Mackey Family

It's a boy!

2011-11-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Introducing........... Jasper Mackey!!!

This guy loves to snuggle!

And sleep!

Such a sweetheart.

Leah's new shadow!

The newest addition to the Mackey family! He is a mini schnauzer and he fits in with us perfectly. We knew that after we lost our sweet Robbie, it would be hard to move on with another dog. We kept on debating when would be a "good time" to get a dog, and decided that there would most likely NEVER be a super convenient time. So, one day, I jumped on line and found an ad for an 8 week old mini schnauzer puppy in need of a good home. Done. I called up Josh at work and told him I was gonna go check out a dog but that I wouldn't decide anything without him....Buuuuut.... About an hour later I show up at his work with our sweet little Jasper who at the time was called "Zekey". Huh?????Anyway, he is a perfect fit. He adores the kids and they can't get enough of him either. I actually am EXTREMELY attached to him, which is really kind of a surprise to me. Of course I could do without the little "accidents" I find around, but for the most part, he's just plain awesome. Josh was worried that he would keep comparing him to Robbie, knowing that there will NEVER be another dog as cool as him. But, Jasper so far has proven to be as good of a little buddy to Josh as Robbie ever was. AND! He already does tons of the stuff that Robbie used to do. Like chasing a lazer light on the floor and trying to eat Josh's face. He just makes us all really happy. In a nut shell, he's definitely a keeper!

Shame!!!

2011-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yes yes yes, I know I know I know. What's the point of even blogging again when I've missed the last 4 1/2 months? I feel bad enough that I'm such a slacker keeping up with it. I'm not even going to try to play catch up and try to post pics of everything that has gone on with us. So, I'll take a slap on the wrist and cross my heart that I will be better!( I'm going to start out sortta small so be patient with me!!! ) SO!! Josh and I decided that we wanted to take a walk up the canyon and see the pretty leaves since they have started changing. The boys rode their scooters and little Leah got a ride in her princess stroller. Of course as soon as we got to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls, the shoes came off and into the water they all went. Leah wasn't too thrilled about how cold it was but she liked to dip her little feet in over and over with Daddys help of course. We love to be outside and are super lucky to have the mountains so close!!

P.S.

This picture of our happy girl was taken right after her much needed nap that day and she CLEARLY wasn't too happy just yet. :)

Tubes for Baby Leah

2011-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Finally! After about 7 ear infections, we decided to do the tube thing for Miss Leah. Anyone who knows her, knows that she was sick with runny nose, ear aches and things like that almost CONSTANTLY!! Well, we are making a trip down to Arizona in few weeks and I just really didn't want to deal with a sick child while I am visiting. (Last year when I went, she was diagnosed with and ear infection the day before) So! We took her to our ENT and she was scheduled for tubes 4 days later. She's going through a very clingy phase and doesn't want anything to do with anyone but mommy. So, any time anyone would walk in to talk to us or check her out, she freaked!! She was just SO not interested in being there. When it was time to take her back, the nurse did sort of a "snatch and grab" and whisked her away before she even knew she was leaving me. She kind of whined all the way down the hall and about 20 minutes later she was back in my arms drinking a bottle. She was all sleepy and cuddly at first, but that didn't last too long. She was either quiet and drinking or clawing at me and crying, just trying to get outta there! The Dr. said her ears were TERRIBLE! She said there was thick yucky fluid behind both ears and she had to keep adding saline to thin it out so she could suction it. The nurse describes it as peanut butter in the ear. GROSS!!!! They did a hearing test before they inserted the tubes and Leah failed it because of all the gunk in there. So, now that its all cleared out, her speech should take off even more than it already has. When we got home, she pretty much babbled and "talked" every second. It was cute to see her yell and make noises now that things sound different. All in all, she did awesome and hopefully,

NO MORE EAR INFECTIONS!!!

(pictures are out of order, but whatev)

Trying to figure out what the heck

just happened!

Daddy helping her with her stylin'

hospital jammies.

Really didn't like all the stuff

they stuck on her.

She thought the fishies in the waiting room

was the coolest thing EVER!

CD MONSTER

2011-05-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

APPARENTLY LEAH DOES NOT CARE FOR CD'S.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!

2011-05-02T17:27:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how one persons decisions and actions can effect millions of innocent people. Today came as a great shock to me. I love America and all those that defend Her and our freedoms. This is the one song that has always come to my mind for a moment such as this. GOD BLESS AMERICA FOREVER!!! MAY IT ALWAYS REMAIN THE PROMISED LAND.

LOOK WHO TURNED 1 THIS WEEK!!!

2011-02-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

OUR SWEET BABY LEAH HAS BEEN WITH US FOR 1 FUN AND HAPPY YEAR NOW. LEAH HAS BROUGHT SUCH JOY AND A MUCH NEEDED BREATH OF FRESH AIR INTO OUR LIVES. SHE HAS NOW MASTERED GOING UP DOWN OUR MANY FLIGHTS OF STAIRS WHILE ALSO REALIZING HOW QUICK SHE CAN GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B ON TWO FEET. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WALKING INTO HER BEDROOM EVERY MORNING AND SEEING HER BIG SMILE AND JUMPS OF JOY READY TO BEGIN A NEW DAY OF LEARNING AND EXPLORING. WE LOVE YOUR PERSONALITY AND LOVE FOR LIFE! THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A WONDERFUL DAUGHTER, SISTER, AND LITTLE BUDDY! WE ALL LOVE YOU!!!

2011-02-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, we had to put down a very special member of our family recently. Poor Robbie had a rough past month of not feeling very well. We didn't realize the severity of his condition even after taking him to the vet for a check up. His body finally couldn't take anymore and he had a major seizure that caused him to be unresponsive for at least 10 minutes. Mandi and I rushed him to the ER for pets and made the painstaking choice that he would be happier moving on. It has been a very lonely past 2 weeks. Not having him at the door to greet us home is heartbreaking. We recently were going through pictures and we were amazed at just how much he always with us. On our laps, in the car for a drive, at Grandma's and Grandpa's house (his favorite), camping trips, pretty much wherever we were. Leah still drops part of her meals on the floor for Robbie to come and enjoy. Here is to a best friend that we will forever miss, we love you Rob!!!

SLACKERS!!!

2011-01-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

Shame shame on us!! There have been 3 major holidays since our last post and there are ZERO pictures! Josh seems to have all the good pictures on his iphone. (we still dont have a regular camera) SO, he is going to have to put the pictures I want to blog about on the computer so I can slowly but surely put some up so you all can see how dang cute our little kids are and how much they've grown!! So, in the mean time, here are some of the pictures from our cruise we took 6 years ago!! ( mostly I want to put something in place of the Halloween picture thats up. Don't get me wrong, I like to be a tattoo sporting, bandanna wearing biker chick as much as the next gal, but, after 3 months of looking that way, it's BEYOND time to change the pics!) Anyway, I was barely preggo with Kolby and we wanted to get away and celebrate our 5th anniversary before we got tied down with 2 WHOLE KIDS!!! Look how young we were!! Good times! So, anyway, this should get us by until I can get my act together and blog about the stuff thats actually worth blogging about!! Until then, here ya go!

Awe!! Cute!!!

Still one our favorite places.

Catalina Island!!

Joshy enjoying his "frilly" virgin margarita.

( That drink cost like 6 bucks so we had to take a picture of it!)

I just HAD to get a pineapple drink.

So yummy despite the fact that I was SOAKED from the rain!

Hot tubbin time!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-11-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

MOM AND DAD AS BIKER CHICK AND GHOSTBUSTER

JAKE AND KOLBY AS MARIO AND LUIGI

I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I HAVE DECIDED THAT HALLOWEEN (BESIDES CHRISTMAS) IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY! I AM A HUGE GHOSTBUSTER BUFF! MANDI REFERS TO ME AS A GHOSTBUSTER NERD OR GEEK. I RECENTLY MADE SOME ECTO-GOGGLES AS CLOSE TO REPLICAS AS POSSIBLE. OKAY, I AM A NERD!

WE HAD A BLAST BLARING THE GHOSTBUSTER THEME SONG AND HANDING OUT A TON OF CANDY FROM DARK UNTIL REALLY DARK.

Miss Leah Update!

2010-10-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Our happy girl!

Loves to touch the grass!

She's thinking about eating something...

Miss Leah

She probably could have stayed right there all day!

Time is just flying by! Our little Miss Leah is growing like a weed! She is 8 1/2 months old already. She has 2 of the cutest little teeth poking through on the bottom and her top ones should be coming in any time now. She is sitting up all by herself (thanks mom!) and is SOOOOOOO close to crawling on all fours. She can definantly get herself where she wants to go by rolling or scooting herself any way she can. This girl is EVERYWHERE!! She Loves to be outside and now that she can sit up, she loves to just play with the grass and try and eat anything she can get her little fingers on. She loves her brothers and gets such a kick out of watching them play. We love our little Leah and are so blessed to have this sweet little girl in our family.

Randomness

2010-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yes yes I know!! It has been a rediculously long time since I have blogged. Shame on me for sure! There has just been sooooooo much going on and well, lets face it. I am a slacker! So this post doen't really have a whole lot of story or anything. Just some pictures of what we have been up to the past couple months. Jake started 4th grade and Kolby started kindergarten. Leah is almost 8 whole months and is on the verge of wanting to crawl everywhere instead of roll. She's just the sweetest thing ever!! I promise I will try to at least put up one blog a week, even if its to remind you all that we are still alive and kicking!! These kids are growing like weeds and I don't want any of you to miss any of it!

Love to you all!!!

Baby Leah working on the computer with daddy.

Check out those cheeks!!

Leah was giving crazy cute smiles to Uncle Jake.

She couldn't get enough of him!

Leah and I went swimming and she was in Heaven!

Check out those sexy legs!

Jake got his Bear badge in scouts and another gold arrow!!

Way to go Jake!

Leah now gets to sit in a big girl chair at the table.

This little girl LOVES to eat!!

We had our first back yard "fire and a movie" night.

We love to be outside enjoying these Fall evenings together.

Kolby is a big kindergardner!!

He's growing up WAY too fast!

Leah is ALL OVER the place chewing on everything she can get a hold of.

She's happiest when she can roll around and touch stuff.

My two handsome boys.

I am a lucky mommy!!!

Diabetes Camp!!

2010-08-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

They talked him into putting his site in his arm instead

of always in his bum, and its his new favorite spot!

He's so brave!

As you can see he was in a cabin full of goof balls,and he fit right in!

Among all the fun, they had educational classes

where they played games called

"Are you smarter than your pancreas?" Clever!

Water park day!!

Could he BE having any more fun?

Nervous mom at check in!!

Josh wasn't nervous for him at all. Just way excited for

him to get to have this awesome experience!

A couple of weeks ago, Jake had the awesome opportunity to go to DIABETES CAMP! He was so excited to go and hang out with other kids his age who have diabetes too. The camp went from a Sunday afternoon until the following Friday. He got to share a cabin with 7 other boys and 2 counselors. Not everyone at the camp had diabetes though. Some of them were close friends or relatives of the kids that do have it. While Jake was super excited about pretty much everything, I was extremely nervous. He has never really been away from us for more than a couple nights and thats just down to Grandmas house so he could talk to us or come home if he wanted. But at camp, there was NO contact allowed at all, AND he was going to a place he had never been before with people he had never met before. But, from the moment we got there, I could tell he was going to be in HEAVEN!! Lots of rowdy boys, tons of diet soda, ( even the kinds with caffeine in it and no mom or dad to tell him no), and the best part, a swimming pool!!! Needless to say, he was eager to have Josh and I get the heck out of there so he could get to all the fun! He got to go hiking, to a water park, do skits, listen to a band, along with educational classes to learn more about diabetes and how to stay healthy. But if you ask Jake what his favorite part was . . . SLOW DANCING WITH GIRLS!!!!! Ummmm, excuse me?? This was supposed to be diabetes camp, not dancing camp!! Oh well. The whole experience was just so good for him and he can't wait till

next summer to go again and have even more fun than this year.

( and of course do more dancing! )

Arizona Baby!

2010-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Meeting Uncle Justin!!

He couldn't wait to kiss those cheeks!

Playing cards with Aunt Jodi.

She couldn't get enough of those cards!

Sweet cousin Brooklyn!

She even got to visit with Papa!

This is Leahs new best friend! Her thumb!!

Getting kisses from cousin Cooper!

My sweet Baby Leah snuggling. I love this little girl.

Last week I was able to escape for a few days with Baby Leah down to visit my family in Arizona. I only got to stay for 3 days but could have really used a couple weeks more!! I miss them so much! I am lucky I got to see them even if it was for a little bit. Not a whole lot of exciting things were planned. Mostly just hanging out, talking and laughing, eating, and enjoying the newest addition to the family. Which is exactly what I wanted to do. But, some of the highlights were, having "yummy pancakes" and home made buttermilk syrup at Becky's, Justins softball game, eating the amazingly delicious Barro's Pizza and wings, Brooklyn as the scarecrow, catching up with Desi, and my new favorite thing in the whole wide world, Thai Chicken Pasta from The Cheescake Factory. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. ( Nice how my favorite times involve EATING huh?) Anyway, it was Leah's first time on an airplane and I was really nervous about the flight experience. Especially because poor Leah came down with an ear infection the DAY before we flew down! (Of course!) But she did perfectly on both flights. This girl is such a sweetheart. She gets attention from people everywhere she goes, because of her big blue eyes, or her cute little painted toe nails, wether she wants it or not! We had so much fun together and it was so wonderful to get to see my family down in AZ. (Even though it was scorchingly HOT) I don't care what anyone says, 100 degrees at 10:00 pm is HOT!!! You wont be able to change my mind! But oh so worth it!! I love you guys down in AZ and am so thankful we got to see ya!!!

Until next time!!!

WHAT IN THE CRAP IS THIS?

2010-05-29T07:54:00.001-07:00

So, Jacob came home one day from school with a small plant in a Dixie cup. He told us it was a cabbage and wanted to plant it right away. Not knowing where to plant it, I put it in the worst possible place. No sun. No water. No care. This was over 2 years ago!!! It never really has done very well, but I never had the heart to pull it out. It's survived 2 winters now and has hung in there. But one day we were outside and we noticed this freak of a plant. We're not sure if it has cross pollinated with a weed, or if its mutated to fit its environment. Either way, we are proud of whatever it is. It bloomed this weekend and hoping by the end of the summer that it's as tall as our roof. If you have any idea what it is, or what it's doing, let us know!!! Jake is especially excited to see what's to come of his plant that he once brought from school in his tiny cup.

Kolby is 5!!!

2010-05-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

On May 13th, our little Kolby turned 5 years old!!

A crash course on Kolby Mackey!

He is our free spirited little person.

He makes me laugh at the drop of a hat, and can make me want to

scream just as easily!

He is a great little brother and an awesome big brother!

He wants to be out side playing almost 24/7.

He loves to skateboard, ride his bike, or his scooter and just about anything else he can do outside with friends.

He loves to play with water balloons and be sneaky while trying to get Dad.

( It never works though)

He is such a snuggler if you can get him to hold still long enough.

He likes to end his statements with "you know!"

He goes crazy with desire when he hears the ice cream truck.

He loves to be tricky and try and scare you as you walk around a corner.

He loves to attach stuff to his pants.

He is already a shoe snob. (just like dad!)

Snacks, are his favorite thing. . . EVER.

He has the cutest laugh if you can catch him and tickle him.

Kolby is our sweetheart. He just wants to have fun and spend time with you. He is my little buddy during the day and we are so thankful to have Kolby and his "awesomeness" in our family.

We love you Kolby-One-Kenobi!

Here he is at 3 months

This was our little Kolby most of the time.

Rocking the " fo-hawk "!

He has always LOVED the outdoors!

His sweet face just makes me smile.

At Lagoon, he LOVED the water rides,

even if it meant I had to get my hair wet.

He had a few of his friends over for some "Indiana Jones" cake and then it was off to Jump On It or some more fun!

(I of course forgot the camera )

But it was a great birthday!!!

Pinewood Derby!!

2010-05-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Jacob had his cub scout Pinewood Derby a couple weeks ago. He had so much fun! From the minute he got his kit, he was asking Josh to make it EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! So, finallythe time came to sit down and design it. Jake drew up a little sketch and then sat down with Josh at the computer, where Josh (and his awesome skills) was able to create a true to scale model! Jake designed everything for his car, right down to the fire coming out of the back of the rocket on the top. His car won 2nd place in the first run and 4th in the second. He was so proud of his car and how hard he and Josh worked on it, he wasn't even really all that concerned with how well it did. Even thought it didn't win 1st place, it DID get the award for the "Best Looking"!

Jake is already looking forward to next year and Josh is already thinking of ways to make it go faster!!!! The scout program is so much fun and we are so glad Jake is a part of it.

Way to go Jake!!

Just waiting to get started!!

Dad and Grandpa doing last minute "tricks"!

Such a proud little boy!

Josh and I were there too with our Webelos.

All the boys did awesome and had a blast!

These boys worked hard!!!

What a blessing!!

2010-05-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here is our sweet princess Leah.

She wasn't super thrilled about having to stay in that dress for too long. But look how pretty and lacey and girly it is!!!

We thought sh might smile for this one, but... nope!

Our little family!

I'm so lucky to have a mom willing to come up here. . . again!

It meant the world that you were here mom. I love you!

This past weekend, our sweet little Baby Leah was blessed. We were able to have just our close family share in this special day with us. Even my lovely mother was able to make a quick trip from Arizona for this occasion. I, of course, had a really fun time getting ready for this day. I got to go dress shopping!!!! I had so much fun looking at little white, frilly dresses, and couldn't wait to get Leah into it! ( Even if it was only for an hour or so!) She even had on a little white flower bracelet that I made, clear back when I was a Beehive. It goes with a cute poem basically saying that she is to wear the flower on her wrist on her blessing day, in her hair when she is baptized , and on her garter when she gets married. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be able to use it, but I saved it for this day anyway! And we got lucky enough to be blessed with our baby girl! Our sweet Baby Leah has come into our home and completed our family. She is such a sweet little spirit and we all just adore her.

We love our Baby Leah!!

Oops!!

2010-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention the other day that I never did actually "blog" about Leah's latest "blog worthy" happenings. Shame on me! I did put pictures up in Facebook but failed to actually blog. She went and had her 2 month check up a couple weeks ago, and got the proper immunizations to get her ears pierced!! I knew I eventually wanted them done but I was at the mall the VERY NEXT DAY! She hardly cried and I was even able to get through it without crying too!! We are two brave girls!!

So here are a few more of our sweet little girl looking as cute as always!! And now she's got BLING!!!

( By the way, I DO realize that it seems like we only have ONE child, when if fact, we have THREE. I will be doing better at blogging about our

awesome boys as well!)

But, in the mean time, here are a few more iphone shots of our

sweet Baby Leah.

This is one of my favorites because

I just LOVE her little chin!

She was trying SO hard to get her little hand in her mouth!

Look at her cute flower ear rings!

This is how Kolby "holds" Leah.

She looks really comfortable huh?

I went to check on Leah in her swing, and this is what I found.

Poor Baby Leah!!

This is a perfect shot of our little "Fatty-kins"!

I just love this squishy little baby girl of mine!

Time flies!!

2010-04-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

Well!! It has been WAAAAAAAY too long since I have blogged about anything! I have been meaning to post something on here but every time I think about it, the thought exits my head just about the moment it gets in there!! Ha! Anyway, this blog is going to be a bit random because all the pictures have been taken from our iphones,so there are alot of her sleeping and giving her usual "grumpy" look, and, I am not all that great at downloading from them, putting them in separate folders, blah blah blah. . .

So! Baby Leah went to her 2 month check up today and is growing like a weed!! (Although, I must say, her cheeks seem to be growing a little bit faster than the rest of her!) She is now up to a whopping 11 pounds and is 22 inches long. She loves to lay on the floor and kick her legs and focus her eyes on anything she can. She absolutely LOVES to have her big brothers sit and talk to her. She has cracked a few smiles and laughs a bit but I can tell she is so close to letting out a great big belly laugh! I just hope the camera is on her at the time!

My sweet mom and Grammie came out to visit about a month ago to see her. It was so much fun to have 4 generations together. My Grammie is just about the sweetest most wonderful person in the world and it meant so much to me that she came all the way to Utah to see her newest great-grand-daughter. We wanted to take a nice picture for posterities sake, but time kept creeping away from us, so we told Josh to hurry up and snap some photos as we were. So there are a few of those mixed in here as well.

Someday when we get a better camera, our blog will be somewhat organized again and I will do better at keeping up!! In the mean time, here are a few pictures of our sweet

Baby Leah!

4 generations!!

Just loving on her!

She loves her "G G"!

Pretty in pink!

What a mischeveious smirk. . .

I wonder what she's thinking about. . .

What could be better than taking a nap with Grandpa?

Nothin!

She took a pacifier for about 2 hours one night.

Here's proof!!

It probably won't happen again.

One of my favorites.

Could she BE any more of a girl???

I LOVE IT!

This is the "grumpy look" she has

on her sweet face

ALL THE TIME!!

Big brother Jake LOVES to hold her.

She finds the funniest positions to fall asleep in!

High five!!

Sweet "G G" snuggling Leah.

I'm SO glad I have this picture.

Priceless.

2 whole weeks!!

2010-02-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

I dont know how I managed to get this picture,

but I'm So glad I did!

How cute is that??

Pretty in purple!

I think there is nothing more

precious than a baby sleeping.

Jake loves to hold her any chance he gets.

Especially IF she will lay her head on his shoulder.

Well! I can't believe its already been almost one whole month since we were blessed with our sweet baby Leah. She is such a joy to have around. She eats great and sleeps better than I thought she would. . . sometimes! The boys just can't get enough of her. They are always wanting to hold her and are always willing to help me out with whatever I need. If she is around them, they are telling her how pretty she is and how much they love her. They are awesome big brothers! She is constantly making new noises and faces that make all of us laugh. I took Leah to the Dr. for her 2 week check and she is doing perfectly! Gaining weight, (notice the chubby cheeks?) moving around, and getting stronger (and in my opinion, even cuter) every day. It's so much fun to have her in our family!!

We love our Baby Leah!

Baby Leah is here!

2010-02-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

Here we go!

Just waiting to get things started!

Just waiting to progress more!

Are we really doing this again???

Me , mom, and Amy, in our room just hanging out!

The epidural was making me feel "loopy"!

But, Oh so good!

My mom getting ready to help!

Here she is!!!!

Leah Jocelyn Mackey

7 lbs 4 oz

Josh is totally smitten!

It's me!

Hello everybody!!

So peaceful looking.

My baby girl is finally in my arms.

I'm so glad that my mom was here for this.

Jake is totally in love.

Big brother Kolby loves her when she's not stinky!

Grandchild number 10!

I could look at her all day!

The boyz are so proud!

She's just so sweet!

SOMETIMES!

Getting ready to go home. What an experience!

Wow.

My heart is so full! My sweet baby girl arrived on Sunday, February 7th, at 11:32 am. The morning was full of nervousness and excitement. I have done this whole "birth" thing twice before so you'd think wouldn't be scared at all. But, I just couldn't believe that it was already time for this! (Not that I wanted to keep her inside any longer!) When we got to the hospital, after I got all hooked up to the monitors, my Dr. came and broke my water to get things started, and off we went. My mom was here from Arizona and my friend Amy were there to share this experience too. So we just hung out and chatted for what I felt like was forever! I was disappointed that it seemed to be taking so long when in actuality, from start to finish, it only took about 3 hours! Dr. Willis had just called to check on me and said he was going to church and to page him when things picked up. Well, about 20 minutes later, I felt things "pick up" FAST! I was at about 6 centimeters and then all the sudden I was almost at a 9 and wanted to push. So, they called my Dr. back and he rushed over in his suit and tie, and said, "Let's have a baby!" So, about 20 minutes later, we did! She is just so beautiful and fun and I can't imagine our lives without her. The boyz absolutely are in love with her and want to hold her all the time. Well, until she cries or smells stinky, which is a lot! I am having so much fun putting bows on her sweet little head and putting pretty pink socks on her. I wish I could put all the pictures up here but I will just put some of my favorites. (I put more up on my facebook page if you are interested though.) I can hardly believe we now have a 3rd child and its our little baby girl! Our family feels complete and THAT feels amazing!

Baby Leah's room!

2010-02-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

So this has been a LONG time coming I know, but! Here is our precious baby Leah's bedroom. It has PINK in it and everything! We still have a few pieces to put up on the walls and things like that, but, so far, I think its turning out great! It's just so much fun to see girly stuff in our house. I was doing some laundry today and was washing some of her new clothes and it was so weird to see little tiny pink things in my machine. We couldn't be more excited to have our little baby girl join our family!!!

Eventually we will have lots of cute stuff on these shelves. But for right now,

less is more! ( notice the cute hair stuff next to the big, pink diamond?)

Did I just say "hair stuff????

This dresser has been through both of the boys, so we just changed the knobs

to be a little more "girlie"!

I don't think I could have found a more perfect light fixture for her room.

It's just so sweet!

Got my glider in the corner, and my CD player cued up with primary music.

I am ready to pull some "all nighters"!

It is so fun to walk in her room and see pink on the walls! It's even more fun to see a crib in there! We are so ready to see our daughter sleeping away in it. . . We hope!

A Friend, A Hero!

2010-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever come across someone that has changed your life for the better? Okay, I'm sure you all have, but let me tell you about mine. Family is always there, and Mandi is now of coarse my best friend, but what about that one person that was just your BEST GOOD BUDDY growing up? Aaron Gardner was that person to me. Since we were both in diapers, we were inseparable. For 18 years we were side by side. Thick and thin, we saw it all. Missions came and went, then girls became more important, and then taking care of our children took priority. Aaron left Utah to pursue his dream of becoming a Doctor. I have to admit that it was really hard to see him go, but tonight, I have never been so proud! Aaron was on Dateline NBC in a special following Interns for their first year. Aaron performed CPR on an infant after only being in his residency for a week. He had both of his hands around this baby pumping her chest with his thumbs, trying to get some life back into her. A moving moment to say the least. While I was playing Transformers as a kid, Aaron was playing with his doctor's kit. He has always had a love for medicine. Aaron is currently in Haiti taking care of the sick and the injured people struggling there. He has such amazing compassion for people he has never even met.

Aaron, I'm proud of you and all that you have accomplished! Keep it up! Hurry back to Utah so you can take care of our kids too!

Aaron's hands performing CPR on an infant.

Aaron after the baby is breathing. I know Aaron and concern . . .

His face says it all!

You're going to be an awesome Doctor!!!

IT'S GETTING CLOSER!!!

2010-01-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

I came home today to find Mandi putting together the stroller that our loving family from AZ got for Baby Leah. Mandi couldn't even wait for a few more minutes for me to get home. It's so exciting to see girly stuff in the house for a change. We've been trying to break ourselves back in mentally these past couple of weeks. It's funny how fast you forget about the diaper changing, feeding, crying, barf (Mandi hates that word), sleepless nights, and all the other side effects of a baby. Though we know we will never truly be ready, we do know that it will be one of the most wonderful new chapters of our lives. We're looking forward with anticipation to seeing your sweet face, Baby Leah!

Christmas Fun!!

2009-12-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

So, just to sort of sum things up a bit, we had a great Christmas!! It started out with the kids doing a Christmas performance at school. Jake's grade sang "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", and he did great! They did a slide show with his so I couldn't take a video or any pictures. Then Kolby's class sang "Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer." Before we even went into the gym, he was already upset that he had to take off his Santa hat he wore to school and wear his reindeer hat for the song, so things didn't quite start off on the right foot anyway. But, as the song started, his hat just wouldn't stay on right for him! I don't know if it was a combination of everything, but it sort of all went downhill from there. He tried to stay up there and sing but his tears seemed to take over so, in the end, his teacher came up and said he could go and sit with me. It was so sweet though! Maybe next year will be better!!

The Kolbster!

2009-12-20T19:31:00.001-08:00

This weekend has been an interesting one to say the least. You can tell that Christmas is getting very close. The Boyz are feeding off one another with excitement. At first it was cute, but now I'm about ready to pull the rest of the hair that I lack out of my head! They are so cute, but at the same time are little monsters! They are so hyped up, but at the same time so tired. Kolby was in such a daze at lunch on Saturday. He stared at the same spot for at least 10 minutes eating his Frosty. He then insisted on wearing his "Joseph Hair" all day after playing Joseph in the Primary nativity. We are so looking forward to Christmas Day! Hopefully they will settle down a bit and give us some room to breathe . . . and maybe take a nap or two!

Break Dancing!

2009-12-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is the coolest thing in the world! Jake took a Break Dancing class at school these past few months and tonight he performed in front of an audience. He made us proud with his awesome Hip Hop moves!

Jake saying "Peace Out!"

The leaves are falling down!

2009-12-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

This was only about an eighth of what we still have on the tree!

They had a blast!

He is such a cheezeball!

With the weather changing around here it's time to start doing yard clean up!(Mixed in with a little fun of course!!!) We have a 25 year old Sycamore tree in our back yard. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It shades our whole back yard and has some really awesome bird's nest in it but the leaves don't all fall off usually until AFTER the snow starts to fall. So we feel like we are raking leaves clear into January! But we wouldn't trade it for anything.

This tree ROCKS! I took a video of them jumping in, but somehow, its lost. Boo. Anyway, you get the idea. And this is only the VERY beginning!!! We still have a LLLOOOOOONNNGGGG way to go!

1 Year Today!

2009-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

It's strange to think that 1 year ago today we were rushing Jake to the hospital because he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It's fitting that today is World Diabetes Day. We are celebrating his anniversary by taking him out for some pizza and a ride up the canyon to see the snow. It's amazing how this disease has affected us all. We hate it, but at the same time we wouldn't trade this experience for anything! Jake has become so strong from this trial and has become our example of how we should have a positive outlook on life. Jake, we love you! Thank you for being who you are and making our family strong. You are our HERO!!!!

We have filled countless bottles of needles and test strips.

We are so thankful for Jake's pump that has made all of our lives easier. He only has to have his line put in every third day now instead of getting 4 to 5 shots ANY time he want to eat ANYTHING! He loves it! We also love it! We all hope and pray that a cure will come someday, and believe us, WHEN that day comes, it will be a celebration you wont want to miss!

WHO YA GONNA CALL???

2009-11-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

OUR GOAL!

THE RESULTS!

I found myself SUPER EXCITED when the BOYZ mentioned they wanted to be GHOSTBUSTERS for HALLOWEEN. I had also been obsessed with the movie when I was about Jake's age and was a Ghostbuster one year as well. I told Mandi that if we're going to do this,we're going to do it right! These will be full functioning replica Proton Packs. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Two months at an average of 3 hours a night proved to be a bit much. We were often times up until 2:00am . . . I miss sleep! Mandi would sit in the garage to keep me company and to be my helper. I loved the time we spent together talking and laughing. Anyway, I soon found myself making trip after trip to the hardware stores while Mandi spent hours on the Internet trying to find kid sized flight suits and Ghostbuster patches. Just for posterity sake, I have to say that this was the most expensive project I have ever done, excluding house projects. I stopped keeping track of the tally knowing that it would just depress me. Mandi is very forgiving and understanding! In the end, it was all worth it! We had fun . . . the BOYZ love them . . . and they won several costume contests. As for next year, it's something of the rack or from Savers! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for helping out.

This was the funnest part . . . NOT! I wanted to make it so the batteries could be changed out and easy to turn on and off. I ended up putting a swing arm in

the back where the light was attached. I think it's the kids favorite

part being able to open and close it.

Happy Ghostbusters!

10 year anniversary baby!!!

2009-10-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our bed was king sized and oh sooooooo comfy!

Josh was checking out all the "hot" spots for us to visit.

We didn't need a fire but it sure was pretty to look at.

For reasons other than the obvious, this bed was one of my favorite things about our room. It was soooooo big and soft!

This photo doesn't do it justice, but this tub was HUGE!!!!

This car was amazing!!! Someday honey!!

The car show was so cool!

We had so much fun just goofing off together.

This was an old bread truck. Its amazing how long things can last!

(Just like you and me hun!--- EEEW!! Cheezy!!)

We totally enjoyed every moment together.

These gas pumps still had the prices on them. . . 26 cents per gallon! Boy how times have changed!

The Saint George temple was one of our favorite stops. It had just been painted so it was EXTRA white. So beautiful up close.

Yes, I am doing the preggo pose. She is DEFINANTLY in there!

The love of my life. I am happy.

We were able to celebrate our 10th anniversary in Saint George, Utah this year. Josh's sweet mom watched our kids for us and we were off! We found a cozy little bed and breakfast in the historic part of the city called the Green Gate Village. This place was just adorable. We stayed in the Orson Pratt House in the Alexandra Suite. It was just perfect for us! It had an amazing king sized bed and a CRAZY huge jacuzzi bathtub. (side note: Don't turn on the jets until after you and the bubble bath are in, or else you will end up with WAY more bubbles than water!) The night we got there we went to the Tuakahn Theatre and saw "Thriller". It was amazing to be able to see a production of that magnitude up against a sandstone background. I would definantly recommend a show next time you are in the area.

The next morning, we woke up to the sound of roaring engines right outside our room. They were having an old hot rod car show. They blocked off our street and had 30 or so cars parked along both sides. The streets were packed with all sorts of people and there was a live band, yummy food, and games for kids. We wandered around that for a bit then decided to take a drive down to the temple. We found out that the temple is pained ever 10 years or so and it has just been painted a few months back. It truly was a sight to see up close. It was just so white! We went inside the visitors center and watched the new Joseph Smith movie. It was incredible.( Bring LOTS of tissues!) You must make some time to find out where you can see it. Absolutely amazing. After that, we headed over to the outlet malls and had lunch and ice cream. Cold Stone of course! We then headed back to the room to take a much needed nap! (Why is it that even as adults, taking a nap is just as enjoyable as going out and doing stuff?) Anyway, after our little rest, we drove up to the mountain nearby with "Dixie" written on it for the college in the town. It had spectacular views of the beauty of the area and the gorgeous temple. As the sun started to set, we drove back into town, got some dinner, and went back to our cozy room for one last night of kid-free relaxation!!

It was bittersweet the next morning as we were packing to leave. We were excited to see your kids again but sad because we are so seldom in a place together where we can truly just concentrate on each other.

This trip will always hold a special place in my heart. I love being married to my sweetheart Josh. I can't imagine my life without him. He takes such good care of me, the boyz, and our baby girl on the way. I am so blessed! These past 10 years have been an amazing and sometimes CRAZY ride, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

I love you Joshy, and can't wait to see what the next 10 years may bring!

School Carnival Aftermath

2009-10-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

So, last week was the boyz' school fundraising carnival. They always get so excited to go and play games and win dinky little prizes and all sorts of candy. But this year, the thing they were the MOST excited about was having their faces and hair painted.They would have spent ALL their tickets on that if they could! Kolby had me spike his hair up so the color would look extra cool. He chose purple and orange and so did Jake, but you can't really see it too well on his hair. However, Jake was thrilled to get 2 ghosts put on his forehead. (why he chose that spot I have no idea) And Kolby chose to have 2 bats put on his cheeks. I am a slacker of course and forgot to bring the camera to the actual carnival itself, but you get the idea right? At the end of the day, the bathtub water was an amazing shade of something funky, and the boys once again resembled my clean, little, yummy smelling, regular colored people!!

What a fun day!

MY FIRST TICKET!!!

2009-10-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've prided myself on never having a speeding ticket, but that all changed this past month. Of coarse I got it on the way to my sisters wedding, which really set the mood for me. I did happen to luck out at the traffic school though. The audio wasn't working and what was supposed to be a 2 hour class was cut to 1 hour. Half of the class got their tickets on the same new stretch of road that I did in P.G. To top it all off, they informed us that the speed limit will be going up on that very road. SOOOO CRAAAAPPY! To make good use of my time, I drew a killer picture of a CHUBBY MONK! Oh, and it's not illegal to ride in the back of a truck and Cops don't have to meet a quota . . . Yeah right!

Back to School!

2009-08-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Two best buds! ( Well for now anyway)

He was all smiles as he got ready that morning and thought he was so "awesome" that he has a red backpack just like Jake!

Off he goes to grade 3! It doesn't seem possible!

Well, it's that time of year again!! Jake started his 3rd grade year about a week ago and Kolby started his 2nd year of pre-school. We were lucky enough to have Kolby get into the pre-school at Jake's school 5 days a week! They are both so exited that they get to walk together every morning and get to play together at recess after Jake gets done with lunch. It's so cute how excited they are to get up and get ready for school together now. They both want their hair done the same way, and have to have "daddy smell" on them before they go. (cologne) Kolby loves to brush his teeth and ask me if they are all "shiny" when he is finished. If they get done getting ready early enough, they go out in the front and play basketball together or ride their scooters until its time to go. I can remember being so carefree and happy when I was their age and I love that they are enjoying their childhood as brothers.

I love my sweet little boys!

Boys will be boys!

2009-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am so amazed by my two Boyz! They make me laugh with their individual personalities. It truly is amazing to me how they are such BEST-GOOD-BUDDIES, but so different in every way. Kolby finds happiness in being outside riding his scooter while wearing his Thomas slippers, Batman shirt, swimming suit, and his newest addition of cap guns. He is totally carefree and not afraid to take risks in being his own little person. On the other hand, Jake finds joy in technology, reading, and mimicking major movie heroes. I can see him being a film director someday. Jake is very charismatic and the first to crawl in your lap to give you a hug and say I love you! We definitely got the best of both worlds with these two. Can't wait to see what the newest arrival will bring! I love you Boyz!!!

-Dad

Baptism Day!

2009-08-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Better late than never right? Its been a crazy, packed but fun filled summer at the Mackey house. I have been quite a slacker when it comes to blogging and have let time get away from me as well as taking pictures of important things! I will try as best I can to catch up with all our moments and as of now, I am making a vow to take more pictures and blog more often!!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, on Sunday July 5th, our Jacob was baptized! He had been looking forward to this day since he turned 8 in April, but was patient enough to wait until Grammie, Grandpa Paul, Uncle Justin, and his cousin Tyson could come. It was such a special day just for him. He was counting down the hours until it was time asking me every 10 minutes "how much longer"? It was well worth the wait. We had so many close family and friends that came to show their love and support for Jake. It was such a special day that he will remember forever. Thanks to all the family and friends who traveled a long way to be a part of this event, and for all the wonderful gifts that were given to Jake to help him remember the promises he made on this day. We love you all!

(The pictures are not in order, but you will get the idea)

After the baptism, we had everyone over to our house for a little bit of dinner and dessert. ( In this picture, my mom, Justin, and yours truly)

Jake was super excited that the water was really warm!

Kolby was so proud of Jake and was totally excited to see Jake get "dunked".

My handsome boy.

2009-07-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Apparently we need to work on Kolby's ABC's!

(Mandi wants me to add that she just got out of the shower so she's got wet hair and no make-up on and she's in her jammies. . . I still think she's a hottie though)

How high can this go?

2009-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

We went down to Arizona to visit Mandi's family this past week. We had so much fun catching up with family and friends! One thing we did that was way fun was going to Adam's (Mandi's Bro.) fire station for a tour. He works on the ladder team and gave us a killer view of the valley. I have to say, I prefer having my feet planted on the ground where they belong. Thanks for the rush Adam!

-Josh

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

2009-07-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

We wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY 4th! We love our country and we are so very thankful for our freedoms. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

His and Hers!

2009-06-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

I converted Mandi to the ways of Mac! I noticed my iPhone disappearing more and more around the house. I would eventually find Mandi tucked away in a room with my phone. So it took no arm twisting when I told her that I wanted the new iPhone 3G S. She inherited my semi used iPhone and seems to be in heaven. I was so excited when I saw the line at AT&T on Friday morning. It was short and I was in and out in under a half an hour. Last year I waited 8 hours in 98 degree weather! Sad thing is...I'm already excited for the next release!

Interesting . . .

2009-06-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

The RIGHT way or the WRITE way??

I found this from another blog and well... it just makes you think.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.

Just makes you think huh... and no wonder our kids have a hard time learning to read and understand our language!

Happy trails!!

2009-06-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

I was doing my best at helping him hit a can or two, and we did it!!

Like father like son. Kolby can't get enough of shooting with the big boyz. (Even if his gun isn't real.)

Josh and the boyz. What could be better than dirt, grass, mountains, 4 wheelers and guns???

We never seem to remember to ask someone to take our picture so here we are again in our "pose". Better than nothing right???

Eating lunch at our "spot" with Grandma. ( I was checking out the carbs on the cookies) Ya gotta have cookies!!!

One of our families favorite things to do is to go with Grandma and Grandpa on the 4 wheeler and Rhino for a day of riding, lunch and shooting! Josh and I drove the 4 wheeler, and the kids were lucky enough to ride in the back of the Rhino with the Grandparents, complete with big fluffy pillows and cozy blankets to keep them all comfy. We always have an amazing time just riding for a while, then stopping off somewhere to eat a little lunch. This time, the boyz brought their BB guns and shot at anything made of metal or plastic until there was nothing left. Grandpa even brought out his bigger guns and shredded a few cans too. There was a stream nearby, and we had a great time throwing rocks in and making huge splashes, and throwing big sticks in and watching them go under the bridge and down the stream. Then, we got back on and continued riding out the other side of the little canyon where we crossed the road and had ice cream sandwiches at a little "mountain market". After hanging out there for a bit, it was time to go so we jumped back on the trail and headed back. There is nothing like a day of riding with Grandma and Grandpa. So fun and so relaxing being up in the mountains with the ones we love. Can't wait to do it again soon!

Preschool is over!

2009-06-02T07:24:00.001-07:00

Kolby and his awesome teacher Mrs. Kari.

Waiting for the little performance to begin.

We are so proud!!

He didn't do all the actions or sing all the songs, but he sure looked cute!

Kolby had his preschool graduation a couple weeks ago at a park nearby our house. It was a really cute program filled with poems and songs they learned through out the year. Normally, our Kolby is a total "ham" no matter what he is doing, but this time, he just stood there and kind of sang, and kind of did the actions but, MOSTLY had his finger up his nose or his hand on his crotch. Ahhhhh. . . the life of having a little boy!!

OUR FLAG

2009-05-26T17:29:00.001-07:00

Mandi came home from the store on Saturday only to find me starting a new project. I've always wanted to paint an AMERICAN FLAG on the side of our fence. I asked her if she minded if I did that. She said . . . "No, I don't mind you graffitiing up our backyard." We had so much fun painting the flag together while the Boyz jumped on the trampoline and rode their bikes. It helped bring in the spirit of Memorial Day.

The finished product!

Finally!

2009-05-15T07:54:00.001-07:00

What more could we ask for? A nice night, amazing view, Twilight, and a nice cozy fire!

Kolby was, of course, right next to daddy getting things ready.

Two of a kind.

I had to get a shot of Josh's little "perfect fire". It never ceases to amaze me how perfectly Josh can do things! Love ya hun!

What a night! The weather up here is finally getting nice enough so that we can do one of our families favorite things. Sit outside in the back yard and have a fire! We look forward to the weekends especially because we get to snuggle up together and watch a movie, or just enjoy our view while staying warm by the fire. The boyz absolutely LOVE to be able to help Josh get things ready. And when he gets ready to light it, they both come running and get all excited when the flame "wooshes" out at them. ( Thanks to a little help from gasoline!) Then the relaxing begins! { Well, for Josh and me.} The boys usually don't last all the way through the movie no matter what we try to watch. Jake usually ends up inside playing video games, and Kolby usually ends up sleeping in our laps. And, by the time we are done, the blankets, their jammies our clothes and my hair STINK like campfire! But we can't wait until the next time when we can do it all again!!! Life is good!!!

Special Day!

2009-05-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Kolby turned the big 4 today! Unfortunately, he didn't get the iPhone he had his heart set on. But, he did get his second wish, a skateboard and some cool sunglasses. We love you Kolby and your free spirit! Thank you for always making us laugh and reminding us to chill once and awhile!

NO SHAME AT ALL!!!

2009-04-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

So, Mandi gets a bath ready for the BOYZ and we sit outside to enjoy the weather and our freshly planted flowers. When all of the sudden, Kolby comes racing out of the front door in his B-DAY SUIT! He wanted to show us his newest "OWIE." He paid no mind to the neighbors out and about. He was as free as the wind blows. We love Kolby and his free spirit. Another step closer to becoming true "White Trash!"

White Trash on a Bike!

2009-04-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Mandi and I were outside in the front yard looking at our flower beds. When all of a sudden, Kolby comes flying out of the garage on his bike with no shirt or helmet on. It was hard to be mad at him because it was so unexpected and funny!

Let it SNOW???

2009-04-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Josh as he was beginning the daunting task of shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. . . again. . .

This is the Sycamore tree in our back yard. The branches were touching the ground because the snow was so heavy.

The view from our back yard.

This is our neighbors tree. It usually points UP!

This is another shot of our tree from our bedroom. CRAZY STUFF!!

On Tuesday morning last week, we woke up to a foot of snow!!! I knew we weren't out of the woods yet as far as snow storms go, but I thought that they would at least stay up in the higher elevations or just be a light dusting on the grassy spots. I could not believe it when we got outside to start shoveling, just how much there actually was! So, I grabbed the camera and started shooting a few pictures of our house, and our neighbors house so we could actually prove that there was THIS much snow in the MIDDLE of April!!!

Mother Nature. . . ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!

Jake is 8!

2009-04-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that our Jacob is a great big 8 year old!

He was clearly on a MAJOR sugar high in this picture but he was having so much fun!

Even our little Kolby had a blast cruising around the skating rink.

Jake was super exited about his Star Wars cake. ( He wasn't too sure about the trick candles though)

This was his reaction to watching the music video of the Macarena (or however you spell it) But I thought his look was priceless!

We had Jake's birthday party at the local roller skating rink Classic Skating. It is one of Jake's favorite places to go and ride his scooter. Yes! His scooter. He is not too crazy about the idea of actually "skating" around the rink, and he is really good at riding on his scooter. When we got there, the kids just totally disappeared in all directions, and didn't see them again until it was time for pizza. You would not believe how fast 2 giant 16 piece pizzas can be gone! They were hungry kids! After that, they got some tokens and played on the games while we got the cake ready to eat. After a quick song of "Happy Birthday" and some fun blowing out the candles 5 or 6 times, we devoured the yummy cake and he opened his gifts. By then the party was winding down but not before the D.J. put the spotlight on Jake in the middle of the skating rink and let him skate around for a bit to his favorite song. . . The Star Wars theme!!!! Thanks to all who were there to help us celebrate this special day with us. We are sure to remember it for a long time!

Conference Weekend

2009-04-06T07:31:00.001-07:00

Well, it was time again. A nice relaxing weekend of being able to attend church services in our jammies! Don't get me wrong, I love all the speakers, the messages and the nice spirit that comes with it, but there is just something so incredibly cool about being able to lay out on the couch with snacks and what not and listen and enjoy.

But I must confess, at times I found it quite difficult to lay down and stay awake! And I know for a FACT that Josh found that part a little tricky too! (Sorry hun!) As a child I can remember just totally DREADING conference and having to sit and listen to a bunch of "old guys" talk. But over the years I have come to actually look forward to it and come away with comforting thoughts and the will to be a better person. We tried to get the boyz to come and sit and listen but that lasted all of about 30 seconds before they were fighting and messing around with each other, the pillows and whatever else they could do to not have to sit still. So we told them that if they couldn't be quiet for even one talk to go and find something else to do. . .

And that's just what they did!

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON!

2009-03-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

Kolby knows his B-day is coming up in the next few months and has a rather expensive gift request. "I want an iPhone like Daddy!" He has said this several times over the past few weeks and hasn't backed down. He's always had a fascination with cell phones and has now decided that he's ready for one at the prime age of 4. We love you Kolby, but you're going to have to wait several more years for this one!

Can't Believe It!

2009-03-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

Our new Boy Scout!

We can't believe that we have a soon to be 8 year old. Where has the time gone? Jake was invited to his first Scout meeting and was so excited to wear his new uniform. Kolby was a bit jealous, so mom made him a makeshift uniform and all was well. Jake is working so hard and will have his Bobcat badge by next Pack Meeting. We're so proud of you Jake!!!

Choose the Right

2009-03-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

So, I was driving around doing some boring errands with my sweet Kolby just chillin' in the back seat, when the following conversation took place. . .

Kolby- "Mommy?"

Mandi- "What's up dude?"

Kolby- "We have to choose the right huh?"

Mandi- "That's right Kolby! We should always try to choose the right."

Kolby- "We have to choose the right so we can be with Jesus again huh mommy?"

Mandi- "Yes Kolby. You are so smart! Who taught you that?"

Kolby- "Um, No one!"

Mandi- " Hmmm, well then, how come you know all that?"

Kolby- "Cuz . . . I'm AWESOME!"

And here I was ready to pat myself on the back for leading my kids in the right direction! I love how sweet and innocent our little ones can be, and how happy they are with themselves when they understand something. He sure made our ultimate goal in life sound so simple huh? All we have to do is. . . Choose the Right!!! Thank you to my sweet Kolby for reminding me of that!

I love you buddy!

THE LITTLE THINGS . . .

2009-03-10T16:30:00.001-07:00

It's funny what can make kids happy. We were out shopping and decided to stop at Partyland. The Boyz saw these race car helmets and went nuts over them. So for a few bucks, we made their day. They would weave themselves in and out of other customers pretending to hit mock speeds. After awhile, they began to DRIVE us nuts! It's fun to see their imaginations take off and for once to take a brake from the Playstation.

Noooooo!!!!!!

2009-02-26T07:23:00.001-08:00

The time is rapidly approaching. . . my 30th birthday is around the corner. I can remember a few years ago when I was in Arizona and it happened to be my sis-in-law Patti's 30th birthday. She was a little sad and down about the whole day and was totally bummed that she had reached that dreaded number. I was only about 25 at the time and I was totally confused that a 30th birthday could make someone so miserable, and I swore that I would NEVER feel that way when I turned 30. Who cares right? Its just a number! WELL!! I find myself thinking about this terrible number quite often and feel all these horrible feelings creeping up on me. I can't believe that my 20's are almost over. The most important decade of my life! I met my Josh, got married, had my 2 amazing boys, bought my house, etc. So much happened!! How can I say goodbye to the best years of my life? Well, I guess the only solace is going to be the thought of another decade with my sweet family and the promise that 30 is the new 20. . . RIGHT?????

LIVING IN THE HOOD!

2009-02-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, let me set this up for you. I come home and Mandi meets me in the kitchen with a warm hug and a kiss. As I open my eyes, something catches my interest outside of the kitchen window. Some DUDE is climbing over my backyard fence! Mandi asks if it's the guy who reads meters. I thought it strange he would be hopping 8' fences to cut time. I watched him head to the side gate. I ran out my front door and noticed a cop in front of of my neighbors house. As I went around the side of the house, a guy was crouched down talking on his cell phone. I asked him . . . what's going on here? He stood up acting casual and said . . . awe nothing. By this point, the cop was aware of what was going on and got out of his car and approached us. I felt like my feet were in cement now that I realized the guy they were looking for was standing right in front of me. I backed off as fast as I could as the officer asked the guys name and proceeded to cuff him. By the time it was all over, we had 4 police cars in front of our house and neighbors wondering what the Mackey's had done. Boy, I'm going sleep good tonight!

ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH!!!

2009-02-07T16:09:00.001-08:00

We're not sure what it was, but the Boyz awoke today with fire in their eyes. From the first moment they were up they were at each others throats. One would be complaining while the other was crying. This went on for a good 4 hours. After several warnings, we had had enough. I rarely do this, but I placed each of their noses against the wall. As you can see, Jake had the better view. I told them I didn't want to hear another peep until they were ready to be nice to each other and settle down. I didn't get an after picture, but when I told them they were done, they gave each other a hug and acted as if nothing had happened. OH SWEET SPRING! . . . please come soon so we can get these kids out of the house!

Soldier Hollow!

2009-02-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

Here we all are after getting done tubing. It was CCCCCOOOOOLLLLDDDDD!!!!

They even had "little" tubes for my "little" guy! Sorry Kolby! I meant to say BIG guy!

Trying to give Jake a quick start down the hill! Wooosh!!!

Jake thought this was just about THE coolest thing!

What a fun night we had! The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) was hosting a sledding nightat Soldier Hollow. We have been looking forward to this for over a month now. It was in the evening from 6 to 8 and they even fed us dinner!! We had never been there before so we didn't know quite what to expect from it. Well! How cool is it that we got to go tubing down a 1200 foot sledding hill and didn't even have to climb back up! There was a motorized pulley system to do that for us! We just grabbed our tubes and sat down in them and the pulley did the rest!! The hills didn't look all that steep as we were being pulled up them, BUT!!!! We got COOKIN'!!! It was so much fun to see the boys so happy and hearing their squeals all the way down! I think I heard a few from Josh as well! ( Sorry honey!) After about an hour, we went inside where we had sandwiches, chips, a Fuze drink,( has only 2 carbs in it!) and cookies all provided by the JDRF. Then, they had a raffle and gave away some cool prizes. They really tried hard to make this event a fun one and to make these kids with Type 1 Diabetes feel special. They never called our numbers but Jake got a really cool ski hat because he was diagnosed within the last 3 months so he was happy about that! We tried to take pictures of all of us being pulled up the hill but it was kind of dark and our camera is not the greatest thing ever. (I tried to fix the "red eye" in some of them if you were wondering why we looked so scary.) And, the temp outside was a toasty 17 degrees so that didn't help with our frozen faces! But it was so much fun and it is such an amazing organization to put together such wonderful fundraising events for us! Cant wait for the next one!

OUR DAY OFF!

2009-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

Like any good parents out there, we pulled Jake out of school for the day to have some fun. We decided to go for a drive up to Homestead in Heber to see the ice thingy they make. After a few minutes, the Boyz started a snowball fight. Jake was having so much fun until he got hit in the head by dad. It was so nice to be outside for a change enjoying the sun and fresh air. Afterwards, we went to the Boyz favorite Heber restaurant that features moving trains and a Thomas train table. We love to spend time as a family and cherish these moments of fun and laughter.

He's really gone!

2009-01-23T15:45:00.001-08:00

Well, the day is finally here. Josh has headed off to Anaheim, California for the C H A show with Pebbles Inc. ( If you are wondering what C H A means, I will have to get back to you! It's terrible that I don't know!) His company goes every year for a trade show with hundreds of other vendors of various products. Most of them being scrapbooking/craft stuff. This year especially, Josh is really proud of his stuff and everybody at the company has been working extra hard to make this years product and booth for the show really amazing. I will post pictures as I get them. He left today and will set up the booth tomorrow and the show will go from Sunday until Wednesday. They will take the booth down that afternoon, catch a plane that night and he will be back in my arms in the wee hours of the morning. The boyz are bummed to see him go too, but he bought them cool glowing swords before he left so, they will be just fine. Now its just wondering what in the world to do for 5 days without my Joshy. Absence makes the heart grow fonder right?

RIGHT???

Josh you will be missed but I am already looking forward to your return baby!!!

SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!!

2009-01-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

I had just got out of the shower and opened the bathroom door to find one of our buckets we use to separate laundry. I didn't think much of it and proceeded to step over it. All of the sudden . . . (A NOISE) came from the bucket that sent me into a leap. A tiny blond head poked out from underneath with a little giggle. It was Kolby! I couldn't believe he could fit in there. Though I don't think he meant to scare me, he sure got my heart racing for a bit.

LOVE YOU LITTLE BUDDY!

- DAD

WHEN TO SAY WHEN?

2009-01-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again!!! Show time!!! Mandi and I spent the night together cutting out images for the Pebbles Inc. booth. Mandi took Jake to Salt Lake for a Diabetes checkup today. All I can say is that it is hard to work and concentrate when you know your child is being poked and prodded. I did my best to keep at the TASKS at hand. Mandi lovingly picked me up from work only to spend the rest of the night working. We watched Mamma Mia for the millionth time as we cut and sanded awesome works of art for the trade show booth. Everyone is working so hard to make this show AMAZING!!!

Mandi always comments on my concentration when my tongue is out.

Mandi sat by my side and helped me out with no complaints!

At the table with a job at hand!

But well worth the tedious work!

Mandi told me to go to bed when I started to fall asleep standing up. I wish I could say we got it all done! But we made a dent in the work ahead!!! Thanks Mandi for helping me out and being so supportive!

-Josh

Best Friends

2009-01-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

So, last night we were tucking Kolby into bed and he tells us he wants a hug. Josh and I lean in to give him one, and he grabs us around the neck and pulls us in close to him and bonks our heads together. It didn't really hurt but Josh and I began to giggle. Then Kolby said in a matter-of-fact kind of way, " You guys are best friends." And I must agree!! Josh you are my best good friend and have been from the moment I heard your sweet voice. Just a few reasons why you are my BFF....

1. I love the way you still get "mad" at me for honking the horn at you. (Even though you started that whole thing)

2. Because you still tell me I am cute when I ask you a silly question. ( Although I still say that my comment about the propeller on the car thing was just a joke...)

3. Because you put up with me watching my soap on the days I miss it and let me tell you what's going on even though you couldn't care less! (Oh the drama!!)

4. Because you still "goose" me as I am going up the stairs and then run back down twice as fast when I come after you!

5. And because, even after all these years, you can still make me cry with a sweet note, a kind word or a surprise date night!

I love our life we have made together and look forward to many many more years of friendship and love with you!! Lobsters forever!!!!!

MMMMWWAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Vacation!

2008-12-27T09:22:00.001-08:00

The past few days of our Christmas vacation has been a blast! After the Boyz were in bed and Santa had visited, we decided to take Robbie for a peaceful walk around our nearby church. It was so beautiful. Christmas morning was full of excitement and fun. Jake got his first BB gun from Grandma and Grandpa. Mandi also surprised me with one. We spent much of the day in the garage shooting at cans and Christmas ornaments. The next day we went tubing at MV High School. As you can see, the Boyz had fun catching air! As for me, if you were to ask what day would I consider the worst to have furnace problems, I would tell you . . . Christmas Eve, of coarse! Well, can you guess what day it decided to have problems? Thank goodness to good friends with skills in that department. Ken, our good friend, gave up a good amount of his time to make sure we were warm over the holiday. Thanks Ken! We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas!

LET IT SNOW!

2008-12-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

Mandi is celebrating her 10th winter here in Utah. So far they have been rather mild. That has changed! Snow, snow, and more snow! It makes for a fun Christmas, but has been a pain to drive in. Mandi is becoming a pro. at driving her 4x4 sleigh in the winter muck. We're expecting another 6-9" tonight! A very WHITE CHRISTMAS! We hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The neighbor girls came over to help dig us out.

Kolby eating a SNOW SANDWICH!

The BOYZ in heaven playing in the SNOW! Brrrrrrr!

DO YOU LIKE SHOTS?

2008-12-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a full month since Jake got diagnosed with Diabetes. We pulled out his used syringe bottle to see how full it was. Utah requires used syringes to be discarded in a plastic container. We were amazed to see that it was almost full. We figured that he has easily had over 100 shots this month. I get freaked out when I get my flu shot once a year. Jake is such a strong boy and we're so proud of him!

Lightsabers!

2008-12-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

Jake came to me with a fun idea the other night. He wanted me to make him and Kolby look like they had real lightsabers. We had fun taking pictures and picking out what colors each of their lightsabers would be. I love the imaginations they have and how watching them play takes me back to my childhood days.