Kaylee's Luau Party

The Luau was a blast! Lynn brought everyone leis, some surfboard platters, tablecloth, and a cute coconut cup for the birthday girl. Kathie brought a grass skirt for decoration and made the dinner. Kim and Kellie brought everyone grass skirts, leis, and tiki torches. They also got Kaylee her very own pastel grass skirt and a leis that lights up!
Kaylee and I made all the women a flower for their ear.
And Kaylee helped make the cupcakes the night before we left. They were triple chocolate chunk with bright colored sprinkles and a palm tree insert. Joe brought the sound equipment! He made a play list of Hawaiian music for the Luau! Needless to say, it was a ton of fun.
Everyone got dressed up and participated! We all loved it so much, we decided to do a themed party every year at Powell. Next year we all decided on a Mexican Fiesta!

Home Makeover part 3

Welcome to the Nemo Bathroom!
July 20th, I painted the kids bathroom a two tone turquoise blue with waves.
I am not the best painter, but I was pleased with it. Not too shabby for an amateur.During Kaylee's birthday party on the 23rd, Wendy West came over and painted 3 Nemo characters. Can I just say.... Wendy is AMAZING. She didn't let me come in the room all morning. It was killing me to not see it! Here is Wendy hard at work!
Here is Nemo and Dori. When I walked in and saw them, my mouth fell open, and all I could say was, "Oh my gosh, that is so awesome, oh my gosh, oh my gosh". Wendy had me speechless! And THAT is a hard thing to do. :)
(They look like stickers huh!)
Here is the darling Australian Turtle. Wendy, you did a fabulous job! And thanks Shelly Asmus for painting some bubbles! You guys are wonderful friends and very talented women! Now that Wendy is moving, our family will have something to always remember her by! We love you Wendy, and we REALLY REALLY love the new NEMO bathroom! GREAT JOB! Thank you, thank you!

Kaylee's 4th Birthday

WOW! My little Kaylee is 4 years old! And Kaylee LOVES horses. So, when I asked her what kind of theme she wanted for her birthday party, she didn't hesitate one second before shouting out... "I wanna horse party mom!" So, a horse party is what she got! Here is the rundown.


My mom came to spend a few days with Kaylee for her birthday. It was a big help to have her here. I was able to actually get things done! So, below is my mom, me, and Kaylee in front of the "Horse Cake".I printed off horse shoes. My mom and Kaylee colored them and then we taped them to the ground outside coming up the steps, and on the floor. The kids really liked that detail.The first thing we did while we were waiting for all the kids to show up was a follow the leader, "horse style". Grandma Basha bought her a stick horse and they all took turns being the horse and running as fast as they could around the house! That was so fun to watch.Next, we played "Pin the Tail on the Horse". I made each child a tail out of hairy looking yarn, so it doubled as a tail they could wear later. Below: Kaylee trying to pin her tail on the horse. She did very well. Winner: It was a tie between her and our next door neighbor Kenyon.
Here is the group! Left to right: Kaylee, Miles Wilson, Cameron Rasmussen, Ayden West, Avery Mecham, Claire West, Cruz Schempp, Mara Schempp, and Kenyon Schempp.
(minus a few friends)The next game was "Pony, Pony, Horse".
AKA: "Duck, Duck, Goose"Here are some of the decor. Horse tack came from Grandpa Keith and Shadow the horse

Below: The kiddos eating their "horsey" lunch.
I know it was a lot of pics... but isn't that the only reason you are still reading? :)
Happy Birthday Kaylee! Hope you had a fun time!

Mom's First Temple Trip

What a beautiful day.... My MOM and I got to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open-house together. That was my moms first time in a temple. It was just the two of us, so I was able to go at a slower pace and answer her many questions. It was a very neat experience! I know the temple is the House of the Lord and a sacred and holy place. I pray that she felt that as she walked through this beautiful place! I hope my mom will some day go there AFTER a temple has been dedicated!

My 10 Year Baptism Birthday!

JULY 18th, 1999 was the day that changed my life forever!
10 years ago, I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was almost 21 years old. Little did I realize then, how much my life would change for the better. I feel that every good thing that has happened to me since that day in July, is somehow a result of my membership in this church! My conversion is quite simple.... I just read the Book of Mormon and then sincerely prayed about it. When I prayed about the Book of Mormon, I felt peace come over me like I had never before felt. I knew in my heart that the feeling I was having was coming from my Father in Heaven. So, I called the missionaries, I picked July 18th, and I was taught the discussions and baptized! That was the start of a wonderful relationship with my Savior and my Heavenly Father.
Below: Is a picture of the wonderful Elders that taught me the discussions of the church. These are my missionaries, Elder Bailey and Elder Fowler. (Me in my baptism outfit!)
This is me and my friend Jennifer Simmons. I took the discussions at her grandmas house. She was such a good influence for me. We had so much fun together. We went to church dances, firesides, had "Scripture Parties", Family Home Evenings, and invited MANY of our friends and neighbors to attend church and learn more about the gospel.
That time will always be special to me. It is easy to see that we were all very happy. I want to thank all of those amazing people that supported me and strengthened me in my first year in the church. And thank you to all of the many more that were there for me the last 10 years. What a blessing you have all been to me.
One year later, I decided to serve a mission for the church. I was called to serve in the best mission EVER! Utah, Salt Lake City- Temple Square Mission. 2000-2002. This picture below is of me going to the Temple for the first time!
(Mesa Temple)
After my mission, I decided to live in Provo, Utah with my best buddy Heather Perrins Larson.

We were roomies for over a year when I met the man of my dreams! Kyle Brothersen! Here is us on our wedding day February 12, 2004.
We were married/sealed in the Manti Temple.
(F.Y.I. "Sealing" means to be married for Time on Earth and ALL Eternity, not just "Till death do you part". It is a 3-way covenant or promise with you, your spouse, and God.)
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only church on earth containing all the truth of the gospel. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of each of his children, and wants us to return home to live with Him. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He is our perfect example. He died for all of us to be clean and live eternally with Him. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. It has brought me closer to God and taught me the fullness of the Gospel. I know that the Holy Ghost testifies of truth and will always guide us in the right direction. I know that our families can live together forever through the blessings of the Temple.

Beauty of the Temple

Today it rained for just a few minutes while we were on our traditional "Sunday Walk". A rainbow appeared. It was a full rainbow... We could see end to end, and it had the mirror rainbow too. It was gorgeous. Then I went inside the house, I was making Konnor a bottle of milk, and I looked out the kitchen window and saw this!!!!!!
That is our gorgeous view! If you look closer, you can see where the rainbow is landing. It landed right at the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. WOW!!!!! It was so magical!A beautiful Sunday evening, with a view of a full rainbow landing on the Lords House. Words can't describe it! But Kaylee said it best when she said, "Mom, that is so beautiful! That rainbow landed on the temple. It is like a gift from Heavenly Father, huh!"

4th of July Camping

What a fun camping trip that was! We left our house Thursday and got home Saturday night.
It was our little family plus, Kathie, Paul, and Danny. Then on Friday night, Keith, Lynn, and Jake joined the group. And on Saturday morning, word must have spread of how much fun we were having because Emily drove up for the day! It was a big party!
There are a lot of pics on this post! BEWARE!!!!!!

Below is a pic of the kids playing while we set up camp. Konnor LOVED to play with the sticks.
My mother-in-law making fun noises with the kids. Should have had a video instead of a still shot. (Don't kill me Kathie) :)Kyle and Danny playing horseshoes. That was a big hit!
Kaylee and Konnor playing with Grandpa and Grandma!
This was one of my favorites of the trip... Kyle, Keith, Kaylee and I went on a 4-wheeler ride up this trail to Middle Mountain. (a place where Keith used to push sheep when he was 14) It was sooooo gorgeous. P.S. Kaylee fell asleep on the way.

Here is my BUFF Husband, doing some manly log lifting. He is such a comedian! He had us all rolling laughing! He was pretending to be one of those guys in a weight lifting contest. It was hilarious!Like father - like daughter! Ha ha... Kaylee wanted to try it out too! She is too cute!
Here is Konnor in his "Tele-Tubby" outfit. (Thanks to Kalli for lending it to us! Konnor stayed super warm at night in that!)
Konnor and Grandpa Keith on Shadow! This was his first real ride. (I think). He wasn't too sure about it! But he was adorable up there!
Kaylee LOVES to ride Shadow. She claims that he is HER horse! She is my little cowgirl!
Chillin' under the canopy. Konnor is exploring all the things on his level, water jug included.
Konnor asleep in the pack-n-play. We wanted to test it out for our Lake Powell trip. And it was a hit!
Happy 4th of July! Konnor was chompin on his watermelon! That was a sticky mess, but very fun to watch.
Kyle and I on Shadow.
This is a must see video. It is only 13 seconds. Kyle was the one to chop the wood. He was explaining to all of us how to effectively chop wood. He is so funny! I am a lucky girl to have married such an entertaining husband!

Happy 4th of July

Just a quick note to say, Happy 4th of July! What a fun holiday! Hope you are all happy, and safe.