Joel Brooke Mykell & Addi

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

2009-11-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Gotta stay warm & cozy!

So cute!

she looks so relaxed;)

Addi's first bath was so much fun! I know that it sounds crazy but she looked so small in that "big"tub. She loved it;) she looked so relaxed,she was pretty alert to!Her little eyes were darting back and forth. It was so funny cause when we were ready to rinse her hair with a cup Joel stepped right in showing me and mom how in the hospital, when him and the nurse were cleaning Addi's head, how they turned the water on lightly and stuck her head under! He showed us and she LOVED it!;)She was just so content laying there in his his arms! So cute!!

2009-10-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

School is going good, Addi is doing good, life is pretty good! Our life has gotten so much crazier since little Addi came into this world:) its crazy in a good way though! She is so cute;) I have so much fun holding her. She is like a little doll;) The other day , after we gave her a bath we forgot to brush her hair, after her nap, her hair seemed to have a little Mohawk:) It was so cute!!! We had so much fun trying bows on to see how they looked with her new "Doo". It actually turned out pretty cute,here are some pics;)

New Member!

2009-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

OK,sorry to anyone who has been checking this blog for the last 8 months or so, because, our life has gotten a little crazy!;) This is Mykell here. My mom is way busy because of our new member! Addison Grace Petersen! 7lbs. 13oz. 21 in. long. Its been crazy! She is the sweetest little thing. I'm not an only child any more!;) I'm so excited! She was born Oct. 12,2009, at 1:38 pm. Its so exciting! life has been so crazy! Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I hear her little scream and I just feel so great cause I know she is here and I can thank God that he has given us this little bundle!:)

Crazy Life

2009-01-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

So I've decided that our family lives a crazy life. We got back from a nice relaxing vacation, and have been running around with our heads cut off ever since!! I guess that's just the way it goes for us? We had a really busy weekend and this week hasn't slowed down either. I guess it's good, I could be bored...right? I don't know that doesn't sound so bad right now!

We've been really busy with Mykell and all of her school happenings. It's been fun seeing her excel in school. I'm just ready for a little break! In the month of January Mykell brought home an excellent report card for her second term. She took third place in the 5th grade spelling bee, and first place in the 5th grade science fair! And she starred in her school play. I guess I should say she was apart of the school play, but she was the star to me!! She makes me really proud... Here is Mykell standing in front of her Science fair project.
Grandma and Kell checking out the projects!

This is Mykell and one of her best friends. If you didn't notice they totally coordinated their outfits for the fair. Black shirts, black boots and head bands!! (I totally remember doing this when I was her age!!)
Mykell's school play was the Little Mermaid. I went there expecting to see Ariel and Sabastion and found it was quite different then Disney's version. It was still really cute. Mykell played a seasider. (that's her in the back row in the middle) She also played the part of an old grandma that was trying to win the prince with her riches. It was funny! You'll have to ask her to give you her best grandma voice the next time you see her. It's hilarious!

Here is part of Mykell's fan club! We celebrated a great performance at Wendy's!! (We didn't have much time between performances) But after the last show we went to Coldstone and had some yummy ice cream! And then as we were leaving a miracle happened. We were passing Crispy Creams and the light was on!! The light that means you can come in for a free doughnut. It was definitely a sign that we needed to stop:)

Mykell is an excellent little performer. She was sad when it was all over. Joel and I are afraid we might have a little drama queen on our hands!!

Phantom

2009-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Vegas. We had the best time. It was so hard to come back to real life. If only everyday could be a vacation.... We went to Las Vegas to see the Phantom of the Opera for Mykell's b-day present. It was really amazing we had the best seats. We sat in the first row. We were so close that at one point during the play I told Mykell I wanted to jump over the orchestra pit and tackle Raul! Kidding of course!! Joel and I were a little worried that Mykell wouldn't like the show as good as the movie, but we didn't have anything to worry about, she loved it!! And she still remains in love with the Phantom...
We left for our trip on Saturday and drove to St. George. We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool, so Mykell and Joel could do some swimming. Isn't this the cutest picture of the two of them?
St. George was a lot warmer then Layton, but not warm enough for outdoor swimming! It was nice to be able to run out side and not have to wear a coat though. St. George has grown so much. I can't believe how busy and big it is getting. We went to my favorite place to eat, Chili's. It was crazy busy. Joel parked a mile away and the wait was 40 minutes. I didn't think we could wait that long, but a spot opened up in the bar and Mykell and I ran to grab it! I personally think that food is a big part of a vacation, we definitely had some good food during this vacation!!

On Sunday we drove into Las Vegas and went and saw Bride Wars. I thought it was pretty cute and quite funny. I would recommend it for adults. I was a little uncomfortable about a couple parts having Mykell there. But I really like Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson so it's hard not to like this one. This is definitely a chick flick. I am so glad that I don't have to drag Joel to these types of shows. He is a really good sport.

We stayed at the MGM in Vegas and had a really fun time. They have a really neat lion exhibit at the hotel. I tried to get a good picture, but had a rough time. The exhibit lets you look under the lions as well as all around them. I know this isn't the best picture but I wanted to show you this one because I swear this lion was staring me down through the glass. He was drinking some water and looking at me like I was his next meal!

Here's Joel and Kell at the exhibit
Me and Kell at the Rain Forest Cafe

On Monday we went to the M&M World Market. It's kind of a neat little place. (I shouldn't say little because it is huge) Joel and I couldn't believe how much M&M stuff they had. Seriously if you can think of any kind of souvenir ,they had it and it had an M&M on it. We tried really hard to try to find kid friendly things to do in Vegas. The M&M Market is definitely kid friendly. However, I think Mykell was feeling a little to mature for it... at least she thinks!!
Look at that face saying I'm way to cool for this!!
Look at Joel rubbing down this M&M's thigh!!

Later that afternoon we found a really cool arcade with millions of games, it was called GameWorks. We were like little kids running around playing games. Our favorite was a Harley Davidson game, I wish I would have gotten some pictures, because I'm sure we looked funny all lined up on our bikes racing!

That night we ate at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venecian and went to the show. We had such a good time. Mykell is already planning her senior trip. She says that she and her friend Olivia are planning to go see thePhantom for graduation!!

Mykell eating her $20 burger!!

We had so much fun! It's hard to come back to real life:( But, I guess that's part of life. Vacations have to end! I feel really blessed to have been able to do this with Mykell. This is definitely a Birthday she will never forget.

11 Years Old!

2009-01-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

Today is Mykell's 11th Birthday!! I can't believe we have an 11 year old!! She's growing up so fast. It's terrible!! We celebrated Mykell's b-day last night by inviting all of our family over. We had pizza and a really yummy ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. We had 26 people in our little house! It was crazy, but fun!!

Joel and I decided to surprise Mykell with a ticket to go see the Phantom of the Opera for her Birthday. Mykell is the biggest fan of the Phantom. She listens to the CD on her I-pod all day, and when she's not listening she's watching the movie!! We thought taking her to see the play would be an experience she would never forget. So in two weeks we get to take a road trip to Vegas to go see the Phantom. I recorded her opening her present. It was pretty funny, I think she was in shock!

Mykell is truly blessed with a family that loves her. I think it's safe to say that it the Birthday celebration was a success.

Mykell we love you and hope you have a great Birthday. You truly are a blessing to your family!

Here is Kell opening up her Phantom Ticket

Happy Birthday Dear Mykell!! Happy Birthday to You!!

Christmas

2008-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone and that it is already New Years Eve!! It's crazy how time flies.

We had a really nice Christmas. Joel and I both took the whole week of Christmas off. It was nice to spend the week together. We were able to do some fun stuff. We went skiing one day, that was really fun and made for some good laughs. Mykell is still learning, and lets just say while sking Mykell had quite a few falls,a broken pole, and she can tell you a really funny story about her losing her skis while getting on the lift!! We also saw a couple of movies. Marley and Me was my favorite, although after seeing the movie I can't get Joel or Mykell to stop looking at dogs on the internet. Poor Mykell is getting her hopes up, and it's not going to happen!! We also got to spend time with all of our families and I think we relaxed a little although I can't really remember that part.... But the most important part of the Christmas break was reflecting on the meaning of Chistmas. Christ's Birth!!

We hope that all of you had a Merry Christmas and we look forward to sharing the New Year with you!!

Here's Mykell telling Santa all she wants for Christmas is an I-pod!!

Mykell admiring her lime green I-pod

Look at this cute coat that I bought for Joel to give me on Christmas!! Doesn't it look nice with the pajama pants?

Doesn't Joel look so cute in his new shades?

Even Bella got a present!

Mykell's 1st Ski Lesson

2008-12-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

Mykell had her first ski lesson at Wolf Mountain this past Saturday. She was so excited, and I must say she looked so cute in her new snow outfit! Mykell actually won the lesson and a free ski rental from a contest she participated in at her school. I knew that she really wanted to learn how to ski when I heard how the contest worked. Basically the person who ran the most miles in the first three weeks of November won a free ski rental, pass, and lesson at Wolf Mountain. Mykell ended up running 12.5 miles, and won the prize!! She had such a good time skiing. We actually had a pretty big storm on Friday night and Saturday so there was new snow and it even snowed a little during her lesson. Mykell was way exhausted by the end of the day, but she still can't wait to go back. We've already made plans for the next trip, this time Joel and I will see what skills (if any) we still have.

Here's Joel helping Mykell before her lesson. Notice that she doesn't have any poles. I guess they don't give the kids poles because they want them to learn how to balance without them! Sounds harder to me?

Here's Mykell riding on a conveyor belt that takes her to the top of the bunny hill!

Mykell sleeping in the car on the way home!

Happy Birthday Joel!

2008-12-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

Joel's B-day was yesterday!! He turned 36!! He is now closer to 40 then 30! I think he's doing ok with the whole age thing. (no mid-life crisis yet!!) He is definitely not like me. I'm going to turn 30 on my next birthday, and I am not looking forward to it at all. Joel asked me the other day if I was still ok being married to an older man. I of course am still "ok" with my older man!!

We celebrated Joel's B-day on Sunday with the Petersen side of the family. We had a really fun party. Joel requested that his mom make chili and that we have cheese cake for dessert. I found something out about Joel that I didn't know.... His favorite kind of cake is cheese cake? I honestly didn't know that? Anyway, everything tasted amazing, and it was fun visiting with all the family.

Joel I hope you had a great Birthday. Your an awesome Husband and Dad. Mykell and I are so blessed to have you!! Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving!!

2008-12-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

I know I'm slow at getting my blogs posted, but I have a minute so here goes...

We had a really good Thanksgiving. We switch off each year between my parents and Joel's parents. This Thanksgiving we spent with the Rivera side of the family. We had a really good dinner (thanks mom), and it was fun to see all of the fam!! I contributed pies and mashed potatoes to the meal. And I'm proud to say that I didn't mess anything up! You can see a picture of the beautiful pies! My mom actually helped me with the pies. She's only showed me like 5 times how to make pies... I still don't think I want to try one without her present! !

Before we ate our meal we went around the room and all said what we were thankful for. My three year old niece Paige said she was thankful for "my Jesus"!! It was cute!! We all had and have so much to be thankful for. We are so blessed!

We also had a really fun game of spoons after the turkey dinner. I have to brag and say I was the winner. The game got a little violent, but no one was seriously hurt!!

Joel and I are now detoxing from our Thanksgiving meal and months and months of over eating! I hope everyone had a really good Thanksgiving.

Here is my mom preparing our meal! Thanks Mom!

These are the beautiful and delicious pies we made.

We just finished our meal and look how happy we are!!

I thought this was a cute picture of my sister Jen, Mykell and my mom!

Bella

2008-11-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

Mykell has been begging me to post some pictures of her guinea pig Bella. This will come to most of you as a surprise. But after months and months of begging Joel and I finally gave in and let Mykell get a guinea pig. I never thought in a million years that I would allow this!! Some of you might not know this about me, but I am deathly allergic to dogs, cats, and horses. I didn't think that I could be allergic to something as small as a guinea pig, but I found out after a couple of months that I am also allergic to Bella. So , I try to keep my distance and Mykell is really good about taking care of all of Bellas needs. I came from a family that didn't have any animals growing up, and Joel had just about every kind of animal growing up. So this guinea pig was a definite middle ground pet for our family. I'm really glad that Mykell is finally able to have her very own pet. She is definitely an excellent mother to Bella!!

Harvest Fun!

2008-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had some fun harvest activities going on. On Saturday my aunt had a harvest costume party. Mykell was so excited to dress up. She decided to be a bag of Jelly Belly's. I found the idea while searching the internet for homemade costumes. Mykell really liked the idea. It turned out really cute, and was extremely cheap!! She won the most creative costume at the party. She thought that was cool. At one point during the party she stood a little to close to the rose bushes!! A couple of balloons popped, and gave her a good scare! It was funny!

On Sunday we carved pumpkins with all of the Petersen's. Mykell, Joel and I all worked on one pumpkin. Joels job was cleaning out the pumpkin. Mykell and I carved it together. It turned out pretty cute. I love this time of the year!!

Mykell and my Mom at our Harvest Party

Mykell with all of her cousins!

Mykell with our beautiful pumpkin!

Hard At Work

2008-09-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I started this post a week ago and I couldn't find my camera so I didn't post it. Little did I know that I would get sick and have no time to find the camera... I'm feeling better now, and have passed on the sickness to Joel:( Before the plague hit our house this is what was going on....

The past four weeks Joel and his Dad have been working hard on a shed for our house. Last night he recruited the whole family to come participate in the work!! It was actually really fun, but it was still hard work!! Joel is extremely smart when it comes to these types of projects. I must say I am way impressed!! I've attached some pictures for all you guys out there dreaming of building your own shed!! I'll post the finished product just as soon as it's complete.

Busy Days...

2008-09-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been slacking for so long, but in my defense it's been a crazy three weeks. In the last three weeks I've been to Phoenix, camping (Utah), and Vegas. Let's just say it's been hard keeping up on blogging. Here is a recap of what's been happening...

Three weeks ago I was in Phoenix for work. (nothing fun going on there) Just work and heat!! Joel did a wonderful job taking care of Mykell. I heard that he tried very diligently to put Mykells hair into a pony tail. "Tried" is the key word. Mykell only missed me because her personal hairdresser was gone. It sounded like the two of them had a lot of fun while I was away, and Joel definitely earned some points for attempting to try Mykell's hair!

Labor Day weekend we went camping with some friends. We had so much fun! Mykell proved to us that she is definitely not a girly girl. Mykell and her friend Jessica played all day long in the river. When they weren't catching frogs and snakes they were floating down the river on tubes. It was so nice and warm during the day and then painfully cold at night. Joel tried to convince me that we would be warmer in our sleeping bags if we slept with a minimal amount of clothes on. Lets just say that I didn't fall for that old trick!

And then last weekend I spent in Vegas!! And I didn't do what most people do while in Vegas. No gambling on this trip. It was spent with my mom, sister, and aunts attending a Deeper Still conference. It was an awesome trip. We had such a good time worshiping and hearing God's word together. And we also had an awesome time talking and shopping and doing all that girl stuff that we don't always get to do.

Here are some fun pictures!!

Mykell searching for frogs!

Jessica and Mykell

Joel and Daren talking by the camp fire

Ok, so this isn't working....

Kathy, my mom, and me at Deeper Still Conference

Back To School

2008-08-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Looks like it is time for another school year to begin. We all went to back to school night on Monday night. On the way there Mykell asked Brooke if she had any lip gloss. I said "what the heck do you need lip gloss for? When did you start wearing that?" She said she needs it just in case she runs into any cute boys and she'd like to start wearing it today! I guess she's starting to notice boys a little bit.

We're really excited for this school year. Her teacher seems really nice and extremely organized. I'm so thankful we are able to send her to Christian Heritage. When I walked in the classroom they had this on poster board in the front of the room:

PLEDGE TO THE CHRISTIAN FLAG I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.

PLEDGE TO THE BIBLE I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

It was a good reminder of what a blessing it is that she gets to go to a school that teaches the Word and prays for and with our daughter during school hours. I love that they teach creation instead of evolution..

She is really excited for school this year. She is getting really organized and she's ready to go out and tackle another year of it!

Talk to you soon!

Mykell's 1st day of 5th grade!

Finally Blogging!!

2008-08-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've finally caught the blogging bug. Everyone here at work is in shock that I am doing this. In fact I'm a little shocked myself!! I just have so much fun looking at everyone elses blogs, (to the point I've become a blog stalker) that I thought I should get one started for our family. Maybe it will help me start taking a few more pictures.... Maybe:)

We have had a really busy summer. I can't believe that it is almost over:( We did some really fun stuff. In June Joel and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Las Vegas!! Joel taught me all he knows about black jack and we walked away with some cash!! It was way fun!

In mid-June we traveled to Estes Park, Colorado for my family reunion. It was lots of fun. Joel and Mykell did some horse back riding. (I couldn't due to the fact that I'm allergic to horses) We also swam, and visited with family. It was fun to see everyone!!

July and August have been full of weekend getaways to Bear Lake. Mykell would live at Bear Lake if she could. She loves the water and has been attempting to water ski. She's a really good sport, and extremely tough. She gets out there on the tube and I can hardly watch it looks so scary!!
Here are some pictures of our summer thus far....

Joel and Mykell getting ready to go horse back riding!!

Here we are at Bear Lake 8-9-08