What doesn't kill us...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T03:45:00.002-07:00

I know it has been a while since my last post. I'll blame that mostly on my computer's memory. It is gone, so I can't download any pictures to blog about. I keep meaning to clean up the computer, but I just haven't gotten to that. Hopefully, once our house is done, I can move all of those files, and that will clear up some space, but until then...

Still, with Christmas just around the corner, I needed to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas! I hope you are all ready. I hope I am ready for that matter too!

I had a funny little story to share too. A couple of days ago, KL was being quite the stinker. Ok, she was being naughty. So much so that I had to break down and call the man in the red suit to see if she had officially been put on the Naughty List. Lo and behold, she had, but I was told I could tell her if she started listening to her mommy and started behaving, she could go back on the nice list. This didn't have quite the effect I had hoped for. She really didn't turn things around. A couple of hours later, we went down to our new house to show it to a friend of ours with Jill (my sister). Of course, as soon as we got there and stepped out of the car, I got a call saying that someone was coming over to look at our house in 10 minutes who was interested in renting it, so I threw the baby back in the car and tried to get KL to join me. She really didn't feel like coming, so Jill said she would bring her home. I said great and raced home to get it as clean as I possibly could--after all it was laundry day. Of course the guy never showed up, but oh well. At least I got a clean house out of it, right?

Well, after I left, apparently KL had some sort of shoe malfunction walking into the house and got upset and refused to do anything except sit out in a pile of dirt in the front yard and pout. Jill allowed her to do this until it was time to go at which point, she tried to gently coerce her to get in the car. At first, KL refused saying, "I only want my mommy." This sounded highly suspicious to me, but still Jill responded by saying, "Great! I am going to take you there right now." That got her and she said, "Actshawy, I don't reawy want my mommy." Ahh....that sounds more like it. Still Jill got her in the car and which point she sat down and started just glaring at everyone. Eventually, our friend, and KL's primary teacher, turned and said, "KL, you don't want Santa to see you like this." KL quickly looked up at her with all her attitude and said, "Well, my mommy alweady called Santa,and I'n alweady on da naughty list, so it doesn't even mattew!"

I am happy to report that she did finally do as I asked and clean up her room. We did call Santa back and he did confirm that she was back on the nice list, but I have still had to remind her about how close she is to the edge a few more times!!!

Merry Christmas!

Birthdays!

2011-11-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

10 years can really go by fast, can't it!?!? It is just so hard to believe that my little twosome have it their double digits. They are each so special, and so different from the other. I love them so much, and just can't wait until they realize what a blessing it is to come to this world with each other!!

The twins had a busy birthday this year, but hopefully they still had a good time. We had a game for both D and B, so when those were over, we came home and opened presents.

Here they are together. Aren't they cute!?!

D decided to give B a special present... a coupon book--complete with a coupon for a free hug. Here he is trying to deliver on that promise.

More Baseball and Basketball

2011-11-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

It is true that I already blogged about the boys sporting adventures this fall, but I came across some more pictures, so I decided I should post them in all their athletic glory.

B, up to bat (pretty sure he hit a triple this time!)

D tearing up the courts:

Money Making Schemes

2011-11-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

It is the dream of every young kid to have some sort of major sale, be it Kool-Aid, Lemonade, Garage, or whatever, that will rake them in an enormous amount of money that will allow them to go and buy that dream toy that their parents just aren't willing to pony up the cash for.

Well, a few weeks ago, B and some of his friends decided that they would try and sale all their prized possessions, in hopes of striking it big. They went and found a folding table and chairs and spent a few hours out in front of the house.

This was pretty much at their peak selling moment. Unfortunately, they didn't achieve their financial goals, but I think they still had fun.

Progress!!!

2011-11-17T09:29:00.005-07:00

A while back, our house hit an absolute stand still. The lovely town inspector decided he didn't like my brother (he admitted this to another superintendent in the neighborhood), and as a result, they refused to let us pass a major inspection for over a month an a half. It was so frustrating, but eventually, we got our pass. It was such a momentous event, that the next day, we got donuts and had breakfast down at the picnic table across the street.

Here is A enjoying her yummy breakfast

B and L (our house in the back ground)

A, KL, L, D, Dave, CK

Here is our house...as it looked the day it finally passed its frame inspection

B, D, and A

A and Dave

After we had breakfast, we were walking to look through our house. As I got closer, I saw a little something walking along our back fence line. I could tell it wasn't a bird, because it wasn't going fast enough, and it never flew off. Sure enough, it was a little turtle!!

Not sure where it came from, but it got quite nervous when the kids gathered around to watch. As soon as I was able to get them to back off, the little guy high-tailed it back the direction it came from. Hope it found its home!!
I'm happy to report that the house is still moving forward and is being painted, even as I type this. It is so exciting to see the progress and imagine what it will be like to live in this beautiful dream house. We truly are blessed!!

Family Life

2011-11-12T00:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few random pictures of us enjoying our life together.

Our own little sleeping beauty, KL

KL and Dee. KL showed him how they could make a "heart" together.

Here are just some pictures taken as we were all enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon at home.

We definitely have another Daddy's Girl. Dave was laying in bed watching a game, when A climbed up next to him to watch with him.

Cardinals vs. Broncos, 2011 Preseason

2011-11-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

Back on Sept 1, there was a preseason game between the AZ Cardinals and the Denver Broncos. This was obviously big news for our family! We were so excited to be able to go down to watch Spencer play here on a lovely Thursday evening. It got even more exciting when Annie called me the night before and told me that Spence had been chosen as a team captain and would be a part of the "coin toss". Naturally getting there on time became a top priority. I was feeling pretty good about getting in time until we hit the parking lot phase of our drive. It was such a mess that we drove around for over 30 minutes before we finally found a place park. Once we found a place (at least 1/2 mile from the stadium) we jumped out and RAN for the stadium. It was me and 5 kids. They did a good job keeping up. I would turn and check to make sure they were with me from time to time. By the time we got through security, I wasn't sure if we would be there for the big moment, but we were determined. We were pushing our way past crowds on the escalators. Once we got to our level, D ran over to check the field and saw the toss was taking place, so we ran over to where we could see and took a few pictures.

Spencer is #46 and standing in the back of the group (Far Right).

Here, he is again, the far right, standing at the end of the line.

I'm glad that we got there for that, because as soon as that was done, he put on his lovely orange baseball hat (as seen here on the sidelines, in the middle of the pack), and that turned out to be the only time he was on the field all night. Glad we didn't miss it!!!

Even though Spencer didn't play in the game, we still all had a great time there together.

Brody, Sam and Kyle

Katy...she had to go back to school just a few days later, so we were really enjoying our last little bit of time with her.

Josh, D, and our neighbor, Key.

L had fun watching from down--a little bit away from us. :)

After the game was over, we found out there was a special place for family members to go and see their players. While were were waiting, the kids found this little thing you could go and stand in front of to take pictures.

Here we all with Spencer

Carson (0ur neighbor) and L (with Britton Colquit--a good friend of Spencer's and the punter for the Broncos)

To put the icing on the cake for the kids, it turns out John Elway came for the game and stopped to sign some autographs and talk to some fans.

Carson breaking down

Baseball

2011-11-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

While D was enjoying playing basketball, B decided to try his hand at Baseball. We have 3 other boys in our neighborhood the same age (including BFF cousin, Zach) and all 4 of them were on the team together. They were so funny to watch and listen. One source of great pride for those guys was that they were required to wear a "cup." At first, B was a little unsure, but before long, it was quite a cool thing to have. They would get in the car and be asked if they remembered everything (glove? yes! hat? yes! bat? yes! cup? *knock knock*--rather than respond, they would let you "hear" that they were covered.)

They all really made some big improvements and it was fun to go and watch them. They really came together as a team and I know they all would have been happy for their season to have gone on another 4 or 5 months!

Getting ready to bat

On First

Basketball

2011-11-07T00:11:00.000-07:00

D was able to be on the 8th Grade Basketball team this year. Unfortunately, they didn't have the success they wanted this season, but they still made some serious improvement over teh course of the season and it was fun for me to watch. A was always so good to sit on my lap and watch with me and she really did know when her brother was out there and she would watch him run up and down the court. They didn't get to go to the tournament, but they still ended their season on a good note... with a win, in a game where D got a rebound, turned around and put it for a basket and even got a steal. Go Sharks!!

(#42)

Preschool

2011-11-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have some wonderful neighbors who have set up a preschool where we each take a turn having it our house. I'm so thankful they included us so KL could go. She absolutely loves it and has so much fun learning her letters and sounds. Here she is on her first day:

CK's 7th Birthday

2011-11-05T11:20:00.003-07:00

I'm only a few months behind in my blogging...so I'll do my best to catch-up.

First, one of the most significant events that took place in our home is that CK had a birthday!!! She turned 7 years old and was so excited for this big day. The real bummer is that she ended up getting sick and couldn't go to school or have her party as planned. It was a tough blow, but she handled it all right.

She was feeling well enough in the evening for some presents and cake. Here she is opening up her presents:

Little A with B

Blowing the candles out on the special cake that Daddy bought her to try and soften the blow of missing out on her planned birthday festivities.

She was eventually feeling well enough that she got to go to school and have her special crown for the day:

We even got to have that party! We just got pizza, played outside and did the girl's toes.

All in all, I think she had a fun time. She is certainly someone worth celebrating!!

Puppies!!!

2011-09-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

My friend's dog had a big litter of adorable chocolate lab puppies so I just couldn't resist taking the girls to go and play with them. Jill and I loaded up Lily, A and KL and headed down. Lily is absolutely obsessed with animals and she was just beside herself with Joy. KL really loved them too. A thought that they were great, but she enjoyed looking at them from a distance more than when we tried to help her pick one up or even pet it.

Sisters

2011-09-21T20:03:00.001-07:00

As always, as I was downloading pictures off my camera, I found SEVERAL pictures that I didn't recognize and were clearly taken by the girls who had snuck off with my "off-limits" camera. While, publicly, I am totally against them touching the camera, I have to admit that as a mom, it is fun to see proof of them having fun together! I do love all my beautiful little girls!!!

And So It Begins...

2011-09-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

The house is coming along...

As such, I decided it was probably time to start packing now, so as to save myself more of a headache later. Also, so I could have it ready to show as rental. I started this little cutie's bedroom.

After I got it all cleaned out, it looked great...

And how much stuff can possibly come out of 1 small bedroom?

It was really hard to imagine that I found space to keep all this in there! And this was only 1 bedroom...the smallest bedroom! Heaven help me as I work my way through the rest of the house!

So...if anyone knows of anyone looking for a rental in the next couple of months...send them my way!

First Day of School

2011-09-06T20:06:00.002-07:00

It may have happened almost a month ago, but it still happened! The kids are back in school. D started 8th grade, the twins 4th, and CK is now in 2nd grade. Even KL will get to go to a little joy school that starts tomorrow, but she doesn't know it yet. She will surely be excited when she finds out! Here are some pictures from the first big day.

A, walking the kids to school

The boys didn't feel the need to be walked to school by me. :)

The girls heading off to find their classes.

Dewet

2011-08-19T10:13:00.006-07:00

KL is one of those kids who just never ceases to say the funniest things! I decided I needed write some of these down so I don't forget them. Most of the things I want to record are about "Dewet", her invisible special friend. He has been a boyfriend and even a fiance. At times, he's been an ex, but he always manages to worm his way back into her graces. He and KL have been special friends since early last summer. He has really shown some serious staying power this last year +. He's not walking away from this relationship. When she first introduced him to us, I couldn't decide if his name was "Jared" or "Derek". Given her cute little preschool speech impediments, she really couldn't correct us when we asked, so we decided to go with Derek.

Derek has a back story. He has had a difficult life, as all of his family has passed away and he had to come and live with us. When Dave heard that his baby girl had invited her boyfriend to live here in the same house with her, he put a stop to it. Thankfully, a few months ago, Derek's family miraculously came "back awive!" He is able to stay with them again for the most part, but he still makes frequent, to the point of near constant, visits over here.

A few months ago, my girls were having a little slumber party at my sister Julia's house. Julia's husband Dee, a redhead, is a favorite of KL's and she just loves to charm him. That night, Julia noticed KL sitting and talking to him while she was stroking his forearm. The next day, Julia asked her what Derek looked like. She answered, "He has wed hair and 'fuw.'" "Huh? 'fuw'?" Mea started to furiously stroking her arm and said, "Fuw! Fuw! Like Deet!" A few weeks later, she was over having another sleep over when she came up to Julia and said "I need to take a picture of my boyfwiend. He is so so cute. Like Deet."

Whenever KL goes to play with her little girl friends, I almost always get reports that whoever she is playing with now has an invisible boyfriend too. A few days ago she was over with a friend of mine to play with the little girl she babysits. My friend was on the phone with her mom when she noticed the little girls had the back door open and were making a kicking motion out the door. Kimberly said, "Girls! You need to shut the door so we don't get hot inside!" KL stuck her hand on her hip and said, "Ouw boyfwiends cheated on us so we'we kicking dem out." Where did she even learn that term!?!?!?!

Whenever something happens around here that shouldn't, we aren't surprised to hear that Derek did it. One day Dave informed Mea that she would be getting the spanken whenever Derek did something. She found this so totally unfair since she's not responsible for his actions! None the less, after taking a few of Derek's time outs, he quite misbehaving quite as much. However, last week, I took my sister and brother in law to our new house. Scott found a little piece of styrofoam and some nails and made a little head and said, "Look, it's Derek. Go give it to KL." I decided not to take it to her, but just to tell her that I saw him. When I did, I swear her eye's just about popped out of her head. "He's weal!?!?!?" She was so excited and just couldn't believe it. Just this morning, one of the other kids saw something out of place and angrily asked who did it. KL quickly jumped up and very knowingly said, "Dewet did it. He's weal! He's weal!"

She does say funny things, even when she isn't talking about Dewet. Earlier this week, we were at my parents where my mom was saying she couldn't call her "Maisy" anymore because my brother just got a dog with that name. KL asked what she would call her instead and my mom said maybe "May-May". She immediately said, "I want you to call me Roosevelt." Huh?

She will often tell me that I'm "hew hewo" when she's happy with me (accompanied by a big hug and several eye bats) and when she gets mad that she "will nevew be in youw famiwy again!"

I truly wish I could remember everything that she says, but there is just too much! She is so much fun and we are so thankful to have her around!

Utah, 2011

2011-08-13T11:22:00.003-07:00

We got to stop for a few days in Utah on our way home. We went to Lagoon with some of cousins. it was lots of fun for everyone...well almost everyone. I spent several hours in the "nurses office" with a vomit inducing migraine. Lots of fun. Still, the kids had a great time so it was worth it.

I spent the next day at my aunt's house recovering and then we wen tot Dave's sister that night for dinner, followed by a nice little movie the next afternoon. That night,we went to dinner with one of Dave's brother's family before leaving. That ended up being the only time I pulled out the camera.

All in all, a very fun family vacation, but as always, it was great to be home. Even if it was soul-suckingly hot. We are still surviving the heat, but looking forward to a change!

Wells Reunion 2011

2011-07-29T03:24:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of our vacation found us in Montana, where Dave flew up to meet us. We went here for my mom's bi-annual family reunion. I haven't had a chance to go in a few years so I was excited to see all of my extended family again. We have lots of traditions and schedules, that yes, may cause us a few laughs, but we have a great time.

The swap meet! Things move fast during this event. The kids really do have fun. I felt bad I ran out of stuff so fast. All I had to offer my kids for trading was some dollar store candy. Still, they came home with a lot more than they showed up with.

A and my niece, Abney wearing their matching dresses. They are being held by my sister, Katy, and her roommate who came to join in the fun.

A thought she was big enough to play with all the big kids.

My little sister and her roommates playing with all the little kids

There was a big flag pole in the middle of the yard which Zach climbed up. He was pretty proud of himself, though my Grandma was a little panicked.

Just a cute picture of my brother in law with my cute little nephew

We always have a family parade where people dress up and march around the front of the lodge. We aren't really sure where this tradition came from, but it can still be fun. This year, everyone was suppose to pick a person from history (historical, or iconic) to dress up as and see if people could guess.

Any guesses?

She was Baby Einstien. Usually, her hair doesn't need quite so much help to stand up. She was having fun. Can't you tell?

KL: The Statue of Liberty

Mariana (Annie Oakley) and A

My mom (Dorthy L'Amour) with my dad behind her (Bob Hope)

Lily...just a cute little pioneer girl.

Again, it was a great time and I'm so thankful for all the family I have. I was able to spend time with so many cousins, aunts, uncles and both of my grandparents. I hope that we are able to go again soon!

Washington, 2011

2011-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

We took a big mammoth vacation at the end of June and into July. We had such a fun time. We started by driving up to the Spokane, WA/Coeur d'Alene, ID area. It was absolutely gorgeous! I wish we could vacation there all the time! If only it wasn't a 24 hr drive.... still... totally worth it!! 1 bonus about this drive was we had the chance to stop in Farmington, UT to visit a really good friend of mine who use to live down here. I had so much fun catching up with her and I wish there had been more time. Oh well. I was thankful for what we had.

We went up to Washington because Dave's little sister Katie and her husband Jon live there with there 3 darling little kids. It was so much fun to spend time with them. They were such good sports about having all of us there, adn I'm so thankful that they let us come and crash in their house. Unfortunately, Dave wasn't able to get off enough time from work, so he couldn't come, so I'm thankful that my little sister, Mariana was able to take off an extra week and help me drive all my kids to the other side of the country.

Here we are on one night at a playground by their house.

Mariana, A

Li, KL, Katie, Ka, Jon

Mariana and A

We went to Post Falls Park where the kids played for awhile, then we we walked up to see the falls. Gorgeous!

The kids all had so much fun playing on the merry-go-round...I got a head ache just watching them!

6mo. pregnant Katie had fun playing too. :)

CK found climbed up here and posed so nice for a pic

Then D wanted to join her.

Then L, M, and B also wanted to join the party.

A loved the swing, and Li was so nice to push her.

D and KL

Down at the falls...at Post Falls
Li, Ka,KL

CK, KL, Mariana

D, CK, L, A, Ka, KL, M, B

We also took a trip down to Coeur d'Alene Lake. The water was freezing, but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast in the water.
M, L

KL, D, Ka, L

Name that backside...

KL!

Mariana, A

D and Li

We also spent a day in Downtown Spokane. There is a beautiful park right downtown.
We got to ride the little skyride over the falls downtown. Hard to see, but in this car is Mariana, D, B, and L

M, Ka, L in our little car

CK looking at the falls.

A looking at the falls.

Waterfall in downtown Spokane.

There was a big giant wagon. Here is everyone up on top.
A, Mariana, Li, Katie, D, L, and B

B, A, and Mariana

Mariana, and A

Ka, M, KL, CK

Again, thanks, Jon and Katie for letting us come. It was so much fun for all of us and we really hope you'll let us come back some day. We love you guys!

Girl's Camp 2011

2011-07-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

June was Girl's Camp. I truly love being able to be involved with this. It is so much fun and such a blessing--every part of it. This year our theme was "We Seek After These Things", going along with the 2011 Mutual Theme of the 13th Article of Faith.

Pres. Anderson on stage doing songs with the girls (holding his son).

Here we are as a presidency in front of the backdrop.

Marlane, Carol Ann, Julie, Me

The YCL's...trying to decide who gets the spirit stick the last night.

This is Bro. Richey. He is the High Councilor over the YW. He is such a great man and we love him. He does so much for the YW and we can't thank him enough. He ended up getting the spirit stick the last night.

Some of us on stage the last night, I'm 3rd from the right.

Here are all the people from our ward (girl's and leaders. I'm on the front row, 1st on the left)

The girl's from our ward:

Sleeping Baby

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday, we have our summer movie outing. Most weeks, the movies aren't exactly anything anyone is all that excited to see... particularly the older boys. One week, I agreed to let them stay home, if they watched A. I had put her down for her nap, but apparently, she didn't go right to sleep, so they got her up and she didn't get her morning nap. When I got home, I walked in the door and found this:

rClearly, she really did still want her nap.

Surprise Shower

2011-07-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

My little sister recently had a beautiful new baby girl. Just a week or 2 before she was born, my darling sister-in-law Beth, and some of their neighbors decided to throw her a surprise shower at a nearby park.

Amazingly, she really was surprised when we yelled "surprise!" She drove right by where we were all set up with an obvious party. She even saw mine and Jill's car. She just thought someone else was having a party. She never guessed it was for her.

Beth, Mary, Jill
A

What's a party with my sister's without some dancing?

My cute little nephews:

Bryson, Sambrown, Kyle, Brody

Jill and Bryson

Mary and I had a pedicure done a few days before.

Just a cute picture I found of A that the kids had taken

Progress..

2011-07-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on the progress of the house...

Things are moving along just great. It is so fun to go over there and see something new has happened.

This is the day after they poured the basement slab.

Floor joists...getting ready to start framing

It is also an exciting time for my sister. Her house has officially started construction. They bought their lot 7 years ago, so this was a huge deal and such a happy surprise when she went by and saw the tractor there!

Here are D, B, L and CK in May, not long before the framing began, followed by the back fill.

When we got back from our vacation last weekend, we were so excited to go by the house and find that it was all framed. It really is so nice! We just can't stop looking at it.

L, KL, and CK

Waterslide

2011-07-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

This summer I decided I would do something extra fun for the kids. I bought a big giant inflatable waterslide. We were all so excited...for the 1 week it lasted before they broke it. I'm still feeling upset about this. Anyway, it was a fun week. Here are our pictures.

KL:

CK:

Lily

Zach

Jill and A

Lily and A

We didn't know we had bought the exact same swimsuit until after we had done it. Still...just think they look so cute in these!

Football

2011-07-15T14:33:00.003-07:00

We've had a very busy summer so far, but now we are home and I'm determined to get back on track with this blog! To start out, I have to go back a few months and report on B's football season which ended in May. He loved playing for his Uncle Scott on the Bronco's. They had a very good season that came to an unfortunately painful end without a championship. Still, the boys played well and had a good time.

Here is the members of the team who were present on the last day. This picture took about 10 takes... I finally said I wasn't going to stop until I got a pic of B smiling. This was the best he could do.

Here he is getting his trophy from Scott. Again, the pain from the loss was just still too real for him.

Picnic Fun

2011-06-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

My mom gave KL a little picnic basket set for her birthday. She was so excited to have it and couldn't wait to use it! So, we packed it all up and invited Sambrown over for lunch. They were so excited to take it outside and get it all set up.

I peaked out after a few minutes and saw this. We had already had a blessing on the food, but I love that Sambrown made sure they had another one once they had their feast set up.

Aren't they cute?

Celebration of Learning, 2011

2011-06-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Among all the end of school year festivities, we were able to go and see what the kids were doing all year at Celebration of Learning.

The 3rd grade put on a singing performance so the twins were a part of that.

Here is L with her best friend Lily while they were waiting to go in.

B&L

After the singing, we went down to the 1st grade hallway. CK's class was decorated with an underwater theme. Here she is with Mrs. MacRobbie.

Then we got to visit the twins classroom. They have been working on country reports. B did his on Scotland (which is why he wanted to wear his shirt with tartan tie). We had to make an instrument that is from his country. Here he is with his bagpipes.

L did Russia. She made an overtone flute.

D was part of the "Living Wax Museum" with the rest of the 7th graders. Unfortunately, by the time the twins performance was over, so was his. I didn't get to see him doing his thing, but he showed us all later. He was Jim Thorpe.

It is hard to believe that another year is gone! The time really does fly fast. Now, we get to spend the next couple of months enjoying each other even more!

Dance, Spring 2011

2011-06-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

Princess KL took dance again this semester and loved it again. She really is funny. She knows all the names of the things she likes to do

Taking a bow...

A enjoyed exploring once she allowed to wander a little.

With her wonderful teacher, Ms. Crystal

Just a little bit of live action... so cute!

1st Grade Preformance

2011-06-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

We got to go to CK's first grad performance just before school let out for the year. She was so excited to show off her songs that she had been practicing for weeks. She was so diligent in getting the RSVP's so she knew how many people would be coming to watch her and there would be enough chairs.

This year started out in kindergarten for her, and I really agonized about moving her to 1st grade, but I'm rally happy with the decision we made. It was the right one and she really has excelled. It is just amazing how much of a sponge for knowledge little kids are!

KL waiting for the performance (it was on her birthday!)

There was some sheer panic in her face right up until she saw us! She was so worried we weren't there.

After the singing, we went back to her room for some cookies and to see all that they have been working on. Grammy was there so here they are together.

Of course, KL had to jump in for a pic too.

The class doing silly faces.

With Wonderful Ms. MacRobbie. She is the same teacher that the twins had and I just love her. She is such a wonderful caring teacher and I can only hope the little girls get her too!

Another Year Closer to the Top of the Hill

2011-06-01T11:51:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Dave's birthday just a few days before the princess's. He told her several times that day that she was his best birthday present ever, even if she came just a few days late. She just loved hearing that, even if she didn't totally grasp it. Here he is with with the rest of our treasures (KL had fallen asleep by this point.)

Opening presents...he is wondering why I wrapped up his phone...it was because I got him a scripture app for his phone.

Just about the only thing he requested for his birthday was to have cinnamon rolls instead of a cake. I woke up nice and early and got going on them. Unfortunately, the got a little over cooked and so they weren't all they could have been. I don't think he ended up eating any. That's ok. The kids didn't seem to notice anything was amiss with them, even if Dave and I could. Still-- what a bummer when you put all that work into something and have it all fall apart 3 minutes from the end!
All in all, it was a pretty laid back day, but I hope he felt as loved and appreciated as he made me feel on my birthday!

My Princess if 4!

2011-05-30T09:24:00.001-07:00

My cute little princess turned 4 last week. She really has been an absolute joy for all of us. None of us can imagine life with out her. She has so many funny lines that I always have something funny to tell Dave when he gets home at night. For example...I went shopping for her birthday the day before. I got her a little bike with training wheels because my parents neighbor's have one and she always loves to ride and tell me "it's just my size!" Anyway, I brought it home and hid in my closet and shut all teh doors, thinking I would move it somewhere better hidden later. Well, that afternoon, I caught her coming out of my bedroom. I kept asking her where she had been to the constant answer of "nowhewe." She did finally admit that she had been in my room, but just in my "bafwoom." When I asked what she ahd been doing in there she finally looked at me and as she sternly used her and as she spoke, she said, "Mom, I dust didn't see da bike." I had to turn around walk down the all right away because I just coudn't keep a staight face for that!

When she woke up in the morning, both her big sisters made her special crowns for her big day.

(with L)

with CK

We had a special party with some friends in the morning. She was so excited for this big moment. Here are all the kids enjoying a hot dog lunch.

My Brother's little boy and my sister's little girl really look so much alike! I just had to get a picture of these 2. They really could pass for siblings instead of cousins.

My darling little nephew Brys just had to jump in the picture too. This kid all smiles, all the time. He has such big dimples they look like they go straight through from one cheek to the other!

Posing with the cupcakes.

Presents:

My cute little nephew, Brody, wanted to give hre a bag full of snacks. Hew as very specific about this particular box of Jello Pudding because she would love it so much. She really was excited about it and had so much fun making it.

Of course, our little angel was so cute running around the whole time. This was the first time she tried drinking out of a cup and she quite liked it. She just through away her sippy after!

So... my cupcakes...

I have really had fun lately making cupcakes. I made a nice little variety since we had this party in the morning, than a big family party that night. I decided they deserved plenty of photographic homage..

White flowers

Mini-Stawberry Bundt with a Vanilla Glaze

Chocolate Peanut Butter

A Tower of Cupcakes

Vanilla Swirl

Purple Flowers

Ok...back to the celebrations:

We had a big family party that night. It was lots of fun. KL shares a birthday with my cousin Shannon. Shannon was kind enough to let us do a joint party. I loved it because we got to have my aunt who was in town, my Grandpa 1 last time before going up to Utah for the summer, some of my cousins, including 1 who is justa bout to move to Virgina (which I'm still in mourning about, but I know it will be a great experience for her and her family!). Anyway, we had a simple dinner, than moved on to presents.

Just another quick funny story about my funny little girl. I ran to go and pick up the sandwiches before dinner. As I was unloading the car, KL asked what it was for. I told her it was for her birthday party. She said, "But I awweady had my biwfday." I said, "This is for another party, remember?" Her eyes got really big and she looked at me and said, "Am I tuwning 6 today, too?!?!"

A new Tangled t-shirt from Mariana

The 2 birthday girls:
Shannon and KL

Blowing the birthday candle with their cupcake

My cousins' 2 little babies (Brynlee and Quinn) who are just a few weeks apart and A.

A really liked Quinn's hat.

Girl's Night

2011-05-28T10:48:00.004-07:00

On the last day of school, my dad took the boys on their annual camp out. In their absense, my mom decided to host a girl's night. It started early when she picked up the girls and took them over to their house where they spent all afternoon cooking and getting ready. All the granddaughters but 2 of the babies were able to be there. It was a fun.

Here is A and Ava

All the little girls with their Grammy. My 2 little ones had been fighting, that is why they look so happy!

Notice how nice the table looks---goblets and everything!

The little girl's table (with A stealing some of Ava's food in the background)

After dinner, my mom took the little girls over to see the kittens next door.

We had a delicious Trifle that L was primarily for. She is looking so happy here because she was pouting that she was told we couldn't take home one of the adorable kittens.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

I had a great mother's day this year. I was really spoiled. Among a lot of other things, Dave and the kids picked out this beautiful dress for me. I love it! I love being a mom. I can't think of anything in the world I would rather be doing with my time. It is a blessing every day to get up and see all these wonderful little faces. I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world. Thanks for making my me feel so special, guys! I love you!

A TEENAGER!!! WHAT!?!?!

2011-05-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

When did my baby boy get old enough to be a teenager? Aren't only older people suppose to have kids that old? Isn't amazing how relative time really is and how fast it can fly? It really does feel like I blinked a few months ago, and my itty bitty little guy turned into who he is today. He really is a good kid, even though we may sometimes butt heads. I know that he really does want to do what's right, and I couldn't be more proud of him!

While I was out visiting few friends a couple of months ago, I found these PJ's and thought it was so funny that they would make them for someone his size. My friend and I laughed so hard. He has yet to wear them.

His favorite kind of cake---Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Holding one of his adoring little sisters who was mesmorized by the candles.

San Francisco

2011-05-21T05:53:00.002-07:00

Dave had the opportunity to argue a case in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last month. He has had a couple of cases that have gone before the court-1 that had oral arguments, and 1 that was just decided with out hearing arguments. The one that had oral arguments was argued by his boss, and those arguments were heard at ASU, but later had an "en bunk" (sp) where they got to go to San Francisco to argue. Still, this was a really big deal because Dave got to present the case and make the argument. He did a great job, despite 2nd guessing himself the whole way home. He was well prepared and it showed. I went with him for the quick trip. We were only there for a couple of days, and Dave spent the whole time preparing. I had planned to spend most of the time quietly reading in the hotel room, but actually we were staying right in the center of Union Square and I would stand at the window and look at our amazing view and see all the places I would love to go shopping...so that's what I did.

Our first night, there was a game Giant's game. Those bright lights are the stadium. It was really fun to sit and look at our view.

This picture should be funny to anyone who has ever watched "What's Up Doc" with Barbara Striesand (namely, my sisters)

Trolley car...

Dave wanted to go down to the courthouse the day before. It really was an amazing building. The details and workmanship were amazing. This building is more than 100 years old. We ran into a lady who worked there and she said that during the 1989 earthquake, some of the plaster from the ceiling fell down so it had to be replaced, but no one was complaining because it had gotten really gross and dirty since people had once been allowed to smoke inside.

I really like this picture because you can see this long hallway and all the little archways. Each arch in the ceiling had the same detail as the picture above.

A closer look at the ceiling detail.

This is inside the courtroom that Dave and his boss argued in the first time they were there.

The 2nd courtroom. (there are 3 total. We didn't get to take a picture of the one he argued in because that is the one that was in session when we were there.)

Each of the doors (and there were literally hundreds of them) had this level of detail

All 3 floors had these mosaic tiles. They were all hand placed. I really can't imagine how long it must have taken. The previously mentioned lady who we talked to who worked there said these were the original floors.

A little bi closer look. You can see a crack in the floor. There were a few of these (from the earthquakes?) but it was still so beautiful.

While I did spend a lot of the time out walking around (and going shopping since we were right in the center of Union Square), Dave spent nearly all of his time here--in the room at the desk working.

The morning of the argument...

Outside the courtroom just after his argument

Inside a little office/library they have for attorney's arguing at court.

They had this amazing mosaic on the ceiling of the attorney's room.

Outside the Courthouse.
(it really did strike me how small the entrance was for such an amazing building. It just looks like a door over on the corner of the building.)

At the Port of San Francisco. We had a couple of hours after the argument before we had to leave for the airport, so we decide to take a quick ride down to the water for lunch. This is the only sightseeing that Dave got to do. :)

It was a fun quick trip and I was glad I was able to go watch my man shine. Also... Happy Birthday, Dave! You are wonderful and I love you!

Face Paint

2011-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

D recently went to a carnival where he got his face painted. He was pretty proud of this character choice.

I'm Another Year Older.

2011-05-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

This year was like the year of never ending birthday celebrations for me...not that I minded. :)

We started out the day before my big day. We took the kids out to dinner, then Dave got me a delicious Ice Cream cake from DQ (Yum!!)

She just couldn't wait to get her hands on it!

He took the big family pic, so I insisted that he get in a picture with me.

The next day I had planned to do a whole lot of nothing...Well actually, I started out planning to finish get my house clean, becuase, you see, my fabulous mom and little sister had come over the day before and had done just about everything except mom and clean my bathroom. However, they came back over on the morning of my day and finished. (Seriously, can you think of a better present???)

After that, my sister invited me to lunch. We went to Olive Garden and I really enjoyed the salad and breadsticks. SOOO good!!! Beth and our friend Maithe came too (though left before our picture).

That night, there was a ward BBQ. It was a lot of fun. They had a a hay ride, bounce house, little fish pond, and (KL's favorite) a little tractor train ride. Seriously, all night when I couldn't find her, I would just go look over there. She would be laughing her head off in these little cars.

For entertainment, they had each presidency preform a skit. Since Dave is the ward clerk, he got to be a part of the bishopric skit. Here he is all "cowboyed" up. He really did learn to play the bass guitar for this!

The next night, we were at my mom's. It was General Conference weekend, so we went over there to meet up with all the men after Priesthood session. Here is where I got to open all my fun presents.

Love this dress? Dave picked it out. I've had lots of compliments on it.

A couple of months ago, I discovered that my diamond fell out of my wedding ring. Thankfully, I discovered this BEFORE sweeping into the disposal with the rest of the crumbs on the counter. While I was waiting to get it fixed, I mentioned to Dave how much I woudl love to get a Hawaiian Heirloom ring to wear. He totally came through. I love wearing it! It is beautiful. Here he is putting it on me.

While I'm out pictures, the celebrating didn't stop there. My neighbors took me out to breakfast a couple of days later. It was fun and I'm so thankful to have had so many years around so many fabulous people. What a great birthday! Thanks, everyone!

CK's Zoo Field Trip

2011-05-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of March, CK had a field trip to the Zoo (or "zoom" as KL would say). I wasn't able to be a chaperone because I didn't have anyone to watch the little girls. Besides, I knew they would have fun, so me any my 2 little stay-at-home- buddies hopped in the car and went to join CK on her field trip for a little while. It was a very fun morning.

CK and KL

Me with my pretty little girls. What a lucky mom!

A was just happy to be out walking round in her stroller!

Without really meaning too, we ended up getting in line to be able to go and feed the giraffes. You had to pay extra, and I didn't have enough cash all of us, but I did have enough for CK. It really was cool!

With her 3 friends from school who are triplets

It was a hard thing for KL that I didn't have enough cash handy for her to go and feed the Giraffe too. She ended up making do with finally being able to look in one of the telescopes.

They were both pretty wiped out by the time we got home after such a fun adventure!

2011-05-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

The thing I never thought would happen, has happened! We have actually started our house. It is exciting, yet still very overwhelming. We got started a couple of weeks ago. Much to Dave's embarassment, we had a "ground breaking". We got a bunch of shovels, had dinner at the little picnic area across the street and had one of future neighbors take our picture. It was a fun FHE.

By the end of that week, we officially had a sign marking our lot with our builder. Even little flags in the back marking our property line.

They started digging the day Dave and I left for San Francisco. This was on our way to the airport.

KL was both excited and nervous of the big tractor.

All the kids got to come down and see it after the hole was finished.

Not Quite Broken

2011-05-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, B hurt his ankle playing football at school. Thankfully, it wasn't broken. Still, his sprain was right around his growth plates, so the doctor put him in a cast for 2 weeks. Right off the bat, B wasn't too excited about the presence of the cast. The doctor said he was surprised because most kids are excited about getting cast on...at least for the first time. B couldn't be fooled. He knew what this would mean to his active social life.

It was a happy day when it came off.

There was some anxiety present with that saw.

Mostly, he said that it tickled.

He is still limping around with a brace, but he is able to get around quite a bit more and there are far fewer tears shed when his friends want to play ball and he can only watch.

Yoga

2011-05-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was on the phone when my nephew was over. He and KL were trying to put on a movie. My Yoga video was in the DVD player. Since I was on the phone, I was distracted as they were frantic about some sort of problem with the movie. I eventually realized that they were climbing all over me because they were trying to turn on the movie. Naturally, I removed the yoga, thinking that they would be happy so they could turn on whatever they were after. However, that only made them scream louder. I eventually put my phone conversation on hold and tried to listen to them. It turns out that they were trying to turn on the Yoga, because they "want to get stwong." I turned around to realize that they had the yoga mat out, as well as some small free weights. After I got it one, Sam faithfully completed his work out (KL was less committed to the process).

My yoga tape is a Biggest Loser one, and Bob is the trainer on the video. I couldn't stop laughing when at one point, I heard Sam turn to KL and say, "Bob thinks I'm doin a gweat job."

Mariana's Birthday

2011-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

My little sister recently celebrated her 21st birthday. It wasn't a huge celebration, but we were still happy to go and have the chance to spend a little time with her. We love her so much and are so thankful for the addition she is to our family.

Mariana had borrowed a tiara for her special day from a friend. My mom got her one of her own, so she let the little girls have a turn wearing it while they played with the dress up clothes.

A Time to Honor Granmda June

2011-05-04T07:30:00.010-07:00

My beautiful, fun loving, and every other positive adjective you can think of recently passed away. She was nothing if not a wonderful example and strong matriarch. I can't possibly write everything I would like to about her, so I won't. This post would be too long, plus there are so many things that are just too personal for me to try and explain (I did a little in a previous post just after her death).

She spent the last few years of her life spending winters (and then even more) here where it was warm. I so thankful to have had this time with her.

She passed away on April 25, in the early morning hours. We held a memorial service down here on Thursday, April 28, then a funeral service up in Midway on April 30. I was blessed enough to go to both.

I didn't take too many pictures down here, but still, here are a few from the day.

Mariana and A

Kalais asleep

My Aunt Julee had some beautiful displays to honor Grandma and the things she loved.
(the portrait on the left of the lady with her head bowed is a painting of her mama)

After the service, the ward made a dinner for us. The once done eating, the kids had so much fun running around the stage.

Since we had the 3 little girls together, we had to take their picture

L, A, CK looking at flowers.

The next day, D, A, and I hitched a ride with my parents up to Utah. I stayed with Dave's brother's family (which was heaven to D, since their oldest is just a week younger than him.) We woke up the morning of the funeral to 8 inches of snow. Thankfully, my brother in law was willing to shovel us out of the driveway (I was borrowing my little sister's car at this point).

At the cemetery. The Pall bearers moving the casket.

Putting their boutonieres on the casket.

Aunt Jo, Uncle Don (who came home from Hawaii where they are serving a mission at the PCC) with Grandpa Pug

Terri, Brent, Jo, Don, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Pat, Marcee, Julee, Ron, Robyn
(the kids with their spouses)

This is a picture of all the grandkids who were present. It was pretty special for me to have been able to see each of my cousins with in just a few days of each other. While not everyone was able to be to both services, everyone was able to to make to 1 or the other.

Members of my dad's family who were there.

Me, my June Baby, and D

We had another family dinner after the internment. Here I am holding A, and my little niece Abney

Funny picture my sister took of the adults trying to get the babies to look for the pictures

After the dinner, some of us went back to my aunt and uncle's house for a nice long visit and talk with my cousins, uncle, aunt, parents, and grandpa. We were able to share stories and feelings about my grandma, as well as her mama, who, while I never was able to know in this life, was just such a part of Grandma, you just couldn't talk about her, without Mama. I truly am thankful for that time and I hope never to forget the stories and other things they shared.

Eventually, we left (much to D's relief--he was desperate to see his cousins too)
We did have a little bit of time when we got home for D to play with his cousins.

A. June's 1st birthday

2011-05-02T10:26:00.008-07:00

Every year, we do a little Easter Egg hunt for the kids at my parents house the day before Easter. This year, Easter happend to fall on my darling little baby A's birthday which means that our Annual Easter Egg hunt fell on the lady Ava's birthday. Actually, April has become quite a month of birthday's in our family. Beth and I suggested having a big giant birthday party for anyone who wanted to come. In actuality, it ended up being mostly for the 2 little princesses turning 1. We didn't mind. :)

Beth's neighbor made this beautiful cake for the little girls. It was so amazingly cute!

I, too, tried my hand at a little decorating. I made these cupcakes. I had fun with them and the frosting turned out so much better than the first time I tried.

The little girls were excited by the presents from the very beginning.

They had so much fun once they figured out what was in the Easter Eggs too!

We had quick dinner after the Easter Egg hunt, then it was on to the cake.

We tried to light the candle, but it really didn't work out. It was too breezy, but that's ok.

A didn't need to be told what to do with the cake. The only struggle was keeping her out of it long enough to sing "Happy Birthday!"

Ava was a little bit more hesitant to jump into the cake.

After cake, the kids disappeared. Before we knew it, they had all climbed into the irrigation. Normally, this is a HUGE no-no. However, this impromptu water adventure was so much fun for all of them, that we just let it happen. They got so cold, but were having so much fun. ALL of the grandkids ended up in the water, as well as my little brothers. Erik went out and played football with the boys. They were all laughing so much that it really did make the party!

D and Sam

B broke away from the fun long enough to come and check in on his little girl.

KL had so much fun, that she fell asleep here as we were cleaning up.

Due to all the water fun, we never got around to opening presents. By the time they were done, everyone was pretty cold, tired and we as parents were ready to get them to bed. No regrets!

The actual big day:
Isn't a good looking birthday breakfast?

It was also Easter so each of the girls had a special new dress. Here they all are just before church. Unfortunately, I couldn't pull off 1 united picture. It just wasn't meant to be.

A, B and KL

L. I guess I never got CK to pose for me. Too bad. She looked awfully cute too!

After church, we had the family over for dinner then we had presents. it was beautiful evening and we could really enjoy being outside. Here is my little angel opening her presents.

She got to see what the candle looked like when it was lit. She was quite excited by it!

She still had fun digging into the cake (or cupcake) this day too.

When the evening was over, she especially loved sitting down and cuddling with her daddy and a bottle. He really enjoyed it too.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! You have really made this year so much fun for all of us. We love you!

Grandma June: March 21, 1923- April 25, 2011

2011-05-02T08:48:00.002-07:00

Grandma June, Sr picture

1 week ago today, just a few hours after Easter and the 1st birthday of my baby who was named after her, my beautiful Grandma June passed away. I know I can never explain to someone who didn't know her just how amazing she was (is) but I'd still like to give it a try. The first thing I think of when I think of her is her laugh. It was absolutely infectious. She was constantly laughing and giggling. There were certainly times when she was serious, and even times of tears. Still, many times those tears were brought on by how hard she was laughing. You just couldn't be around and not join in the laughter. Even up to the very end, she loved to laugh.

Grandma June and Grandpa Pug at mine and Dave's wedding

She loved to play with us as kids. One of my favorite memories of her is coming home from school when I was 8 years old to be surprised to find her at my house (they lived in Kansas City at the time). My mom had gone into labor and so she was there to help and take care of us. She spent the entire afternoon playing with Jill and I upstairs. We were playing hospital. Jill was the doctor, I was the nurse, and part time patient. Grandma was the patient, and she played her part well. She rolled around moaning on the bed making up all sorts of ailments. The thing I remember the most was that she said she broke her thumb and she needed a cast. She had Jill and I wrap her thumb with an entire thing of masking tape before she said it was ok.

Grandpa and Grandma playing the role of Mary and Joseph in the family Nativity Scene play, Dec 1999

I remember Dave telling me how shocked he was the first time he met her. We had just started dating and we had gone snow tubing up in Midway where they lived. Since we were there, I insisted we go and see my grandparents. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to spend as much time with his grandparents growing up as I had with mine and so he wasn't really sure what to expect. I certainly wasn't what he got. He wasn't sure what to do when we walked in the front door and within seconds, Grandma and I gave each other a hug, which immediately turned into a bra-snapping/ bum kicking, then rolling on the floor in the foyer, wrestling match. You see, when ever she stood next to you, she would always have her arm around you, and it was a prime opportunity to kick your leg up sideways to smack that person you had your arm around in the toosh. For a lady in her 70's, she was surprisingly agile and could kick pretty high!

When Grandma made a friend, it was a friend for life. She didn't do "casual acquaintance". She would always talk about friends she had met as she had moved around from state to state with Grandpa's work, and then during their mission to Bermuda. People who knew her, loved her and never forgot her. In fact, when my brother and sister-in-law got married in Scotland, we were there. We traveled to the Preston England Temple for their sealing. While we were there, we stayed in the temple housing that is there for temple patrons. We got to talking to someone who was there for a temple trip. It turns out, he was from Bermuda. We mentioned our grandparents who had been there on their mission almost 20 years before. Of course he knew them and was so excited to have met us and found this connection to them. He was so sweet to us since we were related to such amazing people and ran back to his room to bring us back cookies and other snacks he had brought for himself. When we told my grandparents, they, of course, still knew him, as they never forgot any of the friends they had made.

Grandma and Grandpa with B and L on their blessing day

Grandma had such a strong testimony and amazing faith. It was as undeniable as her love of giggling. She suffered from Alzheimer's during the last few years of her life. However, despite the many things she couldn't remember, she never lost sight of this. It was last September that I sat next to her in the General Relief Society Broadcast. It had been a couple of years since she had known my name, and several others, yet as we sat there, she could sing every word of the hymns and she listened so intently to the speakers and we were able to talk about how great the meeting was after as she bore such a sweet testimony of the things that she heard during the meeting. I was so thankful then to see that her testimony was so strong and ingrained in her that despite all she lost, that would never leave her.

I took the kids over to see her the night she was moved to the care center. I knew this could be their last time to see her on this earth (which it was) and we were lucky enough to get a picture. She had been in so much pain at this point and couldn't move at all, despite this, she was still able to smile for a picture, and tell us that she loved us.

I was blessed to have been able to spend time with her on 4 different days during her last week on the earth. Each one was powerful and significant to me. 3 of those times she was still able to speak and she told me she loved me on each of those times. As I said, due to the Alzheimer's Disease, it had been some time since had recognized me, but during some of these visits, I truly felt that wasn't the case. She knew me, and was able to leave me with memories that I will cherish forever. I am so thankful to this wonderful person who has had such an impact on my life, and the life of so many others. I pray that I can live up to her example a little bit more.

This is a poem that a cousin of mine wrote and it really does say it all.

Her sparkling eyes,
Her witty way,
Her tender, open heart.
Her story telling,
Her love of dance,
her belief in you from the start.
Her gentle hand
Which would reach for yours
With a never ending smile.
Her positive outlook, her endless happiness
Would invite you to stay for awhile.
Her love of family
Her sweetheart, her children
Each granddaughter and grandson
Through each generation
She made us feel
As if each was the only one.
Her faithful soul, her great example
Her generosity that never ceased
Carried her through the times
When she felt lost
And could not be released.
She taught us all
How we should live
And we are blessed to say
That we were loved
By our Grandma June
In the most perfect way.
Now we know she is safe
She has returned home
She is not in pain anymore
She no longer feels lost,
No longer afraid
Her peace is made sure.

Look Familiar?

2011-04-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago, I had my nephew over. He and KL were having suckers and anxiously awaiting the return home of some our neighbors so they could have more friends to play with. They had been in the backyard, but they moved up to front. I looked out my front door and saw this:

I thought they looked so cute, and I was instantly reminded of this image:Of course, it wasn't a cold rainy day with 2 miserable kids. Quite the opposite. It was a gorgeous spring day with these 2 little cuties, toasting their delicious lolly pops with the exciting promise of the twins across the street arriving at any minute!

I really do think these kids are cute and I just love what good friends they are and that they get to have so many cousins so close! Lucky kids! I love them!

Sweet Baby

2011-04-12T05:08:00.001-07:00

We really do enjoy this little baby! I can hardly believe she is almost 1!!!

Sleeping Beauty

Playing with Daddy's Hat

All decked out in her UofA gear because they were playing that day in the Elite 8.

Bear Down, Arizona!

Owen's 2!!!

2011-04-10T03:24:00.003-07:00

My nephew had his 2nd birthday last month. His first birthday was pretty lame, I have to say. To say that there there was quite a bit going on around his birthday would be an understatement. His special day really got thrown to the back burner...and then completely off the stove. When his big day came around, he celebrated with a big marshmallow that my mom found with a candle while we stood around and sung Happy Birthday. I believe his big present was a balloon--not helium. Still, he did love it. Nonetheless, this year, Beth was determined to celebrate in style so we got to go over to their park for lunch and cake. We had a great time!

Owen and Ava

A with Kalais

Me with the sweet little 11 mo. old girls

The birthday cake... SOO much better than the giant marshmallow with a candle in it from last year.

Hope you had a fun day, Buddie! We Love You!

I just don't get it.

2011-04-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

So, I've finally joined the world of Facebook. I've stubbornly refused for some time to sign up, but I feel as though my hand was forced when D (who just a few shorts weeks away from being a teenager) decided that needed to be on. I've successfully kept him off for a while, but with his new age, comes certain new assertions that he is making. Last month, I received a text from my brother in law in MD saying that he had become a FB friend of my first born. Hmm... I had 2 choices. Get mad at him and have him consider going behind my back to do it anyway, and be super sneaky about it so I don't know, or 2, get on board too so I could keep tabs on him. I decide the latter was the better option.

Well, I'm a few weeks into this and I've just got to say, that I just don't get what the big deal is. Frankly, I find it more annyoing than anything else. Do I really need to know every time anyone I knows comments on the pictures or random thoughts of everyone they know or make comments on other's thoughts? Does everyone I've ever met need to be made aware of the fact that I'm extremely tired because KL woke up in the middle of the night and then woke up A setting of 2 hour long chain reaction? Or that D had a fun ol time hanging out at the park with some friends? Also, I will notice that there are "notifications" for me. When I check them, I will see that friend X has posted on my wall, however, the screen that pulls up everyone's thoughts show no such comments where I'm looking. I can select the "wall" tab on other people's facebook page, but never my own! ARGH!! I guess I can sort of see the draw, but really... it is just too much!!!!! I'm sure that I will eventually become a little bit more facebook-saavy, and not be so down on the whole thing, but still... it will never become to me what it seems to be to so many others. I think I'd much rather stick to my blog!!!

Grandma June

2011-04-05T00:59:00.002-07:00

Last month, my Grandma June turned 88. My grandpa hosted a little party for which was lots of fun. I have been so blessed to have my grandparents in my life. I was raised with all 4 of my grandparents and am so fortunate that my kids have been able to get to know and love them too. They are all the greatest examples and I just can't say enough how much it means to me to have them.

My Grandma has Alzheimer's, so memory isn't quite what it once was, but her sweet, fun-loving spirit hasn't changed. She is still so quick to laugh and giggle and just loves to be the center of attention--making everyone around her laugh as well. I just love that no matter what else can't remember, she remembers her testimony and her faith in Christ, as well as her love for her amazing husband, Pug. The 2 of them have been the best example anyone could ask for when it comes to a wonderful, loving marriage. My Grandpa has always treated her like she was a queen and the best thing that ever happened to him, and my grandma will still tell us all about how she met him (at Jordan High--she and her sister had decided to transfer there to check out the cute boys at a new school. She chose that good looking guy, Pug, from the second she saw him in history class, and he certainly had his eye on her from the first minute too.)

Dancing

(they have always been great dancers and won a jitterbug contest in their crazy high school days)

Cupcakes!

2011-04-02T12:41:00.002-07:00

Not so long ago, L suggested she make cupcakes. I decided this would be a great idea and we would make some from scratch. That isn't what she had in mind (namely, me doing it and not her on her own with a mix), so she bailed. Still--I had a whole lot of fun with my first "creative cupcake" experience. I decided to make orange cupcakes and I have to say that turned out pretty good. The frosting was "eh". I need to work on that. Still...

Did Someone Steal My Camera?

2011-03-31T12:31:00.003-07:00

There is a very hard and fast rule in my house about my camera...NO ONE TOUCHES MY CAMERA. Nonetheless, everytime I go to download pictures, I always find plenty of pictures that I'm pretty sure that I didn't take. Usually, it is just KL who plays with the camera, but I'm pretty sure that these first few are from L, as she is the only one in the house who thinks this guy is totally unbelieber-able!! (yes I did!)

And now on to some of KL's highlights:

And she finally got the shots she was looking for!

Ritz Anyone?

2011-03-30T12:25:00.004-07:00

A is very much an explorer these days. Whenever she sees a door open, she heads straight for it--especially if she can sense she shouldn't be in it. The rest of the kids haven't totally figured this out, and so therefore, don't always close doors that should be shut. Not too long ago, one of the kids left the pantry open, as well as opening a package of Ritz, then leaving them on the bottom shelf where they would be easily accessible for a future pantry raid. I walked into the kitchen that day to see this:

(By the way, I did do her hair this day. This was just late in the afternoon--long after she had pulled out half of her ponytails.)

Dual Loyalties

2011-03-16T18:23:00.004-07:00

So, everyone knows we are first and foremost Bronco fans. Nothing has changed that, and frankly, probably every will--even if Spencer ends up playing someplace else in the future. Still... we can still like other teams.

I've always had a place in my heart for the Packers every since my summer I spent living 30 minutes from Green Bay just after my Freshman year of college. This has been compounded by having Tracey and Emma be a part of lives/family. When they were here visiting us in January, they brought each of the kids a shirt. Here they are wearing them on Superbowl Sunday.

2011-03-09T11:56:00.004-07:00

A while back, we decided to have a little fun day with the preschoolers. We were going to try adn go to the zoo, but it was just too cold that day. Instead, we went to Bounce U. The kids absolutely loved it! In fact, us mom's had a lot of fun too. There were all sorts of big inflatable bounce houses and 1 huge slide. The slide was definitely the big hit. It was a blast! It is where spent most of our time.

KL going into a little inflatable obstacle course.

A was happiest playing on the floor with the little toys.

Jill and Lily

A
Me and KL

Me and KL

Gun

Mariana with A, Jill with Lily

Sam

KL, Julia, Gun

Gun, Annie, KL

Me holding A, someone holding KL and Mariana holding Lily
(I had lots of fun going down, but poor A was terrified. She could sense what would happen when we sat down at the top of the slid and she grabbed on with a death grip!)

Goodbye, Farewll

2011-02-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

As we all know, all good things must come to an end. We had such a great time with Grandpa Allan and Grandma Shirley and were so sad to see them go. We really wish we could see them more, but are so thankful for the time we get. One morning, Shirley came upstairs after the kids had come down to make sure they were up so Grandpa and Grandma could walk them to school. She looked at me and said, "He is REALLY enjoying his grandkids." My response was, "They are REALLY enjoying him." (...and Grandma too, of course!!!)

Here are just some pictures of the morning they left.

Tepanyaki

2011-02-19T09:12:00.003-07:00

While Dave's parents were here, we decided to take a little lunch date to a Tepanyaki restaurant. Since most of the kids were at school, we just got to take the littlest ones with us (much to the dismay of the 4 older). Anyway, it was a fun time for us!

Grandpa, Grandma, KL and A

A REALLY like the food! She loved this corn especially.

The chef was a cute kid who really seemed to cater to KL. She had fun!

She was both intrigued and terrified when they would do the big fire. I really loved this picture!

Here is a little video of the girls reaction to when he first lit the big fire.

Temple with Grandpa and Grandma

2011-02-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

We got to have Grandpa Allan and Grandma Shirley come and see us a couple of weeks ago. Naturally, it was so much fun for all of us and it was over far too soon. I really do love my in-laws. Whenever I hear people express difficulties about their in-laws, I'm always surprised, because I just can't relate. The only complaint that I can come up with is that they are too far away and we don't get spend nearly enough time with them! Nonetheless, we tried to make the most of the time we did have with them, and we had some fun!

One special thing we got to do was to go and take David to the temple. This was his 2nd time. He got to go in December with our ward, but this was the first time I go to with any of my kids. It was such a special experience for me! My dad had some family names he was able to be baptized for and Grandpa Allan was able to preform those ordinances. My mom was also there with us since she had just finished her weekly temple shift, so Shirley, my mom and I were all able to watch.

Here is David with Grandpa and Grandma after.

Me and my baby boy!

The day before, I had taken Allan and Shirley to go and pick oranges. Allan really had fun. (In fact to quote him, "This is the most fun I've ever had in AZ.") I was telling them how great it is when the trees blossom in March because of how good they smell. Well, there was a tree that was blossoming on the temple grounds. The smell wasn't nearly as fragrant as normal, but you could still smell it. Here they are trying to catch a whiff.

Hot Air Balloon

2011-02-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, a hot air balloon was floating around the sky really low pretty close our house. All the kids were having fun watching it. Suddenly, we realized it really was coming down next door to our house, so we decided to go and take a look. Sure enough, there is an empty lot just on the other side of us, and there was the balloon! We weren't the only people who decided to check out the spectacle. I think everyone in about a 1/2 mile radius was there. It ended up being quite a fun neighborhood event!

Jill and Lily

CK had been laying down all day sick, but she just couldn't resist the pull of the balloon!

Just as a point of reference, this is how close it was to our house. Our house is the roof you see between the 2 trees!

School Foorball

2011-02-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

D just got done with school flag football. He worked hard to get on the team, and gave it his all every time. His team was undefeated in the regular season, but lost in the championship game. They played well, and we had lots of fun watching their games. I forgot to take out the camera whenever he was playing, but I did manage to get this cute picture of him on the sidelines during halftime.

Right after the district championship game for the 7th graders, was the championship for teh 8th graders. My little brother Roman's team had been undefeated during their regular season. Unfortunately, they too, lost, but once again, they played great and it was fun to watch! Roman had a few amazing catches. Here he is as he was about to catch an interception.

We also got to enjoy this fabulous sunset! :)

Look, Ma! No Tooth! (Part 2)

2011-02-07T16:34:00.003-07:00

I'm happy to report that CK finally lost her second tooth. Thankfully, this time it was far less traumatic then when her first tooth was lost. This time, I was doing her hair talking about how she was nervous about going to the dentist in case he wanted to take her tooth out. I told her to show me her tooth. Sure enough, it was just gone! She didn't believe me at first, but she finally stuck her finger in her mouth and noticed it was gone. At hearing this, L ran downstairs and found a nice envelope under her pillow from the Tooth Fairy. What a pleasant surprise! She went to bed with a tooth still securely in her mouth, and woke up with not tooth, but a dollar! This is truly the way to go! She has absolutely no recollection of how it came out. She's not complaining though!

Where Do They Get These Things?!?!?

2011-02-02T18:24:00.002-07:00

This morning, KL brought me a little bit of the peel from her orange and told me to throw it away. I was at the computer and busy working on our taxes, so I told her to go and do it. The next thing I knew, she had her mouth wide open and was lightly clamping down on my arm, while telling me that if I didn't go and throw it away, she would bite me. I finally told her that if she bit me, I would spank her and that wouldn't feel so good. She was very outraged by this and turned to go run to her room. She stopped to turn around and yell one last thing to me. "Mommy, You'w wuinin my yife!!!" (you're ruining my life.) Oh, how it starts young! (admittedly, I probably should have really reprimanded her, but it was all I could do to not just bust up laughing!)

Old Friends

2011-01-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we got a call from Dave's best friend from his mission who we haven't heard from in years! We were happy to learn that he and his family were coming down to visit his sister and so we were going to be able to see them. We had them over dinner one night and it was so much fun to see them. They have 6 kids and so while it was crazy, everyone had a great time! The boys are already asking when they will get to see them again.

Of course, I didn't remember to get the camera out until the last minute, but still... here is Dave with Jared.

Of course, L had to jump in too!

It was really good to see Jared and Jami and their family. This week really a week for us to stop and be thankful for all the wonderful people the Lord as brought into our lives. We truly are blessed!

Grammy's 60th

2011-01-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

Last week was my mom's 60th birthday. My little sister Ann came up with a great idea for her birthday after talking to her one day when she said how much she missed her sisters. Ann decided we should have a party for her and surprise her by getting her sisters here. I thought, "Yes, that is a great idea, but it will be hard to get everyone here." That wasn't good enough for Ann. She was determined and really wouldn't take no for an answer. She got on the phone and called all our aunts and uncles, worked with them and didn't rest until it was all set! My mom has 4 sisters and 2 brothers. In the end, 3 of the 4 sisters were here (the 4th had a grandbaby due that weekend, but knowing that she would miss the party, she came down for Julia's wedding), and my mom's baby brother and his wife. Coincently, her baby brother's birthday was also this weekend. He was the 15th adn my mom was the 17th. She always told us growing up that he was her birthday present because he came home from the hospital on her birthday.

It was a great night and my mom had such a great time. She was so surprised! We told her we were taking her to the movie so to meet at Jill's house. Here is a video of her coming in. She figured something was going on, but as you can see from this video, she never expected to see her family. Her reaction was better than we could have hoped for. It was so cute! (of course, she is such a cute/sweet person, her reaction could be nothing less)

Here is everyone lined up before she got there.

Julia, Tatiana, Sergi, Vladimir

Julane, Aunt Edie, Dan, Aunt Mary, Aunt Sharren, Avery (holding her grandma's hand)

Aunt Mary, Aunt Edie, Mom, Aunt Sharren, Aunt Julane and Uncle Dan

Jill set up a big table in her backyard. She strung lights like a canopy to add to the atmosphere. It looked beautiful!

Tracey and Emma (so glad they were willing to spend a big part of their vacation helping us get ready for this party!)

Dave and A

Vasa, Tracey, Emma, Brent, Terri, Vladimir, Tatiana

Vasa, Tracey and Emma

We had this GORGEOUS sunset to enjoy during dinner.

The 2 birthday kids! My aunts did a program for them, so here they are listening

Aunts Mary, Edie and Sharren giving the program

As always, Lily found A and just had to give her a hug!

Dan, Julane and I lighting the bonfire that was my mom's birthday cake.

For her birthday, we were able to get all the kids together for a Grandkids picture. She really loved it. We had all the kids line up side by side and it ended up being 4 feet long! And to think, only 1/2 of her kids have even had kids! Can you imagine what this picture will look like in 5...10 years? She said that she had just put up her old picture (that only had about 1/2 the kids) and had been thinking how much she would just love a new picture, but didn't think it would happen.

More presents:

Each present she got made her cry. Mariana snapped this beautiful one of her. :) This was present was from my aunt Julee. It was some Willow Creek figurines that said, "Sister's by Heart."

Dan got a present too to open. :)

Tatiana and Vladimir

Dessert: Vladimir, Tatiana, Olea

And, after dessert, as with all good parties in my famlies, we cranked up the tunes and danced around like a bunch of idiots, having the time of our lives!!!

Julia's dad really had fun dancing the whole time.

Dee really got into the spirit of it all too!

L taught us all her dance to Firework, from her school talent show.

Julia's dress was downstairs at Jill's house, so we made her put it on (wasn't too hard to convince her :) )

She and her dad danced again like at her wedding. I was so glad we were able to do this again! This was actually the last night we were able to see Julia's family since the went home the next Monday. It was just wonderful to see them share that one last time.

Not to be outdone but Julia's dressing up, Beth and Jill dressed up too. Unfortunately, I didn't get Jill, who was wearing her Sr. Prom Dress. Beth went and got Scott's old HS football jersey. She really is the life of the party when we are dancing. (The face is all part of her glorious show--she started giving dancing/attitude lessons to L and Anna that night.)

Tracey dancing with Anna (me behind them).

Lily had fun dancing too.

Actually, she just really loved having me lift her up so she could grab the lights.

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful night. My mom was so surprised and just loved every minute of it. As we were cleaning up and going in the house, my mom was shaking a little bit. My dad offered her his coat, thinking she was cold. She just looked at him with a huge smile and said, "I'm not cold. I'm just so embarrassed, I'm shaking!" By embarrassed, she meant that she isn't use to the attention and focus being on her, but, really, she was just so happy by everything. It was a wonderful night for all of us, but I really think it was especially for her. It was just what we wanted her to have!

Talent Show

2011-01-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

L auditioned for the school talent show last week with a couple of her friends. While she didn't make it to the finals, she worked hard and learned a new dance and we are proud of her hard work and dedication!

New Cousins

2011-01-18T20:06:00.001-07:00

My little sister, Annie had a baby girl back in August. Unfortunately, due to many circumstances, I was unable to see her until right after Christmas. She is truly a miracle baby. She developed Spinal Meningitis just days after she was born and had to spend several weeks in the hospital. Thankfully, she is doing just wonderfully and we were so happy to finally get to meet her. She marks the 5th granddaughter born in a year (1 year and 1 day to be exact). These little girls are going to have so much fun growing up!

Here is A and Abney together. They are only 3 1/2 months apart. Note the size difference!

A really liked seeing her new friend.I just had to include this. If Ab was wearing tight pants, it would have been much more impressive.
But Abney with her baggy 3-6 month pants and A's with her skin tight 12 mo. pants.
I really do love her squishy little body!

CK had fun with her too.

Look, Ma! No Tooth!

2011-01-16T19:51:00.002-07:00

CK has had a couple of loose teeth for some time now. No matter how I try, I just can't convince her that she wants them out. I would wiggle them for her, but, I will admit, not too gently, just to get the ball rolling. Still, nothing. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands last month a couple of weeks before Christmas because the 2 new teeth are almost completely grown in. I went to "wiggle" but instead, I yanked! I got 1 out, but the other one was (and is) still pretty secure.

Despite getting rid of her first baby tooth, she still was pretty traumatized by the event.
Here she is holding her letter and tooth for the Tooth Fairy.

A beautiful close up. You can see the adult tooth poking up, and the other one up trying to maneuver itself in too. (That 2nd tooth is till securely in her mouth and you can imagine how much more it has grown in!) You can also see a nice big tear sliding down her cheek.

While she did enjoy the money the Tooth Fairy brought her, she is still extremely cautious when I come around. She clamps that mouth down awfully tight and I'm not allowed anywhere near her mouth! I think I may have to try sneaking in her room at night when she's sleeping for the next one...

Dee and Iuliana. 1-1-11

2011-01-13T09:38:00.003-07:00

Dee and Julia got married on New Years. Julia is not a big wedding person, so she was dreading it a little, but it was all so beautiful and she looked absolutely gorgeous and in the end, she had wonderful time. It was so much fun.

We were originally going to have it at my parents house, but we had a cold-wave come through with high's in the high-40's, low 50's. That may not sound like much to you, but for us, that's extreme. Besides, who wants to sit outside for a few hours in that? We moved it over to my parents church and my mom put her magic touch to work. It all looked so great.

Scott started things out by welcoming everyone:

All the little neices (both Iulia's and Dee's) were flower girls. Here is my dad showing them the way to go.

The little girls reaching the front of the aisle

I tried to get a picture of her walking down the aisle, but she didn't feel the need to go slowly! She actually had both her dads walk her down the aisle (my dad, and hers). It was sweet and I'm sorry I missed the picture. Oh well. Here is her dad taking his seat after coming down the aisle.

Don't you love her dress? She isn't a traditional "white wedding" type of person. She is extremely classy, but black is by far her favorite color. She never wanted a big wedding, so getting a big white dress wasn't her thing. She was afraid people would be unhappy with her choice of black (like she was mourning getting married). When we first went looking at dresses, she tried on a few white dresses, and she was fine with them. I made her try on a black one, and her face lit up. She didn't buy it and when she talked to her mom about it, she decided to stick with white. She reluctantly ordered one online. Meanwhile, a lady in my ward, who is a seamstress, had talked to Jill about it and when she heard about this, she got online and ordered a dress. She took it over and told Jill, "Every bride should feel beautiful on her wedding day." She said she would do to it whatever Julia wanted. It started out white and nothing that Julia was looking for. In the end, it was perfect! (I'm going to have to find a "before" picture so you can see just how far it came)

Members of the wedding party:

Susha, Sergi (Julia's brother), Olea (his fiance)

Alla, Usef, Mariana

You may kiss the bride!

Dee composed a beautiful song for Juila as a wedding gift to her. Here he is playing it for her just after the ceremony.

Sweet little baby fell asleep while we were serving dinner. Perfect timing. We laid her in her carseat and she slept among all our boxes and stuff from decorating.

I really love this picture! Julia just looks so gorgeous and you can tell by the adoring look in CK's eyes how much all the kids love her (how much we all love her really).

Sam, A, Zach, and Anna

KL dancing with our little friend, Bowden

Cutting the Cake

Dee and Iulia having their first dance

Iulia and her Dad, Vladimir having their father/daughter dance. I really tried hard to get a good pic, but they were spinning around so much around the dance floor, I just couldn't get a shot of their faces. They were so fun to watch. Totally Fred Astair/Ginger Rogers! You can see her hair and dress flying! They were going so much, her entire train was airborne!

Shalae and KL Dancing together

Iulia dancing with her mom, Tatiana

Vladimir, Iulia, Tatiana, Sergi, Olga, Mariana, Katy

My sisters! I have 1 sister in law missing, but otherwise, here we all are!

Shalae, Mary, Beth, Iulia, Me, Mariana, Annie, Mary, Katy, CK joined in the fun here

We sisters always give each other love pats...here we are doing it in a nice long line.

Our family! (most of it anyway)

Christmas 2011

2011-01-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

As always, we had a fabulous Christmas. It really is the best time of all for me and I look forward to it all year long. We always have Christmas Eve dinner here at our house. It may get a little crowded, but I love being able to do this! We have dinner, then let each of the kids open 1 present from their cousin. We will usually do the nativity scene with the kids (though this time, we didn't get to it until Christmas Day), and I always do my "Teach The Children" lesson.

This year, we have had some extra family with us. We are lucky enough to have Iulia let us claim her as part of our family. When my parents were adopting my brother and sister from Moldova, she was part of the adoption team over there, as well as their translator. About 6 months, after my siblings got here, Iulia, as well as 2 other women who worked so tirelessly to help these kids get adopted, came over to check on all of the kids here. At the time, Iulia was about 22. Well, when it was time for her to go back, we decided we wanted to keep her. That's the short version, but still the most accurate. She has been living with my parents ever since. We all adore her. Well, a few months ago, she announced her engagement to Dee (again, who we just love). Their wedding was on New Years (more to follow). Because of the wedding, Iulia's parents, brother and his fiance were able to come over. They spent the first 2 weeks of their trip at my parents. We have loved them all! I really didn't expect anything less. After all, anyone who raised Iulia has to be pretty special.

I have to admit that one of the reasons I love them so much is because they are so sweet with my kids! Here are Iulia's parents (Vladimir and Tatiana) playing with A. They have given her so much attention and how can you not love people who love your kid?

Julia and Dee (or as KL says, "deet")

Opening presents: A didn't realize that the best part of the back was inside!

Caught CK at a blink. Oh well! She still has loved the jewelry box! (again, as KL would say, "the Julia box")

KL got this lovely skirt. She adores it! She put it on the next morning and during family prayer, she said "and pwease bwess my skiwt--my pwetty skiwt"

This year for Christmas, my mom made each of her grandkids a costume for the Nativity Scene. We didn't get a chance to have all the cousins dress up on Christmas Eve, but after everyone left, I still let my kids put their costumes on as we read the Christmas Story." Naturally, my little A was our angel.

Our family scene:
L adn A: Angels; CK: Mary; B: Joseph; D: Shepherd; KL:wise-"person"

Me and my Girls in our Christmas PJ's. The boys didn't want to pose in their matching ones.

Lining Up Christmas Morning to go in to see what Santa Brought!

CK playing on her bouncy ball

A enjoyed her new treasures too.

KL's favorite present was the little shopping cart full of food!

D: Lucky boy! He got a new suit since he tore his. Just what he wanted!

B: One word... Nerf.

CK with more of her stuff.

L: Big ticket item: Guitar

KL also loved her Tangled Book

Santa brought Dave a present too. "The Ultimate Berserker" Nerf Gun so he could play (terrorize) his boys. In his defense, after nailing us all--especially B--he gave B control of it.

Opening Presents:

B helping A--New shoes!

KL:

CK:

B: More nerf!

KL and A playing with A's loot

We had dinner at my parents. Dee made us a great dessert. Here he is working on it.

...and finally... all the grandkids doing the Nativity

KL's Dance Preformance

2011-01-08T09:30:00.003-07:00

KL had her first experience with Dance Class last Fall. She absolutely loved it and I had almost as much fun getting her all dressed up for class every week and asking her to show everyone everything she learned. We can hardly wait to start again this semester! She had her class performance in December. Here are some pictures of our little dancing princess.

Class Party

2011-01-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to getting all of our Christmas festivities documented. We had a wonderful, but busy holiday season! I'll start our recap with the class holiday parties.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me when we went to CK's party. I tried to use my phone, but have had issues trying to send them to the computer. Nonetheless, Dave and I had quite a bit of fun going with her to her room and helping her make Gingerbread houses. It was fun to see her in her new class. She is loving going to this new school with her brothers and sister, and I'm so thankful for this!

A little big after CK's party, I got to go back to the school for the twin's class. They didn't do a party, but they had been working with a partner to write a holiday story which they all got to read to us. KL, A, and I got to go and listen while eating cookies.

B reading his story (he went out of his way to make it tough for me to get a picture of him!

I finally got him here!

KL had a great time too!

Cute Baby Girl, Again

2010-12-21T15:29:00.003-07:00

I always get a kick out of some of the pictures the kids take. I found this one of A when I downloaded the latest group of pictures.

Christmas Dinner!

2010-12-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Every year throughout the Christmas season, we will have fun special Christmas dinners. I pull out the special Christmas china, table clothes, goblets, and yes, even the Martinelli's. We use candles and Christmas lights and the kids and I love it. Here we are enjoying our first special dinner of the season!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was great too! It was obviously A's first thanksgiving. She was quite content through it all, but seeing as how her main course was rice cereal, she didn't really get the draw. She will in time. :)

I didn't end up pulling out the camera as much as I should have, but here are still some of our group during pie.