The Pugh Family

You Are My Sunshine-Samantha's 5th Birthday

2011-08-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Samantha turned 5 years old this July!! For her birthday party she wanted to have a "You Are My Sunshine" birthday party-which we just loved. I have sung her that song before bed, forever, and we love to call her Sunshine, since she has such a radiant smile. It was so fun to plan her party along with her, she was all about the details and told me exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted lots of yellow decorations-her favorite color, games-which she picked; pin the sun on the sunshine, pinata, bean bag toss and a water slide, and goodie bags filled with lots of treats.

We started with a friend party, with her favorite girl friends and then later that night we had a family party. For the family party she wanted cheese burgers, homemade root beer, fruit and lots of treats. It was so fun to see her personality come out in the planning and then how much she truly enjoyed her birthday. She really is a girl who loves to know the plan and the details. She is so smart, kind, passionate, feminine, considerate, funny and creative. I feel so lucky to have this little lady in our lives. You truly make our lives so bright by your radiant personality!!!

All the cute girls at her party from church, dance, school or neighborhood- Hanna, Sydney, Olivia, Lexi, Izzy, Kaitlyn, Jasmine, Ara, Abby, Sydney and Samantha

Cupcakes for the friend party

Yellow birthday cake for the family party

I love my little ones!!!

2011-05-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast my kids are growing!!! Samantha is such a sweet heart. She is all girl, she loves dancing, art, wearing dresses. She is so tender hearted and such a helper. Alex is our sensitive thug. I love him to death, but he may drive us to ours- he is a hand full. He loves super heros, star wars, causing messes and doing anything his sister is doing. I love being their mom, and feel so blessed to have such great, loving kids.

Alex is truly happiest when he is busy! He has a great imagination and will talk your ear off telling you all about the things he is thinking.

Samantha in her Black Cats soccer outfit. We have tried to branch out and encourage her in other things. She loves being with the other girls on her team, skipping down the field, talking about nail color or bows. With each new week she is getting better and learning to be a little more involved in the game. It's really cute to watch.

Samantha the Lion. The cute costume she made for Circus day at school.

Alex aka Captain America. He just loves all the super heros and defending his mom and sister.

Other Highlights From My Trip

2011-05-18T19:00:00.001-07:00

We were able to see so many amazing places in Jordan, Israel and Egypt. It truly was an incredible trip. I loved that I was able to go on such an amazing trip with my sister Jaclyn and the other great people on our tour-we meet some wonderful people. One of the high lights was to go on a tour were Dr. S. Michael Wilcox was the educator, I learned so many amazing things about these great places we visited, and I was on such a spiritual high the entire trip. We joked that we felt like we were on a spiritual conference, or EFY for adults.

The beach at the Med sea- full of beautiful sea shells

The Sphinx

The resort we stayed at on the Red Sea in Egypt

The Western Wall in Israel

The Dead Sea in Jordan. We had so much fun floating in the dead sea. It was also fun that we were able to visit the Med, Red and Dead sea on our trip.

I truly have the best husband, who was so great about letting me get away for 17 days!!!! It really was a trip of a life time. It was also a blast to spend so much time with my sister Jaclyn, she is such a great travel companion.

A Beautiful Place

2011-05-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful places from my trip was in the northern part of Israel, in Galilee. The landscape was breath taking!! The fields were full with lush grass, wildflowers and I've never seen so many rainbows. I loved all the places we were able to visit in this area-capernaum, mount of beatitudes, caesarea philippi, mount tabor, nazareth, sea of galilee, mount carmel, mount hermon, tel dan and arbel.

Mount Tabor

Lilies of the Valley, they were everywhere.

The ruins of Dan

A Trip That Amazing

2011-05-18T18:10:00.001-07:00

So my trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt was just so amazing that it actually inspired me to blog again. I loved every second I was gone and felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing places and people to bless my life. I loved how the scriptures were brought to life and how I was able to experience the incredible culture and people we visited.

Jerusalem was such a wonderfully spiritual experience. I loved seeing the places where Jesus, the apostles and many other people of the scriptures lived.

Egypt was lots of fun! It was great to see the pyramids, sphinx, valley of the kings, temple of Luxor. The people in Egypt were all so welcoming and we always felt very safe.

The ruins of Beit Lehi, this is a place where they think Lehi the prophet lived after his family left Jerusalem. This day was really a highlight. This is not the typical tourist site, and actually the tour group we went with has special permission to visit. The ruins were very amazing to see and it was in the beautiful country side outside of Jerusalem.

Jordan-Petra, an incredible place!!

Bionic Man

2009-06-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Now that Jim is 1 month Post-Op we can finally relax and are all in much better spirits. Jim ended up having neck surgery, or anterior cervical fusion surgery and is now left with major hardware in his neck. He was off of work for 3 weeks and now is adjusting to being back at work. We will admit that the recovery has been much harder and longer than we expected. Jim is really hoping to be fully recovered by mid -August, especially in time to do a little golfing before the weather turns. I'm just looking forward to the time when he isn't exhausted after a day at work- come home and just crash/dead to the world type of tired. Each day is a little better and brings us closer to it fulling fusing!!!

We are also looking forward to the time Alex is actually allowed to be next to dad without major supervision. Last week Alex head butted Jim in the neck and I thought we were in deep trouble, luckily things are OK, but he is now only allowed at arms length.

Here are a few pictures taken while they did the surgery.

Pinkalicious

2009-05-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

For the last 3 weeks Samantha has had us read this book to her EVERY night and often throughout the day. It is such a fun book all about Cupcakes and PINK, two of her favorite things. It really is such a delightful book that I haven't gotten sick of reading it to her.

2009-05-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Little Man Lookin Good

2009-05-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast Alex is growing up. He is really such a sweet little guy, so willing to still give the best snuggles and kisses. This Sunday he finally attended and stayed in Nursery- yes, I was their the entire time, but he stayed!!! It has been such a change compared to Samantha, she loved nursery from the very first and Alex starts to cry once we step foot in the church building. What a tender hearted, all bear paws, Mama's boy- boy he has truly won my heart!!

Happily ever after Princess Style

2009-04-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our Disneyland experience was goingo the Princess lunch. Samantha was in Heaven- I've never seen her in such awe. We let her wear a Princess dress and she truly thought she was one of them. She loved meeting Ariel and actually cried as we left the restaurant.

Samantha was able to get her picture with all of her favorite Princesses. It really brought all of these fairy tales to life.

Alex may not have enjoyed the Princess outing as much as Samantha, but he did love the treats. Hooray for Churros!!!!

We think that this Pugh Family trip was a success. After a week of spoiling them we had a few rough spots during our drive home- the kids wanted their freedom. We are slowly getting back to schedules and getting over the post vacation let down. Boy do we love our Little Princess and Prince!!!

Happiest Place

2009-04-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

During our Disneyland adventure Samantha selected a Minnie Mouse dress to wear one day. She looked so darling and we continued to have so much fun. It's hard not to spoil your kids, when you're having so much fun and loving everything you see and there is a billion shops.

Jim and Samantha on the bumping bug ride.

Even though Alex is still too little to go on many of the rides he did love being around all of the fun. He loved the Dumbo ride, It's a Small World, and the Buzz ride- after he said Buzz Awesome.

He was very patient even when Samantha was able to ride a few rides he wasn't yet big enough to go on.

Happy Kids make it all worth the while.

Can I say, just one more time how much FUN we had. It made coming home to routines a little tough.

2009-04-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

After spending time relaxing at the beach, then we decided to tackle Disneyland. We had SO much fun and the kids loved it!!! It was so fun to see them experience and see there eyes lighten up. From the very first Samantha thought it was so amazing. She loved to see all of the characters and truly thought she was a Princess-the only down side was lines.

Mickey Mouse Ears. What a cutie!!!

One of Samantha's favorite rides turned out to be the Tea Cups. At first many of the rides scared her, but as we spent a couple of days there she soon grew to love more and more. She also LOVED going through Sleeping Beauties Castle.

Disney land truly is one of the happiest places on the world. Especially if you are staying at a hotel close by so you can take your kids back for naps, swimming and a little time out of the parks-before melt downs occur.

Family Get Away-The Beach

2009-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend Jim, Samantha, Alex and I decided to go on a family Road Trip to Southern California. As gross as that sounds, being in a car with two young kids, it ended up being a very fun family vacation. We started with a stop over in St. George so we could see my Grandma/pa Hendrickson. Then we continued down to the coast to spend a couple of days at the beautiful beach. We also had the chance to go and spend some time with Jim's grandparents.

Samantha absolutely loved the beach!! From the very first moment we arrived she wanted to go and build sand castles and just play in the sand. Alex on the other hand cried the first step onto the sand and hated getting sand on his hands and feet. He slowly warmed up and by the end even enjoyed eating it.

We spent a couple of days going down and playing at the beach- building many castles, flying kites, getting sand in every crevice and cranny and loving the warm sun. I'm sure the people in CA didn't think it was warm, but we thought it was absolutely wonderful. I just love the sound, feel and smell of the ocean and love the sound of my kids enjoying themselves.

Prof that Alex finally warmed up to the Sand. Jim's beautiful sand turtle.

Samantha also grew to love the ocean and liked playing in the waves.

Our Kids

2009-03-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm living vicariously through my kids. Samantha has these darling cowboy boots that she loves to wear, and I just love her wearing. When I was younger I wanted cowboy boots -but my parents didn't think I would wear them, so I am enjoying Samantha's pink boots. She calls them her cowboy girl boots.

A little smile from Alex. This picture was taken after capturing him outside-again.

She also loves rain boots- I guess really she just loves dressing up. Or dressing down in this picture.

Just buddies hanging out together. Now that they have gotten a little bit older, it's fun how much they like playing with each other.

More proof that my kids are crazy about dressing up. It's a party at our house, feel free to wear what ever you want when you come and visit. I can almost promise that one of us could be a princess, pirate, lady bug, cowboy, fairy, super-hero or a combination of just about anything if you stop by.

More on our stay at home vacation

2009-03-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about not going to CA was that I was able to be here when Monae had her baby. Harrison Elizabeth was born on Saturday March 7th. She is absolutely beautiful, sweet and babylicious. I forgot how small and absolutely wonderful babies are.

We also enjoyed spending a lot of time outside. The weather was so nice -love spring weather. This gave up the perfect opportunity to pull out Samantha's trike.

Samantha loved spending so much time with her Dad. She couldn't get enough snuggle time, daddy kisses and really just being around him 24/7. During the week she turned to Jim and said "dad you are my favorite, not mom". I guess I'll just have to win her back over.

Alex has a tendency of finding the last remaining pieces of snow and playing or sitting in them. He also has a talent of breaking out of our house and wanders around our backyard-don't fence me in.

Stay-Cation

2009-03-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, we had planned to go to CA, but ended up staying home for a Stay at home vacation. At first we were a little disappointed at not being able to go, but then it ended up being so much fun. The kids just loved having Jim home, and I think he got tired of their constant hounding. Each day we decided to do something new around the city. We explored the Kid's museum, the church museum, the Dinosaur Museum, feeding ducks at the park, going on walks, going to the Zoo and just playing and relaxing. It really turned out to be a great week!

The beautiful tiger decided to make a special appearance for us. He walked down to where we were standing and then went and disappeared. Boy, they are beautiful animals.

Samantha and Alex loved the train and carousel ride at the Zoo. The whole train ride Alex was softly saying choo-choo, he LOVED it. It was almost as good as Disneyland-or at least we will pretend it is until we can make it down to CA.

The Princess and Destroying Angel

2009-03-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes pictures are so deceiving. I had to capture this soft, precious image of Samantha, after refusing to take a nap "I'm not tired". Ever since she has given up her binkie's, at the first of the year, she has now refused to take a nap. She eventually crashes or ends up being grumpy. She is such a fun, energetic kid and I do enjoy our one on one time. Lately I have questioned- is there such a thing as too much dressing up? When do you know if too much is too much. I know she is only 2 1/2, but I also don't want her to be the kid who walks around wearing a cape when she's in high school, or the kid who really starts to believe she's in some fairy tale. Oh well, until then she will just wear some sort of Princess outfit everyday. Who doesn't want to be a Princess, or to dress up?

Alex has become our award winning drama king- when he's not destroying something. He has such an angelic face that it's so hard to get mad at him and most of the time we just end up laughing at his crying fits. Luckily he is easily distracted and will change his mood very fast. He has also remained to be the best snuggler!!! I was so afraid he was going to out grow this, but he will give the best hugs.

Stylish Kids

2009-03-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Samantha finally got her first hair cut!! She was so excited to have Grandma Diane cut her hair and be a stylish big girl. I was terrified that it would cut off all of her darling curls, but luckily she still has a cute curl. My mom was so wonderful to be their personal hairstylist and both Samantha and Alex loved their new hair cuts. Thanks mom for always helping out our crazy crew.

Lost That Lovin' Blog Feeling

2009-03-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I had lost my love for blogging- or at least I haven't wanted to relive the craziness that has been going on. So far, 2009 has been a little trying. So I decided to get it all out in one blog and then focus on all the good that's also been happening. I am just listing the happening of the last few months to remember- with putting no focus on any one event, even though some have been much greater than others.
This year started with Jim in New Orleans at the Sugar bowl- Go Utes. Coming home with the flu, and stomach virus. Jim's grandmother Leta Pugh passing away, at the age of 97 years old-boy we miss her so much. Jim's parents coming to SLC, and his dad having heart surgery-WOW event. Jim getting shingles. I got a wicked sinus infection. Nana and Papa going back to PA on their mission. Becoming Primary President-which I have loved. Alex getting an ear infection, and getting 5 new teeth-not sleeping through the night any more. Working on Potty training with Samantha. Jim having back and health trouble. Finally our trip to CA getting postponed.
This week even though we were suppose to be in CA has turned out to be a very fun family Stay at home vacation. It's been fun to have Jim home with the kids and just do fun things around SLC and be a little lazy.
Well there, I am now rededicating my self to updating the family blog.
Love you all and wishing you all the best.

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-01-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so fun!!!

Alex finally fell back asleep at 7:30 am and Samantha woke up at 7:45. So we just snuggled the kids until they were both finally awake. Then we went and had our delicious Christmas breakfast. During breakfast Samantha looked in our living room and finally noticed presents. We had so much fun watching the kids open and play with each present. Alex didn't much care for the wrapped presents, but once they were unwrapped he loved them. Samantha just wanted to play, so after some convincing she would open up the next gift. Billy the elf must of reported good things because she definitely got pink presents and chocolate. She loved her baby doll bed, castle, Ariel doll and dress ups.

Alex loved his Pirate ship, balls, super cape and tool box. Oh and any of Samantha's gift, and vice versa.

Samantha got a little tricycle. She really liked the princess helmet, but alex took more of a liking to the bike then Samantha. Oh well, I wondered if that was going to happen.

Alex and his new green soccer ball. Now he won't have to play with Samantha's pink soccer ball.

Samantha received a box of Princess dress-ups, which she just LOVES. She wears these 24/7 in our house, at least she will take then off when we go out. She has so much fun dressing up like the different Princesses and now she truly believes she is a Princess. Thanks Princess Grandma.

In the afternoon we were able to go to my Grandma and Grandpa Mangum's and see my cousins on that side of the my family and then go see Grandma Pugh. It was so nice to be surrounded by family all day. And then at night My mom, Jaclyn, Lizzy and Jose came over for dinner and to watch some Christmas movies. It really was a day full of fun, family, love and laughter. A truly wonderful Christmas.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

We hope everybody is having a Very Merry Christmas. We love you all and wish we could be with you all. Aren't we so glad to know the real meaning of this season and are so blessed to have such a loving Savior Jesus Christ.

We LOVE you all!!!

Merry Christmas

(if your wondering why I'm typing so early Christmas morning, it's because Alex woke up at 5:00 am and Samantha's still asleep- a very different Christmas morning.)

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T06:22:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas Eve we decided to do something new, since we had our family Christmas party with everybody on Sunday night. We went out to dinner at the little america cafe for their yummy turkey dinner. It was actually a very nice change, other than our kids were a little crazy, and Jim and I just about lost our minds or patience.

After dinner we went to Temple Square to go see the Christmas lights. It was a very fun night and a great outing. We all had to get bundled up. I just love puffy coats for my little kids. They keep them so warm and cozy.

Having fun at Temple Square.

My family- Monae's family, my family, Jaclyn and Andrea and Duane. We all braved the cold for this beautiful outing.

Santa Balls!!!

2008-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Once again Grandma Lala provided on of our favorite Christmas treasures, Santa Balls. The are the cutest Santa's made of crepe paper and as you unwind them they contain candy and presents. I'm always so amazed at how she can get so many wonderful treats inside and still keep them so small and round.

We got together with Lizzy's and Anna's family to open the Santa balls. It was fun to see how excited the kids are to open them and even more excited once they find their treats.

Inside Samantha's ball we were amazed to find playdoh and a my little pony, along with many other treats.

Alex loved his little football and gumby horse. Most of all he loved playing with the crepe paper after. Thanks Grandma Lala for the fun Christmas memories and delight these Santa balls bring to our families. What a fun family tradition that I feel so lucky to be married into.

More from the Christmas Party

2008-12-25T05:44:00.001-08:00

My mom made the cutest Christmas aprons for all of the grandkids, so they could frost their sugar cookies for Santa without getting to messy.

Alex enjoying being a wise man.

Jaclyn was our narrator for the Christmas story. It's so fun having her home and continuing to bring the spirit with her. The kids just love their aunt JJ.

Alex getting into ringing Christmas bells. He doesn't get what the holiday is about, but is really enjoying all the things that go along with it.

Christmas Story

2008-12-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday my family got together for our Christmas party. It was very exciting to have so many little ones around with Christmas enthusiasm. We had our traditional Christmas dinner, followed by presentation of the Christmas story, gift exchange and then frosting yummy sugar cookies.

Alex taking on the role of one of the wise men, with his gift to give the Christ child.

Samantha as one of the heavenly angels

Andrea and Duane as Mary and Joseph. Samantha took a very personal interest in the baby Jesus and eventually took him from the manager, so Carter stepped in for the role of baby Jesus.

The three wise men.

Santa Baby

2008-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago, Samantha and I were dancing and singing along to Christmas music in my kitchen. The song Santa Baby came on and Samantha stopped and turned to me saying " Mom Santa is not the baby, it's Baby Jesus". It was so cute but it made me so happy that yes she is learning the true meaning of Christmas in her own little way.

If you ask her what Santa's going to bring her, she'll say Chocolate or Pink presents. Hopefully Santa can come through. According to Billy our little elf, she has been a very good girl this year.

Our Old Loyal Friend

2008-12-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

Aspen-our old loyal friend.
I thought I better give a shout out to a member of our family who has yet to make an appearance on the family blog. She has just turned 9 years and has been such a great part of our family. I'm sure she is sick of being knocked lower and lower on the Pugh totem pole, but she has been very patient. She is so good with the kids and has put up with endless poking, pulling, and pushing. She has been a priceless teaching tool on why not to overindulge a puppy dog or toddler (because it's not so cute when a 80 lbs snoring dog is still sleeping on your bed as they have gotten older). Other than some of her unusual traits, she is so loyal and we love her so much.

My little buddy

2008-12-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Alex has been such a fun little toddler. He is all boy, he loves balls, hats, and being messy. He is learning so much and it's so exciting to see all the things he is learning to do and hear his sweet little words.

One of his favorite words and things is hat. Everything ends up on his head.

We got this little hat and he wore it around the house all day long.

Alex has also gone from being Charlie Brown to Linus. He loves his satin ribbon blankets!!!! He has to have one before he goes to sleep and often carries it around with him-everywhere. I'm just glad I have a few back up since they get dragged around. Alex is also in the going, going, going stage, where from the time he wakes up he is on the move. So when he gets tired he crashes. I love when he just lays down and takes a little nap.

This morning Alex was helping me do the laundry. He was taking everything out of the basket and laying on it them saying Ni-Nit (night, night). It was so cute that I just let him continue making a mess of my laundry room. I also knew he would soon be off to make a new mess somewhere else. Sometime kids do the cutest things that just make your heart melt. I love how he just loves being by his mom. My little buddy.

Welcome Home Sister

2008-12-05T20:34:00.001-08:00

Last week, Sister Jaclyn Mangum finally came home after serving her mission in San Salvador. It was so fun to welcome her home and see her after 18 months. She came home to an anxious family and to meet two new little ones-Alex and Kate. Welcome home and thanks for all of your hard work in serving such a valiant mission. It has been so great to have her home and see her maintain her enthusiasm and passion for life and sharing the gospel. She has the best Spanglish, but I'm sure the adjustment coming home is even greater than we all realize. You can tell she really immersed herself in her service.

It so was fun to hear all of the cheers as the missionaries came down the escalators. 7 other missionaries came home at the same time so the airport was full of families.

Plenty of hugs and love to go around

***Just think it will soon be President and Sister Pugh's turn to return with Honor!!! 7 more months Nana and Papa-Keep up the great missionary work.

Alex is a Toddler

2008-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Alex is now a busy little walker. He is so excited and pleased with his new walking ability. It's so fun to watch as he is a little bit more like frankenstein than light and graceful on his feet. He tries to move quickly from place to place leaving him with many new bruises. Ever since he started to move he loves to follow Samantha and climb on everything. Busy little toddler!!!!

Even though he keeps us so busy he is such a delight. The awe and wonder we see in his eyes as he discovers new things is such a priceless gift. Oh to be little again.

Stats

2008-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

In November I took the kids to the doctors for Alex's 1 year and Samantha's 2 year+ check up. It was fun to see how big they are growing,minus the crying from their shots.

Alex is 23 lbs and 25 inches tall-50% weight, height and head. Just an average solid boy. I guess he's finally growing into his head.

Samantha is 29 lbs and 36 inches tall- 90% in height and 50% in weight. She is tall and thin- a lean mean fighting machine.

Swimming Diva

2008-11-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

Samantha has turned out to be quite the little fish. She is now in her 2nd session of swimming and doing amazing. It is so exciting to see her safety awareness increase and be able to float all by herself. During lessons she will now either jump in or go down the slide and then flip over into a float. They continue to practice kicking and different arm scoops to help with her swimming (chicken, airplane, soldier) and increasing her strength to pull herself out of a pool.

Samantha floating all by herself!!! I just love the look of wet eyelashes.

Samantha working with her current teacher Rachael.

This is Samantha and Spencer during the summer learning how to float. It was so fun to start swimming lessons with Spencer.

Punctuation-.,?!

2008-11-08T11:53:00.001-08:00

Punctuation, Who needs it anyway? Yes, I can definitely see the benefits of using proper punctuation, with beautiful sentence structure to capture ones thoughts. But I often find when I'm in t he middle of a thought and typing my punctuation goes down the drain and I'm the queen of very long run on sentences. I wish I had a tape recorder in my head to capture my thoughts and then I could replay them as I'm trying to put my thoughts down into words, or even articulate my own thoughts. They always sound so much better when I'm thinking about things. Then when I sit down to type or express my thoughts it is all a bunch of garble. I've also noticed since working in the medical field where I had to be very brief and direct in my writing that I now lack the desire for beautiful, elaborate descriptions. So I give my heart felt apologies to all those who may read our family blog. You may get frustrated with my poor punctuation or very brief and direct descriptions of what's happening in the life of the Pugh family. I just love having a way to journal what's happening in my family even if it is a hodgepodge of meaningless words to the rest of you.

Sorry

Craft Time

2008-11-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last week Anna and I got together for a little craft project. We made the cutest Happy Birthday blocks with festive glitter on top. They turned out great and it was so fun to have a little female, adult time with Anna. Crafting must be the Mormon's choice for a frivolous activity.

Won't these be wonderful to help celebrate someone Birthday.

Halloween Success!!!!

2008-11-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

Halloween turned out to be a big hit at our house!!! We realized that this was really the first year we have taken Samantha trick-or-treating, and boy did she catch on fast. Earlier in the day we went to our local library for spooky story book reading and singing time. We loved all of the great Halloween books and songs for kids. In the afternoon we went down to Jim's work to their Halloween party and came home with a bag FULL of candy. She thought it was amazing to go office to office and people would put hands full of candy into her bag.

At night we had so much fun trick-or-treating with the Larson's. It was so sweet to see Samantha and Spencer holding hands as they walked house to house. You could often hear Samantha saying "I'm coming Spencer, I'm coming" if she got a little behind. Alex just loved being in his stroller, seeing all of the kids.

Samantha is still asking for Halloween and still dressing up everyday. Baby girl, there are more holidays to come!!!

Dressing UP!!!!

2008-10-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

Don't they say the family that scares together stays together? Or something like that. This was our family on the night of Alex's Birthday. According to Sammy mom is a butterfly and dad is scary. We can't wait to take Samantha and Alex trick or treating. After having Jim dress up, I don't think they will be afraid of anything. I've been surprised to see how much they have enjoyed looking at all of the spooky Halloween things. Hopefully tonight all will go well, and No Jim isn't going to wear this tonight and scare all the neighborhood kids. Happy Spooking!!!!!

Boo!!

Samantha as a Fairy Princess, what a cutie!!! She just loves her princess crown.

Alex as a Puppy Dog- Woof, Woof. What a darling Bernese Mountain Dog. I just love these dogs and with Alex crawling all over, he's just like a little puppy. During the day he will be Charlie Brown and then at night the puppy.

Super hero Batman. What a tough looking kid.

Sweet butterfly and 50s girl.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of cute Halloween Costumes. What a fun holiday to be able to dress up in something spooky, cute or heroic. Have a Happy Halloween!!!!

Alex the puppy dog with grandma the kitty.

Kennedy with her cute halloween mask

Macy Tinkerbell.

Spiderman and Luke Skywalker-aka Carter and Braden

The cousins at our Halloween Party with their super hero masks.

Where did my baby go?

2008-10-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I've blinked and this year has gone by. I can't believe Alex is already 1 years old. Where has my little baby gone to? He has been such a sweet little man, with the best snuggles, kisses and loves.

I'm so thankful for pictures to capture those precious lips, fingers and toes. It's so hard to remember how little babies truly are. I wish there was some way to capture their sweet baby smell and little sighs.

Last year he was such a little orange pumpkin- with his jaundice.

Now he is a little bit bigger and still an adorable pumpkin. What a cute round face.

Alex has truly been such a delight in our family. He has brought so much love and happiness to our little family. He was such a great baby and is turning into such a fun little man. He has put up with all of the girly, princess things and is now establishing himself by wrestling and playing with anything ball. I feel so blessed to have this little man in my life and can't even express how much I love this baby boy. Happy Birthday and I can't wait to see how much you will develop this year.

Our cute chuck brown. I've always LOVED snoopy, so it's only fitting that I have a son who resembles Charlie Brown.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

2008-10-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Alex turned 1 this week. On Sunday we had a Happy Halloween Birthday party for him. It was so fun to get together with family and celebrate our sweet baby boy. There is nothing like a little kids party to really bring out the birthday spirit and joy of a celebration. Alex loved being surrounded by all of the kids, balloons, pumpkins, presents and yummy Halloween treats.

Alex studying his cake. He wasn't quit sure of what he was to do with the candle or the spider cake. He was so cute when everyone sang Happy Birthday. He got a little shy, not use to being the center of attention.

At first he delicately picked at his cake, and then he figured he could really have it.

Everybody was such a good sport with all of the Halloween activities, especially the guys who started the donut eating contest. Todd won with his great techniques and ability to get a great portion of the donut into his mouth at one time.

The little kids really liked the donut eating contest, but we had to give a time limit so they won't make themselves sick. They also did a great job with decorating their pumpkins.

It was really a fun evening! I'm sure there will be more Halloween Birthday parties in Alex's future. Its such a fun way to celebrate this time of year and kids and costumes are so fun together.

What little boys are made of...

2008-10-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

For Alex's Birthday I made a quilt for him-my version of "What little boys are made of".

Lizards and snail and monkey tails.

I think I have redeemed myself from my last quilting project with Anna-at least a 1 year old won't know any difference.

The best part is Alex just loves this quilt and loves climbing all over it. He is such a blanket loving baby. Doesn't every kid need a fun, cozy blanket to play on.

I just love the fabric, its perfect for a little boy.

Hallo-Week Fun!!

2008-10-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't there something about an upcoming fun holiday, like HALLOWEEN, that makes us want to have as much fun as possible!!! It wouldn't be the same with out spooky decorations, pumpkins, yummy treats and as many occasions as possible to dress up. On Friday, my mother created one of these great moments with a fun halloween party for the little kids. We had so much fun with mummy dogs, homemade soup, relay races, bobbing for apples, and mask making. It was such a beautiful Fall day and we had so much fun playing and enjoying being young and carefree. Shouldn't every holiday be a week long.

Who are these masked men?

Just in case you didn't know- I will reveal my secret identity.

Fun in PA

2008-10-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's not a true trip to PA without a stop at Hershey's World. We had fun going on the how's chocolate made ride and looking at all the delicious chocolate treats. It was the perfect outing for my little ones. There's nothing better than the taste and smell of fresh chocolate.

Samantha just loved playing with Nana's baby stroller. She loved taking her baby doll on walks around Nana and Papa's house. She also loved feeding the squirrels with Nana.

On afternoon we went and got pumpkins at the cutest pumpkin patch store. Samantha and Alex just loved picking out the perfect pumpkins for the mission home.

What cute little pumpkins!!!

Alex in Nana's cute high chair- enjoy some yummy noodles.

We had so much fun in PA. We loved going to the gourd store, Hershey World, the park, on walks, watching conference and spending time with Nana and Papa. The perfect trip. The kids were also amazing on the flights. Heading home Alex just chilled or slept and Samantha spent 31/2 hours playing in her Princess coloring and sticker book.

Visiting the PA Mission Home

2008-10-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

The first of October, our family was able to go and visit Jim's parents in the PA mission home. This was the first time for Alex to see Nana and Papa. He just loved all of the adult attention, and being able to crawl around a new house. I'm sure there's still finger prints everywhere!!!

Samantha took an instant loving to Nana!!! She was in heaven with Nana indulging her with her favorites-Princess, ponies and baby dolls. She really was in heaven and loved waking up to see Nana and Papa every morning.

Samantha spending time with Papa in his office.

Samantha was so excited to discover not only one, but two pianos in the mission home. She loved having concert time, when she would have everyone sit down and listen to her play. She even had everybody else share their musical talents - we were very impressed with Papa and Lizzy's talent.

We loved every minute that we were able to spend with Nana and Papa. It went by way too fast!!!! Samantha and Alex had so much fun and it was so great to have them see their grandparents in the mission. If you ask samantha where Nana and Papa are she will say "there at church". We can't wait to see you again. XOXOXOXO

Growing Up

2008-09-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

Within the last month Alex has really developed some fun baby tricks. He is crawling all over, climbing up on everything, clapping, blowing kisses, and playing peek a boo. He is turning out to be a busy boy!!! He loves to follow Samantha around, which is not her favorite. He can be a wiggle worm, but also he can still give the best snuggles.

Samantha continues to make us laugh with her girliness. Yesterday after church she wanted to wear my hi-heals around the house-NAKED. She loves princesses, purses, baby dolls, shoes and anything Ariel.

Our kids are very entertaining as their personalities are developing. We love them so much.

Fall Colors

2008-09-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite traditions is each fall I love to drive the alpine loop and enjoy the crisp air and amazing fall colors. You start in SLC, drive up to midway, climb over the mountain to cascade springs and then drive down to provo canyon- this way you get the vibrant red, orange and yellow of the maples, oaks and aspens. It's so breath taking to see the amazing fall leaves and feel the coolness in the air.

Samantha and Alex loves playing with the leaves and being up in the mountains.

Enjoying the waterfalls at cascade springs. It was such a beautiful, sunny day!!!!

Samantha and Alex were so good all day, they loved the windows down as we were driving and just had fun exploring.

Thank you Fall for all of your beauty. I think in heaven I would've loved to be on the planning committee for the spring and fall seasons.

Cousin outing

2008-09-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

We love living so close to family, and especially love fun outings.

On Monday we were able to go to the Dinosaur Museum with Anna, Spencer and Abby.

Samantha had so much fun with Spencer and tried so hard to keep up with him.

Alex and Abby are such sweet babies and are so patient with their busy older siblings.

After the museum the kids enjoyed playing on the big rocks in front.

Samantha climbed on top and started singing like Ariel.

I LOVE to see the temple

2008-09-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last week for FHE our little family went down to temple square and enjoyed a night walking around the temple. Samantha loved seeing the Christus and the temple or what she called the castle.

Princess and Pirate Party

2008-08-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Three cheers and arghs for our amazing Princess and Pirates Party. This past friday, Grandma Diane had all of our boisterous buccaneers and pretty princesses over for an afternoon of fun. It was a chance to end the summer off with a true fairy tale bang. We had lots of crafts, a scavenger hunt, cupcake decorating, games, more games and treats. It was so much fun to see the cousins playing together and enjoying being little.

Our scurvey Pirate!!!

Princess Samantha

Precious, Pretty Princesses

Rowdy group of fearsome Pirates. ARGH

New York! New York!

2008-08-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last week Jim and I had the great opportunity to get away, and go to New York, kid free. Yes, KID FREE!!!!! We left late Tuesday night and came home Sunday evening. So five fabulous days, foot loss and almost fancy free. We had so much fun and were able to do so much in such a short time. We saw broadway plays a galore- Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, Wicked, Spamalot and Chicago. We also had the great experience of taking the train to go see Don and Jane in PA for the day- It was so wonderful to see them and we are so thankful that it worked out to spend time with them.

It was so good to get away for a while and to date my husband. Thanks to all the people who were willing to watch my kids, especially Grandma Diane and Monae. It really made coming home to them such a sweet treat and gave me the extra energy I've needed to try and tackle potty training.

A few more pictures

2008-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Birthday Kids

2008-08-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we were able to have family over to celebrate Jim and Samantha's Birthday. It was so fun to have cousins come and join in all of the Birthday festivities.

Some more cooking tools to complete Samantha's Chef ensemble.

The kids enjoying the bounce house.

A party isn't complete without a Butterfly Pinata

Blowing out Birthday Candles.

Birthday Girl!!!

2008-07-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today Samantha turned 2. I can't believe our baby girl is getting to be so big. In so many ways it seems like she is so much older, but then time has just gone by so fast. She is such a cute kid, with such a funny, busy personality. At any one moment she could be playing with her baby dolls, watching baseball with dad, dressed up with sunglasses a purse and many, many accessories and twirling or dancing around the room. She keeps us on our toes and laughing throughout the day. But don't be fooled, this little sweet face can also be a little bit bossy and a devilish tease-traits from her parents. We definitely love her so much and have cherished each and every day to have her in our lives. Happy Birthday Samantha!!!!

Our birthday Chef, playing with her new kitchen set. What a hit!!!! If only she could really cook. Notice she always has a purse.

This Is The Place

2008-07-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

For the 24th of July, Pioneer Day, our little family went to "this is the place" state park. It was a great way to learn more about the pioneers and a real fun way to spend time as a family. I feel so lucky to live in a place that is so family and kid friendly and to have so many great educational places to take our kids.

Samantha on her 1st horse ride.

Enjoying the petting farm- the little cow was so cute but really enjoyed chewing on our clothes.

4th of July Family Trip

2008-07-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

This last week we had the great opportunity of getting together with all of the Pugh siblings in California. We had so much fun enjoying the pool, beaches, San Diego Zoo and just spending quality time with all of the family. Samantha and Alex just loved their cousins and are going through withdrawal after trying to keep up with the older kids.

Samantha loved the beach, especially playing in the sand and even eating a little here and there.

Enjoying the sand for the first time!

Alex relaxing on the beach at Crystal Cove after an afternoon of sun and play.

Jim snuggling up with the little ones. I must admit an adorable bunch.

Samantha in all of her patriotic glory. We enjoyed an afternoon at Jill and Mike's house were Samantha met and fell in love with Ashley and Elizabeth. Once again she was trying to keep up with all of the older girls.

Blog Kick Off

2008-07-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

So after some pressure and also a strong desire to stay in touch with our family and friends we have joined the blogging world. We are excited to share a little bit about our world and especially about our crazy, cute kids with the rest of you. We love you all and look forward to blogging about our lives with you all.