Happy Easter!!!

Its that wonderful time of year again! I love spring and I really enjoy Easter. It is a great time to enjoy the beautiful flowers and weather and to reflect on the amazing gift of our Savior Jesus Christ. This year Easter was very enjoyable for me because I was able to spend the day with my family which included Jordan and the boys plus Tyler, Lindsay and Pat. It was good to have them with us because they are all moving away and won't be able to come and visit us anymore. Plus, all 3 of my boys were able to participate in the Easter activities and it was really fun to watch.

We started off with the Easter festivities by coloring eggs. I knew this would be a little difficult with Mason but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. It went pretty well. It got a little messy and their were some tears from Mason because he wasn't able to do everything by himself, but I think they had a good time coloring eggs.

Here are some pictures:

Easter Sunday arrived and I got the boys matching church outfits. I really love doing that and I always think they look adorable dressed in the same outfit. I took some pictures of the boys. Here they are:

We all went to church and reminded ourselves about the true meaning of Easter. That afternoon we came home and had a wonderful dinner prepared by Jordan. After dinner, we had an Easter Egg hunt. The boys were in heaven. Not only did they get to find eggs they got to eat the candy that was in the eggs. Plus, two of the eggs had $1.00 bill in them.

We had about 100 eggs and the boys found every single one of them.

Here they are finding the eggs.

Mason having a blast finding eggs.

Luke being a good big brother and sharing some of the eggs he found with Mason.

He got one!!

Dylan finding eggs and being very happy about that.

After the eggs were found, then the feast of candy began. They had gummy worms, Rolos and Reases Pieces in the eggs. Of course mom bought candy that she would enjoy as well.

Luke counting and eating eggs from his Easter basket.

Dylan looking for the dollar bill in his eggs. Fortunately, he found the dollar and Luke found the other one. Both of them were happy.

Mason stuffing his face with candy.

Luke really happy about the candy and cash in his eggs.

Uncle Pat joining in the festivities.

Uncle Tyler relaxing while the boys find eggs.

Jordan and Dylan looking cute as ever.

After the Easter egg hunt, the Easter bunny had one more gift for them to find. He hid their new basketball hoop in the back of daddy's car. Plus he got them new football jerseys. The Easter Bunny spoils the Rowell boys. The boys were really excited and had a wonderful Easter day.

Mason turned 2!!!

I can't believe it has been 2 years since I had Mason. It really does seem like yesterday that I brought him home from the hospital. He has truly enhanced each of our lives and I can't imagine life without him. He is quite a character and has a fun personality. Although, he has shown us that he is entering the terrible twos. He does have a very independent and strong willed personality which he has been sharing it with us on a daily basis.

On his birthday, we did a couple of fun things. We went for a bike ride which he absolutely loves. He is never more content than when he is riding on the back of Jordan's back. He sits back and let's the wind blow through his hair. He smiles and enjoys himself thoroughly. Then we came back from the ride and had cake and opened presents. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't working when he opened presents, but I did get some cute shots of him eating cake. He was VERY happy to eat white cake and chocolate frosting. He does have a sugar tooth.

He loved the presents we gave him and had a fun time ripping the wrapping paper open to find his prize. He got a car, legos, a bubble machine, a leapfrog refrigerator magnet and a grouch t-shirt. He had a great day.

Happy Birthday Mason! I do want Mason to know that we love him with all our hearts and wish him a wonderful year full of happiness and fond memories.

A Bath Gone Bad...

On Sunday nights I am by myself at home with the boys because Jordan is working at Wee Care. So, I try to do some fun things with them while he is gone. Tonight, we played some games and then I told them they could take a bath in my bath. This is a real treat for my boys because I don't let them take a bath in there very often because they ALWAYS make a mess. But, I thought I would be nice and let them take a bath. I got the bath ready (a normal bath with no bubbles) and then left the bathroom. When I came back about 5-7 minutes later, this is what I found..

They had filled the water to the rim of the bathtub and dumped a ton of bubbles in the bath. Thank goodness I came in when I did or the entire bathroom would have been filled with water and bubbles. AAAHHHHH!!!

Well, it took about 30 minutes to clean up. The boys helped clean up some of the mess but I sent them to their room to get ready for bed. When I came to get them out of their bedroom, I ask Dylan to get his clothes out of the bathroom. He follows me and yells back at Luke "Mom is not mad!"

I said, "Yes, I am"

Dylan responds, "You don't have a mad face. When you are mad, you have a mad face"

Well, even though I didn't have a mad face, I wasn't pleased. But, I am sure this won't be the last mess I will catch my boys making.

Boys will be boys, especially my boys.

Dylan's 5th Birthday !!!

Dylan turned 5! He has been waiting for this day for about 364 days. Getting a year older
has been so important to him. He has been so excited to turn 5.

It was also the year that he was going to have his first friend birthday party. He has also been talking about his birthday party with his friends for almost a year. So, I knew that I needed to make this birthday special. I wanted to do a party that was fun but simple. So, I came across a franchise that does science birthday parties. The business is called Mad Science. They come to your home and they do an hour science show. They perform cool experiments with the kids and then explain how the experiment happens. I thought this was a cool idea as well as an educational one.

The birthday party lasted about 2 hours. The kids arrived at 10:30 and played outside for about a half an hour. Then Shockwave Sherry came to the party and did her thing.

Some of the experiments she performed were:

Indoor fireworks

A real light saber display

A light show with cool science glasses

Melting a Styrofoam face

Make some substance glow (aren't I a science genius, NOT)

Make glow in the dark slime

Here are some pictures of the Dylan melting a Styrofoam face .....

We had a total of about 14 kids come to the party. Here is a picture of the gang...

After the science show, the kids had cake and pizza and played some more outside. Then one of the highlights for Dylan was opening up birthday presents. He got a ton of great gifts. Here he is opening some presents.

After 2 hours of fun, the party came to an end. Dylan had a blast and I hope he can remember this 5th birthday party for years to come.

After the birthday party we decided to go to the park and fly kites. The wind was blowing but the sun was shining, so it was a perfect day to fly a kite. The boys got some kites from their Leprechaun O'Malley which came on St. Patrick's Day. So we took Uncle Tyler and went to go fly some kites.

We had such a good time. I can only remember a couple of times in my life where I flew a kite. I probably enjoyed myself more than the boys did. I think it is the coolest thing to take a little kite and see it get so high in the air and then stay in the air and move around from the wind. I loved it and so did the boys.

Here are the pictures of the kite flying...

We had 3 kites. One of the kites string broke and it flew away and landed on the roof of Bluff Ridge Elementary. The other two kites had some great flight time. The boys flew kites for about an hour.

They got tired of looking up in the sky toward the sun without glasses so they borrowed ours.

We had a few incidents where Lucas' kite needed to be repaired. Thank goodness we have some

talented hands to fix the kites and get them up in the air again. Jordan was very proud of his handy work.

Even Mason thought it was cool to fly kites. Mason received an Elmo kite which Dylan flew for an hour. Mason kept pointing in the sky and repeated "Elmo".

Mason gives kite flying a "Thumbs up"

It was such a beautiful day and I thought I was lay down and watch the kites fly in the gorgeous blue sky. Dylan decided to join me while flying his kite.

After kite flying we played a game of "Pig" on the blacktop. Dylan got stuck on the bed of the truck while trying to get a basketball out of the truck. He hung there for several minutes. His feet kept kicking and swinging but he couldn't get down and he was to scared to jump. I thought it was pretty funny. I was going to keep him there for a few more minutes but since it was his birthday, I saved him.

After kite flying we came home and played with his new toys. We then had dinner and then Dylan opened up our presents to him. He is one spoiled kid but I love him. I am so proud to have him as my son. It has been a wonderful 5 years and I look forward in spending at least 50 more with him.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Growing up, I didn't have a lot of traditions in our home. So, I guess you can say that I was tradition deprived. Because of the lack of traditions growing up, I might go a little over board with traditions with my kids. One of the things that I wanted to do with my kids is to have a lucky leprechaun come to our home and visit us on St. Patrick's Day. The little leprechaun's name is O'Malley. What O'Malley does is take the kids on a scavenger hunt to find a lucky treasure.

The treasure hunt starts with a clue in their room, so when the kids wake up in the morning they can look for the first clue and begin the hunt. The treasure hunt takes them all around the house and even outside to find the different clues. Finally, they will end the hunt with a treasure.

This year O'Malley's treasure to the boys was a kite and a candy bar for each boy. They found their treasure in the bed of dad's new truck. They thought it was really cool and couldn't wait to fly the kite.

Thanks O'Malley see you next year!

Taking a Bike Ride

I know I am not the only one who is excited for spring to be here. Our kids have been stir crazy for months. The minute it was warm outside, our family was ready for a bike ride. It was the first time that our family could take a "real" bike ride. It is the first time that both Lucas and Dylan can ride a bike (without training wheels) and Mason is old enough to sit on the back of a bike. So, we can finally venture out and try to go on a long bike ride.

Overall, it was a good ride. Don't get me wrong, there was some whining, a couple of falls and tears but overall there were more smiles than anything else. We actually looked like a small version of the "Sound of Music" bike ride. We were all in a straight line riding our bikes. Here is how it looked: Dad and Mason were in the front of the line, then Lucas, Dylan and then me. We rode about 6 miles or so and the boys felt good when we were done.

It was a good time and I am excited for many more bike rides in the future.

Here is a picture of the boys before we started....

Spending Time with Grandpa Marvin

My dad came to visit us in Utah this past weekend. He had some business and a wedding to go to this weekend and we were blessed to spend some time with him.

My boys absolutely love their Grandpa. Each boy since they were a baby just love their Grandpa. I honestly feel the Lord has put a special place in their heart for their Grandpa. I know they were really close before they came to this earth and are just developing their relationship further in this life. For me, it is so fun to watch and see how my dad interacts with my children. It always brings a smile to my face to see the love in my boys eyes when they are around their grandpa.

Whenever you ask why they love Grandpa Marvin they will always say"Because he tickles me and plays with me". My dad is really good at playing around with my kids and making them laugh. Obviously, laughter for a child is a big selling point when it comes to feeling comfortable with someone and wanting to be around them. This weekend was full of playing, tickling. laughing and spending time with Grandpa Marvin.


Here are a couple of pictures of the boys and Grandpa Marvin....





We all love you Grandpa Marvin!!!

A New Experiment in the Rowell Household!!!

Last weekend, I went to a Birthday Party for one of my friend's twin boys and I was talking to their mom Stephanie (who is completely amazing) and she told me of something that has really had a positive impact on their family. She implemented a special day during the week for each of her boys. During their special day they get to have special priviledges and make choices that make them feel important and "special".

What has happened in their household, is her boys act better during their special day and the other kids treat the special "boy" better. They have less fighting and more harmony. So, I thought "I could use some harmony in my house and I will try anything that will make my boys act better", so on Monday during Family Home Evening, I introduced the "special" day program.

We talked about what does "special" mean and what things can we do to make someone feel special or not special. Then I talked about how we are going to have a "special" day for each person in our family. I laid all the rules out:

Rule 1: They need to act special all day. This means they make good choices and be an extra good boy.

Rule 2: Other people in the family need to treat the "special" person, special all day. They are respectful and kind and make them feel good all day long.

Rule 3: They get to choose who says the prayer during the day.

Rule 4: They get to pick what to eat for dinner.

Rule 5: They get to choose what computer game or TV shows they can watch during TV time.

Rule 6: They get a special plate, bowl and cup to use during meal times.

Rule 7: They get to pick other choices that are presented during the day, which mom and dad allow them to pick.

Well, the "special" day schedule is as follows:

Monday: Jodi

Tuesday:Dylan

Wednesday: Mason

Thursday:Lucas

Friday:Jordan

It has been a week since we implemented the "special" day program and I am happy to say that it went pretty well. My house isn't completely harmounious by any means, but there was a little less fighting and more excitement over the priviledge of having a special day. I am really excited to see how this will play out.

I am so grateful for wonderful women in my life whom can share their knowledge and wisdom with me and help me to be a better mom and provide a better home for my kids.

The Boys are Officially Utahans

Our Nanny (Breanne) is involved in dancing. She told us that she is dancing at the Jazz and Celtics game in the pre-game show and wanted us to go and see her. I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring the boys to the game and have them become official Utahans and go and watch the Jazz play. So, Thursday night we headed off to the game. The boys were really excited and were counting down the minutess before the game.

I really didn't want to bring Mason because I knew it would be a nightmare, but he got sick a couple of night before, and I didn't feel comfortable leaving him just in case he threw up again. So, we brought him to the game.

The pre-game show started a half hour before the game. Breanne dance team did a little performance and we were able to watch her in the lower bowl of the arena.

Here is a picture of Breanne dancing (she is the one in the middle of the picture)


While we were waiting for the game to start, I thought I would introduce my boys to Cotton Candy. They were very confused about what you did with it. It didn't look like candy, it didn't feel like candy. I told them to eat it. They hesitated for a moment but slowly brought it to their mouth. The minute they put the candy in their mouth a big smile came across their face.

Mason couldn't get enough of it. He kept asking for more. The other two boys weren't very interested after a couple of bites of it. It just wasn't there thing. Dylan is a chocolate man and Luke is more into gum.

Here is a picture of them eating cotton candy...






By the time the game started, Mason was done. He couldn't handle sitting down any longer. But, we tried very hard to keep him entertained. We bribed him with popcorn, hot dogs and root bear but nothing worked. We only made it until half time. Even though we didn't watch the entire game, the boys still had fun.


Here are the boys at the game....





(I swear my kids don't know how to smile normally. When you say "smile" they come up with the funkest faces.)

We were in the "nose bleed" section but they still had fun rooting for the Jazz.

One the way home, Lucas and Dylan fell asleep within 5 minutes. But, not Mason. He doesn't sleep in the car. He was talking and talking and poking Lucas' face. He was non-stop noise for about 35 minutes. Then all of a sudden, he was quiet. I looked back and this is what I found....

I couldn't stop laughing. He just couldn't hang on anymore. His body was done and he konked out.

Jordan and the boys had a good time and they can officially say they went to a Jazz game. Maybe next time, they an watch the entire game....

Who needs a snow blower when you can have the Rowell Boys!

Growing up in California, I have never had to shovel snow. I honestly didn't know until about 10 years ago why anyone would have to shovel snow. I thought it would just melt away so why would anyone waste their time shoveling. Then I fell on a thick sheet of ice and then it hit me, "That is why you shovel snow, it freezes!"

Well, I have been spoiled because even though I have lived in snow for the past 15 years, I still haven't had to shovel snow. Jordan has always done that. Well, this Saturday we had a big snow storm and we had a ton of snow that needed to be shoveled.

We came home from the gym and this is what happened within minutes of getting out of the car. All my boys got a shovel and started going to town shoveling snow. It was a really cute scene for me. It gave me a glimpse into the future when my boys won't need me to do everything for them, but they will be old enough to do things for themselves and well as for me. It brought a smile to my face. I had to get a couple of pictures of my snow blowers.

Be Mine Valentine

Valentine's Day is always that holiday where every one builds it up and then many times becomes disappointed because it wasn't anything like they imagine. Well, this Valentine's Day my husband came up with a real cute present that I was thrilled about. For me, the best presents are those that had a lot of thought put into it. Jordan did that.

I came into the kitchen and this is what I found on the counter.





The letter reads:

We have been married for approximately 10 years, 6 months, 7 days, that's a total of:

126.25 - Months

549.29 - Weeks

3,845 - Days

92,280 - Hours

5,536,800 - Minutes

332,208,000 - Seconds

I think we would both agree that every second, minute, and hour have not been pure bliss and happiness. I think we would both go as far as saying that not even every day has been as good as we might like it. We've had some pretty good fights and at times have thought can we really make this work.

What I would say is, I think we have had great weeks together. Sure we've had our difference for a couple of days, but I honestly can't remember a week that went by without us coming to terms and being happy together.
So what I have for you this Valentines Day is one item for every week we have been married thus far to remind you that I love you and I know we've had some bad days, but our weeks together have been really good.
I love you very much and am looking forward to thousands more of good weeks together.
(Since I couldn't fit all 549 in the jar, you still have 134 that didn't make it in. I've decided to give you $134.00 to spend on whatever you want. Have fun!)

Jordan and I don't have a perfect marriage but we do love each other. We struggle with each other because we are so different, but at the same time we balance each other out perfectly. As we celebrate our love this Valentines Day, I want my wonderful husband to know that I love him with all my heart and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for bringing him to me.

The Search Has Finally Come to an End!!! (Thank Goodness)

Our entire marriage, Jordan has always wanted a truck. We had a couple of trucks for a short period of time through the 10 years we have been together. But, we have always had to sell them (moved to Ohio and money for the business) But, Jordan has never given up on the idea that one day he will have a nice truck for good.

The past 6 monthes, he has really pressed hard for a truck. He ALWAYS looks at trucks on KSL or EBay as well as looks at them at the car dealers lots. I just didn't understand why he would want to torchure himself like that because we didn't have the money to put toward a truck. I have a hard time buying a vehicle that we really don't need because my husband wants one (expecially when we have debt from other ventures we have experienced). But, Jordan is very stubborn. When he wants something, he will stop at nothing until he gets it.

About 4 monthes ago, he had me look at a truck that some guy was selling. I humored him and went and looked at the truck. It was an old truck but it was in good shape and he was selling it for a good price. This was when gas was almost $5.00 a gallon and people couldn't give away trucks. Jordan absolutely loved it and he started hounding me on what he could do to get a truck. I felt bad for him because he wanted it so badly but I couldn't in good conscious buy it when we should spend that money on things we need. Well, to make a long story short, I basically told him that he could have the truck as long as the money didn't come out of our budget. So, the wheels started turning in his head and he decided that if he got a second job he could get a truck. I agreed with the idea and the job hunt began.

Well, someone else bought that truck before he could get the money to him. He was extremely disappointed but his determination didn't faulter. He finally found a part time job at Wee-Care in Layton one night a week and got approved for a loan. Now all he needed to do was find a truck.

Well, he found another truck and bought it for a good low price. It was an old truck and had a lot of character (is that how you describe a beater truck). He liked it but after having it for a month or so, he decided that if he is working and sacrificing for a truck, the truck should be much nicer. So, he sold the truck and made a $700.00 profit and began the search for his new truck.

Let me just take a minute and tell you how much time he spent in looking at trucks. Every moment that he wasn't working, he was looking at trucks. It drove me nuts!! We actually got into a fight about it. I was so tired of him coming home from work and sitting in front of the computer and looking at trucks all night. When all the kids are in bed and everything is cleaned up, THEN he could look at trucks. (I know I am a horrible wife)

I am extremely happy to announce that yesterday, he bought a truck. FINALLY!!!! The search is over!!!! Maybe now, he can focus on truely important things. (Can you tell I was getting a little bitter)

He found a very nice truck and is extremely happy. He keeps saying every time he looks at HIS truck "That is a good looking truck". He loves it and now he feels complete. The phrase "You complete me" from Jerry McGuire is a perfect saying for Jordan and his new man truck.

Here is a picture of the new beauty:

Thumbs up for Date Night with the Boys

One of the new year's resolutions that I have is to take each boy on a date with either Jordan or myself once a month. The reason for this goal is because I really don't spend as much one on one time with my kids and neither does Jordan. So, I thought if I scheduled it on my work calendar and make it a priority it would get done.

I do SO many things wrong as a mom. I hope these date nights will have a positive impact on my children. Maybe when they think of their childhood they won't always remember all the yelling and screaming I do, but the good times we spent playing together and getting to know each other on these dates.

We started the dates this month. I took Dylan on a date and Jordan took Luke. Then next month we will swap.


Dylan's Date Night





When I told Dylan that we were going on a date, his face just lit up. He was so excited. When we were about to leave he took my hand and said "Let's go Mom". He never holds my hand. At that moment, I realized this date idea was wonderful.

I wouldn't tell Dylan what we were doing. It was a surprise. We have a budget of $10.00 to spend on our dates, so we have to get a little creative. First, I took Dylan to Chuck-E-Cheese to play on the games. He was REALLY excited when we pulled up into the parking lot of Chuck-E-Cheese. He has wanted to go there for such a long time. He kept telling me "Thanks Mom, I love Chuck -E-Cheese". He got $5.00 to spend on games. He held his tokens and ran from game to game. I just followed him and enjoyed watching him have so much fun.

(Let me tell you how much easier it is to manage your kids when their is just one of them. It was really enjoyable and I didn't have to break up fights or hear whining or crying and their wasn't any drama. Dylan was very good the whole time and we both enjoyed each other)

We then went to Krispy Kreme to get a FREE donut. Dylan loves donuts and was happy to get a treat. We then headed off to the dollar theatre (which is now $2.00 a person) to watch "Madagascar II" We got some popcorn and a drink for a 1.00 each (O.K I went over a dollar but I used all my change for the drink) and we then watched the movie.

Dylan really enjoyed spending time with just me, but he was also really excited to tell Luke about his night. He kept saying that he can't wait to tell Luke about this or that. It showed me that my boys really like some alone time with us but life is not complete unless they can share it with each other. Overall, the night turned out really well and I truly enjoyed myself with Dylan.


Luke's Night Out




Just a side note, I took Dylan on his date on a Tuesday night and Luke's date was on Thursday night. When Dylan and I went on our date, Luke FREAKED out. He wanted to go sooooo badly. He cried and threw a fit for about 20 minutes before we left and the tantrum continued for about an hour and a half after we left. Jordan was so fed up with his tantrum that he told Luke he had lost his date for Thursday night. The only way he would even consider taking him on a date is if he for good for 2 days. He had to clean and not whine and be a perfect angel. Guess what? Luke was REALLY good the next two days. It shows you that my kids can do anything they put their minds to if they feel it is worth it.

Luke also wanted to go to Chuck-E-Cheese because Dylan did. So, they went there and Luke was so overwhelmed with all the games that he didn't know what to do with himself. He would put a token into the machine and if the machine didn't start immediately he would leave and go to the next game. Jordan literally had to calm Luke down and tell him to breathe and relax. He just couldn't handle all the stimulation. After 15 minutes, he had burned through all his tokens. (Dylan played games for about an hour whereas Luke lasted 15 minutes) Jordan gave him a couple more tokens and then they left. They also went over to Krispy Kreme, but decided to go to DI instead of a movie. Luke got the rest of the money and got to buy a toy. (We do this Deseret Industries run quite often as a family. We go to DI and give the boys a dollar and they can pick out any toy that is a dollar or less)

Luke found ANOTHER ball (like he doesn't have a million already) at DI and came home really happy and excited. He couldn't wait to tell me and Dylan about his night.

I truly love my boys and am excited for our date nights each month.

Dylan's Funny Sayings

I know I might be a bit prejudice but I think Dylan is a real funny kid. He has some of the funniest little sayings. I thought I would record just a few quotes he has said in the past couple of days.

Luke was talking to Dylan and said "Dylan you toot (this is what we call passing gas) all the time. Why do you toot so much?"

In a very sincere and non-apologetic way Dylan replies, "Because that is the way Heavenly Father made me Luke.

Luke had nothing to say after that response.


We have caller ID on our phone that speaks the name of the person calling. The other morning I missed a meeting at the Bishop's office (yeah I felt like a real winner when they called) and the Primary President called me to see if I was coming. When the caller ID registered who was calling it said "The Church of Jesus Christ" but the first part of the name was really muffled but the words JESUS CHRIST was very loud and clear. When Dylan heard who was calling, he yells in the most shocked and excited way, "Jesus is calling! Jesus is calling!

He was disappointed to find out that it wasn't Jesus but Stephanie calling to see if his forgetful mom was going to make their appointment with the Bishop.

We should all be that excited to talk to Jesus.