Polar Express ...

On December 3rd, we took the kids on the Polar Express in Heber. We went with Ty's parents, Craig, Lindsey, Hunter, Cole, Austin, Mariah and Rorke! It was very cold, but so much fun! I just wish we would have taken a picture of all of us together. We decided to start the night off by having dinner at one of the kids favorite places to eat ... Dairy Keen! They have trains there!
Owen loved putting a quarter in the machine to watch the train go around and around!
Our cute cousin Rorke ...
Waiting to get on the train ... and in our P.J.'s of course ...


Being excited to go to the North Pole ...

Meeting one of Santa's elves ...
They gave us a chocolate chip cookie ...
and hot chocolate!
My "Nice" kids ...
Everyone read the book Polar Express together ...


Are we there yet? Where is Santa?
Owen yelled "HO!" in the microphone when asked to say "ho ho ho!" ...
Tickets are punched ...
Meeting Mrs. Claus ...
We sang The 12 Days of Christmas ...
Jacob took his part VERY seriously ...
And then finally met .... SANTA!!!

The kids with their bells ...
And the train we were on was taller than Owie Bowie ...
We had a great time being together as a family and look forward to going again next year! Happy Holidays Ya'll ...

November in a Nutshell ...

Owen was really sick the last week in October and spent a couple of nights in the hospital with H1N1. He was having difficultly breathing. His little body responded well and quickly to the medication and IV's that he was given .... THANK GOODNESS! It was a scary moment for us, but because of prayer he recovered fast. We are blessed with a wonderful family and friends who care about us and our little Owie Bowie ...
Had our first snow ...
Bruno was neutered ...
Ran away with my girlfriends and had a girls weekend in Las Vegas! Me, Becky and Lindsey drove and met Brenda, Shar, Hillary and Nicole. We met the ladies at the theatre where they were standing in line for New Moon. Once we met up with them we went to Yogurt Land and had the best yogurt ice cream ever! Once we went inside the theatre, we still had to wait 3 hours before the movie started. But we had enough to talk about so it was all good. I thought the movie was better than Twilight, but it still had its cheesy parts.
On Friday, we went and had pedicures and manicures! After that we had lunch at a yummy Thai restaurant and then from there we just shopped until we dropped. No. Joke.
That night we met Michelle at Serendipity for dinner. I can't wait to go back and take Madi! They serve your dessert order before your main meal. Hello! Together we shared an oreo sundae with fried oreo's, carrot cake, spinach artichoke dip with chips and nachos. It was very delish! Such a fun day!


On Saturday we had brunch at Egg Works! Their breakfasts are SO good! Our table was right next to Blinging Joe Jackson's. Too bad Janet wasn't with him. After we were done eating we happened to be outside with him at the same time. When I asked for a picture, he asked where we were from and I replied "Murray." WoW. We quickly snapped a picture and then told each other how sweet we were. "You're sweet NO you're sweet" A HEE! I need to get that picture on here. After that went to a few more stores (of course) and then headed home early that evening. Thanks for a fun filled weekend ladies!
Here's a picture of the shoes that were purchased between the 6 of us ladies ...
Back to my family ...

Owen learned so much about Pilgrims and Indians. During the month he would ask me "what are those people with feathers in their hair called?" (answer) "Oh ya! Indians." He came home with a lot of cute Thanksgiving crafts and even had a feast! He was so excited to have lunch at Miss Debbies.
Jacob and his teacher Mrs. Reynolds ...
Jacob learned everything there was to learn about Pilgrims this month. Every day for an hour or two his class would dress up as a Pilgrim (Jacob played John Hooke) and were taught how the Pilgrims lived and what they went through to get food and shelter. He knew that some had even died. John Hooke died. One day, his class went on a field trip and they had to pretend their bus was the Mayflower. On the field trip he discovered some more interesting facts about the Pilgrims. On the last day they had a feast and invited the Indians. All the parents came dressed as Indians and brought the food in his class. It was a fun day and month for Jacob!
The kids played some games that the Pilgrim kids played ...
Jacob kicked butt playing marbles! He took 5 marbles out in one roll ...

Owen got sick AGAIN, but this time it was a sinus infection ...
Put up the Christmas lights .... Ty looks forward to this EVERY year!
Decorated the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving ...
A family picture of us on Thanksgiving will be coming ...

My Miss Madi Girl is 9 years old today!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! 9 years ago today you made me a mother. Thank you for choosing me. It is an absolute honor being your Mommy. I love you more than all the chocolate in the world!
On Saturday Madi had her birthday party with friends. I love the sound of giggly happy children! They played Balloon Catch and Charades. After that they went on a Scavenger Hunt in the neighborhood. She said she had a great party! Whahooo!

Paris ... or as Ty and I like to call it, Pari ...

Smallest hotel room we've ever stayed in ...

What the heck? While strolling in the park to the Eiffel, Ty and I not only saw these, but watched men using them. So Ty took a turn.
Our first picture of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel. Height: 324 meters - Weight: 10,100 tons.
So pretty. This was right across from the Eiffel.
I wanted to take a picture of the police car for my boys.
Why is our Hotel bathroom picture right here? Could it be any smaller?
These were the pretty flowers I saw while waiting in line to go up the Eiffel.

Ground level of the Eiffel ...
Pretty Fall tree ...

Almost to the top. I swore the building shook when I was walking up! As amazing as it was, I have to admit it was scary. I'm not a big fan of heights and you could literally see all the way down on both sides of you while climbing up. It was so worth it though.
Some snapshots from the Eiffel ...

Ty and I walked up to the 2nd level. There are 300 steps to each level, but you have to take the lift up to the very top. Check out that view behind us ...






Our hotel was across the street from where I took this picture. I thought Paris felt very New York but without the super tall buildings. Apartments and offices share the same street.


This was our first meal in Paris! It was very delish, but the ketchup tasted a bit strange. A water or coke this size were both 4.50 in Euros. A simple meal like this was about 40 Euros!

If I remember right, I think Ty told me that this is where Lance Armstrong rides his bike down after a win. I may have to get back to this picture. Pretty view anyway ...
The expression on this mans face was how I felt (and probably looked) after someone would step in front of me while I was trying to take a picture or read a sign. This was at Arc de triomphe ...
Heading to the Arc de triomphe underground. There was some serious madness going on above us. Crazy!
This roundabout has no lines in the street, yielding signs or speed limit. It really is an enter at your own risk. Our tour guide book advised us that if we wanted to live life a little longer, then we shouldn't try crossing by foot. Ty wanted to prove the book wrong.
All lit up. Soooo beautiful!
A couple of potties. How convenient ...
Arc de triomphe ...

We walked up and down these stairs in Arc de triomphe. I made Ty take the picture. =)
View from Arc de triomphe ...
I took this picture while on our way to the Louvre ...
Another warm welcome to Pari! I had a lemon crepe and Ty had a strawberry chocolate coconut one. We were happy!


Walking downtown Paris ...

I loved how the chairs were all scattered around the park. The very first thing Ty and I noticed while in Germany and France was how relaxed and calm people were. No one was walking around talking on their cell phones. No one was cramming food in their mouths while walking around and talking on their cell phones. Everything was in the moment. It was nice and I loved it.
People were wrapped around this fountain just reading and visiting.
A thing ...
"Where are the stop signs? Oh wait! I think those small white poles are the stop signs! Yep, they are!"
de Louvre ...
Applesauce!! Why is the Are de triomphe picture here?
Louvre ...
These were hand sculpt and we have no idea what they were. I just knew my kids would have like them!
Love it ...
Now do you see what I'm talking about? Seriously!
Could totally relate to this woman ...

Inside the Louvre ...





The Mona Lisa ...
While walking back from the Louvre we saw this boat with Mississippi on it.
The Seine River ...

Venus De Milo ...

Are de triomphe at night ...
Flower shoppe ....
Notre-Dame ....
They really know how to sculpt the details of peoples privates and these happened to be boys, so I took a picture from behind knowing that Madi would be looking at the pictures too. lol
Clocks were on a lot of the buildings. Loved it!
Pictures of Germany coming soon ... =)

Versailles, France - 11 Octobre 2009

Well since I took SO many pictures of our trip, I thought it would be easier (for me) to break this up into 3 parts. Varsailles, France was the tail end of our trip. Here is Part 3 ...

We toured the Estate of Varsailles, the Gardens and Marie-Antoinetts's State ...
Palace

We traveled from Paris to Versailles on this train. It was about a 30 minute ride. I wish I could say the scenery was beautiful the entire time, but it was mostly all neighborhood after neighborhood without any Costco ...
I'm not so sure if even this size of a fireplace could warm up one of their rooms! Everything was so tall, wide and bare.


The Courtyard ...
I loved every detail on the Palace ...
Who cares about height, they should have gone for width ...
We thought he looked like a dork ...


Marie-Antoinette ...
It showered for a minute or two and then stopped. Ty doing a pretty umbrella dance. We were just happy to be in France!



Just a little staircase, nothing too crazy and big ...
The Gardens and Groves ...









Loved the Fall colors ...
I can't find the words to express my love for this sandwich. Where do I start ... THE CHEESE ... THE MEAT ... THE BREAAAAAD! Loved every bite!
The hunting grounds ...



I thought this looked like a Miss Madi Girl type of bed ...
Grand Trianon walkway ...
More of the Garden and Grove ... I love all their flowers!

Why is this picture here? lol ... I took this picture to show my kids how they have these to lean on rather than benches to sit on.
Interesting little flowers ...
Ty being aMazing in some Grove. There were so many and I wish I could remember the name of it. I bet Ty would know ...
I wonder what kind of berries these are? ...
A clock garden ...
When the French Swat team pulled up they saw 2 curious Americans. So in my panic, I just took a picture of them! I thought it was interesting that we were next to a few other countries Embessy's but our own. Of course.
I almost told Ty to keep quiet while I ate the Creme Brulee. I think it just tasted better because I was eating it in Paris!
A typical looking Restaurant in Paris. I love how the chairs are facing out ...
We got a kick out of watching this guy park his car while pushing the other parked vehicles out of the way. It must be a France thing ...
Here are some fun treats that I brought home to my kids. I wanted them to see a few familiar snacks that they eat but that are in another language and country. It was fun ...

More to come ....

Can't wait ...

Owen's 1st Day of Pre School ...

Owen has been packing his backpack for his school since Madi and Jacob started on August 24th! The poor kid has even stood in line with Jacob thinking he is going to his school. So you could imagine how excited he was to go to preschool today! Too bad the sun was so bright when I was taking his picture ... silly handsome boy!
This is his teacher Miss Debbie and his friend Jakob ...
My Owie Bowie and Miss Debbie ...
After I took this picture, Ty and I hardly had a chance to say bye to Owen before Miss Debbie said "say by to mom and dad" and shut the door. It really was the best way to go, we just weren't expecting it. After school, I was waiting outside when Owen ran out saying he loves preschool and can't wait to go back on Friday!

Labor Day Weekend ...

We had a quiet weekend this year for Labor Day weekend. We wish we would have just taken the kids camping. The weather right now is great! I think we only have about 2 more weeks before it will start to get a little chilly. Anyways, on Monday we took a little family drive to Millcreek. We enjoyed some snacks and threw rocks in the water. I love the drive. After that we came home and BBQ. Like I said, it was just a nice and quiet weekend.



Oh, I cleaned out the storage area over the weekend and decided it was time to get rid of the swing. Owen loved this swing as a baby. And so did I. I caught him rocking and talking to himself in the swing, so I had to take a picture.

Back to School ...

I can't believe My Miss Madi Girl is in the 3rd grade! Wasn't she just born last October!?!
I feel the same way about My Jacob Baby ... 1st grade!

Friends reunited ...

We had an awesome summer! It was full of swimming, riding bikes, picnics, late nights, ice cream galore, beaches and friends! I can't believe how fast it went! But now we are looking forward to an awesome school year with great teachers and friends! I thrive on routine, so it's going to be nice to have that back. Welcome back ...

Family Vacation 2009 ... Avila Beach, CA, Monterey, CA and San Diego, CA

Here are the kids standing on the balcony of the condo we stayed in. Just right behind that hotel behind them is the beach!

By day 4, mom was getting a little tired of the sand ...
Owen making "sand angels" ...
Owen had a great time digging up sand and then tossing it up and then watching it land ... he is very entertaining to watch!
Jacob was very content with just playing with his trucks in the sand ...

We took Highway 1 to Monterey! The drive is BEAUTIFUL! We had to pull over to take some snap shots.

Jacob's crystal rock that he found on the beach ...
The Candy Factory in Monterey ...
I love my Owie Bowie ...
Some fun sea creatures at the Aquarium in Monterey ...
If you look really really close you will see Nemo and Dorie ...
We thought it was fun to watch and listen to this diver feed the fish and SHARKS through this glass window! She was telling us about the fish while they would come and sneak some food from her bucket!
We stopped on the Pacific Coast Highway and had some breakfast that overlooked the ocean. The restaurant was called Wale Watch Cafe!
Some more Highway 1 ...
I loved the Jelly Fish ... more than the kids I think!

My favorite part at the Aquarium is watching the school of fish swim all around you. It was very amusing to me ...
Owen loved the Penguins ...
My 3 priceless children ....
Madi loved the Seahorses ...

I'm telling you, I loved the jelly fish ...


Back to the beach ...
Jacob was serious about his sandcastles ...
Jacob loved tossing his football into the wave and then would wait for the wave to bring it back to him ...


Happily playing on the beach ...


My Miss Madi Girl ...
I love them ...
How cute is Owie ...
My boys ...



"Wipe Out!"

Madi loved playing frisbee with Dad and Michelle ...
"Oh my, look what washed up to shore!" I love it!!


Beach Babe ...

"Wipe Out!"
"Wipe Out!"
Shell Beach, CA ...



Morro Bay, CA ...
More of Shell Beach ...




We had a fun bon fire on the beach in Avila! We made smores' and watched dolphins swim by ... it was awesome!




Jacob had Aunt Michelle drag him in the sand so he could see the lines that his heels were making!




After our fun stay in Avila Beach and our awesome visits to Morro Bay and Shell beach, we drove to San Diego to visit Ty's grandparents. While we visited with them, the kids just splashed around in the pool for 3 days straight! The kids loved jumping in the pool for grandpa. When they saw him laughing, they would hurry and do it again. We will be forever grateful for this visit to San Diego!



This picture was taken after our bon fire on the beach. We drove our car on the pier and stopped for a minute to listen to the seals! We had all the windows down while we drove. Ty and I laughed. The kids screamed in fear. It was great!

Grandpa's Obituary ...

WILLIAM RAYNER
William T. Rayner "Bill" William Thomas Rayner passed away peacefully, at the age of 89, on August 17, 2009 with his family (and dear family friend Ann Ward) at his side. He was born on February 10, 1920 in Norwich, England to Herbert and Alice Fisher Rayner. He lost both his parents at the age of eight and was raised by his beloved Aunt Emma. He married Olive Stock on September 12, 1942 and they lived happily together for 67 years. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple in 1951. Bill was a veteran of World War II, and served for six years in the British Army. He immigrated, with his family, to the United States in 1949, and lived in Salt Lake City, Utah until he retired in 1984 and moved to San Diego. He worked for Cloverleaf Dairy in Salt Lake City for 30 years and for 10 years as an auto mechanic at his son-in-law's (David) service station. He was a master gardener and owned his own gardening service. After his retirement, he enjoyed maintaining his children's yards and gardens, and growing colorful flowers. He also loved playing tennis five days a week with his friends at the La Jolla Tennis Club. He was an avid sports fan and was particularly fond of the Utah Jazz. He was an active member of the LDS church and served in various capacities throughout his life. In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by five children, Keith (Susan), Peter (Kathy), Susan (Brent) Petersen, Julie (David) Tolman, and Nancy Rayner, 15 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, and will be dearly missed by his family and all who knew him. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, his Aunt Emma and her son John. Funeral services will be held on Monday August 24 at 11:00 a.m. at the Union 5th Ward (7784 South 20th East). Viewing hours will be from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 23 at the Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary (1950 East 10600 South, Sandy) and from 10:00-10:45 a.m. on Monday at the ward. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at the San Diego Hospice for the care they provided during his last few days. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be sent to the San Diego Hospice (4311 Third Ave, San Diego, CA 92103) or the American Cancer Society. Online condolences: www.larkincares.com

Grandpa William Thomas Rayner

Ty's sweet and adorable grandfather passed away August 17, 2009. Though our hearts are saddened, we feel blessed to know that he is no longer in pain and because of our Faith we KNOW that we will see him again.
Ty was named after this amazing man, William Tyler. Ty has always been called Ty or Tyler, but one time when he was a little boy he came and asked his mother if he could be called Bill, just like his grandpa! =) We carried his name on to our Jacob, who's full name is William Jacob.
I am so thankful that my children are old enough to remember him. I am so grateful that we spent a weekend with him making sure he was well taken care of. One cute story: One morning we were all in the kitchen making breakfast for him and he laughed and said " I feel like a King!" Well Grandpa ... to us you are! You will always be the King of our family!
We will always miss you Grandpa! We love you ...
(Picture taken August 9, 2009)

Meet Bruno our dog ... Fun in Yuba ... Camping over the 4th of July in Strawberry... and some more of our Summer Fun!!

Wow ...
Sitting by the campfire ...


Madi and Hunter wanted me to take a picture of them punching each other ...
Little dirty boy hands ...
Jacob is a true camper! I think he likes to feel this way ...
Owen is a crack up!


Cute cousins ...
Cheeeeeese!

Owie Bowie just rocks!!!
Ty and his boys off on a trail ...
My Miss Madi Girl roasting her hot dog ...
My 4 cute kids ....
I think Jacob was concerned that Owen wasn't dirty enough ...
I can't imagine what camping would be like for my boys without their trucks ...

Owen and Bruno boating at Yuba ....
Jacob did an amazing job riding the motorcycle! He felt in control of it and just enjoyed riding. We are so proud of him!!
Ty with the boys getting ready to go on another trail. Ty came back and told me how well Jacob rode. Ty is one proud papa!
Here is the fish that Owie caught. He didn't want me to take a picture of him with it. Good job O!
A PROUD MOMENT FOR TY!!!! This picture will be blown up and stuck on a wall for sure!!!
Yuba, June 27th ...



What a cute picture ...
So one night, around 10, Ty and I heard the boys upstairs in their room laughing. I had them come down stairs and this is what we saw ....
Buzz Lightyear to the rescue! I love the nostrils ....
For our wedding anniversary Ty and I went and had a couple's message and then went and had dinner at Bambara. It was very delicious. I love that the menu had our names on it. So fun!
Back to Yuba pictures ...

Ty flipping Madi ...
Ty flipping Hunter ...
Bruno's 1st visit to the vet with us ... the kids were so concerned for him when he got the shot.
Bruno ...

Notice who Bruno's keeping his eye on ...
At the zoo with the Enole's and Gray's a couple of weeks ago! "I AM SO THIRSTY .... I WANT WATER!!!!" Good times!
Bruno the show off ....
Madi and her puppy ...
Bruno's 1st time growling was towards Owen. I wonder why ....?
Some more zoo fun ...
Best Buddies ...
The kids snail collection ...
Riding our bikes in between rain storms ....
I wish I would have put this picture in right. Quick Owen story: So Owen came and showed me the scratch marks on his nose and forehead. While looking at that, I noticed he had a thin spot of hair on top of his head. I asked him what happened and he showed me. The kid crawled on his face from one end of the hallway to the other, burnt some hair and gave himself carpet burn on his face. He is such a goof! He still does this ...
Cutest dog ever ...

End of the softball season's BBQ ...
Instead of receiving trophy's, the girls were given a cute little backpack! Good Job Mads!
Hanging out in the backyard .... and being cute about it!

We scream for ice- cream!!!

Happy Fathers Day!!

Happy Fathers Day to you Dad! Thank you for being such a sweet and kind father to me. I am so thankful for all your hard work and devotion to your family. I love you and can't wait to see you in July! Have a great day!

Ty is such a wonderful daddy to Madi, Jacob and Owen! They are so lucky to have him as their father who protects them, teaches them and most importantly loves them with an unconditional heart. If you were to ask Ty what he enjoys doing the most, he would reply "just being with my family." He is always telling us this. We have so much fun with him! The kids love the sound of the garage door going up, because they know their hero, friend and father has come home. I love how they sound when they see each after a long days work. Happy Fathers Day Daddy! We love you so much!

Ok, so maybe this is not the best picture of our family. But what else would you expect when you are at Disneyland, right!?!

Happy Anniversary Ty and Me ...

Ok ... I need to make some camera changes here! Ty and I do not have pictures of just us here in my computer. I love our wedding pictures, but am clueless how to get them on here. I wanted to show those off. Anyway, here is a picture of us after 11 years and still going strong ....
Happy Anniversary Ty! I love you so much and am so grateful to have you for my husband. You are my very best friend. I look forward to many, many more years with you! Love you ... xoxo

Owen Can Ride a Bike ... Without Training Wheels!!

After he crashed he just wanted to give up ...
Anyone who knows Ty, knows that there is NO such thing as giving up ... he was forced to try, try again. I love that you can see Ty grabbing him. What a sad face .... lol!
We threatened to give his bike to our neighbors little boy. When he heard that he just stood up and started walking his bike to his house. He told us he was giving it to Carson. We laughed. It was funna!
After some practice from Ty and I, he finally got the hang of it. One day Ty and I looked out the window and saw Owen and Jacob riding their bikes together. We showed him the way and he figured the rest out all on his own. (He really had no choice because Ty ran over one of his training wheels anyway.) =) Congtrats to you Owie Bowie ... you can ride a bike!

Field Day and the Last Day of School ...

Jacob with some of his friends. He had a fun last day of school. He got out at 10:30 and Madi was out at 12:30. Ty came home around 12:30 and took the boys golfing. Then Madi went to a birthday party/pool party and Jacob went to an end of the year "splash" party! What a fun way to top off the last day of school. We are very glad about the teachers Madi and Jacob have for next year. So far we are off to a good start of our summer vacation! Let the splashing begin ...
For Field Day we have a little carnival type activity for the students. We have games, jump house, snowies, watermelon slices, pop corn and the game where you toss the ball to make a person fall in the water. ?? But the most fun is when the Murray Firefighters come and hose down the students or anyone just standing around. It's a big hit ... the kids look forward to this every year!

This was the only time Owen laughed or seemed happy. He was having a grumpy day! You can just see a little bite of Jacob in the picture.
Madi sliding down with her friends little brother. He looks so happy!
Mr. Grumpy pants wanted nothing to do with the water.
He was drenched ... it was funny to watch.
Jacob was having so much fun! I could not find Madi. =( I wanted a picture of her too.
Anxiously waiting ...

Then this happened ...
and then this craziness happened ...
the ending results ...
The fireman without the yellow jacket is the one who we hold responsible. Madi and Jacob were just dripping wet. They wanted to hurry home to take a hot bath!

It was so FUN!!

McReady's Readers ...

One of Madi's million dreams came true in March. She has wanted to be on this wall forever. There was a moment in my life when I thought about grabbing a picture of her and gluing it to this wall. But never mind those cheating thoughts ... SHE MADE IT UP THERE ALL ON HER OWN!!! I am so happy for you My Miss Madi Girl!

Dr. Appointments ...

On Wednesday the boys had their well child check ups. I can finally start taking them at the same time. Jacob and Owen kept laughing hysterically anytime the Dr. would touch them. They are so silly. Owen then had to get 4 shots ... so that's when the crying began. Jacob was still laughing. Owen's legs were hurting so bad that he missed his tee ball practice. His coach called and asked about him ... weird. He's 4!! His legs are better now. Thank goodness!

US Air Force Week ...

It was pretty cool to watch them fly all around us this day! During the day I left the back door open so Owen could hear them fly over us. When he could hear them flying closer he would jump up and run to the back door to watch.