The Best Days of Our Lives

Christmas Activities

2012-01-31T15:26:00.001-07:00

So that I am able to catch up on pictures this century... I have decided to go ahead and combine a few posts here. For December, we did a lot of things. Loni, Mom and I worked on blankets for Loni's kids for Christmas as well as many things needed for the Newborns in Need project our stake has been working on. One day, we allowed the little kids to make cookies while we worked on bankets.

Near mid December, we had a family party and we were so lucky to have my dad home from the Middle East. Here are my parents with all of the grandkids. Missing from the picture are William, Linzi's stepdaughter and Linzi's baby on the way. My parents' have passed on a great legacy to many children!

My children were thankful to get money from GG Bink-Wink for christmas!!

Mom and dad gave them a goodie bag filled with Lapsiloopy (or whatever it is) trinkets and Beyblades for the boys. We spent about an hour making NICU beanie snakes and NICU pads, so they were thankful for some toys by this point.

They had a little time at the wheel of the flight sim with grandpa as the navigator.

For Christmas Eve, my parents stopped by with some gifts for the children. Haylee got a popcorn maker. She worked with grandpa to make her first bowl.

Trent got BB Guns and a Club Penguin membership that he was wanting for a long time.

Laycee got a barbie waterslide that came with two puppies. She is obsessed with puppies. This toy has now become a bath toy after two times of water spread from one sideof the kitchen to the other. Now, I do not ever have a mess to clean up.

Logan got a drum set!

The Christmas season was one spent with a lot of anticipation about the new baby and about Dave coming home. We were so blessed with so much time with family this year and the numerous distractions to help us pass the time.

Soccer

2012-01-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Laycee and Logan finally finished up their soccer season. One nice thing about Arizona, it is beautiful weather in the winter time. They played a 6 week season and had a blast. I never expected Laycee to enjoy it. She didn't love the games as much because she is afraid of the pack. But Logan loved it. He was a high scorer. It turned out to be great fun and now they are set up to try tee ball next!

Fog

2012-01-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

Fog like this makes me miss Italy. We rarely see fog like this is Arizona. And as I woke up to take the children to preschool this morning, I was taken to another time. I cannot believe so many years have now passed since we have been in Italy. It was the last place I would call home. As we are settling into a new life with 4 moves behind us since we left Italy 3 years ago, I am beginning to finally feel like we are settling into a new home. I have been so thankful for so many things since we have moved to Arizona. The children have friends again. We have an amazing church group. I am beginning to make friends. And Dave and I are beginning to look at future life here in Arizona. I am really thankful that now when I think back on Italy, I miss the people and being there, but now we have a new place to call Home.

Wolf

2012-01-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

In December, Trent earned his Wolf for Cub Scouts. He had been working very hard since September when he started scouts. The goal was to earn his Wolf before the baby came so it would be slightly easier to complete. Trent did awesome achieving that goal!

In honor of the Wolves, the boys were offered a chance to "wolf it".

And wolf it he did!!

Homeowner Party

2012-01-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

The beginning of December, our Homeowners Association had a party where they brought in snow. We were having a girls sleepover since Loni's girls were wanting me to put up their hair like Haylee does for cheerleading, so we all headed over there.

Brielle and Brooklyn (above) were really hesitant to get out and play but Haylee and Laycee were so ready (below).

Once they all got out there, they had a blast though!

Afterward, we took a hay ride around the neighborhood lights and Santa was taking pictures!

There were some really neat looking houses.

It was the perfect activity for a girls night out and it was followed by some frozen yogurt!

December Cheer Performance

2012-01-24T14:42:00.001-07:00

After many attempts, I finally got video of one of her performances. The sound is really bad, but thats technology for you! Anyway, Hope you all enjoy watching what Haylee works so hard on each week!! In the beginning, she is the one that moves when they are ready. She spends some time on the left and some on the right so it is near impossible to follow her the whole time. Sorry!

Belly Pictures

2012-01-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

39 Weeks

I know, the anticipation is killing you all!! Don't worry, I have baby pictures coming!

Dentist

2012-01-20T09:23:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, my children have had to undergo a lot of dental work lately. I think we practice good hygeine, brushing 2 times a day and I floss for them 3 times a week. Yet somehow, they all have bad teeth. Well, Logan went in for his cavity fillings recently and poor boy came out the next day with a horrible wound! I felt so bad for him as the days passed and his mouth very slowly healed. Good thing though... it did eventually heal, just in time for round two!

Books

2012-01-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

I realize that I am several weeks behind and the pictures everyone really wants to see are of the past few weeks. But... I am methodical and I hate skipping around because then I lose track of what I have blogged. My plan is to make these into family books to pass down for generations as a journal, so skipping around too much isn't what I like doing. Anyway, I couldn't help but take these pictures!

It is rare I get glimpses of "twin" moments anymore. So this was a fun day for me. I love to watch as these two have grown together and how well they play with one another. They are so fun. Looking back, I can't believe they are getting so big! A few weeks away and they will be 5 and a few short months until they are off for kindergarten! What a sad thing for me to watch as my babies have just grown up without me realizing it. I hope as they continue to grow, they continue to be the friends they are right now.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

To All Our Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas! Oh what a year it has been. Of years to be, I would have to say 2011 has been a hard one. But I as I sit back and ponder at this Christmas time, I am so thankful to see all the blessings that we have received. We started the year off to a rough start with a miscarriage in January and the twins turning four in February! Where did the years go? Our time in the military was coming to a close and in the hectic time of recovery and homeschooling, Dave was job hunting and busily trying to prepare for life after being a US soldier. In mid March, a job finally came together, the move came together and we left our home and the military behind in early April. Those 3 months were filled with so many mixed emotions and we were ready for a vacation. So we stopped and had a great time at Disneyland on the way down to Arizona. We took a little time after our trip to Disneyland to head to Salt Lake, where Dave ran his first half marathon at the Salt Lake Marathon! Once in Arizona, we had a few weeks remaining before Dave headed off to his new job in the Middle East. We were surprised to find that we were once again pregnant! We enjoyed what little time we had and said goodbye in May. Although, May brought to us our first owed home! It has been a joy to make changes to the house and make it ours! We moved into a fabulous ward and the kids quickly adjusted to life around family. I tried to make the summer months pass as quickly as possible. Haylee turned 9 and Trent turned 8. We went to Arizona Grand Resort, Ely NV, and traveled much of the midwest. Dave learned that the base he worked at would be closing and once again started job hunting. Before we knew it, August was here and it was time to start school. The children decided to attend public school this year and loved it immediately. I, on the other hand, took some time readjusting to a "schedule" and having them away from me so many hours of the day. Laycee and Logan also started preschool at one of the local public schools. It was a big adjustment for me to go from having all of the children home all day long to having all of them gone for even part of the day. We hit a few rough patches along the way. Laycee had some adjustment issues which we are dealing with. Trent had a few issues in school which we just finished testing to see what was going on. The fall time brought on new anxieties as Dave's job situation seemed to be a bit rocky still. I was growing ever larger carrying this adorable baby boy and Trent and Laycee continued to struggle. However, winter has brought some much needed saving and answers and blessings. Dave was able to stay on in his current location in his current company with only going through a few growing pains of a new contract (which included days a of sleeping in the office and weeks of no internet). Trent was diagnosed with a Lazy Eye which we are treating, as well as Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. We will be working on solutions for the latter two soon. Laycee and I agreed to an understanding about going to preschool and we almost have her separation anxiety managable. She has become very well liked among her class. Haylee performed her first two cheerleading performances in the winter and has grown so much in her role there. Logan got to participate in his second season of soccer and he is a champ! Trent progressed to yellow belt in karate and is half way to orange belt! We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby 5.

As I sit and reflect back upon the year, there have been many struggles. The days are much exhausting and most of the months have flown by. It has been a blessed painful year of growth for me. However, I am thankful for my understanding and knowledge of the Lord in our lives. I am thankful to recognize the big and the small ways He can impact the struggles we experience. The year started rough and it was enduringly long, but the year's ending is bringing some amazing blessings we could never have anticipated. I love that I have been tried this year so I could grow into a stronger daughter of God. The Lord loves and looks out for each of us and I am thankful for that knowledge in my life. Merry Christmas to you all and may your new year be bright!

Love
The Higbees

Yoga

2011-12-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

I love mornings like this. It is no secret that my Laycee struggles with life sometimes. She has a hard time and sometimes she gets so overwhlemed and feisty. About a year ago, we started introducing yoga. Now, there are several mornigns a week where they do yoga.

I love it. Helps give them both a calm start to the day and I think it really gives them purpose for their bodies. It is just so fun to watch them do their thing before starting their day. I love it!

Christmas Decorating

2011-12-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving is normally our visit to go see my sister in law in Ely, NV. Unfortunately, at 35 weeks, I just didn't think I could venture that 10 hr drive alone with the children. I was really sad that we didn't make it up there to the cooler weather, however, it was really nice to have the weekend to relax. So over the weekend, we decorated for Christmas. It's amazing to see how last year I felt like we had Christmas decorations everywhere in our small house with so many people. Yet this year I feel like we are really devoid of a lot of the decorations because this house is larger. I imagine next year when I have the ambition, I will come up with better ways to decorate, but for now, the kids had fun. They put up the tree and put on the ornaments alone.

Above is Rileigh, my niece and below is Ethan my nephew. They are living with us right now so it was fun to have a few extra hands to decorate!

My brother in law helped me decorate the outside. I had a difficult time taking our decorations and idea from last years bigger yard in WA and trying to apply it to this dink of a yard you get in AZ. But I think it worked out ok. Maybe next year I would like to add a little green to the ground or something.

Anyway, I was thankful to have this weekend to kick off another Christmas season. I have been feeling like I am not as "festive" this year as I have been in past years. I love making simple memories of the season with the children so they too can remember it when they get older. However, I am left with little time and even less energy. But I am working on doing what I can so the children can continue to learn about the importance of this holiday season.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting about Thanksgiving. Yes I know, it was weeks ago, but this is what happens. Remember again about the passing out post? Well unfortunately, blogging is at the bottom of the list. We had an amazing Thanksgiving. It started off a little rough for me. Dave has made some amazing progresses in the middle east with the new contract taking over, but this was the day he reported being unable to make it home for Christmas and the baby being born. Although, he did preface that with like 4 really good things, but of course that is the thing that stuck out to me the most. However, the time away from our home and being with our families helped my mood considerably. We spent the morning at his parents house. They eat at 11, so we headed there first. Man was there a lot of food and a lot of people and that meant a lot of fun. Then about 2, we headed to my families home, to eat some more.

It is really hard to eat all of this yummy delicious thanksgiving food when you are 35 weeks pregnant! But I did the best I could lol.

My mom had this surprise for the kids. It was amazing. It kept them busy for so long and they never seemed to bore of it. In addition, my kind brother went out there and wrestled with the kids. Joe is always really helpful in that way to me. He always prepares himself to wrestle with my children which is one of the things they miss the most with Dave being gone. I know he probably goes home each time thinking how much he hates seeing my children. But I am so thankful for that simple act of service to me. All in all, our thanksgiving ended up being great. I have so much to be thankful for and I was again greatful for the opportunity to spend time with family and be reminded of how many more blessings with which the Lord provides.

Boys and Girls

2011-12-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

What more can I say? Although they both are mighty cute!

Cookie Craft

2011-12-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

So the next night after the turkey craft, we decorated some sugar cookies.

Once again, I supplies the things they needed and let them go at it.

While they did that, I worked on these cute turkey cookies.

Look how adorable they turned out! I saw the recipe on Our Best Bites and these were totally cute. Mine of course were not as perfect as the ones on the website, but it was a great hit at our Thanksgiving dinner!

Turkey Craft

2011-12-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

So I saw the least expensive craft on someone's blog when I was looking for a turkey craft to do for the kids. I felt bad becuase the month of November flew by and I did nothing to celebrate. That is so unlike me. Normally, we do crafts all month and prep up for the holidays. This year has just left me so unlike my normal self.

So what is the craft? You get these paint samples from somewhere...I picked mine up for free at walmart, to use as feathers. And then you create a turkey. Haylee's turned out most like the blog picture, butI am not one for telling themto do it a certain way. I give them the supplies and let them go at it.

Ethan and Rileigh participated as well so here are the finished turkeys. Laycee (top left) Haylee, Logan (middle left) Trent, Rileigh (bottom left) and Ethans. It was so much fun for them!

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

After Haylee's cheer competition, Linzi (my sister) was in town and wanted to meet at Dave& Busters. Right outside at the Tempe Marketplace was this amazing tree. Yes, see in AZ, it is still cool enough for Haylee to dress in next to nothing and still be warm. It was cool that morning, but by this time, it was warm.

This tree was HUGE and it was such a neat surprise. It really helped the kids get into the spirit that Christmas was coming.

I have never been to Tempe Marketplace, so this was a new experience for me. It was such a neat little square of stores and restaurants. My brother told me that they have live bands on Saturday nights even. I hope one day when Dave is home, we could head this direction for a date. It was such a neat place which I would like to explore more!

Cheer Showdown

2011-12-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

So in November, Haylee had her first cheer performance. She has been practicing since June, so it has taken months for them to put together a routine and work out the kinks of where to go and what to do. I know that was very frustrating for Haylee for several weeks but she eventually got it.

Their team is warming up. I felt like I was in some live version of Bring It On. Seriously, this was WAY more competitive than I ever imagined.

Here she is after her performance. She looks so grown up! I cannot believe that this is my little girl anymore. I know those bows look silly,but they actually look pretty sharp when they are on the floor all together.

I took video of this performance, but it came out all blurry, so I will try to post video of the next one. They did better on the next performance anyway. I am excited to see how much more she grows and progresses over the season!

Boy Scout Auction

2011-12-08T03:28:00.000-07:00

Recently, our ward held an auction for the boy scouts. They were in need of some equipment for the boys coming in next year and the budget just didn't allow for all they needed. They spent much time putting together this auction. One of the things I really wanted from the live auction was this over head rack!

I got this for a little over $100 off and I was super excited. I think I am going to order another one for the other side soon, but for now,this has cleared up a ton of space. I can now tolerate going into the garage again!

Little Runner

2011-12-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

Yup, even the little kids enjoy the treadmill. This day it was Logan's turn. Barely able to see above the bars and he was up there. I only let them go at a walking pace of course, but I still think it is fun to see the importance of fitness being instilled at an early age.

Popcorn and Pies

2011-12-06T03:22:00.000-07:00

Trent's scout troop was recently in need of extra money so they did a popcorn fundraiser. The deal was that the top three sellers were able to put a pie in the Den Leader's faces. As you can see, Trent was one of the winners.

And he made sure she got a face full!

These were such kind leaders to allow this to take place. It was a fun reward for the boys. I am thankful for the scouting program here. Trent is really loving it!

Pregnancy Update

2011-12-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is my belly growing. Forgive the messy mirror. I do clean it, but this is the bad part of sharing a bathroom with 4 children. So here I was 33 weeks.

And 34 weeks

I was so excited a few weeks ago because I could squeeze my fat, swollen feet into my boots. I came home from church, took the boots off to find a mess of a leg. Swelling is by far my worst pregnancy symptom and I swear each pregnancy, it gets worse.

Here I am at 35 weeks, last week before church.

I wish I was one of those people who only gain weight in my belly but unforunately I am not. I gain weight everywhere. And I swell so bad in my face, hands, legs, and feet. I am now at 36 weeks and I am torn between being excited about the end and being antsy about a new baby. This sweet boy has been growing so long and much anticipated, but I have not had a baby in nearly 5 years now. I am sure when he is here, I will be so thankful that pregnancy is over. Then I can start working off all of the extra weight and get back to running which I miss dearly. Hoping for a swift 4 weeks!

Soccer

2011-12-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well to add to my already busy and exhausting life, we have added soccer to the mix. Laycee and Logan started soccer a few weeks ago. This is Laycee's first time playing and I have been surprised but she loves it! She is not the go getter but she does enjoy playing the game!

This is Logan's second season of soccer and of course he loves it. He has waited 4 long painful years before he was able to FINALLY play a sport. And he loves it. He is pretty good, although how good can 4 year olds be lol, but he understands the game and how to manuver his body to get the ball where he wants it to go.

This is their first game. It was surprisingly a cold day here in AZ and unfortunately I was no prepared. I had no winter stuff out yet. But Logan and Laycee had a great time.

The greatest part of the game... the smiles afterwards where they both come running to me, look mom, we got snacks! That's really what 4 year old sports are about right?

One Day at a Time

2011-11-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how this post will go. I normally don't share these types of things on my blog. Dave has been away almost 7 months now. Some of the months have flown by and some of the months have dragged painfully slow. Most of the days, we are left just like Haylee here, barely able to keep our eyes open before we gather for prayer each evening. These last few months have had some ups and downs. We are very thankful that the Lord has watched over us. Shortly after Dave got to the Middle East, we learned that in December, he would be out a job. The baby is coming and we were stressed. I was having a hard time with following the Lords plan when it was a difficult choice for me to begin with only to have things turn out so uncertain. I was thankful for the talk by Elder Hales in the October 2011 Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where he says...

"Even with the shining examples of Job, the prophets, and the Savior, we will still find it challenging to wait upon the Lord, especially when we cannot fully understand His plan and purposes for us. That understanding is most often given “line upon line, [and] precept upon precept.”³²

In my life I have learned that sometimes I do not receive an answer to a prayer because the Lord knows I am not ready. When He does answer, it is often “here a little and there a little”³³ because that is all that I can bear or all I am willing to do."

I imagine I would have never taken the step of faith to undergo this uncertain times in our life if I knew how things would go. But I took solace in the idea that our Heavenly Father gives us a little at time so we are willing to follow His plan. We have been blessed that Dave has been able to stay on where he is working. He is currently the only known priesthood holder in his area, which is a great blessing to one of the other female members of the church there. We were even more blessed to learn that he would be able to stay with his same company which has allowed us to transition to his new job without changes in insurance or vacation time. There have been some setbacks as to when he is able to come home for vacation. It is looking doubtful that he will make it home before the baby is to be born. The pregnancy has been exhausting and the time spent caring for the children has been even more exhausting. But we are so excited for the changes that our family will make. Right now, I am just trying to take it one day at a time and listen for the Lord to give me a little more "here a little and there a little". Until then, I will keep passing out on the ground just as Haylee has in this picture.

Football Game

2011-11-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictues from Trent's first football game. He is in the middle in the white.

In the middle with Nike written on his butt.

And here he appears to be running the wrong way but I don't recall him running the wrong way!

He usually plays defense. It is kind of a shame because he is a quick runner that really I think he would make a great running back. But at 8, who really knows? I can't wait to see how he progresses through the season!

Halloween

2011-11-26T08:02:00.002-07:00

What kind of characters filled our home on Halloween? Yes two beautiful garden gnomes!

She wanted to be an evil princess... as you can see she is too pretty for that!

And it looks to be a crazy ninja!

Another fun year of Trick or Treating!

Tether Ball

2011-11-25T07:57:00.003-07:00

Some kids get it.

And some kids don't. Ha Ha

But we all have to learn the hard way sometimes right? See Laycee's sad face and Logans huge smile? Who doesn't love siblings right?! And yes, this is correct, its the end of Oct in this picture and much to my dismay, the children are still in tees and shorts.

Hats, hats, hats

2011-11-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Our stake recently started a humanitarian project. We are making items needed by the Newborn In Need program. It is a 6 month long project and the first month my sister and I worked on making neck supports for NICU infants. However, I decided this past month that if I was going to spend 6 months working on a project, I should try to branch out of my basic sewing skills and learn something new. So last month, I sat down at the hat loom table and asked someone to teach me. Little did I know, it is super easy!! The first one took me probably 5-6 hours. But since then, I can finish one in about 2 hours now.

This is the first hat I completed. I have even shown Haylee how to do it and we occassionally work on hats together. It has been so fun learning and practicing this new skill this month, that I am considering trying to learn something new next month! Haylee and I have made about 7 hats this month and I am really excited. I have loved this humanitarian project because there is something that everyone of all skills is able to complete. And it is fun to spend some of my free time serving through making these needed items at home. I have really loved this opportunity!

Future Football Star?

2011-11-23T07:45:00.001-07:00

Well maybe not, but Trent has recently started flag football. I was looking for a way to help him earn some of the belt loops for scouts, and this flag football experience just kind of showed up.

He has been really enjoying the opportunity to learn how to play football. There are several kids who have played before which always makes for a difficult situation, but he seems to really like it. Trent is not much for team sports, so to find one that even remotely interests him is a task. Its been a lot of fun though! Maybe we have found a sport he may enjoy in junior high and high school.

Gingerbread House

2011-11-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Another one of our Halloween traditions is making these gingerbread houses from Wilson. This year, I had purchased a few houses for us to make at the cabin, but we ran out of time. So, we decorated ours at home. On the fun side, Ethan and Rileigh (my nephew and niece) were able to participate in the fun. Haylee and Trent were in charge of the icing.

Laycee, Logan, and Ethan were in charge of the decorating.

Rileigh was in charge of eating the extra candy. Normally, I try to do two houses. The boys like to decorate one and the girls like to decorate one. But this year, I felt like that would be a bit too hectic for me. So, we jointly worked on the one. I was impressed how well they all worked together on this one house. They had a plan and a bit of how they wanted the house to look. It was great fun. I already picked up one 75% off after Halloween for next year! I can't wait!!

Pumpkins

2011-11-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I am trying to quickly finish up the pictures and blogging I have from the month of October before November ends. Life should be getting pretty crazy around here in the next few weeks, so I need to get all caught up! Then I maybe will get around to blogging November and December eventually. So, each year, we try to color faces on our pumpkins. I like to use the seeds and the pumkpin later. I kind of think carving pumpkins is a serious waste of money. However, the days flew too quickly, and my plan did not work out this year. Suprisingly, the pumpkins held up in the Arizona heat, but I didn't realize how long had passed and they did begin going bad before I could use them this year. Here are the pictures of them decorating the pumpkins!

Some how I ended up with pictures of the decorating process, but never a picture of the final product... Oh well, maybe next year!

Schnepf Farms

2011-11-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

What would be Halloween time without a visit to Schneph Farms for their events. Thankfully, this year SRP offered a buy one get one free coupon for Thursdays. So, we headed over there on a Thursday which happened to be parent teacher conferences, so it was a half day.

We started off with a little face painting.

Headed to some mini golfing.

We went on a hay ride.

And stopped to pet the deer on the ride.

We painted some pumpkins.

And successfully navigated a corn maze.

Rode some rides

And loved on each other.

Rode a few more rides.

Watched a bike show.

Got an amazing workout trying to peddle this car.

Explored the petting zoo.

Participated in Pig Races, which Laycee won!

Rode the carosel.

And the ponies.

When we returned home several hours later, we all fell asleep swiftly! What a great day!

Baby Project

2011-11-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

With the baby bedding came a few of these vinyl stickers. I chose to try and and be artistic. Art is really not my thing, and neither is vision, but I was excited about this project. I purchased the canvas and put the stickers on.

Drew the lines

Painted

And ended with 4 cute pictures to hang up! I apparently am not that great at making the lines straight, but I am hoping when they are on the wall, you wont notice. I was really pleased with the end result. Just a few more weeks left, and I am excited to meet the new addition to our family!

New Accessory

2011-11-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Trent now wears glasses! This came as a surprise to all of us. I have recently searched out some help for some of his struggles in school. They have been struggles for him for years, but continuously had teachers tell me it was "normal". Well a few weeks after school started, I realized that something just was not normal anymore. So I was seeking some help, and the company I went to said they needed an eye and hearing exam to start some testing on Trent. So, I went back to the school who then informed me Trent has not passed his eye or hearing exam! They would rescreen him in 6 weeks. I did not have 6 weeks to wait. Thankfully we have insurance and I took him back to the ENT (since he has had his tonsils out, this is not a first visit for us) and to the eye dr. His ears were ok. To our surprise, we learned that Trents left eye never developed eye sight. I didn't even know! The dr told us that most of the time unless the eye is physically lazy, you would never know the child has a lazy eye. So for 8 years, he could not see out of his left eye. Anyway, so we got him some glasses and will follow up in 6 weeks to see if he is responding to them. There is hope they can restore sight to that eye but he will never have 20/20 vision. I was then surprised to learn that you can live a whole life with just one eye. We also learned that this should not be affecting his school work, so we are going forward with some testing. I am so proud of Trent. He never complains about wearing glasses and he acts as if he has had them forever. He seems to really love them. I actually cannot remember what he looked like without them anymore, they appear as though they have always belonged on his face! Its been a fun and different adventure for us. I will keep you all updated on the future of glasses and his testing.

Pregnancy Craving

2011-11-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Mushroom Soup

That has been one of my pregnancy cravings. Well that and candy of course! One night I dreamed about this mushroom soup that I had last year. I have only had it once, but I spent all night dreaming about it and I just had to have some. So in the morning, I made some for breakfast. I have had it a few times since. I just love it! I am thankful that this is a healthy craving, sure beats well bascially all of my other cravings!

Rain Gutter Rigada

2011-11-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

So these next two or three posts might be a little bit Trent heavy, but October has been a big month for Trent. He started Cub Scouts in August and has loved it. We work on a couple achievements each day and he has two things left he needs to do to earn his Wolf. He just loves it. Mid Oct was his first Rain Gutter Regada. I am very thankful for a couple in the ward who saw my need and really took Trent under their wings for this project. The month had got away from me and I had not looked at his boat and I was lost as to how to even remotely build this thing. I mentioned in passing my overwhelming feelings about some of the scouting tasks when Dave is not here since Trent is my first cub scout. This couple was more than happy to spend a whole evening helping Trent create a boat he was so proud to race.

He was all set and ready to race

He had a rough start because his sail was backwards, so one of the scout leaders helped him get it straight.

Trent has a very competative heart so that setback definately did not keep him from fighting to the end!

The tips about how to blow into the straw from Dave were just what he needed. He came back from behind and won the race.

He was so excited.

This was a neat experience and a first again for our family. I am thankful for the scouting program around here because they are so organized and really provide Trent with some of the extra things that I cannot always provide. Scouting is really something he enjoys and I love it!

So Blessed

2011-11-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

At 29 weeks, we were so blessed to experience something we have never experienced before... a 3d ultrasound. My OB does it as a routine check which I think is weird, but I was excited. We learned that at 29 weeks he was just over 3 lbs and breech. The technician definately confirmed it was a baby boy. The pictures were difficult to get because he is laying right against the placenta with the cord in his face, but it was fun to see how technology has changed over the years! Seeing this pictures makes me so anxious to meet the new addition to our family.

Surprise!

2011-11-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

When we came home from Greer, we were rushing around to change and clean up and I walked in my room to see the crib I had been wanting so bad set up! I was so excited!!! Dave, Scott and Miss (my brother in law and his wife) worked together to get it for me and set up. I love it!

Over the next few days, I took the time to get a mattress and put in the bedding. Try and clean up some stock diapers and see what baby clothing I have.

A few months ago I saw this bedding and loved it instantly. I debated for a long time but I really loved it. Loni bought it for me after finding out we were having a boy and it is so adorable! Perfect shades of grey, reds, and whites.

I have been staring at the crib in the corner of my room all set up waiting for a sweet baby boy. And I am so excited to be a short 8 weeks away from that sweet baby laying next to all these puppies!

Greer, AZ

2011-11-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

The month of October started off amazing! I already posted about our first weekend. The following weekend, during fall break at school, my mom set up cabin weekend in Greer. Oh it was amazing to escape the never ending heat and enjoy what fall is supposed to feel like. We were surrounded by such amazing nature!

We didn't get there until late the first day becuase Lynnae had a blow out on the way up there. But it was fine, the kids were beat after traveling all day. So the second day, we went out in search of a place to ride bikes. We found a parking lot right on a lake that worked perfectly!

While the little kids were riding, the big kids set out to try and fish. This was the first chance my children have ever had to fish. I know at age 8 and 9 they have not fished! But let me tell you, they LOVED it. In fact, they are asking for fishing poles for christmas. This was such a neat experience for them and they really enjoyed the chance to try new outdoor adventures.

After a while, Logan saw there was a "manly" thing going on that he hadn't tried before, so he took his hand at fishing as well. Bryce took a little bit to show him how and then Logan was reeling and casting all on his own. He is so unique becuase he loves learning new masculine things to do. He is all boy this one, yet gentle enough to play house with Laycee when she asks.

I didn't get pictures of this, but Jason brought a BB gun and allowed them to shoot at a can as well. Trent was super excited that he hit the can once! After several hours out and about, the mamas were in need of a rest! So we set the kids up with a craft and we all dozed on the couch.

When there are this many kids, you can never get a good pictures, but here is the attempt, oldest to youngest minus Bryce and Sylas. So starting on the left... Haylee (9) Brooklyn (8) Trent (8) Tyler (8) Bryce (not pictured, 7) Emma (6) Brielle (5) Laycee (4) Logan (4) Reagan (4) Sylas (not pictured 3) Baby Us (not pictured Due Dec 31) Baby Linzi (not pictured Due Mar 27)

Here are the kids and I

On our adventures in nature, there were 3 occassions that the balloons ended up in the water. Children never take good care of their toys. The last one ended up in a current that was near impossible to save. But Lynnae braved it.

And the balloon was rescued!

Another picture of all of the kids even Bryce and Sylas who were not happy about this.

That night, we spent some time around the bonfire eating chili and enjoying some time together.

The following morning was check out, but we took a small walk to see where the fire line was earlier this year. You can see the burned trees.

Goodbye Greer, I hope to come visit again someday!

Halloween Decorations

2011-10-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

The first weekend in October is always the Semi Annual Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It runs in 5 sessions. Two on Saturday that can be viewed on the internet, cable, or satallite. One on Saturday evening for the boys/men ages 12+ which can be viewed at the stake centers. And then two on Sunday. This year I thought and pondered for weeks of how I was going to make it a more spiritual weekend. I don't know if the mission was accomplished, but I do know that we successfully watched all 4 sessions and have spent many conversations since then discussing what the Prophet and Apostles taught us. In between our Saturday sessions, the children and I decorated the house for Halloween. We also did two Halloween crafts between sessions this weekend. We made candy necklaces.

And Halloween Chocolate!

To help the kids focus on the talks, we played conference Bingo. I realize now that it was a bad idea. There was a lot of arguing over, you can't color that, they didn't talk about that. Saturday they all had the same board. Sunday, I was smarter and gave them each a different board so it wasn't as much of a competition! Next year, I will come up with a different activity! But it was fun for them to do, if only they didn't want to compete over it. I felt like overall this was a great start to our holiday season. What better way to start the fall time and holiday time than learning from our religious leaders. It was amazing!

Random Pictures

2011-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

So Laycee really likes to sleep with me. Judging by this picture, you can see why I do not like to sleep with her!

Several of the boys in Logan's class have mohawks. He has been begging me for one. So I recut his hair and spiked it up. He begs for me to spike it everyday.

I could not find where I posted this, but shortly before Trent's 8th birthday, he lost his first tooth! Just two weeks ago, he lost his second.

I figured now that I was almost done catching up on all of the summer pictures, I could break and put in a few of the random gem pictues I had. Next to be posted are autumn pictures. Oh I love this time of year!!

Ward Campout

2011-10-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to brave it and take the kids camping... alone. Thankfully, Tyson and Kimberly in our ward offered to have me follow them up there and Tyson helped me set up the tent. You can see our tent pictured in the background. I found this semidarts toy at Walmart for $15. It was magnetic and the boys loved playing with it.

Here are Trent and I. Camping it a lot of work. And especially for one night. But I really think that we had a good time!

Our fire

Ethan, Scott and Miss couldn't make it, so I offered to have Ethan come along.

This was so Laycee's thing.

I didn't get any pictures of Haylee. She must have been off running around. I actually hardly saw her the whole time we were there. It was an awesome weekend. Spent some time meeting new people and the kids were able to get out and run free. Kind of hard to keep my two eyes on 5 children, but all in all it turned out super fun!

Casa Grande Ruins

2011-10-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well summer was over and we traveled our little tails off. Spent time moving down to AZ. Then went to Amy's in NV. Spent 9 days in the midwest. And then we were back home ready for school to start. It was a really busy summer. But, before it ended, we had one last trifold trip to make. We went down to Casa Grande Ruins. Trent needed to visit a national historic site for scouts. This happened to be one tha we could get a stamp in our National Parks Passport. And Laycee brought home Mr. Bear from school and he needed some fun things to write about in his journal. Here are Trent and Logan raedy for an adventure!

Casa Grande Ruins

I know its hard to see, but the black spot in the corner of the covering here is an owl!

They had a Jr Ranger program here, which the kids really loved! Here is Logan searching the desert for some of the things on his checklist.

Laycee and Mr. Bear working on her packet for her Jr Ranger Badge.

All of the kids out front after earning their badges.

This was a surprisingly fun place to visit. Its super small, but the kids really enjoyed all of the activities. We had packed a lunch and spent several hours here! It is close to home and only cost I believe $5 for all of us! I did not expect it to be as enjoyable as it was. The kids would have loved to stay longer, but I ran out of energy well before they did. If you are in the area and looking for a fun thing for the kids to do, this is definately a must see!

Scouts

2011-10-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Trent is of age to start scouts! And we have LOVED it. He turned 8 in July, but we waiting until after vacation to get him started. So, he started in August. He earned his bobcat at his first pack meeting. And he has two more achievements left for his wolf. He has really taken a liking to it. His first rain gutter ragada is next week and he is thrilled to be working toward fun scout activities. I was worried that it would be something I wouldn't enjoy doing with him, but its been great! We try and do 1-3 of the sub achievements every week and it has been an enjoyable experience for us both. I am thankful for this time to watch him grow into a responsible scout!

Oh Baby!

2011-10-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this summer has flown by, as has the pregnancy! I am 28 weeks now. I sit and wonder where the time has gone. But here are a few pictures of the previous two trimesters! Our first glimpse... 8 weeks.

I am not one for belly pictures, but since this may be the last baby, why not?! 10 weeks

12 weeks

At this stage, it all depends on what you wear I think

20 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

At 20 weeks, we found out...

He will be the tie breaker for us. Now we will have 3 boys and 2 girls. I also ordered this fun diaper bag from Thirty One. I love it!!

I am starting to be ready for the baby to be here. The pregnancy has flown by, but there is always a time when you are ready to feel normal again. Thats me. The exhaustion has been... well exhausting, this time around. I dont know if it is a result of Dave being gone or just the busy life of 4 children. Either way, it has been a struggle. But I feel really blessed and strengthened so often. The baby is due Dec 31st and Dave cannot wait for a New Years Baby. I am both excited and nervous to be having another baby in the home. There is nothing better than raising children, but it is no secret that the newborn days are not my favorite. Lets just hope the next 12 weeks fly by as fast as the first 28!

Back to School

2011-10-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

We returned from our trip on Friday and the children started school on Monday. However, it worked out that Saturday there was a back to school bash. It was a really fun event with games, freebies, and bounce slides. One thing they didnt plan for... the heat!

Here are the kids on Monday. We live about a half mile from the school so the kids have to walk. Unfortunately, in AZ it is hot still the beginning of August. Really hot still. So all of the kids were sweating by the time we made it to school. But they were ready. Trent is in 3rd grade this year. Haylee in 4th. And Ethan, their cousin, in 2nd. Its exciting to go to school here because my sister's kids also go to the same school. And Brooklyn (my neice) and Trent are in the same class!

A week later, Laycee and Logan started preschool. They attend a special needs program at another elementary school in the district. They have a couple mainstream students in the classroom to help model for the children with special needs. I was thankful they got into the program because I could never afford preschool for twins otherwise. Logan is all ready! He loves preschool. He has made fast friends, is learning letters like a champ and really enjoys being there!

Laycee so pretty. Preschool as been a struggle for her. She has really struggled with the separation anxiety. We have tried working with the teacher, but at this point, we are kind of at a loss. This anxiety has now carried over to church and to home, so I am not sure what we will do. I am thankful she has this chance in preschool though with teachers who are understanding of the atypical child so we can work on this now, instead of next year in kindergarten!

All ready for their first day!!

I will admit that having all of the children head off to school this year has been a struggle for me. They have all been home for over 18 months between the summers and last years homeschool. I loved the relaxed nature of making our own schedule and having the children with me all of the time. We felt like it was time they went back to school this year and the kids especially wanted to go to school. Homework has been the hardest thing I think. Since being back in school, we have discovered that Trent has been struggling in school. We questioned some things about him in kindergarten and first grade, but the teachers assured me it was ok. Last year, when I had so much one on one time, we made progress but I even then questioned their satallite teacher. All was well, but being back in school, there is something off. We recently found ou,t in our effort to find some help for him, that he has a lazy eye and are waiting for a specialist appointment with the hearing doctor. After these treaments begin, we will see if there is any improvement and look for more ways to help him. Haylee on the other hand is excelling so well. She loves school and loves learning. She works so hard and finds real joy in being at school. School has been a ride so far this year but we are adjusting and its great to be somewhere that the kids already knew other children.

Last Stop

2011-10-14T06:52:00.001-07:00

A trip "back home" is not complete without a stop at my dad's parents. My grandma died when I was a little girl and my grandpa died a few years ago. I have not been back since before his was burried here. This was a fun opportunity to have the children really experience the remainder of my childhood memories at Grandma and Grandpas.

Mom and Dad were married in this church

I, as a child, never saw this home, but we were driving through town and dad pointed it out. He said my mom used to ride the lawn mower in her bikini here. Funny thing is, a few houses up, we saw another girl doing the same thing.

Then we headed out for our trip home. It was an amazing vacation. We really got to do and see so much. The kids were mostly well behaved the WHOLE time. It was long and exhausting but we all loved it. Made memories for a lifetime. I hope to be able to make it back that direction again.

Spencerville, OH

2011-10-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Grandmas house in the afternoon sometime. Had a little lunch and then prepared for a dinner at my aunts house who lives up the street. They live in a nice small town, with a lot of free roaming space so the kids were in heaven. I don't know how it happened, but I did not get any pictures of the BBQ. Maybe if Lynnae posts pictures, I can steal some of hers. It was great to see my family again. I have not seen them since I was 17, so its been a while. You know, 11 years anf 4.5 kids later. Anyway, the second day, we went to town to see Mr Poppers Penguines and that evening we headed to the fair. I think this was one of Haylee's favorite things to do. Laycee and Logan LOVED my aunt Starla.

Haylee wanted to see every animal there. There were a lot of animals, so that was quite a feat, but I think we saw a fair amount of them.

Here is the baby's experience of the fair... 18 weeks along.

We watched a little barrel racing.

The kids really enjoyed the fair! Then sad as it was, the next day we headed back out. We had a few more places to stop before we left.

Kirtland, OH

2011-10-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, this day of our trip was one of my absolute favorites. I love learning and museums and such. So this was great! We went to the historic area of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Kirtland, OH. It was so fun to see where the early church members lived and what they did to work toward building a temple. This is Whitney's store and home.

This is the lumber mill where they were able to build the products for the temple. Interestingly, the temple is up the hill. I cannot imagine how they transported products from here up the hill!

The Kirtland Temple. It is owned by the Community of Christ church formerly known as the RLDS church. They changed their name a few years ago. It was interesting to tour the temple. Not the same as going to see the other sites, but still neat.

There were so many other sites I would LOVE to go see, but we were on a time schedule and had already spent more time in Kirland than expected. Across the freeway was a National Historic Site at which I begged my parents to stop. I really wanted to try and get one stamp in my National Parks Passport while we were in the midwest and this one was really close. So we headed over to the James A. Garfield site. We were ready to get on the road, so we didn't tour the place, but I got my stamp and we took a few pictures.

We had planned on going to Cedar Point this evening, but we were all completely exhausted. Pretty much to the extreme! So, we stopped on the way to our next hotel and got some Dairy Queen to get us going again. Then continued our trip toward the Cleveland area where we had a hotel waiting.

We arrived much later than originally planned, so we were all glad that we didn't have to muster the energy for an amuesment park. Instead, the kids went swimming at the pool while mom and I worked on some more laundry. We went out for dinner, not fast food thankfully and stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things we needed. We repacked up and were ready to head out in the morning towards Grandmas House!!

Progressive Field

2011-10-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well on day 5 of the trip, we woke up bright and early. It really was early since we still had not completely adjusted to the time change. We were heading to Ohio's Progressive Field for a baseball game. This was dad's request of the trip. Onward to Cleveland.

Such troopers and the nap was MUCH needed

Getting close, the kids were bursting with excitement!

Finally made it to Progressive Field. It seemed like a pretty long drive, so we were all ready to get out of the car and do something else for a while.

We were lucky to park RIGHT across from the field. And we had to quickly gather the children get them across this busy street. I was really nervous crossing even with the crosswalk!

The men... and Laycee because she just loves Grandpa

We watched some baseball, had some hotdogs and water. We had a snack. You can see above that Trent is holding a green fan in his hand. I picked those up on a whim at Walmart, but only picked up 4 because they were a little expensive I thought. I wished I had bought more. They were a commodity on our trip as a whole!

Logan was thrown this bag by one of the entertainers! He was so very excited!!

Game was over and we were exhausted after the long drive and time watching the baseball game, but they all had happy faces as we headed out to our hotel.

Mom was strategic in planning a hotel for tonight. She told me that she thought we would need a nice hotel midtrip to rest up and swim and relax. She found a Residence Inn that had a two bedroom room with a pool. Since we arrived "early" to the hotel (meaning not in the middle of the night), we were able to do some laundry and swim and order pizza. It was the perfect plan. As Haylee walks into the room while we are cleaning up, she comes running out and says, mom... was this room expensive? I said, I dont know hun about the same as the others. She said, Oh well if it was, it was TOTALLY worth it. You have to love the sweet sayings of children. It was a much needed rest. The breakfast in the morning was to die for and we were then ready for more tours and travels. Next stop... Kirtland, OH!

Next Stop, Indiana

2011-10-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so next day (day 3) we headed back across the Mississippi.

And ended up at my uncles house for some very much needed R&R.

This was so fun for the children. Their dog had puppies so they played with the puppies. They live on a farm, so the kids had a lot of fun ways to explore and a lot of places to go. We stayed here for about a day and a half. It was fun because we ate corn on the cob and watermelon. We had BLTs for lunch. We got to go look for chicken eggs. On top of bike riding and exploring through the farm. The children had a blast and were SUPER dirty by the end of the trip.

On the last day, my cousin Andrea (all the way on the left), had some left over sparklers. So the kids had a blast doing sparklers after our very hot bonfire. So left to right Andrea (my cousin) Haylee, Trent, Laycee, William (my cousin) and Annabelle (my cousin).

Next stop... Ohio

Nauvoo Pageant

2011-10-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

So here we are.. the evening of Day 2 of our trip. We have already had some jam packed fun. Flew in to Indianapolis. Drove a few hours. Stayed the night and headed to Carthage and then on to Nauvoo. When we were looking online for things to do in Nauvoo, I noticed that it was the month of the Nauvoo Pageant! They also had a "fair" ahead of time. I could not wait to take the children. It was a so fun and incredibly hot. I did not think it could get hotter than Arizona. But, I think feeling like you are in a constant shower of sweat is almost worse. So, when we pulled up, there was a band waiting to meet us.

The girls learned a pioneer dance. For each activity in which they participated, they collected a bead to make a necklace.

They learned to walk on... stilts? Not really sure what htese are called, but they had fun.

They played with more sticks. Again, I cannot remember what these are called, but I remember them being slightly popular when I was about I donno 15 ish. It was fun to watch the children try to figure out how to throw and catch them.

What are old school games without tug-a-war. Well apparently it is not a common game anymore. I had to explain how to play to the kids and they watched a round first. See them lined up pulling with all of their might?! Nana helped, thank goodness.

They used two strings and moved the string alternately up and down to cause a bear to crawl to the top. Trent won!!

Wouldn't be pioneer without handcarts. Nana and Grandpa did their duty while the kids relaxed in the back. There was no way I was getting my pregnant belly behind one of those things!

Then we watched the play about the early days in Nauvoo.

Let me tell you, we were exhausted, and hot, and sweaty and tired. But, this was such an event. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to tour more of Nauvoo, but now I have the motivation to go back someday. We were able to participate in some much needed outdoor fun though. We spent the first day on an airplane from like 1-9 and then 3 mroe hours in the car. The next day we spent another 6 hours in the car. So we were ready to get out and play some. I was so glad we were able to attend this event!

Nauvoo, IL

2011-09-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

So after we left Carthage with our bellies full of Dairy Queen, we headed out toward Nauvoo. Here is the Mississippi River. The first time my children have seen it!

Thankfully, my children are happy car passengers because we had a long trip ahead of us still!

We were short on time due to the travel, so we drove by the Nauvoo Temple.

After we stopped through the town, we headed to the hotel to check in and unpack and prepare for our long evening. We headed back to Nauvoo a little later in the evening for the Nauvoo Pageant. Pictures of our pioneer fun to come!

Carthage Jail

2011-09-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

After the first night in IL, we headed to Carthage Jail on our way to Nauvoo, IL. Sorry here, the pictures ended up out of order. Sometimes I hate Blogger. Anyway, since I am limited on time, I am not going to fix them. Here is where Willard Richards lay while the mobs were shooting.

The outside of the jail

Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Another view of the Jail

Yea! We made it to Carthage!!

The sleeping quarters

Their meeting room and Josephs bedroom

The gun shot whole that came through the door

The window that Jospeh fell from after being shot

The words of Joseph Smith

This was a neat place to visit. We have not visited any of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church early historical sites before, so this was interesting. It was informative to actually be in the place and hear of the events that lead up to Joseph Smith being martyred. After our visit here, we of course were ready for some ice cream. We stopped at Dairy Queen and headed on the short drive towards Nauvoo.

Outbound Plane

2011-09-22T06:44:00.002-07:00

So I need to hurry and finish posting the pictures from our summer fun before our fall fun starts! Two weeks after we went to Ely, NV, we headed out on another trip of the midwest. We had a jam packed trip traveling across 3 states in 9 days, but it was so much fun! The kids were anxious for our first flight out. We were heading to Indianapolis, IN to start the trip.

We had a layover going there and coming home, so we got to spend a lot of time waiting and practicing on the moving walkways. Laycee loves Grandpa, so there was no one else she would walk with.
So grown up now carrying their own bags and walking without a stroller! I cannot believe Laycee and Logan are that old.

We made it to Indianapolis and set out for a couple hour drive to Champaign, IL. We stopped there for the night. We were trying to get a little headway on our drive to Nauvoo, IL. The kids were so good getting ready to fly and given that we had 7 people, Haylee and Trent or some combination of children always sat alone. I was so thankful that they know how to behave on a boring 3 hr flight. Although, I packed enough entertainment and snacks to keep them all busy for days on end lol. Stay tuned, another 8 days to go!

Ely, NV

2011-09-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

So quickly on a whim, the children and I decided to head up to Aunt Amy's house. We needed a break from the heat and Amy's is always a great place to run. While we were there, we spent a lot of time helping Amy fix a wall in her house and cleaning the yard. So one day, we went to the nearby park. And Scott conducted some races. Ready... Set... GO!

Trent came in second and he was proud.
Here is Haylee

And Logan celebrating his finish.

Then Uncle Scott changed things up to a different race.

It was a beautiful day. It was a great trip and much needed time away from the stress of unpacking the house and the heat here in AZ. The kids were excited to spend some time with their cousins as well! Can't wait until we can return, although it will have to wait until the baby is born. But this trip was just the beginning to our summer vacation fun... stay tuned for our next travels!

Trent's Birthday Part 2

2011-09-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Trent's actual birthday was on a Sunday. So he was able to have a small party at home. He was so excited to finally have his own scriptures!

Nana came over for cake and we had some cake and ice cream.
I love when the kids turn 8 because it is my chance to really go all out. He had an amazing birthday and I can't wait to see how he continues to grow and mature!

Trent's 8th Birthday

2011-09-10T21:22:00.002-07:00

Trent turned 8... well two months ago! But it is a special birthday in our home. So this year he picked to go to Chuck E Cheese. Here he is at age 8.

His Birthday Cake
He was presented with a lot of awards. And bonus... it was a midweek birthday, so he was the only one having a party that day. He got Chuck E all to himself!

Here are the party guests.

This was Trent's favorite part. He loved stuffing those tickets into his shirt so he could see how much he won!

It was such a fun birthday. This was the first time I have paid for a party at Chuck E Cheese and it was really neat. They took care of everything for me. The kids really had a great time. When Dave returns home, Trent will be baptized, but in the mean time, we celebrated his 8th birthday with as much fun as possible!! Happy Birthday Trent!!!

Haylee's New Activity

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Haylee recently started a new activity. When we moved here, we debated about dance. She has been doing dance since she was 3. It was hard to "give" up a hobby she had been doing for 5 years and she was afraid to try something new. But I got to thinking about the future and I told her she might would like to try cheerleading so she could learn some skills to try out for the middle and high school teams. So, she said ok. She started the season in June. She is on their performing team here. They also have a competative team. Haylee has been really excited to learn tumbling and dancing. She is overwhelmed by how much they have to move to new positions during their dance though. I can't wait to post more pictures as the season progresses!

Chick Fil-A

2011-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

In July, was Chick Fil-A's customer appreciation day. If you come dressed as a cow, you get a free meal! Well, this year we lived near one AND I was up for the challenge. So I made spots on the kids bedtime tee shirts and colored their faces and off we went.

Laycee Logan and Trent
Haylee, Me, Laycee

It was so fun. We all got free meals (what is better than that?!) and we got free samples of menu items. They handed out free toys to the children. AND the cows came out for some appearances and to meet their fans. It really was a great time for all of us. I can't wait until next year!

4th of July Fireworks

2011-08-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

The morning of the 4th, Dave's family had a little get together (well I say little, nothing is little in their family) and we were able to play games. And then in the afternoon, we headed over to Schneph Farms for fireworks. This location is really actually close to our house, but I like to be up close and personal with fireworks. We were always lucky as children to go see the fireworks and I want to share those memories with my children. This year I have to admit, I wasn't really up to it. I was tired, still having morning sickness (which was evening sickness for me) and there was a horrible storm brewing, but I found the energy to take the kids over there anyway.

Here is Logan with his serious face before he starts his dancing! I have a video but we will see if I can get it to upload.

And Laycee was dancing too.

You can see here as the storm started coming it. That is all dust. AZ is horrible for storms because we will get these dust storms with no rain which leaves the next day even more hot and humid. We were worried the event would be cancelled.

We were lucky though and the show went on. After, thousands of people rushed to their cars to get out of there before the storm really took hold of us all. And I was lucky to make it. I was thankful we were able to go and enjoy our time and that the weather held off for a little while longer.

Linzi's Visit

2011-08-23T07:33:00.001-07:00

The beginning of July, my sister Linzi came over from TX for a short visit. Of course, when she showed up, she ran off to San Diego with Haylee and Brooklyn. But thats ok because Lynnae and I did a children swap and I had the boys have a sleepover and she took Laycee for a sleepover. Anyway, when Linzi got back with some very tired girls who spent too much time at Sea World and WAY too much time in the sun, we had a little get together. Her step daughter had brought along some sparklers for all of the kids to do that night.

My two men. I love them

Laycee was ok with these but Haylee of course loved them. Haylee loves all things new and adventerous.

It was so fun to see Linzi since we dont see her often. And Haylee loved her time in San Diego with the girls. It was a great visit and perfect way to pass a little summer time.

Sleepover

2011-08-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

No summer is complete without a massive sleepover. Loni, Kevin and I had tickets to the Britney Spears concert this summer and Joe and Lynnae were on a weekend getaway. My dear mother was brave enough to take on all 11 children herself. Here are 3 of the boys that she had to keep close by to get to sleep. But they talked for days abotu how fun it was to have a sleepover with all of their cousins. Maybe I should host a sleepover like this more often... although I don't know if I could handle it!

Visitors

2011-08-21T07:23:00.002-07:00

Ok so I have been kind of at a standstill with blogging. My days seem to be endlessly long and when I sit down in the evening, it is time to talk to Dave. When I am done talking to him, I look at the pictures that need to be blogged and suddenly feel overwhelmed by the task I have so unsuccessfully kept up on. Sometimes I sit in amazement how when Laycee and Logan were babies, yes babies, I found the time to blog and track their every move. And yet here I am with more "time" than ever and somehow the task is too daunting. Well this morning, I have a little free time. So we will see if I can get a little blogging done. Oh be prepared for some serious back dating and one of these days I hope to catch up. I would love to blog about my thoughts and pictures that are happening in the present. So, way back in June, we had some visitors. Julie, Charlie, Gavin and Jessie stopped by. They are some of our fondest friends from Italy and now it has been YEARS since we have seen them. They were coming through the area, so it was exciting to have them visit.

Our house was not yet unpacked, but we were at least able to have enough stuff and room to accomidate them. It was so fun to spend some time with old friends and catch up on life. It is amazing how time changes. I have noticed that a lot lately actually. Since moving back to AZ, we have ran into several people I knew in high school. It is such a weird feeling but then so interesting as well to see how life changes. When you are young, you are so limited in your knowledge of life and life's tracks and yet as you grow, it is intersting to see how everyone is so unique and different. Thanks for stopping by Julie and Kids... we miss you!!

Canning

2011-08-14T07:53:00.002-07:00

I hope I didn't post this already. But lately, I have taken an interest in canning. Mom was able to get some chicken in bulk and I didn't want to freeze it. I like canned chicken for some of recipes. So, Dave's mom came over and showed me how to pressure can the chicken. I was so excited to see all of the hard work in the end. A week or two later, my mom came over and helped me make plum jelly. And then this week, I am hoping to make peach jam and maybe something else peach. Maybe cobbler or salsa. Not sure. I have really taken a liking to this new skill and I cannot wait until my next project! And even better, Dave is super excited I have finally found a hobby I really enjoy. Oh I dream of the day when my shelves are full of yummy cans looking just like this!

Spa

2011-08-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

On our last day at the resort, the girls were treated with a special time at the spa. The boys and I went swimming while the girls went off to be pampered.

They ended up so dressed up and beautiful. It was such a treat and so enjoyable for them. All in all it was an amazing treat and a great birthday surprise. My favorite part was it was only an hour from home! We weren't required to be in the car all day and there was minimal stress. I was thankful for this opportunity to spend with the children and to get away.

Cracker Barrel

2011-08-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, on our second day, we headed out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Since we were in no hurry, we stayed to play a little checkers and relax.

The boys were really into their game.
Laycee was really into looking cute as always.

And Logan was really into his candy as always. It was fun and the children were so good at breakfast. I was glad they enjoyed a hearty meal prior to our day of fun in the sun!

Arizona Grand Resort

2011-08-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

After dinner, we headed over to the hotel to check in. We were staying at Arizona Grand Resort!

We were welcomed by a beautiful fountain.
Here is the entrance to the hotel.

And these are the rooms.

The resort includes admission to their water park. So the first day, we just went to the pool since it was in the evening time. The next day, we went to breakfast (pictures to come) and then spent the day at the water park. It waas SO fun and amazing. The kids loved it. There was a wave pool, 3 slides, a pool and a lazy river. It is so hot in AZ, so there were some mid afternoon heat issues, but it was an amazing trip. We really had a great time! Then on our checkout day, the girls were in for a surprise (more details to come)!

Birthday Surprise

2011-08-10T15:42:00.002-07:00

The end of June, I surprised Haylee and Trent with a special trip. This was a joint birthday present for the two of them. I figured since Laycee and Logan have to share every year, they surely can share one year. The first surprise was dinner at Rainforest Cafe.

Haylee, Laycee, Logan, Brooklyn, Trent and Bryce. They each could bring a friend to their surprise and Brooklyn and Bryce are who they chose.
At the end of dinner, they got icee's to go!

Some birds that the kids loved.

The boys could not get over the fish.

It was a really fun dinner. My children have never been here and it was fun to watch the "animals" and enjoy some time in a fun environment. After dinner though, they were really excited to see where we were headed next!

Bedrooms

2011-08-09T08:39:00.003-07:00

Yes July has been a crazy month over here. We have been busy traveling and passing the time. So, I am going to attempt to catch up on some blogging. A little while ago, I had posted pictures of the painting we did to the girls and boys room. So here are the finished decorated projects. I got those pictures from Hobby Lobby and the chandiler was bought online. The bedding is from JcPenny's.

You can see the girls have been busily using their chalk board. The shelves and bow holder are from Hobby Lobby and the Lambs are from Scentsy. I love the girls room. I need to make curtains but I am so pleased with how it turned out.

I did a solar system theme in the boys room. These Wallies Stickers were bought on Amazon. Man it took forever to decide how to do this wall.

Here is the magnetic wall with the stars. There will be a moon over here too as soon as I get it hung up.

I really had so much fun decorating their rooms. It was neat to come up with an idea and find all of the pieces to make it work. I am however so thankful the work is over! Hope you enjoy!

A Decade

2011-07-13T20:16:00.002-07:00

10 years ago, Dave and I were married.

Here we are today. Each year comes and goes and each year, I just cannot believe another year passed. Lately, I have been really pondering what happened with time. I often wake up in a moment of where did the time go. It felt like just yesterday, Dave and I were celebrating six years. And then I remember what happened... twins, a couple moves, a deployment, and a change in jobs. It has been quite the ride for the last couple years. But, today, Dave and I have reached a decade married to one another. Again this year, we are separated. And again, he is in the middle east, but to me, it just felt special that we are making life work together despite the trials and adversities we have faced. I love Dave more now that I did the day I married him. He is truely and amazing man. I said to myself, that after 10 years of marriage, a couple needs a new bridal shower all over. The kitchen towels and washclothes are falling apart. The pots and pans are warped. The ice cream maker no longer fits the size of the family. The bath towels no longer make a set. And the mattress is just plain uncomfortable. However, after 10 years, I find myself more fond and more comfortable with the man with whom I have shared the last 10 years. We have helped each other and supported one another. And even though our sheets have holes from children and the wash clothes never come clean, our marriage is not indicated by those physical items that have fallen apart. I like to think that we are just beginning a quilt with unique squares representing different times in our lives. I cannot wait to see what the next decade brings.

Trent turns 8!!

2011-07-10T14:36:00.003-07:00

Here is a photo of one of the little men I love most in this world. Today is his birthday and just two days ago, he finally lost his first tooth. I believe Haylee lost her first tooth a day or two before her 8th birthday as well. 8 must be the magic number in our house. Anyway, today is Trent birthday and I am so thankful he is my little boy. He was born during a trying time in our lives. So close to Haylee and when Dave and I were both still trying to work and go to school full time. We were oh so young! Trent and I do not see eye to eye on anything and I swear after 8 years we are STILL trying to bond. But, that being aside, he is the sweetest little boy who will always "love his daddy first" (which was his first full phrase as well). He has been so great at noticing when I need extra hugs or loves. He loves video games and karate. And I am eternally blessed to have him in my life. I love you Trent!

Home Depot

2011-07-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time at Home Depot lately. There is always some new home improvement project/repair that I have needed to work on. The kids were really getting tired of going there. One Saturday, we headed over there and it happened to be the kids craft saturday. My children were so happy to have something fun to do. Here are the big kids.

And the little ones
Trent working hard

Haylee tryign to figure out the directions

Laycee insisted on hammering her own without any help. She did accomplish it.

They made the cutest little tool boxes. Now, my kids are begging me to go back to Home Depot!

Haylee's Birthday

2011-07-07T21:39:00.002-07:00

June 11, Haylee turned 9! Each year I wonder where the time went, and each year I still cannot figure it out. I suppose it is all lost somewhere in the mix of school and the day to day living. Anyway, she has been wanting a fish for a while, so she was able to pick one out for her birthday.

We had just a family birthday this year, with just me and the kids.
Dave bought her new earrings. This is quite the feat since she appears to be allergic to every karat we have tried up to this point. So... lets HOPE that she can stick these out.

We made strawberry homemade ice cream, her favorite.

And sang Happy Birthday.

Haylee is such a sweet, sensitive girl. She likes to be entertained from sun up until sun down and does not do well entertaining herself. But she is the most amazing helper and really notices when I need her to do something. She it a great big sister and rarely complains about spending time with the younger children. She is my little laundry girl and even though she moans about it, she gets the job done. I am thankful our lives were blessed with such a special little girl. Lately, she has been really sensitive to right and wrong. She was recently trying on clothes and the skirt was a bit too short. I asked her if she liked it and she said, Dad would definately not approve. But I was impressed she knew enough to feel uncomfortable wearing it. These types of moments have been more numerous lately and I love that she is growing into an amazing young woman ready to make Christ-like choices. She truely is special.

Happy Birthday Haylee!

4th of July

2011-07-03T21:26:00.003-07:00

Oh the thoughts in my head, I hope I can articulate them properly. Today, in church, we stood to sing The Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem. I was raised as an Air Force child. I was taught young the importance of fighting for our country and our freedoms. And as an adult, I feel that same sense of patriotism. There is one year I remember that I will never forget. I remember probably being around 8, going to the hanger that my dad worked at. We sat in his office and watched as the soldiers deplaned from their time in the First Gulf War. My eyes teared up as I watched these families being reunited. I have experienced the same reunion with Dave's homecoming from Operation Iraqi Freedom. And each and every time I hear the national anthem, I tear up. Those powerful words represent all for which we stand.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Dave reports from overseas that they too will be seeing fireworks this year. Although, it is not the kind we see here. The song this year brought more meaning to me. As we stood to sing, I was thankful we at least have the chance to attend church and worship our God.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

This year I am putting more trust in God and really trying to express my gratitude for this country in which we live. It is definately not perfect, but I am thankful we are at least able to choose where we want to worship and what faith we feel is correct for us.

Today as you BBQ, swim, visit with family, or just watch fireworks. Please remember those that have served to allow us the opportunities we have to choose how to live our lives.

Hot Days

2011-07-02T12:36:00.002-07:00

Yup, its hot here in Arizona and for some reason, this year seems hotter than normal. So, what have we been up to?

You guessed it, swimming and hiding in the shade with ice cold treats.
Benefit: We are all getting nice and tanned!
Negative: Its really really hot.

Kids' Room Paint

2011-06-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

In the boys room, Trent wanted a solar system theme and he wanted his wall black. I said no to that lol, but I talked him into a dark grey accent wall and a twilight grey for the rest of the room.

We made the dark grey wall a magnetic wall as well. We have magnetic glow in the dark stars on their wall now but I have more pictures of that on the way.
For the girls room, I had an elaborate idea, but I was worried that it was going to be too much, so we started with the paint and went from there. The top is a light pink. The bottom is a black, magnetic chalkboard. I figured if we were going to paint it black, we should make it functional.

Here is a better picture I hope.

And here it is with the chair rail.

I love these two rooms. They are so fun and great for my kids. Hopefully I will get pictures of the decorations up soon!

Front Living Room

2011-06-24T07:10:00.003-07:00

So the third room I painted was not really a whole room, but this wall. From the moment I saw the house, I knew just what color I wanted this wall.

Yeah I know it isn't a great picture, but the wall is like a corally rose pink. I love it!
Here it is all decorated.

This room here is one of my favorites. I have my rocking chair in one corner with a lamp for reading and the piano and memories of our time overseas on this wall. Each time I sit down in there, it feels like a sancuary to me. Its a place to sit, relax, and take a step back from the day to calm my mind. I love it! I know I promised pictures of the kids' rooms but I am still trying to get in there to take pictures of the decorations and finishing touches we did.

Sour Grapes

2011-06-23T17:58:00.002-07:00

I know I promised more pictures of the house and happenings over here, but I had to interrupt to document a fond memory. When I was a child, I can distinctly remember my dad sitting down on the couch and playing the guitar. One of the tunes he played most often was Sour Grapes by John Prine. Well, tonight as we sat down to dinner and the kids ate their grapes, their first response was, "These grapes are sour!" And my response was "Say sour grapes, you can laugh and stare, Say sour grapes, I don't care". I don't know how many times over the years I have hummed the chorus of this song. It takes me right back to being a little girl listening to my father sing it while playing out the chords on a guitar. So for all of you our there, I searched high and low to share a piece of my childhood with you and my children. I, for one, feel like my dad sang it better, but here it is anyway.

Now next time you eat a sour grape, you too will think of good ol' John Prine.

Food Storage Space

2011-06-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is a space... it is the backside of the bedroom wall which I showed yesterday. And it had a little space between the door frames and it is just "wasted space" so I asked my father in law if he could help me out.

After we finished the above wall, I asked if we could put in a can shelf. The space was just sititng there and it was being wasted, so why not put in a shelf and his dad (who has built these before) was more than happy to do this job. This is the beginning.
Half way done

Almost there. See they are slanted so the cans roll downward

The finished shelves. So put them in from the right and take them out from the left. But thats not all!

So his dad said that since the shelves were in a common room, leaving them open just wouldnt do. So we covered them with sheetrock and trim and now I have a 3D wall instead lol. I LOVE IT!

I am so excited about the wall. I will be painting this inlet soon so when its done, I will post completed pictures, but I wanted to at least post some of the progress. I am loving the changes. Next up, the girls and boys room. You are in for a treat!

House

2011-06-22T06:03:00.004-07:00

Well I am FINALLY unveiling pictures of our house. We got the keys and moved in with our air mattress and a few suitcases on May 12th. This is the front of the house. It is way more house than we are used to but we are definately happy in more.

Walking up to the front door.
Right inside the front door... picture of the tile.

The front living room. You see a closet on the right, this leading into another room... take notice

Here is the same closet door on the left of this picture. Now this is the room. It could be a den or formal dining room. Here is what we decided to do. The room has a full sized walk in closet on the right of the picture. We wanted to make it into a multipurpose room lol. Not a bedroom just yet but as our children grow.

So with the help of Dave's dad, his brother Scott and Scott's wife Melissa, we started framing the wall.

We put up sound board. See the same closet that I referenced in the above pictuers on the left. On the right is the laundry room.

And we hung sheetrock.

There will be more pictures to come as we texture and paint the space. We are working on smoothing the sheetrock with sheetrock mud right now and then will be ready to the texture and paint. This was our first improvement... we added a door which I have not yet pictured. So, this took the house from a 3 bedroom to 4 bedroom. I am excited for the changes taking place and can't wait to post more. Check back tomorrow to see what else we have been up to!

House

2011-06-13T21:27:00.002-07:00

So I am sure if you follow me on Facebook, you know I have been busily working on the house. Well, so much has changed in just the month that we have been there and I cannot wait to post pictures, but as I said so much has changed. Change takes time and energy. Both of which seem to be lacking these days. So stay tuned, I have some really neat things to show, or at least I think they are neat. We have already taken our 3 bedroom 2.5 bathroom home and turned it into a 4.5 bedroom 2.5 (with plans for 3) home. I am so greatful to have a very skilled in law family and a very decorative and imaginative family. Mom has been so much help in offering her services in painting and decorating ideas. And Dave's dad and brother/sister in law have spent countless hours helping me fix the toilet, put up walls, change the dryer outlet, the list goes on. It's been so fun and I cannot wait to show what we have been doing. Hopefully in the next few days I can post some project pictures so stay tuned!!

Rockets

2011-06-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Apparently I went out of order, I found these pictures of right before Dave left. He had one more project he wanted to complete. He had bought a rocket to launch. So we went out with Scott and Miss and the kids and Dave set up the rocket.

We backed the kids up so we would be a safe distance.

The rest of us standing by getting ready.

And it launches!!!

And we all ran after it.

On the ground, it didn't appear to be so windy, but once it reached the air, there was quite a bit of wind. It was a fun activity and a great memory for the kids. It was the perfect time of year because it was just before it got too hot to be outdoors here in Arizona. If you get the chance, you should definately do something fun like this with your kids. We loved it.

Goodbye, Again

2011-06-09T17:37:00.002-07:00

Well I just posted yesterday all about the tears shed over our life in the military. Well even without the military, we have said goodbye to Dave once again. In early May, Dave started his new job where he would be working in the middle east. I have posted much over the last few months over this difficult decision, but we feel so blessed. The night before he left, we all received blessings and we all know there is a bigger purpose here than just taking a job. The Lord has a unique plan and we are doing the best and exercising as much faith as possible to make it through. I often think of myself as a pioneer who is left behind with her children while her husband goes forward looking for land, work, a place of refuge, or teaching the gospel. It helps me feel strengthened to think of myself in a similar situation. So we again dropped Dave off at the airport, and the kids said goodbye. Heartbreaking yes, but we all understand the Lord's will. It has been a month since he has left now and we are all doing well. Its amazing how you feel about a choice when it was yours to make instead of the military making you do it. We are happy and all are adjusting as well as possible. Oh we will be happy for the day when we are reunited for good, but for now... We are finding joy in the small moments of life.

The End

2011-06-07T16:10:00.002-07:00

A mere 6 years ago, I, with my eyes full of tears, dropped a very scared Dave off to the Military Processing Center in downtown Phoenix. We did not know the amazing ride that was ahead of us, but we were very aware of the 9 month separation (our first one) that awaited. We had been married nearly 4 years and had two amazing children by that point. Oh that separation was difficult, very very difficult. And 9 months later, again with tears in my eyes (after enduring at 14 hr flight with two toddlers) reunited with Dave in Italy. We were greatly blessed in our time there and until we have settled now, I felt like Italy was my home. We welcomed our twins and we were lucky for that assignment. Dave spent much of the time leading up to the twins being born away, but then he spent 12 months home without leaving for as much as a weekend. We were lucky. The Lord knew I needed him home with me. And then, after 3 years, it was time to go. Again with tears in our eyes, we headed to Washington for a whirlwind of life to take us the last 2.5 years in his enlistment. We spend 6 months in Washington and Dave left to the middle east for a year. The kids and I took the 12 months he was gone and went to live with my mom. Oh the second separation was bad, but much better than the first. We headed back to Washington for another grueling 8 months where we debated and struggled over staying in the military or getting out. We eventually decided to get out and Dave's end of service leave started in April. As of yesterday, Dave has officially completed his military service. I cannot describe the difficult feelings related to leaving the military behind, but I can describe the freedom I feel. It is amazing. So yesterday marked the end of a chapter in our life and today started the cover page to another.

Rodeo

2011-06-02T22:03:00.002-07:00

The elementary school that the kids will be attending next year was having an end of year rodeo. My nephew goes there also, so we went ahead and enjoyed the fun with him! One of the things I love about living in our current location is the perfect mix of country and city. I LOVE IT. So here are the kids in "jail". Ironic that we had to pay for them to go to "jail", just like we all do as taxpayers!

Dave and Laycee took off at the horse races.
Scott and Dave learned how to lasso.

Haylee and Laycee posed together, aren't they cute?

So fun!

It was a really enjoyable time. Sorry I am absent of any pictures from Trent. I swear he is never around to take pictures. Thanks Scott and Miss for inviting us!!

Easter Sunday

2011-05-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday, after church, we headed out to Joe and Lynnaes for a family easter party. My mom had a really good idea, so she set out eggs filled with a special surprise. Here's Trent on the prowl again.

Laycee and Logan
Haylee, Regean, and Emma.

Logan

So after the hunt, they opened all the eggs and inside they found dimes! They then took their dimes and paid them to the toll taker (me) and they were able to play their easter basket fish game!

Logan is all ready to go fishing (above).

Laycee waits patiently for a bite (below)

Laycee, Regean, Logan... they all have their goodies!

Trent laughed the whole time. He loved this idea.

Haylee was a bit unsure about her find, but after much pulling and effort, she finally received her goodies.

Oh what fun when they could all open their gifts. The best part... they were not stuffed with candy! Mom had been thoughtful and really tried to fill the bags with treasures that children love.

Afterwards, the kids were able to make a craft. They made birds nests out of marshmellow, chinese noodles, peeps and chocolate eggs.

Trent enjoyed eating more than crafting lol.

It turned out to be one great Easter Sunday. The kids had so much fun being together and there were so many activities to do. I loved the fish bag idea and the craft just topped it all off. It was an amazing day.

In-law Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

So this year, the kids started off their Easter fun with a party at Grandma and Grandpas. They had a great setup this year. With over 40 grandchildren, it is hard to accomidate that many people. So, they used Brians yard for kids ages 4-8. They used their front yard for children under age 4. And they used Chappy's yard for children over age 8. Here is Logan off and running.

My niece Addy, so cute!
Laycee still wants to open each egg to see what is in it before finding another one.

Trent found the secret front! He spent several minutes up here all alone until I directed some more kids to give him some competition.

Haylee was patient and her and I went back through Chappy's yard to garantee there were no spare eggs remaining. She found like 10 that way!

It was a realy great hunt and the kids enjoyed themselves. I cannot wait until next year!

Egg Coloring

2011-05-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

Yes I know Easter was weeks ago, but I am finally getting around to posting pictures. This year we decided that we would try out hands at coloring eggs. I do not recall a time that we have decorated eggs although Haylee remembers a time in Italy that we did it, so who knows. Anyway, I felt like this year all of the kids were old enough to decorate so we tried.

We are all getting ready.
So we had a system where Dave helped them color the eggs and I helped them decorate the eggs.

This was my egg.

Logan was so proud of all of his eggs.

Trent worked busily to decorate.

The little ones admiring their eggs

It was a really fun experience! I think next year I will set out a tarp in the backyard and let them go to town. I hate messy crafts, so this was a big deal for us. But they all did great and we had a good time. Plus we had eggs for WEEKS.

Paint

2011-05-23T17:33:00.002-07:00

Hmm, what to chose? Shortly before Dave left, we looked at every home improvement store scouring the paint to settle on a few ideas we had for the new house. Oh the decisions were hard. Shortly, I will finally show some of the chosen colors!

Salt Lake City Marathon

2011-05-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

So we get to the real reason we all came together to visit in Salt Lake. Back on October, Mark (my brother in law) asked if anyone wanted to run in the marathon with him. Plans were made and plans were changed. Dave and I intended on running the full marathon and between life and well more life (funny how it can change so much in just a few short months) we changed our plans. The Salt Lake Marathon was an amazing day of accomplishments for the whole family.

Here are Amy and I before the 5k race. It was an amazing race! I have ran several 5ks, but they were all on post in Italy. This was a neat experience and so motivating to run right past temple square, past a restaurant that smelled amazing and then the turn around back up a HUGE hill. It was a challenge but so fun. This was Amy's first race and man did the race bug bite her!

My dear sweet husband decided the day before the race to run the half marathon. It was a debate because he had no training, but I knew he could. He has ran that distance before and with the experience of his present company (mark and I) he was able to use some techniques to make it through the long distance. He has little time here in the United States and really needed this to officially complete one of his goals. He nearly died at the finish line lol, but he made it the whole race running (again with a huge uphill at the end) and he made a very decent time of just over 2 hrs!
Pictured here is one of the greatest accomplishments of the day. Mark completed his first marathon. Dave met up with him the last .5-.25 mile and ran the end with him. He was injured and debated about running the long distance, but again pulled out the strength to completed the race.

Not only did the fun stop there, but all of the kids ran a 1k. Not sure it was really 1k, but they all participated. They got a shirt and medal. It was a great way to spark the need for exercise and the internal accomplishment of a race. My kids have all participated in 5k races, so for them, this felt like another opportunity of great fun!

I was so thankful we all ran a portion of this race. The atomosphere was amazing and really we all accomplished great things. There was fun and a huge sense of pride in doing new things. I cannot wait for the next race and hopefully won't be too far off. I am not the greatest runner but I love doing it and I am amazed at how the body can endure so much and recover so well. How empowering it can be!

Down Town Salt Lake

2011-05-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Our second day in Utah, we went down to Salt Lake. First stop was the Salt Lake Marathon Race Expo. We picked up bibs and got us all registered for our respective races. Then we headed over to Temple Square. This was very fun for us because our children have never been there. This is the Salt Lake Temple.

I loved this statue. It reminded me of the physical effort it took for the early Latter Day Saint to trek across the US and finally settle in Utah.

Most of the kids L-R... Trent, Ethan, Collin, Contessa, Haylee, Laycee, Logan

The Tabernacle. I was surprised at how small it was! When I was a child on TV, it always looked HUGE! It is rather small which most likely greatly reduced the number of people that could actually attend Conference.

Steps of the temple with all of the children

Another temple view

After the temple grounds, we walked across the street to tour the Conference Center. It was amazing! This replaced the Tabernacle.

Our families on the opposite side of mirrors

Top view of the Conference Center. One neat fact, it has no obstructed views. The technology used made it possible to allow every seat proper viewing.

Outside upper deck view of the temple from the conference center.

The kids.

The tour was a bit long for the children really, but it was a rather enjoyable experience. There was so much to see in downtown that I really wish we could go back one day and view some of the other sites. Next up on our adventure was the Salt Lake Marathon. Stay tuned!

Wheeler Farm, UT

2011-05-17T06:26:00.005-07:00

Our first day in Utah, we had a few errands to run and then we went to this really neat farm. The Wheeler Farm was a largely free farm where you could go and just explore the property. They had some of the original buildings still up.

We were able to learn about different types of eggs.

Dave had to use the outhouse (man men are gross!)

Haylee is trying out the saddle with Callie on the end.

The kids gathered around to watch the ducks

I never get pictures of Trent and I LOVE this one.

They all were excited to see the cows.

And we all had the opportunity to milk the cows. This was a first time for many of us and definately a different experience.

Logan got in there and tried hard.

And we took a little tractor ride around the property to see what else was out there.

Sweet huh?

Running to the sheep

It was really fun! It was a nice "kill a couple hours" location. The weather was beautiful. The property was amazing. All in all, we were really happy to have headed over there!

Utah

2011-05-10T13:40:00.003-07:00

Shortly after arriving in Arizona, we packed up and headed on another trip. This time we were northbound to Utah. Dave decided with his brother Scott that we wanted to travel through the night so the kids would sleep. It was a long 12 hours. When we got up into the mountains, the snow started falling and for endless miles, all of the adults were on edge about the weather.

It was such a relief when all four very tired adults arrived with 6 very energetic children to this sweet home that we would share with two of Dave's other siblings and their families.
This is a picture of the home staring my neice Callie (thanks Jess for letting me steal the pic!). The home looks small from here but there was more than enough room because of the full basement. The kitchen was nice, but really needed a tad bit more room. They had this silly moped just sitting in the kitchen for decoration or something! Anyway, coming up next is our fun trip to Utah. We all enjoyed it!

2011-05-08T21:00:00.003-07:00

I am so blessed to share my life in the service of 4 little children. I know one day they will not be little anymore, but they will always feel like my little children. I have been greatly blessed to have my mom set an amazing example of how I should teach my children and what to teach them. I am again blessed to be a member of a church that emphasizes the importance of motherhood. There are many many days where I feel less than adequate. There are many days that I wonder what we were ever thinking having these children. And then there are more days that I just wish I had 12 of them. Children bring amazing joy to my heart. My mother has helped me so much along the way and I would not be the mother I am today without her.

One day, Haylee and I were in the car. She was discussing with me how much she is like me and she said that she is just like me. I went on to inform her that even though we are very similar, she is not just like me. She was a bit confused and she asked how she was different. I explained a few traits she picked up from Dave and some ways that she is unique all of her own. Then I went on to explain that hopefully she would be better than me and learn from mistakes I have made and be a better mother than me. She then ponders that a moment and says to me, "Mom, I want to be just like you."

Oh the sweet voice of an 8 year old telling her mother she wants to be just like her. I just hope at age 8, I said to my mom, "Mom, I want to be just like you."

We celebrated Mothers Day last week and I received a few great gifts from Dave and the kids. I had almost forgotten that today was the real mothers day because I had already celebrated. But as I awoke today to "Mothers Day" I was feeling tired and worn. Laycee was being her very stubborn self and Logan was awoken by Trent making his rather cranky. Haylee tried to be the little mother she is and it was not well received. It was not feeling like a day of celebration at all. But then I remembered this video I had seen another time. I hope these words can touch you the way they have touched me.

To all those that are mothers to little children, Happy Mothers Day. To all those who are mothers to grown children, Congrats on making it through. Happy Mothers Day. To all of those who long to be mothers, Happy Mother's Day, you are motherly to some child because that is our divine destiny.

Disneyland

2011-04-28T17:58:00.002-07:00

You can't drive down the California coast without stopping at Disney! We wanted to make a few memories before Dave headed off, so we stopped. It was an interesting situation because Laycee was tall enough for most of the rides and Logan was not. But I think they all had fun. We drove 18 hours from Washington so we could stop our first night in Anaheim. We spent the next 2 days at Disneyland and California adventure. We wanted to do all of the rides we have never done at Disney and really discovered some cool rides! Then on the 3rd day, we let everyone pick one ride they wanted to do again. After a few hours of rides and a bit of shopping, we headed out for the last 6 hours of the trip to Arizona. It was a great trip and such a nice getaway from the stress we had been feeling. I am so thankful for the memories made!

Leaving in a caravan

2011-04-28T16:30:00.002-07:00

So, in early April, we left Washington. It was bittersweet for me to leave behind the military and all of our life. Dave was more then happy and ready. He feels like the Army had nothing more to offer him. They already paid for his bachelors and masters degree (well he has one more class to complete). They gave him some valuable training and experience. So, he could see no more reason to stay with them.

We were heading back home and we haven't been home in years. On top of that, we were moving again knowing Dave won't be with us. And not to complain, but we were leaving behind beautiful grass and amazing trees for... the HOT, DRY desert. But, we are ready for the change. I am so ready to give up some of the military ways that are so engrained in us now. But I will miss military wards. There is nothing quite like going to church with other military families. So, I took one last picture to remind us of our last duty station.

After many months of stress and fighting this decision, I am genuinely excited. I was holding out hope that at the very last second Dave would change his mind about the Army. I also hoped that he would find a stateside job. After many nights of crying about the choices ahead of us, I decided that I needed to just listen to the Lord and do His will. One night for scripture study, we were running late and I just opened the scriptures to D&C 68 I believe and chose a random verse. It said that the Lord has many blessings, but because of fear, the early saints were not able to receive them. That verse spoke right to my heart. I was afraid to make some HARD choices and in turn was potentially sacrificing great blessings!

So, we packed up the van and the Tuscan and two luggage carriers on top. We loaded the kids and my brother in law in the car and headed on our next journey in life. Thankfully we had some fun planned along the way!

I feel at peace with Dave heading to Iraq (not that I don't fully expect many sad days) but I know that the Lord is by my side. I feel so happy to be coming home and I feel even more blessed that we are buying our first home in a great location. It has been amazing to watch as the Lord has unfolded His plan as He promised me He would over and over.

Trent's time to Shine

2011-04-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

So Trent's last request before we left Washington was to have his yellow belt test. We were very lucky they were doing a test days before we left and his Sensai thought that he was ready. Trent has been doing karate since November and he really loves it. It is a must after we get settled again. So, here is his yellow belt test. It was a neat experience for all of us to watch him.

Last Day in Washington

2011-04-26T07:25:00.002-07:00

Ok so I have been trying to post a video of Trent for a few days now and am going a different route instead. So, since I don't want to get 4 months behind on blogging... I will press forward. The last day we were in Washington, our friends The Newvilles had us over for dinner. It was so nice to have a homecooked meal. Haylee and Tenli had become good friends and there were many tears over the last days there that she would be leaving Tenli behind.

Laycee and Savannah had become great church buddies. They always had their sweet arms around one another or were holding hands.
Here are the boys, Trent, Logan and Austin.

And all the kids have to be silly right?!

It was a sad goodbye. We were thankful for one last time with them!

Cabela's

2011-04-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Cabelas is awesome?! Where else can you shop, visit an aquarium, and explore an old time general store all for free? Yes, at Cabela's you can. Before we left Washington, we experienced a rare spring day. So we got the urge to go to an Outdoors store. Off to Cabela's we went. While we were there, the kids got to imagine swinging on this beautiful swing on our one day back porch.

They got to "explore" nature by seeing all the taxidermied (hope that is spelled correctly) animals in their "natural" habitat actually organized by season.
Oh dang, I don't have pictures of the aquarium from this trip. But here is Logan standing on the tusk that rounds the doors to the Gun Room. No, I don't let the kids go in there... so we sat on the most comfortable chairs ever while we waited as Dave perused the selection.

And it just so happened that the token machine was broken at the shooting range, so the store was giving out free games! Funny how I won't let them go into the gun room, but I did let them shoot the rifles at the range lol.

It was a fun outing. Lame? Maybe. But how can you pass up hours of free fun for the whole family?