McFarland Madness

2010-12-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Fun zoo day! We have been to the zoo a lot, but we can go because my kids are still free! Once I have to pay for my kids to go it will happen less and less. So here are some fun pictures we took this time. Some of the animals were super close and stuff this time. We also went with two of my sisters and that was fun!!

2010-12-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is what we do when Tom goes out back to the cow's field to shoot his bow. We get way bored and start doing wierd things. There are also pictures of Tom, Ben and Ty's little fishin trip to the Green River

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2010-12-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pics of everyday life. There are pics of the first time Cody fell asleep in his high chair, Alyssa when she learned to ride her two wheeler, Tom's awesome tiger musky, Cody on his four wheeler, and just random pictures of everything this summer.

2010-12-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

We got some of our friends together and went to Kirk's Grandpa's ranch to shoot some clay pigeons and have a fire. We had fun, I only shot like once though, I get shy when people are watching. Boys never seem to grow up though. It was like watching a bunch of ten year old boys at recess. They were finding anything they could to make things dangerous, see who could shoot the fastest and see what water does when they shoot it (which they already knew). I love hanging out with friends, it makes me feel my age!

2010-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Bug Run. This is the family race I was originally going to run my half marathon in. Instead I ran the 10K race and Alyssa rode in the kids bike race. I ran most of the race with Sarah, it was super fun! We started out going the wrong way though and we ended up running an extra mile ha ha ha! Laura is quite an amazing women for putting on this race, there were at least 100 people there and she had breakfast waiting for you when you finished your race. She also accommodated every body's abilities, there was a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, a bike ride, a kids run, and a kids bike ride. Everyone got to be a part of the race! Somehow I ended up winning the 10K, it was pretty cool. After breakfast Laura gave out candy and metals to all the kids and they were so excited! Thanks Laura for all your hard work, the race was a blast!
For more pictures please visit http://www.thebugrun.blogspot.com/

2010-07-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

We had a family night in Mantua with Toms siblings. It was way fun to fish and watch the kids ride bikes around the lake. My pretty little princess Alyssa found the worms and decided that they would make a great toy! She was elbow deep in the worm container untill it was time to leave. After fishing we all drove to Janeal and Jason's house in Hyrum to eat dinner. Fun times with the family, I love it.

2010-07-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

My brother Colby wanted to go fishing so he asked the king of all fishing, Tom. Tom may not catch tonz of fish or even big fish but he goes fishing all the time so who better to ask. So Tom took my brother in law Brett and Colby to the weber river and got Colby a fish! Aparently it was quite a task to get Colby to actually touch a live fish but once it was dead he was perfectly willing to almost put the slimy thing in his mouth. Boys are so wierd. Any way I am way happy for him and I think it is sweet that he got a fish!

2010-07-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

My sister Cami had her beautiful baby girl on May 18Th 2010. I didn't get the chance to see her in the hospital so I went and cooked her dinner one night, so I could help out and to see my new niece Halle. Love you Cami!

2010-07-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!!!! You better believe it, and I ran it in 2 hours and 1 min. My mother in law asked me if I would want to run a half marathon in a family race she was putting together on June fifth and my first thought was, "are you crazy women!?" but somehow she has this power over me and I always say yes ha ha. So I started looking for training programs for losers who don't exercise at all, because that was me. I found a program that took you from running three miles to running a half marathon in ten weeks and I thought that I might be able to pull that off so I started trying to run three miles. I would start to run one week and then I would quit, typical me when it comes to exercise. Then I drug my neighbor and friend Jessica into the mix and she helped me run three miles every other day for about two weeks. Then it was now or never, the race was in exactly ten weeks and if I didn't start now I would never make it. Amazingly I found the motivation to run and keep running and all of the sudden I found myself three weeks in and running six miles!!!! I was so impressed with myself but I still had a long way to go. Then my mother in law asks me if I would like to run in the ogden marathon with her because she had a friend who could not do it any more. I was excited but nervous because that race was three weeks sooner than I had planned my training for. However I still said yes because she has powers. This was going to be crazy! I had only one more month to run from six miles to thirteen point two. I have to tell you it was not lookin good to me but with amazing support from my husband, who had to watch the kids A LOT so I could run, I did it! I finished my training and I was ready to run. We got up on May 15th at four thirty AM to drive to the start of the race. It was so cold we all had on pants and long sleeves. I was perfectly happy with my decision to be warm untill I started running. All of the sudden it was blazing hot!! I ended up shedding my pants so I had only shorts on but that was a mistake because you don't get clothes back if you take them off on the trail. Oops. So I ran on, the first six miles were a cake walk, from then on it was a little harder but not too bad. As I got close enough to the finish line that I could see it, all I wanted to do was finish so I sprinted the rest of the race! I could not believe that I had actually run a half marathon! It was a great experiance and I hope to do it again real soon. Thanks Tom for being the best support ever and thanks Laura for giving me the oppertunity! (sorry not many pics, Tom had both kids and was diong his best)

Yup I am a big dork.

Me and Sis in law Sarah

2010-06-15T21:15:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few fun and random things that have happened around the house.

Alyssa got a cute new 4 wheeler

Playing in irrigation for the first time this year, it was freezing!

Alyssa took our picture

Cody climbed on the table from his red high chair on the left. I guess the buckle doesn't work after all.

Alyssa insisted I put Cody on the baby bike with her. I was a little hesitant but once I did they both loved it!

This is Cody playing in a puddle after it had rained

Alyssa loves band aids. She found a few and this is what she chose to do with them ha ha ha!

I babysat my friend Lauren's baby, she didn't know me very well so she was a little scared at first. This led to a little bit of crying. I guess Cody couldn't take it any more because after a few min this is what I ended up with.

A word to the wise, if you don't have a big Ziploc bag, don't try to construct your own out of foil.

I know this is sorta common sense but I am not that smart I guess.

2010-06-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

My wonderful family got me a new bycicle for mothers day this year!! I have wanted one for about a year now and didn't think I would get one any time soon but I did!!! It is super cute, which I didn't expect either, I thought I would have to have a used bike and there is not much choice when you are buying something used so I was content with any old ugly bike but I got this way cute ban new bike!! After Tom gave it to me we hooked up our buggy, put the kids in it and we went for a ride. Cody absolutely loves being in the buggy, he smiles and claps every time we get it out. The only sad part is that it has rained so much, because we have not been able to go on verry many rides yet. I did take the kids to McDonnalds to get ice cream and play in the play place though and that was super fun! I am just so greatful to have such an amazing husband who pays attention and knows how to make me so happy!

Cute design!

2010-05-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Its time again for the annual Womens Conference trip. This year we decided to skip on the pre conference shopping and instead we went to the DI to pick out silly clothes to wear to dinner. We drew names and set off looking for the most embarrasing shirts ever. It was pretty fun and less stressful than shopping. After we got the clothes we went to the parking lot to reveal our wonderful choices. That was hilarious!!! The pictures will tell all. Soon after, we set off to Olive Garden. We got some crazy looks. Yet again it was super fun. We got to the hotel in Provo around elevin o'clock at night and then we started masages. Yes we have to get up early and sit in classes all day the next day and we decide to start masages at elevin. It was great but I had a very hard time staying awake in class. Sarah, Laura and I were training for the ogden half marathon at this time so we had to wake up at six thirty to run. I loved running with someone for once, I always run alone when I am at home. When we got back we got ready for the day and went to the opening session. I learn so much and love the spirit at Womens Conference, it is like nothing else in the world. I have to say that my favorite part is always the concert at the end of day one. This year was especially great, Hilary Weeks was the host (she is hilarious and my favorite singer ever), The fab five came (cloggers from America's got talent), and I cried at least once from the amazing spirit I felt. Music seems to bring that out in me easily. We went back to the hotel and did more masages, super great after a day of walking. The next day of classes was just as good as the first. I was in the same position though, I could not stay awake! Women's Conference always goes by way too fast and soon it was over. We went to aunt Shar's to buy some cute decorations that she makes, then we went to dinner. It was another late night but it was great to be back with my family so I could apply the things I learned at Conference. Thanks Laura for a wonderful time!!

2010-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Tom decided to take the kids to the fish farm for family night a little while ago. It was super fun! I have not been there since like second grade. Alyssa has always wanted to go fishing with daddy and catch a fish by herself so this was like a dream come true for her. It is hilarious to see all the fish squiggle around when you throw the food in the water. Alyssa was fearless too. She caught her first fish and just grabbed it without hesitation. Cody just sat in his stroller but he is happy just being outside so he had fun. I loved just watching my family, it is so fun to see my kids with Tom. I love my cute little family.

2010-05-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

My sister Cortney had little baby Reegan on March 23rd 2010. We were not able to go see her because both of my kids were pretty sick so we had to wait. A few weeks later we were headed to the Planetarium in Salt Lake City and I decided we should stop in to see my new niece. She is adorable! Great job Cort! The Planetarium was fun as well. We rode the front runner to Salt Lake and I had never been on it before, it was pretty fun with my kids. Alyssa and Cody were so excited the whole ride there. Once we got there it was sort of a mad house because it was a Friday and apparently that is the day everyone decided to go to the Planetarium. It was pretty cool to see all of the displays. It was extra fun because Tom actually got to go somewhere with us! He is always working when we get to go fun places, it makes us sad. He is so cute with the kids and they love to have daddy around. After the Planetarium we decided to take the kids to see the temple. They loved to touch the door and take pictures by the fountain, its fun to see how much kids love the temple even though they don't quite understand what it is or why we have it. That to me just shows the truth of it all, if your kids can feel the importance without complete knowledge about it. When we got done there it was time to go home. All the kids and Grandma Mac fell asleep on the front runner. Alyssa actually laid her head on the man sitting across from me for a minute, I was a little embarrassed but it was cute. All in all it was a great day!

Such a beautiful baby girl!!

Waiting for the fron runner

Alyssa on Mars

On the Moon

At the Gate Way
Temple Doors
They all laid down in the elevator, must have been tired Yup they were
Me and cute Morgan on the front runner going home

2010-04-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

Easter was great! Every year we go to Simpson Springs with my dad but this year the weather didnt look so good so dad decided, an hour before we left, that we would go to Sand Hollow in St. George. The drive was crazy! We left Wednesday night around six, dad's transmission went out in Salt Lake so he was a few hours behind, the rest of us drove on. We hit a blizard in Provo and it didnt end untill we got to Ceadar City!!! Now when I say blizard I mean we could not see thirty feet in front of us. It took us till three thirty in the morning to get there. Thats nine hours of driving people. It should have only taken five hours, FIVE HOURS!!! Poor Tom was exhausted. We ended up having to stay in a Wal Mart parking lot to sleep untill the gates to Sand Hollow opened. Once we actually got there the trip was a blast. It was so warm I got to run in shorts and a T shirt without freezing. Alyssa got to use Nikki and Wes's four wheeler all by her self (Thanks guys)! Kailee May was so sweet and helped watch my kids at least once every day so I could go ride my four wheeler. Tom crashed twice doing crazy things on his motorcycle, we got to hang out with friends and family, the kids got crazy amounts of candy from the easter bunny and Scooby doo (my dad),I learned to ride a motorcycle and we all got a little bit of sun. This trip turned out great! Cant wait till next year!

Alyssa rode this without anyone on it with her this year! CRAZY!! She is the coolest three year old ever!!

Flying kites

Cody's second mom while we were there

This was called the flinstone house

Fun in the sand

Alyssa worked on this hole the entire time, with some help.

Oh by the way, I learned to ride a motorcycle. Thanks DAD!!!

I had no idea I was in this pic. GREAT!

2010-04-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

We finally got to go on a trip without the kids. I know that sounds kinda mean but since we have had Alyssa, Tom and I have never been on a trip together, just the two of us. I guess this trip was not just the two of us, we went with our friends to Yellowstone but we were without kids. It was so weird to decide to do something and just do it, we didn't have to plan and pack kids and go through all the craziness with the kids. We decided to do something and just did it. It was refreshing. We went to a condo that our friends the Vanmeeterens have in West Yellowstone. It was a nice place but I didn't get any pictures of our room. There is not much to do there this time of year because everything is closed but it was still fun. We swam every day and went to any of the shops that were still open and one night we even went to a play. It was probably the worst play I have ever been to but it was funny and still fun. Tom, Kirk, Taylor and I decided to go on a small hike to a radio tower we could see from our condo so we did. little did we know that the snow would not hold our weight, every few steps your foot would sink and it was hard to come out of. I got a few pictures of Taylor struggling to walk, it was pretty funny. He didn't bring any hiking shoes so he wore dress shoes and his ankles got cut up, it was sad. At one point Kirk tried to run in the snow and fell right on his face! I wish I had the camera rolling because I almost peed my pants laughing! So my brilliant husband tried to make some snow shoes. They were pretty cool but they didn't work. That didn't stop him from trying a few more times to make snow shoes that work but nothing was ever very successful. When we got to the tower Kirk and Tom decided it would be the best idea to climb it. Yeah they are crazy. I had a blast though and I cant wait till we can get away again! Thanks to Laura for babysitting!

Yeah they think they are bad

Lunch!

Snow shoe attempt #1

Looks cool but didn't work

Poor Tay Tay had a hard time

Snow shoe attempt #2

Again, it didn't work :(

2010-04-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Yes it is supposed to be spring but we get to experience fall twice every year at my house. My neighbors have huge, crazy trees that drop leafs all winter, so when spring comes we go over and help them clean up. It really is fun for the kids to get to play in the piles of leafs again. We just love to be with the Blanskets so its not so bad for me and Tom either.

The noise in the back ground is lawn mowers picking up leafs

2010-04-08T07:17:00.001-07:00

Cody is getting big!!! I forgot to post when he started crawling so here we are at this point.

2010-04-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Tom got a new motorcycle! He always seems to get the best deal. He was excited to go on our annual trip to Simpson Springs with dad this year so he got one. He also got he and Alyssa new helmets! She loved that. I get to use his old one and he also got me a new four wheeler! Yup he did! Such a cute man I have!!!

2010-03-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

So I was shopping at Wal Mart and like always we had been there way longer than we should have so I was trying to hurry. When I got up to check out I started to unload my cart and when I looked up this is what I saw. All the workers were laughing so hard. We all thought it was the cutest thing ever! Now I know some of you are probably freaking out because his face is in deed touching the cart but I take the time to wash the cart every time I go and I feel like that cleans them pretty darn good. Any way It was just so stinkin cute, I had to share.

So this picture is a sad one. We were all in the bathroom one day getting ready to leave and Cody got placed in the sink. Well my flat iron was on and we heard him start to cry so we assumed that he burned himself. I picked him up and examined his hands and arms but I didn't see anything. Later I saw a little red mark on his head so I assumed maybe he hit his head on the faucet. Well a few days later I was playing with him and I saw something on his finger, I opened his hand and found a burn. It had blistered over so I didn't see it until the blister popped. this picture actually looks pretty good compared to what it looked like later because he would not keep a band aid on it so as he crawled around it got dirty and dry. It was way sad and I felt way bad.

2010-03-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

It was my little brother Colby's 15th birth day on March 4th. It is totally crazy that he is already fifteen, I mean before we know it we will be sending him on a mission! We all went to my mom's house on the 5th and threw him a surprise party. The kids loved it and I hope he did too ha ha. I just love Colby. I think he is the coolest kid ever. He is so funny and always honest (even when he shouldn't be) but that is what I love about him. I love you Colbs, Happy Birth Day!!!

The kids waiting for Colby to come home

They hid

Surprise!

Colby and Mom

I love my littel bro

The kids and Brett made a slide

Stephs kids are crazy and almost died J/K

2010-03-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

The weather has been teasing us a lot lately but we managed to get out a few times when it was a little bit warmer outside. Cody got to experiance the swing set for the first time. It was the cutest thing and Alyssa wanted to push him all day long! I cant wait for it to be warm so we can spend every day outside like we used to. Also there are a few random and fun pics of the kids.

2010-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

On our way home from the Aquarium, my mom met us at a gas station because Alyssa's birthday gift finally got delivered to her and she was excited to give it to her. It was the cutest tent inside a back pack. It came with a flashlight and compass. Alyssa was super happy! It got put up right when we got home and has not come down since. She sleeps in it every night in her room and it has been everything from a pretend car to a swimming pool! Thanks mom!

How sweet :)

2010-03-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Steph invited me to go to the Living Planet Aquarium with her one day. I had never even heard of it really but it sounded fun so we went. It was way cool! At first it seems like nothing too special, just fish tanks with Utah fish in them, but then as you go on there are tonz of exotic fish and all kinds of creatures! At one point there is a pool where you can touch the sting rays, it is a little nerve racking at first but once you buck up and do it it is pretty stinkin cool! I had to pretty much force the kids to touch them but once they did I couldn't stop them! So super fun! Thanks for inviting us Steph it was fun

2010-03-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

We spent a few nights at Grandma Mac's house while they went out of town and here are a few of the cute things Alyssa did while we were there.

2010-02-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

Alyssa's third birthday was January 28th. She was so excited and I had forgot to go get balloons or anything to decorate the house with (good thing Tom is around to help me be a good mom) so I put her to bed the night before and went to good old Wal Mart. I didnt get much, as you can see, but she was happy with it. It's pretty funny because she got her first real bike this year so I set it up in the living room so she would see it right when she got up and the first thing she said when she walked in the living room was "balloons!!!" The two dollar balloons I had bought the night before were her favorite thing to see! Kids sure do know how to be happy with the little things in life. Then later that week on Saturday we had a party and my awsome sister Cortney made a Little Einsteins Rocket cake. It turned out pink instead of red because we didn't have enough food coloring but it was cute! My camera died when we got there so not many pictuteres. A few days after the party, Grandma Margo (my mom) took Alyssa for her special birthday day at Grandma's house. They made cupcakes, took a bath and played with toys. Alyssa absolutely loved it! Thanks everyone for making her birthday so much fun!

My wonderful decorating

Her Gifts

Absolutely loved the bike!

Such a cute cake for a cute girl!

She loves Grandma Margo's bug tub
Playing after cup cakes

My Ring

2010-01-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

I guess I was not thinking when I wrote about my ring without posting pictures. Here are some pics that I found on the internet of my exact ring. It is just very hard to take pictures of a ring, who knew?

Christmas Day!

2009-12-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

This was our first Christmas at our own house since we have had kids. We just always wanted to open gifts with other family members because Alyssa didn't really understand yet. This year she did and we had our own house and it was way fun! Santa did a great job! Tom did too. This year Tom gave me a new wedding ring! It is beautiful and I love that it is just like my original one, only this one is real. Yes my old ring was CZ and very inexpensive but I loved it. We were very young when we got my original ring and we decided to save our money for other things, so we got inexpensive rings. Well I didn't expect a new ring for at least ten years but Tom decided to be the sweetest husband ever and get me a new ring now, he said I deserve it. I don't even know if I deserve to have such a great husband let alone a nice new ring! Any way it was an amazing gift and I love him! I gave him a knife set for butchering the animals he hunts. Not quite as good as what I got but it will do I guess.

Here is Cody in his jammies.

Cody's gifts from Santa

Alyssa in her jammies

Her gifts from Santa

I have to explain this gift. As it got closer to Christmas people started asking Alyssa what she wants, well Alyssa, being the very hilarious little girl she is, had somehow decided she wanted a yellow worm. I have no idea where she got that from but she honestly wanted it because that is the only thing she ever told anyone. So this lucky little girl got a yellow worm from Santa. It was her favorite gift! How great would it be to be so content with nothing but a yellow worm. I love my kids!

This was Cody's favorite toy

Such a beautiful fairy princess :)

Cody and Alyssa's gifts

This is the Baldwin side of Tom's family. We had dinner on Christmas day with them(amazing food). This picture shows how fast this already huge family is growing. All of these babies were born within five months of eachother. Actually it was one baby each month except Cody and the little girl to the left were born within a week. Don't worry there are still lots of pregnant cousins to add to the fam.

Christmas Parties

2009-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year! It was exhausting though. The Saturday before Christmas we started our crazy family parties. We had one party or event every day until Christmas. I think next year we will plan things a little differently so that we don't wear ourselves out. Here are some of the pictures I managed to get. There are a lot though.

GRANDMA MAC's PARTY

We do gag gifts for the adults in Tom's family and here are just a few. Jam and I have a problem keeping our husbands from hunting so these are to help us attract our husbands and keep them home. Layne is quite the slave driver on the farm so Chris got him a "TIME IS MONEY" shirt

Heidi got the perfect man.

GRANDMA MARGO's PARTY

We gave them new phones for Christmas

Alyssa loved her binoculars

She slept in this sleeping bag for the next week

Tom and Cody

Grandma "J" and Dale came too and they gave us great gifts!!

GRANDPA SCOOBY DOO's (My Dad)

Gingerbread houses

This ended up being a leapster 2 and some games

My new boots and hat

Tom got duck decoys and Cody got a double stroller.

SLEDNG AT GRANDMA MAC's

2009-12-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

Our next door neighbors, the Blanscets, helped us decorate our tree this year. They are so fun and I love them to death! thanks for all the help!

Alyssa and Jordan

Alyssa and Emma

All done and eating Mack and Cheese

I dont know if you can tell how close they put all the orniments it was so cute!

Our awesome Tree!!!

2009-12-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to the McFarland Family Cabin in Bear Lake to cut down Christmas trees, this is an awesome tradition except we are outgrowing the cabin. This year there was actually a little snow so it was a little more fun for the kids. Tom and I left the kids to stay warm in the car while we went on the four wheeler to get our tree. Tom was excited this year to find the perfect tree, and he did! It took a few min and we had to cross a stream but he found it. This tree was hilarious and I decided only Tom could have found it. It was one big tree trunk with three trees growing out the top. NO LIE! I am so mad that I forgot my camera but I think Jam got some pictures; I will have to try to get them. Anyway he cut it down and brought it home. He cut them apart and trimmed them up then wired them together so they look like one giant tree. Guess what, it is our best tree yet! I love my Tom! Oh I can’t forget to write about our lovely car. After we had cut our tree down we were getting ready to leave so Tom started the car to get it warm for us. Now this car is ridiculous because as soon as you start it, the doors lock. We have locked ourselves out of it many times because of this and that day was no different, except Cody was in the car. So we are in the Mountains in Bear Lake and my four month old baby is locked in my running car. Yes he was screaming. So everyone is in a panic trying to figure out a way into my car, well Tom had opened the trunk to load stuff in it so the thought was he could bust the back seat in and get into the car. Well in the process of trying to unroll the window with the car's antenna everyone decides that he should just do it, break the seat. So he does and guess what, about thirty seconds later they got the window down with the antenna through the window. Broken seat for nothin. However baby safe and sound. It was quite crazy. Now we decide to go back to the cabin to play games and eat dinner before we all leave. This was way fun and I finally won Settlers of Catan! When it comes time to leave it had snowed at least a foot and a half and you could not see the front of the car while driving. It was scary but as we got farther and farther away from Bear Lake it got better. We made it safely. Wow what a crazy trip!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was pretty fun. We had dinner with my Dad this year, thanks Dad and Brenda! After dinner the boys went out back and played basketball in the back yard. I guess that was so much fun that they decided that we needed to go to uncle Layne's gym to play. So we went and it was a little crazy but fun. I forgot my camera so sorry no pictures.

2009-11-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

The extended McFarland family decided to have a Halloween party this year. It was actually a pre-Halloween party because nobody dressed up and we just went to pick out pumpkins from Grandpa Layne's farm. It was way fun though, we started off with a hay ride to the pumpkin patch. Aunt Marline took charge and started singing songs, which was funny because the words in her songs were just a little different than everyone else. When we got to the patch we wondered around and picked out some pumpkins. Heidi and I hung out because our husbands were working to fix up the house she had just bought. Then they started a fire and set the hay bails around it so we could eat soup and doughnuts. We had a blast, I love family parties!

2009-11-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

Halloween was pretty fun. Thanks to the DI, Alyssa had a pretty cute dragon costume. I love the DI! You can’t tell what she is supposed to be in the pictures because she looked up too much so you can’t see the cute head on her costume. I was a black cat because it was easy and cost me a whopping $3 for ears and eye shadow. Oh and yes I did my own makeup. Cody was a cute little frog but he was undressed before I got to take a picture. I had to wait till the night was over for pictures because we had to rush out the door to get to a trunk or treat and then I was having too much fun trick or treating with the kids to take any later. Tom is lame and didn't dress up. He thought of his costume too late so he will just have to do it next year. We went trick or treating with Tom's family and it was way fun! I can’t wait for next year!

2009-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few fun pictures of everyday life.

Fishing with Tom

Alyssa tied her own shoes

I made all this for a friend who is having a baby

Who does he think he is?

Montana

2009-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Our good friend (pretty much brother) Taylor Vanmeeteren came home from his mission, to Fresno California, November 4th so we decided at the last second to go to Montana, where his family now lives and where he was going, to see him. It was a surprise for him because we didn’t tell him we were going. We stayed for five days and it was a blast! We love the Vanmeeteren family, they are so sweet and I am sad they don’t live in Utah any more. Alyssa had nick names for everyone. She called Taylor "Tay Tay" she called Jed "Big Jed", Jolene "Jo Jo" and their friend Will "Willy" it was cute. Tom got to go fishing on Will's property, which is beautiful! We went to this cool bridge over a pretty river and just got to be with our friends. Taylor didn't change too much; he was a great kid before he left so there wasn't much to change. I am glad we got to go thanks Vanmeeterens for hosting a great trip!

2009-11-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

Fall was fun for us this year. I know this sounds weird but we were excited to finally have a yard and leaves to rake. Alyssa had a blast and I think Cody might have to. It was cute to watch alyssa play in the leaves.

2009-11-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

I have a cousin who plays football for Snow College and I thought it would be fun to go watch him play; so I found a babysitter and went with my grandma and aunt to see him. It was way fun! They do a chant called the Haka before the game so I have some pics of that. I thought it was pretty cool. Also my uncle Craig enters everyone’s name in the drawings for halftime giveaway stuff and this time he was finally the one to get his name pulled. It was pretty funny because he used to play for Snow and for his giveaway he had to kick. Well he got up there and the ball rolled about ten yards in front of him. It was HILARIOUS!!! As we were watching the game we decided that it would be fun to get all of my sister's and my mom to come watch the game too. So we set up a day that most of us could make it. It was so fun to be there with everyone and see my mom, aunt and grandma play football with the kids at halftime. I just love my family! The kids thought it was so cool to talk to the football guy (my cousin) after the game. Alyssa was being shy so she looks a little sad in the pictures.

2009-11-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

My friends are catching up! People my age are finally old enough to get married! This is my friend Lexi's wedding. I just love this girl so I was beyond excited to hear that she finally found a guy as sweet as her. Her wedding was so cute and relaxed I loved it. I didn't get many pictures though. Congrats Lexi!!!Lexi and DevenCute cake Shay, Lexi and meMe and Shay

2009-11-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pictures from hanging out at home with the kids. They are so cute!!

This is Cody growing up way too fast.

Alyssa still cant put him downThis is when he first started to smileAlyssa found Brett's sticky rice cooker thing and used it as a hat ha ha cute!Tom wathching cartoons with the kids

Catching up

2009-09-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

I have not updated for a while so here is the scoop on what has gone on this summer. I am not writing much because there are too many things to post. This first one is when I was still pregnant and we got to go to my Dad's cabin. There are some cool pics in here. The kids got to make cookies with Grandma Brenda, Tom finally got up on the air chair, my dad who is awsome on the air chair, and some really funny ones of my dad dancing in the water while wearing his dry suit (super funny). Thanks Dad and Brenda for a wonderful time!

2009-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of just some fun at home. There are some cute ones of Alyssa playing with and holding Cody, swimming at my Dad's pool, Alyssa sleeping (this one is funny) and playing in the irrigation water. We have had a lot of fun this summer!

2009-09-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is when my sister Nikki and her kids came to Utah from New Jersey to visit. My wonderful Grandma "J" took all of us to the dinosaur Park and the kids had a blast! Also there are pictures of us at my Mom's house for dinner and water fun in the backyard. The kids just love Grandma Margo!

2009-09-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

These are the doves Tom and Mark shot this year. Good job boys!

2009-09-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wisdom teeth. These are pics of me the day after I got my wisdom teeth out on Sept. 11. Yup I got pretty swollen. Oh and thanks Mom for all your help!

Anniversary

2009-08-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

August 26th was our three year anniversary. I know its crazy right?! Tom worked all day and had work the next day so I assumed that we would just wait to celebrate. Well Tom is a sweet heart and when he got home that night he took me out to dinner at Maddox! Thanks to Grandma "J" for babysitting on such short notice. It was fun to just have a nice relaxed dinner without any kids. I also just want to say that it has been a crazy but wonderful three years. I don’t think I realized it at first, but I am a very lucky woman to have found such an amazing husband. Yeah he goes hunting and fishing a lot (and I mean A LOT!) but he deserves the break after all he does for us. He has always provided a wonderful and safe home for us, he listens to my crazy emotional fits and he is an amazing father to my now two beautiful children (two of the best things he has given me). He is constantly looking for ways to make our lives a little bit better. He works all day and then comes home to help me with the kids. Another thing I love about him is how determined and passionate he is. If he wants something, he finds a way to get or achieve it. I will never worry that he will not be willing to do whatever it takes to provide for the ones he loves. Our relationship takes work and is in no way perfect, but I would not want to work so hard with anyone other than Tom.

Cody!!!

2009-07-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is our new baby boy. We named him Cody Thomas McFarland. He arrived at 7:20am on July 20. We were scheduled to enduce that night but he just couldn't wait. I woke up monday morning at 2 am with contractions and he came just five hours later. He was 8 lb. 2 oz. and 21 in. long.

2009-06-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is my ugly hair. It looks horrible right? Yes it does. It also takes way to long to do and makes me super hot all the time so I decided to finally get it cut.

My wonderful aunt Nancy came to the rescue and gave me an awesome haircut! I look so cute! I have never had my hair this short and I was very scared but I love it! Thanks Nancy I love ya!

These pics are after sleeping. Isn't that so great that she did such a good job that I can sleep on my hair and it still looks this good!

2009-06-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

The kids playing with marshmallow blow guns

My crazy mother in law made up another triathlon and crazy us, we participated. I call her crazy but we love her and she does an awesome job planning these things. They are honestly so much fun even though it kicks our butts. This race was actually planned as a four generation triathlon (cool huh?). Now let me just say that I was seven months pregnant and I did it! I walked 3 miles, biked 8 miles and hiked 3 miles. Tom and most others ran the first three miles while Janeal and I walked because we are the pregos. Then Tom and I rode a tandem bike and actually came in second place! After the adults were done, they had a little triathlon for all the kids. It was so cute and totally fun to watch all the kids. Alyssa ran like 1/4 mile non stop! Then she got tired and fell asleep on a four wheeler ha ha. After the kids were done we were fed a yummy lunch and just had a great time hanging out as a family. Sadly I didn’t remember to get my camera out until after lunch so I only got a few pics.

2009-06-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

These are just pictures of fun times playing with friends. Once was with my friend Kim and her cute little girl Bailey. We played in the hose and collected worms. Then there was once with Steph and her kids. They came down for her doctor appt. and stayed to play. Then there are pictures of Alyssa holding my friend Lauren's sweet baby girl Aleksa. We love to have visitors now that we can actually play outside!

2009-06-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

I guess I never blogged about moving into my Grandma Grange’s rental house back in January. We sold our townhome in December, moved in to my sister Cami’s basement as a temp until we could find somewhere to go (thank you so much!), then Grandma’s house became available and we took it. We love it because we are in a great ward, we have a yard to play in and we have wonderful neighbors to play with. So now… we had ducks in our front yard! We irrigate our lawn instead of having sprinklers. One of the first times we irrigated these ducks decided it was their personal pond. They hung out all morning. Alyssa loved it but she scared them away pretty fast because she wanted to play in the water just as bad as they did.

Mothers Day

2009-05-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

My Mothers Day this year started a little early. My wonderful mother in law takes all of her daughters and daughters in law to Women’s Conference at BYU every year as part of our mother’s day gift. This year we went from April 29th to May 1st. It is so much fun because we get to go shopping and have an uplifting girl’s weekend without kids. Thanks Laura! We go in a pretty large group with friends and family and I get so busy that I forget to take pictures so here is all I have.

Here is where mother’s week (as I like to call it this year) got really good. I didn’t tell you that my car broke down for the fiftieth time right before I left and Tom was trying to fix it. The day before I left he decided it was maybe time to start looking for a new car (something I didn’t expect). So I happily went with him to look at one he found on KSL that day. I fell in love! It was a nice car for the price range we were looking in, and I was maybe a little over excited to get a car, so I told him to buy it. He waited and waited and then the guy sold it to someone else. I was so so sad but, I left on my vacation and had a good time. When I got back, Tom, Alyssa and this car I had fallen in love with, was in Laura’s garage! On it was a note that said “Happy Mothers Day, Happy Birth Day and Merry Christmas Kaycee Love Tom and Alyssa”! I can’t tell you how happy I was! The deal is that he lied to me and actually got the car the night I left! I love my man he is the best ever!

So I got a car a week early but that’s not all. I also got to drag Tom shopping with me to spend the rest of the money my mother in law gave me. He hates shopping with me so that was the sweetest thing ever. Then on Saturday, the day before mother’s day, Tom took Alyssa and me on a hike with him. I am seven months pregnant and to most women that may sound not so fun, and it was hard, but for me it was one of the best days ever. I can’t explain how fun it was to just be with Tom and Alyssa. On actual mother’s day I spent time with my Mom and sisters and also with the Baldwin side of Tom’s family and both were so much fun but I forgot my camera so no fun pictures, sorry.

Easter

2009-04-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Easter was a blast! Tom was lucky enough to have a six day weekend over Easter so we were able to go to Simpson Springs with my dad. We were also lucky enough to be able to borrow Layne and Laura's camping trailer and four-wheeler, and Matt's motorcycle! Thanks everyone! It was so fun to spend time just playing. The Easter bunny left candy and swimming suits for Alyssa and my unborn baby boy. Oh yeah I AM HAVING A BOY!!!!! We are super excited! So yeah Easter was way fun and I hope you like the few pics I remembered to take ha.

2009-04-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is my baby driving a four wheeler by herself, sorta, Tom had to be close because she cant steer and she takes off pretty quickly sometimes ha ha.

2009-04-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

These are just some pics from boring days at home. Yes my little girl loves to pretend to shoot us with daddy's BB gun and you can see it in her evil smile. She also likes to make jewelry with play dough, perfectly rounded child if you ask me ha ha!

2009-02-07T10:32:00.003-08:00

My sisters in law and I had a mommies day while our hubbies went hunting. We decided to let the kids make Valentines Day cookies and they had a blast! Alyssa's cookie got broken but it started out in the shape of a heart.

2009-02-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Alyssa turned two on January 28. She was probably confused because for the entire month of January we got gifts and had little celebrations so by the time her real birthday came she had already celebrated it too many times. However it was a lot of fun and she got great gifts from lots of people. These pictures are of her actual birthday and the amazing cake was made by my wonderful sister Cortney. Thanks to all who helped make her birthday month so fun!

Christmas Parties

2009-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

This is Christmas at Grandma Margo's house. We had an awsome ham and turkey dinner and opened presants. I was a blast! Great Grandma "J" came and gave great gifts too. I didnt take as many pictures as I should have because I had my video camera out. So here are the few fun things I took Pictures of. After we opened presants we went to Temple Square to look at the lights. That was fun but sorta cold.

This was Christmas Eve at Grandpa Scuba Steve's house. We had lots of fun eating brunch and opening gifts. Grandma brenda told us some stories to help us appreciate all that we have and I think it helped us feel the Christmas spirit. After that we went to Petersens to eat dinner and play dodgeball.

This is christmas at Grandma Mac's house. It was so fun to see all the kids open thier gifts. The adults do gag gifts after the kids start playing with their new toys and it is so much fun. I am sad that I dont have pictures of it though because my camera died.

The first snow of the year!

2009-01-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to the McFarland family cabin to get our Christmas trees. This year we went the first week in December. It was way fun but there wasn't any snow to play in. It was still pretty cold though.

Silly Alyssa

2009-01-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

She looks like a great little mommy with her shoes, baby and camera.

Alyssa got all of her animals and put them to bed on the stairs. It was so cute. She spent all day on those stairs.

Cute hair huh? I was pretty proud of myself for doing something other than piggy tails ha ha. Tom thinks she looks like a bug but I like it.

Guess What!

2008-12-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

So I am about seven weeks pregnant and since Tom told his family I guess everyone else can know. I was going to wait a little while to tell, but its ok I guess. I am due on July 23, 2009. I found out I was pregnant about two weeks ago. Yay! I went to the doctor early this time just to make sure everything is going well and it is.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

We went to my dad’s house for Thanksgiving dinner the Monday before thanksgiving because he and Brenda were going to see Rylan get baptized! Congrats Rylan, we are so proud of you!! So Alyssa found some fun glasses in Kailee’s toys and put them on, it was so cute! That’s all I got a picture of at dads but we did play wall ball, laugh and play games together. Cami and Rob made the turkey and it was way yummy thanks guys! On Thanksgiving Day I totally forgot my camera and I was so mad but I will tell you about our day. We started out at Layne and Laura’s house with the McFarland family shooting clay pigeons. Tom and I had a blast! Then it was off to the church to have dinner with the Baldwin family. They sure do make some great food. We do it at the church because the family is so huge! It works out well though because the little kids get to play in the nursery and the adults get to play basketball and enjoy their holiday.

2008-12-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

A few days before thanksgiving Bryce and Stephanie got to stay at Bryce's family’s condo in park city and they invited us up to spend the day swimming and hanging out. It was so much fun, it was an indoor/outdoor pool so you could start out indoors and swim under a wall to go outside, it was very cool. It was too cold for the kids outside though so we just stayed inside. Alyssa had a blast! Steph let us borrow Brittin's life jacket and she liked to lay on her back all by herself. I could hardly drag her out of the pool to go eat dinner. We went back to the room Steph was staying in and let the kids take baths. Then we ordered pizza and went home. Thanks Steph for the fun day!

2008-11-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a blast this year. Alyssa was actually old enough to enjoy trick or treating and I think I had just at much fun as she did. She got to dress up as a hula dancer and luckily it was warm this year so she didn’t have to wear a jacket until the very end. She caught on to saying trick or treat pretty quickly. I wish I could show you the excited look on her face after the first few houses. After trick or treating with the McFarland cousins we went back to Janeal and Jason’s house to play and eat dinner. It was way fun. Thanks Hall family!

2008-11-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

CITY OF ROCKS was way fun this year! All of my siblings were able to be there and that is all I could have asked for. We ate dinner together and then sat around the fire and laughed all night. We climbed every day and I only missed out on one climb which is pretty good considering I am terrified of heights! Rylan, Kyler, Brundle and Alyssa were definitely not as scared as I was, they all climbed way high! Anyway it was a great trip and we had a blast!

2008-11-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

I had to do a separate slide show just for Alyssa’s climb because I think this is just awesome. We had almost all climbed this rock when Alyssa asked me if she could climb the rock too. Well I thought we would get the harness on her and she would call it quits so I said yes. Little did I know, she is a better climber than me ha ha. We strapped her in with a rope to pull her up and a rope to pull her skinny bum back down. Not a wine out of her mouth. They started to pull her up and she just loved it. She got pretty high and I was getting nervous but when they asked her if she wanted to go higher she so happily said yes. It was the coolest thing ever because I have never seen any 20 month old so eager to go rock climbing! I love my baby!

2008-11-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few random every day pictures that I thought were cute. Alyssa decided that she fits in her book droor so she climbed right in. Ha ha funny huh!?

2008-11-16T12:34:00.001-08:00

This was the LMMT (Laura McFarland Made up Triathlon) we all participated in for Laura’s birthday this year. We hiked 5 miles, ran 6 miles and biked 26 miles. Yup she just about killed us. My camera battery died so I only got pictures of the hike; which is too bad because we all looked very tired and it would have been very funny to show you. It was fun even though it was hard and I am glad that I did it.

2008-11-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

This was Alyssa’s very first trip to the ZOO! Grandma Margo came with us and played with the kids the whole time. It was so cute! Alyssa wasn’t quite sure how to react to the animals but she liked it. Brundle and Jayci were right there showing Alyssa everything. They are so sweet to her. Afterword we went to the Gateway mall and played in the fountain. I didn’t get pictures of that though. It was a fun day and I hope we can do it again.

2008-11-16T10:52:00.001-08:00

Hunting and fishing are two of Tom’s favorite things to do so I decided that I should at least show some of the things he got this year on our blog. There are two of his many fish(one is a tiger musky), an elk and a deer. Alyssa loves to fish with her daddy but mommy isn’t so eager. It is good family time though so I can’t say that I hate it. That is his first elk ever and probably his hundredth dear ha ha.

2008-11-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Tom and I went on a day date to Providence Canyon to spot for deer. It was pretty fun. It is beautiful up there. We didn't see many deer but it was worth the time we spent together.

2008-09-22T20:46:00.001-07:00

This was the one time I actually returned the favor and babysat for Cami instead of her babysitting for me. We had lots of fun. I took them to the little playground at my complex and they were all over the place!

2008-09-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

If any of you know Tom, you know that when he gets an idea there is no stopping him. So when he decides that he loves golfing and that is what he wants to do all the time, he makes my garage into a driving range. I actually thought it was very cleaver other than the fact that I couldn’t use my garage for about a month.

2008-09-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

This was Alyssa's first time at Lagoon! As you can see from the pictures she had a hard time starting the rides but she very quickly got over it and then we had to literally rip her hands from the seat belts. We went with Tom's family and I have to thank Layne and Laura for giving us that great opportunity.

Summer Fun

2008-09-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Cami and I took our kids to the North Ogden swimming pool this summer and here are the few pictures I managed to take. It was so fun there. I wish I had taken more pictures of the toys and stuff they had. Alyssa spent most of her time on one slide and Corbin just loved crawling in the shallow water. Jayci just couldn't seem to stay in any one spot the whole time! I would recommend this activity to anyone with the suggestion that you go on a weekday because it gets pretty crowded.

The Big One Nine!

2008-08-10T08:12:00.001-07:00

It was my (Kaycee's) birthday on the 9th and it was pretty fun! I got to go hang out and swim with my mom and Colby. Then Tom took me to see the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight", which was long but cool! After that he took me to Kirts for dinner and glaciers! Not a bad birthday for an old married woman ha ha. Now I am ALMOST old enough to say I am married with a kid ha ha. Oh and I wanted to say thanks to those who called or texted to tell me happy birth day! And tell Grandma "J" thanks for babysitting at the last min. Well that’s all for now. See ya!

Lots of Random Stuff

2008-07-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

I have not bloged for a very long time so now you get to look at lots of random pics from the last couple months. This pic is of Alyssa and Tom swimming at my dads house. We try to swim as often as we can and since both my parents and Tom's parents have pools, its pretty easy.

2008-07-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Alyssa after bath time! What a cutie!

2008-07-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of myself for doing her hair that I had to blog about it. I am very limited when it comes to hair styles.

2008-07-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Alyssa is now very interested in the cows across the street. They seem to like her too. Whenever we walk over there they all come over and watch Alyssa.

2008-07-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

boaring days at our house picking flowers out of our garden.

2008-07-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

fun days at grandma mac's

2008-07-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

These just show Alyssa's obsession with Colby when we went to the cabin. It has been almost a month since we were there and she still asks me for colby at least once a day.

Thanks Steph!

2008-06-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

These were taken by Steph the same day that I cut my hair so thats why I am just now posting them. Alyssa was being a punk and she didnt smile for anything but I still think they are way cute. We only had like 30 min. to take them and i think Steph did a great job for what she had to work with. It was a crazy day ha ha. Thank you so much Steph for sharing your talents!

Old news

2008-06-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

I cut my hair a little while ago and I never got to blog about it because it is hard to get the pics on tom's computer. Well I finally got them so here we go. I love the difference between these pics. I cut so much that I got to donate it to locks of love. I try to donate as much as I can because my hair grows fast. Its amazing what a haircut can do for someone. I just think its cool to see the before and after so here ya go!

Mary Kay!

2008-06-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

I just started a new job as a Mary Kay Independant Beauty Consultant! So if you are interested in my products and you dont already have a consultant, let me know! I love doing this because I have met some of the coolest women ever! For example, Julyann, the woman in my pics, she was the first national sales director in Utah and she has the most amazing story. I kinda think she is crazy though cuz the night I met her she let me take her purse and get in her car while she sat inside the building and talked to people. You will understand why this is so crazy once you see the pics of the car. Another thing I love about Mary Kay is that it helps me feel like I am doing something productive. In other words, it gets me off my butt. I have more friends and more confidence then I have for a long time. It is just really fun and I hope I can be successful doing it. So help me out and try my products! ha ha. Thanks for reading!

A Sunny Day!

2008-06-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Finally we got a hot sunny weekend! It was so much fun! Alyssa got to sit on a horse for the first time and then she chased the cat around ha ha. I hope this sunny weather helps those who have pools decide to open them because that is all I could think about! I am not much for writing huge stories so... blog ya later dude.

New Clothes!!!

2008-05-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

I went and got new clothes for women's conference and they are so cute! My friend Lexi was my "Fashion consultant" the week I went shopping and she did a dang good job. I spent more on each shirt then I usually would but I decided to get quality not quantity. Oh but I did find pants for three dollars (no lie) and that was just too good to pass up. So here are my crazy pics I took myself. My camera was out of batteries so sorry some of them are blurry. Enjoy!!

Fishin at Grandma Mac's

2008-04-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

It was finally warm enough to go out to the river behind grandma Mcfarlands house and go fishin! Tom, Ben and Chris fished while me, Heidi and the kids played in the dirt. It was fun to see them get all dirty. I dont think the boys caught any fish though ha ha. When we got back Tom helped put a microwave in his moms kitchen so we were there for a while. While we were there alyssa put on grandma's glasses on (too cute!). Then she got so tired that she layed on the rug and tried to go to sleep but I wasn't fast enough to get a pic so Tom layed down with her so I could get one.

I finally have a blog so get off my back!

2008-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

I hope my family is happy now. I finally have a blog! Just kidding. I am glad I have one now, too. Nothing much to say, so I will blog later.