Pirates Cove

We got invited to a place called Pirates Cove this summer. After much speculation, there was NO way we could have even imagined what this place would be like.

It was amazing & super fun!

The owner of this 28 bedroom private "resort" hired the crew from

The Pirates of the Carribean" movie to create a similar feeling for his place. It had a super fast water slide which dumped into a lagoon. Steve is jumping from a "mast" that had 3 levels. All of my boys jumped from the 2ND tier! I on the other hand chickened out! Me? Miss cliff jumper...I truly disappointed!

We had competitions on who could swing the farthest, highest and so on. Much to my surprise, there were no injuries here.

Proof!

I took the kids on a little "rainy day hike" above our casita.

This was the highlight for me...MOST defiantly! Chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone WHENEVER I wanted it. I made a deal with myself. I had to hike the stairs & there were SO many every time I wanted one. By the end of my trip my calves were sore form all of the ice cream trips!

I cant describe how fun this place was. The only thing better was the people that we were there with. It was a blast to play cards, visit, eat and enjoy.

R. I. P

Sherlette and Brooke were mauled to death recently

and we lost one more to the INSANE Arizona heat.

(still waiting to hear which one it was)

They were great little chicks

They will be missed

Happy Father's Day

To me, this is STRENGTH and HUMILITY and I really LOVE those qualities in Steve. I am so thankful for his life experiences that he uses to teach and enrich our children's lives. He is truly the BEST for me & us!

5 great dads

Steve, his brother David, my little brother, Ty

Barry, my Father-in-law (bottom left) and my Dad, Clark

This was one of our days activities. Still loving the chickens even though we got our first bribe from a neighbor for eggs or they'll turn us in to the big, awful HOA

(i'm hoping they were kidding)

That's what HE gets!

We got 9 baby chicks

I love it! I've wanted to have them for a long time now. I decided to stop waiting 'til "we sell our house." It seems that i've been living that way for long enough! (i guess i'll get to wallpapering my powder bath too!) I think it's funny to watch people's responses and reactions to the fact that I actually wanted them and it wasn't the kids begging for ANOTHER animal. After all who wouldn't want fresh eggs whenever you want them? I know you'll be knockin soon! Well, actually in September.

We, the whole fam damily including Moose, have but in blood, sweat & tears in the process of building our girls a coop! Much thanks to my very handsome and highly skilled hubby for the time and effort expended on my behalf. We had alot of fun working on it together! Even though it turned out nothing like the cute picture I got off the internet! Marriage & projects are full of compromise, that is if you want anything to get done!

Ryan & his girl "Sherlette"


Wishing I had kept the name that the breeder gave him! Rooster.

Hard work and determination at it's best! Note to self...stop forrowing the brow. You are going to pay for it when you need Botox and fillers in the near future!

Thats what HE gets!!!! Our little joke, but seriously. Maybe he should have considered letting me have another kid! Look what I got him into now!

3 of the cutest & best helpers!

They are having as much fun with the girls as I am. Each child has their own chick plus more for all the extra love(CHORES & LIFE LESSONS) a kid needs!

Brooke, Sherlette, and Gussie 1 week old

Liv & Julia a Welsummer. She will lay "chocolate" colored eggs!

Poor things. Subject to 3 boys & all the torture

The Brooder "home sweet home"

I am so glad that Moose thinks these are just friends to play with and not his next meal!

A Good Cause

My friend Shawni Pothier co-authored this great book with her mom. Shawni has 5 kids & her mom has 9! They have given glimpses into living life in & out of the trenches of parenthood & how NOT to miss out on the important "little stuff".

I wanted to help share her message. She is an amazing person and mother. She has descovered that her youngest daughter, who graces the cover of the book, was born with a genetic disorder and will become blind in her youth. I hope you will be touched by her story and her efforts to give back to those who have done so much for others. Her book is on sale at Deseret Book and Barnes & Noble. She is donating part of her proceeds to the Foundation for the Blind. So if you need an idea for a Mother's Day gift...I think this is a great idea. I'm getting mine today!!!

Easter 2009

Easter eggs, bunnies, hunts etc. We really do focus on the true meaning. I just forgot to take a picture before church. Im soo mad at myself!

What a creative Easter Bunny! Color cooridnated baskets. How impressive

Slight advantage.

All of the Osborn Cousins

Growing up way too fast

Three Birthday Boys

All of the boys in our family have spring birthdays. Stay tuned for Owen's in May.

Lazy or efficient?

One post is all they get!!!

"Ryan , what kid of party do you want this year? A monster truck, pirate, Scooby,or bugs?"

"Um, Spongebob."

"NO way." Mind you he's 4

"Ugh, then a Doggy Party & I want to dress up."

This little "surprise" has brought our family so much joy and laughter. Ryan is one funny and outgoing boy. Our first! I can't believe he is 4 already. The first 2 years of his life were my hardest! No, not just because of him! We weren't planning on having him at that time in our lives. We were building a house and living in a rental. Life was upside down and we were the contractors for our house. SO EXAUSTED! I was so happy after the shock wore off! I wanted more kids, I needed Ryan. He is so imaginative, funny, loving, stubborn & "scuddles" like no other. I love that he sucks his two fingers and adores his "blue & brown & white blanky." I am so blessed to have such great boys.

Liv & I found these cute cupcakes in family Circle magazine. They were SO easy and we had tons of Easter candy for the "accessories"

Um, I don't think the blind fold was working.


I love the innocence of this age. All of these kids, except one, were born within 2 months of each other. They live to play & they really are cute together.
I can't wait to torture them with this picture when they are in high school.
The really funny this is, I saw 3 of them running the neighborhood that afternoon & they still had on the noses & collars. Guess the party was a hit!




Harrison -NINE-

I LOVE him. After all, he was my first boy. I got to experience a whole new side of parenting and loving with this kid. He was ALL boy from the start. Begging to be with his dad near the motorcycles and always digging in my live tree that I had in the house. What I really enjoyed was the different way a little boy loves and snuggles with his mom. Harry has a genuine kindness and deep soul. I can't wait to see what he experiences in life. He's in the middle of the family. One big sister, and two little brothers that are closer in age. Life hasn't always been easy for him. Trying to fit in and honestly causing a little ruckus. I don't blame him. Its hard to be the "ODD MAN OUT". Birthdays are magical(except Spring Break ones, cause you never get a party/gifts from friends.) With age comes responsibility and MATURITY! I see that with him lately and he has been so helpful and caring to his siblings. You know, the winks, like " I get it mom, isn't Ryan cute or I'll go along with that" I love his desire for me to say prayers with him & tuck him in every night. I am so thankful for him and can't wait to see the man he becomes.


Steve -THIRTY-FIVE-
35 and celebrating??? his water skiing accident anniversary of 21 years this spring. I don't mean celebrating like with the cake above, but its a time to reflect. Our views differ a bit cause frankly it sucks to not have a leg & I'm not the one who deals with that side of it every day. What I love about Steve is that this "accident" has shaped him into who he is today. He gained a testimony so strong and way earlier than most people. He leads his life differently than most too. It may not get him ahead in this life or earn the most money. He'll gain a far better reward later. I am so beyond thankful I got to be the one he fell in love with and married. My life is far better than I could ever imagined. Better than all the worldly things we desire.

To Creat or not to Create?

Wow! don't you love it when you find something motivating and reassuring? I often wonder if all that I am trying to accomplish in this life is worth any value. Is it taking away from what will be important after this life? You know, we hear a lot lately. The caution to not get caught up in things that take away from family life or even more, miss out on each little mess, fingerprint on the wall, or the need to help our little ones open their applesauce...AGAIN.

I really enjoy creating. I crave it! It's such a part of me. So, will a desire & execution for painting a room, sewing a baby blanket or making jewelry help me or hurt me in the long run?

I know that keeping things in balance is obvious. So, when I found this clip it made my heart happy. I hope it makes yours happy too.

Spring Break...A Girls Trip!

So much for planning! After a few changes and much deliberation, Steve sent Olivia & I away to San Diego for a girls trip! Wow! You'd think I would be SO happy, but, I was actually sad to not spend the week with my boys.

I got over it FAST!

We had a blast. Liz, Holly, Hannah, Rebecca, Liv & I tore up the place! Ha ha. As much as 3 married Mormon ladies and 2 pre-teens could.

Here are some highlights

...slept in...ate wherever...LOVED the map feature on my iphone, it got us everywhere...BYU baseball-which means Stetson Banks aka. Holly's hubby...Ghiradeli ice cream...Panera Bread Co...not worring about little people misbehaving...SHOPPING at the carlsbad outlets...chillyweather ...late night laughs...goofing off...strawberry fields...Starbucks whole Grain, turkey bacon egg sandwiches...Getting followed by the Rugby team cause they thought our car was full of girls like Holly! So Fun!

Tension Breaker... had to be done!!!

How can something SO DUMB be SO FUN?

Nothing but LOVE ( just keep repeating it & then you'll believe it!)

My personal FAVE!

A BIG thanks to Steve for the great sacrifice he made for me & Liv. Props to him for managing the homefront with cleanliness and EASE. I LOVE YOU.

Osborn Annual Palm Springs Golf Trip

Great memories of playing cards with my cousin Stephanie. Passing down the tradition for the next generation!

The YUMMIEST & BIGGEST & REDDEST strawberries EVER!

We LOVE the JW Marriott Sunday Brunch. Now that is happiness!

Lots of FUN, together time.

I do feel a bit guilty about taking the kids out of school for a WHOLE week the week before Spring Break. Most likely WON"T be doing that next year! Sorry Osborn's

SCUBA Getaway

Up, Up and Away... from kids and schedules! Just time to be with my favorite person in the world

I still don't have all the photos from the trip and I am tired of waiting!

Happens every time. He was nice and fed all the fish too. No 2nd dive for this one and even worse...no fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, quesadillas and Mexican Cokes!

He's gonna KILL me, good thing he doesn't know what I put on here!

Man isn't he amazing. The story is... No he doesn't normally wear a speedo but one of our friends was roped into a bet and then before we knew it, all the guys had to don one of these bad boys. They others made me erase ALL evidence that they slithered into the unthinkable! Funny thing is, I thought it was helarious and my Steve ROCKED the SPEEDO (So did the other two). He even wore it into the beachside resturant. We were all DYING with laughter watching people's eyes gaze at the One-legged guy in a speedo!

Next year, they have to be teensy tiny ones!

It's always an adventure on the back of Steve's bike. Even if its the slowest scoot of the group!

We decided to spice it up a bit and play "Sccoter Tag" this year. Man was that the BEST. That is until the cops blew their wistle at us 'cause we were causing trafic jams and near collisons on the main drag through town. For many that would be the end of it, but not for US! We didnt stop till we really did ALMOST crash and saw the poor tourist on another scooter eyes pop out of his head cause he thought he was going to eat the road. It was pretty fun and totally funny!

Thanks to our great & most righteous friends the Collins & Frosts for suggesting that we go to Sacrament meeting. It was a great expierence that I won't soon forget. It was humbling to see the people of the church in other parts of the world worship the same as I do.

I discovered 3 things.

1. Flip flops and a casual attire would sometimes be nice. Esp. for the men.
2. My boys NEED/WILL learn to play the piano! The only person who could BARELY play was an american who lived there. We sat behind the missionaries and I thought wouldn't it be nice if they could play for the ward they served in.
3. Have you ever looked in the back of the Hymnal and practiced leading the music by using the little numbered diagrams? 2/4 & 4/4 time. Now I know why they put them in there. There was CLEARLY no musical talent in the ward. We are truly blessed here in America. So many opportunites!

Why is it that Sunday always has the BEST weather? Look at those shades of blue!

I was sad to leave., but excited to see the kids.