Abby's Fifth Birthday!!!

Abby turned FIVE on Wednesday! The time is flying by too fast!!! We went up to Jungle Jim's and had a fun party with the family- I didn't take as many photos as I should have, but here are some!

Lucas and Abby get along so well! They are great siblings!

My parents were both there, and I meant to get a picture of Abby with both of them, but it never happened, but here is one with her Grandma Hartzell (I also never took a picture with her and me and Shawn...)

Abby with Grandma and Grandpa Boyles!

Abby was so funny when we were singing to her; She posed the whole time, I think she thought I was taking a still photo of her... At any rate, that is why we are laughing at the end... Sorry about me talking- I know it comes out really loud because I am close to the camera!

Halloween 2009

We went back to Payson for a Halloween party with all of our old friends a few days before Halloween- I went all out with my Geisha costume- it won the children's costume contest that I didn't even enter in! I think I look kind of freaky, but it was fun! Shawn was supposed to be Calvin and Hobbs, but his hair came out green instead of blond!
Abby was a pretty kitty and Lucas was "Master Dan" a Bakugan guy.... he loves his Bakugan!

Trick or treating!!!

Family Fall Photos

Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog... We went out a few weeks ago to the Canyon and took some family photos- unfortunately Lucas and I were both starting to come down with the week of sickness- so his photos didn't turn out great- but here are some cute ones!



At the end-Lucas wouldn't keep his head up and Sherri was telling him to put his head up- so Abby decided to help him- then we all got in on the action!

Putting Abby to bed...

Tonight, Shawn put Abby to bed, but I heard her calling to me as I left Lucas's room. She wanted a drink of water, but I told her no and to go to sleep. She persisted, but I held strong and walked away. As I walked down the hallway she said, "Mom you just don't understand people very much!"

Abby reading Frogs, Dogs, and Gators

This is a book that is really a song that Cory wrote when Shawn was a kid and Shawn turned it into a book by doing illustrations for each verse. At any rate; we self-printed it a couple of years ago and Abby was so cute reading it this morning that I HAD to get a video of it!!!

Children's Miracle Music

So, a few years ago when I was living in Pleasant Grove and working at Curves, this woman who was working out told me about this program that she had created called "Children's Miracle Music" and how by the time she got home, her husband will have gotten all of the kids out of bed, they would be dressed, hair done, bed's made, toys put away, eaten breakfast, brushed teeth, etc. I was amazed that any husband could do this, but she told me that all he had to do was put on this music CD that she made and supervise them while they did it all themselves! Well, this sounded pretty cool to me and I bought the program from her, she gave me a deal for it- it came with a Cd and with a dry-erase chart that you can keep track of the kids points on. I listened to it a time or two, but didn't use it until recently (earlier, I thought, well, the kids don't need wake up stuff, because they wake me up, and I wasn't too picky about how clean their rooms were and bed's made unless people were coming over) At any rate, I started using it this year because Lucas has to be ready to leave for the school bus at 7:15 (I know, ridiculously early!!!) So, after a couple of weeks of scrambling each morning to get the Lucas ready for school on time, I remembered the Children's Miracle Music.
One morning I put it on at about 6:30- it starts out with a nice song to wake the kids up...so I played it and went upstairs to help them hear the wake up music and explain that for each thing they got done with the music they would get a point that would work toward earning them a private date with Mom or Dad. They jumped out of bed and immediately started making their beds when the music told them too. Then it told them to "do and act of kindness" which I explained meant clean up their rooms and toys, etc. So, for 3 songs they do this. The pattern continues...there are 8 points to be had in all for the morning routine, and 4 to be had for at night (they clean their rooms, get changed, brush teeth, etc.) Every time they get all of their points, they also get a star.
We have made ourselves a reward menu for them to choose from- for 100 points, they get a private date (and it only takes less than 2 weeks to get 100 points if they get most of them every time), so we made the 100 points dates cheap ones, like go to the park together, or go to a dollar movie, then if they want, they can save up for 200 points, this is something that costs a bit more, like go to a matinee movie, or go to the local swimming pool, etc. 300 is something more, like the Dinosaur Museum, or go miniature golfing. Do you see my pattern? At any rate, it is wonderful, the kids beds are made every day, they get themselves dressed and ready for the day without a fuss, their rooms (although, not perfectly organized) are cleaned up and look pretty good almost all of the time! I am loving this. The woman who does it gives them a star sticker for their star if they get it, but we decided to keep track of the stars and use them as their allowance. At 10 cents a star, once they have 10 they can get a cheap $1 toy at the store, and for 100 stars, they get a $10 toy- this is also working out well; although so far we haven't cashed in any of their stars yet and we also want to do tithing with them on that... so we haven't actually done that yet...but we have done dates, well, actually one date; I took Abby to the park the Saturday before last and then we went to Wendy's for a $1 frosty. She loved it! Lucas is saving up for the Pool, I think. We are loving having our house cleaned up all of the time and the kids doing it all themselves! I so, highly recommend this to any parent! If you are interested go to www.childrensmiraclemusic.com and watch the video that this woman made of her kids doing it- the cost for what she put together is $35; and I totally think it is worth it! I am starting to get a little tired of the same songs all of the time (most are classics and stuff, nothing edgy), but we might go in to Shawn's work sometime soon and record just the vocal prompts as tracks and then we can insert whatever music in that we want to for the tasks...but I don't know when we will do it... At any rate, I am loving this new routine and so do the kids!!!

The Triumphant return of Elder and Sister Hartzell!

So, on September 10, Abby and I went to the airport to pick up my parents who were just coming home from the Tokyo, Japan mission!!! We were so thrilled to see them again!!!

Here we are opening the box of gifts that they sent to us... Yeah, they totally got me my own, authentic, Kimono...although, I am a little too tall to wear it correctly, I may have to adjust it so that it may not be correct with all of the folds and stuff they do, but it will be long enough... I wonder what I will be for Halloween!!!

We are so excited to have them home...of course, they will be leaving shortly to go and visit some of my siblings, so we won't see them as much as we would like right now, but now they live here and we will get to see them a lot! Yay!!!

Lucas lost his first teeth!!!

Lucas came home from school a couple of weeks ago and he had just lost his first tooth! The school even sent it home in a little treasure box thing for him to carry it safely in! He was so proud! I only got a couple of pictures of him with only one missing tooth...so here is another- he is so silly!

Then, just the other night, he lost his second one- here her is only minutes after pulling it out!!!Now he can really sing "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"- but they are already growing in...time is flying by too fast! My little boy is disappearing, literally, one peice at a time!!!

Abby singing the "speckled frogs" song

Abby just looked so cute singing this song, I had to share it!

Lucas's First Day of First Grade!!!

Lucas went to his first day of First Grade on Thursday- I barely slept the night before worry about the fact that he was taking the bus for the first time and worry about him making it home safely... also, the general worry about him making friends and doing well in school...

It was a chilly morning despite it being mid-august, Abby was so excited to see her brother get on the school bus and Lucas was too excited to ride the bus to have us take him to school... I couldn't take it, though, so I went to the school and got there early to see him off of the bus and safely to his classroom...

He was so brave- no worries at all- I am so proud of him!!!

Legendary Boyles Family Stay-cation!!!

So, this year instead of going somewhere else for a vacation, the Boyles family decided to do a "stay-cation"- Alex and Zoey came out and we all had a total blast- we did so many activities that we were exhausted, but it was a lot of fun! The first day we went on a hike up to Timp Cave...

Abby being herself...

Lucas inside the cave- he did great- Abby was so scared that I had to carry her the whole way through- my arms were sore pretty much the rest of the week, but, then again, I carried her a lot more the whole week, too (I don't know what I am going to do if and when we have another one and I need to carry that baby around, Abby is almost 5 and she still asks to be carried all of the time!!!)

Drew is such a great uncle to them- he walked the whole way down holding both of their hands because he is who they wanted to walk with!!!

The next day we went to Lagoon- here we are at the beginning of the day- I am smiling because it is before I got motion sickness and threw up...

Here we are, my final smile before this particular ride made me feel sick...the kids did great, though, went on tons of rides and were total troopers!!!

Here is Abby riding with Cory and Sherri on the sky ride that takes you across the park- Abby was too short (and a little too scared) to go on most of the big rides, so we took turns with her- Lucas, on the other hand, was not only big enough to ride everything, but he did ride everything- he was amazing! We watched his face while he rode and he looked totally terrified, but then we would get done and he would give us this huge smile and say that it was the best thing ever!!! He is getting so big!!!

Abby, Me and Sherri riding a spinning ride- funny that Sherri and I got stuck with Abby when she wanted to ride this particular one, we are the two who get motionsickness...but thanks to the patches, it wasn't too bad...

Alex and Zoey rode on the sling shot (a ride that you pay extra for and you sit in this ball and it launches you WAY high into the air and you bouce around for a while)- apparently it was totally awesome- Shawn and I were too chicken to ride it!

Then, of course, Cory and Drew had to do it also- they have a camera on them while they ride- Cory's face was HILARIOUS to watch!!!

On Wednesday we went Lazer tagging and Bowling...

I love watching Shawn bowl...he really gets into it...

Lucas is working on his approach...

I just had to get this picture in- Yes, this is Abby sitting on the toilet playing the DS...

On Thursday we went to the Dunes, it wasn't the best trip there ever, one of the ATV's lost it's seat on the freeway (Cory miraculously found it a few days later by chance driving down the freeway)- but Lucas and Abby didn't care- they love ATVing- especially Lucas, you can't go fast enough for that boy...

On friday we went to seven peaks water park- it is hard to get a lot of photos when you are walking around in swimsuits and riding on water slides- but once again Lucas was super brave- he even wanted to go on rides that scared me!!!

All in all, we had a ton of fun on this vacation. We are so grateful to have such a close and fun family- thanks again Cory and Sherri for having it and funding it!!! It was fun to spend the time with Alex and Zoey also, we don't get to see them often enough! I am still shocked at Lucas, the fact that he rode on big roller coasters without a second thought, and big water slides...I think he is going to be our dare devil- which is shocking, since he was the four year old who was afraid of the McDonald's playland... I guess times can change! Abby was more timid and required a lot of holding and snuggling, but that is okay with me, I love snuggling that sweet little girl!!!