Anderson Ave.

Home Sweet Home

2012-01-30T10:01:00.001-08:00

She's home! It feels so good to have Cami back home. She brought each of us a little gift from Hawaii and we loved hearing stories, watching videos, and looking at pictures. I'm glad she had so much fun, but I'm more glad I have my little girl back safe n sound w/ sun-made highlights in her hair and a new swim suit tan line ;).Here are some pictures we got via cell phone from my parents during the week: (We requested daily pictures and phone calls from them ;).Hula dancingThey had their fair share of snow cones. Perfect for warm days :)They even got an upclose encounter with some sea turtles!They lived in the water while in HawaiiOn Alex's birthday they sang happy birthday and ate snow cones in honor of Alex ;)When Cami came home she was surprised at how much bigger my belly has been getting. I've been telling myself to get a picture of it for documentation, so Jeremy snapped a shot of the budda belly. I'm getting big fast... bigger than I normally do, or at least that's what I feel like ;). The joys of pregnancy. 15 more weeks left and probably double the size.. yikes! ;)

Alex's Big Day

2012-01-25T23:49:00.000-08:00

Yep, Alex turned 6 :). This kid can melt my heart ya' know. On Cami's 7th birthday, Grandma Elli had made her a beautiful birthday cake that Alex helped make. And his birthday wishes some day were for Grandma Elli to do the same for him. So that's just what she did. When we told Alex Grandma booked a flight just to be here for his birthday, he knew this was the best present of all! She got here the day before his birthday, and the moment he stepped in the door and saw Grandma Elli here, he went straight to the kitchen and got ready to make his cake with Grandma :). The cutest part was, was that he had already drawn out how he wanted his cake. Haha, I really wish I got a picture of it, but I had thrown it away before I thought to do that.

Alex and Grandma getting the fondant ready... his favorite part :).We also thought to make a classroom birthday treat for school. And since he is SO into pokemon these days, we made pokemon balls out of rice krispie treats.After Alex went to bed, we set out some decorations and posters Grandma printed out for him to put all over the ways... pokemon oriented of course ;).Putting the cake together... well the first layer. Now it was midnight when we got started on putting the cake together. But alas, my tiredness set in and Gail insisted on us going to sleep. She stayed up until 3 am so Alex could see it in the morning! Bless her heart! Jer and I tried to convince her to just finish it tomorrow morning, but she wanted (and knew Alex would love), to see the finale once he woke up. He was pretty excited.She had this little note for Alex when he woke up.He LOVED his cake! A pokemon battle arena w/ stadium seating and an audience to cheer the pokemon on... it was awesome!Grandma Elli always gets my kids the cutest clothes, so we had him open up some birthday clothes before he went to school. Haha, he felt pretty cool in his new stuff.Oh, and he had me take a picture of him in front of one of his birthday pictures Grandma printed off for him. ;)I had asked Alex if he just wanted to take the pokemon balls in his back pack to school and hand out when it was time... but he wanted me there. So at lunch time, Carson and I came to visit Alex at school.I had not thought of bringing something for Carson to eat, dumb of me, but Alex willingly shared. Then he handed out his goodies after they sang Happy Birthday to him. I had to laugh because once the kids got the balls, they started rolling them and bouncing them... lol, the substitute teacher was looking a little stressed when all the pokemon balls were coming to action. Haha, whoops! (Maybe just cupcakes next time;).Later that night we invited family and his old friend Olivia to Chucky Cheese that night for cake and games. A child's dream, "Where a Kid can be a Kid!" I'm kicking myself because I didn't get a proper picture with all the kiddos and family around him....

Time for cake and presents :)Haha, of course he wants the middleGail was trying to get a few shots with me in it with Alex and finally told me what she was trying to do and was feeling unsuccessful... lol, so I gave her my best ;)Haha, well maybe this is better ;) Alex, loved all his toys. I love watching Alex open his presents, because he doesn't rush through them all. He opens it and carefully exams each one wishing he could use it right there and then.Oh we were at Chucky Cheese way too late, we were even the last one's out of the place. Alex and the kids had so much fun though. He used most of his coins on this one arcade unit. Oh the thrills :) Happy Birthday Alex, we sure love you!

2 different Climates

2012-01-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Even though the ice was horrendous and a pain to chip off your car and drive in... Alex and his cousin Kenzie still found a way to make the best of it. Sledding! I felt so bad for Kenzie though, she biffed it on one ride and scraped up her face on the ice, poor girl! But they were able to enjoy some fun for about an hour before the unpleasant incident. Alex has thoroughly enjoyed no school these past couple of days, and was hoping for a delay today, haha. :)Cami on the other hand has only had to deal with the cruddy weather for one day. Because she is soaking up the sun in Hawaii! My parents took the 3 older grand-girls on a special special trip. I keep telling Cami she is being spoiled ;)... she loves it. :) They almost didn't make their flight because of road closures on that first day of icy rain... but with chains on and several hours on the road... they made it to Portland the night before their flight. This is the girls trying on their snorkel gear: Left to Right- Tate, Cami, and Kate. They are beaming and I love it. :)The girls sharing a bed in the hotel the night before getting on the airplane to Hawaii. (These are pictures from my parent's phone, so some of them are a little blurry).
They are finally there! We have been talking to Cami every night and get a few pictures here and there. Alex loves talking to Cami about all the things she's seeing and doing. It was hard for him at first w/the fact that she was going to Hawaii and not him. But with the daily phone calls, he's soaking it up like he's there with her. I love seeing that connection between the two. Listening to Alex tell Cami he misses her and loves her and Cami saying the same thing... I love it. Not having your sibling around daily sometimes makes you realize how much you actually do love them.In Hawaii at Costco... haha, kind of makes me laugh. But apparently, my dad says they make a Hawaiin dog there that's delish! Cheap meals are awesome!Cami is loving the experience and we are so happy for her. What a treat! She knows it, and I keep reminding her, this is something special. :) She is special.
Her trip has just started and she gets to be there for a week! So more fun pictures to come :).

Finally...

2012-01-18T11:13:00.001-08:00

Can I say that? Finally! We've been anxiously waiting for some snow to come our way. Cami was so excited she was up by 6:45 because she heard last night that there might be snow. She was hoping for some kind of school delay, but not this time. Darn it! Cami and Alex will have to wait til after school to dive into the snow. But Carson and I didn't want to wait that long. I told myself I should get out there too, at least for 15 minutes. Plus, Carson wasn't sure how to play in the snow since he's had little experience that he can remember... so I showed him how :). After awhile we decided it was time for some hot cocoa... Mmmm-Mm! He doesn't drink much of the hot chocolate, but he sure loves those mallows we put on top ;).As I was finishing up, I noticed the marshmallows formed a C at the bottom. I started to laugh and showed Carson... "Look, C for Carson!" He got a kick out of that:). Life is far from perfect, but it does have it's perfect moments. That's what I live for.

When he cooks

2012-01-10T14:29:00.001-08:00

I've said it once, and I'll say it again... I love it when Jeremy cooks. He goes all out and tries the things I would never do... haha, like homemade egg rolls. He carefully plans, researches, and compares recipies. Then like magic, whips it all together! And 99% of the time, it's soooo good. One motivation for the egg roll excitement was because we got a fry daddy for Christmas, and of course, he is the first to try it out. :)
They were so good, that I naturally ate one too many. Plus food almost always tastes better when someone else cooks it ;0). Next, homemade donuts!

Z's bday

2012-01-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

Another year, another birthday for my brother Zack. This year Kori made a delicious birthday breakfast, French Toast Creme Brulee! Divine! Then drove to the bottom of Badger Mountain and hiked the 2 mile switch back trail up to the top. Every kid made it without a single whine! I was worried about the two youngest Carson and William being only 3 and 2, but they were awesome. Plus, Tyler brought the stoller and muscled it out up the trail when one of them was feeling tired. It was a fun 2 hours :). At the TOP... we made it :).The boys went shooting later that day and tried out Zack's new target toys. Then after dinner we had cake. Making sure he blew them out before the neices did ;).We had a fun day with Zack and family. Happy Birthday Zack, we love you!

Before the New Year....

2012-01-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

On New Years Eve morning, Cami got baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was such a beautiful day. I told Cami that the sun was shining so bright because the heavens were so happy! Grandma Elli got her a most precious baptismal dress, and Cami felt like a princess. Due to all the commotion of the holidays and family events happening, I did not get the word out very well to all who might have wanted to come. But I know she felt overwhelming loved by all the family who was able to come and a few others who attended. Thank you to all for making this day so special for her! What a sweet moment it was for father and daughter on this day. She was so excited about this day, almost more than Christmas and her birthday. :) It's really been a huge week for Cami. Christmas, birthday, and baptism all in one week.I had forgotten a hair band to put Cami's wet hair back with after she was baptised. But Thank heavens for my sis-in-law Kori who is always prepared :).Grandma Ellie spoke on the Holy Ghost at Cami's baptism. This is Grandma Ellie's first grandchild baptised.Grandma Cheeto spoke on baptism. Cami had personally asked those she wanted to speak. I thought it was so sweet. My mom took several other pictures of Cami with all the families, but will post those later when I get them.Now one of the biggest treats was that we had Aunt Melissa (Jer's oldest sister), Uncle Tyler, Bailey Jo, and Jayden with us ALL the way from Texas! We haven't seen them in 2 Years! How wonderful it was to see them again :). We miss them.Now this is Chelsea Smithee, Jeremy's half-sister, who just last month was able contact us through facebook. She is such a sweetie and we have LOVED getting to know her more. She is Grandpa Steve's daughter from his last marriage. We totally see Anderson in her :). Proud brothers, who love to see the example came has set for them.After the baptism, we had a luncheon for family. There was an unexpected funeral that day too, so we had to switch things around at the church, but thankfully the Primary room is ample big to fit and feed all the family :). Along with lunch, we did a little birthday celebration with all the fam to wish Cami a happy birthday. She requested ice cream cake :).The big crowd :).Mmmmm, ice cream! All the cousins were first in line for dessert :).Thanks Grandpa Cheeto for serving the cake to everyone!Waiting for their turn ;)Mother and daughter... I seriously love this picture for these two, so beautiful!Fuzzy picture and fuzzy face! Nice Ty :).It took Cami forever to get wound down from all the excitement, then pictures, and changing out of her dress so she didn't get food on it. So she had dessert first, then a little lunch ;).Chatting with each other, n Jess' lovely face, haha.Happy momma :).Jess makes all these faces of purpose, I just love her!After food, some of the cousins ran outside to burn the energy off... I love little children!!When the baptism was over, we all headed home for a moment to rest. We had one last day with family in town so we decided to go ride horse's at Uncle Randell's house. Man did the kids Love that! Alex wanted to ride by himself, but I'm proud of him for being a gentleman, and letting Miss Bailey on with him. He got to ride by himself later.Cami says she wants horse riding lessons... haha, we'll see ;). But she did get to ride the horse without an adult leading her for some time. Bailey Jo and her dadNow Aunt Melissa is the queen of riding horses... in fact she really was a rodeo queen at one point! She Loves horses, and I love to see her passion. She has no fear and will even get on jumpy M.T. (the horse). She's got a gift. :)Jayden was a little suspicious of all the big animals around her, so Papa Steve held her and tried to keep her warm.Even Carson got to ride a horsey!After awhile, Grandma Ellie finally took Jay Jay inside... she conked out in the warmth of her grandma's arms.After riding we all went out to Red Robin. It was such a fun day, and evening. They sang to Cami for her birthday at Red Robin, so Bailey and Cami enjoyed some dessert. :) What a way to end the year! Happy New Years to all!

Captain America!!

2011-12-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

This kid is totally into super heros, and his favorite is Captain America. LOL, with thanks to after Christmas 50% off sales, we found this little get up. Not a day has gone by yet without putting his armour on...Or having someone else put it on. You're such a good sport Grandma Ellie! Sure love you Carson!

Birthday Wishes

2011-12-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

SHE'S EIGHT!!!We have a tradition for birthdays in our family. Pancakes with money (thoroughly washed ;). Inside these cute, smiley, red faced pancakes is 8 cents. They love it, finding the money when cutting into it or hoping not to bite down too hard on a copper coin... we get a kick out of it. (A tradition Jeremy's mom got started when they were little). We spent the day as a family, including Grandma Elli, out shopping for white sunday shoes and visiting Grandma and Grandpa Cheeto in Tri-Cities. She said, "This is the best birthday ever!" I love how such simple things can be so meaningful for her.

After a lasagna dinner, (her fav), we had birthday brownies.Uncle Randell came up to join the celebration too :)Browine cuttn' Brownie eatingThen bed time. Last year I did prob one of the biggest bday parties I've ever done.... to be honest, probably not again til she's 16. So this year, (especially with so much going on with holidays, family, and getting ready for baptism stuff), we made it very simple and small. We don't do sleep overs all that often so I told Cami she could have one for her birthday. But only a couple of people. So she asked for her good neighbor friend Serell and cousin Tate to sleep over, (little cousin Kenzie didn't want to be left out we made some room on the floor ;). Of course none of them fell asleep before 11 o'clock, haha. Classic sleepover happenings ;). Then in the morning after breakfast we went on a 2 mile walk, threw rocks in the river and enjoyed the warm winter day before heading home.

Happy Birthday Cami, love you so much!!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We had Christmas with just our little family this year in the morning. Then church at 11, (what better day to celebrate the birth of our Savior!!), and then headed to visit family for the rest of the day. It was a wonderful Christmas, and the kids went to bed saying, "This was the best Christmas ever!" I told them, (and do every year), that they were spoiled with love and to never forget it. Early risers, what kid doesn't ;)
Merry Christmas to ALL!!

Early Christmas

2011-12-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Papa Steve comes up before Christmas every year to deliver his presents. :) And it's tradition that he lets them open up one present before he leaves. Alex got a Star Wars gun that has been thoroughly used already. Carson got a submarine bath toy that propels itself in the water. Funny thing with that is, most of the time I have Make the kids take a bath... well not with this new toy. They all wanted a bath the next day to take turns with the cool submarine. :) And then Cami got a camera. She carries it with her almost everywhere. And she wanted to blog her pictures in hopes of making an online journal and to share her version of life. :) So for family and friends who are interested it is: http://www.camiland03.blogspot.com.
I hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas! We are thinking of you.

The Best Time of the Year

2011-12-20T10:21:00.001-08:00

It really is the best. :)We woke up to a sheet of ice over everything. So the kids decided to take advantage of our drive way skating rink.

Grandma Elli

2011-12-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 years Grandma Elli has come to our home to do a 'Grandma Elli' Christmas party. They all make a gift for mom and dad, share a sweet story, and play a game, (and the best part for us is, that we have to be out of the house while she does it. So we can go do whatever we want, kidless :). I love how Grandma Elli goes above and beyond to make this season special for everyone, and I mean Everyone. Thank you for everything Gail, we love you!

Gingerbread

2011-12-07T17:24:00.001-08:00

If there is an extracurricular activity that I hope to always keep, and have done since a little girl, at Christmas time... it would be making and creating Gingerbread houses hands down! All day yesterday the house smelled of gingerbread as I was preparing for several Achievement Day girls to come over and decorate to their hearts' content. It literally took all day, but I LOVED every minute of it.
Ann, Kara, Kay Kay, Sariah, Rivers, Evelyn, and our sweet neighbor Serell made masterpeices. And left with quite the sugar high ;).

It's Cold...

2011-12-05T15:10:00.001-08:00

...I'm taking that back, It's FREEZING these days! But you have to get out every once in awhile anyway. So Carson and I went to the river park after some Christmas shopping. We were the only ones there, but it made me think... by the end of May, one on one time with this little guy will be shared with his little brother that's on the way. (Yep, gonna have another boy :). So, I'm glad we had a moment today to share together. Couldn't pass up throwing rocks in the river... haha funny part was that he ended up going down by the geese and throwing rocks at them. Or maybe that's not so funny, I ended it quickly ;).Poor geese, he really gave them a run for their money today. And the squirrels... lol. I love this little guy.

Color N' Lights

2011-12-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

This year's arrangement. :) It's been fun trying to figure out where to put things.We have had a small tradition in the past to color a Huge Christmas scene on paper. Cami and I did it last year, and Alex at the time wasn't interested. Well this year when we pulled out our old picture, Alex was a little frustrated that he hadn't participated in it much last year. So he took it into his own hands to create a Christmas scene all on his own. Not bad Alex, not bad.Sure love you buddy.

Snowflakes

2011-11-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, I decided to teach the kiddos how to make their very own snowflakes, and it was surprisingly a hit! As they have gotten older, it's been so much fun to see them do more things on their own without any help. Carson just liked to cut paper in general, getting him use to the feel of using scissors.Cami suggested that we hang all of our snowflakes, so with a little tape n' yarn we've got them hung. Every day they make a couple more, and the flakes have gotten half way through our living room already! Hopefully we can fill the rest by Christmas :).

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

I try to make an apple pie every year: 1-Jeremy likes them 2-So I can hopefully someday make one good lookn', darn delicious apple pie. Last year, it looked like a heapn' mess. This year I piled in the apples... as you can see. But it is somewhat decieving, because as the crust cooked, it kept it's 'mile high' look. But all the apples sunk. Haha, so as we cut, it deflated the apple pie. It was the joke of the dessert section ;0), lol. On Saturday we took family pictures because to our sweet pleasure, we had every single family member all present! What a treat! My brother Jake and his family flew in from Missouri and we played hard! I don't think the kids got to sleep before 11 o'clock all weekend, and that's including no naps, yikes! But what memories we all had. These are some pics of all the grandkids. Poor William, he was so miserable that day, sick like no other. He was such a good sport about it all. So from left to right we have: Carson, William, Mick, Logan, Colton, Mason, Alex, Kate, Brooke, Cami, McKenzie, and Tate. And 2 more on the way... so in a few years we'll have to do this all over again :). We were missing William on this one because he was feeling so awful, poor guy.Haha, now here is our true colors ;)
It was such a fun weekend. Who knows when this'll happen again, but we'll soak it up when it does! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And only 27 more days til' Christmas :). (I'll be posting more family pics when I get them from my mom... oh so fun :)

Protection

2011-11-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

We must make him nervous when we drive ;)

Stack It

2011-11-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

We've been enjoying some simple activities here. The kids at school had learned a timing game/sport called Stack it. To keep it on a low budget we improvised and got a couple of sets of cups for only a dollar each. It's fun to see the kids get into it. And Carson will just keep stacking and stacking and stacking and stacking.... might have to get a few more cups to get a real good pyramid going ;).

Okay....

2011-11-19T09:52:00.001-08:00

MUCH BETTER! I love snow on Saturdays. The kids get up and they're out in the snow first thing, forget breakfast! So Jer and I took our time this morning getting ready and breakfast on the table while the kids were occupied. No rush to get kids off to school. Love it. And I always get a kick out of our white dog in the snow :).

No matter

2011-11-16T14:57:00.001-08:00

Whether it's a foot or a half an inch, it's snow! And the kids are going to play in it no matter what. :) (One benefit of this premature winter is it gives you the opportunity to test out your kid's snow gear. To see what still fits and what doesn't. And, yeah, Alex definitely needs new boots ;).

Changes

2011-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

First off... the weather. So we have only one tree, LITTLE tree, in our front yard. And as you can tell it hasn't even dropped it's leaves. That crazy wind blew everyone else's leaves into our front yard. LOL, I know this is almost everyone's ordeal, because I've heard it before. But when I woke up the next morning, seeing this just made me burst out laughing... we now have plenty of leaves to jump in this fall. Alex said, "This feels like Christmas!!" Simple things can be simple pleasures :).Second off, our pantry door. I've been needing to do SOMETHING with this door... stained or painted, either way. So Jer came up with an awesome idea to splash it with some color. So we took some left over paint and colored it a deep cranberry red. Love it. Before:After: Now just as a side note, I would advise anyone who doesn't have a steady hand, such as myself... use vinyl! Lol. I only say this, because it took me 2 hours to hand paint that phrase. From a distance it looks great. Up close it's a different story. Haha, but that's okay... it has ME written all over it.Third, we now have good tasting water. At times I wondered if our water was one of the reasons I got so naustious, so much chlorine. Even Cami refused to drink it, which became difficult to get her to drink Any water. But now Jer drilled and installed a new filter system, which we can't seem to get enough of. To tell you the truth I was alittle nervous at first when he brought out the drill... metal and drilling aren't my favorite match... but alas, it turned out perfect. Love you Jer.

New Improvements

2011-11-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

Our garage is a mess, many people's are, but this picture doesn't even justify what it really looked like at one point. So Jeremy put a fix to that yesterday... woohoo! Our garage had no shelving and so Jeremy did an all day project, w/ the help of Carson in the morning and me in the afternoon, to change that.One whole side of our garage is complete w/ ample amounts of shelving, and I love it!! I was practically jumping up and down when it was almost done ;).We finished it right before home teachers came over, so we had to just stuff things in places for the time being, (organization later). But Now most of our garage stuff fits all on one side instead of all over, it's such a fabulous feeling. Looks like a bit of a mess still obviously, but you get the gist. Thank you Jeremy!
And as for me, I believe my nausea is coming to a slow stop. It's wonderful to have days you feel half normal again! I get so much more done, better said, I Actually get stuff done on those days:).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-10-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

A Ghost and 2 Jedi's... that's what we've had hanging around here lately ;) And our traditional Halloween sugar cookies... Alot of mess = Alot of fun ;)

Happy Halloween to all!

Undeserved

2011-10-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

I had a moment today. Trying to put together some dumb bookshelf that I thought I could do on my own, apparently not... I mutilated the darn thing. I'll spare you the long frustrating story, except for the fact that it brought me to hormonal tears and sharp tones with my kids. They disappeared as I put away the un-put-together boards and started dinner. All through dinner, they kept reminding me to check my room. By the time dinner was over I had calmed down and could laugh about the unpleasant afternoon. I followed the kids into my room and entered into this.... Notes upon notes of love. I totally didn't deserve this. They are MY angels, and a perfect example of Christ-like character. Instead of getting mad about how I talked to them, they showered me with love. I hope I can someday emulate what they have taught me. Thank heaven for children. And I am definitely putting these up on the walls in my room.

Bake N' Bead Sale

2011-10-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

Cami and her neighbor friend, Serrell, have started a bug club. And for about a month they've been begging me to help them with some kind of sale that would help them get supplies and other fun things for their club.... I finally gave in/said okay. For weeks after school the girls made some bead bracelets, and the night before we baked some goodies. Despite the crazy wind we set up and the girls put signs everywhere, (they even took fliers to school to give to their classmates and others, with permission from the teachers :). They earned over 20 dollars and feel quite pleased. I was touched by people's generosity too. "Keep the change." "Here's another 2 dollars because you guys are quite good bakers!" Seriously, it made the girl's day. I told Cami we are not doing this for a VERY long time and I'm glad it's out of their system, haha. But I do have to say, I don't regret doing it. Their excitement and smiles were priceless.

Getting bigger

2011-10-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

They grow up too fast, they really do. Carson has now officially turned 3. We love this boy so much, and it's hard for me to fathom that at the beginning of next year he will be in primary. It still feels like he's my baby. Not any more though, he's full of feisty, spunkiness, and genuine sweetness. And he Loves bugs, particularly spiders. He talks about them all the time. He pretends he's them and wants me to squash him. My favorite though was when I saw him jumping up and down from his hands and feet saying, "Mom, I'm a Jumping Spider!" Haha, cracked me up. :)So I made him a "Spee-ider" cake has he calls them some times.

My mom also added to the fun festivities with spider cupcakes and a giant cookie web... haha love it!

Happy Birthday Carson... LOVE YOU!

Down and Back

2011-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I told my sister that we'd come visit her at college since she's so much closer. So we took advantage of a 'No School' day and took a quick trip. My mom lovingly went with me, to help with kids and distract me from any queaziness that might befall any pregnant lady. And of course to go see Jess. Since she's on the pole vault team we got to watch her practice alittle and the kids got to play on the Red Turf. :)During this time, the band was practicing and the Mascot, Scoot, was out performing. My mom told Cami, "I'll give you 5 dollars if you go get a picture with the Eagle...?" "No way! Not even for 100 dollars!", exclaims Cami. My mom kept trying to persuade the kids to do it, then Alex finally says, "I'll do it for 10 dollars grandma...?" "Okay!", grandma agrees. Haha, and off they went to go pose with the Awesome Eagle, Scoot, who was such a hoot! Cami hid around the corner and Carson around my leg. But Alex was in it for the big bucks, haha. Besides my sister I think this was the highlight of the trip for me. :)

After Jess was done with practice, we hit the mall, the mall playland (hence the picture), dinner and then spent the night at her apt. It was so much fun visiting, so much so I forgot to take out my camera to get a pic of all of us together. Anyway though, it was a fun trip. The next morning she had practice again and we headed back home.

But before we got all the way there, we stopped off at the Country Mercantile for some white pumpkins... little did we know they had a whole sha-bang going on! So we decided to participate for as much time as we could...

Even though I might have not felt the best the whole time, I would definitely have to say... it was worth it. :)

While we were Away...

2011-10-09T16:06:00.001-07:00

Grandma Elly was our angel this weekend. Watching and loving our children while we were in Idaho this weekend. We left Friday night and they were excited for us to go, haha. They were excited for their weekend with Grandma Elly :). So after pizza, a movie, and some good sleep, they set off for Bill's Berry Farm, featuring their apples this time of year. Here are some pictures Grandma took of their outing...

Petting the animals...

Making their own apple cider, which Grandma Elly informed me is hard work!....

Riding horses....

Going on tractor rides....

After lunch, Carson's nap, off they went to uncle Randell's game! They had so much fun, all day long! Thank you so much Gail...(I even came home to our office linens washed and folded!... like I said, she is an angel :).... for everything.

The reason we were gone this weekend was because Jeremy and I went on an overnight double date with our good friends the Morales'. It was even cooler, because the boys planned it all!! Us ladies just relaxed and enjoyed some good time at Triple Play. :) I was kicking myself, HARD, because I completely forgot my camera! So I do not have any pictures of the wonderful event! But it was definitely memorable. :)

As for some extra news, we are expecting. :) About time right ;). I will have to say though, this pregnancy is beyond anything I've experienced. During my other 3 pregnancies, I was never real sick, most of the time had decent energy, and never really had any weird cravings. With this one, I am sick. Never throwing up, just queasy about all day. I feel like my brain isn't connected to my spinal cord and I'm in a constant fog. I am fatigued easy... I LOVE to workout, but I hardly get in a walk now... haha and if I do, I feel like lead and just want to lay on the floor. And I never really eat anything consistent, food looks and taste different every day. I am sincerely hoping this phase passes quickly, but am ecstatic that I'm pregnant. We were worried I wouldn't be able to, but once again, it's a testimony that children are miracles sent from heaven. I am at the most 8 weeks along. So it'll be awhile before my belly gets real big, hopefully ;). I never tend to keep this kind of news in real long, so finally I can say, here comes number 4.

Trenta y dos

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yep, my sweetie had a birthday. It's crazy to think how life keeps trucking forward, and the stuff we stress about seems to turn out just fine. And I think, "don't sweat the small stuff" so much ya' know? Anwyay, Jer had a peaceful birthday and hopefully a good one. I think his favorite part about the day was his afternoon with Carson. :) They went to Tri-cities and went to all sorts of stores and treated themselves to ice-cream, singing all sorts of different versions to the "itsy-bitsy spider", haha... they later sang them to us, it was hilarious.My biggest preparations was dinner, kinda worked on it throughout the day because of timing. But the final dish was grilled marinated flank steak, twice baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli.Topped off with some homemade coconut cream pie. A new found favorite for Jeremy, all though I never seem to cook it quite the same, oh well. Lover you Jeremy, hope your birthday was filled with acknowledgement of love!And we also had another special treat... our sister-in-law came down with her baby and youngest daughter Kali. Carson Loved it! I think he's been getting bored without his brother and sister at home.

Kids, Accomplishments, N' Food

2011-10-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Cami and Alex are thoroughly enjoying school. In fact, I woke up Alex today and said Alex it's time to get ready. He asks, "Is it school day, is that why?" Me: "Yep, sure is." Alex's response, "YESSSSSSS!" Made me laugh, I love that he's still enjoying it, despite the early mornings, extra work after school, and long school days. Cami loves her teacher, and has made some good friends here. Friends I'm grateful she has. I took this picture the morning of 'Picture Day' at school. Jeremy has been hard at work. He has been spending many long hours at his office trying to spruce up some things. And his parking lot has been needing a fresh coat of black top, several years overdue. It looks fresh n' pretty now. I went to his office during lunch one day, brought him a sandwich, and kept him company while he squeegeed away on his parking lot before having to get back to work. This picture shows the difference between the old and the new. And as for the food part, I wanted to try something different.... waffle toast! French toast cooked in a waffle iron. It was kind of fun, especially since we did it for dinner instead of breakfast. I LOVE breakfast for dinner. It happens more than it probably should here, haha.

Pre-Halloween

2011-09-27T15:25:00.001-07:00

Yep we're breaking 'em out... now we just need to decide if we're going to use the costumes we have or go with the creative ideas the kids are coming up with??? Haha, we'll see ;).

Lion vs. Karate Kid... it was a tie, (big brother was being nice :).

Last Resort

2011-09-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Every parent has their own style of discipline. We tend to use the timeout area when needed. We usually put them in a corner, but yesterday Cami and Alex were going at it and I sent each of them to their room, just for my own peace of mind. Jeremy was home by then and I was getting dinner ready and going about my business. Well, I have to make a confession. It is not uncommon that Jer and I forget that we have put one/both/all of our kids in timeout, and they end up staying there... for a long time, 10-15 minutes... Ooops! They have, gratefully, learned to stay put, stay quiet, until they are excused. Yesterday, was one of those days that I forgot. Well Tanner came around the corner and I noticed he had something in his collar, "Tanner, what is in your collar??" You can hardly tell because of the lack of contrast with white n' white together, but it was a note to me from Cami...... "Can I come out yet?" it read.... I just burst up laughing! Classic, Cami! I finally told her she could come out and we all had a good laugh. She had called Tanner in her room, tucked it in his collar, and told Tanner, "Go get mom."... he dutifully fulfilled his messenger responsibilities. I just didn't want to forget this one... too funny. And yes, I remembered to get Alex out too ;).

Every Once in Awhile

2011-09-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, I like to try something new. So the other day I went for it, a homemade key lime pie. It always sounds so enticing! I have decided key lime pies are to be eaten in slivers... it's strong rich flavor can be enjoyed in small doses :). I will have to conclude though, I am still a raspberry pie lover, through and through.

Weekend at.....

2011-09-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

Grandpa's! Right after school on Friday we picked up the kids and headed to Corvallis, OR to spend the weekend with Grandpa Steve, Jer's dad. It was full of good memories and the kids were begging to stay longer. Darn school/work, haha , jk ;). On the way there we broke up the 5 1/2 hours of travel with a dinner stop at our favorite, Baja Fresh!, where Aunt Launa came to join up with us in Portland. What a treat that was! Now, In the event of this weekend I also participated in a marathon photo shoot, (aka I took many, many pics ;) So I hope to portray this wonderful visit with descriptive pictures that limit the need for words.After a good night's sleep we were off to the Oregon State Fair...The rides and the animals were the kids' favorite attractions. Can you imagine having THAT many hoodlems??? I don't know why but I love pigs.We had been walking all day so the kiddos and Gpa decided to check out the 'Jiggler Foot'... a nice rejuvenation for the next couple of hours.We ate fair food, met up with Uncle Dave, Aunt Sherri and her boys for a couple of minutes, looked at booths, kids went on some rides, ice cream, did I mention fair food??, and of course the tractors... what boy could resist the temptation to sit upon the throne of a real live tractor! ;)Stuffed Snake vs. Inflatable Squeaky Princess Hammer... hmmmm... eh, we'll take 'em both home, they earned it ;)What? Alex isn't riding that Dora toddler bike anymore???? Yes, Gpa Steve upgraded Alex with an early birthday present... a new bike! Grinning from EAR to EAR! (Which translates into, 'Thank you So much Grandpa!')Haha, of course the 'Real' big kid has to take it for a spin ;)Gpa didn't want Cami to feel left out so she too was gifted an early bday present. Necessities for her on a bike: 1-pink 2-streamers 3-bag or basket up front for needed travel size items :). Now the real question is, how in the world are we going to take them home?? (No worries, they fit, we got 'em home ;)Instead of trying to keep up with the big kids outside, Carson found a new love, Stair sliding, belly first.On Sunday Steve took us to a near by park. It had a real train parked in the middle of it! Thought that was pretty cool and so did the kids...Up on top, so adventurous :)It also had an area with big man made dinosaur bones, which created some fun climbing. Alex looks exhausted though, haha.And of course the swings... but these swings were even big enough for Jer....And me????Hahaha, not really. Just gave Jer a mouthful of hair. Sorry hon, hopefully it at least smelt good ;).In Oregon you will find many of these. Blackberries seem to grow freely in good ol' OR. Not my favorite, but man the kids like them! On the outskirts of the park they had a trail to walk along, lined with thousands of blackberries!S-T-R-E-T-C-H! Gotta get the good ones :)By the end of the trail this is what was produced, black fingers, black tongues, black faces... and well, I didn't take a picture of what was produced in Carson's diapers afterwards, figured it would be a little Too graphic ;)Gpa Steve not only spoils our little hooligans, but also our dog. Special food, special treatment... Jer caught a good picture of Tanner's little heaven :). On our last day, we headed to the coast. Newport Harbor, it was misty and still so beautiful. I loved seeing all the fishing boats docked on the harbor and the smell of the ocean! But not so much the smell of the fresh catch being gutted nearby, bleh. We even took Tanner with us shopping... haha, I was out-voted to just leave him in the car. But boy did he love all the attention from the other passer-by-ers! He too liked all the new smells the ocean harbor brought :).
Sea lions were everywhere! It was pretty cool to see them all. There were also several up close.One of Cami's main desires for the coast was to see and touch a Starfish, and so she did :). Inside a little aquarium, but still, she loved it just the same.After being downtown we found a restaurant called, Flashbacks. I thought the old classic automobile kids box was the coolest! Defenitely will 'flash-back' there next time we go the OR coast, wink, wink... haha, couldn't help from saying it... pulling a "Craig" there. :) (My dad is notorious for his little play-on words jokes). Then my favorite place here at the coast, the beach. The OR coast water, isn't all warm and cozy like Hawaii waters, but we still went to dip our toes in. I loved all the fog around us too, sure it made it even cooler, but it was just beautiful.Digging in the wet sand...And some toe messages :)As you can tell, Tanner isn't the biggest fan of water, haha. But he was such a good sport anyway. After awhile Jer, Tanner, and the kids made a little game out of the upcoming waves. They'd go wade out shin deep, (or for Tanner, chest deep :)....And then make a run for it before the next wave came to engulf them more!We all got a little wet. Cami actually fell all the way in and Carson wanted his shirt off despite the cool weather. It was a lovely day. He still swoops me off my feet... As Jer's dad puts it, 'Get a room' :)It really was a wonderful weekend. Thank you Grandpa Steve for making this weekend unforgettable.

His Turn

2011-09-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

Today was HIS day. His very first day of Kindergarden. Alex is not my morning person, he LOVES his sleep... but today I didn't even have to wake him up. Alex had jumped out of bed, (actually the floor lately, I have NO idea why he likes to sleep on the floor :), and was ready to go! I love this boy so much. He is so ready, but I was not. I don't know why, but I couldn't hold back my tears as he was heading for the bus, (which is right at the corner of our house so I can watch them the whole time! :). There is something special about this kid, and I have grown an attachment to him, he's my boy.Waiting at the stop... This is when I really lost it... Cami took hold of Alex's hand and led him onto the bus and made sure he sat right next to her. I love her so much for that. Those two can really get into some battles, but this morning was a reaffirmation that they really do Love each other. Thank heavens for children, life wouldn't be the same without them.
Me and Carson are the only one's left at home... what are we going to do?? Everything, together!

Moving on...

2011-08-29T15:08:00.001-07:00

Today was the big day... Cami is now in 2nd grade and has been counting down the days! We are in a new area, which means new school, but that didn't seem to phase her, surprisingly enough. She came home reporting that she found a new friend, I find great comfort in that she has been quick to make friends. Before school Jeremy gave a father's blessing to Cami and Alex. As a youth my dad had done the same, and I remember looking forward to those blessings. I found so much peace, comfort, and courage for the new year. Thank you dad, Thank you Jeremy, for blessing us by being honorable priesthood holders.
Alex's first day isn't until Friday, and man does he wish it was today! I love how they are so excited for school. Just me and Carson now. Woohoo, let's party Carson! ;)

Testing the Waters

2011-08-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

This last weekend Jer launched his boat in the water so he could: 1-see if it floats, 2-put the bunks on his trailer. So the kids and I hung around the boat to make sure all was well while Jeremy worked on the trailer. The kids found a little area that entertained them most of the time. And it had several....

TADPOLES!!!

Honestly it kinda grossed me out lookn' at the slimy thing on Cami's hands... Eeeeeewwww!

My favorite part was our dog Tanner. He is not one for water... actually his only desire water has been solely to quench his thirst. But we got him to swim voluntarily! Of course my camera battery dies at the time. But I got the biggest kick out of watching him inch into the water to fetch the sticks we threw for him. And when it got too deep, he would stop and contemplate whether it was worth it for him to swim for it, or wait until we throw a different one for him. Anyway, I'm not the biggest animal lover, but I have come to love our dog.

What is 'TOO Far'?

2011-08-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

We let the boys out back... all inclosed... what could they possibly do?? You give them alittle lee-way and they go overboard :)

This is Jeremy's doing... boys will be boys :)

New Things

2011-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

We've enjoyed this week of August :). We've registered for school, (which surprisingly took over an HOUR to finish all the paper work... phew), we had cousin Kate and Brooke over for a sleepover, and then we headed down to Grandma and pa Cheeto's house for a Grandkid slumber party! After pizza, a movie, and carmel corn, all the grandkids went for their first after dark swim, woohoo!

We watched 'Soul Surfer' so Alex was the shark chasing all the girls, haha, he Loved it! It was also fun to see them all try swimming with just one arm. I was surprisingly impressed!

Carson sported pink and purple because I forgot the appropriate attire for him... but this picture just makes me laugh!

3 little Mermaids :)

Then around 10:30.... they crashed. That was part of our plotted plan to wear them out with swimming ;). It worked.

Then in the morning before breakfast, those who felt energetic and old enough, went for a hike... I really don't know what I'm doing there, haha.

It was sandy and steep, but the girls were such troopers!

I quickly caught a pic of Cami and Kate Running to the top... little energizer bunnies :).

Yeah! We made it!! At the top we pulled out our granola bars to hold us over before our decent down to breakfast.

The view... it was amazing. I've grown up in Tri-Cities most of my life, and I promise you, it didn't use to look this occupied. But what's even more spectacular is that we have a Temple now in Tri-Cities!! What a blessing! Can you spot it out there?

On our way down, mom spotted a little lizard! We all gathered around to see this tiny creature... much better than spotting a Rattlesnake. (I do have to admit, those snakes were in my thoughts on this hike, and a pleading in my prayers to not encounter one! ;)

Now the real reason Alex didn't want to come on the hike was because he wanted to be one of the firsts to step foot in the bounce house!! :) Boy cousins are out numbered here, so Grandma catered to them with the Monster Truck theme, thanks grandma!

Brooke and Kenzie May also stayed for the first dibs in jumping :)... I love these girls, such cuties!

Then there was Carson and William. I get a kick out of watching these two play together. They like to stay close, but not sure if they want to share the same toys, haha! I believe they will grow up to be good cousin buddies :).

Then more swimming. Alex has officially graduated from floaties to free sailing! He enjoys the freedom of it all :).

I decided to stay over one more night because Jeremy was out fishing with the boys :). So the next morning mom and dad took us out on their boat. I love this pic, dad was trying to be serious like that one pic of the couple with the pitch fork on the farm, but he couldn't help but crack a smile ;).

All of us boaters posed for a picture:).

Then to my surprise Cami and Alex wanted to learn how to kneeboard! They did so well, I couldn't believe how quickly they caught on! They never cease to amaze me. They learned far much sooner than I ever did. I think when I was their age I was crying when my dad went too fast on the innertube! Haha, lame I know... but it just shows you, our kids, this generation, are in a league of their own!

After the kiddos took a turn, I went on the wake board. I was quite rusty, but I do have to say the cheers of my kiddos inspired me to try harder! After I crashed and burned a couple of times, I came inside and Carson says, "Good job mom! You did so good mom!" Anyone else could have said the same thing, but it wouldn't have meant as much.

Mom and dad finished the day with some slaloming. They too impress me... just how active they still are. Sure love them.

It definitely was a memorable week. I am definitely SORE from wake boarding! Just need to do it more right?, well at least that's what Cami said :).

What Happened?? ;)

2011-08-04T21:24:00.001-07:00

Throughout my life I have had long hair. I enjoy long hair.... but there are lengths, where it just becomes 'Beastly', as my sister would put it ;). I've cut it short before but only a few times in my life. Soooooo, Cami and I had a girls day out yesterday and went to my sis-in-law's spa/salon and got our lovely locks 'trimmed' :)! In the past when I've cut my hair, I've heard my dad, husband, and brothers mourn over the loss of my hair, hahaha (maybe alittle exaggeration there)... but every once in awhile it's kinda fun, and sincerely needs a good trimming.

My goodness, it was almost 2 ft LONG!

I had given Cami a good trimming about 2 months ago, but she still wanted to go with me... she had an idea :)

I don't know why I posted this picture... haha

Here at the spa and Kori is starting her masterpieces ;)

They are discussing the plan.......

She's a Bang Bang Girl Now!!!! She totally looks like a different person! I love it, she looks like a doll!

Kori, thank you so much for spoiling us, we love you!

Afterwards we went to AppleBee's and got some fun desserts. I Love this girl of mine.

My hair is long no more! And hopefully my bathroom will have less piles of hair lurking in every corner. Til we meet again scissors!! (prob not for the next 5 years, again :)

A Little About Carson

2011-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before this cute kid LOVES fruit! But I think we have discovered his Favorite fruit.... Strawberries. When Papa Steve came up last he brought up his ever berry strawberry plant to give to Carson. It's so cute... he will even pick the green ones and eat it, strangely enough. He makes sure we take care of his plant though... watering, some sun, and then....

searching for the good ones of course :)

Another thing we have discovered about Carson is that he genuinely loves to help. Cooking, cleaning, weeding, watering, fixing, and especially anything that dad is doing. He was the only one out there helping daddy, and it was because he wanted too.

We love you Carson! Jammed face and all, strawberry jam of course :).

Safe Karate, safe crafts :)

2011-08-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Boys love to fight, wrestle, pounce on each other... so we decided to provide a little more cushion before starting the brawl. :)

As for the crafts, Cami browsed the Internet and found this one. Decorative Light Switches! A personalized touch to one's room. Good idea Cami!

And if you can't tell what Alex's is... well it's a Star Wars scene of course! ;) Love it Al, so you.

G-ma Elly and G-pa Steve

2011-08-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend we not only did some construction in the house :), but also played with Grandma Elly and Papa Steve! So during this weekend we wanted to hit the Sidewalk Art Show in Tri-Cities... this was the kiddos favorite part of course... puddles at the park. :)

Then after shopping at the art show, Grandma Elly wanted to take the kids school shopping. This is how it went... Shoe shoppn', hoppn' and runn'n to make sure they are secure and comfy.

Then we went clothes shopping. Alex was done in 10 min TOPS, a natural guy thing :). Cami.... she grabbed close to every item off the rack that she liked and wanted to try them all on, a natural girl thing :). So Papa Steve waits outside with the boys, while us girls go help Cami try on and pick out the right ones. I wasn't keeping track of time, but we made sure to try them ALL on. Haha, when we got out Steve informed us of Alex's opinion, "Are they done yet??.... Man, Girls Take Forever!" Steve's response, "Yes they do." Thank you for being such wonderful gentlemen and waiting for us ladies so patiently! :) Cami picked out her favorites and we then went home. We love having Gma Elly and Papa Steve come and see us, what a treat!!

Construction N' Co.

2011-07-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we got the treat of Steve coming over with his expertise, and helping us put in a pantry for me! (Sorry about this shot Steve, it was the only 'before' pic I took of the corner before you guys started:) We found that after unboxing all our kitchen stuff, and putting it away in appropriate places, there was no room for our food! So I have been using a bookshelf to put some of our food in... but not for long!

Framing it in.....

Jeremy enjoys his power tools... although I did dissapoint him when I did not get a proper picture of him using the SAWZALL (the more manly tool), and deleted it, then the battery died... of course. We'll just have create more projects for him so I can get him in action :)

Steve kept us in line and made sure we got it all straight and lined up :)

Now the door........

Whaw-lah! We still need to finish the shelves and trim but oh how exciting it will be to put my food in an enclosed pantry! Thank you STEVE and JEREMY for this wonderful gift!

Dining with Royalty

2011-07-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

We had the privledge to be apart of the King family reunion at Silverwood this year, and THAT my friends, was quite a treat! I unfortunately did not bring out the camera as often as I should have, so I am lacking in proper documentation of everyone, BUT... it is definitely a trip we won't forget :).

We attempted the Egg Twirl with the whole fam, which we obviously all got squished and me a little queesy. I have come to realize, I am my mother's daughter.... too much spinning is NOT good for me ;). (FYI, if my mom EVER went on a fair ride that spun, you could count on her spewing within the hour and being nautious a couple of days after... fortunately, I'm not quite that bad).

On this ride, I got the biggest kick out of watching TyLeen laugh herself to tears about getting her dad to buddy up with Cami on the Tilt-A-Whirl! I think we were more worried about Ron then Cami on this one, haha!

I snuck a picture in as we were hanging around waiting for some who took the train ride. Which Carson LOVED, of course. I think that is what he talked about most during the trip :). We have here, Beautiful little (well not so little anymore!) Tommi. TyLeen and Spencer with their absolutely adorable bunch! Oh yeah, and Alex ;).

The kids loved the kiddy section on the park. Over and over again they went! But Cami says her favorite ride was the Corkscrew, which was her very first roller coaster ride... I am not surprised for she is my little dare devil. Alex on the other hand, went with me on Timber Terror, a wooden roller coaster. I was laughing so hard by the end of the ride! He has always been my cautious one... his knuckles were SO tight and white, and the look on his face was priceless! The only time he smiled was when I patted him on the hand to reassure him all is well and that this really is fun. When the ride was done, I asked him if he wanted to do it again? He quickly answered,... "No."

Now we hadn't seen this couple since their wedding! Which has been about 6 years! So it was SO good to see Tanelle, Clint, and their sweet little clan! Hopefully next time we see them it won't be quite as long :).

Like I said, I didn't get enough pictures, for there was Travis, Jeremy's best friend, and his cute kiddos who came over from Alaska to be apart of it all. And Tori whom has grown into a gorgeous young women who is now going to college! What?! UGh, I'm getting old.

After a long, action packed day... the kids crashed on our 3 1/2 hr drive home. It's safe to say, WE HAD A BLAST! Thank you King's/Dixon's/Allen's! ;) We love you

Conversation Piece

2011-07-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has been working on some bunk beds for the boys and since we no longer have a wood shop to work in, we now are using our living room :). The kids love it! I tend to groan. But when I see how happy it makes the kids, it's worth it! So until it's finished, it is now our center peice of conversation for anyone that comes and visits.

Not a Profressional

2011-07-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Most people wouldn't find much excitement in this very common chore. And I know many friends who have done this task fully pregnant!! So you can laugh at my pathetic success in doing such a thing. Hahaha! But today was the day that I was going to mow the lawn! It had been close to two weeks since we've moved in, and we hadn't touched the lawn, (and you could tell especially in the spots the previous owenr's dog had done his business... the grass there was particularly lush and tall! LOL). Do you want to know how long it's been since I had last mowed a lawn?? It's been since high school, about 10 years. :) We've been particulary spoiled for the last 3 years with our 80 yr old neighbor mowing our lawn... bless his heart!! Now we have our own responsibility, and today I enjoyed it. :) Jeremy told me to wait for tomorrow when he could do it... but you know how us ladies are sometimes.... It's just gotta be done now! ;)

Then afterwards we invited some new friendly neighbors and had snow cones, (thanks Grandpa Steve for buying us a snow cone maker!) and played in the sprinklers. Which meant everyone got wet, sticky, and grass all over them. Haha, but as a kid, you could care less. :)

Summer Adventures

2011-07-12T18:42:00.003-07:00

In our new backyard Carson discovered the fully grown and lucious strawberry patch! (thanks to the previous owners) It's kind of funny because it's almost always a ritual when he wakes up to search for some strawberries :).

Since I've been pretty much just been cleaning and unpacking these last 2 weeks, we decided to break up the mundane work of figuring out where to put what, with Sprinklers!! I just love the picture of Alex, capturing the sheer pleasure of some water and sun mixed together. :)

Last night, we decided to go participate in the Grandview's children's track meet. Here they hold up their ribbons with pride! Even Carson placed in a thing or two. :)

Aside from these few random adventures, there hasn't been much else we've done. I'm hoping that I will get this unpacking done more quickly so we can get on with our lives! :)

Red, White and Blue

2011-07-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th to you all! (Of course my picture comes out side ways! Does anyone know how to flip the picture the way you want it, when it does that????) Well anyway, In the last 3 weeks I've made about 5 strawberry pizzas. It's just one of the best summer desserts, that's all! ... done for several different celebrations :). But for the 4th though, I felt it appropriate to add a patriotic twist. I am so grateful for this choice land that we live in. For Heavenly Father's hand in the weaving of events to have the freedoms we do. I am so grateful for those who have fought for our freedom and for our ancestors who left a beautiful legacy of hope and faith for us all. God Bless America!

Moving to Bill's Berry Farm ;)

2011-07-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, first off I will mention we have moved. I don't like the moving process but I LOVE that we can call this place our own. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a large backyard, and close to town so I can walk everywhere, which I quite enjoy doing. We are first-time home buyers, woohoo! I do have to say, it is an exciting feeling :).

Jeremy went to Boise this weekend so my sister Jessica came and joined me at Bill's Berry Farm. I am the biggest fan of blueberries and do believe they are my favorite fruit! And today they had a u-pick berry festival that we went to. I'm alittle frustrated because while getting this post ready I accidentally deleted a couple of pictures, but overall I think you'll get the idea of what we did:
1) picked, bought, and downed piles of blueberries!

2) pet tons of animals, such as alpacas and other farm animals

3) rode a pony/horse

4)played on their tree fort

5)went on little tractor rides

6)and ate deliciously fresh blueberry donuts!

We are definitely coming back to Bill's Apple festival :)

Jammin' Time!

2011-06-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

Every year Jeremy's dad comes up and brings us some of the best strawberries around. Hood Strawberries! Oh we love them, and we love to make freezer jam out of them. So to continue with our tradition we jammed our strawberries for the year. :) Cami and grandpa de-stemmed. Alex used Jeremy's 'revolutionary' method of mashing them (aka, the Bosch:). And then Jeremy quickly got them all stirred in with the pectin on his lunch break. What did I do?? Well, someone had to take the pictures, right? Haha

Carson was our biggest strawberry muncher. He was sneaking them all day... I believe we have discovered his favorite fruit. Although he is a 'fruitatarion', so it's only natural to have an unresistable desire to devour any fruit in sight :).

Splash Pad

2011-06-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

There's a new Splash Pad by my parents house and thought since Granpa Steve was visiting we could all go and try it out! We grabbed some take out and enjoyed a delicous evening. :) I love splash pads because I don't have to stress out about anyone drowning and of course, because the kids always have a blast running around in the water... and it's free!

The kiddos got alittle cold so they curled up on the bench for a moment to try and warm themselves up. Haha, this has been a nice little break for all of us. It's been busy here, but you still have to make some time to play to stay sane :).

Riverside

2011-06-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids and I went to the Columbia River and had alitte bit of muddy fun while waiting for Jeremy and Grandpa Steve to bring the new (actually older, and recently spruced up by Jeremy's handy dandy work and effort) fishing boat that Jeremy's ex-step dad gave him. The kids were itching to at least put their feet in the water, so I gave in (despite my ridiculous fear of the water, mainly rivers and oceans) and it was quite refreshing!

The kids had so much fun making and tossing mud balls. Then digging in the ground for gigantic rocks to throw. Little did we know, and later we found out, the mosquitos (that I did not see) had gotten Alex a few times.
I absolutely love how the simpilest things can be so fun for children. :)

The boat ride was wonderful with perfect weather for it. And I do believe that this will be a frequent family outing. It was funny because Alex wanted to jump in the river, so we let him... his face was in total shock, lol. It was c-c-c-cold!!

What does it mean?

2011-06-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Fantastically
Amazing (what can't he do?!)
Terrifically

Heroic (he is always saving the day)

Excellently

Rambunctious (he is full of surprises)

To us, this is what father means. We love you Jeremy! Thank you for being a most wonderful Dad!

BONFIRE!!

2011-06-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I called up my family to see if they wanted to join us for a small bonfire and smores. Our house is about a 45 minute trek for their place, but they came anyway, even on a last minute notice!! It was so much fun to visit and watch the cousins down, oh I don't know how many marshmallows and hot dogs! But I will have to say, to me the best way to have a smore is with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, hands down!

I love and appreciate family so much. We enjoyed the time around the fire, and then had the cousins sleep over, woohoo!! We only have a few more weeks in this home and will soon move to another place. So it was wonderful to have one last get together. :)

Last Day

2011-06-07T12:23:00.001-07:00

Today I let the boys pick the things we'd do this morning while Cami enjoyed her last day of school. I will have to say, I have absolutely loved having one on one time with my boys. It has been the best thing for us. So today they went outside with flyswatters and tried to smack any insect in sight. Then we played a little baseball, had otter pops, and then grabbed our picnic blanket and had lunch outside.

Alex and I have had our differences in the past, but this last year, for some wonderful reason, we have grown much closer. He constantly melts my heart with his genuine sweetness towards me and his siblings. He is so into star wars these days that is makes me laugh! He'll grab the markers, stack them on top of each other and pretend they are his light sabers, then go pull some Jedi moves in the living room, haha! Hes my big bud!

I feel like Carson has grown 6 inches in the last 2 days! He's been getting so big, and his little personality is growing so fast! Carson is our little ball player. It's almost routine that right before scripture time, he pulls out a ball and starts shootn' hoops in his little tykes basketball hoop. He makes us laugh so much and its so fun to watch him try to wrestle with Alex. Most of the time they play great... but sometimes I have to step in as a referee and break it up. Boys!

They have been the highlight of my year! We are so excited for Cami to be home and play with us now. :) They all grow up too fast... time for another one right?? Haha! Well, until then I will soak up all of their love and craziness! I love you Alex and Carson!!

In Memory

2011-05-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

On my side of the family, every year on Memorial Day we go visit my Uncle Chick's grave. He was my mother's brother, he served in the Vietnam war and died in action. There is always an overwhelming sense of respect and reverance that overcomes me when I think about those who have served and fought for our country. My mother has very fond memories of her brother and his particular kindness towards his little sister. I am so grateful for him. For his memory, his legacy, and his love for family and country. (For some reason I couldn't get this pic to flip)

When we went to visit Chick, I was touched by the sweet acts of my children. Cami wanted to come in a dress to show her respect. Alex knelt down by the grave, kissed his hand, and gentley touched the grave with his fingers. And Carson, well he kept squishing the little bugs that were crawling all over the gravestone. :) But those sweet guestures made my heart and eyes overflow. We said a prayer of thanks and love and then went to go find his flag. I never want this tradition to fade, because then we will never forget Charles Dee Green, and we will more fully remember those who have honorably served our country.

Hula Champion!

2011-05-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I have come to realize that I am one of the WORST hula hoopers in the world! Haha, I guess I just don't know how to swing my hips just right to get the darn hoop going... lol. But I was impressed with some of those that could. First off, my little sis turned 20... 20?!! (Sigh... sniff, sniff). And so Jess came home from Eastern for the weekend and we all gathered in celebration.And THIS little girl is what got it all started. She brought over her little hula hoop and impressed us with her neverending skills. Seriously, we timed her and she hula-ed for 7 whole minutes and only stopped because it was getting boring! Quite impressive little Kate!

So I went to the store with Jess and bought her two hula hoops for her birthday... (I know, kind of an unusual gift for a 20 year old, but she let me get them for her anyway:). But then Jess showed us her mad skills, (this is when I discovered how horrible I was at hula-ing). So there was a small competition between Aunt Jessie and little Kate! Who won?.... Sorry don't remember... lasted too long and I think I got side tracked... haha.

And then Jess wanted to see if she could do 4 at a time!? Successful she was!

We all enjoyed some family time and got a couple of pics of some of it before my camera died!.... of course.

Happy Birthday sis, auntie, and friend!!

I saw the Sign

2011-05-18T17:23:00.001-07:00

As I was coming to pick up Cami from after school I saw THIS down the road! We officially have a sign at Jeremy's Chiropractic Office! I kind of laugh at myself because most people would think, "Uhhhh, sure, cool." We've had a sign before, a portable one, which has worked great. But now after a few years of being in business, a fire to push us into another building, and actually signing the papers to own it... we have our very own sign. :) So please excuse my over-excitedness, but this is BIG! (In kind of a literal sense too :)

The Newest Member

2011-05-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

No, this adorable little boy isn't ours, but I am just as excited as if he were! This is little Mick, our newest little nephew. He is so tiny and precious it almost made me cry when I first saw him and held him. He's a lucky little guy because he has 2 older sisters ready to smother him with a little love and care. Congratualtions Hayley and Ezra! He's beautiful!

Little Brookie couldn't be more proud!!

Mother's Day Bouquets

2011-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

So my most wonderful sister-in-law called me up and asked if I could help her out with alittle Mother's Day Gift for my mom. She wanted to give her an edible bouquet and wanted me to make one up for her. FUN! So of course I said yes, and went about experimenting. This was my first idea...... Then Jeremy thought it would be a good idea to do that for the mothers at work, and he came up with this....... Way cute JER!

After some conversation with the my sis-in-law, and alittle more experimentation, we had our final bouquet put together for my mom. It was so much fun to play around with it all and be creative with fruit! Jeremy had the cool idea of swirling a lime on a stick for alittle more color. It turned out pretty cute! Thanks Crystal for giving me the opportunity to be creative. :)

Butterfly Experiment

2011-05-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

The other week the kids wanted to do some kind of craft. So after a little research and figuring out what kind of materials we even had, we came up with these fun and personalized little butterflies. We even had some other friends try it out, and I think it was somewhat successful. :)

Under the Weather

2011-05-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

We have been feeling alittle ill at our place. Some kind of cold that comes with a fever. Poor Carson, he has been feeling miserable, as you can see. He fell asleep like this!Cami was the one who first got hit and even after a week she is still falling asleep in the middle of the day all on her own, which is completely out of the norm for her.

Alex on the other had has been feeling just fine! Him and Jeremy passed it up.... the rest of us had to sweat it out.

2 Wheels!

2011-04-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

So today was an exciting day for me, because in the past Alex and I have struggled working together on helping him learn to ride his bike with no training wheels. I look back and laugh because we would both just be frustrated with each other and call it quits for another day. But today, we took it easy and let him coast for a little bit. And before we knew it, he incorporated his pedaling! I had to run and grab the camera because I believe we both wanted to remember this moment. :)

On the Hunt!

2011-04-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

To start off Easter weekend, we went to the ward's Easter Egg Hunt yesterday.... FUN!
And to make our weekend even more splendid, Jeremy's mom and sister Launa came down! We packed up our stuff, Launa sported Jeremy's clothes, and we got started on painting Jeremy's halls in his new office. They helped us paint for over 8 hours! They are amazingly wonderful!
And then my brother Zack and his girls showed up to help too! Zack helped Jeremy install some counter tops, (those pics will be posted when completely finished). And his girls helped entertain our little ones. The kids were so good, considering the amount of time that we were there. They played dinosaurs under this beautiful tree, making a nest of flowers below. And when the ice cream truck stopped near by, we treated ourselves to some ice cream. :) One of my friends stopped by and shared some easter goodies with us too! What in the world would we do without good friends and wonderful family!?

I can't get a picture that has fully justified what we have done on one side of the hallways, but it went from this...

...to this. Now we just need to put up a few paintings to make the hallway feel complete. :)

Then we came home and had a late, delicious dinner with some mole that our friend let us have to make some good pork carnitas with... nummy!

Then today family had to leave. :'( So with all of Grandma Elly's delectable chocolate, we gave the kiddos just ONE more little egg hunt before she left. Oh how we love family!!

This Easter I wanted to stop and take a moment to contemplate it's real meaning, because I so often get caught up in the hum drum of life and other holiday festivities. I love the excitement of the children when trying to find the eggs, the family traditions that are done every year in celebration of the holiday that unites a family, and shall I dare say... the chocolate! (Yes, I always eat Way too much). But most of all, I LOVE the hope and testimony that I have been given and am reminded of, specifically at this time, because of our Savior Jesus Christ. This holiday entails his selfless sacrifice, his perfect example, his pure love for ALL of us, and that HE LIVES! My heart swells as I think of Him, and that I too someday will be reunited with loved ones and be able to be embraced in the arms of my Savior. This is my hope, this is my testimony, this is my joy and achor... that HE LIVES!!

Flying Solo

2011-04-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Its a blustery, chilly spring day today. Cami is at school, Alex was invited to a friends house... but all that didn't stop Carson from wanting to eat outside for lunch today. I love this little guy! He is strong, determined, persistent, and pure. Every child is FULL of their own little character! I Thank Heaven for little children.

Getting Involved

2011-04-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Since Jeremy's other office is out of use, we've been moving into a new building that needs........ alittle sprucing up. It's been fun, stressful, exciting, and busy. We've had several helping hands in whom I couldn't say enough, "THANK YOU's!" Even the kids have been getting into it, which I love. We started them on the outside with some weeding, and me too. :) My mom came down to mow our 'lawn' and made it look a TON better! And one of our most needed and drastic changes have been our countertops. LOL, yep that is Bright Orange! So with alittle bit of countertop paint, (which I had no idea there was such a thing) we were able to calm down that orange. Our receptionist let Carson be in on the fun too! Haha, I loved the smiliey faces and I was almost tempted to keep them there... almost. :)

There is so much more to do, but we'll get there. I'm very excited to see the end result. Until then, we'll keep on movin' along. :)

Love you! See You Soon!

2011-04-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

By brother Tyler and his sweet family stayed in Tri-Cities with my parents while he finished his internship at an accountants office. They were here for about 4 months, and it was so much fun to have them be so close! And I particularty loved the time I had to be with my sister-in-law Crystal. We talked, she helped me learn to knit, it was just lovely to be with her! Watching their little William interact with other cousins and just be with their family was priceless. And William had a birthday right before they left. Look at this sweet boy! Your heart can't help but melt! Just for your information, this kid LOVES tractors! Haha, it's too cute to watch him play with them.

And off they go back to school! We sure hope to see them sooner than later! And hopefully we can convince them to come settle in this area when they are all done. :) Love you guys! We'll miss you!

Smore's Anyone???

2011-04-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

This morning Jeremy's receptionist called in sick. So I got the kids and myself ready to go help out up front for the morning. Jeremy headed in 10 minutes ahead of me. As I'm almost to the office, the streets were blocked off with all sorts of fire and rescue vehicles. We see some smoke ahead. As we detour around Cami starts panicking, "Mom, is that dad's office?!"

"No honey, I bet it's just the apartments right before dad's office, that's somewhat common."

Nope.... Jeremy's office building was billowing with smoke. Cami starts to cry. I finally park nearby, and run out to find Jeremy. Nowhere. "Where's my husband?" No response. I see signs of his bags outside, which informs me he is aware of the fire inside. Then he comes out of the office, with important items from the office of which he could grab. What a relief!

Needless to say, we are not working this week, haha. On the other side of the building a light fixture that had obvious need of fixing, caught on fire. A wall separates us from that part of the building. No fire damage on our side, but a lot of smoke damage occurred. So what do we do?.... we shall see. As for now we are still trying to assess the damage and figure out with what needs to take place next. Jeremy definitely inhaled some smoke while he was inside. When he first went in, there was hardly a sign of smoke, but within minutes as he tried to turn off the heat and cooling system and a grab couple of other things, the place piled in with smoke. Lol, all will be well, moving forward... things happen.

Conference Weekend

2011-04-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Time and distance don't allow enough moments for us to go be with many extended family. BUT... this conferene weekend my dad, my brother Tyler and his sweet family, my sister Jess(whom we picked up on the way, now that she is closer to home, YEAH!), AND my 3 kids and I piled in my most wonderful grandparents' home! It's been a long time since we've had much of a chance to do such a thing. It was a wonderful treat to spend time with them and to have them welcome us ALL in with open arms! So to start off, we piled in the van... always a fun picture :). And Grandpa Cheeto, my dad, drove with us up to Cheney to pick up my sista', and then to Spokane to watch my mom compete in her baber-shop style Sweet Adelines Chorus... . My mom and her quartet were the first ones to compete and sang beautifully! Her small chorus group got 1st place so that was exciting too! Then all through the weekend we watched conference, played outside, visited as much as the little ones would allow us ;). It was a beautiful weekend and one I hope to repeat much sooner than later.

Let Us Rejoice!!

2011-04-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

IT'S SPRING BREAK!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Staying in PJ's until noon, building forts all over the house, running around outside in the new spring air.... Oh how we love Spring Break!

40 POUNDS!!!

Yes, you read that right! Earlier this year Jeremy and another man he has come in contact with, made a weight loss challenge to each other. And today is the final weigh in. So from his heaviest to his lightest Jeremy has lost 40 lbs! I couldn't be more proud and more impressed with his dedication. Here is a 'before and after' picture... You're amazing Jeremy!

GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!

I love General conference weekend... it truly is a reason to rejoice! We have a prophet for us here in these latter days. His words and the words of his other servants, are the words of God as if he would be here Himself. How blessed we are and how grateful I am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

Buckaroo

2011-03-26T09:48:00.001-07:00

The other night right before bedtime, I found this cute little scene in our living room. So as sneaky as I could be I tried to capture the moment. And then a song came to my head... one that I love and that sums up perfectly my boys and their dad...

"Drivin' through town just my boy and me

With a Happy Meal in his booster seat

Knowin' that he couldn't have the toy 'til his nuggests were gone.

A green traffic light turned straight to red

I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath.

His fries went a flyin', and his orange drink covered his lap

Well, then my four year old said a four letter word

It started with "S" and I was concerned

So I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to talk like that?"

He said, "I've been watching you, dad ain't that cool?

I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.

And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.

We got cowboy boots and camo pants

Yeah, we're just alike, hey, ain't we dad?

I want to do everything you do.

So I've been watching you."

We got back home and I went to the barn

I bowed my head and I prayed real hard

Said, "Lord, please help me help my stupid self."

Just this side of bedtime later that night

Turnin' on my son's Scooby-Doo nightlight.

He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.

He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands

Spoke to God like he was talkn' to a friend.

And I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to pray like that?"

He said, "I've been watching you, dad ain't that cool?

I'm your buckaroo, I want to be like you.

And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.

We like fixin' things and holding momma's hand

Yeah, we're just alike, hey, ain't we dad?

I want to do everything you do; so I've been watching you"

With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug.

Said, "My little bear is growin' up."

And he said, "But when I'm big I'll still know what to do."

"Cause I've been watching you, dad ain't that cool?

I'm your buckaroo, I want to be like you.

And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.

By then I'll be strong as superman

We'll be just alike, hey , won't we dad

When I can do everything you do.

'cause I've been watching you."

--by Rodney Atkins "Watching You"

Analogy

2011-03-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

There are days when it rains, when it pours, and in our case yesterday, when it hails too! But after all the rain there is almost always, a rainbow. Life brings it's down pours of trials, tests, discourgements, dissapointments, hardships... but 'somewhere out there' there is a rainbow. Maybe a phone call from a friend, an answered prayer, a moment of peace, a glimpse of bettered understanding, laughter from a child, a goal acheived, an uplifting conversation with a loved one, a reminder of a promised blessing... there's always a rainbow that makes our lives a touch more brighter. I thank God for rainbows.

The Great Outdoors!

2011-03-21T13:49:00.001-07:00

It was NICE today, can you believe it?! It feels like those days are very few right now, and I am aching for some good sunshine, and actually feeling the warmth of it's rays! We tend to feel stuck inside with all the wind, rain, and chill.... but I think the seasons are finally starting to change. Today we took advantage of the the weather while it was sunny.

These boys were the highlight of my day! I would have jumped on the Tonka truck myself to join in the fun, but.... well getting bigger has it's disadvantages. It just felt so good to step outside, stay outside, and actually enjoy it.

BUBBLES!!

2011-03-11T09:22:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love a good bubble bath!

It's flu season and we've taken our turn with the virus. Kleenex is everywhere, movies constantly playing, blankets and pillows lying all over, kitchen messy, and the laundry keeps piling up. I think we are finally recovering, just one last person in the family left, Carson... and I think he is coming down with it today. To all those who have had to take a part in the 'Season of Cold n' Flu'... hang in there! It soon will pass.

B squared

2011-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Cami just finished her last game of AAU basketball today. Her team never won a game and scored only one basket each time. Only 3 of the girls have ever made a basket, (this is including practice). And only half of them could get the ball to barely touch the net when shooting. LOL! But she had so much fun, loved learning the sport, and improved a ton by the end of the season. In hind site, I think I would have waited at least another year before I put her in AAU bball, becuase they just don't have the strength or aggressive intuition for sports at this age.

Here is her team: The Grandvew Tigers!!

And this week I had another birthday. One more year until the big 3 - 0!! It was a wonderful birthday. Breakfast from hubby. Morning Temple session. Lunch with dad and family on his lunch break. Shopping with mom without kids, (Thank you Jeremy :). Delicious dinner by hubby. Movie with kids. And WINCO maple bars!! Cards, birthday wishes, gifts... I was overwhelmed and touched by all those who thought of me and made this day special. Thank you to all and God bless!

Another Move

2011-02-19T09:42:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's true. I sadly have to say, another one of my friends has moved. Honestly? I feel like I'm a child hanging on to a mother's leg screaming, "Don't go!" The Morales' are some of the dearest friends and I treasure their friendship. It has been difficult for me to say the least, probably because our whole family is attached to them so much. Cami, Alex, and Carson consider them the best of friends. I started looking through the pictures on my camera and found some photos of the kids over the past few years that I'd like to share.

Aiden and 'Carken', haha! That's how Aiden says Carson's name, too cute! But these two are such fun little boys and get so excited when they find out one or the other is coming over.

Here Carson and Aiden found and raided the goldfish together, haha! They are just alittle over 1 yr old here.

Alex and Olivia were a surprising pair. For some reason they became such good friends. Probably because Olivia can hold her own and puts up with Alex so well, and Alex soaks in all her sweet attention. They take care of each other. They would save seats for each other at church. And if I dare say, they even gave a smooch here and there to each other. (Not that we knew about it at the time! And I'll be keeping more of an eye on this kid from now on ;) I can't get too worried I guess because I had a little 5 yr old boy propose to me at that age, haha! But the friendship betwen Alex and Olivia just melt my heart!

And there is this sweet Lindsey. She has been such a wonderful friend to Cami. Cami and Lindsey have been in the same class at school for the past year and a half. They are like sisters it seems. And they loved how the teachers would accidentally call one the others' name. Cami has expressed so often, how much she loves Lindsey and wishes they could live together.

Cami, Lindsey, and another classmate on a Kindergarten field trip.

Their youngest is adorable little Tyler. I don't have a more recent picture of this little guy, but his smile is unavoidably contagious! Jeremy and I like to see who he would rather go to when one of us is holding him. Tyler would almost always go to Jeremy. So naturally they have a special bond ;).

We will miss the Morales'. BUT.... I have a positive. They are only 30-40 minutes away! So I refuse to say good-bye and am determined to keep in touch :O] But until then, I need to say...WE WILL MISS YOU!! :' )

Sweeties!!

2011-02-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

What does Valentine's Day mean?

SWEETS!!!!

Above: Cupcakes for Cami's class party. It's funny, I'm not a big fan of those candy hearts. But some way or another they end up in our house around Valentine's Day.

Below: And who DOESN'T have chocolate on Valentine's Day! Jeremy made some homemade chocolates with Carmel, Marshmallow, and Grahmcracker in the middle. Delish!

Valentine's Day is also about SWEET guestures to show someone you love them. Jeremy brought home these gorgeous roses, for me AND Cami. That made Cami's day and mine of course! Oh, we love you Jeremy!

Even the sweet guestures from friends touched my heart this year. What would we do without such treasured friends!

Alex requested some kind of fun lunch for V-Day. Since he has quesidillas almost Every day, we made a special touch this time :)

We also had fun this year plastering decorated hearts around the house. Lol, Cami's goal was to have 300 done before Valentine's day! Haha, let's just say, after day three we felt like we had enough. :)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

The Power to Freeze

2011-02-03T11:29:00.001-08:00

Today I woke up in an altered state, to say the least. And before rushing out the door to get my daughter to school, cereal and pee ended up all over.... of course. I'm not here to vent, but to say, I wish I could freeze time. After I got home, and my husband stayed alittle longer at home to help with the kids, I went for a run. And when I got done I went to go see what the kids were up to... and this is what I found. FREEZE!

Oh do I love these kids of mine! It was time for lunch and Alex just took care of it. He got him and his brother a hot dog, some pears and juice... even no spills!! I know I can't freeze time, but a picture can freeze this moment in time for me to cherish. To remind me that they are here for ME! And that there is NO OTHER place I would rather be.

All Boy and Some!

2011-01-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Oh how we love this adorably, goofy, and fun-loving kid!This last week, Alex turned the big 5!! And every year I continued to be amazed at how much this boy grows and how much sweeter he is becoming.

He loves to make others laugh. He gave his sister 5 dollars of his birthday money from Papa King, just because. He loves to snuggle. He is like a jelly filled donut! Wonderful from the outside and even sweeter in the middle! But because he is a boy, he carries around all the wonderful, (and sometimes exhausting), attributes of a boy!

Like any other guy, big or small, he loves anything with wheels. So naturally he requested a Monster Truck Cake. For a moment I had a grand desire to whip up a riducously, awesome 3-D cake! But that soon faded, and we came up with this.

Haha... oh what a sad sight. But the most wonderful thing about it was, that he loved it all the same! Later that day though, when he was talking with Grandma Ellie he said, "Grandma you should come down next year so YOU could make my fabulously fantastic cake!" I just laughed right then and there!

Alex had a wonderful birthday. Filled with new toys like swords, guns, all the COOL boy stuff...

And a new football uniform from head to toe! Thanks Grandma Ellie!!

Alex soaked up his special day. Grandpa Cheeto came up that night to wish him a happy birthday. Then Grandma Cheeto took him out to lunch the next day and showered him with more love.

You are such a wonderful boy Alex! We love you and Happy Birthday!

A ColorFull Feast!

2011-01-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't love playdough right? Well, except when you find your little one gnawing on a chunk, or when you're on your hands and knees trying to get it out of your carpet because you weren't watching your kid very closely (aka ME!!) But aside from all that, I really do LOVE playdough! Homemade, store bought, edible, it's just fantastic. It's an activity that forces you to be creative.

So with that said, Grandma Ellie got the kids a gigantic set of playdough for Christmas. And I finally broke it all out for the kids to play with while I got my bills paid. After about 30 minutes the kids were inviting me to the table to join them for a feast.

What a vibrantly, colorful feast! I dont' know why, but those bright colors lifted my spirits from the daunting bills that come every month. We all enjoyed our plethora of fruit and vegetable salads, pizza, and pasteries. What an 'unedible' treat! ;)

You Will Be Missed

2011-01-07T09:17:00.001-08:00

Our dear friends Ben and Corinne are moving. If you ever meet this family, you would count yourself blessed! They are such wonderful people and they will truly be missed.

Last night they had us over for pizza and 'moving'. (We chatted mostly :)
The gang of kids ran around the house leaving their last bunch of noise within the walls of their home.

Cami got a picture of all of us together.

And of course here is the true blue US!

I love these pictures, because it captures the fun we always have together!

I will miss this, but I will also never forget it.

NumBer sEveN

2011-01-03T10:18:00.001-08:00

Cami had another birthday. It's hard sometimes to make it happen because of how close it is to Christmas... and because of her gigantic birthday plans. This year she asked for a Cowgirl party. Let's see...

Every Cowgirl needs a pair of boots!

And as for the cake... well that is Grandma Ellie's forte!

Grandma Ellie did and amazing job! Cami LOVED it!

And another accessory that a Cowgirl needs is a hat... and even better when it's pink and all glamoured up with bling! (thanks to Grandma Ellie, we found these pink hats at the dollar store!)

StoRytiMe!!!

Cami requested a pin the something on something.... I played this game on almost every b-day party I had. When I was sixteen we played, "Pin the Lips on the Boy".

PiZZA!!

PRESeNTS!!!

WISHeS!!!

DanCe!!!

And then a couple days later... an ice cream cake and more presents with extended family!

What a celebration! Happy Birthday Cami!

ShoWing aLL siDeS

2010-12-30T09:16:00.001-08:00

Cami got a hold of my camera... need I say more?
(Except that I love this adorably, goofy girl!)

Christmas Crowd

2010-12-28T10:51:00.001-08:00

This Christmas some of Jeremy's family came to cozy up in our house and enjoy the holiday together. We had Jeremy's mom Gail, little brother Randell, sister Launa, and her roommate Katie. We had so much fun talking, playing games, and eating all the festive food. :) So here are some snap shots of Christmas Day.

Cami and Alex finding out what Santa gave them.

Carson in his new Mickey PJ's from Grandma Elly, eating breakfast before everyone else because he couldn't wait. :)

And here's the whole fam! We even got Tanner in it on his new and improved, (improved I say because it's an easier wash when it gets stinky), doggie bed.

Katie, Launa, and Gail on Christmas morning before all the unwrapping of presents.

Launa was our gift this year, hence the gorgeous bow!

The highlight of Christmas this year was 'Just Dance 2'. If I could nominate a game for 'Game of the Year' it would be this. It is a blast to play! And a HOOT to watch people keep up with the dance moves! Launa, Katie, Jeremy and I were caught on camera showing our insane moves. ;)

And I had to catch a glimpse on video! It's a guarantee laugh! Launa and Katie really got into it. :)

Alex loved his gifts this year, and played with them all one way or another.

Can I just say, that we all fell in love with Launa's roommate Katie! She felt like she was apart of the family. Here she was showing Carson how to use his new rubber band gun.

And here are a few shots of the kids new outfits from Grandma Elly. (By the way, the reason for Carson's awesome spiked dew is because he smeared Vaseline all over his hair... sigh... little ones are so curious).

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. I hope all of you had a most wonderful Christmas too!

A Question for Santa

2010-12-05T14:36:00.001-08:00

Last night was our ward Christmas party, with the 'Polar Express' as the theme... hence the pj's. Cami didn't want to see Santa and said so every day until the actual party. But Alex on the other hand had a question for him.

Alex: "Are you the real Santa?"

Santa: "No I'm not."

Alex: "That stinks."

Alex: "Oh well, the gooody bag will do!"

Now Carson on the other hand was just questioning who Santa even was?!

Since the theme for the party was 'Polar Express' there were some trains on display. And the one in charge let me put together a gingerbread train for display. I'm definitely no artist here but I had a lot of fun doing it. It was the first time I made this from scratch all by myself.

Do you see Santa?

Now our dog has gotten into the festivities. For some reason he LOVES having this gigantic red stocking on his head... LOL... I have no idea why but he left it on for about an hour!

Never 2 Late

2010-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe...
It is never too late to say thanks and express what you're grateful for.

I am grateful for snow!

...for friendship,

...for adorable, marshmallowy children :)

...I am grateful for good times,

... and most of all my gratitude for family has grown 10 fold!!

First Snow

2010-11-22T11:34:00.001-08:00

Tis the Season....
for Hot Chocolate!

The kids were so excited about the snow... we'll see how long it lasts :)

Turkey PoPs

2010-11-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

These were fun to make and also made some good memories while making them with my mom and sis. :)

What Keeps me Going

2010-11-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

Parenting is hard. Can I just say that? Sometimes you just want to scream and pull your hair out. I could ramble off a never ending list of the things kids do to cause a parent's face to start changing color. From... well I better not get started or I'll loose sight of my point. :) I want talk about the moments that make your heart double in size and sometimes almost cry because of how much we love our kids. Sometimes they do some of the sweetest things that make parenthood priceless.

This was one of my moments recently:
The kids and I went on a walk one day down our gravel driveway into the vineyards nearby. Some of the grapes weren't going to be picked that year so we took off our hats and started to stuff them with pungent smelling grapes. When we got home I told the kids to play nicely so I could take a shower. When I was dressed I came out to get lunch ready, and this is what I found....

Cami and Alex worked together and surprised me with lunch already made!

Making PB n' honey sandwiches.

I was so touched with their thoughtfulness. It was such a sweet surprise.

And I had to take a picture of this because they even cut up Carson's sandwich in 'bite size' pieces for him. LOL... too cute.

I will have to admit, the sandwich was a little dry, (I guess it's better than it dripping in honey :). But I could have cared less... these kids came to me from heaven and I am blessed to be their mother.

GoBBle GoBBle

2010-11-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Doing crafts with my kids is one of the best ways for us to get in the holiday spirit. And so here is one of our creations.

HaPpy hAlLoWeeN!

2010-10-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

Arent' these the coolest looking Halloween treats?! My mom and sister made them for us... super nummy 2!

One the the first things we do to get ready for Halloween is find the perfect pumpkin.

Paint...

or carve...

Then light 'em up!

Then comes dress up time!...

We've got a lion...

A bumble bee... (thank you Alicia :)

And of course, a princess!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOU ALL!!!!

What he Loves

2010-10-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

If you can't tell, Carson is trying to hold up 2 fingers. Now that he's officially in the terrible two's... (I won't mention the lovely fits for his independence or his persistent little character when he wants something)... but I will mention just a few things that we have figured out about him in these last 2 years.

He LOVES Mickey Mouse.

Several years ago, (I do say several because we are getting older now), Jeremy was in Disneyland with some of his track teammates competing in some kind of big race. The only thing Jeremy took home from Disneyland after that trip was a little stuffed Mickey Mouse. And some how Jeremy has kept it with him through out the years, (not necessarily on purpose). Little did Jeremy know that this stuffed Mickey Mouse was going to be his sons' favorite stuffed character that he takes to bed with him every night. Carson Love's Mickey, and if he ever sees him on other objects, his eyes light up :)

So I attempted Mickey Pancakes for his birthday breakfast... haha, they look more like a bear. :) But hey, all I had to say was, "Carson, it's Mickey!" and he was sold.

He LOVES balls

This kid can shoot a basketball better than me! If I ever want to distract him from something, I can go get a ball and start playing catch. It works EVERY time :) When he transitioned into nursery, the leaders finally figured out, if they got a ball out and started playing catch, he'd warm right up and I could leave without him crying. He very well could be my little ball player when he gets older, or at least I really hope so :)

He LOVES his daddy

When daddy comes home, mommy's out of the picture and daddy is his center of attention. (Which honestly, I really don't mind. If you know what I mean :) Carson is attached to Jeremy's hip when he gets home. And now, Carson doesn't want mommy to change his poopy diapers when daddy's around and he is very persistent about it... LOL, now I can't help but LOVE that!

So to sum it all up, this last weekend we celebrated with family. Mom and dad rented a bounce house, Carson wanted hot dogs, (another thing he loves and can pound down... more than one might I add. Ughh...), and he blew out his whopping 2 candles, with a little help from Alex. And thanks to Grandma Ellie, we had a wonderful supply of Mickey cups, plates, and napkins. Carson was in heaven :)

Even though Carson is 2 now, he's still my baby. Half the time when he starts acting up and showing us his terrible two tantrums, Jeremy, the kids and I just laugh. We can't help it, He's such a hoot and he brings so much joy into our family. We love you Carson! Happy #2 :)

The Pie Makers

2010-10-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

Every once in awhile we like to have a couple of our nieces over for a fun weekend. So yesterday, before it was time to take the cousins home, Jeremy and the kids gathered in the kitchen like little chefs, and whipped up a Coconut Cream and Lemon Meringue Pie together. Oh they were delicious! Kate, Tate, Cami, Alex, Carson and Jeremy... I give you an A+!

Picture Perfect

2010-10-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

So a few days ago Cami and Alex were playing animals, (or like animals!), and Cami took hold of Alex's shorts with her teeth. With a quick snap of movement from Alex, Cami's tooth comes almost completely loose! She called up grandpa, (a dentist), and said he needed to come over and finish the job. So Sunday night, tons of family was here for Jeremy's birthday and we caught it on video. The first thought that ran through my mind was, "She has school pictures on Wednesday"... so I told her, "Now you can show off that cute hole in your mouth with a BIG smile." :)

Like I said, Jeremy had a birthday this weekend so sing it with me!....

"Happy Birthday to Jeremy! Happy Birthday to Jeremy! Happy Birthday to the coolest guy the in the world! Happy birthday to Jeremy!"

ShorT and SweeT

2010-09-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

It's been good for my boys and I to have some one on one mommy time. I have thoroughly enjoyed being at home with these two. But I just have to say something about my littlest one. He's been such a jabber mouth, and recently he's been finally putting more than two words together to form sentences. It's so cute because you can see the struggle in his little brain as he tries to form the correct words to come out. So, I went to the park today and Carson was upset about something. He threw himself on the dirty ground in complete frustration and started to cry. "Carson, do you want to go on the swing?" I ask in hope as a good alternative. "Yeah." He stands up in excitement and then says, "I like mommy." I swooped him up instantly and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I love you too, buddy." I don't know why, but I still can't stop thinking about it. He just melted my heart today.

Ice Cream with a Cherry Tomato on Top!

2010-09-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is William. William is one of the funniest little characters you'd ever meet, and you'd fall in love with this blue eyed, red haired little boy the instant you were with him! This last week was such a treat to be with this nephew of mine... and his parents of course. ;)

This is just a glimpse at his spontaneously, adorable character! (I don't know why but this clip makes me laugh every time!)

Tyler and Crystal, you sure have got a cutie on your hands!

OH TOMATOES!

This is what our counters look like right now. Jeremy planted 13 tomato plants this year... need I say more.

Back 2 School

2010-08-24T09:10:00.001-07:00

Cami is now in the 1st grade! And as you can tell, she is ready... more than I. I love this sweet girl! Now it's me and the boys at home. We'll pull out the slip n' slide while it's still warm and I'll start canning some pears... just passing the time waiting to pick up Cami at the end of the day, anxious to hear how 'AWESOME' her first day was. :)