The Petersons

7 years of Landon

2012-01-10T08:31:00.001-05:00

Today my Landon turns 7 years old. As a parent I think that this past year has been one of my favorites so far. It has been amazing to watch Landon change this year, he has become this incredibly smart, kind, opinionated, helpful, and handsome little person, and the little kid he used to be seems to be slowly slipping away. Landon is such a great kid and I am so happy that he came into our lives 7 years ago. He is the BEST big brother, he plays so well with his sisters even though they have different interest. In fact the other day I heard him say "Come on Tori and Ella let's play super hero dollhouse!" He is so sweet with Levi too, often when Levi gets into something he isn't supposed to or does something wrong, instead of getting mad Landon will say "It is OK he is just a baby and he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong." He is a great son. He is so helpful, and while I know it bothers him sometimes that he has more responsibilities then his sisters when it comes to house work, he is usually happy to help.
One of the neatest changes I have noticed in Landon over the past year is that he is really starting to gain a testimony of the gospel. He loves reading the scriptures and he is full of questions about the gospel. He has also become quite the little missionary, it seems like at least once a week he comes home from school with stories about things he has told his teacher or kids in his class about the church. I love watching him grow not only physically and mentally, but also spiritually.

Happy Birthday Landon, We love you so much!!!

Newborn

6 months

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old

7 years old

Owl Hat

2012-01-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

Remember these owl hat pictures from last year? Well I found the owl hat again recently and decided to take some pictures. It makes me so sad that my baby is growing up way too fast, but I am glad I was able to get one more year of owl hat pictures.

Christmas

2012-01-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas was wonderful this year!

Christmas Eve jammies!

Every year I make the kids dress up in their Sunday best before they can open presents...just kidding, but we did make them wait until after church to open their presents.

Here are some of the homemade gifts I made this year:

This one was a team effort, Santa had a few helpers to put this one together, but it turned out beautifully.

I made these for some of the staff at Landon's school. The saying is the school mission statement.

Sunbeam!

2012-01-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

Ella started Sunbeams today. It is so weird that 3 of my 4 kids are now in Primary.

Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today was the day of the girls preschool Christmas party. Sadly we had a 2 hour fog delay this morning and Ella's party was cancelled. Tori, however, still had her Christmas party this afternoon. As always it was a great time. It makes me a little sad that this could possibly be our last Christmas party with Miss Debbie and company, it has become on of the highlights of my holiday season over the past 4 years.

Then and Now: Santa Hat Edition

2011-12-16T15:34:00.000-05:00

Landon 2010

Landon 2011

Tori 2010

Tori 2011

Ella 2010

Ella 2011

Levi 2010

Levi 2011

Mr. Nursery!

2011-12-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

Guess who started Nursery 2 weeks ago? And can you believe my baby is already 18 months old? I can't!

Christmas Card Pictures!

2011-12-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

I was actually on my game and got my Christmas cards out this year! I took some pictures of the kids on a beautiful, warm, fall day in November. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T11:20:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for these little turkeys:

and this big turkey:):

Family, Friends, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the abundance of blessings in my life.

“My deepest gratitude is for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ.I bear my testimony in all gratitude for the knowledge that our Savior lives, that he was resurrected, that there is a redemption and a salvation through the Atonement for all mankind—that all will be resurrected. I am thankful for that knowledge.” - Elder Robert D. Hales

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T08:44:00.001-04:00

Fall

2011-10-20T16:54:00.001-04:00

It has been rainy and gross here the last few days, but last week was beautiful!

Yes that is dirt around the corner of his mouth, don't judge :)

P.S. I don't hate Ella, she was taking a nap when I took these pictures.

We've got a walker!

2011-10-20T16:45:00.000-04:00

Levi started walking this week! Levi has taken his time hitting some of his milestones. When he was 11 months old he wasn't even army crawling yet, so I called our local early intervention program to come check him out. They did their evaluation and while he was delayed in his gross and fine motor skills he wasn't delayed enough to qualify for any services. I was relieved and life went on.
At his one year old doctor appointment I told the doctor about some of my concerns, but I told her that I had had First Steps come out and look at him and he didn't qualify for any services. The pediatrician then asked me if Levi was talking yet, I told her no, but that I wasn't worried because none of my kids were talking at a year (except Tori). The doctor then told me that I need to have first steps out to reevaluate him (they had been out to see him less then a month prior) and that she was concerned that he and my other kids had a genetic disorder! All because he wasn't walking and talking at a year old. Needless to say I was freaked out. But I know my kids, and I felt that everything was fine and that I just needed to let Levi develop at his own rate. Ever since then Levi has been making rapid progress in his development. He is picking up new words everyday and he loves to play with his big brother and sisters. So even though he is almost 17 months old and he is just starting to walk this is a big deal to us.

Why I don't buy School Pictures...

2011-10-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

Or maybe this should be titled why I SHOULD buy school pictures....

So awkwardly awesome!

Princess Party

2011-10-16T22:51:00.000-04:00

Jared's parent's came out to visit a few weeks ago. As always it was so great to see them and the kids were in heaven. While they were here they had a sleep over for the boys (minus Levi ) and a Princess Party for the girls. Thanks Grammy and Grandpa for always making each visit a grand adventure, the kids love it!

The Princesses

Making princess cupcakes

Princess Josie

Walking in the Princess Parade

What a boy at the Princess Party? Don't worry he was the bodyguard, he's legit :)

15 months

2011-09-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

I just love this boy so much. He makes me happy.

3 down...

2011-09-12T21:07:00.000-04:00

This year we have 3 out of our 4 kids in school at least part time. Isn't that crazy? Tori and Ella both started Preschool today. Ella will be attending school 3 days a week in the morning, and Tori will go 5 days a week in the afternoons. Both girls were so excited to go to school and they both had a great day. Half of Ella's class are friends from church, which is great. Tori, sadly, lost two of her best preschool friends from last year to Ella's class but she loves school regardless.

Tori and the wonderful Miss Debbie (also Ella's teacher) We love her!!!

Tori's first day of preschool 2010

Tori's first day of preschool 2011

Bye Bye Mullet

2011-09-11T19:57:00.000-04:00

I had resisted the urge the cut the mullet for a long time but a few weeks ago I reached my breaking point. Ella's hair just looked so scraggly when it was down and on a whim I decided to take her to get it cut. Well I am glad I did, I think it looks so much cuter and a lot thicker (though thick would not be the word I'd choose to describe Ella's hair). The down side is I can't do pig tales anymore, but that is OK.

New Glasses

2011-08-29T18:03:00.000-04:00

I took Tori to the optometrist today. I had noticed that sometimes when she is looking at something her eyes don't look like they are focusing on the same thing. I didn't know whether I was just being paranoid but I figured that I'd better have it checked out. Well long story short there are a couple things wrong with Tori's eyes and she needs glasses. I feel really bad that she has been walking around not being able to see properly for who knows how long, and that she is going to have to deal with vision problems for the rest of her life. On the bright side she looks super cute in her glasses as evidenced by the pictures below.

Grandma Watts, Aunt CC, and Baby Ryker's Visit

2011-08-25T17:25:00.000-04:00

This last week I got a wonderful treat when my mom, my sister Cynthia, and her baby, Ryker, came to visit. I hadn't seen my Mom and my sister in a little over 3 years so I was so excited to see them and met my newest nephew. We had so much fun and we loved having them here.

This one's going on the wall!

Ryker is the best baby. He is so easy going and happy.

Too bad my older Brother's two boys couldn't be here for this picture, it would have been perfect.

I know what you guys are thinking, yes Jared is a very lucky man to be married to such a beauty.

Thanks Mom and Cynthia for coming to visit, come back soon, we miss you already!

First Grader

2011-08-24T18:49:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday was Landon's first day of first grade. It is crazy to me that I am a Mom of a first grader, I really would like to put a stop to this whole growing up thing :). I think that 1st Grade will be a great year for Landon, he has a great teacher and he is learning new things like crazy. I know that everyone thinks that their kids are the cutest, smartest, funniest, kindest and greatest, and I don't want to get too braggy, but as I watch the person Landon is becoming I can't help but to be very pleased. I am really proud of him, he is a great kid, and I am so happy to be his Mom.

You all know I can't do a back to school post without comparison pictures :)

First Day of Preschool

First day of PreK

First Day of Kindergarten

First day of First Grade

Matt's Visit

2011-08-13T21:48:00.001-04:00

This last week we had the absolute pleasure of having my little brother Matt come and visit. Matt is one of my favorite people in the whole world and I was so happy to have him here. We laughed so much, stayed up way too late, and just had so much fun. The kids loved having Matt here too! I was so sad to see him go I almost made him miss his plane on purpose. Thanks so much Matt for the visit, please come back soon!

Scenes from our Summer

2011-07-31T22:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that we are nearing the end of summer. Landon goes back to school in 2 weeks! He can hardly wait and he keeps asking when he gets to go to 1st grade. I think this has been the hottest most humid summer we have had since we moved here, so I am starting to look forward to Fall and the cooler weather.
Here are some miscellaneous pictures from this summer. Also I did all my catch up posting tonight so you might want to check out all the new posts below this one.

Beach day!

2011-07-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to the beach. It was so fun and the kids loved it but it was so crowded! I have to remember that Saturdays are a no go when it comes to beach days.

We decided we need a leash for Ella. We lost her a few times and I just about had a heart attack.

Levi kept eating the sand. I though he'd taste it and realize it was nasty but not so much, oh well.

Fair

2011-07-31T22:08:00.000-04:00

A Couple of week ago we went to the fair with Jared's sister and her family. It was a lot of fun but hot and humid!

Oh I just remembered a sad story from the fair. Tori is a short girl, I'd say well below average, and Ella is actually a little bit taller then Tori (probably about an inch taller ). But I measured both girls a couple of times on different signs and they were both tall enough to ride the little kid rides. Well at the first ride we went to they let everyone on except Tori, even though she was supposed to be tall enough for the ride according to the signs. Tori was crushed and it was really sad that even though she is older then Ella, Ella got to ride the ride and Tori didn't. Luckily Tori was able to ride all the other little kid rides.

Hot and tired

Bike Ridding

2011-07-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

Jared decided it was time for Landon to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. I was shocked when Jared came in after 20 minutes and told Landon was ridding his bike on his own, I thought it would take a while. Landon has become a pro at ridding his bike over the past couple of weeks, I am super impressed.

Trying to keep up on her scooter

4th of July

2011-07-31T21:33:00.000-04:00

We had a really laid back 4th this year. We went to our ward breakfast in the morning, had a BBQ for dinner and did some sparklers. When it got dark I woke Landon up and we drove around the neighborhood to see all the cool fireworks people were lighting off, he thought that was pretty great.

Curly Hair

2011-06-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Having two little girls I have had to learn a thing or two about doing hair. And Tori and Ella are interesting because they pretty much are opposites in the hair department. Tori's hair came in pretty early, grows fast, is decently thick, and is stick straight. Ella on the other hand has hair that takes forever to grow, is very thin, and is curly. I have learned that what works for one girl usually does not work for the other and that both hair types have pros and cons.

One of the cons of Tori's hair is that it will not stay curled. Every Sunday morning I get out the curling iron and curl her hair, and every Sunday the curls are gone before we even get to church. I have tried tons of different products but nothing gets those curls to stay put.

The other day I was surfing the we when I came across this tutorial on how to get heat free curls. I was a little skeptical because in my experience heat free curling methods usually yield poodle curls, but these curls turned out beautifully!

Super cute right?

Here are a few tips:

First of all I used a much thicker band then what the girl used in the tutorial, I don't know if it made a difference but I like the way Tori's hair turned out the with the thick band. Here is what I used:

-The girl in the tutorial said that if you have thinner hair not to put anything in it to dampen your hair before you start because it won't be dry in the morning. I thought that was little silly because thinner hair will dry faster then thick hair so I did take a spray bottle and dampen Tori's hair a little before I started. I just sprayed the water on my hands a few times and ran my hands through her hair. Her hair was dry in the morning.

Other then those two things I just followed the instructions from the video. Let me know if any of you try this out, and if you want post pictures, I'd love to see others results!

The Cake!

2011-06-08T15:05:00.000-04:00

Levi and his cake

3

2011-06-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Ella turned three. She was so excited for her birthday this year and had been talking about it for about a month. This has been a big year for Ella. She has learned a lot, grown so much, and she finally got some hair! There is never a dull moment with this little girl and she for sure keeps us on our toes. but she is so beautiful, spunky, and sweet that I really wouldn't have it any other way (well most of the time). We love you Ella, Happy Birthday!!

Newborn

6 months

one

Two

Three

Last Day of Kindy

2011-06-03T19:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Landon's last day of Kindergarten. I can't believe that Landon is already done with his first full year of school. Really he isn't supposed to be growing up this fast. Landon has loved school so much and I am so impressed with how much he has grown, matured, and learned in the last year. He really is turning out to be such a smart and kind boy. They held a little Kindergarten Achievement Ceremony and picnic at Landon's school yesterday. It was fun and a great way to bid farewell to Kindergarten.

Landon's class with their guest teacher Ms. G. There is only one kid missing from this picture, that is right there were only 12 kids in Landon's class.

Landon and his Principal Mr. Payne

Just because I love comparisons so much this is a picture from Landon's Preschool Graduation last year

And here is Landon yesterday, I can't believe how much more grown up he looks. (Please excuse the messy face)

In other news Landon lost his first tooth on Tuesday.

One...

2011-06-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since we welcomed Levi into our family. From the moment I first held him I was in love, he was perfect. Levi is such a sweet boy, he is easy going, so happy, and he is beyond adorable.I adore this little boy more then I ever could have imagined. Levi we love you, you have brought so much joy into our home, Happy Birthday!

Newborn

2 Weeks

1Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

1 year old!

Bonus Picture! Landon insisted I take a picture of him and Levi together. Along with Levi turning 1 today, today was Landon's last day of Kindergarten. I will post more about Landon's last day of School soon.

4 years old

2011-05-09T20:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, smart, sweet Tori! The last 4 years have flown by and I am so grateful for this little girl who brings so much light into our family.

Baby Tori

1 year old Tori

2 year old Tori

3 year old Tori

4 year old Tori

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:49:00.000-04:00

10 months!

2011-04-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that in a little over a month my baby will be a year old.

I just love this chubby little boy.

Sunday

2011-04-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

Sundays are my favorite day of the week for a lot of reason, but one of the things I really love about Sundays is getting my kids all dressed up for church. I mean who can resist cute dresses and little suits and ties? I can't. So here are some pictures of my kids from yesterday for you all to enjoy.

The Mullet

2011-04-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

As I posted a few post back Ella is finally getting some hair, which is great! The down side is that her hair is coming in as a mullet. I used to look at little kids with mullets and wonder what the heck their Mom's were thinking letting their hair get to that point. But I understand now. The main thing that has kept me from cutting Ella's mullet is that her hair has taken so long to grow and cutting it at all, even if it is just to even it out a bit, just seems counter productive. I also discovered recently that, even though we are still business in the front, there is a lot I can do with the party in the back. So Ella will keep the mullet for now, and I am OK with that.

The mullet

Super cute hair style produced out of the mullet

My favorite 6 year old

2011-04-12T21:15:00.002-04:00

Because Landon's birthday is in the freezing cold month of January it is hard to get good Birthday pictures of him. This year I decided I'd wait until it warmed up a bit to take some pictures. Last week was Landon's Spring Break, and the weather has warmed up quite a bit, so I decided to take advantage of the situation and so we headed over to the Train Museum . I actually didn't pick the best day to take these pictures as Landon had just received an ultra short haircut the day before and the eczema on his face was acting up pretty bad, but I think they turned out cute anyway.

As an added bonus here is a picture of Landon with his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller has been the perfect Kindergarten teacher for Landon, we just love her. Mrs. Miller is on maternity leave for the rest of the year so we had to say goodbye to her just before Spring Break. Sad day. As a side note how is it fair that she looks this cute at 9 months pregnant?

Peterson Grandkids

2011-04-09T13:38:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago Jared's sisters, Ashley and Anisha, came out here for a visit. Since Anisha brought her son Max with her we had all the Peterson grandkids in one place at one time, it was great, and we couldn't pass up this photo op.

All the Peterson Grandkids so far

Ariane's kids

Anisha's son Max

Sadly this was the best I got of my bunch, hopefully Easter pictures go better.

Max and Levi are only 2 months apart in age, I think they are going to be best friends!

The Potty Train

2011-03-13T23:29:00.000-04:00

That magical time has come once again. That time where we say farewell to diapers and welcome the underpants. I don't know how the rest of you feel but I really do not like potty training, it gives me anxiety, and as weird as this may sound it makes me kinda sad because once the diapers are gone your child is no longer a baby. Don't get me wrong I dislike changing diapers as much as the next person, I just sometimes wish that my babies didn't have to grow up so fast. But alas the time had come for Ella to learn how to go potty like a big girl. I was really nervous about potty training Ella, that is probably why I put it off for so long, Ella is a stubborn girl and if she doesn't want to do something she won't. But I shouldn't have wasted my time worrying, she has done awesome and she is well on her way to becoming a potty master.

Waving goodbye to diapers

In about 2 years it will be his turn and then I will be done with potty training forever!

8 months!!

2011-03-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

I figured I'd better do this post before Levi turns 9 months old tomorrow! I can't believe how fast my baby is growing, before I know it he will be a year old. Levi is such a great little boy, he is so happy and sweet and we just couldn't imagine life without him.

Hairstyles!

2011-02-27T23:27:00.001-05:00

Ella is finally getting enough hair to do something with. She still doesn't have a lot, but I have noticed it is starting to really grow lately!
Hairstyle #1

Hairstyle #2

Ella's hair is coming in curly! I am used to Tori's stick straight hair, so this will be an adventure. It takes a little work to get it to look like this, but not much, just a little product and some scrunching.

My Valentines

2011-02-27T22:45:00.000-05:00

As you can tell by the title of this post I am way behind on blogging. Oh well. For the few of you who actually read this thing here are some pictures of my kids from the Sunday before Valentines Day and some from Valentines day.

It is impossible to get a decent picture of all 4 kids together, oh well.

The great Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

For some reason pretty much ever since Jared and I have been married we have chosen to live in places where it snows. Now I am not a fan of the freezing cold, but I have discovered that I can tolerate frigid winters a lot better then the brutal summers of Las Vegas.
That being said I hate February. By February I am ready for Spring and yet Spring just doesn't want to come. As if to taunt me and my Spring fever, February started with a bang this year.We experienced a full on blizzard.After 2 snow days, one 2 hour delay, a couple days stuck inside the house, and LOTS of snow, I am done with winter. Is it March yet?

Tori's teddy bear watching the blizzard

Love!

2011-01-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

Love this boy.

Super day!

2011-01-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Landon had his birthday party. I am kind of a slacker and this was the first real birthday party that I have ever thrown, and I am not going to lie I was really nervous. I quickly learned that four, five and six year olds aren't as hard to impress as I had anticipated and the party was a huge success. The kids had a blast and they were all so well behaved! I might actually consider doing a Birthday party again someday :). The theme of the party was super heroes. I made all the kids capes and we played super hero games such as pin the emblem on the cape, musical rescue, catch the super villain, and super hero's v.super villains.

The invitation

These beautiful cupcakes where made by my friend Nicole. They were so good!! I think I ate half of them myself.

This picture was taken right before Ella threw up. Sad story. She had to spend the rest of the party in her room, and when I went to check on her half way through the party I discovered that she had gotten sick again and needed a bath. When she was done with her bath I put her back in her room and then I heard her sad voice cry "But I want to play super heroes"

Super hero or model?

I have to say that Jared was the real super hero of the day. He got the kids excited about all the games, and he was awesome as our super villain. The kids were chasing him around a good portion of the party and he was such a good sport about it. AND he even did most of the clean up after the party was over.

Landon was super spoiled. He got a Tory Story 3 game, a Toy Story 3 Activity book, a Pillow Pet, a Green Lantern toy, a Hero Factory Bionicle, among other things.

Landon had a great party and we were so happy that so many of his friends could be there to celebrate his 6th Birthday with him.

Papa and Nana's Visit

2011-01-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

My Dad and Joann came out to visit the day after Christmas (I know this is super late) and we had such a fun time with them . The kids loved having grandparents here to spoil them and give them tons of attention. Here are the pictures from their visit.

One afternoon while they were here we went to Notre Dame. It was cold, but we had a lot of fun.

The kids did really well out in the cold except Tori, who wanted done of it.

The highlight of our Trip to ND was Ella's excitement over the ducks. She was so excited and kept chasing those ducks all over the place. I really need to take her back when it is warmer.

Thanks Papa and Nana for comming to visit us! We had so much fun and we loved haivng you here! We love you!

Six

2011-01-10T00:04:00.001-05:00

Dear Landon,
Can you believe it has been 6 years since we first met? I can't. I can hardly see that tiny little baby that you were in the big 6 year old boy you are today, and while that makes me a little sad, I am so proud of the person you are becoming. You are an extraordinary boy, Landon, one of a kind. You are the BEST big brother. You love your "girls" so much and you are such a good sport to play house and princesses with them even though sometimes I am sure you would rather be playing something else. You have become so helpful this past year. You help when you are asked and sometimes I find you helping out on your own. You love school and you are so smart! You are kind, funny, and a great friend. I am so happy that you are my son, I can't imagine my life without out you! Happy 6th Birthday Landon! I love you!

Love,
Mom

Newborn Landon, He was so tiny!

1st Birthday!

Two!

Three! He used to always pose with his arms out.

Four!

Five!

Now!

P.S. I burned the cupcakes that I was making for your class. This made me feel better.

My Little...

2011-01-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

SUNBEAM! I can hardly believe that my little Tori is old enough to be in Primary, but she is. Today was her first day and she was so excited! Landon was a good big brother and made sure that she knew where she needed to go. After church Tori's teacher came up to me and told me that Tori did so well in class and that she did a good job answering questions and participating in class. Tori told me she had a lot of fun and that her favorite part of Primary was singing time (that's my favorite part too!). I guess my babies are growing up.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

I know I am super behind on my blogging but I wanted to blog about our Christmas before it was too late. We had a GREAT Christmas this year, I just love celebrating holidays with my kids, it makes it so much fun! Here are some pictures from our Christmas activities.
Here are some pictures from Tori's preschool Christmas party:

Here are some pictures from Gingerbread house making with Landon's Kindergarten class:

Landon's house almost finished

On Christmas Eve we had Ariane and her kids over for a little party. We had the kids act out the Nativity. One day I want to make some Nativity costumes but we made due with towels, old costumes, sheets, and paper.

Mary and Joseph. Clayton and Tori crack me up. They are pretty much BFFs.

Ella the Angel

Landon the Shepard

On Christmas Eve the kids opened their Christmas PJ's. Thanks Grammy and Grandpa for Levi's Christmas pajamas!

After Santa came. The kids each got a scooter from Santa (except little Levi) and Santa also brought them a table and some chairs.

The kids were so excited on Christmas morning!

Ella was so funny when she was opening her presents she kept saying "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" after everything she opened.

Year in Review

2010-12-31T15:49:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe 2010 is already coming to an end! This year has been pretty eventful for our family and since I didn't send out a Christmas card this year I figured I would sum up our year on the blog.

We welcomed Levi into our family on June 2nd of 2010. He has been such a wonderful addition to our family. He is almost 7 months old and he is slowly discovering how to sit up and move around.

Ella turned 2 in June. She is our curious, adventurous child. She is as sassy as ever and one of the happiest children you will ever meet! She tries very hard to keep up with her older siblings, and does a good job holding her own. We just love her!

Tori turned 3 in May. She started Preschool in September. Over the past year she has changed so much. She is so smart and she has a wonderful imagination.

Landon turned 5 in January. He started Kindergarten in August and he LOVES school! He has adjusted beautifully to all day Kindergarten and is doing well, he even earned an award in November for reading. He continues to be a great big brother and son.

Jared started his 4th year of grad school this past August. He is doing well and getting closer to finishing. He is still a Seminary teacher and started his second year of teaching in August. He loves working with the youth but isn't so in love with the early hours.

This year has been a great one for me (even though I spent the first half of the year pregnant). It is crazy for me to watch my kids grow up and to experience the changes in our family that come with our kids getting older. I have been busier then ever since Landon started school. I try to help out in his class twice a week and I am part of the school's (very small) parent organization.

We look forward to the new year and everything it brings, and we wish you all a happy New Year too!

Ghost of Christmas Pictures Past

2010-12-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2004. I will never forget this Christmas because I spent it in the hospital. That Landon was causing trouble before he was even born.

I was looking at the post below and it made me think about old Christmas pictures. So I went looking through some of our old Christmas pictures, and those old pictures made me think about even older Christmas pictures and I figured I share some with you. So here is a glimpse of some of my past Christmases.

Christmas sometime in the 80's :)

Christmas '87

Christmas sometime in the 80's

Christmas sometime in the 90's. Got to love the mushroom cut!(I am the one on the far right)

Christmas '92. And I am super embarrassed of this picture. (I am second in from the right)

Christmas 2001

Christmas 2002. Jared and I were engaged

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2006

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

Christmas Best!

2010-12-19T12:21:00.045-05:00

I love dressing my kids up the week before Christmas in their new Christmas outfits!

I took these ones back in October intending to use them for our Christmas cards:

I took these ones this week, my kids were not cooperating so they did not turn out great, oh well:

For Grammy and Grandpa P

2010-12-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

Also my photoshopping skills are AWESOME! Brent you should be proud :).

Family Pictures 2010

2010-12-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

While my friend Lillian was here for Thanksgiving she took some pictures of the family. I love the way they turned out, Thanks Lillian, you are the best! (and we miss you!!!)

P.S. I was going to wait to post these until after we sent out our Christmas cards this year, but this past month has been a little crazy and it doesn't look like we will be doing Christmas cards this year. I know you are all heartbroken.

Ho ho ho!

2010-12-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Half Birthday to my baby boy!

2010-12-02T00:00:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Levi is already half a year old. These past 6 months have gone by way too fast! Levi is such a great baby, the perfect bookend to our family. He is so sweet and mellow (well most of the time) and I like to joke that he is my favorite. With Levi I have really tried to just enjoy his baby stage and it makes me happy that he has taken his time mastering his milestones. He currently rolls from his stomach to his back but not from his back to stomach. He is strong but has no desire to crawl or sit up on his own yet, and he hates tummy time! He likes to babble and he is currently mastering the art of hand control. He started on solid foods just a week shy of 6 months old and he really enjoys them. And as you can see from the pictures he is pretty much the cutest baby ever :).

The other day Tori was playing with Levi like she often does, when she turned to me and said "Mommy I just want Levi to stay little." I couldn't agree more.

Friends Forever!

2010-11-09T16:54:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of having two of my very best friends visit me. I have known Theresa (pictured left) all my life because she is my cousin. Stacey (pictured right) I have known since about 7th grade, Theresa introduced us and we had a lot of classes together in school. I think that in life some friends are just meant to be life long friends and I definitely think that these two girls fit into that category for me. Even though all three of us are doing different things with our lives right now and we all live in different areas of the country we still get along so well. We spent most of the weekend chatting and catching up with each other. We did however take a few pictures and got out to do a little sight seeing.

Stacey was so helpful the whole weekend. She cleaned and cooked and played with the kids. She even let Tori and Ella help cook which they loved.

This is Theresa and her daughter Jamie. One of the highlights of the weekend for me was being able to see Theresa as a mother. She has really taken to the role and you can tell that Jamie just adores her Mommy.

Stacey took this picture of me and the girls. I am usually the one behind the camera so it is nice to have some pictures with me and the kids.

Stacey took this picture. Tori's face is a mess but I thought it was cute anyway.

Isn't Jamie so stinkin' cute? And not only is she cute she is such a good baby. She was so mellow, except at night when she would get hyper and put on the charm. It was so fun meeting her!

This picture cracks me up!

Tori is totally a baby person and she loved having Jamie around. I am pretty sure she would have been thrilled if Theresa would have left Jamie here.

On Saturday I took the girls to Notre Dame to see the campus. We are standing in front of one of Notre Dame's lakes in this picture.

Stacey and Theresa in front of 1st down Moses.

Stacey and Theresa in front of Touchdown Jesus

The weekend went by way to fast and I was so sad to see Theresa and Stacey go. Thanks so much for coming to visit! I love you guys!

New Halloween Posts

2010-11-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

Peterson Zombie Children 2010

I have added 3 new posts below, you may have to go back a page to see all of them. Happy November!

Grand Adventures with Grammy and Grandpa!

2010-11-01T12:56:00.024-04:00

Jared's parents came to visit over Halloween weekend and it was so fun to have them here! The kids were in heaven! Jared's Mom planned lots of fun Halloween activities for the kids while she was here, one of which being a trip to a local pumpkin patch. This pumpkin patch was awesome! It had a petting zoo, and hayride, and lots of fun outdoor toys to play on. They even gave us a free pumpkin just because (probably because we are awesome and had a SUPER cute herd of kids with us).So hard to get a good picture of all the kids. oh well.Josie wasn't too sure about the leaves.Grandpa and Grammy with the grandkids, minus Levi and Max.
Thanks for the grand adventures Grammy and Grandpa, we love you!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-11-01T10:59:00.003-04:00

Landon had school off for Fall break a few Fridays back so I decided to take the kids to a pumpkin patch. I kind of wish I would have waited to go when Jared could have come with us, it was just a little too difficult trying to deal with 4 kids all by myself. The kids had a fun time though. They each picked a pumpkin (except Levi) and we also picked some apples.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:26:00.009-04:00

Despite Halloween falling on a Sunday this year we had a a great one! We attended two great trunk-or-treats, Landon and Tori both had Halloween parties at school, and Jared's parents came out and had some Halloween grand adventures with the kids(more on that in another post). Good times!

Levi wearing his cute Halloween shirt:My poor baby boy was pretty sick throughout all of out Halloween festivities. I dressed him up in Landon's old cow costume for our ward Trunk or Treat and that was the extent of his Halloween dress up this year. My oldest 3 kids' Halloween costumes ROCKED!

I have to give a big shout out to my Mom for making the girl's Halloween costumes! They turned out beautifully, and my girls were in love with them!

While my Mom made Ella's dress and headband I made the choker and gloves. Ella was such a cute Cinderella!

Tori made a beautiful Sleeping Beauty.

I know Tori's hair is in a Cinderella style, not Sleeping Beauty's, but it was VERY windy the day of our ward's trunk or treat and I didn't want her hair blowing all over the place. I put a ton of hair spray in her hair and I was pleased when in stayed perfectly styled the whole night.Landon was the cutest Harry Potter ever. I love how his costume came together. I took a chance with the black hair dye spray.You just can't have a blond haired Harry Potter. I figured that if it didn't wash out all the way I would just cut his hair, he needs a haircut anyway. It washed out just fine.I over heard some teenagers in Jared's sister's ward comment on how awesome they thought Landon's costume was. They were impressed that he "even had a Harry Potter tie."

Group Shots:

I will be posting pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch and pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch with Grammy, Grandpa, and cousins soon, so stay tuned.

Fall is Here!

2010-10-18T21:40:00.010-04:00

I really love living in a place that has 4 seasons. I think that each season has its own type of beauty and feeling that comes with it. Fall is probably one of my favorite seasons. Growing up in Vegas I was never able to appreciate the beauty that Fall brings. I really love that my kids are getting to experience a true Fall here in Indiana.Last Monday for FHE we decided to go to a nearby county park for a Fall walk. We chose the perfect day to go, it was beautiful and the weather was great.I was super impressed with Tori during our Fall walk. She walked the and ran the whole time and didn't complain at all. I you don't know Tori you might not think that is a big deal, but Tori is my least athletic child and she moves Very slowly most of the time. She did great on this outing though and I think that she enjoyed our little "hike" the most out of the kids.After our Fall walk last week I decided that this park would be a great place to get some pictures on the kids in their Christmas outfits for our Christmas cards. We decided to go today because I wanted to go before all the Fall leaves were gone and before it got too cold. We got some shots of all the kids together on the trail and then I remembered a bridge that the kids really enjoyed playing on the week before. View from BridgeSo we headed over to the bridge to try and get some individual pictures of the kids. I was in the midst of taking a picture of Landon when I heard a splash. Panicked I spun around and saw Ella in the water. I looked down at her and luckily she was floating face up in the water (and the water wasn't too deep). I went to grab her out of the water but I did not get a good grip on her and my hand slipped so I ended up just grabbing her dress and pulling her up. She was pretty gross when I pulled her out, covered in slime and dirt but we were so relieved that she was OK. I am really grateful that things did not turn out worse. Ella is fearless (a quality I both love and hate) and in a way I am glad that it was her that feel in and not one of the other kids. She was scared while in the water but she stayed calm and once she was out she was ready to play again. If it had been Landon or Tori that feel in they would have freaked out (as it was they were pretty shaken up). When all is said and done the whole thing was kinda funny, not funny enough for me to want to experience anything like it ever again though.

Lesson Learned:My kids will be learning to swim next summer whether they like it or not.

Train Museum

2010-10-17T15:12:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday Ariane invited us to go to the train museum with her and her boys. The train museum is located here in Elkhart and I have driven past it before, but we have never gone because it looked kind of lame from the outside. However, the train museum ended up not being lame, it was actually pretty cool, and the kids had a lot of fun.

4 Months Old!

2010-10-02T18:02:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that this little guy is 4 months old! When Levi was born my friend had a baby who was about 4 months old and I remember thinking how big she was compared to Levi, and now my baby is 4 months old and I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone. I love having Levi as my son. He is such a sweet, easy going boy, and, I know I probably shouldn't say this because he is a boy, he is beautiful. He is getting really strong and I can already tell that he is going to have a great sense of humor.

This kids eyes are amazing!

I love you Levi! Happy 4 months!

Re-Fashion

2010-10-01T17:33:00.016-04:00

I love craft blogs. I don't think that I am a very crafty or creative person, so I love that people are willing to share their crafty ideas with the world. It helps uncreative people like me feel like we can do creative things (even if we are using other people's ideas). Lately I've noticed a big trend among craft bloggers has been re-fashioning. It is so cool that people can make something new and beautiful from old pieces of clothing. I came across the idea of making a dress from a shirt the other day and I decided that I had to try it. I didn't follow Make it and Love it's instructions exactly but I used the same concept. I love how my dress turned out, and it was so easy to make! Yippee for cute, easy projects!

This is what I did:

I took this shirt......and this little girls sized extra large skirt......and made this dress!Front view:Back view:Love the ruffles on the shirt!

Sunday Pics

2010-09-20T23:23:00.005-04:00

Last Sunday the kids all looked so cute dressed up so I decided to snap a few shots after churchBest .Picture. Ever.

Preschool Days!

2010-09-14T13:50:00.008-04:00

Tori started Preschool yesterday! I can't believe she is already old enough to be in Preschool, it is crazy! We had orientation on Friday. Tori had a blast and was so happy to FINALLY be in Miss Debbie's class. Yesterday morning I woke Tori up and told her that she would be going to Preschool today. As I was doing Tori's hair, she looked at me and said "I am so excited!". She wasn't the only one, it was all Landon could talk about. I got Tori and Landon into the car and Landon was very disappointed to find out that we would be dropping him off first, I guess he wanted to visit his old stomping ground. When we got to the Preschool, and it was time for me to leave, Tori didn't even hesitate she waved goodbye and proceeded to drag Miss Debbie into the school. Tori had a great first day and she was pretty sad when it was time to come home. She wouldn't talk to Jared and I about her day, but when Landon got home and started to ask her questions she became very chatty and told him all about her first day.

Here are some pictures that I took on Friday and some from yesterday:Ella got to come to orientation on Friday and I am pretty sure she thought she would be starting Preschool too. Next year Ella, next year.At the Preschool they have a play area that they call "house keeping". It is full of dress up clothes, play food, play home appliances and it has a play kitchen. It is the perfect place for Tori, she loves it! The big day!!I love how Tori is looking at Landon in this picture. These two really are best friends.This picture cracks me up.Playing outside at the end of her first day!

Baby Smiles

2010-09-12T23:56:00.004-04:00

Levi is a super smiley baby and he has the cutest smile ever. He has cute little dimples and sometimes when you get a really big smile out of him he will scrunch up his nose, it is adorable. He is also a "talker"(cooing) and he is starting to laugh every so often but I didn't get that on video.

P.S. Please excuse my high pitched baby voice :)

2 months!

2010-09-01T08:50:00.004-04:00

Considering Levi will be 3 months old tomorrow(!) this post is long overdue, but better late then never right? Levi has grown so much and is really developing into his own little person. He has mastered the art of smiling and he is such a happy baby (well when he isn't hungry). I love his smiles, isn't that just the best baby milestone? He also has started to coo and that is also adorable. He is a great sleeper and has only been getting up about once a night ( at around 4 or 5 ) to eat, and sometimes he'll sleep through the whole night, such an improvement from those newborn days! Anyway at his 2 month appointment he weighed in at 10lbs 10oz so he is growing well. Levi is such a great addition to our family and we all adore him.

The Many Faces of Tori

2010-09-01T08:47:00.002-04:00

First Day of Kindy!

2010-08-29T19:17:00.007-04:00

Landon started Kindergarten a few weeks ago. Kindergarten is a big deal, I can't believe my Landon is already in Elementary School. I am not going to lie, I got a little emotional on his first day, but I think that Tori had the hardest time dealing with the transition. She spent pretty much all of Landon's first day at school crying because she missed him. Landon loves Kindergarten and is doing well. He is so excited to go to school everyday and he is really enjoying learning new things. I think that his 2 years of preschool has really helped in his transition to Kindergarten.

In other back to school news Jared started his second year of teaching Seminary this last week, and he apparently is quite the popular teacher (must take after his Mom). He really loves teaching the gospel and working with the Youth even though it comes with early hours and lots of lesson prep.

First day of Preschool 2008:First day of Pre-K 2009:First day of Kindergarten 2010:

New House

2010-08-29T16:29:00.038-04:00

We moved into a new place a couple of weeks ago. We were renting a place that was about 850 sq ft and with 6 us now it was just way too small. I hate moving but it was worth it to get into something bigger. Some family and friends have asked for me to post pictures so here they are. Also stay tuned I have a bunch of pictures to post and I will probably get those up soon.
Family Room:Living Room:Kitchen: Dinning Room: Laundry Room:Master Bedroom:Master Bath:Landon's room:Tori and Ella's Room:Close up of Letters I made to go over the girls beds:Close up of Girls bedding:Levi's Room/ Play Room:

Levi's Blessing

2010-08-02T15:06:00.010-04:00

Yesterday we had Levi blessed. Jared gave Levi a beautiful blessing, and it was a great day! We were lucky enough to have some family in attendance (have I mentioned how much I LOVE having family live near us?). Levi is a lucky boy to have been surrounded by so many people that love him on his blessing day.We really do have the best friends and family out here!Here we are with Jared's sister Ariane and her family. Aren't her kids the cutest? Also I want to give a shout out to our brother in law Justin who came to the blessing right after working a 24 hour shift at the hospital.My cute family! Too bad none of the kids are looking at the camera.

Isn't he just the cutest baby ever? I love him!!

Update

2010-07-27T10:28:00.012-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I forgot how much time and energy a newborn baby takes up. I wanted to let you all know that we are still alive. The kids are doing well. Landon and Tori are getting ready to start school next month, Ella is as crazy as always, and Levi is growing. A good portion of my days are spent feeding Levi and so I have been able to get in a lot of reading and TV time.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of months:

This picture of Tori and her cousin Noah cracks me up!The kids really love having cousins live nearby. They love playing together!

One Month Old

2010-07-04T00:17:00.011-04:00

Levi is one month old. I can't believe how fast the last month has gone. Levi is such a great addition to our family, we already love him so much! He has been a relatively easy baby so far (though there are days, like today, that it doesn't feel that way), and he is getting cuter by the day!

Better Late Than Never, Right?

2010-06-30T20:55:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to my crazy girl Ella, who turned 2 at the beginning of the month. One of the things I love about being a Mom is seeing all the similarities and differences between my children. Ella is definitely her own person and she is both a joy and a handful all at the same time. Here is a list of things you should know about my Ella:

1. She has a great sense of humor, she loves to laugh and to make others laugh.

2.She is crazy. If you know Ella you know what I mean.

3. She is a girly tomboy. She is fearless and loves to get dirty, but she also enjoys dolls, clothes, and shoes.

4. Sassy should be her middle name.

5. She loves to dance. Apparently in Nursery when the other kids are singing Ella is up and dancing.

6. She is a great sister. She loves and looks up to her older siblings, and she is so sweet with her new baby brother.

7. She is bald and beautiful! OK she isn't bald but she is still lacking greatly in the hair department, and the hair that she does have is SO blond that is hard to see. I have noticed that her hair has been growing a bit faster lately so maybe by the time she is 3 she will have enough to really do something with :).

I feel that Ella's birthday was kinda overlooked this year because I had just had Levi, so I wanted to make sure to acknowledge her on the blog. I love you Ella!

Newborn EllaOne Year Old EllaTwo Year Old Ella

Levi Ray is here!!

2010-06-05T20:05:00.013-04:00

Levi was born Wednesday June 2nd, 2010 at 9:13 AM. He weighed 6 lbs 10 oz, and was 19 inches long. So far he like to eat and be held . Things went well with the C-section. I am felling alright, thanks to some good pain meds, and I am of course pretty tired. We are so happy to have our baby boy home with us and we are so glad he could join our family!

Happy Birthday Jared!

2010-05-31T08:33:00.003-04:00

Today is the start of a busy week here in our home. Today is Jared's 29th Birthday, Wednesday we will be welcoming Baby #4, Saturday Ella turns 2, and next Monday Jared and I will celebrate 7 years of marriage!

I wanted to take some time to wish by fabulous husband a Happy Birthday! I am so thankful that 29 years ago in Las Vegas a little baby boy was born, I would not be the person I am today with out him, and I am so glad that I get to be his wife.

Happy Birthday Jared! Thanks for being you! I love you!

Graduation Day!!

2010-05-24T21:30:00.009-04:00

Last Tuesday Landon graduated from Preschool. Before I had kids things like Preschool and Kindergarten graduation seemed so silly to me, but now that I am a mother I totally see the merit in these celebrations. Landon was so excited for graduation day. He, along with the other kids in his class, had spent a long time putting together a cute little graduation program full of cute little songs and skits. I got most of the songs on video but I figure you all probably aren't as interested in those as Jared and I are. Here are some pictures from Landon's big day.

All dressed up and ready to graduate!

Waving to his adoring fans.

Landon with the rest of his graduating class. Landon has been in school with most of these kids for the past two years. It is a little sad that they won't all be together next year in Kindergarten.

Landon accepting the very prestigious Friendship Award!

Landon and his best friend!

Landon with his teacher Miss Debbie. Miss Debbie is probably the most awesome Preschool teacher ever! It was so comforting to know that when I sent Landon to school he was being watched over by someone who loved him like he was their own. It honestly makes me a little sad to think that we will move before all of our kids have the opportunity to attend Preschool with Miss Debbie, we love her that much.

Landon with his diploma, next stop Kindergarten!!

It seems like for most of Landon's life I have been anxiously looking forward to the next big stage of his life, but now that he is getting ready to start "big kid school" it seems like time has flown by way too fast. I am so thankful for Landon and I am so proud of the person he is becoming.

Best Mother's Day Gift Ever!

2010-05-09T20:28:00.008-04:00

This year Tori's Birthday fell on Mother's Day. Sharing Mother's Day with Tori's Birthday this year has made it a little bit more special for me. Above all this Mother's Day I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be a Mom. I know I have a long way to go before I am the kind of Mother that I hope to someday be but I am so thankful to my children who have taught me so much about love and life. I am also thankful for all the Mother's in my life who have influenced me and have set such great examples for me in my life. I hope you all have wonderful Mother's Day!
Back to Tori's Birthday.
It is hard to believe that my little girl is already 3! Tori is such a sweet girl and I love being her Mom. She is always reminding all of us how much she loves us. She is calm, content, and happy (most of the time) and I can honestly say she never really went through a terrible two's stage (though maybe that means we are in for it now that she is 3). She is so smart and so beautiful and such a great sister to Landon and Ella. Happy Birthday Tori, I love you!!

Newborn Tori

One year old

2 years old

3 years old

Yesterday I took Tori out to celebrate her birthday. These last two pictures are of Tori enjoying her birthday sundae from Applebee's. That thing was huge!!

29 more days!

2010-05-04T11:03:00.005-04:00

I just looked at my blog and realized that it has been a month since the last time I wrote anything, sorry. We are doing well, I have just been tired and haven't felt much like taking pictures or posting on my blog.

We found out recently that my C-Section is scheduled for June 2nd, so only 29 days away! I am excited to meet this little guy and I am really looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I have had to have ultrasounds done every week for the past month or so and at one about a week ago they did a 3-d ultrasound for me. The pictures are kinda creepy but kinda cool too!