Poulter Family Reunion!!

I know you have all missed me so much! Craig's family on the Poulter side had a big family reunion in Mesquite, Nevada at the Oasis Resort! Needless to say, we were there for a while, but now we are home again. The Reunion was a lot of fun, but very hot! It was over 100 degrees everyday! Luckily there were lots of pools and air conditioning in the hotel. There were a lot of people at the reunion. . . 86 in all. It was fun seeing relatives we haven't seen for a while, and I was able to meet quite a few for the first time. Check out the pictures below to see what we did!

Bowling at the Virgin River Hotel and Casino!

This was Cade's first time bowling. We had the bumpers up and helped him roll his ball down the lane. He really enjoyed it at first, but after a while he just wanted to run around and try to escape into the Casino! Crazy Kid!!

Cooling off at the pool and lovin' the water slide!!

Aunt Bethany and Cade coming out of the water slide!

Aunt Bethany and Ambree relax after a long day in the sun!

Lots of get to know you activities at the local church!

Two different nights while we were in Mesquite, we went to the local church for activities and dessert. One night we had everyone introduce themselves and we played a bunch of games. The other night, we did skits, and had a talent show. In the above picture, Ambree is playing with her second cousin, Kaylee. . . they are 2 days apart in age, although Ambree is quite a bit bigger!

Lots of babies to entertain each other! They had lots of fun playing with the basket ball while everyone else mingled and played games.

The Peach bandit!

One evening while we were in the hotel room, Ambree was on the other side of the bed being very quiet, so I checked on her and this is what I saw! She got into a bag of peaches that somehow ended up on the floor. She had one in her lap that had a few bites taken out of it, and another one in her mouth. She seemed quite content and pleased with herself!

Enjoying the St. George Temple Grounds!

On Saturday, we all headed up to the St. George Temple where Craig's cousin, Aaron Hickman, was married to a girl named Celia. While we were waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the temple, we had fun taking pictures. . .

Cade is such a little monkey!

Cade is chillin' with Grandpa Bill (Poulter)!

Ambree is always on the go!!

Relaxin' with daddy!

Family Pictures!!

Our little Family!

Craig with his dad and all his brothers!
(Andrew, Cameron, Bryon, Bill (dad), Craig, Adam, Dallin)

Craig's family. . . everyone was there!


Ambree and Grandpa Bill are both beat after a long day of wedding festivities. They both fell asleep at the reception!

Father's Day!!

On Father's Day, we went to sacrament mtng. at the local church and then had a little Father's Day tribute at the park next to the church. A member from each family stood and said some nice things about their father, and then Uncle Mike paid a tribute to Great Grandpa Poulter, which was really nice. There were also some musical numbers and then we were able to give the father's gifts and cards and hugs! After the Father's Day tribute, we loaded into the car and headed back to California . . . which was quite the adventure in itself!

Craig and Cade enjoy opening Craig's father's day gifts!

Here's some Total Momsense

Just the other day, Cade was asking me for a snack in the car. I told him all I had were raisins and crackers. He said, "I don't want that!" I then proceeded to tell him that it was all I had, and if he was really that hungry, he would eat it. Right after I said it, I thought, I sound just like my mom, she said that to us all the time! That is not the first time that has happened, and I know it won't be the last. I am a mom after all, and we all say the same things because kids are all the same! I saw this video and it brought a smile to my face, so I thought I would share it!

Mr.Mom

I found this little video on line and thought it was fitting for my last post! Enjoy!

"Mr. Mom!"

Yesterday, since my husband had the day off, he volunteered to watch the kids while I went to work (substitute teaching). He has done this a couple times in the past, when we just had Cade, but I think this is the longest he has watched both of the kids. I left at 7:00Am, and arrived home at 2:30PM, which isn't too long, but if your not use to watching kids all day, I guess it could feel long! When I got home, he was in our bedroom laying on the bed, with a pillow over his face and ears. Jokingly, he removed the pillow and said, "I can't handle it anymore." He then proceeded to say, "I think I finally get it! I think I finally get how you feel everyday." I then said, "Maybe a little, but in order to really know, I need to leave again, and not come home until 6:00PM, and you need to have dinner ready for me, and then I will leave again at 7:00 and you can give the kids baths, get their pajamas on, brush teeth, read stories, sing songs, and put them to bed, oh, and try to have all of that done by 8:00. . . then you can relax, that is of course if they will go to bed when you put them to bed." Of course, that is not what happens everyday (only when there is a big test the next day). When there isn't a test, or a lot to do at school, Craig is really very helpful around the house and with the kids! Some other quotes from Craig yesterday were:

• "It takes so much work just to try to keep these kids alive (feeding them, changing them, etc.) I could barely get anything else done around here."
• "I don't know how many diapers I changed today. . . a lot!"
• "I've been picking up toys all day long, and they keep coming back . . . where do they keep coming from."
• "I need a nap . . . I am exhausted!"
• "I thought I was going to be able to take it easy and relax now that I don't have a lot of school, but being a parent is way harder than being a student!"

My favorite quote from my husband all day has to be that last one! I can't believe after all these years, he is just realizing some of this! I think I need to work and leave him home to be Mr. Mom more often! LOL!

Happy Birthday Craig!!

Craig turned 27 yesterday!!

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of Craig when he was little. Can you see the resemblance between Craig and Cade? They look so much alike in some of these pictures!

Yes, this is Craig hanging from the ceiling by his overall straps. I hear this was all his dad's idea!

Grandma Clegg is holding Craig way up high!! For some reason he doesn't look very happy!


What a happy baby!

I love this picture of Craig in the bathtub! What a cute little boy!



Oh, now I know where Cade gets it from. We have a pic of Cade doing the exact same thing!
Looks like Craig's turning three! Wow, that was 24 years ago! You've come a long way baby!



27 things I love about my husband . . . Craig!!

1) He chose me to marry!
2) He produces cute children!
3) He is very handsome!
4) He has a great sense of direction (something I don't have)!
5) He is a very good cook and very helpful in the kitchen!
6) He is very organized and clean!
7) He goes out of his way to write me thoughtful notes!
8) He likes to spend money on me!
9) He is a handyman (enjoys fixing things and building things, and is good at it)
10) He is very good with money (investing, saving, budgeting, etc.)
11) He is naturally athletic and good at sports!
12) He is very good at math(something I am not very good at)!
13) He has a very strong testimony of the gospel!
14) He blesses our home with his priesthood power and is worthy to use it!
15) He is self motivated, and when he sees something that needs to be done, he just does it!
16) He is very responsible and hard working . . . he is a great provider for our family!
17) He is very sweet with the kids and takes time out to play with them even after a long day of school and work!
18) He is very helpful with the kids (diaper changing, feeding, bathing, etc.)!
19) He is an amazing public speaker and great leader!
20) He is very good at keeping in touch with loved ones (sending cards on birthdays, etc.)
21) He knows a lot about a lot of things (history, math, languages, writing, politics, science, news, health stuff, eyes, etc.)
22) He loves me unconditionally, despite my weaknesses!
23) He makes me feel beautiful and special!
24) He's learned to love salads and is willing to try my "health food" without complaining!
25) He is always willing to help people in need (helping people move, give blessings, etc.)
26) He is very musical and is a great singer!
27) He has an amazing family (that explains why he is so amazing)!

Happy Birthday Honey!! I love you!!

Really . . . Why do I even bother putting blankets on my children?!

Some things I learned this week. . . or at least was reminded of. . .

• If you leave a tack on the floor, your toddler is bound to poke you in the butt with it!
• If you leave scissors out, your toddler is bound to cut the bead spread with them (this happened at grandma's house).
• Cade's little potty is not the best toy for Ambree to suck on!
• Neither are his rubber "crocks" shoes that she absolutely loves!
• You can never have too many fans (you know the ones that keep you cool when it is hot), according to Craig. . . we now have five!
• When one person in the family gets sick, everyone is bound to get sick.
• It is not fun when everyone in the family is sick!
• When you try to force your toddler to take cough syrup after they repeatedly say, "no, no, I don't like it!" They will most likely spit it all over you, themself, and the carpet!
• The best way to get them to take cough syrup is by putting it in their juice!
• It is very difficult to expect a toddler to look down while giving them a hair cut, when you just put their favorite movie on!
• If you leave wet clothes sitting in the washing machine for 4 days, you will need to wash them again!
• Sometimes it's not such a bad thing to have a baby that you need to take out of Relief Society, especially when it is below zero degrees in the room and your wearing a summer dress! Too bad Craig had Ambree with him!
• It's not the best idea to water a plant that has holes in the bottom of the pot, especially when that plant is next to some important paperwork!
• It's virtually impossible to do a babies hair when they are crawling around!
• When your car has been blinking a "maintenance required" light for 2 weeks, don't be surprised when your automatic locking system and your radio stop working in the same day!
• When you buy something on e-bay that says "free shipping," don't always count on "free shipping!"
• When you rent old videos from the library a few of them are most likely not going to work!
• This is a bad thing when your toddler really wants to watch them!
• Ambree seems to think the word, "no" is a term of endearment, and that her high pitched screeching and yelling are beautiful sounds . . .
• They are not!!
• When a door to door sales man offers to give you a bunch of tickets for the movies that are "buy one get one free" if you buy his product, they are most likely going to be to the dollar theatre at the Main Place Mall, not the main theatre!
• I should have known there was a catch, there always is!
• When a person keeps rambling about their negative experiences, they should take some time to focus on the positive things in their life . . . so here it goes . . .
• No matter how annoyed you are at your baby for crying most of the night and keeping you up, you can't stay mad for long when they smile and act so innocent the next morning.
• My husband is great because he took care of Ambree during Sunday School and R.S.
• If I leave folded laundry out long enough, my husband is bound to put it away.
• Same with the dishes!
• It is great to have Craig home more, now that he is not president anymore, and has an awesome rotation right now with Wed. and Fri. off!
• Cade doesn't talk quite so much when he is coloring or watching a video.
• Mom (meaning me) doesn't usually get as sick as the rest of the family (I'm not sure if it is a built up immunity to germs or a blessing from Heavenly Father . . . probably both)!
• My mom is very helpful when I need a sitter . . . thanks Mom!!
• When you sub a high school math class, and they are testing every period, it is a nice time to relax and read a book, while getting paid!
• Even though it is stressful being a mom, I wouldn't trade it for anything!

What are some things you learned this week? I would love to hear about it, either on your blog or in a comment!