The Cutler Family

September 28, 2011

2011-10-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

We recently had Carrie's surgery. Everything went very well and Dr. Churney felt that they were able to accomplish the things that they were hoping to! Carrie has done very well and has been so brave. She got quite teary as they were getting ready to wheel her off to surgery, but thankfully had been given some medication that relaxed her and made it so that she didn't remember that part of the day! Wish Ryan and I had some!

The time while she was in surgery was surprisingly calm. Ryan and I were relaxed and had such a warm feeling of peace and comfort while she was away from us. We had my parents and aunt there with us and we knew that the other three girls were being loved and taken care by Ryan's parents. We didn't have to worry for a minute!

Looking back on that day I know that we have been truely blessed by the spirit of the Lord through the fasting and the prayers of so many who we have been blessed with in our lives. We didn't feel anxious or nervous (well, maybe at moments), we weren't worried in a frantic way.

When we were able to see her in the recovery room she was still VERY sleepy. Her new Tiana barbie doll was decked out with the exact same bandages as Carrie we all thought it was so awesome! Truth be told, once Carrie was interested in Tiana again, she was not quite as amused! Carrie had some wonderful nurses who frech braided her hair and I suspect have created a life long obsession with braids! She asks for them often!

The first night in the PICU was pretty quiet. And the first thing that I noticed was that Carrie wasn't snoring. I could not believe my ears. She could put old men to shame with her snoring! We knew that the surgery would possibly take care of that "little" problem. Money well spent!

Carrie suffered from severe nausea and had a really hard time keeping anything down. This proved to transfer home with us as well. The first three days that we were here I thought that I was going to have an emotional and mental breakdown every five minutes! We would get her through 12-16 hours with no vomiting and then it would happen again. So discouraging.

The nurses and doctors at St. Lukes were so wonderful and we couldn't have been better cared for. Carrie wasn't always happy to see the medicine givers and vitals takers, but would flop that arm over anyways to get her IV meds or have her vitals taken. Towards the end of her stay it was so hilarious to see her just lazily flop that little arm!

We brought her home on Ryan's birthday (a pretty great present if you ask me) and she was delighted to be here! Maddie, Mia and Callie were so happy to have us all home together!

Like I said before, the next few days were a little rough, but Thursday morning she turned that perverbial "corner" we had been hearing so much about and was on the road back to normal. She awoke demanding rice krispies and ready for some off of the couch play time. The days that followed were so much better and before we knew it our joyful, singing, LOUD, sweet angel girl was back to her normal self! The last of her bandage finally came off a few days ago and now little Miss Carrie is all better!

She has been a patient (for the most part) girl and has been so good about any restrictions that she was given. She has been cleared for normal 3 year old behavior. Jumping on and off of things, riding bikes and playing on the playground! We are so happy that we are through with this chapter. She will have an MRI next summer to check on the syrinx in her spinal column. We hope and pray that we find everything has dissipated and is all back to normal.

Thank you to everyone who fasted and prayed, brought meals and presents, and for all who have been thinking of us. We have felt everyone in our hearts and we know that the Lord has truely blessed our little Carrie and our family. I have always heard stories of people's blessings from fasting and prayer and I have a few of my own...but the experience that we have had with Carrie's surgery is amazing and feelings I have felt intense and I cannot deny the Lord's hand in taking care of our baby girl and our family.

Carrie's Surgery

2011-09-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

We are going to be going to St. Luke's on September 28th for Carrie's brain surgery. She has been diagnosed with a Chiari Type I malformation of the brain and a spinal cyst (syrinx) of 11mm that is directly related to the malformation.

Her cerebella did not form properly...normally there are 2 tonsils that tuck up underneath the cerebella, hers did not and are lodged into her spinal column blocking the pooling and flow of spinal fluid. Because of the lack of space, fluid has been forced into a microspopic passage in the center of the spinal column and once there, the pulse of the brain is not strong enough for it to pass all the way through or pull it back out. So it has created a cyst which is literally splitting the nerves in her spinal column in half. The doctor is astonished that she has not been plagued with headaches from the lack of fluid flow and numb arms from the cyst.

So, they will go in and cut out the middle of her C1, shave off the back of the C2 and the opening at the bottom of the skull (by 1.5 - 2 cm). The will then take out the tonsils hopefully being able to get them to the appropriate, normal size. They will check function at this point making sure that fluid is passing and pooling freely. They will then cut a piece of skull from the back of her head and graft it in creating more space for the fluid. Then they pull the muscle and skin back over and stitch her up.

She will be in the PICU over night and then on the pediatric floor for 5 more nights. Then about another week of recovery at home. The doctor said that we will be really surprised how quickly she will bounce back.

We are very comfortable with the pediatric neurosurgeon that will be doing the surgery, he spent at least 1.5 hours with us explaining, teaching, and answering any questions that we had. He also said that this is NOT an uncommon situation and surgery. It is a surgery that they do ALL the time for the same reason as Carrie's as well as for tumors. Ben Taylor works with him often on the pediatric floor at St. Luke's and HIGHLY recommended him not only as a doctor but as a kind, caring man who is very invested in his patients.

We are of course nervous about all of it, but have also put it in the Lord's hands....we would have not found out about it in as gentle of a way had it not been for the random eye problem and we are so thankful that we have been so blessed with wonderful, mindful doctors who have been so attentive and thorough. We are so thankful for insurance, too!

Thanks to all of our family, friends and ward members who have been praying and fasting and thinking good thoughts for us! We really love and appreciate all of you.

The Help

2011-09-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

My mom and I saw this movie tonight. May I just say what an excellent movie it is! I loved every moment. Laughed my head off, could have cried...a lot...but you all know my not being a crier problem. Anyway....what a great movie! And I especially loved the following line....which I do believe ALL children (and adults, too) need to be told a million times a day.

"You is kind, you is smart, you is important."

Don't be surprised if you find this posted all around my house! Of course it sounds better woth a thick southern drawl, but, it'll have to do!

Special

2011-08-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

We have been wading through some medical issues with Carrie and her eyes and have found out that she has some other problems that will require surgery. We are feeling so thankful and blessed to have her gorgeous face to look at each day!

Last night Mia was feeling a bit upset by all of the attention and "special" treatment that Carrie has been getting and was crying in her bed (with a very annoying voice and repeating it....this is a standard Mia practice) "I am not special, I am not special, I am not special....and on and on and on and on. Oh, you probably get the point now. Anywho, the girls and I had a discussion on the special qualities that they each have.

We decided that Maddie is special with her abilities as an artist.
Mia is special in the way that she is always so concerned about people and her family members. Carrie is special because she can float on her back in the pool! (Maddie thought of that one!) Callie wasn't directly involved in the converation as she was asleep in her room...but she is none the less special because of the way that she loves and looks up to her sisters. And all of the slobbery kisses that she has become famous for in our house!

Baptism Day!

2011-08-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

Maddie was baptised today. What a very special day for her. We were so very blessed to have so many family members and friends in attendance. Maddie was her usual very shy little self, but was very thankful for everyone's support! I can't believe how fast this little girl is growing up!

After she was baptised I asked her if she felt different. She paused for a moment and said, "Not really, just wet."

Congratulations sweet Maddie!

The above and below pictures are of Ryan and Maddie with his childhood, adolescent and still best friend Ben and his son (now one of Maddie's best friends) Luke. The kids are about two weeks apart. The second picture is a re-make of a picture we have of the four of them when the kids were about 6 months old!

Zoo day with the Cutler Family

2011-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun day with Camron, Mindy, Cade and Kiley....Laura, Jack, Hallie, Lilly and Henry....Gramma CC and Papa Riley....and Mr. Brennen (Carston and Leah waited in the park to hold tables for us....aaahhh, so kind!)

The kids were so funny oooohhhhing and aaaahhhhhing at all of the animals. Running from one exhibit to the next. Shouting to us (in our faces) with excitment. It was fun to see them be so excited about EVERYTHING.

Happy Birthday, my darling 8 year old!

2011-07-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Maddie is now 8. WHAT? My cute little rolly polly baby girl is now a skinny, smart, half fish, amazing artist, music loving, book reading, imaginative BIG girl! I cannot believe how fast the last 8 years have gone by. She is truely a joy to us and we are so thankful that she is a part of our family!

It's Been So Long!

2011-06-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been busy, busy, busy! We have been moving, celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, getting done with school (that means that I now have a 3rd grader and a kindergartener!), setting up a totally awesome swing set and a million other things as well!

The girls had a great school year and will REALLY miss their teachers. They were wonderful! Thanks Miss Janice and Mr. Purdy! Mia is totally pumped for kindergarten and I can hardly wait for her to go make great use of her stellar social skills and learn to read!

Maddie is getting ready to be baptized in August. That is a very frequent topic at our house. She is growing up right before our eyes. I ask her everyday to stop, but she says that she can't. Who knew?

We are really looking forward to summer break and spending a lot of time outside playing and going to the pool. You see we have 2 grammas with pools! HOORAY!

We are also excited to have our Grandpa and Grandma Cutler return at the end of the month from their mission in Germany. They have not yet met Callie in person. It will be interesting to see how she reacts when they an no longer "inside" of the computer!

I am still working on getting some pictures all loaded up and ready to go on the blog....maybe next time! Until then.......

Doesn't this just about sum it up?

2011-04-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

"Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face.......you kind of want to be fully committed."

I absolutely adore that quote. Yes it is from a movie...any guesses? And, NO, I am not making an announcement.

I have just been thinking lately how much time and effort goes into being the mother of 4 children. It is truely a constant. A 24 hour a day job (and maybe even then some!) I do love my little darlings, they are truely joy in our home.

I am happy to have tatooed my face so beautifully 4 times. I LOVE MY BABIES!

There is POSITIVELY nothing cuter than......

2011-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

A five year old walking around the house dramatically singing (with hand motions and all) Edelweiss at the top of her lungs. What a jewel! Mia is truely a darling, sweet, beautiful treasure!

Dr. Maddie Suess

2011-03-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

Maddie's class made the cutest book that she brought home yesterday. They had been learning about the way that Dr. Suess writes his books and they each got to write a poem using their spelling words. So without further ado...........

Broil and Zoil

I have Broil
He likes oil
Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil!
He is very royal
He has a friend named Zoil
Who likes to boil oil
Broil likes to boil oil
Oil! Oil!
They love to boil oil
They are both very royal

She was so very proud of this....she had barely gotten into the car before she started reciting it to me! What a cutie.

Happy Birthday to Our Baby Girl!

2011-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today is Callie's birthday...officially the fastest year of my life! We have enjoyed every minute with her....ok, maybe not the high pitched squeal crying!

She is such a sweet little girl. Loves to snuggle and give kisses. She is always happy to see us when we return home or go to get her in her crib. She LOVES her big sisters and is doing a pretty great job at keeping up with them.

Callie loves to play peek-a-boo, she folds her arms for the prayer, and she has some super duper awesome dance moves!!!!!

We sure do enjoy our little Callie-ballie! We are excited to see what the next year with her will bring. I am personally excited for walking and pig tails. Two of the cutest things a baby girl does!

Carrie....to cute for words!

2011-02-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today Carrie came into the kitchen, probably scrounging for food! She put her cute little arms around my legs and I leaned down so that she could see my face and said, "Carrie, I love you!" She looked up at me and said, "I love you, too!" I picked her up and said, "Give me a hug." And with those cute little arms around my neck, one hand patting my back she said, "This makes my heart happy!"

Oh my, there may have been some tears in this ol' tearless girl's eyes!

What a sweet little moment.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

2011-02-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Carrie is 3 today!!! I cannot believe that she is growing up so fast. She is so fun and energetic (could also be read as sneaky and naughty). She is sweet with all of the random cheek kisses and leg hugs. And let's not for the the...."Oh momma, I wuv your shirt..you look pretty!" She keeps us on our toes and she is definitely a cherished spirit in our home!

We are so thankful to have our little miracle baby. We could have easily lost her prior to or during birth (as my Dr. so wisely shared with my mom after she was born and not me!) but Heavenly Father has a plan for her. He needed her to be here in our family and we are so thankful for that!

So Miss Carrie...have a lovely day! Loves and kisses from Momma, Daddy, Mae Mae, Mia and Callie!

WHAT?

2011-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Now add 5 minutes and you have the time at which my alarm clock has been going off the past 2 weeks each morning.....yes, I said morning! Now, for those of you who know me then you know how much I value sleep. As in maybe my favorite thing EVER. So, why is this happening???

Well, I have become slightly addicted to running(ALSO A HOLY COW MOMENT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME!) at the gym. However, it is really hard to actually make it to the gym in the afternoons or evenings with 4 kids and 1 hubs. Spending time refereeing fighting after school and plastered to the couch after the kids go to bed is so much more appealing! So, bright and early it is.

And, another thing that I thought would never pass my lips.....it is actually really nice to get up and moving, showered and ready and done with half my list by 9:30 am. Who knew???

I hope that soon I can get used to being a bit tired...maybe I should be better about going to bed earlier as well! So, when you see me and I look like a zombie or slur my words, rest assured that it is the lack of sleep talking, I have not taken up afternoon cocktails!

Dear Winter....

2011-02-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

I was so happy at the beginning of our relationship....the thouhts of the beautiful snowy landscapes you would provide and the fun times of the Holidays. We enjoyed so much the joy that Christmas brought with all of our family. But lately I have been so unhappy.

You no longer give me hope of beautiful snowy days, just endless forcasts of freezing cold temperatures. So many gloomy days filled with inversions and S.A.D. I am not sure that our relationship is healthy!

I must say, that my hopes have wandered to a more cheery, green, warm season. I find myself dreaming of laughing flowers and leaves rustling in the wind. I no longer long to see you each day. I am so sorry for the disappointment that this must bring you.

So, from this day on, we are over. I no longer want to bundle up in giant coats and run to and from the garage with frozen fingers and toes. You need to pack up your brown grass and bare trees and hit the road!

Sincerely,
Andrea

This is what I am longing for...........

Hey, girl can dream, right? I did take this picture from under a palm tree while enjoying a lazy day at the ocean.

Happy Birthday Mia!

2011-01-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Mia's day began bright and early as usual......7 am. After a bit of snuggling with mom and dad, she and daddy went out for a special date. You see, Mia had requested that for her birthday she would be able to go out with a grown up without any sisters. So, daddy took her for a donut and then to pick out her BRAND new bike! She was so excited!

We then had some lunch while I decorated her cake...Hello Kitty of course! Then it was off to the bowling alley for some fun memories. We had a blast bowling....Carrie only messed up the score keeping board like a million times, ran on all of their somewhat new seats and ran around and around the lockers. Fun stuff! We had a blast!

Then it was home to "Chuck E. Cheese". Mia and Maddie decorated the house with signs and streamers. We had pizza for dinner and played games...UNO and XBOX. Maddie made tickets for everyone and we got to take 2 after each game that we played. At the end of the evening we each got a prize.

She got 3 new Leapster games, a beautiful new dress and shiny shoes, a cute hat, a cheese puzzle (no really, it is shaped like cheese), a gumball machine and of course, her lovely new bike!

It was a super fun day and we are so thankful that we have our little Mia in our family. Such a cheery disposition, always singing and smiling. She is (almost) always willing to help and (usually) does so with a smile.

So, Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet baby girl...I am not sure that I am ready to let her grow up!

What Do You Use???

2011-01-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

OK ladies.....I am curious to know what products you use for...........

1. Laundry
A. Detergent
B. Fabric Softener
C. Stain Remover

2. Facial products
A. Wash
B. Moisturizer
C. Wrinkles (Hey, I'm 30 now!)

Just curious, if you have any other life changing products that you use, feel free to tell me about them!

Andrea

Mia Missing Papa and CC

2011-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

WARNING! This post could cause a tear in your eye.

A few weeks ago, Mia found this picture inside of a book Carol and Riley had brought back from England a few years ago. She carried it around for days and days and would sleep with it, eat with it and for a few Sundays would say, "Mom, can I bring this book to church with me, I just CAN'T leave Papa and CC home by themselves, they would be lonely!"

Oh the sweetness of our Mia!

Click on the image to make it larger....I couldn't figure out how to make it larger on the post.....I need to get some new computer skills.

Winter Wonderland!

2010-12-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a beautiful winter day of falling snow and many, many inches on the ground just waiting for someone to walk in it, sled on it, and build with it!

We were pleasantly suprised with a "Snow Day" off from school. Why is it that children can sense that and are up at 7 am anyways......I am somewhat looking forward to those stay in bed until noon teenage days! Oh how I miss them myself.

My biggest kid or as we call him Dad was maybe the most excited. He promptly got out the shovel and did the walks and the driveway then readied the Acadia for some Hookie Bobbin'. Maddie and Mia had a BLAST and I must say that my first experience was great as well!

Carrie quickly got tired of the snow and was ready to come in. She spent most of her time laying in the snow because she couldn't walk in it. It was too deep! So she and I brought Callie in and decided that we really liked the warm inside.

Ryan, Maddie and Mia then continued to shovel snow into a giant pile and made a cool snow fort. What cute eskimos they all are.

Mia willingly came in but Maddie was all about the "5 more minutes". I was finally able to lure her in with some hot chocolate. The girls enjoyed their hot cocoa and Carrie enjoyed some "ICED SPIDER".

So, we have enjoyed our snow day and we are hoping that the rest of the day it only falls on the grassy areas....one can dream!

SNOW!

2010-11-27T16:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how much snow there is...the girls and I came up to my parent's house today and did some sledding. Maddie was out there for 2 hours! Maddie and Mia are now pros. Carrie enjoyed herself, but is still not sold on the being cold things, or having snow blow up in her face from the sled!

Well...Happy Snow to you!

Hawaii

2010-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have recently returned from the beautiful and warm Hawaii! Do I even need to say that we loved it and had a wonderful time? We met our friends John and Dana in Honolulu and then the following fun ensued:

Day One:
We arrived early evening on Wednesday and straight from the airport went looking for Costco.....yep, Costco. Even in Hawaii! We had a yummy lasagna dinner and then went out for a walk in down town Honolulu.

Day Two:
Snorkeling in Haunama Bay. It is always so awesome to snorkel in the ocean and see all of the beautiful life that lives under the water. We were able to snap some beautiful pictures that can be seen in the slide show!

Day Three:
Ryan and I hiked to Diamond Head. What a fun hike. TONS of stairs and really beautiful views of the ocean and of the island. Then we all headed to the Hawaii temple open house. We learned that it had been closed since 2008 for renovations. It is beautiful inside. It has many stained glass windows that are gorgeous! After the temple we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. What a fascinating place that is! The canoe parade was so amazing and the presentations at each village were incredible. The guy who sang at the Hawaii village was so talented. We could have listened for hours! Then off to the Luau with delicious pork, chicken, fish, sweet potatoe salad, rice, and many other yummy things. I could have eaten for days there! After we filled our bellies we headed over to the theatre to watch the "Ha, the Breath of Life" show. Wow was that cool! All of the singers and dancers were incredible. So many talented people!

Day Four:
The day began with the boys watching the BYU game and Dana and I heading out for some yummy breakfast. We then headed out to the Swap Meet that is in the parking lot of the University of Hawaii stadium. That is a whole lot of vendors. We had fun people watching, shopping and eating a delicious snow cone. We found lots of little treasures. We then headed out to go hike to Manoa Falls. This hike was truely beautiful going through lush green trees and bamboo. It was so beautiful. Sticky and humid, bugs, and lots of mud.......all worth it to be in such a beautiful place!

Day Five:
We headed out on a scenic drive off to find some beaches and water for snorkeling. Ryan and Johnny chased a turtle...the got some pictures and were even able to get close enought to touch it. Truely one of the highlights of the trip for Ryan! We enjoyed the beaches and beautiful day. We did visit several that day as we hopped from spot to spot.

Day Six:
Unfortunately the trip had to end this day. Off to the airport to fly home and hope that we got there at all! We were flying stand-by...always a gamble! So, after a bit of nervous stress I got onto the first flight out, thank you teenage girl who showed up a couple minutes later sorry that your mom yelled at you on the phone, and my sweet husband stayed behind to catch a later flight. He did get a flight that unfortunately didn't arrive in time to catch a connecting flight and he got to spend one more night of vacation in Portland.

So, long story short, we had an incredible time in Hawaii and I hope that we can go back sometime. Thank you (a GIANT thank you) to our wonderful grandma, aunt and great aunt to took care of our children. You are all so appreciated! We are so blessed and spoiled to have you!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2010-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our loved and spoiled daddy...aka: Birthday Boy! The girls were so cute this morning referring to Ryan as "The Birthday Boy". Seriously, these girls are so cute!

Anyways, we love you Birthday Boy, thanks for loving all of us girls and we hope that we keep your brain damage to a minimum today!

Ryan and I in Cali with Ben and Liz.....weren't we cute, young newly weds!?

Ryan and Callie having a snuggle

Ryan and Carrie at the bowling alley on Christmas Eve

Maddie giving Daddy a smooch..seriously, does it get any cuter than this!?

Ryan and Princess Mia at the Grand Ball

SISTERS

2010-09-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I seriously just heard Mia say to Carrie:

"WATCH AND LEARN SISTA!"

Too stinkin' funny!

"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"

2010-08-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

So, thanks to my sweet little angel baby, I was sitting in my chair feeding her and watching a bit of Kathy Lee and Hoda......I know, I must have been punishing myself that day! Anyways, Blake Shelton was the guest host and sang this little tune and I totally fell in love with it!!!!! I am not a huge country girl.....but for this song, I am!

Hopefully I can get in on my playlist.....until then, read the lyrics.....I promise you will love this song too!

"Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"

My oh my, you're so good-looking
Hold yourself together like a pair of bookends
But I've not tasted all your cooking
Who are you when I'm not looking?

Do you pour a little something on the rocks?
Slide down the hallway in your socks?
When you undress, do you leave a path?
Then sink to your nose in a bubble bath?

My oh my, you're so good-looking
Hold yourself together like a pair of bookends
But I've not tasted all your cooking
Who are you when I'm not looking?

I wanna know
I wanna know
I wanna know

Do you break things when you get mad?
Eat a box of chocolates 'cause you're feelin' bad?
Do you paint your toes 'cause you bite your nails?
Call up momma when all else fails?

Who are you when I'm not around?
When the door is locked and the shades are down?
Do you listen to your music quietly?
And when it feels just right, are you thinkin' of me?

I wanna know
I wanna know
I wanna know

My oh my, you're so good-looking
But who are you when I'm not looking?

The Last Song

2010-08-20T08:53:00.001-07:00

So last night I hosted a Girl's Night Out to watch The Last Song.....what a great night of fun and laughs! Here are a few thoughts.....

1. Who on earth decided that Miley Cyrus should be an actress....may I just say that the general concensus was that maybe she should enter into some speech therapy! Miley....time to leave those acting "roots" (if you can call them that) behind and stick to your new skeezy singing act. (Truth be told, you COULD rethink that one, too.) I am however guilty of rockin' out to some Party In the USA with my peeps! Come on, they are 7,4, and 2....you try saying no to those faces!

2. Well done Greg Kennear...played the role of the dad perfectly!

3. Cutest little brother since "The Little Boys" at the Johnson house! He was so adorable...bright future for this little guy.

4. Thank goodness for this hunk of yummy Australian! (Sorry Ryan, but, I'm just sayin'....look at the boy!) Yes please to many more movies in the future. Don't worry, I am not the only lady who was there last night that feels this way...just ask Emily!

So, for your joyful viewing......without further ado......here he is, the HUNK of the night:

PS: OH YES I DID!!!!!

Hike to the Y

2010-08-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am going to be doing some back-tracking...right after we got home from our trip to Utah we began swimming lessons and 3 weeks were taken up! So, now I can finally catch up on some things that we have done.

While in Utah we hiked to the Y. We had a great time! The girls loved it, minus Maddie being terrified of actually sitting on the Y.

Carrie and Callie stayed behind with grandma so I have added a few random pics of them in!

Oh Sisters!!!!!

2010-08-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading on my husband's cousin's blog that she and her sister do together.(Sereiously, so cute, it is called thewhitechristmassisters!) They had a link to an article about sisters......in the article it says this:

"Statistical analyses showed that having a sister protected adolescents from feeling lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious and fearful. It didn’t matter whether the sister was younger or older, or how far apart the siblings were agewise."

I guess that we are good to go in that department!

Here is a link to the article:
Sisters give siblings better mental health, study shows

Happy Birthday Maddie!!!!!

2010-07-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Maddie turned 7 last Friday! She had a great day starting with cinnamon rolls for breakfast, triple chocolate cake for dessert, a new bike and got her ears pierced in between!

I can't believe that she is already 7.....she starts 2nd grade in a few weeks and it seems like tomorrow I'll be the one on the commercial with the dad handing the 5 year old the car keys and as she drives away she's a teenager!

Love you Maddie Bug!

Maddie just a few hours old:

Maddie on the Big #7!!!!!

Dave Barnes Concert at Alive After Five

2010-06-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

So, Ryan and I have been huge fans of Dave Barnes for oh I don't know, 4 or 5 years. We have always hoped that he would make out to Idaho from Tennessee.....well, my sweet husband who is always checking in on the music happenings of his favorite artists found out that Dave Barnes had been added to the Alive After Five schedule. Needless to say we were so excited! So, we immediately booked out favorite babysitters (Gramma Lee Lee and Sydnie) and put it on the calendar. We went with our friends and their cutest little kids....their little girl just couldn't get enough dancing and wanted to be front and center to the stage. What a CUTIE!

Boise also did not disappoint in the crazies department....there are always the weirdest people who decide to grace us with their weird, crazy, sometimes down right aweful dancing...one girl had a very short sun dress on and most of the crowd saw her "sunshine". A word of advice to this chick....if you are going to wear a dress that short when it is windy outside, at least wear underwear that actually covers your bottom!

We got to meet Dave Barnes after and get a picture and autograph...just another one we can check off our growing list! We asked him how hard it was to keep from laughing at all of the crazy people and he said that a few times he couldn't help but laugh out loud in the microphone! We were laughing at him and the band members because they were all laughing up there. He said when they got off stage and went into the building they all burst out into laughter.....oh how I wish I could have heard that conversation!

We had a great time laughing and singing and dancing. So glad that we were able to go! Here's some pictures............

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my beautiful baby girls we took yesterday. They are so sweet and made the day really special...breakfast in bed, about 100 pictures and notes, cute presents they made at school and church and best of all, great attitudes and happy helpers!

More pictures to come when my computer guy gets home to help me!

Callie's First Month and Baby Blessing

2010-03-28T20:01:00.001-07:00

Well, we have made it one whole month! Callie is growing like a weed and getting cuter everyday!!! She is such a great baby and is a trooper to put up with the constant touching and rubbing of her head and endless baby talk from her big sisters who love her more than I could have even imagined! They are always so sweet with her and love her to pieces!

Callie was 8 lb 10 oz at 3 weeks, 3 oz shy of one whole pound since birth! She has begun to smile, what a reward that is for all of the hard work, a little piece of heaven if you ask me! She is a fabulous eater and even more fabulous sleeper at night! She has spoiled me that is for sure.

Today Ryan gave Callie her baby blessing at church. It was such a sweet blessing, he always does such a lovely job. He is the BEST daddy! These are lucky little girls!

We were blessed to have many family members and friends in attendance and we hope that all of you know how much we love and appreciate. And to those of you who are far away, we missed seeing your faces but we are just thankful to have had you there in our hearts!

We are enjoying our new family life with 4 girls, they are truely little angels (and at times little devils!) who make our day each time they smile!!!!!

Welcome Callie Cutler!

2010-02-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

We welcomed our little baby girl, Callie Cutler, on February 22 at 11:21 pm, weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. She has lots of black hair and very chubby cheeks! So far she is as sweet as can be (of course!), a fabulous eater, great sleeper and a good sport about all of the attention she is getting from all of her "moms" here at home!

Mia is my little shadow and has to be anywhere the baby is. She has also assumed the position of scheduler as she will list the order in which we and our visitors are allowed to hold the baby...oh yeah, and how long! So far this morning she herself has clocked at least an hour! This could prove to be great for me!

Maddie has been very interested in the baby this time...usually, she will give a casual glance and a courtesy five minute hold of the baby to make mom happy and then she is on her way, back to more important things! But this time around she is also shaping up to be a great helper and I plan on milking it for all it's worth.

Carrie is very excited about little Callie. Not as helpful as the others of course, but always ready to give kisses and loves. She enters the room and promptly asks for the baby. So sweet!

Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers and especially for all of the help! We have really appreciated every minute our family has been taken care of and loved! We are so blessed to be close to our family and friends! We love you all!

STILL NO BABY!!!!!

2010-02-20T19:41:00.001-08:00

So, our due date was February 17...obviously come and gone. We are patiently (or maybe not so patiently) awaiting the arrival of our baby girl. Our next appointment is on Monday and if there is still no baby by then there very well may be tears from me...but, my doctor said that we would schedule an induction. All I can say is that it better be Tuesday morning bright and early!

The girls (including me) in our house have all been under the weather with colds and Carrie has had an ear infection... so it is probably best that this baby has been too cozy to come out. But, now that we are feeling better, let the games begin!

We have been keeping occupied by watching the Olympics and playing and snuggling. The girls had a sleep over with Papa George and LeeLee last night. What a great break for Ryan and I. Thanks a million!!!!! We really appreciate all of your help this week Gramma!

So, think good thoughts and we will hope for baby to make her way to our family....oh, I don't know...ASAP!!!!!

We will post pictures as soon as we have them.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

2010-02-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

Well, she made 2 whole years of life.....only one trip to the ER, and endless bruises and goose eggs and black eyes.....but still in one piece! This girl is serious when it comes to climbing and being naughty! In fact, just yeserday I found her standing on the kitchen counter with the cupboard door wide open and a mouth full of crackers...when I found her she turned to me and said..."Mmmmmmm, crackers, mama!"

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday and had a great time! She has been very into birthday cake. She has learned to say that she is 2, next time you see her, ask her how old she is...she will hold up her hand in a 4 and say; "I'n two"!

She got an adorable baby and baby bed from Cutler's and Sydnie got a little diaper bag set that went perfect with it. Johnson's came through with some play-dough...huge hit, and a new beanie hat to go with her new coat and snow pants! She got a talking book from her sisters and lots of clothes. It was a great day. She had a great time being the center of attention.

But, despite all of her craziness, Carrie is really such a joy! She is (usually) so happy and cheerful and full of expression and adorable things to say....needless to say, we love her and are so glad that she is our Care Bear!

Not loving that these pics aren't in the order I wanted, but, here they are...birthday in reverse!

Happy 4th Birthday Mia Bella!

2010-01-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Today is Mia's birthday, we mostly celebrated yesterday with dinner and cake and lots of family fun! She is so excited to be 4. Tonight at dinner she kept dishing herself carrots and proclaiming that now that she is 4 she can do that herself!

She got some great princess toys which have occupied many hours of today and a lot of cute clothes....she also got a BUG JAR which will be so fun in the summer!

We sure do love our 4 going on 14 Mia with the emotions to match. She is a joy to have in our home...life would be too quiet without her.

Baby Belly at 36 Weeks!

2010-01-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures for those of you who are far away and are not able to experience the belly first hand...Mel and Carol& Riley!

Things are moving right along and we should have a baby in about 4 weeks!!!!! We are getting all ready. Getting the car seat washed up, washed the clothes and blankets, packed a few things in my hospital bag...next will be the bed in our room....we will wait a couple of weeks on that.

I am really ready to be rid of the hearburn and acid reflux which have plagued me this time...it is now pretty much 24 hours a day. I fear for my next dental appointment.......there could be a small fortune worth of cavities in there. Good thing I work for my dentist occassionally, maybe we can work out a trade!

Hope that all is finding you well!

I will let you see if you can figure out which picture Maddie, my little budding photographer, took!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:42:00.001-08:00

Another year has passed and I can't believe that we are only 7 weeks until a new baby comes!

We are mostly moved in to our new home....except for those few little nagging stragglers that are always hanging around for a few weeks. But, we have made great progress considering 2 families in one home, one moving out and the other moving in, Christmas, one night of super duper fun company and a very, very pregnant lady at the reins of the the whole project!

Thanks to all who have helped us the last 2 weeks! We have the BEST family and friends! You are all greatly appreciated and loved!

We will post some pictures when we are all ready and decorated!

Thanks again to everyone for their help! We hope that you all have a wonderful beginning to the new year!

Just a few pictures of the past few weeks:
Our (now) annual Christmas Eve Bowling festivities!
The girls with Santa
Maddie singing in her school program
Mia meeting and petting a REAL reindeer, her name is Prancer.
And, Carrie with a little naked doodling on the Magna Doodle...serious props to whoever invented those little gems!

Love you all!
The Cutlers

Holy Mess!!!

2009-12-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, 11 days until Christmas Day and what are we doing??? PACKING! We are getting ready to move on Friday. Sometimes I take a minute and ask myself what the heck we were thinking and then it is back to packing! But, so far so good and if my hormones will keep normal there won't be any more tears shed. (Let's just say I had a few "pregnant moments" last week as those of you who are really close to me know I almost NEVER,EVER,EVER cry! Not even when my babies have been born!)

So, in your spare moments of not Christmas shopping and inbetween all of your Holiday cheer....say a prayer for us that we survive the next 11 days.

And, Merry Christmas to all of you!!!!! I love this time of year, I think about it all year long and I am so glad that it is here and that we are so close to our families and able to spend it with them!

Happy Holidays from us!

I tried to post some pics but it is not currently working....they will come soon!

Oh, the Joys of Cold Weather....I Think!

2009-11-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

So, last weekend, Ryan and I were watching a movie and could hear something rolling around. Naturally we thought it was a child out of bed...not the case. (For once I might add!) So Ryan went to ivestigate. It sounded like it was under the washer and dryer...where after a couple of minutes I remembered that a couple of Sour Ball candies had escaped to a few months ago. So, we decided that it must be a mouse. A few days went by and we hadn't heard any other unusual sounds so we sort of forgot about it.

Well, on Tuesday, I had been to Mia's pre-school to help out and when we got home I, the pregnant bellied lady, had a visit from the "Tinkle Fairy", so into the little bathroom I went. I looked into the toilet to find what looked to be a KID poop left for me (which happens often! So gross!). After looking once more I realized that this kid poop was clinging to the side of the toilet bowl (HOLY TALENTED POOPERS!). Then, I realized that this kid poop had a thin tail protruding from it......................uh, not a kid poop, a MOUSE! Luckily Ryan was home, as I quickly backed away saying,"Uhh, there's a mouse in the toilet!" (Ryan said he was so proud of me that I didn't run away screaming and sqealing!)

So, my super smart, calm hubby went into the bathroom to see for himself and decided to close the lid until we knew what we would do. I could see the idea of the "Jedi Burial" memories from his mission flashing through those eyes, which I quickly dismissed for him. (JEDI BURIAL DEFINITION: While in the Phillipines, these oh so mature 19-21 year old boys, uh I mean men, would pour alcohol on these poor little mice, then light them on fire and watch them run around their apartment.) He came up with the better option of giving that mouse the ultimate surf lesson. FLUSHAROO!!! So, down he went, 3 or 4 times.

Now, each time I go into that bathroom, I have to check to see if there is a mouse in there and especially in the toilet. Mia, since she was home, is especially sensitive to this situation and for the first couple of days after would ask me everytime she would go to the bathroom (which is a lot by the way, that girl has a bladder the size of a pea!) to check the toilet for a mouse. Poor kid, traumatized for life!

So, there is our first mouse story as a married couple, first mouse ever in my own house.....probably not the last, but here's to hoping!

OCTOBER

2009-11-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

We have been busy this past month with school, being sick and all of these crazy kids! We had fun watching the leaves turn colors and fall to the grass and playing in them in the beautiful weather we had! They girls thought that this was so much fun!!!

We had a great time while daddy was in Utah catching a BYU game....lots of relaxing and eating things for dinner that dad wouldn't have really enjoyed! And, to top it all off, he brought home a very LARGE new member of our family! We'll let you figure out which picture belongs to this information....let's just say mommy is soooo excited!!!!!!!!!

We carved some pumpkins and mom was over-joyed that the big girls were so willing to help retrieve the guts of the pumpkins...thanks for getting all the goo out girls! Halloween was really fun this year, Mia was really into saying Trick-or-Treat and quickly getting from house to house, whether or not anyone else was ready or not! We had fun showing off our costumes to our Grandmas and Grampas and Aunts and Uncles and of course, cousin Jack!

The baby in the belly is growing fast...lots of uncomfortable days and nights with all this stretching and "room-making"...but things are going really well and I can't complain too much.......although, better out than in, as I always say!

We are excited that it is already November!!! We are going to put our Halloween candy to good use with a Thanksgiving Advent Calendar, thank you Family Fun Magazine! We can hardly wait to see some much anticipated visitors, Mellie, Trevor and baby Spencer!!!!! David, we wish you could be here! (You like dogs, right?) We may even get to have a sighting of an East Coast brother...Ryan's brother Allen may be coming sometime this month for a "last hurrah visit" before Cutler's leave to Frankfurt, Germany for their Public Relations mission...won't they have a great time there??? They will hopefully get the opportunity to travel to several countries in Europe! As you may have speculated, or already know, we will be staying in their house while they are gone....I know, moving while like 7 1/2 months pregnant, sounds fun, bet you're jealous!!!!!

So, enjoy the pictures, hope that you, whoever you are, are doing well!!! Get ready for Turkey day and don't forget....only like 8 weeks 'til Christmas, YIKES!!!!

Memorable Impression

2009-10-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog for my business, Memorable Impression. It is just in the beginning stages, but feel free to check it out and please do tell ALL you friends and family with little ones or who are pregnant!!!! :)

www.memorableimpression.blogspot.com

The Big 3-0!!!!!

2009-10-02T09:57:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!!! Today is Ryan's 30th birthday.....I think it has been a great 30 so far.....here's to 30 more and 30 more after that! We love you, thanks for all you do for your family. You are the best hubby and the best daddy ever!

Lots and lots and lots of hugs and kisses!

Andrea, Maddie, Mia, Carrie and Baby #4!

So, it's a.............

2009-09-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

girl for the Cutlers! Would any of you expect anything different!? She looks happy and healthy and is right on schedule for February 17, 2010. We are very excited and hope that the next few months go by smoothly. I am feeling like I need to stock up on hair bands and clippies and that maybe, it might be a wise decision to teach Ryan how to fix a few hair do's. I'm just sayin', that's a lot of piggies! 8 to be exact, if you are doin' 2 on each kiddie!

Like a Kid in a Candy Store!

2009-09-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Go Cougs!!!!

"Fourth and Goal"

2009-08-12T07:07:00.001-07:00

Well, not only is football season upon us...my husband has mentioned how excited he is about a million times...but we are going to be making an addition to our family in February! Yup, you heard it here, the Cutler's are havin' a baby!

We are due February 17, 2010. Other than feeling like I am no longer human, things are going great and I am happy to be a week away from the 2nd trimester. That usually brings back some semblance of human activity and life back to me!

So, I was showing the girls a picture of an ultrasound and explaining to them that the baby is inside the peanut shape so that they could pick out the tiny white blob that is our baby and they were able to see it. Then, the next morning, Mia came up to me and says.......Mom, I want to see that nut! Each time she talks about the baby she calls him/her "the nut".

So, all is going well...a belly to soon be sported and a "shout out" to my new best friend...Zantac!!! As Juno says, "I have heartburn that is radiating from my knee caps!"

SUMMER TIME!

2009-07-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

We have been bad about getting our pictures onto the blog! We have been having a great summer. The girls had swimming lessons in Cutler's pool, we had a fun 4th of July swimming, drinking Root Beer and Orange Cream sodas and doing fire works!

Maddie celebrated her 6th birthday and got some great loot...the Nintendo DS was the greatest hit of all! Don't worry, Ryan has ordered Tetris for me so I am totally excited!!! (I have a "THING" for Tetris.) Maddie also lost her second tooth. After much convincing and a bit of mouth prying open, one swipe of the finger over the tooth and out it came!

Mia is, well, Mia. She is always unpredictable and always has something clever to say. She is practicing her letting writing skills and can write her own name...so what if she insists on spelling it "MAI" her preschool teachers will have fun convincing her otherwise!

Carrie is a talking machine...her new thing she loves is to ask me to wash her hands, or sanitize. My 3rd little germ-o-phobe...I am certainly rubbing off on them! She still continues to loving and longingly ask me as we walk past her room..."Na-NI?" That child LOVES nap and be time...I am truely blessed. The other two stinkers hated both! (Still do!)

We are getting excited...ok, I am getting excited...it is that time of year when the adds are chuck full of my most favorite finds...SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!!!! Ryan laughs at me every year, but what can I say? I live for the back to school adds with all of those can't turn them down deals on an endless supply of yummy smelling paper and crayons, markers and paints, maybe a new pair or two of scissors, glue sticks, regular glue, and my favorite pens in all the world...Pentel R.S.V.P. black pens.......I am so excited my heart is pounding just writing this...MUST..GO..SHOPPING..SOON!!!!!!!

So, happy back to school shopping to you all and just in case you were wondering school starts in 31 days!!! Whose counting though, right?

Disneyland!!!

2009-07-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

We took the big girls to Disneyland in June...we had such a wonderful time! We flew to L.A., it was Mia's first plane ride and Maddie's first ride that she could remember. They were so cute with their big eyes and smiles. They were so excited when anything would happen. They especially loved the propellers and when the wheels would come down.

We stayed in a hotel close to Disneyland. We walked to and from the park....poor Mia was exhausted from walking so much. (Should have brought a stroller!) They were really good girls about walking so much, and we really walked them to death! I think they are still tired!

The girls had a great time seeing all of the characters and princesses. It is so fun to see those little faces light up! Maddie was a trooper and went on every ride she could go on...even if she was nervous. Her favorite ride was Splash Mountain. She and Ryan went on it 5 times...at least. Mia's favorite ride was the Matterhorn. After we went on it the first time, Maddie said that she didn't want to go on it ever again. Before the ride was over, Mia said, "Let's go again!"
She and Ryan went on it 4 or 5 times!

The shows at night were fabulous. All of the fireworks were awesome, and the new Fantasmic show was amazing! There were pirate ships and movies on the fountain spray and boats with princes and princesses. It's true, nobody does it like Disney!!!!

We also went to the beach. Both girls got knocked over by the first wave that hit them...oh how I wish I had a picture of it! They were very surprised, but no tears! They had a great time building sand castles and running away from the waves with daddy.

All in all I think it was a very successful trip, we can't wait to go back again!

Enjoy our pictures, but beware, there are a million!!!!!

Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.......AAAHHH, Vacation.

2009-05-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I just returned from "holiday" in Canada....or as Ryan calls it "America's Hat". We flew into Vancouver and headed straight to Stanley Park to visit the aquarium. The park is so amazing! You could spend days there walking through and enjoying all of the beautiful trees and gardens. It is bigger than Central Park in New York City. The aquarium has so many beautiful fish and animals...as a long time lover of dolphins I was amazed at their strength and beauty! For some reason they have always been a wonder to me! The jelly-fish were also unbelievable...they re my second favorite! The sloth was really cool, it was just hanging out still as could be, it almost looked fake.

The next morning, we rode the Rocky Mountaineer to Whistler. What a great experience, Canada is a very beautiful, scenic country. The mountains and trees were beautiful! They give great commentary about the places and things that you are passing by and the train slows so that you can get great pictures and a really good look. There was a car in the middle of the train that was open, and very windy, where you could enjoy the scenery first hand without windows!

We spent the next day in Whistler biking around the lakes and golf courses and through the mountains. It was so much fun...Ryan only ran me off the path once! I'm telling you, he always finds a way to either knock me down (ice skating in Sun Valley) or run me off the road...but I still love you!

Then we rode the train back to Vancouver and headed to the Vancouver Look-out where you can see the beautiful city. We learned that it was actually opened by Neil Armstrong. We thought that was interesting!

Then it was off to our hotel to get ready for an EARLY flight....we had to be up at 4 am. At around 2:15 am we were awakened by what sounded like the sound an elevator makes when it opens...which happened to be the fire alarm. I was looking all over the room for an alarm or something, went into the hallway to see what was going on and the lady next door said it was the indeed the fire alarm...so out we went to stand in the parking lot for 30 minutes. Let's just say...4 am came way too fast!

So, here we are at home...back to reality. Boy do I love vacation!

Enjoy our pictures!

Great Job Maddie!!!!!

2009-05-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

I was in Maddie's classroom yesterday and Ms. Wilkins came up to me and asked what we are doing with Maddie at home. I wasn't exactly sure what she was referring to so I said...what do you mean?? She said that Maddie had just tested at a First Grade Spring IRI level.....which basically means that for reading, she is a whole year ahead of where she should be!! Maddie is reading a perfect 59 words per minute! I am so proud of her, we have worked really hard all year long doing reading minutes every day and Maddie reads herself to sleep every night. She has worked really hard and I am very proud of her. It is really amazing to see what these little minds can do!

Carrie decides to take up walking....

2009-04-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

14 months and 3 days of hard training and Carrie decides to use the two feet approach. She is now all over the place and trying her best to keep up with her big sisters.

The "FRP"

2009-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are out at the "FRP" (Final Resting Place) as my parents call it. We had gone over for General Conference on Sunday and some yummy dinner. It was such a beautiful day with the perfect amount of wind for flying a kite. Maddie and Mia were so thrilled to be able to see the kite flying so high. Maddie was so proud of her flying skills...only one crash into the side of the hill!!! However, I am not sure who had more fun flying the kite, the little girls or the big boys. Papa George was even able to wind in the kite from 200 feet out all the while sitting in the same chair. The girls and Sydnie took a hike out to the "Great Valley" in pursuit of some hidden treasure....they decided that they would have more luck next time. (Better go hide the treasure box.) Carrie and Jack showed off their baby skills...those two are so adorable. Lots of babbling and crawling and doing things that they weren't supposed to...mostly Carrie. She is the definition of sneaky. It is so beautiful up there in Hidden Springs, we just love how it is like a mini vacation when we go there. So quiet and relaxing. It's awesome to be so close to nature....that's why I love Idaho so much! The other exciting news was that on our way in we checked the bird nest in the wreath and there were 3 tiny eggs and when we left one had hatched and there was the tiniest fuzzy bird. If you listened real close you could hear it quietly chirping. What a fun weekend! Let's do it again in 6 months!

Carrie.....just walk already!

2009-04-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

14 months old and still preferring to crawl around. She has taken some steps, but usually wimps out and just resorts to crawling. Here is her funny skateboard scoot that she does when she is holding something in her hand and can't use it to crawl.

Sorry Ryan...there's a new man in my life...

2009-03-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

...and his name is DYSON!!!!! Need I say more...probably not, but I will. I love this vacuum! It is so quiet (for a vacuum) and so light and easy to use! It's wonderful...and Ryan, you are HUSBAND OF THE YEAR!! So, here's to super clean floors and one happy wife!

Carrie in the Jumper...

2009-03-09T18:16:00.001-07:00

This is Carrie's new talent! She is so hilarious jumpin' up and down! Lately I have found her bouncing in her crib as well! The other girls totally hated the jumper so it is great to see Carrie have so much fun in it.

Happy 1st Birthday Carrie!!!!

2009-02-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today was Carrie's 1st birthday, I can't believe that she is already 1. That was by far the fastest year of my life! We had a lot of fun decorating and making cupcakes and watching Carrie open and play with presents and try out some yummy cake! She got a fun little kitchen set from us and some cute new clothes from Grampa and Gramma Johnson and Cutler, some board books from Papa and LeeLee and a cute little popper toy from Papa and CC. Sydnie got her a great little heart shaped magna-doodle....now she won't have to fight to use one of the big girls'!!!!! We just love our little Care-Bear and we can't wait for more fun with her!

Maddie's 100th Day of Kindergarten!

2009-02-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

So, Maddie's class has been counting each day since the first day of school until they got to 100..........and today was the day! They got to make AWESOME crowns and have a party all about 100!!! She had a fabulous time and can hardly stop talking about it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA!!!!!

2009-01-17T20:50:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrated Mia's 3rd birthday!!! She requested caramel rolls for breakfast, we watched a movie together....that we started at 7:30 AM.....and then she got to go with Papa George and Gramma Lee-Lee for the day!!!! They had lunch and then went to Build-A-Bear and Mia got to make the cutest Hello Kitty ever!!!!! Now the Hello Kitty party theme was complete. She was absolutely adorable all excited and jumping around opening presents and telling us all about her adventure! I can't wait to see how Hello Kitty does at the Doctor's Office (Mia got a Dr. Kit from Papa Riley and Gramma C.C.) as Papa George had no temperature or blood (pressure that is!). Enjoy the pictures!!!!!!!

It's Only January but .....

2009-01-14T13:35:00.001-08:00

.....here's some pictures from our fun at Christmas!!! We had a great time with our family. We had a party with the Cutler's complete with Holiday Bingo and chimes. Christmas Eve we took the kids bowling and we had so much fun!!! I even broke 100 is an absolute miracle! We got a Wii from Santa and have really enjoyed watching the kids play and have had a lot of fun playing ourselves! Papa Riley and Grandma C.C. came over Christmas morning for Caramel Rolls and hot chocolate and presents of course!! Then Papa George, Grandma Lee Lee, Kevin, Sydnie, Jeff, Laura and Jack came over for some yummy lasagna and dessert and more presents and fun with the Wii.......we had to pry Lee Lee away, and by the way, we haven't seen you for your "bowling league"!
We had a wonderful time with everyone and we are just so glad that we all live so close!

View Album

Get your own

I Love Kids!!

2008-12-17T08:02:00.001-08:00

May I just say that I love how excited kids are about Christmas!!! Maddie and Mia have found a new love for My Little Pony (um, can you say flashback like 20 years???). So, we decided to call the North Pole and what do you know, a nice elf named Bernard answered the phone and said that he will get those added to the list right away!!! He also said that sometimes with late additions that they don't always make it to your house, sometimes they get delivered to your Gramma's house......here's to hoping!!!!!!!

November

2008-11-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we last posted, so I decided that today is the day! We have been having lots of fun having Melissa, Trevor and David in town a week or so ago! The kids had a blast. Maddie and Trevor loved each other and playing together...Maddie could tell Trevor whatever she wanted him to do and he would willingly oblige...hope she enjoyed that because I have a feeling that next time he may not be so willing since he will be a bit older and better able to express to her everything he wants to say. (HMMMM, sound like anyone we know........MIA!!!) Now, Mia and Trevor on the other hand, that is a tricky little relationship. LOVE-HATE if you will. We had fun watching them react to one another.

We had lots of fun Rock Banding....everyone got in on the action! It was such a blast.

Michael left on his mission to South Africa. When we went to see my family on Thanksgiving Mia said to me,"Mama, Mikey won't be der, he's at da temple." So cute!!!!! I tried to explain to her that he is gone on his mission but I don't think she was understanding.....that will be one long session at the temple!!!

View Album

Get your own

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween...Maddie was an Olympic gymnast and Mia was yet again a cow! She loves that costume. Carrie was a pumpkin...well sort of, if a onsie counts for a costume! We went Trick or Treating at the Canyon County Courthouse where Ryan used to work and where incidentally is still somewhat of a "celebrity", there were so many of the people on his old floor that would say,"Oh, this must be Ryan Cutler's family, look at that little girl, she looks just like him!" That would be our little Maddie. Then we went to Gramma C.C. and Papa Riley's for some hang out time and pizza...pumpkin shaped pizza that is. Then we took the kids to a few of their neighbor's houses and then we headed off to Kevin's HS football game...S'go Eags! The girls wore their costumes where the showed off their cuteness to Gramma Lee Lee and Papa George and of course, Aunt Sydnie! We had so much fun just hangin' out and not walking all around the neighborhood...I am sure that our year is coming, but as long as I can trick them into thinking that going to the County office IS Trick or Treating we will stick with that plan!!!!!

View Album

Get your own

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

View Album

Get your own

Maddie's First Field Trip

2008-10-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Maddie had her first kindergarten field trip yesterday! We went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze in Marsing. It was so fun to see her with her little friends that she has made and see her in her "new world". She is so cute with her 2 best friends, Lacy and Naomi!
We started with the corn maze of nursery rhymes and then saw some farm animals and the kids ran through a hay bail maze. Then they picked out their pumpkins....Maddie's is "medium sized" as she stated to Ryan and then we went on a hay ride. Maddie thought that it was awesome that I got to ride on the bus with her. There is a reason why kids ride buses and adults do not. BUMPY!
My hat is off to those kindergarten teachers who deal with the loud, excited voices and wiggly bodies day in and day out! They are great. Maddie's teacher is especially awesome. I am so happy that Maddie is where she is at for her first school experience.

View Album

Get your own

Painting Pumpkins and Front Loaders!!!

2008-10-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun weekend...first of all my sweet husband, as he would say, "Heard the hints loud and clear", that our washer and dryer were on their way to the cemetary and took me to R.C. Willey and let me pick out a brand new washer and dryer, I chose the Whirlpool Duet Front Loaders. (He had actually done a lot of research and was prepared with lots of info for me.) My very first brand new pair! I feel like such a big girl now. They are beautiful and hold massive amounts of laundry!! He has even been eager to do the laundry the last couple of days, it's all about the new toys at our house.....would the same thing happen if we got brand new toilets???

Next, Gramma Lee Lee and Aunt Sydnie came over on Sunday for the annual painting of the pumpkins. They have started this fun tradition with the girls that each Halloween they paint little pumpkins, the girls look forward to it all year (and so do Lee Lee and Sydnie!). They had a blast and the girls go out on the porch every day and remind me whose is whose!

View Album

Get your own

Family Pictures

2008-09-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Carrie On the Move!!!

2008-09-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

Carrie has been developing her army crawl skills! We have found her under the piano, in-between any small space she can fit, under the kitchen table and so on. She is so cute sliding all over the floor. She can also get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth....it is only a matter of days until she really takes off. (Hopefully a couple of weeks!) We just hope that the big sisters are ready for a new buddy!

BYU FOOTBALL

2008-08-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

I know Maddie.........me too!!!!!

Well, the season is here, you know, the one where I seem to become a widow for a few months on Saturdays and some week nights! Yes, BYU football has begun so, here we go.....countless hours of football games and one great perk for me lots of "Let's grab a pizza for dinner". At least my dinner making will decrease on Saturday nights! :)

So, I guess that I will see my husband again in about 145 days, but who's counting??

Although, who am I kidding, we will be well into BYU basketball by then and then comes the NBA. Love you babe, see you next summer for the brief 6 weeks where you magically become an avid baseball fan....GO CUBBIES!!

Good thing we have 3 girls, we will be able to manipulate many a shopping trip while dad watches sports in the back yard "Man Shed" I have been promoting. I would seriously think about it Ryan, could prove to be a great thing for you!!!!!

Madilyn's First Day of Kindergarten !!

2008-08-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Maddie started Kindergarten today, her teacher is Ms. Wilkins and there are about 6 kids from our ward in her class. Pretty fun! She asked me last night if I was going to stay with her on the first day and I said no and she replied, "Good!". I just laughed. She was so pleased to find out that she gets to eat lunch there EVERY day. She was so cute with her Princess back pack and her Hello Kitty lunch bag. (Thanks Liz!) Mia was funny at lunch time walking all over the house and calling to Maddie to come eat. When I told her that Maddie was at school and she got to be home all by herself with me she got a big grin and gave me a big hug. I think that she is excited to have some Big Sister time of her own! The house is very quiet without all of Maddie's imagination bustling around, and I can hardly wait for nap time!!!!! Maybe I will actually be able to close my eyes for a minute or two without some poking my face.

Maddie Is Coming Out of Her Shell !!!

2008-08-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Our little shy Maddie seems to be coming out of her shell a bit lately and treated us the other night with a little concert.

I Knew This Day Would Come

2008-08-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

Well, after 5 years of children, we have had our first scissors to the hair incident~ Mia is the first offender. She even politely cut it straight into the toilet so that the hair wouldn't get on the floor! I should have taken some before pictures, but you can pretty much tell where it was, I didn't cut it any more, just tried to mask it best I could! I think that the final product turned out nice...maybe I should have been a hair lady instead if a teeth lady!

Just a Few Pics!

2008-08-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from the past few weeks. Goof-balls, first attempts at no training wheels, Mom and Dad with their girls and lots more!

Oh, and PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISSA! We love you!

Maddie Turns 5!!!

2008-07-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today is Maddie's Birthday....5 years old. (Although the festivities were stretched over about 5 days!) Last year her birthday was all about princess. Princess decorations, cake, presents, you name it! This year all she wanted was a radio so that she can listen to her music and dance in her room. So, she got what she asked for and now it is dance party all the time! She chose to have a beach themed party with a beach ball cake and snow cones, swimming, and the water slide with her cousins and friends. She got an awesome whale and dolphin book that she has yet to put down and a beautiful rose from Sydnie! Some cool school clothes, Candyland and Crazy 8's from Papa George and Lee Lee. A cute umbrella for rainy day walks with Papa Riley and C.C. Various things for paper projects from the Taylor boys (a hit by the way, we have been cutting and gluing like crazy!). The Cutler cousins came through with a fun rocket and hopscotch and some matching "sunnies" and shirt from Kiley. I decided that every girl needs a pedicure so she and Mia had pedicures and got to soak their feet in my foot massager! There were lots of giggles.

Maddie had a great day, thanks to all of you who helped to make it so special! Thanks for help with making treats and letting us invade backyards and clubhouses!!!!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Maddie. She is now ready for her next adventure...KINDERGARTEN! She can't wait, and in some moments, neither can we!

View Album

Get your own

Carrie's First Rice Cereal

2008-07-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Carrie has been extra hungry lately so we decided that it was time to give rice cereal a try!! She loved it and would follow my hand everywhere trying to get another bite. At one point I had to hold her arms so that she wouldn't grab the bowl and spoon! The big girls thought she was hilarious. She slicked it all up and we'll try again tomorrow!

Twilight Criterium

2008-07-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to the bike race that is held every year in downtown Boise. This was the first year that we took the girls and they had a great time! Mia cheered VERY loudly for all of the racers and they both thought the clickers were awesome! I am sure that next year will be even more of a blast with Carrie more in the action!

Mustache or No Mustache????

2008-07-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ryan always jokes about leaving a mustache when he shaves and on this particular day, he did! HANDLE BAR MUSTACHE none the less! Needless to say it only lasted about 24 hours, but those were 24 very proud hours for him. May I just say, I like no mustache...I couldn't keep a straight face when I looked at him, let alone have a serious conversation!

Coeur D'Alene

2008-07-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

We just returned from CDA where we visited Ryan's brother Camron and his wife Mindy and their kids Kiley and Cade. We spent the 4th of July there and enjoyed the great weather and great food! The drive up there is beautiful...much prettier than the drive to Utah! The girls had a great time following the river and keeping track (quite loudly I will add) of whose side of the car the river was on!!! They were really great little travelers! Even Carrie was a trooper.
Maddie, Mia and Kiley had so much fun playing out back collecting purple tree sap that would take them to Neverland. They spent 2 days preparing for their trip! Kiley has quite the skill in toe and finger nail painting and creating quite the cute hair-dos!! Maybe a career in the making???
Maddie and Mia jumped on a trampoline (after much deliberation) for the very first time and loved it. Although, there will be no permanent jumping in this back yard!
Cade is the best fruit eater I have ever seen...the boy loves his fruit (and, as you will see in the pictures, the corn cob!)! I especially enjoyed his snuggle the first day we got there, even if he was only trying to mooch my bread! And, I loved how he would open his eyes really wide and say "WOW". What a cutie!!!
Needless to say our trip was fun and relaxing and it was great to be with our family! Here is a slide show of photos from our trip.

View Album

Get your own

Carrie Needs Some Love Too!

2008-06-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Carrie has recently found her toes and loves to hold onto them. She also rolled over on Friday! She weighs in at 11 lbs at 4 1/2 months old. A bit of a change from Mia's 20 lbs at 3 months!

HAIRCUTS FOR THE GIRLS!

2008-06-29T13:27:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the girls' new haircuts. I was tired of seeing straggly hair hangin' down so I plopped them on the counter and off it went! I have been trying to talk Maddie into cutting it like this for a while and now that dance is over she finally agreed!!! Mia loves to get her hair cut. She asks me about once a week if we can cut it!

Trying to get comments to work!

2008-06-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Still learning all of this, just trying to get it all figured out!