The Knudsen Family

Our Disney Christmas

2009-12-16T17:09:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year we couldn't decide what to do for the kids, nothing looked that fun and all we needed was more toys...
We decided to do something a little different,
We took the kids to
DISNEYLAND!

Our first day there it was poring rain. We weren't really sure what to do, but we had paid for the day and so we had to try and have fun. We walked into the park and the first thing we did was buy us all rain ponchos. The rain ponchos saved the day, along with some pink umbrellas that aunt Jessie let us take.

I carried Ella around in a front pack that we also borrowed from Aunt Jessie. Ella stayed the warmest and the driest there under the poncho.

The boys were good sports, but the rain was kind of a bummer.

James had finally had enough and fell asleep in the stroller. It amazed me that he could sleep with all that water all around him.

To get out of the weather we decided to do some of the shows and things inside that we usually don't think about doing. We saw the turtle talk show in California Adventure which was super fun, and as we were walking out we got to meet a few funny characters.

We also found our favorite ride.. Toy Story Mania! It made us all laugh and we road it three times in a row. The best part about this day at Disneyland was we didn't have to wait in any lines. There were hardly any people there and we got to do what ever we wanted. The rain finally stopped and we were happy to take off our rain ponchos and run around until the park closed.

The next day was beautiful and we were able to take more pictures outside.

There still was hardly anyone there, and the longest we waited for a ride was 10 minutes.

We had a ball doing what ever these four kids wanted to do.

There were lots of fun Christmas decorations and festive things going on.

The boys were thrilled to see Santa's reindeer at Disneyland.

Matt was such a good sport. Disneyland isn't he favorite place, but he enjoyed being togehter as a family and even had the most fun on some of the rides.

We enjoyed the stroller exchange on a few of the rides. This is me with the littles while the boys were on the materhorn.

We saw the pixar parade that evening. James was thrilled to see Buzz, and Woody, and all his favorite characters. It was really magical for him this year.

One of our last things was the Bugs Life show in California Adventure. It was super fun and funny. Grant is really afraid of bugs so this freaked him out a little and we laughed so hard. It is a fun family memory I hope to never forget.

One of the best parts for me was finally buying a princess bling. She defiantly is our little princess.

We all had so much fun together, but we were all so tired on the way home. It was a lot of work to get four kids to Disneyland, but it was well worth the effort. We enjoyed every minute and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Not a Festival tree, But...

2009-12-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

This year both Matt and I wanted to get a new tree, one that was taller for our tall ceilings with more lights and no musty storage smell. We really just couldn't this year and it was a little discouraging and depressing. But it was our boys who taught us a good lesson this year about the joy in memories and tradition. Grant was just torn apart with the idea of getting a new tree. He thought it wouldn't be Christmas without our old little tree, So we put the tree up and tried to like it. Then we got out the old box of Christmas ornaments. For 9 years now Matt and I have collected Christmas ornaments every where we have gone as our souvenir. Last year I tried to buy all new ornaments and make our tree look like one of "the festival of trees" tree. It just didn't feel the same. And this year when I started unwrapping memories and hanging them on our little tree, it just felt like Christmas with my sweet family. I love the four first Christmas ornaments, the cute ones the boys have made at school, and sweet memories I have with my cute hubby.
Our tree isn't a festival tree, it's a memory tree and It makes me so Happy.

6 Stockings...

2009-11-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

6 New Stockings all in a row.

This was a super fun and easy project, thanks to a jelly roll, and my mom's fun sewing machine.

Can't wait to see these stockings full of fun surprises on Christmas Morning. There is a lot of Joy in the Christmas season. Looking forward to a little Joy!

Piggy Tails at 3 Months...

2009-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, we tried Piggy Tails today.

Ella didn't love it because it effected her sleeping postions...

But she did look darling.

Sweet...

2009-11-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

Among all the craziness is this Sweet little thing.
She brings a smile to my face every time I look at her. She is defiantly a mommies girl which I just love.

She has become my binky baby. Which is a good thing.

I thought this wild woman picture was just too cute. As you can see, i'm still not sure what to do with all that hair.

I'm not sure what color her eyes are going to be. I'm hoping they are brown, but Matt wants blue. His ideal woman is blonde hair, blue eyes... go figure. Sorry we are brown eyed girls.

Middle Child Blues...

2009-11-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

So the Idea of the middle child has shown it's ugly face at our house lately. Grant has acted out the most since Ella was born which was unexpected. This day Grant decided to cut his own hair 10 minutes before school started. I have realized my attention has been occupied with a new baby, demanding two year old and an ever busy first child. Grant sometimes does get lost in the mix. But I am trying to do special things just for Grant so he doesn't feel so lost. I'm telling ya, four kids has been the hardest by far. Hope we all survive!

So in Love...

2009-11-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

who knew having a daughter would feel like this.
Total Joy!

Halloween Fun...

2009-11-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Halloween we went as a family to Gardner Village to see the "witches".
It was so fun to get out as a family and spend a whole day together.

After gardner village we went to the ward annual chilie cook off and Halloween party.

Hunter won the prize for best child costume

Grant was feeling a little left out so mom got him a prize for being her favorite pirate.

and James took 2nd place.

Ella didn't dress up that night, but she was super happy and smiley anyway.

Halloween day was full of fun and parties...

Grant and James were invited to a friends party in the morning. They had lots of fun playing Halloween games and being with their friends.

Grant was captin hook and talked James into being Peter Pan so they could fight swords together.

Ella dresses up as a darling wicked witch. I made her costume.

At my grandma phillips party the kids hit a ghost pinata, decorated sugar cookies, roasted hot dogs on a fire and had a great time.

Hunter was a musketeer. I made his costume after a trip to the fabric store where he found the pattern and had to have it. It was worth it in the end because Hunter was so proud of his costume and told everyone that his mom made it and it was a lot of work. Hunter knows how to score the points. Maybe next year I will have the time to make the other boys a musketeer costume and they could be the three musketeers together.

After grandmas party we went to grandma cindy's house for taco soup and fun with the girls.

My camera died right after this shot so I didn't get any more photos of the night, but everyone was dressed darling and they all had a full day of fun.
We love Halloween.

Dirt

2009-11-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, all that beautiful new grass and the boys still just want to play in the dirt...

We are so grateful to everyone who helped us get our lawn in this summer.
Thank you, thank you!
It sure has made a difference and we are loving it.

Official Cub Scout

2009-11-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hunter was so excited for his first cub scout meeting. They did a special cub scout welcome and painted a blue C in his face. Hunter also got to be the announcer for the flag ceremony which was extra special for him. Cant believe we have an official cub scout.

Just a Sample...

2009-10-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is just a sample of the cute things I have been making for the craft fair.

Come check them out...

What I'm doing Saturday...

2009-10-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Newest pictures...

2009-09-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

Hunter and Ella will share a very special day on saturday. we wanted to make sure it was well documented.

8 is great!

2009-09-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hunter's Birthday started off with traditional birthday french toast...

We decided a long time ago that we would buy the boys their first bb guns for their eighth birthdays...

Hunter was thrilled! and all Grant could say the whole day was that he couldn't wait to be 8.

After school we had the cousins over for some swimming. It has never been hot enough for a swim party on Hunter's birthday before so this was a treat.

Hunter really wanted a big friends party this year, but because of the new baby, I wasn't feeling up to it. I guess Hunter had his heart set on it and took matters into his own hands by inviting a bunch of kids at school to come over for a swim party. I had two moms call wondering if there really was a party...

We got over the party drama, and the kids had a ball outside. They swam for almost three hours.

That evening we took the family and two friends to the pirate island pizza place. The kids enjoyed the awesome pirate scenery and the fun arcade games.

Hunter was defiantly celebrated on this special birthday. I hope he really knows just how Great it is to be 8...

New big brothers...

2009-08-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hunter and Grant are loving baby Ella. They are really sweet to hold her and give her loves...

James loves his baby too, but he is also trying to figure out his place with a new baby around.

Welcome Baby Girl...

2009-08-23T11:49:00.001-07:00

This little angel made a speedy entrance into the world on Friday morning.
She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces. She had tons of beautiful black hair.
We are so happy to welcome her into our Family.

Sweet Dreams...

2009-08-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping Baby Ella will have many sweet dreams in this...

Matt helped me put up the crib Monday night so I could finish making the bedding.

My Grandpa Phillips made this crib for me when Hunter was born. I showed him a picture of the crib I wanted in the Pottery Barn catalog and he recreated it beautifully. It brought a few tears when I saw it again thinking of my sweet Grandpa, how talented he was and how much he loved the little babies. How I miss him. I'm looking forward to seeing my baby sleeping sweetly in this crib.

Treadmill Attack...

2009-08-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon Hunter was attacked by the Treadmill at my mom's house.
He and Grant were curious as always and wanted to see how the treadmill worked. They got the tread going way too fast and Hunter fell and got stuck between the tread moving and the wall. The tread burned these sores on his side. The sore on the top is a 2nd degree burn and the bottom sore is a 3rd degree burn. We ended up in the ER Sunday night receiving treatment for these sores. They had never seen an abrasive burn quite that severe. We were told to keep it clean and wrapped for the next 2 maybe 3 months. What a bummer right before school starts. But, our bodies are amazing. Hunter will have a big scar, but It will heal and that is a blessing.

Major Preggo Brain...

2009-07-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today I experienced the worst preggo brain of this pregnancy.
I went to the mail drop box to drop off my bills, and without thinking threw them in the bin without stamps... I would not have worried so much except it was my house payment, and I didn't want it lost or stolen or whatever. So I went into the post office and asked what I needed to do. The man was really kind and walked out to the box with me and opened it. I think he thought we would be searching for a while, but to his and my surprise my bills were sitting right on top of the pile. He made the comment that I must be living right or something, and I totally felt like all my efforts in helping the YW get ready for camp had just been paid off. I still can't believe I did such a silly thing.

Week long Celebration...

2009-07-15T07:46:00.001-07:00

Our Week long celebration started Saturday morning with the big 4th of July Parade.

Our friends the Lunts were kind enough to let us in on their good parade spot that they camped over night to save. Thanks you guys it was lots of fun.

We had a BBQ at aunt Jodys house and then watched the stadium fire works on the Provo High Football Field.

Even though it was late, I promised Hunter we could do sparklers. Grant didn't make it for our own fire works show, but Hunter and James were thrilled. It was a successful 4th of July.

Sunday evening we drove to my parents cabin in Manti to spend a few days with my family.

The highlight of the trip for the boys was the endless swimming in the lake with their Dad.

Hunter thought he was a trickster doing back flips off the water tramp and having my brothers through him in the water.

Other than swimming we just played Games and hung out together. We discovered Grant is a Memory Wiz kid. My mom got the biggest kick out of watching him get match after match.

We got home from the cabin just in time to do laundry and pack the trailer for our Fish Lake trip.

We look forward to our fish lake trip every year.

The boys were excited to paint t-shirts with their cousins. Hunter was extra careful creating his pirate master piece.

We were excited to see our cousin Jensen. James and Ally can't wait until he can run around with them.

This year we rented a boat and did a little fishing with the kids. James thought he was hot stuff driving the boat.

The kids were a little bummed about not catching anything, but they had a lot of fun trying.

Grant and Grandpa Ivie have a really cute relationship. Grant is always sitting by him and they make each other laugh. I thought this picture was sweet.

Our family at Fish Lake 2009.

9 Years and counting...

2009-07-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Matt and I celebrated our 9th Wedding Anniversary yesterday.
In 9 years we have had 3 and a half kids, 6 different cars, 3 different homes, 2 job changes, 1 college graduation, 1 major medical scare, lots and lots of love and more kisses then you can count.
It was fun to look back on the past and set new goals for our future together. 9 years is only the beginning and I can't wait...

Something old into Somthing New...

2009-06-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

This was my creative project last week and in my excitement to get started I forgot to take a before picture...
I bought this bench from my girl friend who gave me a screaming deal, Thank you Tay. It was natural wood and I painted and glazed it to look like this. Pretty cute if you ask me. The boys call it the reading bench and look at library books while sitting on it. Totally worth it.

Howdey Rodeo Fans...

2009-06-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

We are true Rodeo Fans! Cowboy hats, boots and all.
This was the strawberry days rodeo in Pleasant Grove.

We met up with our friends the Hinkley's. The boys love the Hinkley family because of all the fun kids to play with.

For early entertainment they have silly games for the kids to play. This year they taped dollar bills on a cow and let the kids chase the cow around and try to get the money. Hunter ran like crazy, but never got close. He thought it was fun anyway.

The best part about the strawberry days rodeo is a cup of Strawberries and cream. Matt goes a little crazy over it, and it has rubbed off on the boys too.

Little James ate that whole cup full no problem.

Something to Treasure...

2009-06-04T20:24:00.001-07:00

This is baby Ella's blessing dress.

There is a little story behind this dress. When my sister Brooke was born, my grandma Haymond made her a beautiful blessing dress that was extra long with pretty pleats in the skirt and the top was done with a pretty smocking pattern. This dress made a real impression on me even at the age of 8. I've always wanted grandma to make one for my daughter, and I finally got my wish. Grandma and I went just this Monday to pick out the fabric and tonight she showed me the finished dress. She is amazing and the dress is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It is everything I've dreamed of and more. The picture's just don't do it justice. I just can't wait to try it on my sweet little Ella.

Midway weekend...

2009-06-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

We decided we needed a family weekend away...
so we packed the trailer and headed to Wasatch State park for some golfing, shopping in Park City and a little R & R...

The boys were thrilled with the little duck pond. Nothing like throwing rocks at the ducks.

They road bikes and found secret forts to play in.

I'm pretty sure that shoe is clean...