Justin, Andrea, and Crew

Chelsea's baby blessing

2009-10-28T21:58:00.004-06:00

This past weekend we blessed our little baby girl, Chelsea Kaye Hegsted. There was a lot of family, friends and neighbors that celebrated with us on our new baby girl. The dress was made specially for Chelsea by her Grandma Lawson. It was so beautiful with a lace over lay jacket and hand stitched roses on the bodice of the dress. We were able to fit everyone in the house for a light dinner at the house.
The boys also had their Primary Program on Sunday, which was so great to have my kids sing so loud to where you could actually hear them. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster...trying to hold back the tears was not easy, but they were happy tears. I am grateful to have a wonderful family and an amazing husband to share all the great moments with our children.
Our Happy Family!!

Chelsea in her beautiful blessing dress.

Jaci's 3rd Birthday!!!

2009-10-08T11:40:00.005-06:00

For Jaci's Birthday we woke up early and took her to breakfast at the Three Forks Cafe where the kids got Mickey Mouse pancakes and scrambled eggs. It was delicious. Before we could go, she had to ride her new Princess Bike, no matter how cold it was outside, but she didn't care and loved it:) Later that morning, she was out on her bike again and wouldn't come in for nothing; all bundles up in her gloves and warmest jacket, even it was only 30 degrees outside.
That night we had chicken fettuccine alfredo with carrots and strawberry applesauce. Her request for her birthday cake was a Tinkerbell cake, which she got and was decorated by her wonderful mother. It was strawberry flavored and was so yummy. She loved opening up her presents from us and grandparents and loved being sung to all day long from many aunts,uncles and cousins. They best part was that she thanked everyone for having a birthday and loved that now she is officially 3 years old.....where has the time gone?? My little baby girl is too big to be 3, yet she'll also tell you that she is turning 16. (well, do I have my hands full:)

Jaci excited to open all her presents!

Tinkerbell strawberry flavored cake made by andy...it was yummy!

Jaci riding her bike in the frigid cold morning, but she didn't care one bit...just excited to ride her new bike.

Chelsea is Born!

2009-09-19T20:46:00.003-06:00

Chelsea Kaye is here! She was born yesterday on 9/18 just before 5 pm. She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 20" long. She is a beautiful girl and very happy. Andy was amazing! I can't say enough about her sacrifice and hard work in bringing this baby into this world. I felt so incompetent just cheering her on wishing the whole time that there something more that I could do. They are both very healthy and they both came home tonight. Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes!

Belgrade Splash Park

2009-08-13T08:24:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I took the kids and we went with our naighbors to the Splash Park in Belgrade. All the kids loved it, especially Jaci. We took lunch and hung out for about 2 hours, by the end of the day, all my kids were wiped out, but it was fun to see them do fun and silly stuff in the water....this is my kind of water park.

Dylan's 5th Birthday!!!

2009-07-31T14:02:00.004-06:00

This year for Dylan's birthday (on the 19th), we were able to go to Colorado and celebrate it with his grandma and grandpa in Colorado. (andy's parents). It was so much fun to see him grin from ear to ear with his Star Wars Birthday cake and all the presents that he got. His brother has been able to celebrate his birthday in Colorado a few times and Dylan wanted to do the same.
For dinner, he requested a hot dog in a bun, mashed potatoes and gravy, strawberries and bananas in a bowl, red jell-o, and broccoli. It was delicious, Thanks Grandma.
Justin wasn't able to be there since he had to run things here in Montana, but he could tell that Dylan was very happy and it was hard to decide who was more excited about his presents, Brayden or Dylan.

Dylan getting ready to blow out his candles.

Dylan enjoying his marbled Star Wars cake that had Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker on top fighting, with light-up light sabers.

A green scooter, so he can ride around the neighborhood and everyone will know that one is Dylan's.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T21:08:00.002-06:00

For Father's Day weekend, I asked to have a family trip to Billings to play with the fam. We stayed at a fun hotel that has a great kids swimming pool. We swam and stayed up and watched "Chronicles of Narnia" with the kids for the first time. Saturday we went to the new Cabela's, and the mall, and the zoo. The following pics are from the zoo. The bear was the best. Bruno the Grizzly was active and playing in his pond. The sign said he was in mating season. Since he was "frustrated" to not have a mate, he paced and played all day trying to get rid of his energy. It made for a good show anyway. The kids enjoyed it.

I wanted to let my dad know that he is a wonderful father. He has always worked so hard at being the best example possible. It's amazing to see that he is working still on being an even better example to me and my children. Have a great day! We love you!

Jaci loves to sing

2009-06-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

Last T-Ball pics and Grandparent's Visit

2009-06-21T15:23:00.002-06:00

We need to catch up a bit. I'll cheat and use a slideshow. The kids had fun with the Grandma Paula and Aunt Jenna and Krissa. They came up to see Brayden's last t-ball game. They also went to Virginia City - an old ghost town not far from here that has been renovated complete with a train. They had a lot of fun!

Grandpa and Grandma Hegsted Come to Visit

2009-06-03T21:49:00.005-06:00

We were excited to have my parents and sisters up for the day. They came to visit Tuesday night and we had dinner at Famous Dave's in Bozeman (always a favorite of mine). After dinner they came back to our house to play and visit. The kids put Grandpa to work. Today, Dad and I went to work while everyone else played. They drove down to Virginia City and had a lot of fun. They rode the train, had ice cream and a picnic, and saw some old-western history. Thanks for coming up and playing. We had a ton of fun!

Training wheels follow-up w/ Jaci

2009-05-17T15:11:00.001-06:00

I thought I would add this one too. Jace was cute trying the ramp with her trike. She is a determined little girl.

Look Ma, no training wheels!

2009-05-17T14:46:00.001-06:00

The boys got brave this week and tried the neighbors little bike that doesn't have training wheels. After Dylan figured it out, I took the training wheels off his own bike and he was off. Brayden couldn't be out done. So Brayden proceeded to try on his own and finally figured it out. Unfortunately, they did it all on their own so no cute pics of me running behind them with arms stretched to the sky celebrating as ride off into the sunset. I am proud of them either way! They are still trying to master the bike jump though. You'll notice Jace has to keep up with her brothers too.

Brayden's Spring Concert

2009-05-16T21:32:00.006-06:00

The Three Forks Elementary put on their annual spring concert this last Monday night (5/11). All the grades from K-5th performed few songs they had learned over the school year. It was fun. The kids were very proud of their work. Watching the video back, Brayden tells me who in the video he can't hear singing. Everyone's a critic!

May 8th Temple Trip

2009-05-10T20:25:00.003-06:00

We took a temple trip to Billings this past Friday. We found out that some friends were staying at a hotel with a pool and a slide. So we got a reservation and headed over there right after work. Once we got there the kids had to get to the pool as fast as possible. The kids took some time to get used to swimming. By the end of the night, Dylan was paddling around the pool and swimming from side-to-side. I took Jaci on the slide. She told me know the whold way up. After we made it down she said "again daddy". She finally got brave enough to go down by herself while I caught her at the bottom.

The next morning, I went to the temple with John Blanchard and Brandt Peterson. We enjoyed our session and then took our turn with the kids. It was a good experience planning a temple trip. We took the temple for granted in IF. It feels good to plan time to travel to Billings and sacrifice more of our time to visit the temple. We hope to make a good habit of going every month.

A Day at the Museum

2009-04-25T17:29:00.003-06:00

We also ventured over to Bozeman on a Saturday afternoon to visit the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University. Montana is a very active place for finding dinosaur fossils, which is the focus of this museum. They have tons of bones of Triceratops and T-Rexes. They had a Montana history section and a hands-on section for the kids. It was a lot of fun. We got a season pass for the family, so we will be making a few return trips.

The last one is the kids with "Big Mike" the greeter outside the entrance.

Feeding the Neighbors

2009-04-25T17:22:00.003-06:00

I don't know where we have been on this blog, but we have been slacking. We are loving Montana. Behind our house is a large field with 3 horses. One night during dinner about a month ago, I noticed they were close to the fence. I went out and fed them a couple of carrots and man were they excited. The kids grabbed some more carrots and came running out. We also fed them apples on a separate day. They have since become our buddies.

Evolution of My Bruised Knee!

2009-03-21T16:49:00.003-06:00

It's kinda neat to keep track of the bruising. Each day it looks a little worse. It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks. I only took one hydrocodone that the dr prescribed me this whole week and that was on the first night. Thanks for all of the well-wishes from the comments on the last post!

Wednesday, March 18th

Thursday, March 19th

Saturday, March 21st

Safety Man goes down!

2009-03-20T06:35:00.004-06:00

So much for setting a good, safe example for my employees. On Tuesday afternoon (3/17), I had a little accident. Our nailing machines that build the pallets have a set of rollers that are about 2/5' off of the ground that the stack of pallets rolls onto when they are complete. Well, me being the past safety manager and all, I decided to step up on the rollers on pull a bad pallet out of a stack that had just come out. The plan was to set it on some lumber nearer by and closer to the operator. That didn't happen.

As I carried the pallet and took a few steps, out of no where I fell through the rollers. Apparently there is a roller missing toward the end that I hadn't noticed was gone and I stepped right through the hole. I ended up forcing my in between two rollers that are narrower than my fat knee. Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain and feared that I had torn something in my knee. My good neighbor, Dave Boyd, took me to Belgrade Urgent Care. The assessment was just a sprain and some bad, deep bruising. It appears I have gotten off lucky this time. Here's what it looks like.

Announcement, Announcement......

2009-03-14T14:12:00.003-06:00

We would like to let all our friends and family know that we are expecting baby #4 at the end of September. We couldn't be more happier and all the kids are hoping that it is another girl, which would be fine as long as she is a little bit more mellow than her crazy sister. I just went to the doctor and heard the heartbeat and everything is going great. I am just about at the end of my 1st trimester and glad to be almost done. I have been a lot more tired this time around, but I think its just been crazy with moving and getting everything settled here in Montana. We will keep you updated and let you know what we are having in about 8 weeks.

Happy Birthday Justin & Brayden!!!!

2009-02-24T20:55:00.005-07:00

I just wanted to say "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful husband and let him know that I would not be able to do the things I do without him. He is my rock, my support and the love of my life and I hope that he has a great birthday and knows that we are one lucky family to have him as the head of our great family. (by the way, he is turning 29:)

I also would like to wish my oldest son, Brayden a happy 6th birthday!!! I took rainbow cupcakes to his class today and the neighbors that we made friends with came over for some batman cake and ice cream. Where has the time gone since he was born just a few short years ago? I feel so old to have a 6 year old, but I would not change anything different about the few short years that he has been in our family. He really is so friendly and always makes friends with everyone. He cares about everyone and is so concerned about other people. He is always so eager to learn and is so good at it too.

Happy Birthday to my 2 best boys, Justin & Brayden

We're finally settled.....

2009-02-09T22:43:00.002-07:00

Well, at least for a little while. We made it up here to Montana with many neighbors and ward friends to help us unload the uhaul and trailed. IT was pretty fast. Justin's stuck around for a few more hours and helped unpack and put things away the best they could....I really didn't even know where to put half the stuff, anyways.
We are lucky to have 3 neighbors across the street that are members and have children that are the same ages as my kids. We attended our new ward and it was great to meet all these new people. I got invited to go to girls night out with a few of the ladies to hang out and watch a chick flick. However, the ward boundaries are pretty big, so it took us 20 minutes to get there. Crazy, huh?
We have also been so busy traveling to Utah to be a part of my twin sisters baby blessing, Kaden. Who is so adorable and cute:)
We are here till Wednesday, then were off to Colorado to surprise my dad for his 60th birthday.....Happy Birthday, Daddy. We will be there for 5 days, travel back to Montana....then back to Idaho for Justin's cousin wedding.
I am sure that our ward thought we were an active family, but it appears that were not. I really just want to stay home and stop traveling, but we made these plans months ago and they seem to folow one right after another.
If you want our address just leave us a comment with your email and I'll send it to you...by the way, we don't have mailboxes, just a p.o. box since we live in such a tiny, little town, oh, how cute:)

Our new journey begins.....

2009-01-18T11:01:00.003-07:00

To montana that is!!! Yes, we are being transferred with Justin's work to go live in Three Forks, Montana. Many of you know that Justin has been traveling there for quite some time and the distance between him there and me at home has now come to an end and we will all be together everyday, YEAH!!! We leave the 31st of this month and are desprately trying to pack and clean and do it in an orderly fashion, but it is not easy.
We did find a house to rent about a 1/4 mile from the plant, in fact, I can hear the plant running when I step outside the front door.
So, a little bit of knowledge about Three Forks, MT. The population is nearly 2,000. There are 7 different churches and 6 bars. The LDS ward is smaller than our ward here -- there are 50 kids in the primary there compared to 50 in our nursery alone here. The school is a k-12 all in one and the kindergarten kids go all day! WE did find a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that is on a quite street. We already met one of the families, the Baczuk's, Aaron and Mindi and I know that we will get along great and so will our kids.
This is a lot for us to take on, but we are hoping for the best in Challenger to succeed to continue to grow and prosper.
We also want to let all our neighbors and friends here in IF know that we will never forget you and we hope to remain in contact. Please know that you made us better people and we are sad to leave, but we will visit often. Don't be shy, if you're driving through Montana, stop by and visit. Our home will always be open to visitors.

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-18T20:57:00.003-07:00

Tonight Brayden had his first school Christmas program. The place was jam packed. I couldn't believe they didn't think about how many parents, grandparents, and siblings would pack the gym. Each grade had a musical number. Luckily, this year, Brayden was just in kindergarten which was first so we were able to get up and leave after his part. They did awesome and sang so loud. You can tell he had some fun!

Visiting Kirtland.....and the Church Sites

2008-11-24T08:59:00.004-07:00

While we were in Ohio, we had a few extra days after the Bronco game to visit parts of Kirtland and learn more about the beginnings of the church. WE stopped at the Johnson Farm and got a tour of their home and what impact the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife had on their family. We went into the original town of Kirtland where the first temple was being built, but missed going into it since they close at 4:00 and we were about 15 minutes too late. The Kirtland Temple is owned and operated by the Church of Christ. We also walked into the town of Kirtland where N.K. Whitney had his store and sold many goods to the people and walked into their home that housed the School of the Prophets and was a small place for Emma Smith to call home for about 18 months. What a spiritual experience to be there where the Prophet Joseph Smith stood and received revelation of the Book of Mormon and was able to bring the gospel back on this earth.
While we were there, we were able to look up Justin's great, great grandpa Lorenzo Dow Young, brother to Brigham Young and find that he helped in the construction of the Kirtland Temple. How awesome that we have pioneer heritage in the early days of the church.
The original Johnson Farm where so many historical events happened in bringing forth the gospel and translating the Book of Mormon.

The fireplace that Sister Johnson used which was filled with many children in their home. Their family was quite wealthy back then and they enjoyed the conveniences of having 2 fireplaces in their home with many windows throughout their whole house.

The original store of Newel K. Whitney, which housed the Bishops Store house, the School of the Prophets and was also a home to Emma and Joseph for about 18 months. Justin great, great grandpa purchased goods in this store at one time during the 1830's.

An original piece of furniture that was engraved by N.K.Whitney. He brought the chair from New York and then moved it to Kirtland, Ohio where it still stands.

Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns

2008-11-23T19:45:00.002-07:00

Our annual Denver Broncos game was on a Thursday this year, Nov. 6th. This year we had the opportunity to watch a Bronco game in Cleveland, Ohio; which worked out great since my Uncle lives there and we were able to stay in their awesome home for 3 days. Our flight over there was delayed and we didn't get into Akron, Ohio Airport until after midnight and then drove another hour to their home. It was very fun and relaxing to not have to worry about our kids and know that they were having fun at their Grandma and Grandpa Hegsted's house back in Idaho. So, to make this a long story short, Broncos scored first and were on the board, but not for long and it wasn't until the 4th qtr. that they came back to win it 27-24. Yahoo!!!! We were jumping for joy and very excited that we were in a suite to not be around all the other Cleveland Browns fans that just might have beat us up. Thank you for my dad for allowing us to be a part of such a great tradition and we were glad that we were able to make the journey to Ohio to see my Uncle and Aunt and their family, and have a nice mini vacation from our children, whom we missed a ton in just 3 days.

All the guys hanging out in the suite watching the game from the goal line!! What a view!.

Justin standing in the lower bowl of the Cleveland Browns stadium.

Justin and I before the game at my aunt & uncle's house. GO BRONCOS!!!

Super Heroes to the Rescue!

2008-11-23T18:54:00.003-07:00

For Halloween this year, the theme was super heroes. Brayden was Batman, Dylan was Superman, and Jaci was Wumba Woman. It was so much fun to get their costumes. As many of you know, I go and get professional pics done every year with my kids. Here are some of them.......

Brayden, the "Black Knight" Batman was ready to face all the villains in Gotham and were going to destroy them all.

Dylan, "Superman" is stronger, faster and braver than any other super heroes and were flying all over the world ridding the world of all the bad guys and monsters.

Jaci, "Miss Wumba Women" is stronger than any batman, and superman and an fight all the bad guys no matter who they are and what special powers they might possess.

All 3 Super Heroes put together and you got a big bunch of super-fanatic heroes that are always willing to save their mom and dad from all the "bad guys" in the whole wide world!
Halloween was tons of fun this year with Jaci Lyn running around from house to house following her brothers to get as much candy as she could. The weather was awesome and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect night-weather wise that is.
We had pizza and salad with homemade glazed doughnuts from Mckenzie. After about an hour or so of trick-or-treating, we went out to Rigby to get treats from Grate Grandma Shirley. It was fun to have the kids pass out candy and indulge on Grandma Greats chocolate sheet cake.
The kids ended up with a ton of candy and Dylan over indulged just a little too much!!(he woke up that night with a tummy ache and ended up with throwing-up everything. I think he learned his lesson on eating too much candy.)

My Golden Birthday!!! Turning 27 on the 27th of October

2008-11-23T18:46:00.002-07:00

On the 27th of October, I turned 27!!! Man, I feel old, well at least it seems like that on paper, but mentally, I still feel like I am 22, weird, huh? My kids all sang happy birthday to me and my parents and in-laws gave me money for my birthday which was for a worthy cause to help organize my scrapbook stuff. My sisters were awesome and gave me some great presents as well. Justin took me out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and we pigged out; we couldn't even eat the free dessert! Then we went to Kohl's where i got some new jeans and a shirt. It was so much to go shopping without kids and not worry about them opening up the door of the dressing room. Then, Justin told me that I had an appointment at 8:00, and we were to be a few minutes ahead. So, after kohl's, we drove across the parking lot and stopped in front of "Massage Envy." I had an 8:00 appt. to get a full body massage. It was awesome!!! Justin went back home and helped put the kids in the bed and picked me up after I was all done. It was an awesome day and truly a great golden birthday.

Lawson Cabin

2008-11-23T18:09:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago, we headed down to Utah to be a part of a special day for my sister, Renee and her husband Adam, as well as for my other sister, Christina (tino). WE were able to go through the temple with them so they could take out their endowments and for Renee and Adam to be sealed in the Jordan River Temple. It was an awesome time to be there and be a part of it. Thursday night, we all meet at Madeline's Restaurant and had a big family dinner with all of the Lawson clan and a few of Adam family. To our surprise, we were greeted at the door by my sister, Tracey, who has been living in china since January. It was awesome to see and have here be a part of this great day with my family. I know my parents are quite proud of all 7 of their children that they are now worthy to enter the temple and partake of the covenants that we made in the temple.
After the temple, we all headed back to change our clothes and drive up to the new "Lawson Cabin" in Kemerrer, Wyoming. It was awesome!!!! The view is incredible and there is nothing but beauty all around you. We all stayed Friday night and had a mini family home evening, a baby shower for Leash, a girls game night, and hanging out with the guys "all the brother-in-laws" were all just hanging out while all the sisters and mom chanted and laughed our guts out about anything and everything. The kids roamed the property as much as they could, while the men rode all over on the 4-wheelers. The weather was awesome and we couldn't have been more excited about a place that I know my parents and my brother were so inspired to get and make a part of our family with many more memories to come and last in our hearts forever

This is the main cabin that sleeps about 15, with the smaller cabin that sleeps about 8-10.

Jaci's 2nd Birthday!!!

2008-10-08T15:53:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, we celebrated Jaci's 2nd Birthday. i can't believe that it has really been 2 years since she was born! Now, she gets to share her birthday with her new cousin, Annie (Cole & Mckenzie new baby.) It was really fun to see her get excited about opening up her presents and looking at everything so close. We had Grnadma and Grandpa Hegsted over with Aunt Jenna and Aunt Krissa. We had bbq ribs, baked potatoes, ceaser salad, and rolls. It was so DELICIOUS!! Jaci got a bunch of new clothes, dress-up clothes and shoes, and a new bedroom re-vamped!! (pics will come soon.)

Jaci opening up her presents....the ooh and aah's were so cute!

Jaci dressing up like Cinderella in her new dress-up play clothes.

Jacis blowing out her birthday candle on her Ladybug cake made by her wonderful mom!!

The kids dressing up in Disney Princess ddress-up clothes....Justin was not very excited about the boys dressing up like a Disney Princess.

Jaci having too much fun on her zebra!

2008-09-06T22:13:00.003-06:00

Jaci has this zebra that is really for kids 18 months to 3 years....but they never consider children that are a little wild and crazy like my Jaci. She has bounced on that thing and spins it around until she practically falls off. She learned how to stand on it without any hands. She is a daredevil and I don't know what to do about it....pretty much fearless. It that a good thing or a bad thing at her age???

Dylan's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-04T23:27:00.005-06:00

Dylan was finally able to go to Preschool on Wednesday. This year he has preschool in the afternoon, while Brayden is at kindergarten. He was so excited to go and kept asking when Brayden was going to leave because he knew that he would go shortly after him. I walked him down and was telling him where his tote bag goes and he said, " Mom, I know where it goes, you don't need to keep telling me!" Well, I guess that I am just being overprotective, but he was just fine and put his tote bag up and went to find his friend from last year, Erica, to sit by. I know that he will have so much fun and I am excited for him. Besides, I have 2 hours with just Jaci and I, and sometimes she sleeps, so I am really all by myself. I think I just might like this!!

So excited to go to preschool....he looks so cute and ready to learn.

Dylan and Jaci.....she just had to get into the picture. (she was wearing her backpack all morning, because she wanted to go to preschool too).

Woo Hoo! The Tooth Fairy Comes Tonight

2008-09-02T20:59:00.002-06:00

Brayden lost his first tooth tonight (actually Andy yanked it). His wiggly tooth finally gave way. He asked us to make sure to tell the tooth fairy to be extra quiet and not wake him and his brother up.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2008-08-25T09:10:00.003-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday and I just wanted to let her know what a great person she is and how wonderful she is to have in my life. My mom is always there for me whenever I need her. Over the last few years since I have left the house, I have really got to know her so much more and love her more than I ever have have. Over the years, since I have had my 3 kids, she has always helped me out by watching the babies and helping me become a better mom.
My mom is such a great person and I am very glad to have her as a mom and grateful for all the sacrifice she has done over for me and our family. I love you mom!!

Montana Dust Collection Project

2008-08-24T20:11:00.003-06:00

This post is meant to give kudos to my wife:

Last week, I spent Monday through Friday at our plant in Three Forks, Montana with my dad and David Jacobson installing a dust collection system. It was quite the project. We were a little surprised at the length of the build. I planned for Thursday, but there were so many details and measurements that couldn't be planned for in advance. We worked late every evening, including Thursday night until 9 PM.

Andy did great! It was tough for her to be alone that long without a break. When I got home, our house was clean and spotless and she even mowed the front lawn. We had a lesson today in church about mothers and their efforts. I wanted to express gratitude for her hard work, especially in my absence. I love you!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Brayden's First Day of Kindergarten!!!!

2008-08-22T00:07:00.004-06:00

I was not sure how I was going to be since my oldest was now old enough to go to school.....and it would be longer than 2 hours. I was getting excited for the time that I would have with just Jaci, but in all actuality, I really am happy that Brayden is excited about school and wants to go back again.

The morning started with Brayden getting all dressed by 7:30, shirt, pants, new socks, new skechers, and his backpack packed full of all his school supplies ready to head out the door and on the bus. He has PM kindergarten, so school doesn't start until 12:05. For breakfast he requested plain pancakes instead of chocolate chip, so he wouldn't get his shirt dirty. I told him that after lunch, he would be able to go to school, so about 10 minutes after breakfast he asked if he could eat lunch. The 3 hours until he had to leave was really hard for him. He kept mopping around the house saying the he really, really, really wanted to go to kindergarten and could not wait any longer.

SO, he finally ate lunch and out the door we go....I have to drive him the first 3 days but then he will be able to take the bus. We walked into his classroom and sorted out all his school supplies and he sat in his chair. There were other parents taking tons of pics of their kids sitting down and sorting out their school supplies. After a few minutes, I told Brayden I was leaving, he got up gave me hug, said he loved me and told me he would see after kindergarten was over.....no tears, just smiles. I looked back at him and he was sitting at his table with this bored look on his face as if he was ready to start the day, but nothing was happening yet. My little baby is getting big and I can't believe that he is ready to start school. Almost 3 hours later, I went back to school to pick him and he was the last kid there.....school gets out at 2:50 and I was there at 2:54, so I guess I need to be there a few minutes earlier. In the car Brayden told him that he was good and learned the he had to keep his hands to himself, his mouth closed when the teacher is talking and all the boys blue bathroom passes. He then informed that since he was good, he deserved a treat, so we headed to Maverick Country Store down the street and got a treat. He looked for a few minutes and picked up 3 Resee's Peanut Butter Cups that are only .10 cents a piece. Dylan got 4, since he thought that he was good while Brayden was at school, and since the boys got a treat Jaci had to have one too, so she got giant Smarties for .30 cents. They were all happy as can be and Brayden's treat was gone before we even turned into the neighborhood.
I am very happy that Brayden likes kindergarten and hope that he does well and makes himself as well as his parents proud. We love you Brayden.....you are such a great kid and wish you the best as you start your many years of schooling.

Brayden sporting his new blue shirt that match his black/blue skechers, his transformer backpack and new dark jeans....He looks so handsome!!!

Our latest updates.....

2008-08-21T23:49:00.002-06:00

So, i know that I have been slacking a little bit, but I have been busy, but that is no excuse. The last two months have gone by way too fast, and now school is starting and I can;t believe it. Here are a few things that we have done....
SEATTLE: We traveled to Seattle for 4Th of July to visit Shaun and Krissy (justin's brother) and their family and see the sights around Seattle. We went to the Seattle Aquarium, went on a boat ride around the bay, went to the Space/Air Museum, picked raspberries at the farmers market and just hung out. It was a really fun and the kids all had a blast playing together.
T-BALL: The boys were both in t-ball this year; Brayden's 2nd year and Dylan's first. They were the tigers....and our neighbor was their coach. It really was fun to watch them play and learn the basics of playing t-ball, which was always funny to see them run the bases, throw the ball and really just stare off into space at any given moment.
OUR GARDEN: many of you know that I love my garden and love to be in it often. This year we planted corn, green beans, carrots, peas, broccoli, onions, 4 kinds of lettuce, 10 tomato plants, zucchini, yellow zucchini, peppers (all colors), strawberries, and 3 different kinds of pumpkins. We are now reaping the benefits of the garden. Jaci loves to go and pick off the peas, rip them open and suck out the peas inside. They are literally candy to her. The boys love to go and see everyday what is growing and like to pick everything....even if it is not ready. That is one thing that is hard to teach your kids. I am excited about all the canning that will get done all this, but I do love to eat it all as well.
COLORADO: At the end of July, I went down to Utah to pick up my mom and take her home, which was nice since it was another adult in the car with my kids. I love to go and visit my parents.....they always get wore out from playing with my kids and my kids love it. I worked a few days for my dad, which is always nice to have a break from my kids. We went to Chuck E Cheese, The North Pole, Pueblo Reservoir to go on the SeeDoos, went shopping for the boys school clothes, hung out with my mom and dad and beat my parents 4 times in a row at Settlers of Catan, which my dad was not too happy about that. I talked Justin into flying out for a few days so he could drive back with me and go on the SeeDoo's with us, as well as god golfing with Trevor for 5 hours....he was tired after that.
So, that seems to wrap it up for now, but I will stay on top of our blog to bring you the latest updates in the lives of the hegsted clan.

Father's Day!!!!

2008-07-23T17:33:00.003-06:00

I love Father's Day....a day to show the man in my life how much I appreciate him as a father to my children. This year was just a little more special since I was able to have my father with me. Last time that I celebrated Father's Day with my day was '99, so it has been a few years to show my appreciation for all the things that he did for me and now what my husband does for our family.
I made sausage, eggs and cheese for my dad and hasbrowns, sausage, toast and fried eggs for Justin. They loved it and it was delicious!! For dinner, my dad helped make baked beef tenderloin that had crushed black pepper and grey poupon mustard on top. It was awesome and so addicting, you really could not get enough even though you were stuffed. We also had green salad, mashed potatoes, and veggies. For dessert, Justin talked my mom into making German chocolate cake, since I don't make it and am not very good at it. It was very good and exceeded Justin's expectations.
I would also like to tell Justin what a great father he is to his children and I couldn't ask for a more loving and supportive husband that you, I love you Justin and I am grateful to have you as the father of my children, thank you.
Justin got the "John Adams" video special that was on HBO; since he is has been reading all sorts of books about the coming togther of our nations independence.

Grandpa Lawson with Dylan....sporting his new #1 Grandpa shirt.

Playing at Rigby Lake

2008-07-23T17:18:00.002-06:00

My parents came to visit for Father's Day and while they were here, we went to Rigby Lake and had a picnic and took our dogs with us. Sierra loved it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else on such a hot day. The kids loved the water as well with the exception that Jaci didn't get too wet, but the boys could have cared less weather they got soaked and had dirt all over them. (a mother's laundry nightmare.)
Sierra fetching a stick thrown into the lake; since her toys sank to the bottom as soon as we threw them in.

The kids enjoying the water by throwing rocks and sticks in the lake and seeing how big of a splash they can make.

Kenya trying to stay cool, but not hot enough to jump into the lake like Sierra; just not a water dog like Sierra.

Sierra was one wet dog and when she would get out of the lake, you need to stay far from her or she would shake like crazy. She loved staying cool by jumping into the lake.

Brayden's Preschool Graduation

2008-07-23T17:09:00.003-06:00

Brayden is getting to be such a big boy and growing up way too fast. He has now completed 2 years of preschool and is ready for kindergarten in the fall. For their graduation, we meet at the middle school and all the kids from both 4 year old preschool classes meet together and sang about 20 songs....and they were very cute; along with the Pledge of Allegiance and received their preschool diplomas. They had graduation hats mad out of white Styrofoam bowls and a square piece of card stock on top with yarn like a tassel. It was pretty cute and we are very proud of what Brayden accomplished in preschool and looking forward to kindergarten in the fall.

Brayden with his preschool teacher, Mrs. Moeller

Brayden sitting very quietly and ready to sing some silly preschool songs to his family.

Dylan's Preschool Graduation

2008-07-23T17:00:00.004-06:00

My little boy is growing up before my eyes....he has completed his first year in preschool and we are very proud of him. His teacher, Mrs. Moeller, had all the kids wear graduation hats and they sang about 10 songs, received their diplomas and had cookies for refreshment. The kids all did so well and we are glad that Dylan enjoyed preschool so much and look forward to another year with Mrs. Moeller.

Dylan singing a silly song.

Dylan and his awesome preschool teacher, Mrs. Moeller.

Dylan saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

Sorry about the posting :(

2008-07-16T14:53:00.002-06:00

Well, We sure look like slackers, but really we not. We haven't been able to blog due to a chewed up cable by Kenya (our chihuahua) for our digital camera. We ordered a new one, but it was the wrong one; sent it back and now we just got the right one.....so we are back in business with bloggin'

Hogle Zoo trip Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-12T13:48:00.002-06:00

While we were in Utah, we told the kids we would go to the zoo. They absolutely loved it. They had a special Mother's Day weekend event that we didn't know was happening, so it seemed like the whole state of Utah was there that day. We only spent about 2.5 hours there, but it was enough for the kids. Next time we will take sandwiches and a cooler and spend some more time.

The kids were cute. Brayden is growing up so fast. He wanted to be Mr. Independent and move along to each new habitat. Dylan got excited to see the giraffes and the alligators. Jaci was content to follow along with her brothers and check out all the action. It was fun to create memories with the kids.

Jazz vs. Lakers....Game 3

2008-05-11T16:03:00.005-06:00

Justin and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the Playoff game for the Utah Jazz. We sat in the upper bowl right behind the basket. As a souvenir to all the people in attendance at the game, we were all given blue shirts with the logo "One Team, One Dream." It was so much fun to go and the energy that was there inside the Energy Solutions Arena was just amazing.

American Idol hopeful, David Archuleta from Murray, Utah sang the National Anthem at the Game and it was amazing (you can see it on youtube). Justin and I ate at Crown Burger for dinner along with Greg Lundell. His date showed up right before the game and it was fun to be out on a fun date with just my husband.

Jazz did go on to win the game 104-99. It was close in some parts, but we were able to pull it out and was a great game to be a part of. (Thanks Challenger Pallet)

David Archuleta performing the National Anthem, which was just AWESOME!!!

Justin and I eating some Crown Burger before the game...you have eat $14 in food to be able park there during the game.

Justin and I at the game, we had so much fun and were glad to be able to go...actually more than willing to go and be a part of such excitement for the Utah Jazz.

The final score of the game...104-99. Streamers were shot out of the top of the scoreboard at the end.

This is a view of our the court from where we were seating in the upper bowl...not too shabby of seats....about $244 for 2 tickets

Hegsted Cousins!!

2008-05-08T15:53:00.001-06:00

We were so happy to see Shaun & Krissy stop by in Idaho before going on their vacation. They came to drop their kids off, Isaac and Whitney at Grandmas house. We called Krissy's mom and she was able to bring Isaac to play with his Hegsted Cousins, Brayden & Dylan. They had a blast and when Grandma Coltrin came to pick him up, he did not want to go because we had just set up the train set. Justin had just got home a few minutes prior to Grandma's arrival and Isaac asked if "Uncle Justin" could play trains with him. Isaac is getting so big and so much fun to have around and for the boys to all play together.
For a snack while the boys were playing, they choose to have ice cream cones with Neapolitan ice cream. It was fun and the boys had a blast!!!

Kids playing with our new puppy

2008-04-30T15:18:00.005-06:00

We are still having lots of fun with our new puppy and her name that we finally thought would fit her is....drum roll please............KENYA. WE love it and it fits her so well. Sierra (our black lab) just loves her and is glad that she has a little playmate. They are getting along quite well and we are glad of that.
The kids are getting better with her as far as taking care of her, handeling her the right way and being soft with her. There are days when Kenya doesn't want anything to do with the kids, so she does hide and it is hard to find her sometimes, since she is so small. She does have a few good hiding spots in the house. (I sometimes wish I could go and hide from everyone and take a nice long nap too.)
Here are a few pics of the kids playing with Kenya. She doesn't really bite too hard, but she does love to play and mostly picks on Jaci. (poor girl)

The newest member of the family....

2008-04-16T19:17:00.004-06:00

Well,I didn't think that we were such dog-people, but I guess that we are. Justin and I got a Chihuahua puppy. She is a girl, and the kids just love her, especially Jaci. The puppy is really just Jaci's size and she calls her "baby." When she was born, she only weighed 2 ozs. and was about 2 inches long. Pretty small, considering when she is full grown, she will be between 3-4 lbs. Our only problem with her is that we don't know what to name her, so we need some input from everyone.
Here is the top 5 names that we have come up with:
1.) HARLEY
2.) ROXY
3.) ASIA
4.) KENYA
5.) JOJO
Feel free to add any other names that you think would fit this cute little mild puppy. She is almost 10 weeks old and is doing pretty well with letting Sierra smell her and be close to her. We haven't quite figured out what Sierra thinks of her, but we hope they become goods buddies. We are curious to see who will rule the roost, even though Sierra might be bigger and was here first, our new puppy just might take over (it's in her blood).

We got tickets to Conference!!!!!!

2008-04-09T17:26:00.004-06:00

Justin and I were very lucky to get tickets to the Sunday afternoon session of Conference (thanks Greg!). It was awesome to be there and feel the great spirit that resides in the Conference Center. The coolest part was that about 10 minutes prior to conference President Monson walked in and everyone stood and the whole place went silent. He waved and we all sat down together. Our seat were in the balcony, so it was a little hard to see the speakers, but we really just watched on the big screens on the side walls.

If you have never been, I recommend going and being a part of this great spiritual experience. Your kids do need to be 8 years old to go with you and you need to be in your seats 30 minutes before hand, but it was well worth it.
We are also glad that Renee and Adam watched our kids while we went, but by the time we got back to their house in South Jordan, we found out that Jaci Lyn had thrown up all over Renee and had a huge diaper explosion. Our hats go off to them for putting up with that and still having a great attitude about everything. Thanks, nay & adam.

Girls Scrapbook Convention

2008-04-09T17:09:00.003-06:00

I had a blast!!!!! It has a been a long time since I left all three of my kids for more than 1 day and I loved it, well I did enjoy not having to worry about anyone else but myself. Justin did text me enough times and called about all sorts of fun things that the kids were doing, but I know that they enjoyed having Dad there for a change. The scrapbook retreat/condo/convention was well worth the time, money and effort that went into putting Jaci Lyn's Scrapbook together. (She is 18 months old and I haven't done 1 page in her scrapbook.) We stayed in a condo right next to the outlets in Park City, Utah, it had two bedrooms with an open loft that sleeped all 7 of us. There were 3 bathrooms and 5 beds in all. There was also an exercise room, hot tub and a swimming pool. It was a blast and we definitely got a lot of scrapbooking done!!!!! I loved hanging with girls in my family and look forward to doing it again next year.

Moms away.....the kids & dad will play..!?!?!?

2008-04-02T10:37:00.003-06:00

I will be gone for the weekend at Park City, Utah with the girls from my family for a Girls Weekend Scrapbook retreat. Justin has so willingly decided that he will be watching our three ornery bugs that are sometimes out of control. I think that they will have lots of fun, as well as me. I know that I don't need to really about anything because Justin is so willing to take on being Mr. Mom for 3 days. If you happen to be in the neighborhood or have a few extra minutes, just check up on him and make sure the house is still standing.
The only concern that my children have had is that Brayden was sure that Dad didn't know where McDonalds is and he wouldn't be able to take since he is always at work when mom takes him. Well, I did give Justin directions to McDonalds and I think he will have no problem finding it. (he looked on mapquest for the directions).

Fun with Bubbles

2008-04-01T14:47:00.003-06:00

We got a new bubble gun for easter and the kids thought that it was so much so try to catch the bubbles. It was Jaci first time of ever really playing with the bubbles as well as Sierra's. The kids just laugh and kept trying to run underneath and Sierra would eat the bubbles on the floor. She just went nuts as the bubbles came shooting out of the bubble gun. It was so fun and a good laugh.

Jaci "the beautician"......

2008-03-27T15:22:00.003-06:00

Grandma Paula came over for a short visit and Jaci pulled her brush out of the drawer and started brushing Grandma's hair. She was the beautician and Grandma was very patient with all the hard tugs from Jaci brush. At first, Jaci was brushing Grandma's hair on the flat side of the brush, which was a lot softer on Grandma. But she changed and loved brushing Grandma's hair to make her look "pretty."
It was very cute to see Jaci do such girlie things since she has 2 brothers and she mostly growls, grunts, or grumbles all sorts of boy-like sounds.

Easter Fun!!!

2008-03-27T14:54:00.002-06:00

We were able to have Renee and her 4 kids at my house for Easter along with Leash and Ben. We had lots of fun and the kids enjoyed finding all 189 eggs out of 190. We found the last egg the next day. It was fun to see the kids find eggs in our family room, kitchen and my nook. It took them about an hour to find them.
The kids with their Easter baskets from mom & dad.

Brayden searching for Easter eggs in our family room.

Dylan found many eggs hidden on the entertainment center.

Jaci looking underneath the entertainment center for an Easter egg.

Jaci only found about 6 eggs and gave up because all she wanted to do was pop them open and eat the candy inside. She had one messy face because all she wanted to do was eat the candy and she didn't care if the wrapper was on it or not.

Our NEW revamped Master Bedroom

2008-03-15T21:54:00.002-06:00

The last week I decide to give our master bedroom a makeover. As many of you know that I have to have change or I go nuts, so after living in our house for almost 3 years, I decided that I wanted something different in the party palace. I painted 3 of the 4 walls "sesame" and the 1 wall "plantation brown" with a brushed glazed look to it. It was a good thing that Justin was in Montana for 3 days, or else I waould never have finished it. It was a lot of work and I love it, with a little help from the boys and Jaci. (she did stick her whole hand in the brown paint and try to lick it, YUCK!!!)
The bathroom is not finished and will be in the next few weeks when Justin heads on out of town for a few days so the painting can begin, once again.

Brayden's Transformer Birthday Party...

2008-03-15T21:38:00.004-06:00

Brayden was so excited to have his birthday party that he wanted to have a Transformer cake in Colorado!!! He invited 9 friends, including Dylan to his party with only 2 girls. As the kids showed up, they each got an armband that was either an autobot or a decepticon. We divided the kids into 2 teams and played freeze tag, balloon hop and musical chairs. The kids had so much fun and it was a riot.
Andy made the Transformer cake into an autobot with red and blue cake and frosting. Brayden loved it, although his expressions are very vague. It was an hour and a half of chaos, but it was fun and the Brayden had a blast and got some very nice gifts from all his friends.

A Sleepy Jaci Lyn

2008-03-06T13:10:00.004-07:00

Lately, we have been putting Jaci in her room and closing the door so she can learn to play with her toys by herself. It has worked out very well. As usual I was busy doing things so I needed her to go in her room, so I gave her a bottle and put her in her room. About 20 minutes later I walked by her door and didn't hear anything, so I peeked in and this is what I found.......

She woke up about 40 minutes later with drool on her cheek and very much still tired. I guess if she is tired she will sleep just about anywhere at anytime.

Tallest Block Tower Ever

2008-03-06T12:48:00.005-07:00

Brayden and Dylan built the tallest block tower (at least taller than them) while they were playing in the basement as Justin and I were painting the living room. They were so proud of themselves. They couldn't reach the top to put the last few blocks on, but they were fine without them. We must have too many blocks or our children are just a little on the short side (very unlikely).

Rockin' Fish

2008-03-06T12:37:00.004-07:00

Jaci gets on this fish toy and rides it like nobody's business. She can rock that fish all the way backwards and forwards. I can't believe it since she is only 16 months. She loves it and doesn't like it when anybody else is on it. (We inherited this toy when Tracey and David ventured to China for a year.) Thanks for the great toy, Tracey & David!!!

Brayden's 5th Birthday

2008-03-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Brayden was lucky to have his birthday celebrated in Colorado for the first time with his Grandma and Grandpa Lawson. He got to choose what he wanted for dinner and let me inform you that this is one above average 5 year old....his request was fish, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, veggies like broccoli, carrots and cauliflower and also a transformers cake. He got just about everything except the transformers cake, which he is getting for his birthday party on March 8th. The cake he did get was chocolate with caramel drizzled on top and a layer of marshmallow cream as the topping. It was very delicious and Brayden loved it. He has opened up so many presents and I think that this is the longest drawn out birthday for a 5 year old that I know of. I wish it was all over, but the birthday party for his friends is only a few days away and I will be glad when that is done.

Zachary Smith's Blessing

2008-02-28T14:48:00.005-07:00

While I was there, Steph and Trevor blessed their little bundle of joy.... Zachary Davis Smith. Several members of Trevor's family came and many from the Lawson side as well. Grandma Lawson made the beautiful blessing outfit for the 13th grandchild in the family. He has a ton of hair and is very wiggly, but he is one cute baby.
After church we all had dinner at my parents house and ate turkey, shattered ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cherry jello, and homemade rolls. For dessert we had triple berry trifle and Lemon Cream Pudding Dessert bars. It was very delicious!!!
Justin was able to join us for the blessing and it was a short reunion with the kids and I, but we had missed him since we had already been in Colorado for about 10 days.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Since I was in Colorado on Valentine's Day, Justin sent me 2 dozen rainbow roses to the store at All Discount Vacuum. It was very sweet with a love note and a box of chocolates. They were so yummy. For dinner at night, Grandma made crab, parmesan sliced potatoes, mixed veggies, strawberry fluff, and had a yummy dessert. (which I can't really remember what it was.) The boys got little bags of valentine's candy with rain boats. Brayden got lizard boots, Dylan got Giraffe boots and Jaci got a pink adn brown flowered jacket from the Valentine Phantom. It was so much fun and the kids loved it.

Grandpa Herb's Birthday!

2008-02-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

While we were there we got to celebrate Grandpa Herb's Birthday. I don't really know for sure what his age is...but that doesn't really matter. We got to eat Swiss steak, cheesy potatoes, fruit salad, mixed veggies, and a triple pudding dessert that was just yummy. It was fun to watch Grandpa open his presents from everyone and the boys drew him lots and lots of pictures and put each one in an envelope. By the time we left, Grandma and Grandpa had to buy more envelopes. Sorry mom and dad:(

On the Airplane!!

2008-02-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Brayden, Dylan, Jaci and I all decide that we wanted to go and visit Grandma and Grandpa Lawson in Colorado and the fastest easiest way in the winter was to fly. That was definitely an experience. The kids did really good on the airplane for the most part, but if anyone knows how my daughter is then you would know that she was to be considered a lap child, but ended up standing and sitting in her brothers seats. The flight attendants were very nice to us and gave the give crayons and a coloring page book to do. After we got off of the airplane in Denver, we had to ride the train to baggage claim and the kids were all tired and hungry. As I was collecting my luggage, waiting for my mom to come in and help with the kids, i realized that I cell phone fell out of my back pocket and I was to do it all by myself. So, I loaded all 6 pieces of luggage on a luggage cart with Jaci sitting on the front and wheeled my kids to the southwest office to report a lost cell phone, then back to the pay phone to call my dad at work and let him know what had happened and find out where my mom really is. As I was talking to the operator to get connected, Jaci ran off and so I set the phone down and quickly picked her up and got her back on top of the luggage. Finally I made it downstairs to where my mom was supposed to be and soon she drove up and southwest called and said that my phone was in their office. I ran back upstairs and told the people at the southwest counter that I was here to pick up my cell phone and she looked at me with a dumb-founded look and replied she had no idea what I was talking about. I was just there 20 minutes prior and now she is telling me she has no clue who I am. I was just a little frustrated. After about 5 minutes of figuring out who I really was the manager said that a cell phone came in about 5 minutes ago and it had my name on it. Thanks goodness for people that have a brain and are somewhat observant. I was glad that was over and wasn't going to get frustrated anymore, so I really just laughed about how lame I must have looked with my 3 kids and 6 pieces of luggage on a luggage cart and wondering around like a chicken with my head cut off. I made it safe and sound and was glad that I was in sunny Colorado.

Grandma Paula's Birthday Party!

2008-02-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Grandma Paula's Birthday by eating dinner at Little Bit of Mexico and the we had cake and ice cream at my house. We had party screamers and poppers that shot confetti. Jaci didn't know what to think of the whole thing, but I think she liked it. We had a chocolate cake with 4 layers of cake and a cream cheese frosting, that had chocolate shavings on it...it was Yummy. Along with Shaun and Krissy's family, we got Grandma a web cam so she can talk to her grandkids that live in Seattle and see things that are going on else where..we hope she likes it.

President Hinckley

2008-02-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, everyone had a chance to see President Hinckley's funeral. The whole ceremony was moving. I almost lost it at the beginning when President Monson came to the pulpit and paused for what seemed like several minutes. His emotions were evident and it was then it truly hit me of our great loss through President Monson's eyes who has spent innumerable moments in service with President Hinckley throughout his life. The final musical number where they played a video montage of President Hinckley's life is where both Andrea and I cried. For me, it was amazing to recall some of the moments of service and his sense of humor. He has been the prohpet through the formative years of my testimony. He was the modern day prophet that I introduced to countless investigators and converts to the church in Mexico. I testified of him to those same people that I knew he was a Prophet of God on earth today to guide us. I still bear witness of him and now of President Monson.

While looking around the internet, I found hinckleychallenge.com. It is a simple challenge to follow one of his teachings and to honor him. Check it out! Simply it is to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days (his age at death). We are gonna take it on here in our home. (The Saturday before he died, I had set the goal to read it by conference, so I have a little bit of a head start.)

What a fitting way to remember his example!

Andy's New Hair Style

2008-01-31T10:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally did it!!! I put blonde highlights in my hair (ones you can actually see). I did cut off a few inches as well, but nothing too drastic. Last time I got my hair cut was a year ago in December and last highlights in my hair was in November 2006. I really do like it and I am glad that I did it. I do think that it takes a lot less time to do my hair. I hope you like it and can actually see it in the pictures. I am glad that I got it done and I don't feel like such a frumpy stay at home mom. I can still look cute, even if my kids are the only ones that see me most of the time.

Kids say the cutest things.....

2008-01-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was telling Brayden and Dylan that President Hinckley passed away and they looked very sad. Brayden had a puzzled look on his face and he said, "Mom, you know how Jesus died for us?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Well, President Hinckley is going to live again, Mom!"
He said it with such confidence and so much faith about Jesus; I am very grateful that my 4-year old can understand and know that the Savior really died for us and that he lives, and that someday we can too.

Jaci sitting in the sink

2008-01-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was doing Jaci's hair in two pigtails and she thought it would be fun to sit in the sink while I did her hair and brush her teeth with Justin's toothbrush (sshhhh he doesn't know). She also wanted the water on, but I wasn't going to allow that (as you can tell by her expressions, she can get a little crusty face.)
She is just too dang cute!!!

Our Fire Alarm at Church

2008-01-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we had just been settled into our first set of meetings when the fire alarm went off. As many of you know, I am the nursery coordinator for our ward for about 32 kids. The kids started crying, parents were rushing in grabbing their kids out and many adults were just about ready to hit the road. Then we found out that the youth sunday school teacher had brought a fog machine for an object lesson about the iron rod. I guess that the smoke alarms are pretty sensitive to even the fog. All in all we were able to get the kids calmed down as well as the parents and eventually the kids were happy again. However, my daughter thought that the fire alarm was funny. Until the fire department could come and turn off the switch, it would go off periodically, and Jaci just laughed at it. She is quite a character. The boys were calm and didn't even budge, except to cover their ears. What an eventful Sunday!!

The Rexburg Temple

2008-01-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

Justin, Brayden, Dylan and I were able to go to the Rexburg Temple Open House on Thursday, January 17th. It was just incredible!!! They have you meet at the church which is about a block down the hill from the temple where you are guided into a room of about 35 people. You watch a short 10-12 minute video about the meaning and the sacredness of why we have temples. Then you walk through the corridor till you get to just outside the temple and there are young women putting booties on your feet. They first start you out at the Baptistery, then guide you to the hallways that go to the ordinance rooms, then the celestial room. There were many flights of stairs to go up and down. The boys explained that it was Heavenly Father's House and that the church was Jesus's House. It was a great experience to take the boys and we are eager to attend a session there shortly. The dedication will be Feb. 3rd. If you realized we were missing a child on the tour...miss Jaci Lyn went to Grandma Hegsted's house and hung out with Grandpa most of the night. Brayden's favorite part was all the stairs that he could look up and down as we went to another floor. Dylan's favorite part was the Baptistery; he wanted to know if you cold swim in it and he thought the oxen were cool underneath the font.

Facts: *The Rexburg Temple took 4 years to build from its announcement till now.
*It has the largest sealing room in the church.
*Is the same size as the Idaho Falls without their cafeteria.

Making Fun Hats

2008-01-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

When Justin is gone to Montana during the week, I get to think of some creative ideas to keep the kids entertained. We made hats out of construction paper, colored them and the tape them so they would fit our big heads. Mine was the only one that really did fit so good, but the boys liked it. They said we had to take pictures of us, so here we are. We also took some silly ones, but it is hard to hold the camera and make sure that everyone is in the picture.

First Snowmobiling Sled Ride

2008-01-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

We all went up the Dry Farms in Ririe to meet Grandpa Hegsted and Krissa. They have a sled that was hooked to the back of the snowmobile and the boys got in and rode all around the Dry Farm. It was pretty chilly outside so Jaci stayed in the car most of the time with Andy. The boys also got to ride with Justin and Grandpa Hegsted on the snowmobile and had tons of fun going up and down the hills. We only stayed for about an hour due to the chilly conditions, but it sure was fun.

Our 6th Anniversary

2007-12-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

On December 28th, 2007 Justin and I celebrated 6 years of marital bliss together. We finally were able to do something more than going to dinner and a movie. We booked a night at the Destinations Inn in downtown Idaho Falls. They are themed rooms that come with sparkling cider, 2 slices of cheesecake, jacuzzi tub, breakfast served to your door and a list of complimentary PG or PG-13 movies. It was a blast!!! We stayed in the England room which had a drawbridge to the jetted tub, a king size bed, a projection screen for movies, and a secret passage way which acted like a bookcase when you closed it. The secret passage way lead to the bathroom, and steam shower which also had windows that looked over the edge to the drawbridge and jetted tub that had bars on them. It was nice of Grandma and Grandpa Hegsted to watch the kids for us and it was also fun for them to sleep at Grandms's house.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we figured we better get on track and catch up with what has happened since our last post. We spent Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Hegsted's house with Cole and McKenzie's family, Jenna, and Krissa. All we were missing for a real party was Shaun and Krissy's fam. We had a lot of fun playing around. It was a good thing we stayed there because we had a huge snow storm that night. We had soups for dinner on Christmas Eve and prime rib on Christmas for dinner. The kids were fun as they enjoyed their gifts. They really make the season magical for us!

Challenger Pallet Fire 2006

2007-12-22T09:40:00.001-07:00

This is a video I worked on this weekend with pics about our fire and reconstruction at our Idaho facility. Pretty amazing to look back and see the building burning to the ground and the new one going up from the foundations to the roof.

Christmas w/ the Lawson Family (12/19/07)

2007-12-20T21:25:00.001-07:00

We just got back today from Utah. We spent yesterday with Andrea's family having a fun Christmas get together. Adam and Renee hosted everyone at their home. We had soups and chili for dinner and made gingerbread (actually, graham cracker) houses. Santa made a surprise visit and shared some stories with the kids. Each of them got a chance to sit on his lap and share their wish list. After he had left, the cousins exchanged gifts. They were able to satisfy their gift opening desires a few days early. It was also the last big get together before Tracey's family heads to China for a year. Everyone had a lot of fun!

Brayden & Dylan video

2007-12-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a little video we threw together today learning how to use Movie Maker. Nothing too incredible, but still fun to make. It is a project still in the making. It only contains a few pics from Brayden and Dylan's birth up until the end of 2005. Still much too add with the subsequent years as well as Jaci.

Our First Big Snow Storm (10/6/07)

2007-10-06T12:03:00.000-06:00

On October 6th, we had an early snow storm. We eventually had about 5" of snow for Brayden and Dylan to play in outside. Our black lab Sierra, had never seen snow before. You can tell she is going to have a lot of fun with it this winter. I went to Shopko and and picked up the only 2 pairs of snowpants available in the boys' size. The lady was just putting them out on the rack. The boys had a ball playing outside all afternoon.

Jaci's 1st B-day Pics

2007-10-06T10:26:00.000-06:00

Andy took the kids to get Jaci's 1-year-old pics. She had a lot of cute ones, but this one was especially cute. She was about done and wanted nothing to do with her brothers and their kisses.

Jaci "Blue Eyes"

2007-09-29T16:14:00.000-06:00

Jaci Lyn's birthday is coming up this next Friday, October 5th. She has recently begun to take her first steps on her own. She has been fun to have in our home over the last year. We love our little girl! We are planning on having family over for dinner, cake, and ice cream to celebrate.

Red Sox vs. Mariners

2007-09-29T15:13:00.000-06:00

On Friday, August 3rd, I went to a Red Sox vs. Mariners game in Seattle with Dad, Cole, and Shaun. We spent the afternoon at Pikes Place Market eating mini donuts, fighting crowds, watching the fish fly, laughing at a few locals, and checking out the sights. We ate at a nice seafood restaurant with Krissy and McKenzie and kids. We headed off to the game afterwards and we gave up fighting traffic. We parked at least 2 miles away and hiked in. The game was fun. We all want to do it again. If Shaun and Krissy are still there next summer, you can bet we will make it happen. The Mariners won 7-4.

Dylan's 3rd Birthday

2007-09-29T14:05:00.000-06:00

Dylan celebrated his 3rd birthday on July 19th with a delicious Mickey Mouse cake that his creative mommy made him. He also got his first bike -- now he doesn't have to share with his older brother Brayden. He was so excited to get his bike he had to ride it in his pajamas.

Summer Review -- Brayden and T-ball

2007-09-29T13:50:00.000-06:00

Summer has come and gone just as fast as it usually does. We had some great times this summer. Brayden played on his first T-ball team. There were 4 teams of 4-year-olds from our subdivision alone with 13 kids on each team. (A lot of young families in our subdivision/ward!) He played on Mondays and Wednesdays and always got a chance to bat twice. His highlight of every game were the refreshements.

2007-09-29T13:04:00.000-06:00

Andrea and I are excited to create this new blog where we can share new events and pictures with our family and friends. We are new at this whole thing. Hopefully, we can figure it out quickly and post some fun info to share with everyone.