The Rager Clan

Summer Injuries!

2011-07-24T21:06:00.003-06:00

This summer has been worse than some, as far as injuries go. Earlier this week, the girls were riding motorcycles with Papa Harold. Lylli went first. Then it was Layla's turn. Harold went to lift her up, and she hit her leg on the hot exhaust pipe! Poor thing! She's doing fine now, so that's good! :) But she had a HUGE blister!

Today we went on an outing to Shane's dad's (just a half mile from his mom's) to see our kitty. (Jerry's watching the cat until we get a house.) The girls were riding their bikes, and Shane and I walked with the dog. Seryn rides well but doesn't brake well. She'd rather stick out her feet to stop. Well, Shane lifted her seat a bit so she could peddle better up the hills. Deciding to follow her sisters, instead of waiting for her dad, Seryn followed the big girls down the hill to the house. Unfortunately, when she stuck out her feet to 'brake' her feet didn't reach as well she thought they would. She panicked, her arms caused her wheel to go crazy, she hit the curb, and crashed. (The picture above is her mark she left on the world!)
She got banged up pretty good, but she's doing well. She has a pretty big gash under her chin, and most people probably would have had her taken in for stitches. But Shane butterflied it closed, and I think it will be fine. She's bruised, but in relatively good spirits!
Hopefully that is the end of our summer injuries this year!

Random Summer Pictures

2011-07-24T20:44:00.004-06:00

We have had a busy summer! The girls got their tonsils out, then I had my hysterectomy. Two weeks later, we attended my family reunion. The following week, Shane and I went to Casper to find jobs (Shane found a job at National Oilwell, and I found one as a teller at Wells Fargo), then he and I returned to Provo to pack up the house and move. Shane and I start our new jobs this week and the kids start school in a couple weeks. Needless to say, I've been busy. So, here are a few random pictures from various adventures this summer.

Shane and some of his friends at a BBQ.

We were at a BBQ with some friends and this nice girl took to Seryn. They were palling around holding hands. They were so cute!

Lylli taking a turn cranking the ice cream with Grandpa!

The girls were playing with the water and sidewalk chalk the other day. When the chalk is wet, it creates a great finger paint. The girls took that a step farther and decided to use it as body paint!

My Uncle Paul had his pop-up camper at my grandparents' BBQ and the girls thought it was lots of fun to check out! Emily and Mandy Blevins and Seryn and Layla.

Layla 'flying' on Shiela's legs!

Layla holding a chicken. A friend of Shane's caught it (his parents owned them) and Layla was so excited to hold it!

Seryn finishing her EXTRA long ride she talked Papa Harold.

Lylli riding on the motercycle with Papa Harold.

Lorimer Family Reunion

2011-07-24T20:18:00.008-06:00

This year, the weekend of July 4th, we went to Rocky Ridge and 6th crossing and Martin's Cove with my family. The mosquitos were horrid, but we all managed to have an enjoyable time. It was two weeks after my surgery, so I didn't hike, but we had a good time.

Our pioneer family!

Michelle Gibbs, Leah Lorimer, Rachel Rager
Lylli Rager, Layla Rager, Seryn Rager, Natalie Gibbs, Beverly Lorimer

Dean Lorimer, Jr., Shane Rager, Dean Lorimer, Parker Gibbs, Carson Gibbs, Mike Gibbs

My mom made everyone pioneer outfits for Christmas for this trip! She did an awesome job!

Aren't they so cute?!

Layla in the Sweetwater River.

Lylli jamming out to her ipod shuffle in the car on the way to Rocky Ridge!

Seryn enjoying lunch after the hike up Rocky Ridge.

Lylli and Shane cooling off in the Sweetwater!

Tonisils

2011-06-09T13:27:00.005-06:00

I know you're all dying to know how the girls are doing. I've been updating everything on Facebook, but if you don't stalk me, you may be in the dark. Plus, my blog now has pictures!

First, I forgot to post a couple pictures from Lylli's birthday. Shane and I got her a new scooter. This one holds up to 180 lbs and the wheels are quite a bit larger than the razors (which only hold about 95 lbs). It also goes much faster!
Lylli especially likes it because it is called a Road Rager!! She says she wants to cross out Road and write Lylli! She and Shane also painted the gold on the wheels green. She loves it!
In this picture you can see the size differnce of the wheels between Layla's Razor and Lylli's Road Rager!

Lylli also got a gift card and some money from a couple friends at her birthday party. So I took her to the store and she bought herself a skateboard, which she loves! She's pretty good, for never having done it before! She wants to get good enough to go to the skate park in Casper. I remember even when she was little she used to ask me if she could go there! Well, if she keeps practicing (and wears the right protective gear) she can!

Now to the tonsil.

My girls have always had big tonsils. When Seryn was a baby, the doctor told us she had 'beefy' tonsils. He also told us they would have to come out but we should try to wait until she was at least 3. So, Shane now has great insurance and, knowing my other girls have big tonsils too, we decided to get them all out. Crazy, I know. But maybe it was really genious! Either way, it's over and done with now!

If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have gotten a picture of them all together before they went in for surgery. They looked so cute in their 'hospital jammies.' But I didn't think of it until just before they wheeled Layla off. (Mommy was a little anxious about her babies!)
Layla was so cute in her little hat! I'm not sure if she was nervous and therefore happy or if she was excited to do something new. I have to hand it to the nurses who really made this a good experience for the girls.

So, my mom came on Wednesday so she could have a couple days to spend with the kids before they were miserable. So that was fun for everyone.

Friday morning, we went to the hospital. Seryn was first, then Layla, and then Lylli. One of the nurses told me that they sometimes will get two siblings at a time, but almost never three. She said she remembers only one other time with three, and that was 15 years ago!

Perhaps this was suicidal, but now it's done, and I don't have to worry about it ever again. Having my mom here to help was a godsend!

So life was pretty crazy there at the hospital for a while. They were checking all three girls in and the doctors came and talked with us as well as nurses and there were papers to sign. I think at any given time we had 5 to 10 nurses/doctors between two rooms before the surgeries started.

And everyone was enchanted by the girls!

So, they wheeled Seryn off, and while she was in recovery, they took Layla back. They then brought me Seryn (who was crying) while Layla went to recovery, and then they took Lylli. Poor thing. Seryn needed Mommy and Lylli was told she needed to go into surger and was a little nervous because her sister was so upset. She didn't know why Seryn was crying and that made her a little uneasy. Thank goodness for Grandma! Then Lylli went into recovery after they brought Layla out.

All in all, Seryn went in at around 9 and Lylli was back by about 10:30.

Seryn with her popsicle and watching TV.

Layla with her slushy and watching TV.

Lylli with her ice pack and watching TV. Isn't her little stuffed kitty cute! I don't know who thought to do that for her, but it was adorable!

After the first major effects of the annisthetics wore off, Seyn was bouncing off the walls at the hospital. The nurses were amazed! When she and Layla got home, they were both bouncing off the walls. Saturday morning was quite a bit different, though!

The girls have been real troopers. They have their good days and their bad days. They absolutely HATE their tylonal with codine! They try so hard to go without it, but they have learned to ask for it when the pain is too much.

The other day, I was singing and Seryn climbed up on the couch and fell asleep!

They have been sleeping in late the last couple of days, which is nice. It also lets me know their bodies are healing. Most of the time they are pretty happy. Their throats are still sore, but they are doing well.

This was Tuesday morning wearing their birthday outfits from Grammy.

Thanks for all your thought and prayers.

Discovery Center

2011-06-09T13:18:00.002-06:00

We've had lots of family in town lately. First, my mother-in-law came to town for a few days, then my mom came to help with the girls' tonsils, and then my father-in-law came. So we've been busy.
While my mother-in-law was here, we went up to SLC to see Shanda and John who were in town for the bike races. We went to the Discovery Center. (I think that's what it's called.) The kids had a great time!
Lylli, Seryn and Layla on a horse.

Layla, Lylli and Seryn in the helicopter. Funny thing, last year when our friend was showing us the helicopter he drove for the hospital, the kids wouldn't get in it at all. Now, it seems, they have no problems with it!

Shane and his...creation.

They had all the cameras and teleprompters too and a weather green screen. This was Lylli's favorite. You could even write your own story to report on TV! She loved it!

Seryn and Layla climbing the rock wall!

Lylli's Birthday

2011-06-06T14:31:00.004-06:00

I'm late posting this, but here are some pictures of Lylli's 9th birthday. Her party was originally planned for Saturday, the day after her birthday, but her best friend was leaving town for the summer that day so we changed it to Friday. Lylli had a GREAT day!! It was the last day of school and they got out at 11:30. Then her party was that afternoon.

Her friends decided that she needed spankings on her birthday. Vivian is doing the spanking, Brenya is standing by for moral support. Tenley is coming to join the fun, and Alisia is watching the fun!
This is when Lylli discovered that her gift from Grandma and Grandpa Lorimer was MUCH better than the computers her sisters got. Lylli got an ipod shuffle! She absolutely loves it!
Here are all of Lylli's silly friends!
Blowing out her candles.
Here Lylli is with her best friend Brenya Hand! They are two peas in a pod, and Lylli is quite lost without her this summer! I'm glad we changed the party so Brenya could come. Lylli is REALLY going to miss her!

Layla's Kindergarten Program 2011

2011-05-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Seryn!!

2011-05-23T20:55:00.003-06:00

Today is Seryn's birthday and she is 4. First thing this morning, she came in to my room and said, "Mommy, is today my birthday? Am I four today?" When I told her that she was, she threw her arms around me and squealed in delight!
Seryn is a joy and a blessing in my life. She is a very happy girl and loves her sisters. She has a very vivid imagination and wants to impress others. She also has an amazing sense of color and fashion. She just knows what looks good (most days.) She's quite the perfectionist, is always missing someone who's not with her, and is a mommy's girl! We are really blessed to have Seryn in our lives! Even though she may cause us all to go to our graves before we are ready, as she is EXTREMELY accident prone!

It rained like crazy this morning but was so nice after lunch. So Shane wanted to give Seryn her bike after lunch so she could ride it a little before it rained again. (which it did) She had a bike, but Lylli and Layla had both ridden it into the ground. So eved though Seryn rode it a little, it's difficult to ride a bike that the seat doesn't stay on.
Needless to say, she LOVES her new pink bike and rides it pretty well! We are still working on the break thing. :)

Isn't that a pretty swim suit? She was so excited about that!

And she LOVES the computer she got from Grandma and Grandpa Lorimer!! Now she has one and so does Layla! (Only Seryn makes sure you know that hers is pink!)

Instead of cake, she wanted a brownie with strawberries. I add the whipped cream too and she LOVED it!! She is so happy to 'FINALLY' be four!!

Starting Up Birthday Week!

2011-05-22T22:39:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, today is the start of birthdays! Today is Layla's (6), tomorrow is Seryn's (4), and Friday is Lylli's (9). Last Friday, Layla and Seryn had a combined birthday party! It was supposed to be a water party but it got rained out! So I had to come up with indoor games. It was crazy, but I think the kids had fun! If nothing else, they LOVED their cupcakes!

We played the egg relay. Only one was dropped, and I'm glad I thought to boil them!

This was both Layla and Seryn's first birthday parties, and they loved having their friends over to make them feel special!

Seryn and her friends!

Layla was SO pleased to have her friends over! This is her new way of expressing her pleasure. (Folding her arms!)

Layla's friends! Silly kids!

Seryn got a bead kit from a friend that she worked on this afternoon!

She is modeling her beautiful crown and purse she made!

Layla's Birthday!

2011-05-22T22:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Layla's birthday and she is now 6!! She is such a beautiful girl! If you haven't met her, she will love you the moment you meet her. Her heart is bigger than anyone's I know. She loves everyone! She wants everyone to be happy! She is truly a special girl! I am so glad she's in our family and a part of my life. Every day she is a light in my life, and she teaches me the importance of love and laughter!

Opening her gifts!
The computer she got from Grandma and Grandpa Lorimer (which she and her sisters love!)

Layla wanted me to take homemade donuts to school for her class. I explained that I didn't think I would have time to make the donuts before I had to get them to school. So I took rainbow cupcakes, which were a HUGE hit! Then, Layla insisted that I make donuts for her birthday treat and that we put candles on them! She loved them and so did the family! It's a good thing I don't make them very often or we'd all weigh 600 lbs! :)

Layla got a K'Nex kit for her birthday! They are like the old Erector sets for those of you old enough to remember those. (I had to look them up on line!) So this afternoon, Layla, Lylli and Shane put together the roller coaster! Shane said that the girls did most of the work.

They really had a good time and Layla LOVES it!!!

Layla's Birthday Rollercoaster

2011-05-22T22:35:00.000-06:00

Lylli Rager in Huckleberry Finn

2011-05-13T22:46:00.001-06:00

Lylli participated in another drama production. She did a great job. Since it was too long of a show I couldn't upload it onto youtube, but I cut and pasted Lylli's parts so you could see her. You can watch the whole thing another time if you want. I'll have it on my computer!
She had the first and the last line, and that made her nervous. But she did a GREAT job! I'm proud of her!

I added several posts tonight, so make sure and scroll down to check out what we've been up to!

SO Far Behind - AGAIN!

2011-05-13T22:10:00.005-06:00

No one really minds a post with just pictures, right? That's usually everyone's favorite part anyway. (At least it's mine!) So since I found so many pictures on my phone and camera, I thought I'd just post some of them!

This is Lylli. We were at Layla's friend's birthday party. Her grandpa has an indoor (and outdoor, but who's keeping track) pool. We have gone over several times this winter and the girls LOVE it!!

Seryn in the kiddy pool.

Layla and her friend, Aydra Hill.

We were in Casper the last part of April for a funeral. We didn't stay long, but we had a good time with our families. The first morning in Casper, Seryn fell off the bed and hit her head on a table and got a little bruise. Later that night, she was tired and jumping from couch to couch at Nana's and face planted!! Her goose egg was HUGE and stuck around for a couple days. We have since learned (I hope) that monkeys don't jump on couches or beds!!! I'm amazed this kid hasn't ever broken anything. If something is going to happen, it ALWAYS happens to Seryn!

Our kitty is getting SO big, but everyone still loves him! We have put him outside, and he is not a fan! But he's getting use to it and has proven himself equal to the dog. (There was a pretty big fight over sleeping arrangements the first night, and I'm pretty sure the cat won.) So they pretty much just avoid each other!

This is Layla holding baby Nolan. (He's a friend's baby. My girls love babies. But I'm DONE! YES, that's an announcement! And very official!)

It was FINALLY warm enough last weekend to get out the pool. The girls had a BLAST!

We have been doing some renovations on our house. One of which was to put up moulding in the house. This is Seryn helping her dad remove the partial pieces in the kitchen! She's a GREAT helper! (Shane also put in tile in the bathrooms and I have been painting!)

These were the rainbow cupcakes I made for Layla's class. They were lots of fun. Just take a white cake mix, divide it into bowls, add lots of food color until you have the colors you want. Then layer them into the cupcake wrappers. The kids LOVED them!

I did red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

May Scripture Story

2011-05-13T21:58:00.001-06:00

SAMUEL THE LAMANITE

Helaman 13-16

1. What did Samuel tell the people to do?

2. Why were people shooting arrows at him?

3. Why didn't the arrows hit him?

Easter

2011-04-24T20:20:00.005-06:00

We had our typical Easter weekend. We colored eggs on Friday night.

The Easter Bunny came Saturday morning and we found baskets, ate cinnomon rolls and boiled eggs for breakfast.

Then tonight, we had our big Easter dinner with some friends. We had such a fabulous dinner!! I posted the recipes on the family recipe blog, so you can get them there if they interest you.

I didn't want to buy a $30 ham, but Jerry brought us some meat a couple months back and brought a leg of lamb, so we had Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb. We had Twice Baked Potatos which I made up as I went along. But I do that with everthing. We had Deviled Eggs, compliments of Betty Crocker. When we went out for our anniversary dinner, Shane got some Butter Maple Carrots, so I came up with a recipe for those and her really liked them! We had a Fruit Salad and Feather Light Rolls.

We finished with an Angel Food Torte, that was fabulous!!! I have recently become enamored with angel food cakes from scratch. I have always been afraid to make them because they call for so many egg whites. I will never care again! The last time I made a box mix, it was spongy and had a weird flavor, due to the powder egg whites, or something. Anyway, a real one if FABULOUS! My Betty Crocker recipe calls for vanilla flavor and almond. I've replaced the almond with orange. I'd like to replace it with coconut. I also like to fold in shaved chocolate. Leaving the chocolate in chips or chunks is too heavy. But the shavings are wonderful.

All in all we had a great Easter!!

Oh, this week, I also made Toffee, Peanut Butter Eggs, and Cadburry Eggs! Yummy!!

Scripture Stories

2011-04-18T16:42:00.003-06:00

I'm late posting this month's scripture stories because we had General Conference, then we were in Casper for a funeral, and then we had Stake Conference. I had to call my friend to get the scripture stories this month.

So first, we are reading

Daniel 6 (Daniel and the Lion's Den).

Then we're reading

1 Samuel 17 (David and Goliath).

We'll probably push David to next week so we can read the Easter story this week too! Lots of reading! The girls are EXCITED!

Shane's TV Center

2011-04-06T19:41:00.003-06:00

Some of you may know that when we came home from my brother's wedding last May, we came home to a shattered TV. We had a nice TV stand and the shelves were made of glass. We really liked it. But while we were out of town, the shelf that held the TV shattered, pitching the TV forward and shattering it as well. Shane was DEVASTATED! I was grateful it hadn't happened while the girls were sitting there. Anyway, Shane built a wooden shelf for it and we went on our merry way. A couple weeks ago, our receiver tried to die again. (We have been nursing it for 2 or 3 years now.) Shane was trying to get it to work and another of the shelves shattered. Ugh! The glass is always such a mess to clean up. So, we went receiver shopping and found a nice one. However, we didn't want to spend $400 or $500 for another TV stand. Instead, Shane went to Lowe's and bought some wood for $100 and built a nice TV stand! He wanted to stain it black to match the shelves he made when we first moved here. I told him it would fun to make the shelves a cherry red for a two tone look!

And you know Shane. He loves making things challenging. So he decided he wanted to notch everything and then put in pegs to hold it in. So it looks really neat on the sides, but he says it was a pain, and when it's up against the wall, you can't see it. Oh well. You can look at the picture.

So here's the set up now. Shane wants a different speaker for the top shelf, but I don't get that stuff. And the receiver have its own shelf! Anyway, it's lots of fun and looks neat.

Sunday Activities

2011-03-27T13:35:00.005-06:00

Lylli has been eight for almost a year now. One of the fun things that girls this age get to do in Primary is complete projects for their Faith in God award. This prepares them for the Young Women's Personal Progress Program when they turn 12.
One of the requirements for the Faith in God award is to help plan and present a primary activity. (It's supposed to be a quarterly activity, but they allow for modifications.) So, being a primary leader (I do the singing time again!) I told her she could help me do singing time. She was pretty excited! She decided to make a flower and put songs on the back, and then hide the pieces around the room. Then she chose kids to find the pieces, bring them to the board, and they built the flower! She drew and cut everything out!! She loved it, though she said it was a little bit scary! She did a GREAT job and passed off her goal!

In other Primary news, the theme for Primary this year is "I Know the Scriptures Are True." Our primary presidency has started a new thing where they assign two scripture stories a month, and the kids are supposed to go home and either read them individually or read them with their family. We have never been great about reading the scriptures as a family because we have always had at least one or two girls who couldn't read. And sometimes it just gets tedious. We would read scripture books with the stories, but now we are actually reading the scriptures every night as a family! The girls love it!! It's been great for Lylli to have to read out loud, it's been great for Layla who is learning to read! She has improved a lot since we started reading the scriptures. And it's good for Seryn to repeat the words of the verse and hear the language so she becomes familiar with it.
So, if you'd like to follow along, I'll post each month's stories on my blog. We only read about 18 verses a night and then talk about what we read. So we are slow going. But we have all enjoyed it! (Last month we read the brass plates and Nephi building a boat.) So here's this months. We got a little behind so we will be starting Jonah tonight!

Noah's Ark
Genesis chapter 6-8
1. Why was Noah commanded to build a ship?
2. How old was Noah?
3. What happened to those who did not listen to Noah?
4. What sign does God give us promising he will never flood the earth again?

Jonah and the Whale
Jonah chapters 1 & 2
1. What did God ask Jonah to do?
2. Why did Jonah run away?
3. What happened to Jonah when he didn't do what the Lord commanded him to do?
4. Why did the whale spit Jonah out?

The kids will get more stories next Sunday, so I'll post them! In Primary, they get fuzzies for reading, and they are working toward a water party this summer. It's really a fun idea!
For those of you who don't know, Shane was released as Sunday School President and is now an Assistant in the Young Men's. (Is that what they are called? He helps with the priests and teaches sometimes.) Shane really enjoys this! He loves to teach, and these boys really need his help. They need to know someone cares what happens to them. Today, during Sunday School Shane went and got one young man out of bed to go to YM and picked another one up too. I think he'll be a good role model for those boys. There's only one regularly active priest and there are only 3 total. Anyway, I think it will be good for Shane too. Helping people is just his 'cup of tea!'

Puzzle It!

2011-03-21T08:41:00.002-06:00

Seryn put this puzzle together all by herself this morning. She's pretty proud of that fact. Her sisters were at school and I was checking my email. Then she came upstairs and told me to come look at her castle! Such a smart kid!

Where Did March Go?

2011-03-19T13:37:00.006-06:00

It's gone!! It just left!!! (The month. NOT my sanity! Okay, well maybe that too.)
I don't know why I've been keeping up my writing blog but not this one. (shaking head) So, since I have been so lax in my blogging, here's an update for the end of February and most of March.

Amy and Iris came to visit one day and Iris' hair was fixed so cute! I thought I'd give it a try. Although, Seryn's hair isn't as long, curly, or thick, I still think it turned out okay. And she LOVED having beautiful hair!

At the beginning of the year, I was looking for a job. (I'm still kind of looking, but I think I might be going back to school instead.) Anyway, if I got a job, I wanted Lylli to have something to do after school so she wouldn't have to go to day care for 2 hours or be home by herself that long. So I told her to pick some of the after school programs that they offer at the school. She chose Spanish Club because she enjoys Spanish and she has several friends in it, and Drama. (It's turned out to be a good thing. She's not nearly as bored when she comes home, and she doesn't have as many fits either!)

I was concerned about the drama thing because she's so shy, and she didn't know anyone in it. In fact the first day, she said she was so nervous she stood outside the door for ten minutes before she got the nerve to go in! Anyway, she played the Widow Marina in The Taming of the Shrew! AND SHE LOVED IT!!!! She did SUCH a good job! (It was a VERY slimmed down version but they performed it in old English.) I'd never have believed my shy little girl would do so well on stage! She's auditioning for the next play too, and I'm very proud of her!

Even though our winter hasn't been windy and snowy, it's cold (for Provo) and generally not pleasant outside. We've all had a touch of cabin fever. But one day, the girls decided to dress up as princesses and have a tea party! (complete with crumpets aka Wheatie cookies and tea aka lemonade)

My mom came to visit last week! That was a lot of fun! Seryn has been complaining about being hot and wanting to wear her swimsuit. While my mom was here, I made the mistake of telling her to put on her swimsuit (it was a joke, but she didn't catch that). So, I had to make good on my word, and Layla and Seryn went swimming in the bathtub, because it's just too cold to swim outside.

Okay. I have to redeem myself. Since I have so many raised eyebrows looking at me, I thought I'd tell you WHY my 8-year-old now has a cell phone.

We don't have a land line and Lylli often has the responsibility to watch her sisters for short periods of time. I don't like that she can't call me if she has problems. Even if I leave my phone home, she can't call me and Shane's usually busy. So unless we are together, it doesn't always work.

On our phone plan, all cell to cell calls (of any provider) don't take up minutes. So Shane dropped our minutes and then added another line for $10 a month. So now, Lylli can have a phone to get ahold of us if she needs to while babysitting. She also will have it if something happens during her after school programs and she gets done early. She has unlimited texting and has enjoyed texting everyone! I don't mind that. We have given her rules, and she's doing pretty well. Although, I have yet to see her without the phone. She feels all grown up now!

Oh, one more little thing. Lylli was accepted into the Accelerated School here in Provo! We (Shane, Lylli, and I) have decided that she will be going there next year. She is SO excited!! They do math for 2 hours a day, and everything revolves around Science, which is her favorite subject! They work on projects of subjects they chose, get to work out in the school garden every Friday, and eat outside on nice days! (She's thrilled about that!) The school is 4 - 6 grade and there is only one class of each with about 25 - 30 kids per class. She will be there for 3 years with the same kids and then move on to another Accelerated Program when she's done with Elementary School. They have a fine arts department and she can choose 3 subjects to study. (choir, drama, orchestra, band, guitar, art, ballroom dance) They learn Latin, and have experts come to their school and visit with the kids frequently. She is very excited but sad to lose some of her good friends. Still, we all think this will be a good thing for her.

Valentine's Party

2011-02-07T11:03:00.005-07:00

Every year we do a Valentine's Party! This year, the girls had some friends over, and we had a HUGE party! In total, we had 15 girls! We had so much fun! I remember doing this with my grandma when I was little, and I've done it with my girls since Lylli was in school! Seryn and Layla have never had parties before, so they had a GREAT time! Surprisingly, Lylli and her friends were the wildest and LOUDEST!

AND, I after many batches of cookies, I finally created the BEST recipe for sugar cookies. Feel free to check it out!

Lylli's Better Butter

2011-01-15T15:51:00.004-07:00

Over Christmas break, Lylli decided to do a science project. She asked me if butter was made out of oil. I told her it was made out of cream. So we decided to make it into an experiment. She did some research and she tried several methods. One of them was shaking them in a jar with a marble. She tried cream, oil, and a combination of the two. The cream worked. The oil didn't. And the combination turned into thick whipped cream but nothing more. She tried it with a mixer too and without the marble. She had a great time and loves her homemade butter!!!

Seryn's Earrings!

2011-01-15T15:35:00.002-07:00

Layla, Shane, and BMX

2011-01-15T15:20:00.004-07:00

Last weekend, we went to a dirt track to watch some friends race on bikes. They have a group where all the kids can ride around part of the track and they all get trophies. Layla decided she wanted to do it, and a guy there let her borrow a bike. She was SO excited and had SO much fun!!! She did a great job too! Even though the bike was too big for her!

This is Layla's race. She had to stop on the first hill. (I thought she got stuck but she stopped so she didn't hit someone.) She did a great job and says she won her race!!! She had a blast!

Shane didn't race, but he did borrow his buddie's bike and helmet and went around the track a couple times. This is his second run. His first on he lost his shoe!! Funny!

Houses

2011-01-15T15:11:00.003-07:00

I made Seryn a house for Christmas! Now all three girls have houses. I don't know if any of them love them as much as Seryn does. She creates an entire village when she plays. Sometimes she even has all the barbies and small animals too. It's really cute!
(Lylli's is the one on the left, Seryn's is in the middle, Layla's is the green one on the right.)

The insde of Seryn's house with the furnature and her Kelly doll.

Seryn's house

December 23 & 24

2010-12-24T16:25:00.003-07:00

We have a fun week! It snowed and we waited until the snow was mostly melted before we went sledding.

Seryn, Coby, and Layla

Lylli

We also went to temple square with some friends! (Vivian, Layla, Adra, Seryn)

Seryn asked who that girl was holding. I said, "Baby Jesus." Seryn said, "Awwww." :)

Seryn LOVES temples and wanted a picture in front of the SLC temple! She thought it was beautiful! (She's right!)

We also road the trax. A new experience for us all!!! We drove to Sandy and then road the (train) trax to Temple Square. The girls had a great time. I got motion sick. (Me and Seryn)

Vivian and Lylli.

Ashlynn and Layla

And today we made a BUNCH of donuts! I've never done them and thought it'd be a fun Christmas Eve thing to do! It was and they are DELICIOUS!

Lylli's Christmas Program

2010-12-21T20:45:00.002-07:00

This is Lylli's Christmas program! She actually smiled!! I don't know if that's ever happened before!

If you can't get it to load, here's the youtube link.

Layla

2010-12-20T22:39:00.001-07:00

The other night, Shane and I went to the mall to finish up Christmas shopping, and when we got home, Layla informed us that she'd lost her first tooth!! She was VERY excited! And when Grandma was in town last, she helped Layla make a tooth pillow that was FINALLY put into use! And OH, the inflation of the world! When I was a girl, the tooth fairy brought me a quarter per tooth. Now the tooth fairy brings a dollar!

Today they did a Chrismas Open House at school so each grade prepared a couple minute program with songs to perform for the parents. It's always fun to watch! This is Layla's class. I recorded it for her to watch and to share with those who can't come because of distance! Hope you enjoy it! (She's on the back row on the left.)

If you can't get this to play, check it out on youtube.

Spitting

2010-12-19T22:57:00.003-07:00

I found this on my camera of Layla and Seryn spitting sunflower seeds. It's really pretty humorous!

Thanksgiving Fun!

2010-11-28T20:56:00.006-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! We went up to Casper and spent about 12 days! We spent the first half at Shane's mom's house and the second half at my parents'. We saw lots of our friends and most of our family!

While at Lenay's the girls made gingerbreatd houses with their cousins.

Layla's philosophy is the more candy the better. And all on top!

Lylli just wants to get hers done.

And Seryn is very meticulous about where everything goes!
They had lots of fun!

Seryn's house! (She did it all herself. I didn't do anything!)

Layla's house is at the far right and Lylli's is next to hers. (Hailey and Ella's are the huge ones.)

We spent the holiday over at my parents' and had a wonderful time! While there, the girls even got to give Grandpa a shave! They thought that was fun! I think he was incredibly brave or crazy!

This is the before shot. You always need one of those.

Lylli was the first one. I think Dad trusted her more. Or maybe since she was oldest she bullied her way first. (shrug) Who knows.

Then there was Layla. She was a little eager and went a little fast, but figured it out pretty fast!

And Seryn. I was surprised she was as careful as she was, although I probably shouldn't be. But she was very worried about hurting Grandpa.

And after the girls had him shaved, Lylli gave him a hair cut!

We had a great time at home and hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

2010-10-30T21:04:00.001-06:00

Our Cosmetolgist

2010-10-25T08:31:00.003-06:00

Seryn is one of those girls who is always going into the bathroom to clip her nails or comb her hair, put on make-up, or just make herself look pretty. And if I let her do it herself, she'd be painting her nails EVERYDAY!

Saturday night, I went into my bathroom and found hair in my sink. Yesterday morning, I discovered she'd cut bangs for herself so she could have bangs like me, Lylli, and (even though she's growing hers out) Layla.

The funny thing is, she did this by herself. I had to trim up the sides, but she cut them pretty straight. Do we have a cosmetologist in the works here? Perhaps!

(And since Seryn is the queen of face making, I added this one too.)

Fun with Grandma and the Gibbs!

2010-10-21T22:01:00.008-06:00

This last weekend, my mom came to visit! Since she was planning to be in town, my sister decided to come too. We had a lot of fun! I had things planned, and we all know how that can go. Instead, my mom brought a bunch of old prom dresses that my sister and I had worn in high school. So we had a giant dress-up party!

Lylli in my wedding dress.

Seryn in one of my prom dresses!
Surprisingly, Michelle and I fit into some of our old dresses. Others, we didn't! (At least not if you count having to be zipped up, fitting.)

Natalie, Lylli, Me, Seryn, and Michelle. (Lylli's wearing my baptism dress.)

I even fit into my wedding dress!

I realize I'm wearing a pained expression, but it was tight!! And I think that I should get points for even being able to zip it up! Especially since I'm 30 lbs. heavier than I was when I got married nearly 10 years ago!

And Saturday night, all the girls wore Kleenex in their hair and had curly hair Sunday for church!

This is the second year my mom has been here for her birthday! The kids had a great time throwing her a party. Layla was upset that we forgot the balloons, but the cake and ice cream were good! What a fun weekend!

This is the girls making cards for Grandma before she came! I just had to stick it in here because they're so cute!

Healthy Activities

2010-10-03T10:55:00.003-06:00

I need to get into the habit of blogging again. So, I'll start today.
We still LOVE our kitty. He's getting bigger and I've had to ban the kids from playing with him some days. (They love him a little bit TOO much!)

See how Seryn holds his neck so he won't get away?

Jerry has been to visit us a couple times over past two weeks. The girls love seeing him when he stops by!

And Jerry is a good sport!

My friend has lots of family in Provo and her family all have fruit trees. Last weekend, she took me to pick some peaches at one of her grandma's house. So, last weekend, the girls and I canned peaches and jam. They had a great time!

Lylli commented on how good it was that we were preparing and preserving something healthy.

Saturday afternoon, last week, we finally took the girls up the 'Y'. We have been trying to do it all summer. But it was so hot! Then Shane and I got sick. We were finally able to go! All three girls walked all the way up and down! (Seryn collapsed on the last 1/4 mile down and we put her in the backpack.)

It was quite a hike! The girls loved it! And we could hear the football game! Shane thinks I should hike this daily! But with Seryn on my back, I don't know that that will happen!

Layla didn't realize how high up the 'Y' was. And she thought it was funny that though the 'Y' looked little from our house, it's really HUGE! :)

Cheshire

2010-09-17T09:34:00.004-06:00

Isn't he SO cute! Cheshire is our new kitty. He's nine weeks old and lots of fun!

We've had him for a week and a half. He loves to play. And he likes his belly rubbed, like a dog. Weird! Everyone thinks he's the baby!

My Poem

2010-09-11T13:58:00.002-06:00

I posted this on my writing blog, but I thought I'd post it here too, since you all know Shane. I wrote this for my English class. If you're curious about the form of the poem, I wrote it down on my other blog. http://rachelrager.com. It was fun to do!
Shane was supposed to be at Father's and Son's last night with a young man in our ward. They got up and realized they only went because they thought the other one really wanted to be there. So they came home and played video games. I asked Shane to give me a topic for my poem, and he told me to write one on how he plays games. So I did. It made Lylli and I laugh!

Alone Tonight, Always the Same
by Rachel Rager

Alone tonight, always the same,
I sit and write my poetry about
My husband and his game.

He sits on the couch with a soda, nice and tame,
Along with the dog; what a pair.
Alone tonight, always the same.

I wonder if it’s Halo, or God of War. Who’s to blame?
Does it really matter?
My husband and his game.

Perhaps I should find a new hobby, one that’s not lame
Like painting, or yoga.
Alone tonight, always the same.

But then if I did design something, anything to frame,
Could I hang it in front of the TV to block
My husband and his game?

Alas, I sit here, with only a computer to hold my claim.
I sit here with my poetry.
Alone tonight, always the same.
My husband and his game.

Layla's in Kindergarten!

2010-09-09T15:24:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Layla's so big!!!! Layla started Kindergarten on September 1. CRAZY! She's loving school! She loves that she's big like Lylli. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Ellis and she is in the morning class. I take her to school with Lylli and then she rides the bus home, which she LOVES! I met her bus the first two days and the bus was really late. So the third day, Seryn and I were running a few minutes behind, and Layla was getting home as we were leaving the house. She was so proud of herself for being so big and doing it on her own. In fact, she asked me not to pick her up anymore because she can do it all by herself! I think I'm having a harder time letting Layla go to school than I did letting Lylli.

SO Far Behind

2010-08-27T09:53:00.003-06:00

I realize I haven't blogged for a while. During July, I went to Girl's Camp and my girls went to Casper. They had a great time and got to do all sorts of things. Including riding horses. After we all got home, Shane went to the Tetons for a week with work and came home hating to be in the office! We didn't do much this summer, but we made the most of it!

Here is one of the creations the girls made in the playroom. This is a temple. Can't you tell. Angel Moroni is even on top! LOL! I think they said this was the Bountiful Temple. (They made it for Dean and Leah when they came.)

And now is school season!! YAY!!

Lylli is in 3rd grade this year and is already learning cursive! (She says she already knows how to do most of it. She doesn't say so, but I know she loves it anyway!) She loves her teacher, Mrs. Clifford, and has some friends from last year in her class again, though not all of them. And she's making new friends. According to her, she's 'getting braver and standing up' for herself. :) She's currently reading, "The Enchantress of Crumbledown" at home and "Ella Enchanted" for free-time at school. I can't believe she's getting so big!

Layla will be in Kindergarten this year. They had testing this week, so she hasn't been in school yet. But she'll start next Wednesday. She is SO excited and can't wait! Poor Seryn. She wears her backpack every day to take Lylli to school. She wants to go so badly. We'll have to come up with special stuff for her to do at home!

If you didn't know, I've started school again too. I'm taking a math course to catch me up. (I haven't taken math in 13 years so I'm VERY rusty.) And I'm taking an English Creative and Imaginative Writing class. I think it will be fun, but a lot of work. Lots of reading. Lots of writing. Both things I enjoy. If only I was reading and writing what I wanted! :) I'm excited, though. I'm hoping to learn lots! And Shane's taking a Creative Writing class he's excited about.

I'll make sure and post next week. I'll have Layla's first day of school pictures. We can't miss that!

Hollywood Birthday Party

2010-07-03T17:08:00.001-06:00

Lylli went to a birthday party the other night. It had a Hollywood theme. She had a GREAT time! But the best part, they picked her up in a stretch limo!

Life at the Rager's

2010-06-30T09:21:00.002-06:00

Yes, we are all still alive. My internet has been down and getting pictures on the computer and being at the library with enough time to blog has been a challenge. But I thought I'd take a couple minutes to post a few pictures.

The girls got water squirters for their birthdays. (They are all broken now, I think.) When they figured out how well they worked, well, I think poor Seryn got the wettest!

And Shane's playing church softball. He's pretty good. He talked me into playing one week. It was a disaster! But the team could always count on me to get that 3rd out!

Still Recovering from May!

2010-06-09T12:28:00.004-06:00

May was a CRAZY month! The girls are all a year older, school's out, Lylli is baptised, Dean is married, and I'm ready for school to start again! I won't post pictures of everything because you would be reading this post until next week. So, I've changed some of the pictures on my side bar.
Okay. Let's see if I can remember everything.

Somewhere in the middle of May, I hiked up to the 'Y' on the mountain with my Young Women.

Lylli had a field day at school on her birthday! Grandma and Grandpa were in town and surprised her!

While Lylli was doing relays, we went over to an old man's house to look at all his whirly-gigs that he makes! He's a genius! And he has a lot of neat stuff! He even came out and gave us a tour of his sheds where he has antique tools and and all sorts of other things. The man was amazing! And so nice!

He made this flower pot and the girls are being sassy!

He also made this! It's hilarious. In case you can't read it, it says, "Self Powered Riding Lawn Mower."

Layla had her birthday on May 22nd. She's 5 and ready to start Kindergarten in the fall. She is doing well with her letters and numbers and LOVES dress up and pretend and riding her new scooter!

Seryn's birthday was May 23rd. She's 3 and loves to be with her sisters. (I don't know how it will go over when both of them are at school.) She loves to play the piano, be with mom, and ride her new scooter.

Lylli's birthday was May 27th. She's 8 and had her baptism last weekend. She loves to be outside and whenever she's inside, you can find her reading (usually her new scriptures) or coloring.

We attended Dean and Leah's wedding in Bountiful on May 28th. We are so excited to have Leah in the family. The girls love anyone who belongs to their favorite uncle! But she is wonderful! It was great to be in the temple with my family!

Lylli's baptism was June 5th here in Provo. It was nice that our families could be here and the Blevins too. It was nice to be surrounded by family on Lylli's special day. When I was in the dressing room with her, she was all smiles and told me, "I've always wondered what it was like to be baptised." Now she knows and I can see how her choice affects her daily decisions! She is a wonderful example to all of us!

I'm sure I missed something. But it was crazy! Oh, and if you want to read what I've been writing, I've been posting a book, as I write it, on my writing blog on Wednesdays as part of my Wednesday Romance series. It's been kind of fun!

I'll try to do better with my posts!

Prom Dress

2010-05-08T14:37:00.002-06:00

Remember how I was working on a prom dress several months ago? Well, I don't remember if I posted pictures of it or not. If I didn't it was because I couldn't get a very good picture of it. I tried it on, and, quite simply, I couldn't fill it out. But Joanna sent me a picture of her at prom and I thought I'd post it so you could see the camo dress. BTW - she LOVED it!!!

Monster Causes Damage to Mother!

2010-05-08T10:16:00.004-06:00

I didn't realize I had such strong and abusive children!
Before I start the story, keep in mind that Lylli will be 8 in three weeks.
On Monday, I took Lylli to the doctor for a booster shot for her Hep A. When we got there, the doctor made a reasonable argument and I decided to give her the second Chicken Pox vaccination too. Lylli was upset because I told her she'd only be getting one shot and she didn't want two. I had her calmed down by the time the two nurses came in. However, she wasn't as consoled as I'd thought. She ran from the nurses, screaming at the top of her lungs. We tried to reson with her but she wouldn't listen. We encouraged her to sit, and she thrashed. We seriously ended up having to hog-tie her to give her the shots! Ugh! One nurse grabbed her around the waist, pinning her arms to her side, while I grabbed her legs, and the other nurse administered the shots. Not fun! We finally got the first shot in her and then she didn't make a peep for the second one. I wanted to strangle Lylli!!!! In the end, she walked away with two shots, I walked away with a torn fingernail and a bruise on my leg, six inches long and two inches wide. Needless to say, she didn't get the chocolate chip cookies promised to her for being brave.
(Keep in mind, my legs are getting thinner! :) And the bruise is actually worse than the picture shows. Who knew that my camera is so terrible.)
This was my bruise Tuesday morning.
This is my bruise this morning.

Layla's Done with Soccer

2010-04-30T09:35:00.003-06:00

This was Layla's original team. It seemed like every week there were more and more kids. The one to her right is her friend, Taylor.

These other pictures are from yesterday's game. It was her last game. She did better and better each game and had a lot of fun!

I love her tongue hanging out!

Yesterday's weather was strange. It was cold and a bit windy. It would be sunny for a few minutes and then snowing! Thought we were maybe back in Wyoming! :)

What's a good soccer game without the loving support of family? This is Seryn and her friend Coby. Coby is Taylor's brother!

Popcorn on the trees

2010-04-29T23:03:00.001-06:00

Okay, I put a picture at the top of all the trees here a couple weeks ago. I've never seen anything like this before! We call them popcorn trees and they are EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately my allergies are going CRAZY! But they look neat.

April

2010-04-25T13:26:00.002-06:00

What a month!!! We've been so busy! And while I've been on the computer, I've been working on my book. And, three days ago, I finally submitted it!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!
But I'll start at the beginning!
We got to have Easter at our home this year. We've always been with family for Easter and it was a BIG change. But we had a nice time. We colored eggs on Friday night, the Easter Bunny came Saturday morning, and we did our Easter dinner on Sunday after conference.

Seryn has also been learning to ride her bicycle! She had great balance last year but was too short! This year, she's a little taller and doing well! She demanded Shane put the pedals back on, so he did, but not the training wheels. He's been able to let go a couple times and she can go by herself a short ways. I don't think it will be much longer now!

It's been so nice lately!! So warm! One day it was in the mid 70's! I took the girls on a bike ride, which is always fun! We did a couple last fall and I'm excited to get to do them more often!

Some of you know that I attended the LDStorymaker's Writer's Conference this weekend! It was TONS of fun!!! I learned lots and got to meet some neat people! I even met some of my favorite authors and friends! People like Joyce DiPastena, author of Loyalty's Web and Illuminations of the Heart. And Sarah M. Eden, author of Courting Miss Lancaster. And Liz Adair, author of Counting the Cost. Tristi Pinkston, Hearther Justensen, Nicole Giles, Kari Pike (mother of Aprilynn Pike), Tina Scott, Aubrey Mace, Marsha Ward, Stacy Anderson, (just to name a few.) I met TONS of other people and authors. I had so much fun! This picture is of my online writing group ANWA (well, those of us who attended the Whitney Awards Banquet last night.) ANWA (American Night Writers Association) is one of the best things I've ever done as a writer. They are so supportive and helpful and just a lot of fun!!!

(I will have more pictuers on my writing blog in a day or two!)
Since I was gone, and being in Provo, Shane was in charge of the girls. That's something our family has never experienced before. He's never been in charge for two whole days before and found it more challenging than he thought! And Lylli learned how much her mom helps her remember everything for school!
So, we're doing well and I will try harder to keep up better on my blog!

Rice Krispie Easter Eggs

2010-04-02T12:32:00.003-06:00

If you ever need a fun, crative, food craft for Easter, this is it! I did this for Lylli's party today and it turned out great! The kids thought they were awesome! I molded rice krispie treats to look like eggs. Then I let them dip them in colored sugar and frost them with frosting. You could use candy too if you wanted! They were lots of fun. These are the left-overs I just sugared here at home! Happy Eastser! (I'll put the full recipe on the recipe blog!)

March MADness!

2010-03-30T21:57:00.002-06:00

As most of you know, Lylli just got done with gymnastics and Layla has started soccer! (Videos take forever to load here, so look on my facebook page for videos!) She has been LOVING it!

She's the only girl on her team but has lots of fun! She does have a difficult time "stearing" the ball. (Her words, not mine!)

Last weekend, our ward had the annual pinewood derby. The cubs did their thing first and then the ward did theirs. There were quite a few cars and everyone had a great time! Shane raced and I took LOTS of pictures for our ward blog!

We all know how competitive Shane is at these sorts of things. Well, he didn't like what he did to his first car, so he bought a second one. He also went to the store and bought the stuff to make a 'practice' track. He did enough research to build it and then used it to determine where to put his weights, etc.! He also had a couple guys in the ward come over and practice too! He had a great time and ended up getting 4th place! He also won an award for the most memorable car! (He colored it with a sharpie marker!)

Shane's car is the one on the left!

The girls at the pinewood derby showing me their frosting faces!

Spring

2010-03-22T13:35:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago was Casper's spring break and so my mom came down for the first half of the week and my mother-in-law came down for the second half. It was fun to see them both, but I mostly forgot my camera. But here are the girls blowing bubbles with Grandma.

Today the girls wanted to play with playdough but I couldn't for the life of me find it! So, the girls and I made some. It turned out pretty good.

It has been so nice the last several several days. In the 70's. So today, Layla asked to have a picnic outside for lunch today. So, the girls ate outside. They had a GREAT time!

Lylli's 'boy' friend

2010-03-15T10:24:00.002-06:00

Lylli came into the kitchen one day last week with her jeans and boots on. She rubs her hands up and down the sides of her jeans and says, "I think Josh likes me." (Josh is a boy in her class.)
"Why do you think that?" I say, trying to figure out why my daughter who likes to wrestle with boys is suddenly interested in what they think of her.
"He says I look cute in these jeans and boots." She smiled.
Then she proceeded to make her lunch.
A little bit later in the car...
Lylli was talking about her friends and was talking about Josh AGAIN. Apparently they are in the advanced classes together.
"I never know what to say around him, Mom. He makes me kind of scared."
"Scared?"
"Well, not really scared..."
"Nervous and fluttery?"
"Yes."
"Is he cute?"
"Yes."
Finally, I couldn't help but ask, "Do you like Josh?"
Her shy smile is one I've NEVER seen before. "I think so," she said and giggled.

And so...it begins! Lylli has always liked boys to play with and because they're fun! Now, I think we're are looking beyond that. Shane is terrified!

Monster Saks

2010-02-26T21:11:00.002-07:00

Shane has wanted monster saks almost since we moved to Utah. So we saved up some money and got two for the TV room. They are kind of like like giant bean bags. The girls LOVE them! Shane told them they can jump on them as long as they don't use their feet! Surprisingly, they adhere to that rule pretty well!

And below are some pictures from Lylli's cookie bake. The girls had so much fun!!!

2010-02-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

2010-02-01T16:32:00.001-07:00

Bears and Basketsball

2010-02-01T16:01:00.004-07:00

For Christmas, the girls got some build-a-bears from Papa Rager. They are the animals that you sew together, stuff, and dress. Anyway, last week, the girls and I made their animals! They had a great time!

Shane and I have been playing basketball! Here in Utah, we have stake basketball for men and women! It's lots of fun! We will sometimes practice at the church and we started games. They are lots of fun but I have to remember that I'm almost 30 not almost 20!!!

I also started working out at a gym here and got several sessions with a personal trainer. Today was my first day! I don't know if fun is the right word, but it was nice to have someone tell me what I should be doing! So we'll see how it works out!

Last week, Shane was called as the new Sunday School President. Hopefully he enjoys that! Our ward is so transient that he will always be calling new teachers!

Updates

2010-01-21T08:57:00.004-07:00

WARNING: This is long.

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let everyone know how we're doing. Fine. We are fine!! :)

I am staying very busy with my Young Women's calling. Because of the nature of my ward, I'm getting new counselors ever couple months and getting them trained, so that's kind of tough. But I'm enjoying the girls! I'm finally starting to make some good friends here, so that's been fun. Shane befriended a guy in the ward. His wife and I get along well pretty well and go to story time together. She even dragged me to Relief Society last night. (Which was probably a good thing.) I've also been building a prom dress out of camo for a girl in Casper and editing my book. I'm hoping to submit it soon, but I've been saying that for a couple months now! :)

Shane is enjoying his job at UVU. He is in meetings all the time and likes it. Apparently, if he wears green (the school's color) on Wednesdays, he gets a free 'J' dog for lunch! (I guess it's a polish sausage with some sort of BBQ sauce or something.) Anyway, Shane LOVES that! He and I are going to dinner with his boss tonight, so that should be nice. UVU's culinary instructor is going to be feeding us. Now doesn't that sound like a fun course! (One of my new friends went to culinary school and was a chef for several years. I love eating at her house!!)

Lylli's liking school still but doesn't have it much this month and next. They have half days on the first and third Fridays of every month throughout the year. And then through February, they are having half days on Thursdays too! Kind of crazy! They were offering some classes like a school newspaper, building a city and learning what people do, and a dance class for Thursdays after school. But you know Lylli. None of her friends were doing it, so she didn't want to. So I'm having her help me write a story we've wanted to create. So that's fun!

Layla is LOVING story time because she gets to go into the story time room by herself! It's her 'class'! She loves all of her little friends and is always happy.

Seryn is still into everything! She likes story time too. We see Layla into her room, then go to another area for Seryn's. It's kind of nice. The preschoolers are supposed to go by themselves and then the mom's can go sit with the toddlers. I'm surprised at how shy Seryn is when she doesn't have her sisters to bolster her confidence.

Okay, so this is eternally long. Sorry. But I did find one picture. After Christmas, we set up the girls' castle tent. They loved wearing the dresses Grandma made and playing with the castle!

We love you all!

Christmas & Casper

2010-01-06T12:30:00.005-07:00

We celebrated our first Christmas in Utah this year. It was also our first Christmas away from family. It was nice to do a few things we've never been able to do before, but we did miss our family!

On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional chili dinner, we all got new PJ's (even mom!) and we read some Christmas stories and the Christmas story in the bible. On Christmas we opened presents, played and Shane's dad and grandma came down for Christmas dinner! I've never cooked a Christmas dinner before and it was lots of fun! (Blueberry Pomegranate juice is divine!)

On the 26th, the girls and I went to Casper. We had lots of fun playing with family and cousins! Lylli went cross-country skiing and had a blast! Layla and Seryn went sledding at Grandma and Grandpa's! We also went swimming at the Aquatic Center and Seryn went down the big slide with me a couple times. We also spent time with Nana. We had a great trip but it was busy!

One reason we went to Casper was to attend Mandy Blevin's baptism. (Mandy is my cousin's daughter. And my cousin married Shane's best friend.) Lylli and Mandy are five months apart and are great friends!! They talk on the phone periodically and Lylli will actually close her door so I can't hear what they're talking about! (I know. I know...And she's only 7. Fortunately, Mandy is the only one she does that with! Now.) It was lots of fun seeing Mandy get baptised, and even though Lylli had a hard time with it, she loved getting to be there for Mandy's special day! And she can't wait for her own!

P.S. For those of you who don't know, right after I sent out Christmas cards, Shane got a new job. He's now the Assistant Dean at Utah Valley University and he's over the 2 year portion of the college. And he's loving his job!

Lylli's Christmas Program

2009-12-18T11:29:00.002-07:00

Lylli had a Christmas program yesterday. She did a great job and made a cute elf!!! She was sad that just the girls and I could go. She's been quite spoiled the last couple years. And she was upset that I didn't record the entire thing to share, but after realizing how long it takes to upload them, I'm VERY glad I didn't! But here's the last song they did! Merry Christmas!

Horses

2009-12-18T09:06:00.002-07:00

The girls were playing dress up the other day! It was so cute!!!

Shopping, Cards, Trees - DONE!

2009-12-06T20:37:00.003-07:00

On Friday, I finished up all my Christmas shopping!!! YAY! (It will be a very small Christmas again this year, but at least I can do a little!) On Saturday, I put together my Christmas cards to mail out. And tonight we decorated our tree! I'm officially ready for Christmas! And since I'm done with everything, I can enjoy the season.

Every year we have used the same angel at the top of our tree. I think I got it in Young Women's or something. But when we were first married, this was all we had and could afford. Now, Shane insists on using it. One year I got a real star, and he won't let us use it! This makes Lylli unhappy but every year we go with the little cloth, stuffed angel.

We usually have a Charlie Brown tree. This year, we had more options and got a nice tall and full tree! I love having a real tree. The house smells so good! And our tall ceilings are lots of fun at Christmas time!

Merry Christmas!

Thankgiving and Nana

2009-12-01T13:14:00.004-07:00

I don't seem to be blogging like I should. Something about being busy? Hmmm.
For Thanksgiving, we went up to South Jordon and spent the evening with Shane's step-father, Harold's family. They were quite nice and we had a good time.
On Saturday, Lylli looked outside and saw a hot air balloon!
Needless to say, this was exciting for us! We'd never seen one quite so close before!

This doesn't look very close but it was really only on the other side of the block! We could even hear the fire in the balloon!

Lenay and Harold also came down for the holiday and though they didn't stay with us, we got to play with them. The girls and Nana built some gingerbread houses, or rather a collage of candy! I posted the pictures as a slide show below this post! Hope everyone had a great holiday!

* Shane is now working for World Class Auto in American Fork. He's really enjoying working as a mechanic again, but misses the community work he did in Casper. Still, he knows this is what the Lord wants him to do now and he really is enjoying it! Maybe he'll be able to do more community work somday.

** And for anyone who's interested, I've been holding monthly contests for various prizes on my writing blog! So visit me and see what's being given away! **

***I've also posted a new clip to another story on the sidebar if you want to take a look!

2009-12-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Updates

2009-11-09T13:28:00.004-07:00

Just a few updates. Layla has started riding her bike again. She was riding without training wheels in March or April but when she discovered that none of her friends could, she no longer wanted to and talked herself into believing she couldn't. Well, when Shane moved down for good, she decided to ride again. And since we have no yard, that's all she's been doing. Her bike was too little, so we decided to get her a bigger one. We debated about waiting until Christmas, but we got her something else for Christmas, and since that's all there is to do outside, we decided to go ahead and give it to her.

And she LOVES it!!! And she rides every day!

She's even been on several bike rides with her dad!

Shane and I finished the kitchen a week ago (or so.) Here's the before shot.

And this is what it looks like all done.

It's different, but we really like it!

*And just an FYI: The guy who offered Shane the transmission job backed out, so we are still jobless. So prayers on our behalf are welcome.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T12:56:00.004-07:00

Halloween has come and gone! It was so beautiful here in Utah! And the kids had a great Halloween. We attended the ward Halloween party and Trunk or Treat. Shane made it back to Utah just in time to attend! It's always wonderful to see him! The girls and I also carved pumpkins! They love doing that! Lylli got a coupon at school for the Days Market for a free pumpkin, so we had to get them there! And what luck! Pumpkins were 9 cents a pound!

On Halloween, here in Provo, they actually still go door to door trick or treating! What fun!!! It was our family's first time going door to door and the girls had a blast! Shane and I used to bundle up with snow pants under our costumes and go when we were little, but here all we needed was a coat. On the street we went down, a family had rented a couple giant commercial blow up slide things. So all the kids from the neighborhood got to play on them! They even had spotlights out for after it got dark. If was a giant party! And the girls had a ton of fun! And they are already asking when Halloween comes around again.

Lylli is a 'garden' fairy!

Layla is a beautiful princess.

Seryn is a fairy. (And yes, her wings are upside down, but when they were on the other way, they kept flopping onto her head and she kept bending her head over. So she preferred to wear them this way!)

Shane at the ward party as a zombie. He did the Zombie Ball for YEC before he left Casper. (I think Will's band played for it too.) Anyway, Shane had quite a bit of make-up and looked pretty freaky, I guess. He didn't have time for that at the ward party, which was probably a good thing! Still, it was fun because this was the first year since we've been married that he's dressed up!

And me. Shane and I only dressed up for the ward party. I made this dress 10 years ago and had Lylli help me squeeze into it. I think I must have made it big. Either that or else my chest size is exactly the same size! (With only a little more meat on my ribs!) Still, it was fun looking beautiful. Especially when the kid next door did a double take and couldn't think of anything intelligible to say to me! That always makes a girl feel good! :)

*P.S. Shane got a job at a transmission shop in Orem. He should start full-time next week. However, he is still in the running for the position as the assistant dean at UVU. So, he may get to choose what he wants to do!

Right of Passage

2009-10-27T23:34:00.003-06:00

For the last several years, I've made it tradition to make Carmel Apples every October. I think of it as a right of passage. Every kid should get to do it at some point in their childhood. (If not every year!) The girls had so much fun but I forgot to take pictures of them making them. But I got them eating them!
Layla threw a fit when I told her she had to write her own name on her paper because she didn't know how to make her letters. I asked her if she knew how to write an 'L', which she did. When I asked her to write an 'A' her eyes lit up as though maybe she could do this after all. Then came the 'Y' and she grew real excited because she knew another 'L' and 'A' came after that. She was so thrilled that she really could actually do it! Great job, Layla!

We couldn't do camel apples last night because the girls were so grumpy and tired. So I told them after school that their rooms and the toy room had to be cleaned first. That worked brilliantly!

After we put the apples in the oven, I told them they had to take a quick bath before they could eat them. Let me tell you, that will get a girl to hurry in the bathroom!!!
Unfortunately I'm not the smartest mom on the block because I continually give my children baths and then feed them sticky snacks before bed. *sigh* Oh well. They can have another bath in a couple days. I'm sure they'll need it!

Shane's Newest Addition to the House!

2009-10-27T23:24:00.003-06:00

WAIT FOR IT...

Okay, now tell me. Are you surprised by this revelation at all?

Now to fair I told him that if we moved away from home I would spend several thousand dollars and buy him a nice set of tools so that he could do the work on our cars. Because honestly, it would drive him nuts to pay someone else to do it. And it will probably save us thousands in the long run too!

So before he left for his last week in Casper, he shopped around and bought the things he needed. The really good thing is that he was thrifty and got everything for less than what I was expecting!

Of course, we can't have these fun toys ... excuse me, tools, without a reason to use them! He told me what exactly was wrong with his Toyota, but it was working fine when he left the house in it! I think he just needed to see how his new tools really worked.

The really funny thing is that he had a smile on his face nearly the entire time he was working on the truck!

I love you, Handsome!

Painting

2009-10-22T22:49:00.004-06:00

So I have done nothing lately except paint! And, to show you all how dedicated I am to your peace of mind and well being, I am posting pictures of my work, instead of reading Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder (which is LONG overdue!)
So, I started on Layla and Seryn's room. I think I've posted before pictures in a previous post. And to keep this post from being eternally long, I'll only post the after pictures. And since Facebook is loading faster than Blogger tonight, for the virtual tour of my house, (at least the main floor) you'll have to visit me on Facebook! :)
But as I was saying, Layla and Seryn's room was first.
They had to have stripes! And since the wood was already painted, it wasn't a big deal. Unfortunately, the room was covered in wallpaper which WAS a big deal! But, I finally got it down and all painted. (FYI: The color is called Purple Surf.)

Lylli also wanted a purple room (Plum Frost.) She wanted the wood painted with stripes too, but I think it looks neat this way. And the wood matches the other parts of the house too, so we left it. Once she has curtains I think it will be greatly improved!

Shane took this week off and (thanks to him) I was able to get nearly the entire main floor painted! I still have the bathroom and playroom along with the cupboards in the kitchen, but there is no way I would have gotten so much done without him. Thanks, Handsome!

You can't tell in all the pictures, but there are three colors here. Mountain Ridge, Classic, Sandstone Cove. I think it turned out real nice. And I had a girl over tonight who couldn't stop looking at the dark brown. (I hope that was a good thing!)

There was no way I was getting up there that high!

Here's a shot of the kitchen. Not quite pre-construction, but mostly.

Here's after the track lighting is done. I really like it! In fact, when the lights are on, it kind of makes the blue look purple! The walls will also be the same color of blue but I'll post more pictures of the kitchen when the entire thing is done!
And here's the dining room. Originally the living room was supposed to be done in two colors but I was afraid it would be too dark. So, I added a third color (which was a good decision) but I had a ton of extra paint. So I used some of it in the dining room. It's only two colors, but it looks quite elegant!

Well, I know this isn't the same as looking at it first hand, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyway! Like I said, there are many more pictures on FB.

I think I'll take next week off!

Seryn's Potty Trained!

2009-10-11T21:38:00.002-06:00

In my earlier post I completely spaced informing everyone that Seryn's potty trained!!!!! WHOO HOO!!!! I put her in panties on Monday. She had an accident in the store because I forgot we were potty training. All week, she's only had 4 maybe 5 accidents. And the best part is (besides being potty trained) is I didn't have to do anything!! Between Seryn and her sisters, I remind her from time to time and she does the rest. Her sisters give her plenty of praise (I do too, but theirs is better than mine.) Her sisters clean out the potty, and give her rewards for her success! I wish they were all this easy!

Fat Lips & Water fun

2009-10-11T15:53:00.003-06:00

Life has been going well here in Provo. Lylli is still reading Harry Potter. She's on book four and loving it. She had to take a break for a couple weeks because we were so busy, but she read the other three in two weeks. Layla is being social and made several new friends at church today. And Seryn is trying to keep up with her sisters.
Today was our first day in our new ward. We are in the Grandview 8th ward. It is strange being in a new area with new people. Everyone seems so different, but maybe we're the ones who are different. But people seem nice. The girls will get to participate in another primary program on the 25th. Our last Sunday in Casper, they did the one in our ward and will get to do one here too! We also will get to go Trunk or Treating, and they have a ward temple night once a month too, which will be neat. Everything seems to be within 2 miles of our house (except Walmart, which is 3.7 miles.) The temple is just up the street a few blocks! We are beginning to enjoy it here, though we don't know many people yet. Shane is still looking for a job and has a few leads, so we hope he'll have something soon.
So per my sister's request, here's a picture of the outside of our house. It's a twin home and we only own the one side (for now.) The otherside is going into foreclosure and Shane would really like to buy it and rent it out. We'll see.

Here's a picture of Layla's fat lip. She was playing outside one day and biffed it! Her lip was pretty fat for a couple days.

The first two days we were in Provo, it rained. (It snowed in SLC, so I'm grateful for the rain.) Every day since it has been 55 - 65 degrees. It's been so nice!
Here's Seryn in the rain. She's finally starting to get over her fear of the rain. However, there was no thunder and as long as she had an umbrella, she was just fine. She even took off her shoes and socks!

Lylli and Layla were taking turns playing under the eave of the house where the water was dripping!

They had so much fun!

All in all, we're doing well. The unpacking is nearly done and I will probably begin painting this week! We'll see how that goes.

*Lylli is sitting next to me editing as I type and volunteering various information (such as the title.)

Update and Our New House

2009-10-04T13:13:00.006-06:00

Today is the first day I have forced myself NOT to unpack and straighten the house. I have SO much stuff! The girls are really enjoying having a new house and having their things again! I have been VERY tired. The best time to get things done is after the kids go to sleep, so I've been staying up too late! Shane has been in Casper because he still works there and it's been hard to have him gone. But the Blevins girls have come over a couple times to help. That has been very nice! Thanks girls! I have enjoyed the company and help!

Lylli started school on Friday and really liked it. I really like the programs they have there. Her teacher has an honor roll program for kids who need more projects to do. They are pretty detailed and advanced projects she can chose to do, so that will be nice! They also have a GT program at the school. The way that works is that she will attend class with her class and then they'll just pull her out a couple hours a week (or so) for the GT program. They also have a program where they speak English in the morning and French in the afternoon. They just started that this year and they started with the 1st grade, so Lylli won't be able to do that, but that will be an option for Layla. I haven't decided about that yet, but it's neat that the school has so many options.

Layla has already made good friends with the little girls across the street and the girls have been playing everyday. It's nice for them to have friends to play with!

Seryn has been enjoying going through boxes! It's like Christmas finding all sorts of things!

I thought that everyone may want to see some pictures of the house. Of course, pictures never do the house justice, so I guess you will just have to come to Provo to get a first hand look yourself! We LOVE company.

For our house warming presents, the girls and I got Halloween shirts! They loved them.

Now keep in mind, I'm planning to paint everything, so I'll be posting before and after pictures later. And I don't have pictures of everything but this may give you a little idea.

Lylli's room. She got to chose if she wanted her own room or have the smaller room by herself. She chose her own room and loves it!

She also got to get a new bed. She originally wanted a bed/desk. The bed on top and the desk underneath. But it was too expensive and she already had a neat desk. But I like this and I think she likes it now too.
Layla and Seryn's room. Layla loves being on the top bunk and Seryn loves being a big girl with a big bed and being on the bottom!

This is the family room upstairs.

This is the other side of the family room where Shane has his TV. That was the first thing he set up!

The downstairs bathroom.

My dining room which is directly opposite of the kitchen. It's nice to have a place that will fit my table!

And of course, my kitchen. I thought it would be smaller than my last kitchen but I have enough space for everything.

This is the living room as seen from the loft upstairs. That's kind of fun!

And the living room from the front door. Do you like the boxes?

Over all, we are enjoying our new home! Thanks for all your love and support!

Bones, Ballet, Bed...B, B, B

2009-09-22T20:17:00.002-06:00

I've been bad about updating this summer, but we really have been staying busy and having a good time. Just usually I forget my camera or forget to blog!
A couple weeks ago, Lylli had a field trip to Thermopolis to visit the Dinosaur Museum. Since Shane and I have never been either, the entire family went. We had a good time, but most of my pictures didn't turn out very well.
Lylli's favorite was the Supersaurus.

Seryn and Layla at the dig site. The kids were all excited and thought we would get to dig, but we were just looking at the fossils in the ground. Sorry kids!

Shane's mom got the girls some ballet pajamas. They are shirts, pants, and little tu-tu's. (Okay, don't laugh. I have no idea how to spell it, but you know what I'm talking about.) To say the girls love them would be putting it mildly. They have been wearing the tu-tu's around the house all day and all night, with or without the rest of the ensemble.

So, my mom was showing them different moves ballerinas perform. She's standing off to the side and wouldn't let me get a picture of her. But the girls mimicked her as well as they could!

And here, Lylli's doing a bridge, Layla's trying, and no one knows what Seryn is doing! They're so cute sometimes!

Mountian Climbers

2009-09-05T14:40:00.002-06:00

Last weekend the Elder's Quorum had an activity. They went mountain bike riding and then had a dutch oven cook-off. We weren't able to stay for dinner but we had plenty of fun while Shane was off riding!

Toilet Paper in Your Hair!

2009-08-18T20:14:00.003-06:00

Saturday night, we put toilet paper in Layla's hair after her bath!

Of course, on Sunday morning, it was quite curly! She looked like Shirley Temple and is just adorable. When someone told her she probably didn't know who Shirley Temple was, she said yes, she did. And if Shirley could go to the temple, so could Layla.

And, yesterday was the first day of school!

I can't believe Lylli is already in 2nd grade! Though she wasn't ready for summer to be over, she enjoyed seeing her friends!

And Lylli said that yesterday was the very BEST first day of school. EVER!

Layla keeps asking when she gets to go to school, but she doesn't start until after Labor Day. But, I told her she could wear her new school clothes when Lylli went to school.

Seryn is wearing her new shirt, but had been up sick all night the night before and didn't feel well, so she wanted to wear a sweater too. Still, she can't give up a chance for a picture!

Nothin's in Cement ... yet

2009-08-07T22:09:00.004-06:00

I don't know why I can't blog regularly right now. I just feel so disoriented, I guess. But I thought you might be interested to see where we are right now in our lives.

We sold our house in June and have been living with my parents while we await a job option in northern Idaho. However, a couple weeks ago, we decided we really need to go to Provo so Shane can pursue a doctorate degree in marriage and family counseling down at BYU. So, we will probably be moving there. We are currently waiting to see if he can get a job as a counselor down there, but he may have to get licensed before many of them will look at him. If that's the case, we may move down there and put his mechanic skills to work. He can't apply for the program until December and it will start next fall. So, we have a lot of waiting to do. But we are eager to follow a new path and see what the Lord has in store for us.

In the meantime, I have been frantically looking for replacements for my positions at the preschool and also for my father-in-law. We have been keeping plenty busy, helping my parents put in a back porch and I have been involved with a couple blog tours for a few of my author friends and am putting together my own blog tour for the end of September. It's a lot of work, but I hope it will pay off in the end. (A blog tour is where I send my book to people and they read and review it - and sometimes add an interview of me - and then on their assigned day, they post their review of my book on their blog.) I've also been busy working on getting another book polished up to send off! So pray for that to go well!

All in all, we've had a busy but enjoyable summer but we are eager for school to start up again! Here are some pictures of the cement project.

Denver Zoo

2009-08-02T21:24:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we were in Denver for one of Shane's friend's weddings. It was fun to see everyone, but like a dork, I left my camera in the hotel. So no wedding pictures. But we went to the zoo while we were there, so, we have zoo pictures!

This is the one picture the girls weren't acting like they should be in the zoo! Aren't they cute? Seryn is such a wild sleeper that we actually had to put her on the floor so Lylli and Layla could sleep!

This is Seryn, Lylli, Ella, and Layla in front of the zebras. The zebras were Seryn's favorite!!! (She did not trust the elephants!)

And, of course, they thought the peacock was lots of fun! (Ella, Layla, and Seryn)

Seryn thought the seal was pretty fun to watch swim.

For lunch, Shane bought the biggest hot dog I've ever seen! It even had sauerkraut. (YUCK!) But he loved it!

And Seryn thought her dad was so funny, she tried to imitate him! Funny kid!

Utah Vacation

2009-07-21T13:11:00.014-06:00

I am VERY far behind! (So this may have lots of pictures.) A couple weeks ago, we went down to Utah for my dad's family reunion. We went a few days early so we could play with some of our friends who moved down there and that was WAY fun!! We went to the splash pad and hung out for a while and then went and toured the helicopter. Also a lot of fun! In fact, there was a house for sale down the road from them, and Shane and I seriously thought about looking into it! Thanks Bowmans!! We had a lot of fun!

Seryn, Rachel and Avie. Seryn did not like it if even a fraction of my attention was focused on Avie. It made her very jealous!

Seryn and Wyatt.
Layla with the helicopter. Thanks, Luke, for the tour!

The helicopter landing pace at the hospital!

We also bought a Sequoia while down in Utah. Visiting with my aunt and uncle, we discovered that we have owned 14 vehicles in the 8 1/2 years we've been married!!! (They've been married for 25 years and just hit the 14 mark!) We thought it was funny! Ridiculous! But funny!

This was a picture I took at the park we went to in Bountiful. I just thought it was pretty!

Lylli playing Frisbee.

Shane playing ultimate frisbee with my cousins.

My mom showing Lylli and one of my cousin's kids how to tie a blanket for the Primary Hospital.
We also took the girls to the Oquirrah Mountain Temple open house. It was really beautiful and the girls loved the opportunity to go through the temple. I've been to a couple open houses, but really found it enjoyable to go after I've been endowed and know what everything is for. It was very neat! An experience well worth it!
Lylli took this picture of the fountain at the temple. She really has a pretty good eye with the camera. In fact, she took the picture of me in the back of my book!
We also did a little swimming at my uncle's house before we went on the mountain.

We went to the Heber Valley Camp run by the LDS church. It was really fun! It's always good to reunite with family and Shane had a great time with all my cousins! He's never really experienced a family reunion before and so this was fun for him! At this camp, they had challenge courses with fun things to do. I only got pictures of the swing which we all did except Seryn. It was a little freighting but fun!

Layla
Lylli
Yes, this is Shane!
I'm being brave and including one of me too.

Over all, we had a great vacation! It was long overdue and we had a great time!

Splashing and Sparklers

2009-07-08T22:17:00.004-06:00

My sister's family came to town over the 4th of July. The kids have had so much fun playing with their cousins! It will be a very sad week after they leave!

We are living with my parents now and Lylli went out to my dad's shed on the 4th and scrounged up some wood. Then, she made this scale. Shane helped her glue it, but she did the sanding and put it together. She is quite proud of it!

We didn't do tons for the 4th, (besides our family breakfast) but the kids did some sparklers and some noise makers and then we went to watch the fireworks!

Swimming

2009-06-26T08:00:00.002-06:00

Lylli has been taking swimming lessons again this summer. She really enjoyed it the first week! But they changed the program since last year and so she's struggled this past week. They've been introducing too many new strokes, and where she's not a very strong swimmer yet, it's been challenging for her. Still, it's good for her and I think she had fun. She'll do better when she takes the class again and can do better!

Also, an interesting tid-bit. Seryn HATES the water! She is terrified of it! In fact, it's only been recently that she's started to sit down in the bathtub without screaming! She hates the rain and cries at the simple thought of it. My mom said that an airplane flew overhead one day and Seryn thought it was thunder and hid under the slide - crying, of course.

But this week...

Layla has loved playing in the pool and so has Lylli. The other day, Seryn had to have her swimsuit on because everyone else did. Then, she mustered up the courage to wander close to the pool. She then began to play in the water from the outside of the pool. By the end of the afternoon, she was playing and splashing along with the other girls and loving it! (Now I have to go buy little swimmers diapers!) I'm glad she can play with her sisters! (This picture is the day that Layla decided to combine the swimming pool with the sand box. Ick!)
The girls just love all the fun things there are to do outside at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

A Stilted Rodeo

2009-06-24T20:07:00.003-06:00

Okay, so the rodeo wasn't really stilted, I'm just not very clever at titles!

Last week, Lylli and Layla went to the college rodeo with their Nana! They always love doing that! Lylli has been asking me for a couple weeks if we had missed it. But fortunately, we didn't and they were able to go! And somehow, they talked their Nana into getting them cowgirl hats. And they got one for Seryn too.

Lylli doing her model pose. (I told her to look cute, and this is what happened.)
And here's Layla, just being Layla.

And isn't Miss Seryn adorable?!
As most of you know, we closed on our house on the 19th. We are now staying with my parents for a while. Anyway, after we had finished moving things, Shane wandered out to my parents shed and found my dad's old stilts. He decided to try them out!
He got up on them...
But they weren't as easy as he thought they'd be. Still, he was able to take a few steps.
Dad's still pretty good. He says it's like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget!

Kick-off to Summer!

2009-06-05T22:02:00.005-06:00

Since I seem to be too busy to blog just after events take place, I guess you'll have to get them all at the same time. So be forewarned, this post could be long, but it's mostly just pictures.
This first one is Lylli climbing a pole at the park on her birthday. Her class did their end of school party on her birthday! FUN! They had lunch in City Park and then went to Old Town to play miniature golf. She was the only one to get a hole in one on the 18th hole and got a ticket for a free game!

This is Jacob P. and Lylli. Jacob is Lylli's favorite friend! (Coincidentally, Jacob's grandmother was my voice teacher in college!)

Here are the girls being silly! A common occurrence at our house!

My birthday pictures didn't turn out real well this year, but all the girls got new swimsuits for their birthdays. Here they are modeling them.

This is Seryn telling me that this swimsuit is "mine."

We haven't had any HOT days here yet, but the girls had to run through the sprinklers everyday there for a while. (It's cooled off some now and I'm glad they haven't been asking. Maybe it will warm up again soon!)

And, this is how Seryn runs through the sprinklers! (She's terrified of water!)

Last weekend, our ward had a potluck dinner at the park. They also had a rocket launch. After the kids had been launching them for a while, Layla came to me in tears. She wanted a rocket. Shane was in the field helping Lylli fly her kite, so that left me to attempt the project. Here's our creation.

Layla was so thrilled and couldn't wait to try it out! Surprisingly enough, our rocket was one of the best-flying rockets of the evening!

The other night, the girls decided that Grandma was beautiful but needed to look exotic! So, they set to work. And doesn't Grandma look wonderful!

They had a great time! I remember doing similar things to one of my aunts as a kid only with hair combs instead of barrettes. Thanks, mom, for being such a good sport!

Smooth Sailing? More Like White Water Rapids!

2009-05-26T21:00:00.005-06:00

Why is it that nothing will happen (picture worthy) for days or even weeks at a time and then all of a sudden, there's not enough room for all the pictures in a single blog? It seems like that's always how May is for me (and December.)

The week was pretty smooth sailing until Layla's birthday on Friday. (Should we blame that? No.) Seryn woke up Friday morning with a suspicious rash. When she first woke up, I suspected chicken pox, but the more the day wore on, and after some collaboration, we decided she's allergic to amoxicillin. It's just funny because she only had a dose or two left. But the poor thing broke out in terrible hives! And this is only her stomach!

This is me, effectively wasting a Saturday morning on the Wii. But hey, we're working out! And it's great Mommy daughter time! Behold: the Warrior pose!

And the Palm Tree pose. (I think.)

For those of you who haven't heard, we FINALLY sold our house!!! YAY! No, we don't have anywhere to go yet, but we're working on it. We're supposed to be gone by June 22, so we'll see what happens. In the mean time, we've started packing. And Layla discovered some of the computer games. She is VERY good at them!!! And she loves them. This is Layla and Seryn playing Dora the Explorer.

Then today, while Lylli was in school, Layla decided to teach Seryn how to ride the tri-cycle.

Unfortunately for Layla, Seryn LOVES it and can peddle by herself!!! Which means, Layla actually has to ride her own bike!!!

And yes, Layla really can ride a two wheeler bike with no training wheels and has been able to for a month or so now. But then, Lylli now has to ride her bike too. Such a rough life!

And lastly, but certainly not least... Tonight Lylli had her very first piano recital! She was terribly nervous all day and invited one of her good friends and then was devastated when he couldn't go. But she did a great job!! I think that's the best I've heard her! She made only one mistake at the VERY end of her second song and was the only piano student to have her songs memorized!!!! We are so very proud of her! Thanks Mom for teaching her. She loves it!

Ach! I haven't even posted birthday pictures yet! I'll have to do that in the next post.

The Behinder I get...

2009-05-19T22:25:00.001-06:00

... I won't finish that. My 'behinder' is big enough!
So, I have a ton to catch up to do! This month, along with my book signing, we had Shane's grandmother's birthday (70-something: no one is quite sure what.) We also had Layla's track day and her graduation program. She loved preschool so much it has been very sad for her to be done. I, however, have enjoyed the break thus far (probably because I haven't done a darn thing!) So, since I was instructed to upload lots of pictures, and because it takes forever on e-blogger, I have posted several slide shows. I hope you enjoy them!
I have also received some fun kissing stories on my other blog. If you still want to win a free copy of my book, comment to enter the contest. Also, some friends and I have put together another contest. A different book or prize will be given away every day next month. I have the full list of details on my blog. http://rachelrager.blogspot.com/ Also, (yes, I'm promoting myself just a little...I have a hard time with it, so oblige me this once) also, if you think By Love or By Sea was good enough to receive a nomination for a Whitney Award, please go to the link on the sidebar and nominate me. Thanks for all your love and support! I'll be writing again in a week or so (hopefully) with birthday updates!

2009-05-19T22:13:00.001-06:00

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2009-05-19T22:02:00.001-06:00

Book Signing

2009-05-02T14:48:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came to my book signing! And thanks to Mom and Dad for hosting it and helping out so much. And thanks to Dad, Dean, Michelle, and Mike for taking the girls swimming! I had a good and memorable experience. Thanks to everyone who has made this possible for me!

Thanks, Alicia, for the beautiful cover art!

And don't forget to leave me a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Shelfari or wherever you go!

Also, on the side bar, I have included a spot where anyone can nominate "By Love or By Sea" for the 2009 Whitney Award. If you feel so inclined, feel free to nominate me. Thanks.

I have also posted a new excerpt from a book I'm working on!

2009-04-28T15:42:00.001-06:00

Talent Show

2009-04-28T15:06:00.002-06:00

Saturday, our ward primary had a talent show. It was lots of fun! Lylli played "Love One Another" on the piano and Layla sang "I Lived in Heaven." It was a little scary for them but they did a great job!
This is Seryn "toe walking!" Remind you of anyone, Dean?
Lylli also displayed a couple paintings for the talent show. This is the girls painting! And Seryn is a very good and careful painter! It's fun to watch her. (And the other girls too.)
Lylli playing the piano.

Layla getting ready to sing.

They both did a great job!

Trailers, Motorcycles, and Dresses

2009-04-23T13:42:00.003-06:00

Life has been a little crazy lately! Not much to show for it yet, but we have stayed plenty busy. I've been working on a trailer for my book and FINALLY got it done, but I haven't been able to load it as a post (or I'm just too lazy to sit and wait that long.) But I did post it on the side bar, so make sure to check it out.
These are just some fun pictures. A couple years ago, my father-in-law bought a small motorcycle to fix up for the grand kids to ride. The rule is that they have to be able to ride a bicycle first. Well, Lylli has been able to ride a bike for 2 years now, but she hasn't been big enough for the motorcycle. But last Saturday, Shane took her out to my parent's house and helped her to ride. I was told that she thought it a little scary so Shane rode with her. But from a mother's perspective, there's nothing wrong with a helping of healthy respect for moving things. (Pictures are courtesy of my dad. I didn't want to be around for this one but I wanted to see the pictures!)

Obviously this isn't a motorcycle picture. This was our Easter picture this year. Shane has a new shirt and tie, I have a new shirt and the girls have new dresses. Everyone at our house loves this part of Easter!

Don't forget to watch my trailer. Let me know what you think and show all your friends! (Shane wants to retire in 5 years. Yeah right!)

2009-04-11T14:16:00.001-06:00

2009-04-11T13:45:00.001-06:00

Monsters vs. Aliens - the movie, not the kids!

2009-04-04T10:49:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, we took the girls to see Monsters vs. Aliens. It was a really cute show! Lylli loved Bob, of course! And she was pretty excited that she's now the only one in her class to have seen this movie! However, when we pulled up to the theater, she was almost in tears because she didn't want to go watch a movie. Silly girl.

On the other hand, this was Layla's first time at the theater and she was excited...until the movie got going. She's always been sensitive to sounds and so we've never taken her before. Well, she cried through the entire thing! She associated the loud sounds with the movie being too scary. Silly girl.

Then, on the third end of the spectrum, it was also Seryn's first time at the theater. She LOVED it!!!! She was dancing to the music and laughing! Part way through, she got bored and wanted to go up and down the stairs in the aisle and got mad when I wouldn't let her. But after she got hold of one of my lip glosses, she was a golden child. Silly girl.

Shane and I have officially decided that it will be a while before we take the entire family to the movies again!

Oh, don't forget to check out my other blog! I'm having a contest for a book giveaway! So check it out and have some fun! But if you don't want to wait that long or leave it to chance, you may order my book on-line at Amazon.com or ask your bookstore to get it! Most of them will, especially the LDS bookstores, Barns & Noble, Waldenbooks, etc. Thanks for your support!

Cover

2009-03-20T13:03:00.003-06:00

I was going to do something cool for my 100th post, but as it turns out, that was the last post!!! So, I guess I'll save the 100-strange-things-about-the-Ragers for another time. Instead, I'm posting the cover of my book! What do you think?

Thanks, Dad, for helping me with this!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T14:04:00.003-06:00

In keeping with the holiday spirit, I am posting today. It' long overdue, I know.
A couple weeks ago, Lylli came home with a cool homework assignment. She had to design and build a trap for leprechauns. She was told that they are very tricky and small and that catching them is difficult, so she had to be creative. Now, keep in mind, she came up with the project on her own, Shane and I only helped her minimally.
She decided she needed a small box to capture him in. She made the outside of this box green (to blend in with the grass) and made the inside to look like gold! After all, a leprechaun can't resist gold! There was an awning and a porch and two doors. One door was stationary and the other only pushed in and then sprung shut, so that when the leprechaun went in to get the gold, he'd be stuck inside!! (Quite the little engineer, huh!) Her dad even helped her rig up a yellow LED light to a batter pack with a switch! She did all the soldering and had a great time putting it together. Didn't she do a good job?!

The bright spot in the back is the light to shine off the gold and make it look EXTRA shinny!

Gluing on the batter pack.

She had a great time putting it together. But yesterday, she discovered the leprechauns had been to the school and had left a mess in her classroom that she and her friends had to clean up! (She was not happy about that!) She was very disappointed that NO ONE had caught a leprechaun. And when I asked if they had left anything in her trap, she said, very disgustedly, "Only candy!" and huffed off. (She's not my candy girl.) So I don't know if this project ruined her - doing something only to be let down (which, of course, is part of life) - or if she's now more determined to catch one next year. I guess we'll see! Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Swimming Pool Day!

2009-03-17T13:56:00.003-06:00

The Friday before Spring Break, (so March 6th) Layla had a swimming day at school!!! (So yes, I'm behind in my documenting.) They set up swimming pools and various activities for the kids to do. Face painting, fingernail painting, slides, swimming, sandboxes, snow cones, just to name a few! Needless to say, it was a fun day! Seryn even wanted to go and wear her swimsuit, but didn't know what to think of all those kids! But Layla had a blast!!!!!
Layla fishing! She caught one!

Seryn, playing in the sandbox.

Layla swimming!!!!

Seryn, not sure what to do or think of all the kids who are going crazy!
Layla, having the time of her life!

Laundry Helper

2009-03-05T10:43:00.003-07:00

Okay, I had a few minutes to do a post. Now, I don't profess to be an expert on laundry, but I don't do too terrible. I sort things based on fabric and color, mostly. In fact, after I'm done sorting the laundry, it usually looks something like this.
See the darks and the whites and the heavy colors and the cotton colors. Pretty standard, or so I thought.
I have been busy editing my book this week and the house has kind of gone by the way side. (Of course, Shane was out of town a couple days and that didn't help.) So today, Shane decided to help me out by getting the laundry downstairs, sorted, and started. This is what I came home to. (Keep in mind, these are the same clothes as above, just sorted differently.)
Now, I'm not complaining because I'm ever so grateful that he wanted and tried to help me out. But look closely. Do you see any kind of a pattern here? I actually had to call him to figure out the logic behind his sorting. He told me he didn't really know!!! But he put all of the socks with the jeans, and then made a pile of lighter colors and darker colors. He also said there was a pile of knits too (which, incidentally, I found under the large pile on the right.) And from my guesses, the lighter colors are on the left and the darker colors are on the right. Now, perhaps this is the normal way of sorting laundry. I don't know. But it made me laugh! (And I had to redo it.) So I think I'll stick with what works for me. And thank you so much, Shane, for helping me out. I really do appreciate the gesture!!!

Beautiful Ears!

2009-03-01T11:35:00.003-07:00

Layla came to me a month or so ago and wanted to get her ears pierced. I've always said, I don't care how old they are when they get them, but they have to be old enough to take care of them themselves and be responsible about it. So, I told Layla she could make a chart and brush her teeth every day, morning and night for a month and then she could get them. That would also tell me if it was a fleeting desire or something she really wanted. Well, she decided she'd do it. Then, Lylli, who had told me several times that she was going to wait until 4th grade, decided she'd do it too. So, for the past month, we've been keeping these charts. And Friday, Layla got to go get her ears pierced. She was very excited!!! I took Lylli to watch, because I wasn't certain how badly she wanted them. But, yesterday, she got hers too. The girls simply love them!!!
Seryn hated that Layla was getting pictures and not her, so here's Seryn copying Layla so she could get into a picture!

This is Layla before...

This is Layla after!

This is Lylli before... (how come my girls always seem to have dirty faces?!)

This is Lylli after! (The butterfly is from a birthday party she had gone to first!)

Dinomite Program

2009-02-27T11:32:00.003-07:00

On Monday, Layla had her Dinomite program at preschool!! She had a great time and is always my best little singer! However, when there are so many people, she's always quite curious as to what's going on and forgets to sing!
Here she is with her little part. The 4-year-olds had speaking parts and the 3-year-olds had prop parts. Here she is with her toothbrush and the dinosaur. The song goes that a regular toothbrush couldn't brush his teeth, so 'he'd have to use a tree.' She had a great time. Normally she has such a big smile, so this must be the in-between smiling.

Oh, and here she is using the toothbrush! (She loved this part!)

Shane was taking pictures (obviously) and no doubt thought this picture was hilarious. That's the only reason it's on here. If I didn't allow a couple awful ones of me, I'd never get a picture of him on here! So anyway... Here I am, officially leading the music. Aren't I so cute!! (And I want no comments about this picture!)

Shane was having a terrible time getting any pictures of Layla. She kept moving, or the kids in front of her would move at the very second the picture snapped. So here's Layla after the program in her dinosaur hat! And yes, she even wears this around!

So, Layla had her program on Monday, I did another one on Tuesday for the T-TH kids and now I'm done until May! Hahaha! Actually, now I just get to go back to teaching all the songs they'll need to know in May! And, this afternoon, I should be getting my manuscript back to look over a final time before the publisher sends it in to the printers. So, I hope you don't expect a post next week. But who knows. We'll see!! Have a great weekend!

Valentine's Cookie Bake

2009-02-18T20:13:00.007-07:00

Valentine's Day dawned bright and exciting at the Rager house. Lylli and Layla had a primary activity. Layla's first primary activity! She had a great time. Also, Shane was just called to be a primary worker for the 11-12 year olds. They happen to all be boys. He's pretty excited about that!

But back to V.D. This is how Seryn woke up. One eye, nearly swollen shut. It was actually kind of funny. It didn't slow her down much, so she was making normal faces which were even funnier because of her swollen eye!!!

After the girl's activity, they went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for a Valentine's Day cookie bake. Now, a couple rules here. The dough has to be pink, the frosting has to be pink, there has to be lots of candy and sprinkles, and Mom and Grandma like the red hot cookies! Oh, and if we do this at Grandma's house, she has enough rolling pins for everyone to have their own! Lots of fun!

Even Seryn got her own little peice of dough! Although, she found it more amusing to mush it to the table.

Then comes the decorating! And actually, if you look closely, you can see the back wall where the projector is showing us the Gibbs. My dad thought it would be lots of fun to do a cookie bake with the Gibbs too. However, they are in Idaho. So, problem solved. For Christmas we all got web cams, so we skyped them and they made cookies in Idaho and we did them here and we all had a good time!

Seryn loved decorating them. Of course, she mostly decorated to eat. But she had a great time!

Layla thought it would be fun to cut a heart hole inside a heart before she baked it. So she baked this cookie, decorated it, showed it to her cousin, Carson, and then ate it!

And Lylli always takes things very seriously.

So, Grandpa decided to "...turn that frown upside-down and smile that frown away."

The other part of the Rager Valentine's Day tradition is the candlelight dinner. Since we were at my parent's they joined us this year. We have to have all the fancy stuff. We have candles and bubbly drinks, and we have steak and potatoes. Lylli asked me about this for a good week before the blessed day arrived. Evidently, she really enjoys this! All in all, we had a pretty good day. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us invade your house. The girls had fun!

The Important Parties

2009-02-13T19:46:00.005-07:00

Today, we had Valentine's parties at school. We started off with Layla's party. It was ALL morning! They had six stations they got to do and she had a great time. There's a little girl in her class, Bailey, who Layla simply adores and I don't think the two were separated all day!

Layla and Bailey. Aren't they so cute?

Layla and Bailey coloring on the table with shaving cream. They thought this was a blast!
Here, the girls are trying to do the Valentine's Dance. Does anyone remember doing this with Mrs. Mac? I didn't but Janet Despain said she learned it from her.
Layla eating her snacks!!

Then, Lylli had her party this afternoon. She had centers too and had a great time! It was a busy day, but the girls had fun and got WAY TOO MUCH candy!!! What happened to simply cards?
Lylli doing one of her crafts. Such a silly face!

Lylli diligently working on her craft while Layla (you can only see her bottom) is checking out all the Valentine boxes on the counter.
Decorating cupcakes was Lylli's last center and the mom in charge let Layla do one too. This is Lylli looking on as Layla dumps out the remaining of the blue sugar on her cupcake. And yes, she ate all the frosting and toppings!!

Thanks Mom for watching Seryn so the day was simpler!! That was a HUGE help.

Cover Art

2009-02-13T19:04:00.002-07:00

Well, Alicia (my cousin) finished this picture!! Isn't it beautiful?!! We will be submitting it to my editor next week for the cover art for my book. What do you think? I'm so excited!!!!!!! It's gorgeous!!! Thank you so much, Alicia!