Dance with all your heart

Kylie LOVES to dance, actually love may be an under statement. At any given time, at any given place you'll find her dancing. Even right in front of the TV (where Josh is watching sports) she'll dance her little legs off. He used to get mad and then realized that that wasn't going to stop her, so now he just watches around her. Kylie dances and does tumbling at an amazing studio. She loves all of her little dancer friends and has had some awesome teachers. She has 2 recitals a year, one the end of May and the other is right before Christmas (both of which Josh and the boys whine about having to go to). Then I not so nicely remind them about how many basketball, baseball and soon to be football games she sits through......a week! 2 a year won't kill them.
This year her teacher told me what a great job she is doing in class and suggested that she try out for a competition dance team. At first I was a little hesitant because I'm not sure I could handle another "team". I though about how much she LOVES to dance and about how much I let the boys do, so I let her do it.....and she made it! She is now a Sunsation. She has already had 2 dance camps and will have about 5 competitions starting in February.I am so excited for her! She is such a natural and will do an amazing job. I'm so glad that I have a little girl to mix things up a bit from the sports world.

Schools out for the summer

This school year went by so fast. Peyton finished 2nd grade, Kasen finished Kindergarten and Kylie finished her 1st year of Preschool. They all had such great teachers and are all great students. Peyton had a week of fun at the end of the year with activities like a read-a-thon, scooter day, wet-n-wild day and field day. The day before school let out he had an awards assembly and we got to stay and eat lunch with him. It was neat to see all the awards he got for his work through out the school year. I'm excited to see what 3rd grade brings!Kasen had a Kindergarten program the beginning of June. He sang a lot of songs, read some poems and had a slide show. His last week of school he had field day. I "got to" coordinate field day for grades K-1st and put together 10 games for the kids to play. It was a lot of fun! He is so excited to start 1st grade....actually he is excited to eat lunch at school and have 2 recesses. As for me, well I'm still trying to get used to the idea that he will be gone all day. Kylie had a great first year of preschool. I couldn't believe the day had come when my baby would really start school, when she was born it seemed so far away. Her last week of school she had a year end program. And just like Kasen's, she sang a lot of songs. It was really cute. She is my only one who actually sang along with the songs and didn't just sit and look at everyone else. She was so excited for her program, she had those songs memorized. She sang them all day, everyday, everywhere we went. Next year she will be learning so much more and I am glad that she is eager to learn!

Runners to your mark

So, as if we weren't busy enough with baseball we signed the boys up to run track. Peyton ran last year and loved it so he wanted to do it again and when Kasen found out he was old enough he wanted to give it a try.

Peyton runs the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m. He is especially good in the 400 m. Kasen runs the 50m, 100 m and 200 m. I love to watch him run, he makes his little legs go just as fast as they can go but he looks like he is in slow motion....so cute!They are both great runners and I'm so proud of how hard they both work.

When did life become so CRAZY

I've been really bad about updating my blog lately, as well as keeping up with the laundry, making dinner, cleaning the house etc, etc, etc.
My life has been so super busy the last couple of months. One week we had 4 baseball games, 2 track meet, dance camp, 2 field days and lunch day.
So, this is a quick update to let you all know that we are still alive and well. I will be updating from clear back in May, but not sure how I will post everything- by month, kid or activity. So stay tuned because it will be coming....ALL of it!!

9 years of marital bliss

Happy 9th Anniversary to Josh and I. I can't believe it has been 9 whole years. It seems like yesterday that we were hanging out at the baseball house in Ephraim watch ESPN over and over and over.
Josh and I met in 1999 while we were at Snow College. Josh was in his 3rd year and playing baseball and I was entering my first year. We lived across the street from one another. My window was like a front door to their house. I met some of his roommates on day one but I don't remember ever meeting Josh. One night my roommates and I made the guys in his house dinner. Spaghetti actually and come to find out that he loves spaghetti but he likes it with certain noodles which we didn't use and he thought it was gross. As we were all sitting around the table reintroducing ourselves there he was *sigh* good old Jones. That's what I knew him as and called him until Justin heard me one day and made fun of me.
My roommate Camille and I would hangout out at his house every day and I got to know more and more about "Jones". I remember him coming over and inviting me to go and watch him play intramural basketball. If I knew then what I know now about him and basketball....sports in general it might be a different story ;). We played intramural football together and I asked him to a girls choice dance. I remember one night some girl was over at his house and was going to ask him to the dance. She would go into a room where he was and he would leave she would follow him and he would turn around and walk into another room. One of his roommates told me what was happening so I called Josh and told him I needed him to come over right away. He had to sneak out of his house so she wouldn't follow him. I meet him outside my apartment and asked him. Funny now that he said yes since it was two of the things he hates the most crowds and dancing.
This all leads up to that one fateful night. Sometime in September or October I was leaving for the day to go up north and see a freind off at the airport for his mssion. Most of the day my roommate Camille had been calling me and giving me updates on what he was doing. My plan was to stay in Provo for the night and head back to Ephraim the next morning. Well....then I got a phone call and it was Camille. I'm not sure how the whole conversation went but I remember her saying that she asked him "if you like her wink once if you really like her wink twice" and Josh said "wink, wink". I got in my car right away and headed home. We hung out with a couple of his roommates all night and just talked and talked and talked.
We meet each others families at Christmas time. Well he met my mom and I meet his entire family. Not just his Dad, Mom and Brothers but his Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts and Cousins....all in the same night. When we drove up to his Grandparents house and I saw all those cars I was terrified. He hadn't given me much warning so I didn't have much time to process it all before going inside.
Josh said I love you first. We were in my room and he was waiting for me to get some things together before we went to try and find some haunted house by Gunnison with friends. I remember him saying something like "I have never had a feeling like this before. It's so weird. I love you." I just keep getting gathering my things. Didn't say a word. I was speechless....shocked. He said "I'm going to go now." I felt horrible and was stumbling over my words. "No don't go, I'm so sorry, it took me by complete surprise and I just lost my train of thought. I love you too!"
We never had a proposal. We were just kind of said "let's get married" and sort of started planning. Josh's brother was married in April and when we got back to Ephraim from his wedding we just went into plan mode. We didn't even think twice about it we just started getting everything in order. We had the wedding all planned by the time I got my ring. It was the day before school was out and where on our way up north to get my dad's truck to take back to Ephraim so I could haul all my stuff home. On the way we stopped at Provo Towne Center and went to look at some rings. I wasn't planning on getting anything that night but I found one that Josh and I agreed so he purchased it. He wouldn't let me wear it out of the store and I was like whatever I was just happy to have a ring. When we got back in the car he took the ring out and finally asked me to marry him. Even though the wedding was planned and it was only about a month before the wedding it was still romantic and brought tears to my eyes.
June 16, 2000 Josh and I were married in my hometown of Monticello, UT. I am so blessed and grateful to have him in my life. He is such a great guy. I love you to much Jonesy! I look forward to becoming one of those cute old couples I always tell you I love so much! It doesn't get better than this!

Celebration of pink

On Saturday morning bright and early Kylie and I joined Debby, Janeil, Emma & Ausitn for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K walk. What an incredible experience!
My mom lost a very dear friend to breast cancer, a friend of the Jones family found 3 lumps on one side and chose to have a double mastectomy at the very young age of 29 and Janeil's mom is a breast cancer survivor. It is so true what they say that everyone knows someone in some way that has been effected by breast cancer.
To be a part of something so much greater than me was awesome! To be around women who fight every day for their lives and people who fight for their loved ones who have lost their battle was so inspiring and really gave me hope for my daughter and her daughter and those to come for generations after me.
I thought that it was great to see so many people young and old helping to make a difference in peoples lives. I like to think that maybe some of those people don't know anyone who has been diagnosed but do have daughters or nieces that one day may be and they are just getting a head start in supporting her. I really loved seeing fathers, husbands, brothers and sons out there walking for the women in theirs lives, some didn't even have women with them.
I can not wait until next year! Hopefully more ladies will join us in supporting this great cause. Thanks Janeil for inviting us to walk with you. I had the time of my life all rolled into about an hour. And thanks to Emma for helping us see it through a child's eyes and summing it up into one sweet phrase "it's a celebration of pink"!

Happy Birthday Kylie

May 4, 2005 Kylie Camille joined the Jones family only 1 week early. I say "only" because I was put on bed rest 2 months earlier after having contractions and was given multiple shots to try and keep her from coming, after which I was induced. Right then I knew that my little girl was going to be as stubborn day to day as she was coming into the world.

Kylie is the baby of the family and also the only girl meaning she is a bit spoiled by her dad and brothers, Kasen not as much as Peyton....and ok, ok a bit by me, but I am also the only one who has to be mean to her because the boys are a little afraid to make her cry....once again Kasen not as much as Peyton. She is ALL GIRL. She loves to dance and twirl and sing and play. I love when she dances and sings as if no one is watching. It makes my heart melt. Since she was a baby we have called her pretty girl and told her she was pretty and whenever we say no to something and she asks "why?" we say "because you are pretty" or when she asks for something we say "sure, but only if your pretty!" The other day Josh said something was ugly and she asked "what does ugly mean?" So cute, I hope that she stays like that forever. Happy 4th birthday Sister Sue. I am so glad that we were blessed with a little girl. I love when you help me with the dishes, laundry and cooking, you are such a big help to me. I love to spend time with you shopping and running errands, you are such an easy keeper. I love when you tell me exaclty what you want to wear and exactly how you want your hair, it makes me smile. Right now (and only right now) do I think that it is really funny when you get mad and stomp off with your huge attitude, then again it does make me fear your teen years, but not as much as your dad.

To quote Martina McBrides song "in my daughters eyes I can see the future. A reflection of who I am and what will be. And though she'll grow and some day leave, maybe raise a family. When I am gone, I hope you'll see how happy she made me, for i'll be there in my daughters eyes." You are growing into such a beautiful little lady. I love with all my heart and hope that we are the best of friends forever.