Math Night

The school hosted a math night one evening and this kids begged me to go. So we stopped over and they got to play a few math games. here they are all playing bingo.

This is Trent's teacher and they are counting money and then they got to make a stamp page of their money.
This was the preschool teachers. They were offering ideas to help preschoolers learn new skills. Trent and Haylee liked it most than Laycee and Logan. I wish they would help me with laundry at home.

I wasn't very excited about going at first, but the kids had a great time and I was so happy we went when the evening was over. The kids were able to play some fun educational games and we had the opportunity to get out together.

1/2 Marathon

The end of January, I ran my first 1/2 marathon. I don't know why I decided to do it now as opposed to when I was in good shape lol, but I did. Dave helped encourage me to do it and we started training "together". Which means we really just talked about it and shared running heartaches each day. The run is called London's Run and they donate proceeds to the London fund which is then given to help cancer patients. It was a good cause, so the kids ate breakfast with Kevin while I ran.

And they waited, and waited, and waited.
And I was so excited to see them and my brother/sister-in-law at the finish line.

I learned a lot about long runs from this race. I was so excited to get a little experience and look forward to my next one. I don't know for sure, but I might try a triathalon next. I am not a strong swimmer and I hate biking (because I always crash), but it could be a challenge and fun to do. Running is a passion of mine. Always has been so I hope to participate in more races one day.

Mud

We have sang this a lot this year.

So this winter has been abnormally rainy. And what does rain bring in Arizona? Floods and mud. My mom hasn't landscaped her backyard yet and she gets a huge pool of mud that lasts for days after it rains. One day I sent the kids to the porch to play and told them not to go in the mud. I hadn't heard from them in a while and this is what i find...

I suppose this is what I get for telling them to go ourside and play.

Deals

I am not an expert couponer. I do try my best to shop the ads and stock up when I can. I also try to use the coupons if I have the time to clip them. I try to save a buck here or there if I can. But I am not an expert. I don't save 70-90% of my bill. I don't do as well as others. But I try to make our money go father as feed our kids for less. So, this particular week of shopping I was thrilled to see my savings of 72%! I was so excited. So, how much do you think all of this cost me? Guess again? Ok $40. I was so excited.

Surgery

Last month Logan had to have surgery to fix his little boy parts. He was really mad about having to put on the hospital gown, but he did so good. He went screaming off with the nurse and when he came out, he woke up from his sedation with a breeze. He was such a brave little boy and he is all healed now and looks great! They did an awesome job on his surgery.

They turn 3!!

The twins turned 3 and since the family was over for a dinner with Dad, I decided to double it with cake and ice cream for the twins. I made their cake before nap time and while they were napping, I did homework. Well it looks like they escaped without me hearing because when I come down stairs, this is what I find.

So i make 2 more 8 in cakes and double it up for a two layer cake instead.
Baseball for Logan and princess for Laycee.

What a cute 3 yr old princess she is!

He is so specific.

It was a great time together and I am thankful I made it through the first 3 years of their lives. Each day gets physically easier and mentally more exhausting. They have hit the days of fighting, competing, and arguing, but they also love each other and get along great. It has been a fun and fast 3 years and I am excited to watch all the children grow older.

Disney on Ice

Make a Smilebox free picture slideshow

Disney on Ice was in town and the kids kept talking about going. I had a little extra money so I decided to plan this special trip for them. They were so excited and since the boys love theater, it was a perfect activity. They had so much fun and I have to admit, the show was really good. The seats were a little full where we were so at intermission we moved a little higher up and it was perfect. We parked, took the lightrail (since it was free) into Phoenix, did the princess walk, ate some lunch and then let the show entertain us. It was a great and fun day for the kids! I have a lot of pictures, so I hope you enjoy the show too

Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!! I turned 27. It feels so weird being that I feel like life has flown by me since the twins were born. The last birthday I remember is turning 24 andso greatful they weren't here yet. I felt like it looked better being 24 with 4 children instead of 23 lol. Stupid I know, but that was my logic. And then this year I turned 27 and wonder where the time went. I am so glad to be moving into the next stages of our lives with having our last baby (eventually) instead of our first. People as asking if we are done instead of how many we want. Its exciting and I am ready for this next year!

Twin Sandwich

What else can I say? These two little ones have love coming from everywhere!

Awards

Haylee made honor roll the second quarter of the year. She was so excited to participate in the awards ceremony. Both the kids had a rough transition to the schools here, so I am so proud of her for putting forth her best effort to make Honor Roll. She is such a sweet hard worker!

Messy Hair

Laycee has some of the messiest hair I have ever seen! It is rarely nice and she hates having it put up. One night at soccer, I couldn't help but laugh at how messy it was.

Now this is what we call a BAD hair day!

Soccer

The soccer season has come and went. Their last game is this coming Saturday already! But, I have a couple pictures of their first game. Haylee loves being goalie, but she mostly plays defense which is another position she loves. She has really taken a liking to it and she is getting pretty good at it.

Trent is number 6 as you can distinguish by the white spot on the back of his head lol. Anyway, he has tried all the postions. The coach doesn't play him in one position more than the others. As the season has gone on, he has taken more initiative in getting to the ball and not just letting others take it. Normally, he just runs along side it and never touches it, so we are proud of the improvement he is making.
I can't believe the season is almost over before I blogged the first game! But we are excited to be moving on to baseball next.

Outside

One very great thing about Arizona is the beautiful winter weather. It is amazing. So, on January afternoon, we took the kids out to use some wheels. The dogs wanted to come along too. Usually we won't take Yuki because she is so slow, but sometimes, you can't turn her down. So, we ventured out and Haylee hopped on her bike. So excited she is a big girl with a big bike. She LOVES bike riding, I wish she had learned to do it sooner.

Mom patiently walks with Logan to help him get the hang of his new rider from Christmas.
Laycee isn't so bad at hers, so Trent walks along side her. He isn't one for wheeled objects yet. Maybe when he learns to ride a bike, he will share Haylee's enthusiasm. He has a skateboard but we need to work on the wheels a little to make it more manageable for him.

These are some great moments that Arizona allows us. We try to get out often because once summer rolls around, no one wants to be outside.

Happy New Year

Yes I am so slow and yes I realize that it is now nearing the end of February and I am just getting around to New Years. However, I am trying lol. Christmas came and went and before you know it, we were all back in school again. The months seem to be dragging but the days and weeks are flying. Dave has been gone 5 months now and I am excited to be approaching the midway point soon. Also, I am in the middle of another semester of school and if things work out how I hope (which you all know that life never does), I will be completeing school next semester, but I am not getting my hopes up. The kids seem to be happy to be in AZ and are also getting ready for Dave to come home, hopefully the next months will pass by quickly. So... here it is, me trying to catch up again.

So, on New Years, Kevin was dog sitting but was going out that night, so mom took his place. That left me home alone with the kids. Mom and I had a New Years dinner before she left of steak and crab. Then the kids and I watch the Disney countdown to a new year until 1155, when I turned it onto the Time Square channel.

Happy New Year
Yummy crab!!

What a sweet girl

LOL Hi

Finally, a good smile!

The DS kept him happy for hours.

It was a good even followed by a great year. Now is the time, since it is February, to remind you all of your resolutions and I hope you get refocused! What is on my list? Just making it through each day without feeling like it was a wasted day