This is getting Ridiculous!!!!

I mean come on, how hard is it to write some words and throw some pics up?

So I have decided to do just that, finally!!! Here are some of the things we have done throughout the spring and summer. Keep scrolling down. I did a couple of posts!!!

Having fun in St. George with the Fam.

Chad and Me on our 2nd cruise with Nuriche.

Abbie @ Miss Utah

Abbie was invited by Miss Payson aka: jaime stanton, to be her Little Miss at Miss Utah this year.

The Little Misses were the escorts for their contestant and also performed in the Opening number and did a promenade in their evening wear.

This meant we were required to be to every dress rehearsal, as well as each performance for 5 days!!! Holy cow was that a big commitment. We drove up to Salt Lake everyday around 12 pm and got home each night around 11pm.

It was such a great experience for Abbie, she had so much fun meeting new friends, and being on stage.

Jaime was representing Payson and did an awesome job, winning the talent portion on her night of preliminaries. I was so proud of her and felt so happy for her. All of her hard work and dedication paid off. Her goal was to at least win talent. I was so lucky to be able to teach and choreograph for this amazing girl. I wish I would have had her talent and brains when I was 19.

I wasn't able to get a pic. of Abbie in her evening gown cuz my dang battery did right when I turned it on to take the picture. Luckily Jaime's dad stepped in with his camera and snapped a few. Still working on getting him to send them to me. Ha Ha We did however get one with Jaime in her evening gown. Doesn't she look gorgeous? We are all wondering how in the world does she get her hair to look that perfect and shiny!!! Care to share your secrets? Thanks to Jaime and her family for all they did for us during this week. It was so fun!!!

Bryce Canyon July '11

This year I single momed our trip to Bryce Canyon. It will kind of be the theme of our life this year. Chad is busy working 2 jobs and has used up vacation days!

So I packed up the three kids myself, loaded the trailer (ok. Richard helped my hook it up to the car: Thanks, your the best), packed the trailer with food, sleeping bags, entertainment and all things required for camping. And I pulled that darn thing for 5 hrs. to our destination. Along with my 3 children, my mom and sister Jilayne accompanied me in the car. Much appreciated.

(side note: I think I stressed out all the men in my family by doing this. They all offered to pull it for me. I'm not sure if it was because they wanted to help, or because the thought of a "little girl" (which I know they still think of me that way) pulling a trailer for 5 hrs. for the first time scared the h*** out of them) But I did it, and I pulled it back too!! )

Since I was single moming it, I had a hard time remembering to take pictures of all the things we did there. So Abbie decided she will take over the camera. Bet you can't guess which pictures she took. ;-) If you look closely Dee and Di are all dressed up in their western gear in one of these photos. They are so fun and did help me out a lot. I wish I would have had someone take a pic. of me pulling that darn trailer.

Some of the adventures we did: Horney toad and Lizard hunting (lucas is holding one of these in his photo, along with his pretty hair do, I had the hardest time keeping that dang hair out of his face.) Four wheeler rides, visiting the town, eating, cleaning, eating again, Cleaning one more time, the kids took up photography, Tanner and Nic finally got to watch True Grit, and probably the hardest thing I did the whole time there was taking the kids down to the showers and getting them clean, only to take them back to the dirt to undo the clean. Ha ha.

I am so glad we got to go, it was so fun for the cousins to all be together and am so lucky to have family close so we can do these kind of things together.

*Big shout out to my awesome father-in-law, Sparky, for getting the trailer fixed and ready to go!!!

Might as well Update !!

For some reason I cannot sleep and I was sitting at my computer browsing blogs and thought I might as well shock all 2 of you that look at my blog and make a post!!! and also give a little update on what's been going on this year for the Sparks Family.

First off I just wanted to post some pics we had taken in Sept. by the wonderful Whitnee Jenkins. I love them and wanted to show them off. Then if you feel like it you can read a little of our crazy life. :-)











This year has flown by like no other has!!

Chad, I think had contributed the most to this. He has been so dang busy I would have to stop everyone once in a while to make sure he was still an occupant in our home. The reason he has been so crazy busy is besides his current job, he has decided to start a new business of his own!!! So that has come with many out of town and country trips (besides the ones he does on a regular basis every 2weeks for his 1st job) many sleepless nights and a lot of stress. He is doing an amazing job though and I am so thankful for having such an ambitious husband. With more trips already planned for 2011 I can guarantee this next year will fly by just as quickly.

I am still doing what I have always done. I manage the household, am a chauffeur, nurse, therapist, mom, wife, house cleaner, cook (although not a very good one), dance teacher and choreographer, hair stylist (just to my kids, but I take it very serious), planner, ward chorister, babysitter and just a one of a kind down to earth woman (Ha Ha not really but a girl can dream right?). Sometimes I love it and and sometimes not so much. But wouldn't trade it for anything else. I am a lucky gal!!!

Tanner turned 9 this year and started 4th grade. So weird (I still think I am a 21 yr. old newly wed). He loves his teacher and had met a lot of new friends at school. He is still way into to drawing and I finally have put him in art lessons. He loves it and would stay there all day if he could. He also got into Tennis and Golf this year and has really liked them. Hopefully we can add skiing to that list soon!

Abbie, oh man where to start. Well she turned 8 this year and started 2nd grade. She is every thing you would think a girl to be and then some. She is dancing this year again and also taking gymnastics. Which keeps her busy Mon-Thurs. but rarely complains about it. Only when the time change happened and it was dark outside when gymnastics got out, then that became quite a struggle. She helps a lot with Lucas and brings such an energy to the home.

Lucas just turned 3 in oct. and he is a not stop tornado. He has finally picked up on talking and now we all wish he would have waited at least a little longer. He never stops talking (which most the time is bossing me around) He loves Ironman and Buzz Lightyear and makes me fly him around the house while he sings each of the theme songs. He is so fun though and is always making my day.

So when I figure how to get some pics up of our christmas (old camera) that will be my next post.

Where on Earth???

Yes, it is official.

I HAVE FALLEN OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. So What? I am working my way back ;-)

I will update sometime.

So keep checking on me!!!

p.s. Julie is having a GIRL!!! YAY

Best zoo trip Ever!!!

It was such an awesome trip that I didn't even take many pictures. I was just enjoying the time with Lucas.
So here is the story. Lucas had been going to Kids Who Count to work on his speech. It's a play group that is twice a week. From time to time they will have field trips!!!! The zoo was one of them and the best part, we didn't pay a dime or penny :) the other best part is that the other two kids were in school so I didn't have to find a babysitter or bring them with. It was so fun to just be with Lucas. So since Chad could not go I invited the next best thing to a husband, my sister and best friend!!! She brought her boys and here is the third best part, the boys (all of them) never made a sad, unhappy face or sound the whole time. They loved it and were sooo happy. And the whole zoo trip in and out took all of 1 hr and 45 min. Ya baby!!! Record time So there you go the Best and perfect zoo trip ever :) So here are the few pics I took, I guess I should have taken more but the important part to me was being with Lucas and that was hard to do if I had the camera in my hand the whole time!!!

This is my new motto!!

This is the words of the Chorus to my new favorite song. A new way for me to look at life and situations I can't control (you would probably never think I like to be in control but I do and go nuts when I am not) So I repeat these words a lot in my head. It is amazing how music can always seem to help.

What I cannot Change LeAnn Rimes

(this is just the chorus)

All the rest is out of my hands

I will learn to let go what I cannot change

I will learn to forget what I cannot change

I will learn to love what I cannot change

But I will change yeah, I will change

Whatever I, Whatever I can

P.S. will be posting some pics soon of the best zoo trip ever!!!! keep checking back :)