smiling tons and he has even started to laugh on occasion. It does take a lot of effort to get the laugh, but it is well worth it. He is sleeping through the night and that is a huge blessing for me!!! The novelty has not worn off, we still love being around him. He is a very fun baby!

Cute Kids

All the kids

I thought I would share some of these cute photos I took of the kids after school this week. I love them...we went to the orchard next door and I think it was the perfect place. I can't believe how big they are all getting. Crazy how fast they grow! Check out my cute kids!

I was actually able to catch Brit a couple of times ... I love this one and I love the smile in the one below. SO CUTE!

Here's the clan...if I do say so myself, they are pretty darn cute!



Caleb age 13...he is getting so big so fast! Talk about growth spurt, YIKES!

Zach age 8 (9 in 2 weeks) Running through the orchard

Liberty age 6. I love how this turned out.

Another cute on of all the kids

Boys and Toys

I just have one question....

Who's having more fun????

One of the ladies that I visit teach let me borrow this exer-saucer for Brit to play in. I brought it home and this was the first time he had even sat in it and it seems that his brothers are showing him how it is done! I think that they had more fun than Brit even could comprehend. I just have to laugh...no matter what age, boys love toys!

Once Brit got a chance he really liked looking at all the fun things to play with.

I look forward to hours of excitement for Brit & this chair!!!

Caleb's Chior Concert

Here's the proof! He actually preformed in a Chior Concert!

If you know my oldest son you will know that chior is the last class he wanted to take. It is a required class in 7th grade for a semester. I told him not to worry that it will be an easy A ... well little did I know! Chior is a pass or fail class...for about 3 weeks Caleb wasn't passing, he had an F in chior. They were learning some signals for the notes and he just wasn't remembering them. I will never forget the day he came home happy as could be saying that he finally passed them. The A was back. Well, he came home and told me that the concert was coming up...I got all excited. I remember being in chior all through junior high and I loved it! (Let's just say that the excitement stopped with me). Don't get me wrong Caleb has a great voice, it just isn't his "thing". Me being the mom that I am...(somewhat embarrassing when needed!) I got to the concert early, with camera in hand. Craig and Liberty went to Zach's game which was at the same time and Brit and I headed to the Jr. High. I walked into the auditorium and just got a huge smile on my face...there he was up on the stage practicing, I couldn't help but smile. They all looked so handsome up there (all boys chior) in their white shirts & ties. But what cracked me up was the lack of emotion of any kind. Every single 7th grade boy up on the stage had the blankest expression on thier face. I thought that maybe it was just for practice. Well I was wrong...while they sang their 5 songs it was almost funny how they acted. A man behind me was pointing out one boy who he thought was going to fall asleep. Seriously, no expression at all! They did great, and yes of course I took photos documenting this memorable occasion in Caleb's life. I don't think it will ever happen again. Brit started screaming right after the boys were done and the girls were starting. Let's just say that everyone knew we were there! I looked over at Caleb as I was walking out with my screaming boy and he gave me a quick look and then nothing...I don't think he would have claimed us at that moment!!! He looked good and did a great job!

Here they are...this was as excited as they got!

Can you tell he is relieved!

Just for Laughs!

Okay, I am not even sure what to say about this photo. The other night I was cutting Zach's hair on the deck and Brit started to cry so I ran inside. When I came back out I found this. Zach was laughing and said...

"hey look, I have a hairy chest!"

I couldn't help but laugh. After getting the laughing under control he started to itch because it was really sticking to him. He didn't like that part much. He then said...

"this hairy chest thing isn't so much fun!"

The kid cracks me up! He looks much better with his hair short and no hair on his chest. Sometimes I wonder how he comes up with stuff. I love his humor!

Mother's Day 2009

What a great day! I woke up before everyone else to get a head start before church and then was told to go back to bed so the kids could bring me breakfast in bed! I just had to laugh when I found myself getting back into bed pretending to be surprised when they all walked in. Breakfast in bed this year consisted of a bowl of granola with very little milk and a drink of water. I love how my children think! But it was fun to hang out in bed with the whole family surrounding me. A great way to start the day!

The kids and Craig gave me roses! Another surprise I ruined because late Saturday night I had to throw a small load of wash in and when I opened the door to the laundry room there they were. OOOPS! Again I acted surprised. But they were beautiful white, dark pink, and yellow roses. I loved it.

On our way home from church I asked the kids to stay in thier church clothes so we could take a quick photo. Well, this mostly worked...the boys all took off thier ties but that's okay! I don't know about your family but quick photos seem to take forever with mine! But this will have to do...not the best but hey I can't ask too much!

It was a great day! I was able to spend most of Saturday with my mom and we had a great time together. I couldn't have asked for a better mom, she is amazing! I love her so much! I have also been very blessed with a great mom in law. We went over to her house for dinner and a chance to talk to Craig's little brother on his mission. It was a great way to celebrate Mother's Day weekend.

I am lucky to have wonderful mom's. I have a great husband, and awesome children. I am very blessed!

Here is a cute note that Lib left me on the white board.

Brit wearing his "Mommy Rules" shirt, I love it!

Here it is...this was the best one I could get. I don't know what Caleb is doing. But this is us, we are one happy family!

This was one attempt at the family photo. Caleb was trying so hard to look taller than me so for this crazy one I am squatting down. What scares me is someday this may be reality!

Return To Virtue

Our Stake Young Womens Presidency invited all women young and old to hike up "our" mountain (our houses are just at the base of this mountain, so it's ours, right?) early Saturday morning and participate in something I will never forget.

Recently the General Young Women's presidency announced that Virtue would be added to the other 7 Young Women's Values. After being in Young Women's for the past 3 years and just recently being released I was so happy to hear this. All of the values are important in their own way and I have grown to live by them. I think Virtue is a perfect addition. When the General YW Presidency was first called they hiked up to Ensign Peak in SLC, they waved a yellow scarf which they tied to a stick and made a commitment to help the YW of the church return to virtue.

Saturday morning, Craig had taken the older boys camping and I had Liberty and Brit at home with me...this didn't stop me, we woke up early, put a few snacks and a bottle in a baby backpack and I strapped Brit on my back and with Liberty by my side we took off heading right up our street to the mouth of the canyon. (about a 1/2 a mile). I must have looked a bit crazy with a baby strapped to my back and a young girl with me, but this was something I didnt' want to miss. We started up the trail and I will admit this out of shape body was encountering major difficulties. I wondered if I should turn around and just forget about it. The hike was steep and rocky and harder than I had expected. But I decided to push along and make it, Liberty was a trooper, Brit just sort of bounced around in the back pack taking little cat naps along the way. Kindly enough a few friends from the ward offered to take a load off my back (literally!) they offered to carry Brit for a while. What a help that was. I really appreciated it.

Here we are...Lib, Brit and I on "our" mountain.

We made it to a spot on our mountain that we could overlook the valley and see our homes, schools, & churches. It was a great site. Once everyone made it up we all gathered together and our wonderful Stake President asked all of us to sit, he talked about a committment we need to make today to be virtuous. We were going to make a promise or a covenant today, which would make this spot of the mountain hollowed ground. He asked us to remove our shoes, kneel down and pray that we would be virtuous. He gave a beautiful prayer asking for help and strength for those who were there making this covenant to remain virtuous always. He told us that every time we look up to this mountain (which for most would be everyday) it should be a reminder of our covenant we had made with the Lord. After the prayer we put our shoes back on and moved down to the edge of a cliff and waved our gold flags, fabric, ribbons, and other bright yellow or gold things while yelling "return to virtue" and cheering after. I got emotional. I have such a special place in my heart for the young women in our ward...I was surrounded by not only them but with Liberty right at my side, all I could think about was them. I am so glad that Lib was with me. I hope this is something that she will always remember and that she will always be a virtuous lady.

Our Stake President talking to the girls. He is a very powerful speaker, I think the girls really felt what he was trying to say to them. I know I did.

A photographer was down the mountain at a home in our ward watching for us to wave our flags and yell, and he took photos of us up the mountain. A friend of mine was with him and she said that it was an awesome sight. She could hear us and see our faces (through the zoom lens). I can't wait to see those photos.

It is a day I will never forget! I took some photos, and I plan on putting one in Liberty's room so she won't forget. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of this being surrounded by so many women young and old that I have grown to love so much. Seriously this is one of those moments I hope to never forget.

Here we are on the edge of a cliff waving our gold and yellow flags

Liberty getting ready to yell and wave

Here she is waving...having a great time.

Brit taking one of his many cat naps along the way.

Life at the Veenker Home

Well this past week has been busy as usual. We just keep going day in and day out. Nothing major but lots of fun stuff has been happening. I had to share some of the photos I snapped to give you an idea of what life is like for our family.

I had to take a picture of Brit wearing his bib overalls for the first time....I love overalls.

While cleaning up and vacumming the basement one afternoon, I left Brit in with Liberty in her bedroom. I could hear her laughing but didn't think much of it, she called for me to come in her room and when I did this is what I found.
I didn't get a good shot of the flower foam sticker in his hair like a clip, and the feather wrist band, and of course the baby doll.

The next time I was called in it got better, nice pink guitar, and sequenced scarf, still wearing the feathers on his arm and clip in hair.

One final shot...Brit wearing Liberty's tiara. These photos are going to be serious blackmale if I ever need it. Liberty had a great time...who needs a sister when you can just dress your baby brother like a girl?

We spent many nights at the baseball fields. Brit was a great sport, with the occasional cry, but overall he did great.

I decided it was time to get the walker out for Brit. He hasn't really enjoyed the swing and I needed something to hold him while I tried to get things done. He loves it. It makes him look so big.

Wednesday I had to go help in Zach's class and I took Brit. Zach got to finally show his baby brother to his class. It was so cute to watch him tell the class about Brit. They asked all sorts of questions and Zach answered them all. He was a proud big brother.

After sitting in the walker for a while I came into the room and found this. Liberty turned on a movie for him to watch. Hello! I had to laugh and what was the funniest part is he LOVED it! Not a good thing to start.

He was seriously mezmerized by the movie. I must put a stop to this, I don't want a couch potato at age 2 months!

There you have it...nothing really exciting just day to day stuff! It has been a good week with lots of little moments that make me laugh.