The 4-Wheeler Model

We have talked about getting the kids little 4-wheelers and decided to stop by a dealer just to see what Courtney would think of them. BIG MISTAKE!!! She picked out this little pink one and then asked to have her picture taken on it. Of course, I had my camera so she immediately starting changing poses as she tried out the 4-wheeler. She really wanted us to take it home with us, but unfortuantely it wouldn't fit in the trunk! Darn! Someday sweets, someday!

Toothless

Monday night Courtney lost both of her bottom teeth! They have been really loose and I knew that they would be falling out soon but I never imagined they would fall out at the same time! And the sad thing is she was with her dad when it happened so I didn't get any pictures of her then but instead I have these pictures a day later. I wish she could keep her baby teeth forever, they get their big permanent teeth and start to look awkward! Plus makes mom realize that my baby is growing up! :(

Lunch with Conner

My blog has been neglected a little bit lately. And I'm finally getting around to posting about having lunch with my son. It was amazing to me the difference in the lack of parents that showed up for the 5th grades as did for the Kindergarteners. There were only a handful of parents there so I was glad that I went. I guess once you are in 5th grade you are "too cool" to have mom or dad come and eat lunch with you, how embarrasing?? Thankfully that is not how Conner feels! He was so sweet, he made sure that I was first in the line and that I got my lunch before he did, he was so respectful and quite the gentleman! Then after lunch he walked me to my car and gave me a big hug and a kiss and waved to me as I drove away. Where did I get such a sweet boy??? And of course I was the only mom there packing the camera!! (as always)

8 Things

My 8 Favorite TV Shows:
Days of Our Lives, Good Things Utah, John and Kate Plus Eight, Swingtown, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Survivor, The Bachelor/Bachelorette and Dancing With The Stars.

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:
The weekend, Halloween, school lunch with Conner, going to dinner with my friends, being home, a vacation, sleeping in and finishing my book.

8 Things I did Yesterday:
Worked, took Conner to the doctor, ate dinner at Arby's, laundry, helped my kids with their homework, took Conner to the hospital to have a blood test :(, put air in my tire and went to the bank.

Lunch with Courtney

This week is National School Lunch Week and during this time parents are invited to join their kids for lunch. Yesterday was designated for the Kindergarten classes so Clay and I went and had lunch with Courtney. We had cheeseburgers, Cheetos, orange wedges and a rice krispie treat. It was fun for both of us to be there with her and I know she was proud to have us there. After we finished eating we went out on the playground with her and watched her play for a little while. When it was time for her to go back to class she got upset and wanted to leave with us. It broke my heart!Yesterday was also my niece Hadley's 3rd Birthday and my 33rd birthday as well. We all went up to Breck's house and opened presents and had cake and ice cream. Clay spoiled me by sending me flowers at work and gave me a docking station for my Ipod and some glass canisters that I have been wanting. And over the weekend he took me to dinner and to a movie. What a good man!!

Another Tag

Answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only!

1) Where is your cell phone? Desk
2) Where is your significant other? Texas
3) Your hair color? Brown
4) Your mother? Talented
5) Your father? Tease
6) Your favorite thing? Family
7) Your dream last night? Nonexistant
8) Your dream/goal? Vacation
9) The room you're in? Basement
10) Your hobby? Scrapbooking
11) Your fear? Water
12) Where do you want to be in 6 years? Fulfilled
13) Where were you last night? Home
14) What you're not? Skinny
15) One of your wish list items? Car
16) Where you grew up? Hyrum
17) The last thing you ate? Corn
18) What are you wearing? Ring
19) Your tv? Small
20) Your pet? Dog
21) Your computer? Informational
22) Your mood? Lonely
23) Missing someone? Always
24) Your car? Accord
25) Something your not wearing? Socks
26) Favorite store? Target
27) Your summer? Eventful
28) Love someone? Unconditionally
29) Your favorite color? Pink
30) When is the last time you laughed? Minutes
31) Last time you cried? Hours

All About Clay

I was tagged by my sister Keesha:



1) Where did you meet? At work. We both worked at the same place.

2) How long did you date before you got married? A little over 2 years.3) How long have you been married? 8 months, February 2, 2008 :)


4) What does he do that surprises you? Clay knows how much I love surprises! When he is home and I am at work he will clean the house, make sure the bed is made and do the laundry so that I don't have to do it when I get home. He also loves to cook and spoils me with a steak cooked out on the grill (my favorite). It makes me happy to know that he will help out so that we can spend time together instead of doing housework. He is always so helpful and I appreciate it so much!



5) What is your favorite feature of his? I love his baby blue eyes and his muscles, he has a sexy rear end too! :) What's not to love??

6) What is your favorite quality of his? Clay is the most unselfish person I know. He always puts me and the kids before anything or anyone else. He loves my family and I love the relationship that he has built with all of them. My family is so important to me and we are all very close and I'm so glad that he has fit in and enjoys spending time with them. Clay is not afraid to cry and show his emotions, I love this about him. He has the BIGGEST heart!!!



7) Does he have a nickname for you? Babe and hun.



8) What is his favorite color? Royal blue.



9) What is his favorite food? Shrimp and crab legs. He loves buying crab legs at the store and steaming them at home and then gets to hear me complain that he has stunk up the kitchen!!



10) What is his favorite sport? Football! His favorite team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.



11) When and where was your first kiss? I don't remember exactly when it was but I know that it was at work.



12) Favorite thing to do as a couple? ANYTHING TOGETHER!! Camping, 4-wheeling and shopping. Clay is so much fun to wander around any store with. He never complains that I am taking too long and I enjoy having someone to shop with. We also enjoy going out on dates to dinner or a movie. He'll even take me to my chick flicks!



13) Do you have any children? Clay has an 19 year old son, Wesley Clay from his previous marriage and I have two children from my previous marriage, Conner Niel, 10 and Courtney Melia 5.

14) Does he have a hidden talent? Well I don't know if it's hidden or not but Clay can fix about anything. He knows a lot of different things from drywall, concrete, driving a big truck and all sorts of things around the house. He's quite the handyman!!!

15) How old is he? 42, on June 21.

16) Who said I love you first? He did! The feeling was definatly mutual! He is the love of my life and I cannot imagine being without him.

17) What is his favorite type of music? Classic rock, rock and country. He pretty much likes it all.

18) What do you admire most about him? Clay is a very hard worker, he sacrifices being away from home to provide for myself and the kids. He will drive all night to get home to make sure he is able to spend as much time with us as possible. Things have been really hard lately because he has been gone more now, for weeks at a time instead of just days. It means so much to me the long hours that he puts in and his amazing work ethic. It makes me want to be better! Clay is also an incredible father. He has an awesome relationship with his son and my kids and always tells them how much he loves them. I know that none of them will ever question how he feels about them. Clay has a soft spot for Courtney, she is his "Princess Podunk" and has her wrapped around his finger. Conner loves talking about all of his interests with Clay and likes hanging out with him. Wes and Clay are also very close, I love that when Wes ever goes to leave he never does without a hug and an I love you from his dad. One of the other things that I admire about Clay is that he gets me. I don't know how else to explain it but Clay knows me inside and out and he has never judged me. He supports me and encourages me. He can tell from the moment I say hello on the phone if something is wrong and somehow can get me to talk to him and he always knows what to say to help me resolve whatever is bothering me. I am so grateful for his love and support and all that he does for me. I really can't imagine my life without him. I love you sweetness!

19) Do you think he will read this? I really hope so.

I tag Stacie, Lindsey, Brittani, Shandi and Ange.

Observation Day

Yesterday during Courtney's dance class it was "Oberservation Day" for the parents to come and watch the kids. It was so fun to see her learning her dances and showing off for her dad and I. This is her third year taking dance and looks forward to her weekly lesson. She has a fantastic teacher and you can tell that she cares about each one of them. She also has a lot of patience!!

Trying the splits.

Waiting for dance class to start.
Doing her tap dance.

Stretching for ballet.

Brrrrrr!!!

This is what it looked like at my house when I left for work this morning. The snow has since melted but it's still a little nippy outside.

I looked out the window and what did I see....

SNOW!!!!! October 11, 2008 and we have snow falling! Luckily, it only lasted about an hour and it didn't stick but it was freezing today!! I am so not ready for winter, I want fall to last longer. I just watched the weather report and we should be back up in the 70's by next weekend. Hard to believe considering! My little sister was even listening to Christmas music today! Of course that is no surprise I think she has been listening to it since July!!

School Pictures

I just got the kids' school pictures back this week and thought I would share. I am happy with both of their photos so no retakes!! Thank goodness!

Conner Niel Petersen, 5th Grade, Mr. Allen

Courtney Melia Petersen, Kindergarten, Mrs. Tyger

Clay & Elise

Last Sunday I had Keesha take some pics of Clay and I. I'm thinking I want retakes. Not your fault Keesh! It was 6:30 in the evening and was getting dark, so we had to use the flash which makes the pictures more harsh and my dad's barn wasn't exactly my first choice for my location. Either that or I'm too picky. :) Hopefully we can get Wes out here and do a family photo shoot with him, Clay and the kids.

It's A Girly Thing!

Since creating this blog and trying to post as much as possible, it inspires me to notice all the little things that the kids do and say. One morning last week while Courtney was waiting for me to fix her hair she was drawing in one of her notebooks. She was so proud of her little creation and when I she showed it to me I realized that she had written her Kindergarten teachers name, "Mrs. Tyger" and had added little dots on the ends of all the letters. It was so cute! When I asked her where she had learned to do that she said, "Duh mom, from my pencil box!" I didn't know what she was talking about and then remembered that I had written her name on her pencil box and had done the same thing with the letters in her name. She is quite the observant little girl! Court always has to do everything that I do and is constantly attached to my hip! I love that about her! She's my girl and I love being with her from the moment I get home until she goes to bed. Last night she woke up from having a bad dream and as I was laying by her comforting her and she said to me "You are a sweet mom." She must have known that I was having a bad day and that totally turned it around. Sometimes those little tender comments can pick you up and make you feel like you do actually make a difference. I love you so much Courtney!

Porcupine Reservoir

Last Friday night we grabbed a bite to eat and headed to Avon for somewhat of a "picnic". One of Conner's latest obsessions is Porcupine Dam, well any dam for that matter (see previous post about him building his own version of "Hoover Dam") he is facinated by how they work, how they are built and the purpose that they provide. He had been begging me for a few days to take him there so I told him when Clay got home then we could all go together. It ended up being a beautiful drive with all the leaves displaying their vibrant colors and when we arrived the reflection of the mountains on the water was breathtaking. It's a good thing that I pack my camera around with me everywhere I go! It really put a lot into perspective and showed me the simple things that we take for granted. We have this beautiful place, practically in our back yard that we have to enjoy. It's so important to take the time, take a breath and realize how important this moment was. Being together as a family, creating a memory.

The Most Random Tag EVER!!

Here are the rules:

NO CLEANING

NO STRAIGHTENING

NO WIPING KIDS NOSES

Take these pictures right now!!!

My Favorite Shoes!

I've never really had a shoe fetish and I do have my favorite comfortable everyday shoes but hands down, my favorite would have to be my slippers!

My Bathroom

My Kitchen
My Bedroom
My Favorite Room
My Scrapbook room is by far my favorite room in my house. Clay finished it for me a little over a year ago, hung the drywall, textured, painted the walls, stained the floor, hung my cabinets and installed my countertops. I spend as much time in here as possible and try to be a little creative! :) I have a little undermount flatscreen tv/radio so it doesn't get too quiet, but if you read from my interview with my kids they like spending as much time in here as I do! There are a couple finishing touches that still need to be done, like the baseboards and a couple repairs to the countertops but that doen't matter, I love it!! Thank you Clay!!!

My Kitchen Sink

Ok so I'll admit I cleaned my sink, but there are NEVER any dishes in it! I always keep the dishes loaded in the dishwasher and if I have to hand wash anything I dry it and put it away immediately. More of the OCD tendencies! :)

My Fridge

My Laundry Room
Very small, one of the things I wish I could change in my house, you walk in from the garage right into this room! But..... I love my washer and dryer! Makes doing my least favorite task a little easier. And I must give kudos to my husband, he sold his snowmobile so we could get these! Thanks babe!

My Closet
Self Portrait

I saw this post on someone elses blog so I wasn't actually tagged but I thought it would be a fun one for everyone to do. And I added a couple of pictures. Anyway, now I'm going to tag, BRECK, KEESHA, RICHELLE, STACIE, GINGER and LINDSEY.