BOYDSTON FAMILY

The Polar Express

2009-12-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

So, we went to the Polar Express with Grandpa Ron and Grandma Cindy. It's really just a trip on the Heber Creeper up in the Heber/Midway area. (When they say creeper, they really mean it. It literally moves between 12-15 mph) It was FREEZING the night that we went, around 10 degrees, but the kids had a great time with their cousins that they don't see very often (Hank and Presley). Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and I've only received pictures form one source so far. I'll add more as soon as I get them. But here we all are at the end of the ride to see Santa. Yes, Breyden is making a dorky face, but he's a cute dork, huh?

Halloween!

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

So, I suck - yeah, I know. Anyhow, here's pictures from Halloween of the kids and some crazy dude I picked up on my way home. He was on the side of the freeway collecting trash!

The three kids before Trick or Treating began.

Madi and Addy as Hippies!

Breyden as Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe

The Princess awaits in her "carriage".

And here we have Brandon scaring the neighbors. Just what you want to see roaming the streets!

CRASH...Go Boom!

2009-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, well, one week ago today (last Thursday, Jan 15th) I was involved in an accident while on my way into work, and the most humiliating thing is that it happened 300 feet from my driveway! Right in the middle of the neighborhood. Yay! In short, I failed to yield properly (I checked Left and then Right, but it was more like glance-and-go), and went through the intersection and the other driver was coming up the hill and going over the speed limit (estimated doing 40 mph in a 25 mph zone), we didn't see each other, and she T-boned me in the passenger side. I had my baby with me, strapped into her car seat in the middle of the back seat, so she was fine. My passenger side curtain airgbags deployed, but not the front or driver's side, so thank goodness I had my seatbelt on because that was the only thing that pulled me back and prevented my head from going through my driver's side window. All I remember is suddenly thinking, "Why am I going this way, I'm going to hit that house, I better stop." Once I stopped, I heard Alyssa screaming in the back and realized I couldn't breathe because my seatbelt had done it's job and had me pulled back tightly to the seat. Once I checked on Lyss, I kept looking in my rear-view mirrors for the other driver to get out, and she never did. I called Brandon and told him to come outside quick, not telling him what was wrong, then called 911. Once I got back to the other car, which was now facing down the street, my heart sank as I saw the driver slumped over onto the passenger seat. I tried the doors and couldn't get in (the front of her car is crushed), and all of her front airbags had deployed which is what had knocked her unconscious because she didn't have her seatbelt on. Brandon was able to get to her from the passenger side and supported her head until the EMTs arrived. Long story short, she came to, but was incoherent and couldn't understand what we were saying to her. The ambulance got there, along with at least 6 or 7 responding officers, and half of the neighborhood. Yes, I know the girl, her mother lives in the Cul-de-Sac behind me and is in my ward at church. Yay, again!!

Alas, the moral of the story is, PUT YOUR SEATBELTS ON BEFORE YOU PULL OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY!!! They think maybe she was putting her seatbelt on as she accelerated up the road and that's why she didn't see me. In truth, I honestly did not see her car at all. The sun was just peaking through a crevise in the mountains and the glare could have impared my sight, I really don't know or remember. All I know is that if I wouldn't have had my seatbelt on; if I would have just been putting it on at the time of the crash, I wouldn't have walked away from the accident.

Everyone turned out fine. They had Brandon take me and Alyssa to the hospital to be checked out, and the other driver was at the same hospital. We all received a clean bill of health and were released. We were just a little sore in the neck, back and ribs for a few days. Both of our cars were totaled, which means I'm looking for a new one. Bless my parents' heart, they are letting me use their Highlander until we figure out what to do. Their lease is up on it in July, so we may just buy it out at that point unless we find some other deal before then. I'm just so thankful, and blessed, that what could have been a terrible tragedy turned out okay. Again I say, WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS! You never know when you will be involved in an accident, I certainly didn't think it would happen two houses away from mine!

Anyway, have a great week everyone!

Christmas at the Boydston's

2009-01-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Madison, Breyden and Alyssa Christmas Morning

Breyden and the Loot

Alyssa'a Favorite gift - an empty box!

Family Jam-Session to RockBand

The Girls Chillin'

So, Christmas came and went, and I'm finally posting pictures (a big "Thank you" to my mom who remembered to take them!) The family got a big gift this year, Rock Band for the Wii, and Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii, plus a couple other games. Madison, in true Madison style, asked for mostly Aeropostale clothes, and Breyden's big request was games for the Wii and a box of his favorite popcorn (Act II popcorn that can only be found at Sam's Club). Alyssa didn't really care what she got, the only easy thing about her right now! So, after opening presents and while breakfast was cooking, we set up Rock Band. The problem with these games, if your familiar with Guitar Hero you know this, is that you only get a limited number of songs to start out with and have to earn your way to more songs. Well, honestly, I kind-of suck at Guitar Hero and can only play on the Easy-level. So, we started out with our five or six songs and began working from there. Brandon does Guitar, Madi does Lyrics and Brey and I switch off on the drums. At this point, we've only earned 19 of 63 songs available. Although, last night Madi and I earned a new set that included "Dirtly Little Secret", which is one that we actually know. Madi got 100% on the lyrics, (yes, I know, I'm the bad influence.) I know there are secret codes we can find to unlock all of the songs, and I'm half-tempted to find them, because I'm not really interested in playing on the World Circuit Tour or anything, I just want to go jam-out with the kids and relax every now and then. Anyhow, we received a lot of fun stuff from our families, and all-in-all had a great day running around and seeing everyone. But, I'm really glad to be back to work!

New Year, New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, this year my resolutions are two-fold. I'm going to try not to spend so much money, and maybe start being a saver (yeah, right!), and I'm going to update my blog spot once a month. Any more than that is pushing it!! Updates on the kids:
~Madison is 9 1/2 going on 16 years. She is requesting specific name brand clothes and accessories now. We updated her shuffle over the Christmas break, and because it was being loaded on a new computer, it was going to delete everything on her i-Pod. When I asked her if that was okay, she told me, "Yeah, it's all just baby-stuff on there anyway. Like High-school Musical and Disney stuff." Smirking, I said, "And you don't want that anymore?" Her reply, "No, I'm SO over that!" Brandon said that I'm a bad influence on her, because we like to listen to dance-club music, like Lady Ga-Ga, Paramore, Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, etc. Oh well, we always have fun in my car with the radio blaring!
~Breyden is 6 1/2, and has started Kindergarten. We held him back one year because his birthday is the end of August and I wanted him to be the oldest kid in his class, not the youngest. So, from April to September, he lost his front eight teeth. His school pictures were a sight to behold! He's playing indoor soccer right now, and is still just the little jock of the neighborhood. He and his friend Gavin can be found playing army video games, soccer, basketball, soccer, etc; those two are always on the move. Oh, and he's already a womanizer; he told us, "I like the 16 year old chickies, they're hot." Yeah, we're in trouble, and we already know it.
~Alyssa turned 1 in November, and she is going to be the one to lead me to medication and alcohol when she's a teenager(Ha, joking). She has a BIG attitude. She rules the roost, and if you weren't sure about that, just tell her No and she'll point out how wrong you are. Our constant saying is that it's a good thing she's cute, it's her only saving grace right now. I can't wait for her to hit the Terrible Twos! I can't even imagine that it could get worse than it is, but I'm sure it can, and in her case, will. She's also discovered M&M's, and this morning before rushing out the door, I found her with a mouthful, and both fists full, clenched in a death-grip, refusing to let them go. Yeah, she's a chocoholic on top of everything else.

After two full weeks home with my kids during the Christmas Break, I can say I have a new respect for daycare providers and stay-at-home moms. I couldn't WAIT to get back to work. It was nice having the time to do laundry and keep up on that, but I'm too independant of a person to stay still and be subjected to another person's schedule. I needed adult interaction!

Anyhow, Christmas pictures to follow, I promise.

High School Tag

2008-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes, too many to keep track of. I usually dated the older guys, so a lot of the class of '93. I never really had a steady boyfriend, I flitted through relationships too fast.

2. What kind of car did you drive? Maroon 1988 Dodge Shadow.
3. What was the most embarrassing moment of HS? There weren't really any mortifying embarrassing moments, just little embarrassing things. So, I can't really remember any particular issues.

4. Were you a party animal? Somewhat. I went places and was involved, but I was always a good girl. So, when things got too crazy or uncomfortable, I left. One of the benefits of having your own car, you can leave a situation when you choose to.
5. Were you considered a flirt? YES.
6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? No.
7. Were you a nerd? Again, somewhat. I like to read, and was really good at English. I was also really good at Drama, but my best friends were cheerleaders and on the drill team, so they were pretty popular. So, I was like a "closet" nerd.
8. Were you on any varsity teams? I lettered in Drama. Usually I just went to the Varsity games, I didn't play. Although, the girls kicked butt our Senior Year in Powder Puff. I think that was the last year they let Powder Puff be tackle football, as opposed to flag football like it is now.

9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled? HELL NO! My mom would have KILLED me. I wasn't even allowed to get a C on my report card! My parents were pretty lenient as long as they trusted me. They would let me skip classes every now and then as long as I called and cleared it with them before. Once a bunch of us were going to Carmack's for breakfast , and I said I needed to call my mom first. Travis Remington flipped, saying my mom would tell his mom and he'd be in BIG trouble. I told him, "My mom doesn't care if you sluff and get caught, she cares if I sluff and get caught. She won't say anything." I usually got reprimanded for talking too much in class!

10. Can you still sing the fight song? No, but I remember the tune. I do still know the University of Utah's fight song, does that count for something?

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs/ Hoarsley (Snr/AP English), Mr Gill (College Algebra), Mrs. Green (Health and TA), and any coach that would let me get out of doing "P.E." activities.

12. Where did you sit during lunch? At school we sat in the hall by "Stud Hall" (what a stupid name.) Remember, those were the times that you could eat a Sugar Cookie or French Fries and Diet Coke for lunch, and never even think about your weight?! Or we went off-campus for lunch. There were a lot of fast food joints really close.

13. School mascot? Vikings.
14. Did you go to homecoming, and with who? Yes, all three years. 10th grade - Dave Holt, 11th and 12th - I can see their faces, but I don't remember their names!

15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Yes. I had a blast in High School. While I'm glad to be out, it would be nice to go back to that carefree time when your concerns were so big then, but are really silly and petty looking back. And you go the summers off!
16. What do you remember most about graduation? My friends were surprised to see that I had Honor Ropes (multiple) on with my graduation gown. My friend Heather said, "I didn't know you were smart." I'm sure I said something snarky and witchy to that, but I don't remember what it was. I tend to speak my mind a lot.
17. Where did you go on senior skip day? There was a senior skip day? I can't remember where us girls went, but I'm sure we didn't go where we were "supposed" to go.
18. Were you in any clubs? Drama, Peer Support. I'd have to look at the yearbook, I know I was involved, but I don't remember with what.

19. Have you gained some weight since then? SOME?!?! I have 3 kids - what kind of question is that?
20. Who was your prom date? Matt Pingree 12th grade, and I can't remember 11th. Again, I see the face, but don't remember the name. (I'm HORRIBLE with names.)

21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I didn't go because I found out about it too late. Although, I'd like to go to the next.

22. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? To study a little harder and take the "school work" part of school more seriously. In retrospect, I'm glad that I hung out with my girl friends a lot and didn't worry about boys so much. I don't think any of us married our High School sweethearts, and I'm glad that we still have friendships today. I'm already trying to imprint that in my 9 year old daughter's head.

Now I tag.... everyone who reads my blog, especially my friends from High School, to update their blog with info.

Wow, time flies by!!

2008-10-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

So, I totally suck at this blogging thing. I do have pictures that I need to add, but I continue to forget to download them from my camera. I can't believe summer is gone and school is back in. Holy Crap! So, a short synopsis of the rest of my summer; we went to Bear Lake and "camped" the way I like to, in a condo with a swimming pool close by. It was soooo much fun, my kids can't wait to go back. They LOVED Bear Lake. Then, my step sister-in-law (Erica Jade) who is 17 got me hooked on the Twilight series. Yes, I became "one of those people". I loved those books!!! (Totally Team Edward. If you've read the series, you understand.) I received the first 3 as a late birthday present right before the 4th of July. I knew the latest one (Breaking Dawn) was coming out August 1st; so me being an avid, but slow reader, I thought I'd try to read the first three books before then, figuring it would take me a while to read three 500+ page books, what with three kids, work, sports obligations, and a house and yard to take care. Well, once I got started, everything went by the way-side (even sleep) and I read. In short, I read the first three books twice through in the three weeks leading up to BD. Then I read book four in one weekend, and re-read it the following week. Yeah, I know, I need a life!! So, my July and August were spent reading and exercising.

Speaking of which, I decided July 1st that it was time to get serious about losing the baby weight, and really became dedicated to walking, whick led to running. Now, any of my friends from High School may remember, I Don't Run!! P.E. was my least favorite class throughout JR. High and High School. But I decided to more resolute, and not just diet, but try to be more conscious about food decisions, eat smaller portions and made an effort to get outside and run/walk at least 4 times a week. My only real vice I still have is my Diet Coke. I'm not giving that up! Anyhow, since July 1st I have lost 25 lbs. Yay for me!! I still have 20 more to go to be at my pre-babies weight (that includes Madison, 9 years ago), but at least it's a start. Not only can I wear a size of pant I haven't been able to for at least 6 years, but I feel better and more confident in myself.

Anyhow, hopefully with school and fall, the home-life schedule should normalize and I'll be able to post more regularly. I really need to get the latest pictures of Madison and Breyden posted. Madi got braces in August, and Brey lost 6 teeth this summer, 3 in one week. (The tooth fairy was busy at our house!) So, his school pictures should be entertaining! They will be the ones that we show to all of the girls that he brings by when he is 16 and 17. (The boy is already girl crazy. He told me that he likes the 16 year old girls, "They're hot!" was his exact quote. Yes, we know we're in trouble.) Well, I'll post soon, hoefully with pictures!

The Great Outdoors!

2008-07-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Now, I know this may come as a shock to most of my friends, but I'm not really an outdoorsy kind of girl (ha, ha). I like going away to Condos, not to campers. But, my kids and husband love it, so I'm learning to relax and endure! We went to Flaming Gorge over the 4th of July weekend with Brandon's dad and family friends. It was a lot of fun. The kids spent most of the day by the water catching craw-daddys, or tubing behind the fishing boat. Then we cooked s'mores and sat around the campfire at night. We were only gone for 2 nights (about perfect without a shower), but it was a good time. At least I don't have to tent it, now that we have our pop-up trailer. This works until we can afford a slightly bigger trailer, with my own bathroom. Oh, the little things we look forward to as an adult, huh?

Breyden's Catch

Crawdad Fishing with Madi, Addy (Madi's Friend), Breyden and Aunt Libby

Alyssa enjoying a popsicle

Setting up for Breakfast

Breyden by the campfire

Getting ready for a ride with Uncle Josh

Happy Birthday Madison and America!!

2008-07-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well, the nice thing about having your birthday on July 4th is that most people remember that day, you usually get the day off and there's a parade and fireworks, all for you. The problem is that a lot of people go out of town, especially if the 4th falls around a weekend like this year, and that means that when you're young, you do your party the week before. So, June 28th was Madison's birthday party, and that also happened to be Pleasant View's Founders Day, and Madi's softball team was in the parade that morning, with half the team invited to the party that afternoon. We left the house by 7:30 am, went to the city's breakfast, staked out a place for the parade, watched the parade, the kids did some of the attractions that were set up, then went home to set up for our own party.

We kept the party simple, just did it at our house, set up the Slip 'N Slides, and had water shooters for a water fight, but by the end of the day, we were exhausted. Madi and her friends had a great time, not to mention my dad, brother and husband did as well. The three adults instigated most of the water fight. [One nice thing about having summer birthdays is the parties are usually really easy to plan because they can all be held outside.] All in all, it was a great day, a little hot, but we had a breeze to keep it tolerable. So, Happy 9th Birthday Madison!!

Madi in the Parade

Alyssa and Brandon at the Parade

Slip 'N Slidding Away

Presents!!

More Presents!!

Alyssa, Mya and Jax (my niece and nephew) chillin' in the pool.

Crazy Summer Days!

2008-07-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

So, May and June were very hectic. Yes, I know, I havent updated since the end of April. We finished soccer mid-May, and swiftly moved onto T-Ball and Softball which lasted through the end of June. At one point we had soccer on Saturdays, T-Ball and Softball on Mondays and Wednesdays, and practice on Thursdays. It was CRAZY. We have the yard finished (thank goodness), with pictures to follow. We celebrated Madi's bithday on June 28th, because we were going to be out of town on July 4th, her actual birthday. Now, with all of these other prior engagements out of the way, it's time to just focus on enjoying the yard, the summer, and doing a little camping now and then. I also promise to try and update a little more frequently, at least once a month. More could be pushing it! I've included a couple pictures below, just a few highlights of the last little while.

Breyden, Ready Position!

Breyden, Alyssa and Brandon waiting for the Parade

It's Deja-Vu, All Over Again

2008-04-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, now in our third house, we've started working to finish the yard. Didn't we just do this like two years ago? I am so sick of dirt. My windows are filthy from the blowing dirt, my tile floor is always sandy, especially by the back door, and I can't get Breyden's socks white anymore.
I Need Grass!! (Only 2 of the kids shown are mine)

Anyhow, the cement pad ws poured in the back corner, and we rounded up a few neighbors to help assemble and install the fancy basketball hoop. Now we are waiting for fence. After fence, curbing, sprinklers, and by the end of May, grass. Halleluja!!

The other night I noticed two little boys in the empty field behind our house playing "Army" in the big dirt hills back there. They were lying on the dirt and pretending to hide in their fox holes, using their sticks as rifles and I thought, "Man, are those moms going to be mad when they see how dirty you are." Then the boys started walking over to my yard, and I realized, "That's my Boy!" Yes, the greatest thing about dirt hills is you can play army, and the hills come loaded with grenades (dirt clods). Dirt hills also serve as great bike ramps. The kids were thoroughly disappointed when we moved the dirt pile. This weekend my brother-in-law brought over his little front-loader tractor for us to move the big piles of dirt from the back yard to the front. It was much easier than doing it one wheel-barrow-full at a time.

People often ask me where I moved to, and when I tell them, "Down the hill, about 12 houses away," they think I'm crazy. After doing this again, I'M starting to think I'm crazy too. I'll keep you updated on the progress. What with all the additional rock-work we got to do back there, I'm pretty sure the only planting done this year will be the grass. But hey, it's a start!

I actually washed my window once, and it fell through - it was being held together by the dirt.

~Edie Falco

I Truly Am Becoming a Soccer Mom

2008-04-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

So, our Saturday mornings are now occupied at the soccer fields of Pleasant View, UT. Breyden seems to have early games (8:30 am) and Madi's games are at 11:30. Either that, or one is at 11:30, and the other at 11:45. I tell you, we can't win! But, as I sat there watching the games this week, I thought back to only last year when we would drive by and see the sidelines full of moms in folding chairs, wrapped up in blankets. I always thought, "Man, am I glad I'm not them." And now I am one of them!! My father-in-law stated that with the love Breyden has for sports, this is my life for the next 6 years. Then I reminded him that Alyssa isn't even one year yet, this is my life for the next 12 years. Yikes!!

Breyden is the little star of his team. He's so competative that he's mad if the other team scores. Right now, we're working with him on sharing the ball and passing to his team mates. We don't want it to just be "The Breyden Show".

This being only Madison's third game, she's doing pretty good. We've discovered that she can run really fast, if she wants to. Now, we just need to teach her to be aggressive. Unfortunately, I think that is something inherent in kids, not learned. So, as long as she has fun out there, it's worth the cold, rainy, drizzly mornings!

Our First Post

2008-04-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've caved in. Here is the first post to our blog. Not much to report on right now. We're gearing up for soccer starting this weekend, and T-Ball/Softball starts the first week of May. Somewhere in there we have to find time for homework! Homework?!?! We don't have time for homework! Plus we have Kindergarten round-up in about 2 weeks.

Anyhow, right now we've been in our house for about 7 months, and we're just starting the process of putting in the yard. It's like Deja-Vu all over again. Didn't we just do this two years ago? Well, as this project progresses, I'll make sure to post pictures showing the transformation from dirt and weeds, to grass and flowerbeds. At this point, all we have in the yard is the in-ground trampoline, but it is the hit of the neighborhood. I have to say that I'm glad we put out the extra money for the really good tramploline. When I returned home from my walk last night, we had eight kids on the tramp, and Brandon! They were all trying to "crack" him, like an egg; shockingly it didn't work. The funny thing was listening to them all chant his name, "Brandon, Brandon!", encouraging him to keep jumping with them. He's like a big kid out there with the kids, jumping on the tramp, playing soccer. It's a good thing my kids have such a great, fun dad!

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

~ Saint Thomas Aquinas