The Ivory Family

Delta Basketball Tournament

2010-04-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Easter Fun!

2010-04-10T18:58:00.001-07:00

Micheal gets his yellow belt

2010-03-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Micheal for getting his yellow belt. His Sensei says he is a natural! He has even started helping out teach the younger ones. Of course, I am a horrible mother for not getting him in Karate sooner. Think of where he would be if I would have gotten him in Karate in Elementary School. He would be catching flies with chopsticks now.

My little girl is growing up!

2010-02-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

For Jordan's10th Birthday, we took her to get her ears pierced. She was so excited!

Can you see the nervousness in her face on the ride up?

Picking out which earrings she will have put in.

We finished the night with dinner at Olive Garden and a big strawberry shake.

Had to show off the earrings.

Christmas videos

2009-12-31T10:32:00.000-08:00

Jordan's Christmas Dance Recital.

Christmas morning at our house. Minus the older kids who were at their dad's house.

'Tis the season....for CRAZINESS!

2009-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Cannot believe it has been Halloween since I last published a post. So sorry it has taken so long. Well, I will update you on all the Christmas happenings at our place.

Sage Christmas morning in her new dancer pajamas.

Max and his stocking full of chew toys. What a spoiled dog!

Christmas eve. Jackson and Sage found a box full of packing peanuts and decided to spread them all over the family room floor. Jack was so proud of the mess he made.

Love our Christmas tree.

Max again....what a spoiled dog.

Geeting ready to go out and play in the 20 inches of snow we got before Christmas. Reminds me of the little boy in "A Christmas Story". Two pairs of pants, two socks, two shirts, etc. She even fell down and couldn't get back up.

Jack loves playing in the snow. I hope we will be able to get those boots of him in the winter time. He will walk around the house in his shorts and snow boots.

Having too much fun in the snow.

Justin

Micheal

Jordan

Jackson. woohoo! First year we were able to get him anywhere close to Santa.

Sage not wanting anything to do with the man in the big red suit.

We are so proud of Micheal and his friend Ben receiving their brotherhood in the order of the arrow.

Mickelson Halloween party

2009-10-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Jordan's pumpkin

Jackson's pumpkin

Sage's pumpkin

Justin's pumpkin

Micheal's pumpkin

The big costume winners:
Scott and Debbie as Dog the Bounty hunter and Beth

Thanks to Leola and Glenn and the rest of the Mickelson crew for a great time Saturday! Can't wait till next year. Maybe I will come up with something better than Mario and Luigi for Jerime and I. Scott and Debbie - It's on!

Diaper cake

2009-09-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

As many of you who know me already know, I am not the craftiest person, however I wanted to do something different for a baby shower gift. I say the idea for these diaper cakes and thought I should try one myself. It wasn't too awful hard and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Dinosaur Museum in Lehi

2009-09-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun taking the kids to the museum. Jackson was so amazed by all the dinosaur bones. Lots of fun for a Labor Day weekend.

Talyn Kristie Franklin is finally here

2009-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Scott's new baby arrived last week! Such a cutie. Even though I love them when they are small, I am SOOOOO glad that we are over and done with babies. Scott is pretty proud.

The Kids first day of school

2009-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Why is it we feel the need to record this right of passage. Is it because we realize how much we spent on new clothes or is it because we realize how quickly they will grow out of them and we want something to remind us of how good they really looked when we first bought them. Well regardless, I feel the need to share.

Jackson going to preschool

Justin starting middle school

Jordan starting the fourth grade

In the early morning hours for Micheal to start High School

Justin's First Football Game

2009-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Justin's first football game was Saturday, August 22, 2009. North Sanpete (Justin's team) beat Millard 18 to 6. They did so well. Justin was really excited about playing and seemed to have so much fun. I will post updates on Justin's team progress.

Jackson loves to take pictures with the camera and on Saturday it was pictures of his feet. There were a lot of really not so great ones, but I thought this one was pretty cute. Had to slip this in.

Michael and Alexis Ivory wedding

2009-08-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

The boys goofing off at Pizza Hut

Michael and Austin

Jordan Beth

Ron's sister Leola and her daughter Debbie

Sagie poopoo head (Jackson's nickname for Sage)

Justin starts football

2009-08-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Justin starts football for the middle school. He is a left end (or something like that). He is very excited and has so much fun doing it. Jackson is excited to have more dress up stuff to play with.

A boy and his best friend

2009-08-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

After a long day of Jackson trying to ride his "horse". They are both tuckered out.

Sage's official 1st birthday pic

2009-08-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I never posted Sage's 1st birthday picture. Here you go!

A new addition to the family!

2009-07-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

No people, no more babies! We are completely happy where we are with children. After we lost Howard earlier this year, we had been wanting another dog, but wanted to wait till after all the family vacations to get one.
I had talked about maybe getting a beagle (they are so cute!) but I kept looking at pictures of Cocker Spaniels, so we decided to go that route. I went onto KSL.com and saw lots of puppies, but also saw Max who is about 20 months old. The family has a 3 year old who is unfortunately allergic to him.
We drove up with the kids to Riverton Tuesday night and met Max and the Glenn family. They sure are a great family. They were very nice and very gracious with us. We all voted and decided that we loved Max and wanted to take him home with us.
He has definitely taken really well to the kids especially Justin and Jordan. He sleeps with Jordan in her bed down at her feet. Jordan reminds me of the Glenn's daughter so maybe that is why he likes her so much. Jordan also loves taking him out for walks and playing with him. Justin is the rough-houser and is always playing hard with Max. Last night Justin was chasing Max and then Max was chasing Justin and somehow both ended up under the coffee table at a standoff over who gets the ball. Once Justin had left for football practice and Jordan went with them, Max bawled at the front door the whole time they were gone. But he is a pretty good dog and already housebroken. WOOHOO! That is definitely the best!
So, thank you to Mike, Natalie and all the kids for letting us adopt your dog!

Max's first casualty. I am definitely keeping my closet door closed at all times.

Lamb Day

2009-07-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ok - I am a loser. We rushed to get Jordan out the day the morning of Lamb Day for the parade and I forgot my camera. Then, at the program at noon at the park when they announce the Lamd Day Queens, I didn't know Jordan needed to stay in her dress that she wore on the float. oops. She was so ready to get out of her heels and into tennis shoes and a pony tail. I hope 10 years down the road she will forgive me.

This was so funny of Kyle, I just had to post it.

Little Miss Lamb Day Competition

2009-07-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Jordan took Queen in the 6-9 year-old age category for the Little Miss Lamb Day Competition. She was so nervous, but loved every minute of it. I never did this kind of stuff when I was younger, so it is really weird to be doing it now. I was such a tomboy. She is such a girly girl it cracks me up. So make sure to check her out on the Lamb Day float! I included video of her in competition for those who could not make it.

Jordan and Kaylee and Camrey Taylor who took Queen in the 10-12 and 3-5 age groups

Jordan, Keylee, Camrey and the Lamb Day Royalty Cheyenne Nebeker, Queen; Toni Christensen, 1st Attendant; and Tiffany Taylor, 2nd Attendant.

Cousin Amanda Ivory, Miss Lamb Day 2006, coached Jordan in her poses and her speeches. She also did her hair and makeup. She was so proud.

Jordan's introduction

Jordan's speech and walk

Announcement of winners.

Mount Rushmore Trip - Last Day

2009-06-18T08:19:00.001-07:00

On our last Day in Rapid City, after we checked out of our hotel room, we decided to hit a park that we had heard was really fun. It had all these play areas for the kids based on children stories or things like that. They had a pirate ship to play on and even the three little pigs and their homes. Again, it was still wet and rainy, but the kids needed to get out and run around.

Mount Rushmore Trip - Day Four

2009-06-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

We ended up getting pretty lucky while in South Dakota. They were doing a special Memorial Day blasting on Crazy Horse. So we packed up the kids and headed out to watch them blow it up. We thought it would be bigger, but how often do you get to be a part of something like this? If you watch the video, it is amazing to see how long between when we see the explosion and when you see the shockwave hit us.

Mount Rushmore Trip - Day Three

2009-06-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

So on this rainy day three, we decided to hit Bear Country USA in the morning and this really neat water park in the afternoon. Bear Country USA was kind of fun, but where you are not allowed to roll down your windows due to the bears just running around everywhere and it was raining, we really had a hard time seeing the bears due to the rain on our windows. But all in all, everyone had tons of fun!

The water park was really fun. They had lots of slides and a big lazy river that even had rapids and waterfalls. Jackson loved the jungle gym water park part of it and the best part was that it was all indoors! Good thing too since it rained all day.

Ok...this may be mean, but this is Sage having her first sour patch kid. She wasn't impressed.

Our trip to Mount Rushmore

2009-06-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

We decided to take a family trip to Mount Rushmore. 12 hours, one way, 5 kids, one suburban. Starting to feel sorry for Jerime and I aren't ya! It wasn't too bad. Although there is nothing in Wyoming!

There were so many tunnels to drive through. This is a great double tunnel. We are going through the first one and then sunlight and then the next tunnel.
Crazy wild burros would jump in your car if they could to get something to eat.

What is my obsession with funny photos at famous landmarks? I just had to get one of everyone doing something funny. Jordan kissing George Washington

Micheal picking G.W. nose
Justin and G.W.

Jerime looking so very official.

It was kind of cold and rainy the first day, but here we are! I feel a little like the Griswalds.

What? I will have a child in High School next year?

2009-06-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

So proud of my choir boy!

Wait a minute! When did I grow up and become old enough to have a child in High School. The kids laugh at me when I tell them I really am a cool and still very hip mother. (Surprisingly the same way I laughed at my mother. Hmmm......)

Justin's 6th grade graduation

2009-06-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

So I absolutely hate this picture of me, but Justin looks pretty good in it, so I will go ahead and post this. So proud that he passed! Let's cross our fingers for middle school. More girls to choose from may distract him even more.

Jackson's 3rd birthday party

2009-06-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Jackson's new favorite tractor book from Aunt Leola.

I wonder whose idea it was to get him a toy backhoe for his birthday. No electricity with it. It is a pedal backhoe, but he loves digging things with it.

Now this is where I pat myself on the back and think of how creative I am. Didn't have time to bake a cake or anything, and the ones at the bakery were not very cute. So I grabbed the best thing I could, crushed up Oreos and made dirt out of them and bought a toy bulldozer from the toy/candy aisle and slapped it on the cake. The funny part is that after I congratulate myself on being Mother of the Year, I left the cake on the counter. When I came back to put candles in, I noticed that someone had driven the bulldozer over the cake and had left track marks in the frosting. Jackson just couldn't help himself!

We had family over to celebrate Jackson's 3rd birthday. Finally he is able to understand what is going on and he gets excited about opening presents.

May Day Dance

2009-06-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Jerime and his interpretation of The Macarena. I do have video of this if anyone is looking for a great laugh!

Jordan and Justin had their May Day Dance program May 15 at the Fountain Green Elementary School. Jackson seemed too tuckered out to enjoy the show, but it looks as if everyone else had loads of fun!

Sage turns 1

2009-05-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

My how time flies! It seems like yesterday that we found out we were pregnant and now she is turning one. We didn't have a huge affair. We invited some of the cousins and grandparents over for hamburgers, hotdogs, cake and ice cream. We started to grill, but it started raining, so we brought the party inside.

She was quite different from Jackson when it came time to eating her birthday cake. She dug right in, especially when she got her first taste of the icing. She had a lot of fun and was really cute.

Saint George Solo Dance Competition. She takes 1st Place!

2009-04-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

Jordan and her cousin Madison

Jordan and her good friend Olivia. They took first and second.

Phew! Another year passed and the competitions are over. Saint George was great. It is always a little vacation for us. We take all the kids to the warm weather and go swimming when we can. This year Jordan did a jazz solo and took 1st place. She did great and we are so proud of her.

2009-04-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Jackson with his bag of goodies

Sage and her Easter egg

If you thought Jackson was bad with Santa, you should have seen how scared he was of an overgrown bunny!

Getting ready for the big event!

Can't believe I was able to get him to smile. What a cutie! Totally looks like an Ivory.

Justin's Easter eggs

Jackson's eggs with a little help from dad.

Jordan's glittery eggs

Micheal's batch of eggs

My attempt at creating something cute.

Easter went over without a hitch. It was cold and even snowing when we left for the Nephi Easter Egg Hunt, but all turned out well in the end. I think it brings out the creative side for us and the kids to try and come up with something different for the eggs. Remember I am a math person, not artistic. Writing a cute A.I. + J.I. is pretty impressive for me. I did make it glittery too. Do I get extra points for that?

Don't call child welfare services on us!

2009-04-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Jerime was teaching Justin how to shave for the first time. He managed to only get the one cut, but it was a bleeder. Oh how quickly they grow up!

Spanish Fork Team Competition

2009-04-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Jordan and her friend Olivia Hansen.

They took 1st place on their pirate routine. The group also took 1st on their hip-hop dance.

The girls took 4th place on their jazz routine.

This was at the Spanish Fork Dance Competition this past March. We have the Saint George Competition comingup Aptil 17th and 18th.

Spanish Fork Competition

2009-03-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is Jordan at the solo competition Friday, March 27. She did pretty good and took 3rd attendant.

Trip back to South Carolina

2009-03-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Heather and Scott
All five of us kids and my dad

Scott and Nancy

Me and Scott

Tracy, Heather and Dad

Yates and Nancy

Me, Dad and Heather at the cemetery where my grandfather is buried and their church in Winnsboro, SC behind us.

Dad and Aunt Nancy

I made an emergency trip back to Columbia, South Carolina as my grandmother was passing away. I arrived in SC at 4 on Friday, March 20 and went straight to Oma's apartment. We were able to spend time with her. She was not able to communicate and only opened her eyes for a brief second, but I knew she knew we were there. She ended up passing away at 3:15 am that next morning. I left on Monday and the funeral was Tuesday, but I am glad I was there before she passed. We helped clean out her apartment, type an obituary and even got her cat out of the apartment. So many things to talk about, but it was great seeing family and finding out more about my grandparents than I ever thought I knew. Such passionate wonderful people. I have the privilege of scanning in all the letters and pictures she saved. She saved every letter, card, article. Everything! Letters from my grandfather to her before they were married and from WW2 and Korea. Such a great love story. A huge task, but one that is worth it!

Micheal in the NBA in 2017

2009-03-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Micheal just finished his basketball season. He did really great and is a really good three point shooter. He and Justin practice downstairs in the basement with laundry baskets. It's not as if we do not have a basketball hoop, it is just covered with snow.

Some metal for breakfast?

2009-03-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Jordan took first place for the third grade for her science fair project. She took breakfast cereal and blended it with water and then used a magnet and took out all the iron in the cereal and compared all the cereals to see which cereal had the most iron. Which cereal was it? Cookie Crisp.

Jordan's accident

2009-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Jordan's finger after a month.

As many of you know, on February 3rd, Jordan had a bad accident. Her grandfather was picking up all the kids from school. Ron is handicapped and is in a wheelchair so he drives a big van with automatic closing doors. Justin got into the back of the van and pushed the button to close the automatic doors. At the same time, Jordan was climbing into the front seat and had her hand just on the inside of the automatic doors.

The door closed on her left ring finger and almost severed the top of her finger. Ron rushed her home where Jerime immediately took her to the Emergency room in Nephi. I met him there right as they arrived. They hooked her up with an IV and gave her morphine while they took x-rays. She had definitely crushed her bone both horizontally and vertically. The ER doctor instructed us to take her immediately to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City which is about a 2 hour drive from our house. Primary Children's is a hospital in renowned in the west for its children's services. The ER had already called ahead to the ER at PCH and let them know she was on the way.

Once we arrived, they called in a plastic surgeon to work on Jordan's finger. She had crushed her bone in the top of her finger and had severed her tendon and main artery in her finger. Dr. Spann gave her 12 stitches and splinted her finger. Since her bone was in so many pieces, there was no way to try and stabilize her bone to make sure it healed right. We would just have to wait and and see.

I am happy to report that after 6 weeks, her tendon has reattached, her bones appear to be healing perfectly and she is doing wonderfully. She goes to physical therapy twice a week to make sure she gains full use of her finger back.

Snow fun with the Mikkelsens

2009-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

We always have our annual Christmas party with Ron's sister and her children and grandchildren. We took them sledding in Fountain Green. I hope to make this an annual tradition. Not too many wipe outs.

Santa comes to Fountain Green

2008-12-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

Jackson absolutely is frightened of Santa. He did not want to go near him at all! He started screaming and crying and held onto Jerime for dear life. Sad, but really funny at the time. He has a box full of bags of candy, nuts and oranges for the kids.Now Sage, on the other hand, will go with a perfect stranger and not care at all. Guess who got her bag of candy? I like the gummy things they put in there.

Micheal, Justin and Jordan wanted nothing to do with Santa when he stopped in for a visit. I even tried to take a picture of all of them. No dice. Oh well, I guess that is less presents under the tree for them!

Turkey Time!

2008-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Papa, Jackson and Kyle
Jackson's riding buddy. He loves to drive around that motorized wheelchair.

Isn't she a doll!

Uncle Brandon

Aunt Patty

Ok, I know I am a loser. Really late on the postings. I am really sorry, but I have been busy. We spent Thanksgiving with Jerime's family and we had a great time. Everyone wanted to play with Sage, she had on a new light green and white outfit with elephants. It was really cute till she threw up red jello and stained it. oh well.

The Husband Brag Tag! Jerime

2008-11-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

1. Where Did You Meet?

I was at work and he came into the office to fix a door for his parents who owned the building. His mom and Aunt officially hooked us up.

2. How Long Did You Date Before You Were Married?

We dated for a year before we got married. 3. How Long Have You Been Married?

We celebrated our 6th anniversary last August. It has been 7 wonderful years with him. I am so lucky.

4. What is one thing he does that surprises you?

He is good at everything! I mean everything. From fixing cars to decorating the kitchen. Is there anything this superman can't do?

5. What is your favorite feature about him?

How can I pick just one? He has the most amazing eyes that light up when he smiles.

6. What is your favorite quality about him?

He is so dang funny. Well, not as funny as me, but still funny! I also love that he is a hard worker. He never complains and always gives 110%. His bosses always loved him because they got their money's worth plus more.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

Not really. When he is in a really good mood and is playful, he calls me baby...but he draws the word out like: baaaaby with a big grin on his face. I always know what that means.

8. What is his favorite color?

Blue

9. What is his favorite food?

He really likes Mexican

10. What is his favorite sport?

Not really into sports, but we like to watch the jazz every now and then. Plus the Superbowl is fun. or anything that the kids are doing.

11. Who said "I love you" first?

I am pretty sure I did and I think I waited a while after I knew that I loved him.

12. When and Where was your first kiss?

It was after our first date. I am pretty sure he gave me a kiss goodbye in the car. He is a really good kisser. Sometimes I nixed guys for more dates based upon their kiss alone. Couldn't date a guy who is a lousy kisser.

13. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

We like to go to dinner together or shopping. We like just hanging out together.

14. Do you have kids?
He had Coltin, I had Micheal, Justin and Jordan and together we have Jackson and Sage. We are so lucky that we have great kids. Now if we could just get Jackson potty trained. 5. What is a hidden talent of his?

Cabinet making. He doesn't get to do it that often, but he is really talented and is a perfectionist.

16. How old is he?

He is 34.

17. What do you admire most about him?

He is so patient with the kids. I don't know how he does it. Also, he is willing to help others out. Anywhere and everywhere. We went to Sam's club and I was walking to the store and noticed he wasn't beside me. I looked to find him and he had gone over to help some people load a mattress and box springs.

18. What is his favorite past time?

OK....I know this may sounds weird, but he really likes to work. Especially on our yard. He is always wanting to make it look perfect. Moving big boulders, making steps out of rocks, etc.

19. What is his favorite kind of music?

Classic Rock! Tom Petty is his favorite.

20. Do you think he will read this?

I hope so. He deserves all the good, warm, fuzzy feelings he can get!

I now tag Sarah, Tina and Mary Dawn

Redneck limo

2008-11-21T08:46:00.001-08:00

I know the picture isn't very good, but this was too funny! This is a stretch limousine towing an auto trailer with a motorcycle on it. Totally cracked me up!

Yes Boys....she is single!

2008-11-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

I promised Angela I would post this of her. We kept teasing her at dinner (quite relentlessly) about being single. We tried to hook her up with the waiter, but he was kind of short. Ok...so here it is: Great gal seeking great guy! She is smart, and seeks a guy who is on the taller side and has meat on his bones. Do you like pina coladas? Getting caught in the rain? Are you not into yoga? Do you have half a brain? Just teasing. She is a great gal! We wish her the best!

Girl's shopping trip

2008-11-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, there was 11 sane women about to embark on a shopping adventure.....

Debbie and Charlie at Krispy Kreme

Tiffany and Michelle again at Krispy Kreme notice the hot sign above the ladies stating the obvious.... HOT!

Madison I. and this totally cool life size Lego star wars guy made out of the little Legos. Princess Lea in the making?

Michelle and Angel and Karla shoving corn dog sticks up their noses at the mall. (It was starting to get pretty late!)

Aunt Leola at the Olive Garden. Tiffany was cracking all of us up and Aunt Leola couldn't stop laughing.

Madison T. and Charlie displaying our great Christmas socks. We all bought these goofy Christmas socks that light up on the side when you walk. We hiked up our pants, put our Krispy Kreme hats on and went to Olive Garden for dinner. I think we got out of there about 11 pm. I am pretty sure the waiter thought we had all been drinking.

Thanks Jared for taking this picture of all of us!

This past Saturday, we went with Jerime's dad's side of the family to go Christmas shopping. We met at 8:30 for breakfast and then it all went down hill from there. The longer we were shopping, the crazier we got. We made stops all over town and even made sure to hit the local Krispie Kreme. We ended the night at Olive Garden where we harassed a poor waiter. Sorry Jared, but thanks for providing the laughs. I think all of us had a great time and I look forward to next year.

Veteran's Day Activities

2008-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

My nephew Kyle is all the way to the left. He helped present the flag at both the Elementry and Middle School programs.
Justin as Andrew Jackson

Jordan just before the pledge of allegiance.

We had two Veteran's Day programs to go to. The first was the Elementry School's Veteran's Day play which is always very good. Both Justin adn Jordan did very well. Then we went over to Moroni for Micheal's middle school presentation. He is in the choir at school, so they sang a couple of songs and had a video presentation and a member of the National Guard come and talk to everyone. They sang some very beautiful songs. I tried to get a good picture of Micheal, but the lights were turned down, so you can't see anything.

Bathing Beauties.

2008-11-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

As you can see in the background, I had just finished feeding Sage dinner. She really likes to grab everything, including her food. So she was quite messy. I figured, might as well bathe her int he kitchen sink. Jackson came along and was quite jealous of her swimming in the sink, so I put him in as well. They were just so cute together, I had to get this picture.

Santa lives in Utah!

2008-11-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

We were on our way to the Utah Jazz game Saturday night, when we came upon this vehicle in south of Payson on the freeway. I about died! I made Jerime follow him, speeding up and slowing down so I could take pictures. I think everyone on the free way was getting mad becuase we were holding up traffic, but really, how often do you get to see Santa when he is not working. Even his license plate says SANTA. How can I argue with the State of Utah who issued him the plate? It must be true!

Halloween!

2008-11-03T09:28:00.001-08:00

Jordan trying on Jackson's outfit.

Jackson hates it.

Justin

Jordan, Jackson and Dage

Jordan and Jackson coming down the slide at the Halloween Carnival.

The day before Halloween, we thought maybe it would be a good idea to try the halloween costumes on just to make sure they fit. Jackson wanted nothing to do with his lion and screamed aytime we came near him with it. After an hour, we were finally able to bribe him into trying his costume on with a ride in the car. It actually worked. He turned out pretty cute. Justin went as a hippie ninja (don't ask) and Jordan went as a zombie bride. She loves dressing up as scary things. i think she gets tired of being cute all the time. Micheal went over to his friend's house for the night and didn't trick or treat. I don't blame him, he is 13.

The End of Football.

2008-10-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

I love this picture!

Miss Jordan

Micheal says I don't have enough pictures of him on my blog. I agree. We need more Micheal. Hmm.... I think he is having friends spend the night tomorrow night....maybe I should take pictures then!

Well, we are done! The season has ended. We are finally over with the flag football season. Justin was quarterback this season, which was a lot of fun for him. He loves to practice throwing and he actually has a pretty good arm. He had a lot of fun this year as he got to learn a bunch of fun plays. So on to basketball. Micheal will be playing that this year. I like going to the games, but it always seems to be snowing really hard when they have games at night. I like the snow...I just hate driving in it. Then after basketball, Jordan will have her dance competitions. Those are always exciting. I really enjoy them, but the boys hate it. The only time they come is if I allow them to go to the big girl's competition in the next gym and then they hang out and check out the girls dancing. They are even getting too big to tease them about that.

The Ivory Family Pumpkin carving party

2008-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Jerime, Micheal, Jackson and Madison burying Justin under the leaves.

Justin carving his pumpkin and Jordan in the background with the blue shirt on.

Jackson getting the guts out of the pumpkin.

The whole crew and their pumpkins.

Jackson taking a turn at the pinata.

We all had so much fun at the party. Jackson really got into the pumpkin carving part of it for the first time. The older kids prepared by going online and getting ideas for their pumpkins ahead of time. We look forward to this every year. It was great to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles and see how much they have grown. Thanks to everyone for a great time!

Friday Night Bunco Party

2008-10-27T09:21:00.001-07:00

Tamara Taylor and her sister Kathy Taylor.

Julee Nielson, Brenda Madson and Teresa Larsen

Joan and Trish Langford

Tammy Bailey, me and Cassie Stephens

We had our monthly Bunco party for the ladies Friday night. Everyone dressed up and we even had a costume contest. Kathy Taylor won. She looked great. But everyone really dressed up really good this year. They really go all out fo this. Just for the record, I am not a ghost, I am a greek statue. I am wearing a toga. Maybe I should change it to a ghost, but I thought I was being clever with the greek statue thing. Thank you to Jerime for doing my hair and makeup! By the way, I really liked Cassie's outfit. She is Texas hold 'em.

Melissa Bird's wedding

2008-10-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Jerime's grandmother Lucille Bryan. I absolutely adore her. She is the funniest lady around.
Jerime's mother's family including everyone except for Linda.

Melissa and Mike Bastian

Jerime is such a cute dad!

Jerime and his grandma.

I thought this was a great pic of Jerime's aunt Walleen and his grandmother. Two beauties.

October 23, Jerime's cousin Melissa got married. We had a great time getting together with everyone and having fun. Plus the food was really good.

Been very, very busy! Melissa's Bridal shower.

2008-10-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I crack myself up! If I get invited to a bridal shower, be prepared. I do not deliver the safe stuff! I bring out the naughty things. So I prepared this poem using candy bars and a gift certificate for a massage and one for a pedicure and some papsi money. See if you can figure it out. NOT FOR YOUNG EYES.

Hippie Day at the Elementary School

2008-10-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

I know it is not Halloween yet, but it was Red Ribbon Week last week and they had different themes for each day. Red Ribbon Week is to help the kids live a drug free life. Thursday was Hippie Day and the kids had a lot of fun playing the part.

A nice lazy weekend

2008-10-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

We had a nice quiet weekend. We took the older kids up to their dad's house for the weekend and just hung out around the house. I did do some cleaning, but nothing major. I took these pictures Saturday night. Jackson can be so funny. He took his Superman hat and put it on Sage's head and just cracked up laughing. He thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. I had to agree with him and snapped these pictures to share with ya'll. Enjoy!

Firefighter Jerime

2008-10-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows, we live in a small town. Jerime serves on the volunteer fire department. So, when the FedEx truck catches on fire, it is a big deal in this little community. Luckily I was there to catch the end of all the action. Ok, what really happened is Jerime was on his way to take Micheal to his Parent Teacher conference and got the page about the fire. The entire truck was engulfed in flames and everything is melted. You can even see how the trees behind the truck caught on fire. Luckily it was at the end of the day and he didn't have many packages left. In the bottom picture, you can even see Jerime on the left bending over and Micheal on the right. Kind of exciting!

And the Million Dollar Questions is.........

2008-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Did Sage eat most of her squash or did she wear more of her squash?

I am sorry, but isn't my little stinker just so dang cute. They are almost like puppies, really cute and fun until they become teenagers. Did anyone notice what is written on her bib? It is one of Jackson's old bibs and it says "little man". How lazy of me. My last little girl and I don't have a cutesy bib for her. She is wearing flowers underneath that bib. Do I get any points for that? I know what you all are thinking... Mother of the Year!

New Bikes for the Family

2008-09-19T15:25:00.001-07:00

Justin's new bike. By the way, it is mismatch clothes day at school.

Jordan's new bike. She did not want one with the tassels hanging off the end of the handlebars. She is too cool for that.

Jackson got his own jacket on (a little too small for him) and was bummed out when he was not allowed to go bike riding to school with the kids.

Had to update ya'll with pictures of the kids and their new bikes. Micheal is heading out for a scout overnight campout and then riding 15 miles the next day in the mountains. So they all had to get new bikes. They were very excited to ride them to school. So we will probably see a lot of bike riding this weekend.

Farmer John.... I mean Jackson

2008-09-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a really cute picture of Jackson. He is at grandma and grandpa's house. He is trying to get the riding lawnmower started. Jerime just about had to drag him off of it to come home. I guess I won't have to worry about who will be the one to mow the lawn when Jerime and I are too old to do it.

Jordan makes headlines!

2008-09-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

I received the newspaper and immediately thought...hey, I recognize that harvest art. congratulations to Jordan. Her harvest Art made front page news at The Pyramid newspaper. She took the newspaper to school for show and tell. Can you tell she doesn't have any self esteem issues. Hopefully we will continue to make the news headlines in a good way.

Sage's bite of real food (ok it is not real food, but it is better than formula)

2008-09-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Before the big event....she has no idea what is coming.

The first bite.

Now that it is over and done with, she doesn't look too happy, does she?

So we decided that it was time for Sage to try her first bite of real food. I planned it carefully. I waited til she was hungry, but not so hungry that she would get frustrated with tryng to eat. She loves sitting in the high chair when the rest of the family is eating. She really enjoys being around others. She really didn't like eating though. Poor thing. Jerime teased me about giving her rice cereal to start off with. I told him that it was perfect for a first time eater. He thinks I am trying to convert all the kids to southern style eating. I told him that he was going to be in trouble in heaven for giving Jordan milk and sugar in her grits. We shall see in the end who is right!

Labor day fun at the Pool

2008-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Jackson and Jerime about ready to leave for the pool. Jackson has an obsession with sunglasses right now. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Twins" with Arnold Schwarzenager and Danny DeVito.

Justin relaxing. Life is so tough for an eleven year old boy.

Jackson, again, with his shades. He even swam with them.

Our 16 year old nephew T.C, attempting to take on Jerime in a wet noodle fight. Hmm.....I wonder who is going to win. Jerime is such a kid at heart.

Micheal taking Jerime on in a wet noodle fight.

Since it was going to rain Sunday and Monday, we decided to take our Labor Day fun on Saturday and took everyone down to the pool in Manti. It is really great for the little kids (and obviously for the big kids in the family). It was also Jerime and my anniversay. It has been a great 6 years of marriage. He is really a great guy and I am so thankful for him in my life.

Harvest Arts at Fountain Green Elementary

2008-08-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Justin's two drivers on a road. He created his using a yam, squash, carrots, zucchini, radishes, broccoli and red and yellow peppers.

Jordan created a kid reading a book at home by his lamp using squash, zucchini, carrots, red peppers, ginger and broccoli.

The Elementary School has a tradition of having the kids gather up food that has been grown and creating something fun out of it. It is not required, but they have a contest to see who can be the most creative. The kids have tons of fun because they get to play with their food. Jerime helped Justin and Jordan with their little projects cutting out the cardboard for their masterpieces. What talented kids I have!

Slacker Abby, Happy Birthday Micheal!

2008-08-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sage hanging out underneath her play gym thingy. She looks impressed doesn't she. Little girl needs a new pair of shoes.....that always cheers me up!

Jordan showing off her new bed she got this weekend. We took out the big bunkbeds we had in there becuase it was crowing out her room and she needs some serious space for her dancing trophies.

Micheal getting ready to take on Jerime in Wii Table Tennis

Jackson's new big boy bed. He is not impressed with it at all. He will only get on it to turn the little cement mixer lamp on and off.

Justin tried several poses before settling on this one for me. He wanted to look so natural. He cracks me up.

Jackson found Jordan's hair accessory drawer. He is fascinated with the digital camera and asked me (in his non-talking way) to take his picture.

So I was recently informed by a long time friend that I am a slacker for not updating my blog. With summer coming to an end...it has been kind of boring lately and honestly I left my camera at the office. So last night I took the camera home and took updated pictures of everyone. Jerime was not impressed with my reason for wanting to take his picture. It was Micheal's birthday yesterday. He turned the ever exciting 13.We had already celebrated it with family on Sunday, so we decided to have pizza and play Micheal's new Wii game "Mario and Sonic at the Olympics" last night. It was a lot of fun. I took care of Sage and Jackson and laughed at Micheal, Justin, Jordan and Jerime pretending to run on a track. By the way, we found a new thing that Jackson will say: "yucky poo poo". He loves to say it and giggles whenever he does. We hope it leads to new adventures in the potty training department, but I am not holding my breath. Take care everyone!

The Ivory Family visits the Hogle Zoo

2008-08-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Jackson looks like he is about to be eaten.

Jordan on the carousel.

From left to right Jackson, Jerime, Justin and Micheal on the carousel.

Mary (Grandma) and Sage riding the carousel.

Coltin and Ron (Grandpa) getting ready for a scooter race.

Jackson totally fascinated with the little monkey.

So this past weekend, we took the family up to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. Other than it being extremely hot, we all had a lot of fun. Jackson was really cute to watch as he saw all these cool animals for the first time in real life instead of a book. He had been preparing for a week, making all the animal sounds, so it was real cute to watch him. Coltin, Micheal and Justin were all a great help pushing Jackson around in his stroller while Jerime and I took care of Sage. I think all the kids favorite was the "ghost of the bayou" white alligator. They talked about it all night long. Sage didn't get much out of the experience and we spent most of the time trying to make sure she was cooled down. But all in all, we all agreed it was a lot of fun.

School Clothes Shopping

2008-07-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, Micheal, Justin, Jordan and I embarked on our annual school clothes shopping trip this past Saturday. It is a marathon day of shopping for school outfits, shoes, bookbags and pencils. I figure if I do it all in one day...then I won't have to do it again til Christmas time. After taking over an hour with Justin trying to find the right tennis shoes, I decided that I was an angel for my mother. I didn't have to have $80 Nikes or the runnning shoes with a computer chip in them that links with your ipod. I didn't have to the absolute best outfit with the latest trends in clothing. I didn't have to have the $50 backpack that only costs that much because it has a 1 inch Nike swoosh on the front of the backpack. I liked shopping at the Gap and Banana Republic, but I always went for the clearance items. I figure 10 shirts for $50 was better than one shirt for $50. So much more to wear. Jordan has also become picky about what clothes she will wear and/or buy. I kept suggesting items for her and she made this face at me like "you must have gone crazy mother, I would never be caught dead in that outfit." Let me remind you she is only 8. Micheal on the other hand was quite happy with buying three versions of the same shirt in different colors. He decided on white shoes and even pointed out that his shoes were only $30. (Maybe I could take the extra money he saved me and buy him a video game.) So for all you out there interested in my life... does anyone need a mortgage? Evidently I need to save money for the $110 shoes that have scientificly created bouncy things in them that make an 11 year old jump higher. And everyone knows that this will give him the edge he needs in playing basketball with his 15 year old brother.

Lamb Day

2008-07-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

Micheal and his troop at the flag raising ceremony. Micheal is on the stairs on the right side, second from the top. Micheal raised the Air Force flag. You can see the line in the back for breakfast.

Jerime's Aunt Leola, holding Sage, and his Uncle Bob waiting for the parade to start.

Jerime, Jackson, Justin and Jordan collecting candy thrown at the parade.

Jordan watching the competition at the Mutton Bustin' event

Jordan and her friend Hailey waiting to ride the sheep.

The big day finally arrived. Lamb Day is the big town celebration and we go at least double our 1000 people town. I starts off with a breakfast and flag raising ceremony, then a parade, then festivities at the town park. As a family, we all gather in the shade of a tree and just visit with everyone from town and relatives who came for the occasion. Last year Jordan participated in the Mutton Bustin' event. Kids ages 5 to 8 ride a sheep just like the big guys ride a bull. The whole idea is to hang on for dear life. She had a blast last year and wanted badly to do it again. This was her last year and she did really good. Go to www.youtube.com/sweetscgrl to watch her mutton bustin'.

Lamb Day Play

2008-07-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

In our little town of 1000 people, we have an annual celebration that has been going on for 76 years. It is called Lamb Day. It is to celebrate the heritage of raising sheep; which there is still a lot of in the area. They started last year putting on a play by the residents. This year's theme is The History of Dance. Jordan was asked to dance with a group representing the Charleston. She did such a good job. They had three performances and I had to record it to share with you. She starts out as the girl in the green top the second from the left. Go to www.youtube.com/sweetscgrl to see her dance.

Happy 60th birthday Dad!

2008-07-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

One tuckered out little girl. Sage has grown so much so quickly.

Scott taking his turn with the sponge relay

Mandi and Faith. Looks like Faith found some water balloons.

Dad on the left, Jordan on the right and Jackson in the middle running (well, tripping) just for the heck of it.

We had a sponge relay. You had to get your sponge wet and race to the other side of the yard and fill up another bucket. It was so much fun to watch the adults running!

Jackson on the swim park.

It was love at first sight - My dad and Sage - Check out my dad's t-shirt. It says "Party like a rock star" How appropriate.

My dad turned 60 on Sunday. He flew into Utah for business, so we decided to help him celebrate with a birthday party. Scott, Mandi and their daughter Faith came along with my sister, Heather, Dan and their kids Caroline, Tacie, Garrett, Cooper and Macey. We had the party at my sister's house. It was so much fun. Heather had her huge inflatable swim park up and we played lots of games. Everyone was so tuckered out.

The Ute Stampede Rodeo

2008-07-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

This bucking bronc got really close to us. The kids loved it!

The crew before the stomach turning rides.

Jackson at the Merry-go-round

It was a very busy weekend for us. Friday was the start of the Ute Stampede Rodeo in Nephi where I have my office. It is a lot of fun and we get to spend a lot of time as a family. We start off with the parade at 4 p.m. and then our family gets with Jerime's brother's family and his parents and we have pizza in the park. Then we head over to the carnival for fun. After that it is the rodeo. We are always front and center. It can get a little scary with a bucking bronc or bull getting right up to the fence and kicking dirt at us. After the rodeo, I take the little ones home and Jerime stays up with the older kids riding the rides until midnight. Everyone is so tired the next day, but it is always so much fun. There will be several postings over the next couple of days becuase of all the exciting things happening around here. So, check back often!

Little Miss Lamb Day competition

2008-07-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

I was a big tomboy growing up and only wanted to play army or ride my bike with my brothers. Jordan, however, is all girl. She was Little Miss Lamb Day three years ago and we have avoided the whole competition since then. It just makes me so nervous. She loves it though. So the theme this year was Hollywood. So she dressed up in a cute dress with leggings and sang the glamorous song by Fergie while doing poses for each letter. It was really cute. Unfortunately she didn't win, but that is ok for me! Just makes the Lamb Day parade kind of crazy with trying to pick her up at the end of the parade. We all had fun and will probably be doing this again this time next year.

The Crocodile Hunter Lives!

2008-07-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

So last week Jerime calls me at work very excited. He asks me to guess what he just did. I have absolutely no clue. He is sometimes a bigger kid than the kids. He goes on to tell me that his brother called him over to his house (he lives next door) where he shows him a 3 foot long blow snake. Then he goes on to tell me that he brought the snake over to our house where he let the kids pet it and then let it go into our back yard. Micheal got out the camera and recorded a great impression of Jerime as the Crocodile Hunter including the Australian accent. I hate snakes! I can't believe that he thought it would be a "good idea" to keep a snake around the house, especially with Jackson who is only 2. Luckily the snake was gone by the time I got home, but I thought I would share the drama at our house.

2008-06-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to include pictures of Sage's blessing June 1st. Grandma Mary got her the prettiest blessing dress and it came with a bow that actually fit her little head. Everyone looked so perfect that I had to take a picture. So there they are... Jerime is holding Sage, Micheal is holding Jackson, Jordan is to the left of Jerime and Justin is to the right of Micheal. You can even catch my reflection in the window.

First Posting!

2008-06-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not much of a blogger...but it seems everyone is doing it these days. I actually thought this would be easier to post pictures here rather than sending pictures through email to everyone. Sage has acutally started sleeping in! She has skipped her 3 a.m. feeding the past two nights in a row. I am not counting on a repeat performance for tonight, but hopefully I will be surprised. I thought I would include some cute newborn pictures of Sage and Jackson. I hope everyone enjoys!