Derek turned 9!

Ah, for crying out loud! I never posted for Derek's 9th birthday and now it's already Kaleb's 12th! So, I'll post about Derek's 9th first.


Derek turned 9 on July 3. He was so excited to be 9, it was fun to be infected with his anticipation and enthusiasm. His day was on Sunday this year, so we attended church and had a small party here at home since all the local family was out of town. Later in the week we got together with Mom and Dad Scott, Brennan and Tracie, and cousins for a celebration for Derek and Emree. Emree is my niece and she turned 4 on July 5th. They both chose to eat at "The Habit" downtown and had a great meal. Then we went to Mom and Dad's for cake, ice cream, and gifts.

The big birthday day was the 9th of July when Derek was able to invite a small number of friends to a pool party at Avila Hot Springs. It was so much fun! The kids all had a blast! They even loved the cake despite the fact that the snack bar smashed the cake on accident. What's a party without one thing just not working out right, right? :)

So, it was a big birthday celebration for Derek!

Here's 9 reasons I love Derek so extraordinarily:

1. His inclusiveness of all around him.
2. His infectious laugh.
3. How much he loves learning about business matters with his dad.
4. How he could sell a plain Popsicle stick to anyone, it's hard to say "no" to a little face like his.
5. His desire to get everything done perfectly.
6. How much he loves everything and everyone with his whole heart.
7. He loves reading, as long as he doesn't have to sit for too long. :)
8. How analytical his mind is, especially in Math.
9. When I think of his smile and handsome little face, it makes me smile!

Sure love you Derek! You are such an amazing person, friend, and child! Thanks for being a part of our family!!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!

Logan, sweet Logan, is now 6 years old! When I woke up and told him happy birthday he said, "I can't believe I'm 6!!" He's been counting down the days and weeks for this day! He was able to go to school today, thank goodness. He's had a fever for the last 4 days. I was so glad he was fever free this morning! It would be so sad to miss school and not be able to see all your friends.

My amazing Logan is such a blessing to have in our family. I am so grateful he was sent to us. His loving charm still catches so many peoples hearts. He's our angel, with a bit of a temper and silliness, sent from above!

Happy Birthday my amazing Logan!

Here are just a few of the reasons why I love you!

1. Your silly disposition, loving to make others laugh
2. Your intelligence and memory
3. How easily you come out of your angry funks, still
4. Your desire to ALWAYS be playing with a friend from school
5. How you know what you want and can voice to anyone exactly what you want
6. Your knowledge of good and bad, Christ, and the gospel!
I love you little man!!

Tyler's in the double digits now

My amazing Tyler turned 10 on January 13th! He's so much fun to have around! He tries to be as goofy as possible, sometimes in wrong situations, but he's such a card it's hard to get mad at him. Will was in Seattle for Tyler's birthday so he ended up with quite a few nights of celebration to make up for Will being gone. On Tuesday we went out to eat at Franks with Mom and Dad then we came back to the house to hang out for a while. On Thursday Mom and Dad took us out to McDonald's for dinner (totally unexpected) and I had purchased some mini chocolate chip muffins from Costco to give him a little birthday celebration that night. He got a couple small gifts from his brothers that night, too. It was a lot of fun!


I made his birthday cake Saturday night so we could have it for the Sunday whole family celebration. Well, Will and Logan ended up getting sick on Sunday so we postponed the celebration for Monday at lunch time since it was MLK Jr day and there wasn't any school or work for the men. Tyler kept asking for Nintendo DS games for his gifts, well, I had something else in store since he had grown out of his bike he got 3 years ago...I think he was pretty happy with his gift! :) We had a great day and lots of wonderful small days of celebration. He is one special kid!!

10 Reasons I love Ty:
1. His sense of humor
2. His desire to the best he possibly can
3. How he wants to take on more responsibility
4. How he can remember whatever he chooses to remember
5. His sensitivity
6. He follows examples very closely, so it keeps me on my guard to speak with a kind voice always (at least I try)
7. His understanding of the gospel and desire to choose the right
8. He loves having friends and feeling loved by them
9. How much he loves being so close to his Gramma and Grampa
10. His desire to please the Lord

I love you so much Tyler!!!!

Better late than never, right?

Ok, so Derek turned 8 July 3rd. I am way late in posting about it, but it was such a busy time and such an important birthday, it's worth posting late. We went down to New Orleans the week before his birthday and had a great time with our family and Mom and Dad Scott. We got home the day before his birthday. On Saturday our community had a 3rd of July bike parade for all the kids in the neighborhood. The boys had a blast participating in that parade! We then made preparations for Derek's baptism to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's so neat to now have two children that have been able to be baptized on their birthday (Kaleb was, too). Mom and Dad Scott, Papa Whited, and his cousin Colby were able to travel from afar to be at his baptism. Derek loved having his loved ones here for him. After his baptism we ate somewhere that is escaping my memory right now and headed home for cake, ice cream and dessert. When evening fell we had a bit of a firework demonstration, as well. It was way cool! :) We had an amazing day! I am so proud of Derek and the wonderful young man he is becoming. He's a joy to have in our family and I feel lucky to be his mom!

Here's 8 reasons I love my Derek:
1. His spontaneity in some of the things he says.
2. How he keeps growing older without looking much older.
3. His entrepreneurial spirit, following his daddy's footsteps.
4. The way he loves everyone unconditionally.
5. His huge personality.
6. His tender heart and brilliant mind.
7. How his laugh is so contagious.
8. What a spiritual giant he is becoming.

I love you so much Derek! Don't ever change for anybody!!

Logan turned 5!!

This last Monday Logan turned 5. I remember right after he was born I looked at Will and said, "When Kaleb is 10, Logan will turn 5." Well, this day has snuck up on me faster than I could have imagined!! When Tyler turned 5 he was so big, and now that my baby has turned 5 I realize how little Tyler really was! It's amazing what perspective can do for a person. I know these moments will keep coming faster than I can conceive, so I have to remember to enjoy each moment a little more, for they are fleeting compared to life! I have been a mother for 1/3 of my life already, and that is astounding to me. I've had some rough years and also some amazing moments that make all the stress and frustration so worth it!

So on to the reason for this note, my baby turning 5. We had a great day! It started out with picking up Gramma from the airport (a surprise for all the boys). For lunch we had Logan's favorite, Macaroni and Cheese. Will joined us for dinner at Chuck E Cheese's, because it's where a kid can be a kid. A kid he was, too. All the boys had a blast. We ate cake and ice cream while we were there, then we opened presents. It was a great celebration for a wonderful boy.

Here are 5 of the many reasons I love Logan:
1. His endearing almond shaped puppy dog eyes that melt my heart
2. How much love he has to share with anyone who comes around him
3. The joy he finds in the little things
4. How much he loves his Eema (Gramma) and family and friends
5. The spirit of joy you always feel around him




Happy Birthday my sweet Logan!!

My Ty turned a whopping 9 years old on the 13th of this month. I posted this on Facebook on his birthday, but failed to get it up here on our blog. He makes me so happy! I am so grateful he chose our family to come down and join. He is such an amazing young man. I am so proud to be his mom! Here are 9 reasons I love my amazing Tyler:

1. He's so eager to do the right thing and feels regret when he doesn't
2. He loves to make everyone laugh
3. His care taking of Logan melts my heart
4. What a loyal friend he is to all who will befriend him
5. He is such a big help around the house
6. He loves to read, as do I
7. Learning new things is a joy to him...as long as I don't lose my patience with him when he doesn't get it at first :)
8. He looks to others as examples
9. He's nearly always got a smile on his face which brightens my days!

Kaleb's 10th Birthday

Today my baby turned 10!! It's amazing what a wonderful young man he is turning into. He makes me so proud. Here are some shots from the last 2 days happenings.

We went to see Darius Rucker Monday night for FHE






The boys had a great time (and so did Will and I)







His rapidly melting ice cream cake






He was quite thrilled he finally got a rocket launcher






Enjoying the new game he got from Gramma and Grampa









Now, here's 10 reasons Kaleb is so special to me:

1. He is so kind to friends
2. He is thoughtful of others feelings (other than his brothers at times) :)
3. He is a huge help around the house
4. His job is to take care of the dog in the morning (that means I can stay in bed later than they all wake up)
5. He has such a love for music, singing, listening to his dad on the guitar, wanting to lead the music in Primary, wanting to play the piano and trombone, and the list goes on
6. His understanding of the gospel and Eternal Life
7. How much he always wants to ask questions and learn new things
8. His desire to help whenever he can
9. The active roll he plays as an older brother in helping take care of his younger brothers and how hard he tries to do what is right
10. Merely for being the wonderful young man he is.


I love you so much Kaleb-meister! You make my eyes sparkle with joy when I see you laugh and have fun. You make a momma proud!!

Derek's 7!!!

I can't believe my little man is 7! These boys keep getting older and I can't figure out how they are doing this so quickly. Time has flown by. I'll never forget going to the hospital 2 days before my scheduled C-section knowing it would be the day Derek would be born. He is such an amazing addition to our family. His joy is contagious and his goofy-ness is adorable. Here are some pictures from previous birthdays. Unfortunately I don't have any digital of his birth and I have yet to scan in all the other pictures. So his 1st birthday is the earliest pic I have of him for this collage.

Here's 7 reasons why I love my Derek:
1. He has one of the most adorable smiles ever
2. His laugh is contagious
3. He loves so unconditionally - forever
4. His tender spirit helps me remember to be better
5. He is friends with everyone
6. His little frame gives him an added adorable edge
7. He's cute, and he knows it!

I love you so much Derek! You'll always be my precious little man and my amazing big D all at the same time! Happy 7th Birthday!!!

February to March Happenings

Logan and I took a trip to San Luis Obispo, California the middle of February so I could get my eyes re-lasered. It went well and we had a great visit while there.

Logan turned 4! We had a great celebration and can't believe our baby is 4 already.

Kaleb and Tyler had their Pinewood Derby, they both did great and Kaleb even won the whole event! Way to go Kaleb and Will!

Two of the kids favorite places to go are the Nashville Zoo and the Adventure Science Center. We've been fortunate enough to go to both places many times already and they never get sick of either place. I love the learning opportunities at the Science Center!

All three boys got awards at their 3rd quarter awards assembly. All grades have a different time for their assembly and I only had the camera for Kaleb's. They all did great this last quarter!

That's it in a nutshell, other than William's business going live and them working through bugs before it gets too big! :) You can visit TurnItUp Media to see what it's all about. I think you'll love what you see!

January happenings

Here's a few things we were up to in January:
Tyler turned 8 at the beginning of the year and was baptized at the end of January. We were able to enjoy K.C. here the middle of the month and Mom and Dad Scott at the end of the month. It was wonderful to have family come visit us! We had very lovely weather for January (seeing as we're in cold country) and were able to enjoy a lot of out door activities while Mom and Dad were here. While K.C. was here we had a cold going around, so we had to stay pretty close to home. It was sad, but any time spent with K.C. is enjoyable!!

LOGAN'S 4!!!

My baby turned 4 yesterday! He is growing up so fast, I feel like life is slipping by and I'm not taking advantage of it. I miss infants...I don't want anymore...I just miss the baby stage where they are so precious and tiny and rely on your every decision. I enjoy holding other people's babies...that's good enough for me. What a strange stage to enter...now leaving child bearing years and entering child rearing years. I'm looking forward to all the changes life is going to afford. Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, all our blinds are open, a window in every room is open, I've cleaned most of the house, there's a nice breeze that comes in through the window as I sit on my bed and type this post, and I'm feeling very calm inside. I can hear the frogs croaking outside and I'm half tempted to go catch some so the boys can take care of them (I know who will end up taking care of them, so I'll refrain). They do sound like so much fun. Saturday night Logan started getting scared of the croaking from the frogs...I just reassured him that they are nice and he was fine. He's growing up, but still so small. I love having him home with me. He's so independent, yet wants to be with me all the time, too. I'll let him stay little a bit longer. :)

I know I'm raising a little man that can speak up for himself. Yesterday at church the Primary Secretary was not around and they didn't have a list of the birthday's for Jr Primary. Well, Logan said it was his birthday, and they hearing that nearly every week from one of those little faces were hesitant to say ok. I was told he was very adamant. His words were, "I'm serious, I'm 4! Today is my birthday! My birthday is March 8th, Sunday, this is my birthday! I really am 4!" Or something to that effect. I'm glad he stood up for himself and didn't back down because adults were questioning his knowledge. That's a little glimpse into our little man's personality, too. He's very vocal and knows what he wants. He's a joy to have around. I love him so very much and I am so grateful the Lord sent him to our family!

Here's 4 reasons I love my Logan Bogan:
1. He's so very loving...always saying "I love you" to everyone he can
2. He loves his brother's so much and loves to play with them, as long as they are nice to him
3. He always gives me big "Eema hugs" which are "Gramma Scott hugs" and I feel a bit closer to my mom whenever he does throw his little arms around my neck
4. He's attached to my hip, but he can be his own person at the same time. He can let go when necessary, and that's all I can hope for.

I LOVE YOU MY SWEET LOGAN!!

Ty's birthday bonanza

It was Ty's 8th birthday on Tuesday this week. I can't believe my little man is 8, and ready to get baptized! It was a great day that started out with William's famous and amazing French Toast. Off to school he went with cookies for his classmates. Upon returning from school he quickly did his homework then set off to play the Wii. That was a special treat because they rarely get to play the Wii on the week days (when school is the next day). Dinner was Pasta Roni, Shells and White Cheddar, as requested. KC was here for the festivities and Sean, Julie and their girls joined us for the finale, cake and ice cream and presents enjoyed by family and friends.It couldn't have been a better day. Pictures will come shortly, that's actually why this post is late, but I realized I'd better just post it and get pictures downloaded later.
(here he is being his silly self!)
Here's eight reasons why I am so proud of Ty:
1. His sweet heart that is so tender.
2. How timid he is in new situations, then once he is comfortable he lets it all loose.
3. His desire to make everyone happy.
4. How quickly he loves people and will be friends with them forever.
5. He loves to be in control...with life and the TV.
6. His joy in living...he is silly and loves to make us all laugh.
7. His faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
8. His excitement in being with extended family and friends and his unending love for them all.

I love you my sweet Ty Bug! You help make my life full of love, joy, and purpose!

Welcome Baby Giles!

I just got a text message that my sweet friends, Becky and Garrett (see below post), had their baby girl!!! She's two weeks early! No other info as of now...stay tuned and I'll update this message when I have more. I'm so excited for them...first time momma and daddy! Congratulations you two!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Kaleb!

I had a friend ask me if I felt like I was getting old since Kaleb was turning 9. I simply looked at her and said, "No, because I'm not getting any older, only my kids are, right?"

WOW! Kaleb turned 9 years old on Monday. I wonder if I will ever get over my amazement at how old the children keep getting. It feels like it's happening just right, but then I start to think about how quickly he is going to be teenager and I wonder if he's still going to want to give me hugs and zerberts much longer. It will be a sad day when he's done with the zerberts!

We had a great time for his birthday! We had great friends come over to help it feel like a real family birthday party. After leaving so much family we were so used to celebrating everything with it's nice to have loved ones here we feel so comfortable calling family. Here's a few pictures from the events of the evening.














Kaleb definately was excited about his presents!











Make a wish! That's a face most of you in SLO will recognize!











It was a house full of fun, laughter, and family!!




We even managed to keep it a BBQ in the midst of a crazy downpoor. This is how we were able to manage BBQing on the back porch without it having a cover. Thanks babe, for being willing to get soaked to the bone and sacrafice for all of us! We all appreciated what you did! Our tummies were happy, too!

Here's 9 things that amaze me about Kaleb:

9. How he can find joy in anything he does.
8. How easily he makes friends.
7. How everyone immediately becomes his "best friend".
6. The ways he takes after his dad...he's a techie!
5. The determination he shows in doing his best.
4. What a great big brother he is.
3. The way he understands Math so well.
2. How amazing he is doing in 3rd grade! He's blowing my mind away at his accomplishments so far. Thanks Ms. Eagan for being the teacher he needed you to be!
1. How much he knows about Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Now we know why we moved here!

Well, we've made a very long treck and made it to Tennessee. If I never see another box I'll be the happiest woman in the world. Packing nearly killed me, or at least my back. It's so beautiful here and we're only 10 hours away from Will's family. We actually just got back last night from visiting them all in Maryland. Mom Whited is in the hospital trying to get better, but having a difficult time making it home. It sounds like our visit came just at the right time. She was supposed to go home on the 28th of August, but complications in her recovery caused a delay with no date set to go home at this point. She was feeling very down about the whole thing. I think it really helped when we surprised her the day before her birthday. She didn't know we were coming and we had the boys poke their heads into her hospital room. Her eyes grew as big as quarters. It was wonderful seeing her and all the rest of the family. I'm excited for our boys to finally get to know all their other cousins. This move came with a huge purpose...for us to be near Will's side of the family! As much as we miss my side of the family...it's worth the change.

OUR BABY IS 3!!!

Logan turned 3 today, and boy did he know it. It was so cute last night as he was going to bed I asked, "How old are you tonight?" He held up 2 fingers and said, "'Night I 2." The next question from me was, "How old will you be when you wake up?" His response with 3 fingers held up was, "'Morrow I be 3." It was so cute! He really is growing up! His little personality catches everybodies heart! His pouty lip when upset and huffy breathing make me laugh (inside or he'd get more upset). He sure knows what he wants and will let whoever needs to know what he wants.

William got home tonight! YAY! We went out to dinner for Logan's special day. He chose "Cool Cats" instead of "Franks" or "Pepe Delgados", and he really did choose! Dinner was yummy. We came home and had a "Cars" or "Lightning McQueen" cake, whichever you prefer. He got 3 small "Cars" cars, Sheriff, Dinoco Helicopter, and Tow Mater, "Cars" and "Mickey Mouse" shirts, and toddler roller skates. They start out with one wheel in front and 2 in back and can switch to 3 inline wheels. He was actually getting the hang of them after a few minutes. I'll have to get some video of him on them and post it soon. From all the things involved with his birthday, I'm sure you have no idea what his favorite movie and/or characters are. Haha! We totally cater to this love, because everything is so cute. My guess is that some day he's really going to be into Nascar!

I think that's all for tonight. Till next time...