Sarah's Place

Photo Card

2011-11-28T19:01:00.001-08:00

Berry Merry Christmas

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Zack on Mickey Mouse

2011-05-12T00:21:00.000-07:00

Zack has taken quite a liking to Mickey Mouse. It is his favorite show! He wants to watch it all day long! I love watching him watch the show because he talks back to Mickey and will answer his questions. I also love when he calls Toodles.

Zack also has some big news to share from today! :)

Zackary is 2!

2011-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby boy has turned 2! I don't know where the time has gone! He surprises me everyday with all that he is learning and (I have to say it) his cuteness!

We celebrated by doing one of his favorite things, going to the train park.

My little man is doing so many things now that he is two! He is a very independent guy who loves to play, play, play! He loves trains and cars. He is really enjoying his train table he got for Christmas!

He also loves music like his big brother and sister. He is not the normal two year old who loves the ABC song, or Old McDonald. His favorite song is Baby by Justin Bieber. He even sings it!!! I love watching him in my rear view mirror while driving and seeing his head bob up and down to the beat of different songs. We call him bobble head. He also likes "Boom Boom Pow", and "Dynamite". I swear he is the coolest kid!

He is talking quite a lot too. My favorite thing that he says is "I don't know!" And I love it when he says, "hand" and he grabs my hand to hold it. He is also very polite and says "Thank you" more than his brother and sister. And my heart melts when he runs over to Joey and says "Hi JoJo!"

Let me also say that the phrase "Monkey see, Monkey do" has never applied so well as to our little Zack! He is always copying Nate in word and deed!

And man is he an eater! He is going to eat us out of house and home! Our little bruiser is weighing in at 35 pounds. He can polish off a full meal and then some. We tease about the fact that Zack will eat anything we don't want off our plates. Now that I have said all the nice things, I can also say he is very ornery and is definitely my most challenging child! He is pretty sneaky and demanding. He has a mind of his own and he probably gets away with a lot of stuff just because everyone in the house doesn't want to hear him scream! He can get pretty crazy!We sure love our sweet birthday boy!

Poor Nate! (How Many Times Do I Have to Say It?)

2010-06-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Poor Nate went to the Dentist today, and had to have 2 fillings! He did awesome! What a champion. Unfortunately, after waking up from a short nap, he had a HUGE fat lip. He is having trouble talking and eating. It is so pitiful. I hope that everything is OK. The dentist said he probably bit it when it was numb. He is going to put him on antibiotics in case it gets infected. Poor dude. It is just one thing after another with him! He is ALL boy, or maybe accident prone? I don't know which!

My Little Princess

2010-06-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

Livvy and I found a way to entertain ourselves yesterday. I am going to let her tell you all about it:

In case you can't see it, it says:

Yesterday my great hair stylist mom did my hair like Cinderella. It had a curl on the side and a big bun in the back. I even got to have a ribbon tied on it like a head band. I wore it a whole day. I dressed like a princess, too.

The Black Eye Pea

2010-06-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Nate got a shiner! It happened 11 days ago and he still has a bruise in two places. He was out on his Razor and he hit a rock and wiped out. I think the handle bar hit him on the way down. It was pretty traumatic for him and us.

We sure got a lot of stares everywhere we went. Talk about feeling like a bad parent. I felt like people were thinking I beat my child up. And of course I had a check up scheduled for him at the doctor. So I had to take my poor black eyed pea to the doctor! And there is nothing like giving a talk in primary when you have a nice black eye, either!

But, our little bruiser is super proud of it. (He even told my friend his full name was Nathan "Crash" Doyle.) When he saw it he said, "Now I look like Spencer!", who is his big cousin in Utah who got elbowed in the face and had to have 4 titanium plates and 18 screws put in place below his eye! With the path Nate is on, he certainly has potential!

Almost

2010-04-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

This big dude . . .

is almost walking!

Not quite, but he is almost there. He has been taking little steps for the past 2 weeks, and is so close.

He just doesn't seem to like it. He is much faster crawling around. Which surprises me, because he is kind of a daredevil. He likes to walk with his truck and other things, but it takes a lot of motivation to get him to walk anywhere, like dangling his binky in front of him!Hopefully he will be cruising around soon! I am tired of the dirty hands, feet and knees! They may be stained permanantly!!!!!!

Finally!

2010-03-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

Yeah! Olivia finally lost her first tooth! It has been loose for a month now and she lost it on Sunday. It is so weird to see her with teeth missing. She has been wanting to lose a tooth for so long and has been disconcerted by the fact that all her friends have lost teeth and not her. After experiencing it though, I am not so sure she is ready for the rest of them to come out. Although she likes the tooth fairy part! :)

Dancin' in Disneyland!

2010-03-22T07:34:00.001-07:00

Over Spring Break, Olivia and I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland with her Competition Dance Team. We brought my mom along and it was a fun "girls only" trip! Olivia has been working really hard over the past few months learning her dances and trying to fundraise for her trip.

It was a great time and we had so much fun! She really enjoyed hanging out with her teammates.

I heard they did a wonderful job on their performance. I missed it because I was backstage helping with changes and getting the girls on stage. I am hoping someone will make a copy of the video for me! (Livvy is on the far left.)

She performed in three dances at Disneyland. A tap dance, a jazz dance and the finale which was a 70's dance.

Before their performance, the performers were able to go behind the scenes of Disneyland and take a dance workshop from a choreographer from Disney.

Here are some pics of the good times!

Before we left to head home, we were able to go see Aladdin. My friend knows someone in the show, so we had front row seats to the show, and we had a Meet 'n Greet afterwards. It was amazing. Livvy loved meeting Jasmine!

We made some great memories!

Crazy Hair Day

2010-03-05T14:29:00.001-08:00

It was crazy hair day at school today. Here is the final product! Pretty crazy, huh!

I cut a wire hanger in three pieces and stuck them into her ponytail twists. Then we added lots of ribbon. I think she looks like Cindy Lou from Whoville out of the Dr. Seuss book.

She was a little self conscious about the whole thing, but she felt much better when she knew her best friend, Abby also had crazy hair. Even her teacher had crazy hair, and that made her feel loads better. It was sure fun creating it!

A New Family Member!

2010-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well, we got a fish! No, it is not a dog and we are getting a dog, just not yet. So, this is helping fill that urge until the great day comes when we can get a dog. So, meet Mater!

He is a pretty fish, for a fish.

We went to visit a fish store that was right next to where we were eating, and Zack was going crazy for the fish. He loved them. Nate was amused too. My sister decided we needed a fish, and so she bought Mater for the kids. They really like him.

Nate was so cute the first day when we had to leave to go get Livvy. He said, "But what about the fish? What are we going to do about him when we leave? He can't be by himself!"

So, Mater has helped entertain the kids and maybe it will help teach them some responsibility so we will be ready for a dog soon!

It's So Fun to be One!

2010-03-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

Amazingly, it has been one year since we have had this little guy! He is now 1 year old! I can't believe it!

He is very good at showing off his "number 1" for us! Although he is not too happy in this picture!

We had a great celebration for him with lots of friends and family. It was so fun! And of course, the best part was the eating of the cake. He was really wanting the cake until he stuck his hands into it and realized how dirty he was. Then he started flicking it off his hands.

He got some great new toys for his birthday. He was (of course) not too into the present opening.In fact, on multiple occasions, we saw him sneaking off under the table to get away from the madness!

And then he just wanted to play with the plastic wrapper from his toys.

So, what is this little guy up to now that he is 1? He is full of mischief, that is for sure. He just barely started to pull himself up on things, and so that has opened lots of doors for him! (Literally!) His most favorite thing to do right now is open up the cabinet doors and pull out all the stuff inside. Then he climbs inside them. All the way inside, sometimes!

He also really likes his bath. In fact, he will climb in his bath even when it is not bathtime!

He did this one day when I was showering, and somehow manuevered his way in without getting hurt because he didn't cry or anything.

He also likes exploring all sorts of different things. This is the best though. He crawled inside a cat toy at my parents house, and had it on his head! We could not stop laughing!

He is a character and we love him to pieces!

Monster Jam

2010-02-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

On January 30, we went to the MONSTER JAM! Santa left us tickets in our stockings for Christmas. The kids were counting down the days to go, they were so excited. Jeremy prepped them big time before we left, reading lots of Monster Truck books.

This is Monster Mutt! He was Olivia's favorite.

They were both so excited to see Grave Digger!

Olivia and Nate got to sign this Derby car.

I can't believe how huge they are!

This is Nate's favorite: Batman!

It took about a week for our ears to recover from all the noise, but we had a really good time at the show. I think Jeremy was enjoying himself more than anybody, but the kids definitely liked it!

Superman . . . To the Rescue!

2010-01-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

My dear friend helped me make these sooo fun capes. My intent was for them to be for Nate and Zack, but Olivia has been enjoying them more than I would have thought. The kids have been playing non-stop in them today. It has been funny to watch them. They were pretending to be superheroes and were camping out on the kitchen floor. They started a "fire" and then went to sleep. In the "morning" they woke up and Livvy says, "Oh no, Nate! We forgot to put the fire out! Guy! What kind of superheroes are we?" It was hysterical! It's nice that a few dollars and an hour of work can provide such great entertainment for two kids.

Tubes in the Ears

2010-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

So, I now realize why I haven't blogged in three months. It mostly has to do with the fact that my baby has been having such a hard time with his ears. Since November, he has had 5 ear infections: an average of 1 every 2 weeks. We have been to the Doctor's office so many times they know me by name, and my bank account is empty from all the copays and prescriptions! Finally about a week ago, we got into the ENT doctor and Zack had tubes put in his ears yesterday.

It is really scary sending your baby off to surgery with strangers. It was something we have never had to deal with as parents. Of course they make you come way early in the morning and wait around FOREVER until it is time for the surgery. And, Zack was not allowed to eat anything. And if you have seen Zack lately, you have probably noticed that this kid does not miss a meal! (Almost 24 pounds!) He was such a good boy though, and really handled it well.

During the whole ordeal we saw many different people and many different nurses, all doing different things. But, the moment the "surgery" nurse came to take Zack, it was almost like he knew exactly what was going on, because he held out his arms to her as if saying, "I'm ready, take me" and he let her take him and was fine. It was really funny how he knew.

So, all that build up of nerves, and the procedure took less than 15 minutes. Before we knew it the doctor was out saying everything went well. He did tell us he was worried about Zack because he seemed to like the anesthesia a little too well. The doctor said most babies take a whiff of it and start crying, but Zack sniffed it, and looked around and then took a big breath of it. The doctor said we should definitely not let him join a fraternity because it looks like he might be an experimenter and that would not be good!

So now we are hoping we have solved the ear problem and everything will be a little less chaotic around here!

R U Thinkin' What I'm Thinkin?

2009-11-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

Nate is the craziest kid sometimes, and he just cracks me up with what he says sometimes. His newest thing that he likes to say is, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" We were with my dad and he asked my dad that, in which my dad sarcastically replied, "No, Nate, no one thinks like you think." Well Nate got really mad and said, "Grampy! You can't be on my pit crew because you aren't thinking what I'm thinking!"

Halloween

2009-11-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful and creepy night we had on Halloween. My three cuties dressed up as a dragon, Alice in Wonderland, and a race car driver!

I think this was one of the few times we could actually get Nate to walk and not ride in a stroller. All the anticipation for a bucketful of candy was good motivation for him!

Happy Halloween!

Disneyland

2009-11-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

We finally were able to cash in our winnings and redeem our trip to DISNEYLAND! Back in April, I won a trip to Disneyland from the radio station. We also got a two night stay at the Disneyland Hotel. We had a MAGICAL time! Here are some pictures of the grounds at the hotel.

Look at this pool! Unfortunately we didn't have time to swim in it, but it looks so fun!
Ready for Disneyland . . .

We were lucky to have family come meet us and hang out with us. My mom and sister came . . .

and my father in law came, too.

Nate was so excited to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater!
And what Disneyland trip wouldn't be complete without a face painting fit for a princess. Livvy saved her money for this, and wanted to look pretty for when she met the princesses. I did my best to make her hair "princessy," and then she put on her Snow White dress.

Olivia loved every minute and liked all the rides. Nate was a little leery of most things, and did get quite frightened with the character rides. Too many scary images, I guess. He loved Mullholland Madness, but when he rode on Thunder Mountain, he yelled to me, "This ride is not safe!" It was so funny. And Zack, was Zack. So easy and calm and happy about everything, no matter what! Personally, my favorite is California Screamin' and Midway Mania. We are so grateful that we had this wonderful opportunity to go to California and go to Disneyland. It was great!

October 20-25

Las Vegas Weekend

2009-11-04T08:03:00.001-08:00

We had a fun weekend in Las Vegas to go see my dad race in a vintage car race.
On the drive up, we stopped in Kingman, AZ and went to Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner for dinner. This was one of the places Oprah ate on her cross country trip with Gayle. I thought it would be fun to check it out. We loved it. They had excellent hamburgers and they make their own Root Beer.
I loved the cute high chair they put Zack in. Jeremy wasn't too thrilled about the color, nor was he too thrilled that I took a picture of our boy in it! Hee Hee.
The kids liked the bathtub the best out of our trip in Las Vegas. It was a jacuzzi tub. They had a lot of fun! It was a little shocking the first night when the jets started shooting water everywhere. We were laughing so hard.

The race was a success. After a rollar coaster day of the clutch breaking, and not being sure if he could fix his car, my dad was finally able to race.

Nate in his race car suit . . .

Woo hoo! You win the checkered flag in our book, Dad.

October 17 - 19

Pima Air and Space Museum

2009-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Over Fall Break, Jeremy and I took the kids and my sister to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson. We had a really fun day and enjoyed our time together. The best part was that the kids were excellently behaved! That always makes things nice!

The kids had a lot of fun playing in the cockpit of this airplane.Wouldn't it be so much fun to have this in your backyard. My kids could play for hours in this. We had to tear them away.

My little astronauts . . .

We saw a moon rock, but my sister and I named it the moon pebble. Livvy was really confused when we left. She said, "We didn't see the moon rock." I guess it didn't make that much of an impact on her! Hee Hee!

Zack was all smiles on our trip. I especially like this picture because it shows of his crazy hair! It just sticks up all the time like he has major static electricity!

We took a tram ride around the 80 acres of outdoor musuem. At this point I decided I should probably take some pictures of the airplanes since I hadn't taken any yet! I really liked this one because it was so HUGE. I forget what this one is, though.

I know this is a Corsair. This is one of my Dad's favorite airplanes. I like it too!

At the end of the day, we took a trip around the AMARG boneyard. This was the reason we came, actually. Jeremy saw it in an email, and decided we should go check it out. It is the only place in the U.S. that stores all the old military airplanes. It was a sight to see! It was like a sea of airplanes. All in line and in rows. It was cool.

We had a most excellent day, and the weather was beautiful. My favorite part was on the drive home when I asked Nate if he liked seeing all the airplanes, and he responded, "What airplanes?"

Umbrellas and Marshmallows

2009-10-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we had a huge garage sale. I also made a huge discovery. My daughter is a nut!

A lady was looking at an umbrella, and was asking me how much it was. I told her $2 and she proceeded to open it up. I noticed that the tips of the umbrella was covered with marshmallows. I said out loud, "Why are there marshmallows on the ends of this umbrella?" Olivia told me she had done it. Why in the world would she do that? Like I said, she's a nut!

So if you back up an hour, Livvy was playing with the umbrella and was bumping into people. Jeremy told her to stop playing with it, and noticed that the ends were pokey. He told her to put it away before she hurt someone with it. Well, her little genius mind thought of a way to make it safe, and so she ran inside and grabbed the bag of marshmallows. She safely covered all the tips so they would not hurt anyone. Silly, silly girl!

I told the lady she could have the umbrella for a $1 since now it was sticky, and she bought it. She didn't know her umbrella would be a good snack, too.

Gettin' Crafty

2009-09-05T11:05:00.001-07:00

I got hit by a craft bug yesterday. I decided to make a 'bow board' for all of Olivia's hair bows and clips. My friend made one and it turned out so cute, I had to do one too! Here's how it turned out:

It was a very easy project.

After that, I made some more hair clips for Livvy. Ya know, those flower clips are all the rage right now. I made lots to match her school uniform colors. Here are some of my favorites:
Now, I plan on making lots of bows once I get a tutorial! :)

First Day of School

2009-08-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

Olivia started first grade today. She looked so cute in her little uniform dress. She was very excited! She was excited about her teacher, taking a lunch with her new matching lunch box and backpack, seeing her friends, seeing her brand new school, and wearing her dress.

She had a great day and was all smiles when she came home. She said it was fabulous! I am sure it will be a great year!

How Old Are You, Olivia?

2009-08-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quick story about our Olivia, who is way too mature for her own good! While driving in the car with our family this week, Maddie, our cousin, was kicking her brother, Robbie's seat. Robbie was getting really irritated and was asking Maddie to stop kicking. Robbie and Maddie's mom, Jenna, was telling Maddie to stop, and then said to Robbie, "See, it is not fun when your chair gets kicked, is it?" (Obviously Maddie isn't the only one who kicks people's seats in the car.) So, without a moment's hesitation, Olivia chimes in and says, "Robbie, you are getting a taste of your own medicine!"

Zack's First Food

2009-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Zack tried his first helping of rice cereal. As expected, he wasn't too sure about it! I loved watching his expression when he tried it. His eyebrows went up in a look of worry. He didn't quite know what to do with the cereal when he got it in his mouth, and most of it came out the same way it came in. Here's a video and some pictures.

Of course, after trying it, Daddy (the rule breaker) admitted to Mommy (the rule follower) that he had given Zackary a little taste of ice cream a week or so ago. Well, no wonder he didn't like the rice cereal! Daddy has already ruined him at 6 months!

TaDa!

2009-08-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, our little ham is at it again (That would be Nate)! Making everyone laugh with his funny personality! This time he was up on our kitchen counter and getting ready to come down. He had his step stool below him, and he slid forward facing out, and his feet touched the far edge of the step stool. This caused the step stool to tilt forward and Nate was precariously off balance and ready to smash bum first onto the tile. Miraculously he pulled off a swift save and got down on the floor with two feet. Meanwhile, Mommy, Grampy, and Grammy were holding their breaths as this was happening in slow motion. As we let out our sigh of relief, Nate throws his hands to the side and sings out, "TaDa!"

Camping? Love it or Hate it?

2009-08-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

Well, my husband finally dragged me out for some camping a couple weekends ago.

Of course the kids were loving it and had a fabulous time and everything went well, at least as well as camping could go. If you know me, you will know I am not very fond of camping. And let's face it, how can you be when you are faced with this:

No bathrooms! My poor father in law had to drive us over to the bathrooms a mile away each time someone had to go potty, over the bumpy terrain in his SUV. I would not be surprised if his car has permanent damage.Bees! They were everywhere! Trying to eat our food and getting in our stash. I was afraid to cook dinner because they were swarming me at the grill. I needed a beekeeper outfit! (OK, maybe I am being a little dramatic.)

Rain! The rain is nice and stuff, but not when you are camping and are afraid you are going to get struck by lightning it is not so fun! (Ok, maybe I am being a little dramatic here, too.)

Dirt! It was everywhere, and got on everything.

A lot of Work! It sure seems like a lot of work to go camping overnight. We practically packed the whole house, and we took up two vehicles between my father in law and us. That is a lot of stuff for one night. My husband said we really need to go longer to enjoy it more, but really, why would I want to stay longer?
So, with all these cons, I just can't see why camping is so great? Well, it was fun watching my kids have fun, and I did love seeing my husband revert back to his caveman roots:

"strong man, start fire, get wood for fire!"

I did enjoy the campfire chats, too. Okay, maybe it was a little fun and maybe it was a good experience and maybe if Jeremy is really good to me, I will be ready to go in another 10 years.

The Queen of Tape

2009-07-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

You know you can do a lot with tape, Scotch tape that is. At least that is what Olivia has discovered over the past couple months. She uses it for everything and we have gone through so many rolls of tape that I should own stock in the Scotch company. Here are just a few things Olivia has tried to fix with tape:

1. My mother's bar stool (one of the legs came off) Yeah I am going to sit on that stool now.

2. My poor duck is about to be severed at the neck. Good thing Olivia taped it for me.
3. The child safety clip that broke in half.

4. She has fixed a number of Nate's toys, like his airplane that lost its wing.

5. We have several books that are no longer coming apart because of her "taping."

And most recently . . .

Her bow came "unbowed" on one of her sweaters and so I just ripped it off. Before Church she came to me with it back on and said she fixed it. She had taped it back on! What a classic. I told her in no way was she wearing a taped bow to church.

Anyone need anything fixed at their house?

Wicked is Wicked!

2009-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the musical, "Wicked" last night. Finally the big night came! I have been waiting to see Wicked since forever, and Jeremy surprised me with tickets for Christmas.

The show was outstanding! I loved it so much. We were sitting in the 5th row, so it doesn't get much better than that.

Jeremy and I had read the book and we both have been listening to the soundtrack so it was that much more meaningful to us. It definitely fulfilled and exceeded my expectations! I give it two big thumbs up!

The Graduates of 2009

2009-06-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

We have 2 graduates in the house! We have been doing lots of celebrating around here. Nate graduated from preschool which is hilarious since he only went for one month, but you know school, they have to be all including! So we went to Nate's graduation. It was really well done, and so fun to watch.
All the little kids were wearing their graduation caps, all except my son. He refused to put it on through all their songs.
His little buddy, Ethan, kept trying to put it on him, but Nate would just through it back down.

Here is Nate with his wonderful teachers. He will start with them again in August. Every morning he asks me if he has school. I can't tell if he wants to go, or is relieved when I say that it is summer, and there is no school!

And then there was Olivia . . .
who graduated from KINDERGARTEN! Oh my sweet baby girl is moving on to 1st grade. Here she is in all her glory with her cap and gown. The school had a really nice ceremony. Each student's name was called and they got to go up and shake hands with their teachers and the principals. They also got their own diplomas with their graduation picture in them.

Olivia had super awesome teachers and she had a great year. She learned so much! It was so fun to celebrate her accomplishments.

10 Years . . .

2009-05-24T14:50:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, I have been with this man for 10 years now!

Jeremy and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary on Friday.
(I feel so old.)

We had a wonderful celebration and Jeremy really worked hard to make it special. He surprised me with an overnight stay at the Arizona Biltmore. Wow! That place is fantastic and beautiful and amazing. We hung out and explored the awesome grounds and headed off to The Melting Pot for dinner. Another first for us. The dinner was delicious. I was a little worried at first when they told us we were going to be the cooks and they brought out raw meat. Jeremy said, "You don't have cooks in the back, or what?" The server said they were just food preparers. We thought he was kidding! But it all tasted delicious, and we didn't even get food poisoning! And the chocolate fondue dessert was heavenly.

Thanks to my parents, we were able to celebrate a full 24 hours of romance for our anniversary, with the exception of Zack. He is still a little young, and with nursing there was just no way. But we could hardly tell he was there anyway! :) We managed to squeeze in two movies, breakfast, and Jeremy took me shopping! It was awesome.

The funniest part, or sad, depending on how you look at it, was the anniversary gift story. Awhile back, I decided I wanted to make a wedding video and book for us. We got married in the days of no digital cameras so all our pictures were on negatives. I decided to take them down to have them converted to a digital format. It cost me $6 and I didn't have to do anything. I made a book on Blurb and I put together a video for us of all our wedding photos. Well, my dear sweet husband opened his present and looked at it in shock. I thought he was astounded by my skills, and he asked me how I got the pictures. I told him my story and he was just in shock. So he says to me, "So, you didn't know I spent over 4 hours scanning in all 180 of our wedding photos?"
So, ten years, three kids, three houses, and 1 million cars later, we are still going strong! Here's to another 10, baby!

Zackary's Baby Blessing

2009-04-27T10:59:00.001-07:00

Zack had his baby blessing yesterday at Church. It was a beautiful blessing and Jeremy did a wonderful job.It was terrific having our families and friends come out for the occasion. We know it was a sacrifice to drive far away and be at church by 8 am! Thanks so much!

Nate's First Day of Preschool

2009-04-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

So now that he is three, Nate gets to go to preschool! Don't let the happy pictures fool you though, because he wasn't too excited about going - at least that is what he said. I think he was more happy because he finally got to use his backpack (Cars, of course). I think the whole idea of going by himself was giving him anxiety . . .

but, he put on a brave face and walked up to the drop off point . . .
and he sat with his class. It wasn't until I turned the corner that I heard him dissolve into tears, and start calling my name.

When I picked him up though, he was all smiles and told me he had fun! We will see what happens on Thursday when he has to go back.

It is bittersweet to reach this milestone. He seems so little to go to a big school by himself. But it is also exciting to see him grow and learn. I know it will be awesome for him.

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2009-04-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

Nate is a big 3 year old now! We celebrated at home and took him to Makutu's Island. He was so funny about the whole birthday thing and totally milked it for all it was worth. He kept saying, "It's my birthday." "Can I have a scooter for my birthday?" "I want a R2D2 for my birthday." It was pretty funny.

We had his favorite for dinner: Hot Dogs and Macaroni and Cheese!

We had a yummy ice cream cake.

Then he opened his presents from us. Livvy got him a big Lightning McQueen car and he loves it. He even slept with it.

Mommy and Daddy got him a new bike and helmet. I loved his expression when he saw it.

He was so cute and he immediately said, "Thanks, guys. It's cool!"

Now we just have to get him to ride it, rather than walk it around!

Happy Birthday, Buddy! We love you!

We Won!

2009-04-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

I got a shocking surprise on Monday; beyond what I could imagine would ever happen to me! I was the lucky winner on a radio contest, and we won an incredible prize. I never win anything and so this is so unbelievable to me. My kids are so excited, and my husband is stoked, and I am still in disbelief! We won a trip to . . .

DISNEYLAND!

We won four 3 day hopper tickets, and a two night stay at one the Disneyland Resorts.
Here we come Mickey and Minnie!

Thanks Mix 96.9! You are the best!

Nate the Impersonator

2009-04-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

For all you Seinfeld followers, I am sure you remember this episode:

And now look at my son:

I promise you this was not staged in any way whatsoever! We just went in to do some photos of the kids, and Nate just would not cooperate. This is what happened when we were trying to coerce him into taking some pictures, and the photographer caught this shot by chance! I couldn't stop cracking up! He looks just like George Costanza, but at least he has some clothes on!

Not only is he George Costanza, but now he thinks he is Donald Trump, as well. He has somehow picked up Trump's famous phrase, "You're Fired!" I don't know where he learned this, or how he knows to use it, but he is firing everyone left and right when we don't do what he wants. He yells at us, "You're fired, Mom! You're Fired, Livvy!" He has never seen the show, and he started doing this about 2 months ago, before the show came back. I probably hear this about 5 times during the day. Yeah, you think it is funny, but it is not so funny when he is yelling, crying and throwing a huge fit. At those moments, I only wish it was that easy to be fired by him!

Have You Seen Baa Baa?

2009-03-30T19:50:00.001-07:00

Oh! We had a major trauma in our house this past week. We lost Baa Baa. Who is Baa Baa you ask. Only one of Nate's favorite stuffed animals that he has to have to sleep, and carry around. Baa Baa and Pooh Bear are necessities for Nate. We have lost them before, but have always found them in a day or so. But not this time. He was very upset about it, and so his good sister decided to take action. This is what she came up with:

She made this all on her own, and I think it is so cute. Her picture of Baa Baa is quite accurate, too. So has anyone seen Baa Baa?

Growing Like a Weed

2009-03-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

We took Zack to the doctor today, and he is already so HUGE! It makes me sad that he is growing so fast and that he isn't my little newborn anymore. He has grown 1 and 1/2 inches and he is up to 10 lbs 10 oz already! That is a gain of 2 lbs and 5 oz in three weeks! Whoa! Slow down little buddy!

Racers . . . Start Your Engines!

2009-03-22T09:01:00.001-07:00

It was an exciting day on Saturday for our family as Grampy was in his very first car race. In October he acquired his little mini race car and has had many trials trying to get it ready for a race. It was finally ready, so off to the races we went. He raced in a SCCA regional race for vintage cars. Here are some pictures from the "big" race! (Warning: Picture Overload!)

The Official Pit Crew and the Driver

(At least this is the part of the pit crew that actually did the work!)

The kids were there to support their Grampy. It was fun being in the pits with all the other race cars. They had a lot of fun.

Even Zack was representing in his Little Racer outfit.

Buckling in for the race

With all the gear

Lining up for the race

And he's off . . .

Speeding round the corner . .

What an adorable race car!
(Don't let my Dad know I said that!)

Coming into the pits after the race! He did great, and he finished!

The kids were so proud of their Grampy!

Nate doing his Doc Hudson inpersonation
(He didn't like the noise.)

Even Jeremy got to ride along in this race car. He wishes he could have been the driver, and now he thinks he needs a race car. He has already looked on Craig's List. Oh help me!

The Race Car driver himself

Congratulations, Grampy. We can't wait for the next race!

Mo' Pics!

2009-03-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

Well, Mr. Zack is now 2 weeks old and is doing great!
It is rare moments that we catch him with his eyes open because most of the time . . .

he is fast asleep!

He sleeps . . .

and sleeps!!

I wanted to show off his feet. I know you can't tell, but he has really long feet! His foot is as long as his calf! I love the way Nate's speech therapist put it. She said, I wonder if it is like a puppy. You can tell they are going to be large when they have big paws!
Nate and Livvy are great with him. They love him lots! Nate was a little disturbed when he saw how the baby ate. He got a really horrified look on his face and said, "Mom, the baby eat you??!!" I assured him it was fine. He thinks the baby is eating my elbow, and I think I will let him continue to think that for now!

He's Here!

2009-02-27T17:40:00.000-08:00

Introducing

Zackary Kenneth!

Born
February 25, 2009
1:37 a.m.

8 lbs. 5 oz.
21 inches long

Mom and Dad are doing great!

Thanks to Erin for being a great L&D nurse!

One proud Daddy!

Olivia is in love with her new brother!

The kids were so excited to meet their new brother.

We feel blessed to have a new member of our family! We are grateful that everything went well and that Zack is doing great.

Pregnancy Update

2009-02-05T10:28:00.001-08:00

Well, I am now only 2 days away from being 37 weeks! It is getting closer, but not close enough for me!

Last week, I ended up in the triage with a little scare. Everything checked out fine, but I was having contractions every four minutes, so they decided to give me that wonderful Tributelene stuff to stop the contractions, and they put me on modified bed rest. Well, that lasted maybe a couple of days, and then I figured since I was past 36 weeks, I could do what I wanted.

So, I was really excited to go the the doctor this week so they could check me and see if anything was going on. So, the exciting news . . .

0% Effaced
0 Centimeters Dilated

Yup, that's right! Nothing! After all that, I am no where close to having this baby. I know, it is still early, but I got it in my head that this baby was going to come early after going to the hospital and having contractions. I was so disappointed. Oh well. I think I may have to go back to vacuuming and cleaning since that is what prompted the trip to triage. Maybe that will help to get things started!

A Short Story

2009-01-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, the kids and I went out to dinner with my dad. He took us to Fuddrucker's. Nate ate a big bowl of macaroni and cheese, a whole hot dog, some of Livvy's hamburger, and some french fries. We were all done eating, and Nate had maybe two bites left of his macaroni. The server came by and asked if he could clear off some of the plates, and we said sure. Nate piped up and said, "I need a box!"

Thank goodness for crazy kids and the things they say.

Remembering Maggie

2009-01-03T16:43:00.001-08:00

It was this time eight years ago that we first laid eyes on this little black and tan ball of fur. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Maggie yesterday. It is so hard after having a dog for eight years, and raising her from six weeks old. She was my first baby. I was welcomed by her with a wagging tail each time I came home and I felt her unconditional love every minute.

This is the dog that:

Loved to curl up in her blankets and beds,

Was smarter than her own good, and could find her way out or in to anything she really wanted, including opening the plastic cover on the doggie door when we tried to keep her out,

Thought she was a lap dog, and would try to sit in your lap anytime you sat on the floor,

Would play hide and seek with her treats,

Climbed in the dishwasher as a puppy to lick the dirty plates,

Destroyed three sets of blinds, and numerous window screens,

Got the most excited about going swimming than anyone in our house,

Would go to the bathroom and lay down when you told her to go to Time Out,

Found the greatest pleasure in a squeaky toy, and could destroy it in 2 minutes flat,

Snored louder than Jeremy or I put together,

Loved to pull us on our Rollar Blades, go for walks and car rides,

Could spell walk,

Was a trusty companion to all of us,

Watched the Dog Show on Regis and Kelly,

Liked to lay in our plant barrel,

And was the best dog in the world! I will miss my Maggie Mae!

Oh Pickles!

2008-12-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

Nate has turned into quite the avid TV watcher over the past two months. He is really addicted to the Disney channel. That is the first thing he does in the morning: come in to our room, and turn on the TV. It was a saving grace for when we potty trained, because I could keep him contained. Unfortunately it has turned into a habit. And it is hard to say no when he is so good when I am trying to do stuff.

He is also being very sneaky about it too. Last night when Jeremy and I went up to bed we found the little TV monster in our room with the TV on. Uunbeknownst to me, he had been watching TV for two hours!

Well, in all his TV watching, he has picked up a catch phrase from Higglytown Heroes. He says, "Oh Pickles!" He started using it this past week, and it is just so funny. He uses it in the right context, and we just laugh every time he says it! It is so cute. Here is a little sample for you.

He also really enjoys the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. At the end of every show they sing the "Hot Dog" song. "Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!" Inevitably, after that show, Nate will ask for a hot dog to eat!

The Baby's Room

2008-12-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

We worked hard for three days, and here are the results:

We decided to go with an airplane theme in the new baby's room, so we painted a sky blue on the top, and a green on the bottom.

We also painted the ceiling blue, and added clouds to the ceiling. On one wall we put a few clouds. We still have some more decorating to do, but we have the hardest part done!

Thanks to our home teacher, the chair rail was a snap! The painting went well too, and Jeremy and I were still speaking to each other after the job was done which can be considered a record for us! :) I feel so much better now that it is done. I also feel more organized now that the clothes have been sorted and hung up. Yeah!

Nate's Big News!

2008-11-21T11:00:00.002-08:00

Does this boy look any different to you?

There is something definitely different about this little guy!
He is POTTY TRAINED now!

Yes, with weeks and weeks of trying and practicing and messes, I think we finally have it down to a science (with only a few mishaps now and then).

He has graduated to big boy underwear!

We are still working out certain logistics, like how to put his pants back on right! Both right side, and with feet in the right pant holes!We sure are happy that we have passed this milestone, especially with a new baby coming. We just hope it will stick and we won't have any setbacks!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

2008-11-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Our number 1 daughter turned 5 this weekend! We celebrated in style taking four of her friends to the movies to see Madagascar 2! They munched on popcorn and candy and had a divine time.Then we headed over to Peter Piper Pizza for some yummy pizza and cupcakes for dessert. The kids had a good time playing the games, too. Here's some pics with Olivia's friends.

Then we had a family dinner on Sunday to celebrate with family. Given the fact that we spent quite a bit on her friend party, I didn't put a whole lot of effort into the dinner on Sunday. Olivia was pretty sad that I didn't have any decorations to put up in the house, so she decided to make her own! It was hysterical. She cut and colored her own crown to hang on the wall and a picture of herself with the words "Habe Brthda to Olivia". It cracked us up! Man, what a bad mommy for not having any decorations!

Happy Birthday, Olivia! We hope you had a fun weekend!

A Veteran's Day Getaway

2008-11-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

We took a "girl's only plus one boy" trip to Flagstaff over Veteran's Day Weekend. Livvy and I went with my mom and sister plus Nate for a fun filled three days. We celebrated my sister's birthday while we were there and had many surprises on the trip! The first surprise was that we saw the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile, and got free hot dogs! The kids even got weiner mobile whistles. Nate was disappointed though because the Mini Cooper Weiner Mobile was not there (yes, they have one) and he kept saying it left him! But then he started calling his whistle a hot dog mini, and then he was OK. The second surprise was that it snowed on us the first day we got there. I was a little nervous driving in the snow so we had a low key evening in the hotel playing games and making hot chocolate. When we woke the next morning this is what we saw:

A Winter Wonderland!

We put on our warmest clothes and headed to the Deer Farm, just outside of Flagstaff. This is one of the coolest places I have ever been! They have a farm that has dozens of deer roaming free. They give you deer food, so the deer are so tame and used to people that they follow you around and gather everywhere. It was awesome! They also had other animals penned in around the open area, like miniature horses, donkeys, goats, reindeer, monkeys, etc. The kids loved it!

Our next surprise was going on the Polar Express Train Ride! I always thought you had to buy tickets a year in advance to do this! We just stopped by Williams to show Nate the big train and my sister went in to inquire about stuff and she discovered that they had seats available for that night. So we decided, Why Not? We made a quick run to the store to get some warm P.J.'s and hats for the kids and were on our way.Beautiful Lights at the train depot.

The kids were so excited to go for a train ride! They enjoyed the hot chocolate and cookies, and listening to the story of the Polar Express. And THEN:

Here came Santa! With a bell for them!

We had lots of fun on our adventure to Flagstaff. Lots of unexpected surprises, and lots of great memories!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Camping with Daddy

2008-10-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

The kids had a fun time with Daddy this weekend when they went camping over night!

They didn't have far to go! In fact, they set up camp right in our own backyard!They "roasted" marshmallows over the grill,

and had yummy S'mores for a campout treat!Then they read and told each other stories before snuggling into their sleeping bags.

They can't wait to do it again!

It's Here!

2008-10-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting time at my parent's house as my dad's new toy arrived from Alabama! That's right! A new mini cooper! I don't know who was more excited about it, Nate or my Dad!

This is a 1965 Austin Mini Cooper, and it has been transformed into a RACE CAR! Yup! My dad is going to start doing vintage racing. Nate really liked it until they started up the engine. Then I think it freaked him out! He kept saying it was too loud!

Since this is now the third Mini Cooper of my dad's, not to mention the other two cars they own, we were wondering what he was going to do with it, and where he was going to put it. Never fear. He had a plan. It's a good thing that mini coopers are mini because he fit all THREE in his garage! Can you believe it!

Now Livvy has her mini, Nate has his, and the baby will have one too! Right, Dad???

Our Dancing Diva

2008-10-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Olivia took to the stage this weekend at a park function with her dance school. She was one of fifteen 5 year olds that performed a tap dance. They were pretty cute out there. Here's the whole group:

We painted their faces and they were all decked out in their ribbons!

It was such a gorgeous weekend because of the wonderful weather! It even got chilly toward the evening, and we were wishing we had our jackets!

Here is a video of the performance. You will have to excuse our videography skills! Olivia is in the front row, second from the right.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Children's Museum

2008-10-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

We had an exciting day today with Grammy. We went to The Children's Museum in Phoenix and we HIGHLY recommend it! The kids gave it two thumbs up. We could have spent all day there if it wasn't for our rumbly tummies. (Next time we are going to pack a lunch!) They had a lot for the kids to do.

The kids got to make Marshmallow creations with marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. Livvy made a house, and a worm, and Nate made a caterpillar.

Here the kids took their bikes through the "bike wash" and Nate was able to have his own chauffeur!

Apparently Livvy was a crazy driver! That was later proven when their bicycle tipped over and Nate hit his head on the metal bar!

Then, Livvy decided to wear a helmet, but Nate decided to brave her driving!

In the art studio, the kids had several things to do. Here they are helping to paint the house!

Here they got to play with Play-doh. (They put glitter confetti in the play-doh. It was such a fun touch!)

The kids played for a LONG time in the kitchen area. They could make pizza and cook and have all sorts of fun!

They also enjoyed playing in the grocery center. They even could "check out" their food. They had a table with "grain" where they had scoops and measures. They loved it!

Here they played on the race car. They could change the tires and decals on the race car. They even could fill it up with gas. They also had little race cars and fun tracks for the kids to race on.

Cool Livvy in her Basketball shoes!

Nate had fun in the bean bags.

Thanks Grammy for the fun day! We can't wait to go again!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-10-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Time to brag! What fun is it to have a kid if you don't get to brag once in a while, right?? Here is Olivia at her Flag Ceremony for school. She is the one with the blueish green backpack, 3rd kid from the left.

Today she was honored with other children from different classes in front of everyone else in her school with the RESPECT award. Every quarter the kids are challenged with a different "Character Counts" attribute, and this past quarter they focused on respect. Teachers chose 2 children from their class to receive the award. Olivia was given the Respect award! We are so proud of her and for how well she is doing in Kindergarten. She has gotten several notes sent home from her teacher telling us how sweet she is and what a model student she is.

OK, now that I have gushed on and on about my wonderful daughter, I will let you enjoy the rest of the pics! :)

Here's the Scoop!

2008-10-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well, in a nutshell, here is the latest on us!

School is in full swing, well at least partially. :(

Dance is in full swing, literally!

Pregnancy is good - I am getting bigger everyday! And I think every Tuesday my stomach expands after all the jumping, skipping, and chasse-ing I do with the 2 and 3 year olds in dance class! We had another ultrasound and he is still a boy!

Nate is back on a sleeping schedule, THANK GOODNESS, with only an occasional bad night.

Jeremy is doing great in his new job, enjoying the perks of being a manager (including taking all his reports to dinner, entertaining clients, etc.) Although I do think he is a little too attached to that Blackberry! I swear he is always checking his emails!

September has flown by and here we are in October. We are looking forward to cooler weather and all the upcoming holidays which are just around the corner!

Tales From the Crib

2008-09-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

No more Jail - I mean- no more Crib, for Nate! It has been an interesting week for us in this household because we turned Nate's crib into a toddler bed! And let me just add that everyones sleep has been affected by it! Nate has always been since a GREAT sleeper. He never gets out of bed before 7:30 and has been known to sleep until 10 or 11 am sometimes. He always takes a 3 hour nap. If you are jealous of me, you have no reason to be jealous NOW! Discovering his new found freedom, no more "jail", he is up at all hours of the night and naps are far and few between. We have heard his door slam at 3 in the morning, and have found him playing with toys in Olivia's room, with her fast asleep. He has crept around the house at 4 am in the DARK! Livvy woke us up at 3:30 one morning yelling, "Daddy, Nate is in my bed!"

So we got smart! We started telling Olivia to lock her door at night. The next morning at O dark hundred, Nate was pounding on Livvy's door, yelling, "Livvy! Livvy!" trying to sneak his fingers under her door.

Then we got even smarter and turned the handle around on his door so we could lock it from the outside. That helped a lot, once we got past the tantrums and tears. And then we would find him like this:

Not even in his bed at all!

Well, we felt sorry for the poor chump, so we went out the next day and bought him his very own big boy bed! We figured that would make him so happy that he would LOVE to sleep again!

The next morning, we found him sleeping in his old crib/toddler bed again! Go Figure! And we have found him sound asleep in his rocking chair!

With everything, adjustment takes time, and I am sure that before long, we will get him back on his normal sleeping schedule. At least that is what I am praying for! :)

An Incredible 30th!

2008-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it has finally crept up on me! My 30th birthday has come and gone, and now I am an old lady! I do feel old at times, but mostly I just realize now that 30 is not that old. It sounds so old when you are younger but now that it is here I definitely don't feel like I fit the picture I had in my head of a thirty year old!

It was an amazing day and weekend for my thirtieth. I am really lucky and blessed to have so many people who helped make it a fun time for me. I wanted it to be memorable, and not just another birthday. I will definitely remember my 30th birthday!

I was woken up at 6:30am on my birthday with a surprise beyond my wildest imagination. It was literally a dream come true. Jeremy surprised me with this present:

A New CAR!

I couldn't believe it! I have always told my family that if I won the jackpot and could have any car I wanted I would pick a new Honda Odyssey, White with Leather Seats and a Moonroof. I would drool when walking by someone with this car. (I know, you are probably thinking I am the weirdest person ever, but it is true!!! Because, seriously, what would a mom of 3 do with a Ferrari or Lamborghini???) Well, Jeremy made those dreams true by getting me exactly what I wanted! I couldn't believe it. I had no clue and the fact that he maneuvered this without me knowing is even more astounding!

Later that day, Jeremy and I left the kids with Grammy and we went to his Graduation from his Leadership program at work. They had a nice little ceremony for the 12 participants with a yummy meal at Patsy Grimaldi's in Scottsdale afterwards. They also paid for a hotel for all the participants, so since we had no kids to go home to, we went to see The Dark Knight, and stayed out til 1 am. A record for us since we have been married, probably!

And then it was time for the Girls Only party! I met my mom, sister, aunt, and a few close friends for a really fun time! We had a rockin' dinner at Olive Garden, donned in our princess crowns and Hollywood Star Sparkle Glasses. I even had a hot pink boa! There was a gigantic Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake (and I put in two chocolates on purpose because that's how good it was). Then we headed for the movies to see Mamma Mia! We sang and danced and had a great time. And yes, we were still wearing our crowns and glasses! It was a fun and memorable night!

I feel like I was able to ring in the 30's in a most memorable way. I am now ready to be 30!

First Day of School! First Day of School!

2008-08-25T15:58:00.001-07:00

Olivia started her first day of Kindergarten today. She was so excited to get her new clothes on, and her new shoes, with her new backpack full of her new school supplies. Doesn't she look so cute in her school uniform?

She was a little nervous until today. She was so excited to go today. It is hard letting your first born go off to big school. As a parent you hope you have prepared them enough for the world. It's hard letting them go and grow up. Jeremy and I did our best last night to calm our nerves by talking to her about stranger danger, and who she can get in a car with, etc. Jeremy gave her a father's blessing, too. And we talked to her about the importance of following the rules, and listening and all that good stuff!

I read her The Kissing Hand last night, and couldn't make it through the book without crying. I sure do love this little girl!

She had a wonderful day today, and is excited to go back tomorrow. She has lots of friends in her class and she really likes her teacher.

We are so proud of our Livvy!

Orrraaannnggge!

2008-08-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

You have to watch this video of Nate:

Don't you love the way he says Orange?? I don't know where he got this from, but every time he says orange, it sounds like . . . well . . . like he's constipated! He has a hard time thrusting that word from his mouth! Pretty funny!

Something to Share

2008-08-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Guess what we are growing!

That's right, I am pregnant!
I am 12 weeks along, and we had our ultrasound yesterday.

The baby is looking healthy, and strong. And I think it is safe to announce
that we are having a BOY!
He's cute, huh!

This is why they think the baby is a BOY! Hee Hee!

We just wanted to share the news with everyone. We know we haven't told anyone yet, and we are sorry. It has just kind of worked out that way. We were really secretive about it for some reason. I have been feeling good, just really tired!!! Now you know the real reason for my slackerness! :)

Another Fun Story from Utah

2008-08-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I love it when you just spontaneously do things and it turns out amazing. This was what happened to us one evening when we were in Utah. I was doing dishes and the kids were playing when Karen said she was going to take her son to a friend's house and that we should come with her. We piled in the car and dropped off Spencer. Since we didn't really think we were going anywhere, we had no shoes for the kids, no camera, no cell phone with a camera, etc. Figures!

Well, Karen decided to take us for a little drive because Olivia wanted to see some horses. We drove through the neighborhood and it didn't take us long to find some horses. We turned the corner and there was a house on a few acres and they had a mama goat, and two baby goats tied up in their front yard. My bold cousin went and knocked on the front door to ask if we could pet the goats. Luckily the lady was super nice and said of course because the goats were used to lovin'. So we got the kids out and they had a lot of fun petting the baby goats, and listening to their bleats. We also heard a 'heehaw' in the distance, and realized they had a donkey too. We found the donkey and the kids loved hearing and seeing that.

Well, we got back in the car and continued our drive when we came upon a pasture full of buffalo! Then my funny cousin remembered that her son's baseball coach lived right where we were and that they used to have a bunch of tortoises. So we stopped and she knocked on their door to ask if we could see them. They were so sweet, and took us in their backyard to search out the tortoise. We found it, and Olivia got to feed it some lettuce and touch her shell, and skin. Nate liked it as long as it wasn't heading in his direction. They brought out a huge shell that their dad had purchased of a sea turtle! It was gigantic. We put it on top of Olivia! Too bad we didn't have our camera! Then as we were driving back down the mountain, we saw a deer crossing the road. So cool!

The tortoise lady told us that we should stop by her friend's house just further down the road who owned an Alpaca farm. We found the farm, but we didn't want to disturb them. We noticed they had a pasture near the road, so we did pull over to look at what animals they had in their pasture. There was an alpaca, a pregnant donkey, a llama, a weird cow looking thing, a peacock, a miniature pony, an emu, and some geese. All in one pasture!(This is the actual farm we stopped at, I found a picture on the internet!)

So, the whole time we were driving in the car my cousin was singing this horse and buggy song, I had never heard it before. But the kids were getting into it, and no kidding, as we were heading home, there was a horse and buggy in front of us as we rounded the corner! That just topped off our little jaunt, and we laughed so hard! So in an hour's time, we saw 13 different animals on our drive. It was awesome. We just couldn't believe we didn't have a camera to document it all. Oh well, at least we have blogging and Google images!

Fireworks!

2008-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I have still been a slacker about blogging, and I am sorry, AGAIN. I mentioned this to Jeremy last night that I haven't been blogging or checking blogs, and that some of my friends think I am a slacker. Olivia said the prayer last night and she said, "Please help Mommy to not be a slacker, and to bless her as a a slacker." So here is my post!

I have been postponing this entry for a week or so, because I have NO pictures to show you! I went to Utah for 5 days with the kids and we had a wonderful time. My cousin lives up there, and she has three teenaged kids that my kids just loved hanging out with! I don't know why I didn't take pictures, but I didn't!

Anyway, the day we got there, we went to a neighborhood bar-b-que. We had hot dogs, corn on the cob, snow cones, and cotton candy. They had bounce houses for the kids, and a band for the older kids. They also had someone come and do fireworks. Now, I was thinking the kind you can buy and that just pop, or maybe some sparklers. No, these were the real deal! The guy set up his trailer not 100 feet from where everyone was sitting and set off these fireworks. They were so close and loud, it was a little frightening. I have never seen real fireworks that close before. Sparks and debris were falling in our eyes, and laps because they were so close. At one point, one misfired and almost hit a tree. They were really cool and fun, but I wouldn't suggest trying this at home! (Plus, you would probably get arrested!)

And then the next night, we saw fireworks again at a town festival. Two nights in a row. Olivia was in heaven, Nate was so scared! Those Utah-ans really love their fireworks!

Kids = TOO MUCH INFORMATION

2008-07-28T12:00:00.001-07:00

It must be nice to be a kid and not worry about anything at all including what people may think of you. Kids do say the darndest things, and sometimes they just give a bit too much information!
For instance, yesterday my visiting teachers were over, and Livvy was using the "privy chamber" (with the door wide open, by the way) and Nate comes into the Living Room. He loudly announces to everyone, "Livvy, Poo Poo!" Oh, that was so nice, and a great way to invite the spirit in with visiting teachers!

Livvy likes to answer the phone lately, and sometimes she is just to fast for me. So I am warning you all that when you call, you never know what she might tell you. Like when she told my mom yesterday that I couldn't come to the phone because I was going to the bathroom.

But the following story is my all time favorite example of TMI! Nate had woken up one morning a couple weeks ago, and had gotten sick during the night. I was busy cleaning him up and washing up his bed when the phone rang. Livvy got it since I was otherwise detained and was in my room blabbing away for a couple of minutes. I figured it was my mom or Jeremy. She described the scene in Nate's bedroom in detail and explained what I was doing. When she finally gave me the phone, I realized that the person on the end was not my mom nor Jeremy, but the receptionist from the doctor's office. Nice! I was so embarrassed.

Kids = Too much information!!!!

Update

2008-07-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it is about that time for an update. I think this is the longest I have gone without blogging. I just have nothing to write about! Life is just too mundane right now to try to find something to blog about. We have been fairly busy this summer, but with nothing to exciting to report on. For those who are interested this is what we have been up to:

Livvy is dancing her little heart out at Dance camp. She goes about 3-4 times a week for three hours. She has her 5 year old class on Thursdays. It is good to get her out of the house, because otherwise she gets into too much trouble like for instance chewing on my coffee table! I can't wait for school to start! Speaking of school, she took her test for the school district to see if she could start Kinder early and she passed her test with a perfect score! Go Livvy! She will take one more test next week for a charter school to see if they will accept her early. We are hoping for that one.

Nate is doing well too. He is keeping his collection of Cars going, thanks to Mommy, and has nearly all the characters from the movie now. He loves to play with them! Taking them to bed, in the car, everything. He is also going to dance. I know, I don't usually support boys going to girly dance, but it is only a two year old class, and in no way is it feminine. The minute it is, he will be out of there faster than you can say pirouette! He really likes the tumbling and running around.

Jeremy is still working hard, and is almost done with his leadership program at work. Not much else to report on him, he is too boring! Just kidding Babe!

As for me, I am definitely keeping busy this summer! I am avidly watching my new favorite show, So You Think You Can Dance! I can't wait for Wednesday Nights! I am teaching dance 10 hours a week, and I have been taking two online courses so I can renew my teaching certificate. Between that, and the kids, and running errands, and cooking, etc, life has been crazy. Maybe that is why there have been no blog posts! :) Hopefully now that I am done with my classes, I will enjoy computer time more, and will start to read your blogs once again. I have missed catching up with everyone.

We have been to a lot of movies lately, too. We have seen all the kiddie movies this summer for some reason. We saw Kung Fu Panda, a definite favorite of ours, and Wall-E, which was not as good as Kung Fu Panda, and we saw Kitt Kittredge. If you can believe it, Nate sat through all these movies! I was amazed! We have also been going to the Summer Movies each week, although we have missed quite a few!

Mostly we have just been trying to avoid this awful heat! I can't wait for October!

Well, thanks for letting me update you, sorry to be boring. I mostly did this for Allyson so she would stop complaining about having to look at the Minis! :) Hope you all are doing great, and hopefully I can start thinking of some exciting stuff for ya all so you can be entertained, (not that you need entertainment from me, I am just saying)!

The Mini Meet

2008-06-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

If you know Nate, you know that he takes after his Grampy and LOVES Mini Coopers! You know that of the three words he knew when he was 18 months old, Mini was one of them. And you would know that he can spot a Mini anywhere! Apparently one's love for Mini Coopers is genetic and Nate definitely has those genes.

My dad wanted to take Nate to Orange County, CA for the annual Mini Meet West. So the two boys headed off in Grampy's Mini to fulfill their obsession, with me as their chaperon. (I have to admit I really like Mini Cooper's too, and I would own one if the budget allowed.)

We stayed at the same hotel where the function was taking place. This is the view from our window, and you can get an idea of what it was like. They had about 70-90 Mini Coopers, mostly classic Minis.

The day we got there we saw some really cool Minis. This was one of my favorites.

This is a "Woodie" Mini. I had never seen anything like it before, and I thought it looked just the right size for Nate!

That night we got to do a night drive with the Mini Coopers. There were about 35 Minis, and we all followed each other, and did a 2 hour drive through different areas like Laguna Beach, Irvine, and along Pacific Coast Highway. I was driving, and it was a struggle to keep up with those Mini drivers. They go FAST! It was a blast, and I felt so "COOL" being apart of a car club!

The next morning we got up at 4:30 to travel to a Car show. There were hundreds of cars of all kinds there. The Minis made a good show with about 70. Even Grampy's car was in the show. Here is Nate helping Grampy clean the car for the show.

My dad is restoring a 1966 Mini Cooper. This is what it will look like when it is done.

We saw this Mini in the Mini Magazine. It is called Pooh and the Hunny Pot.

Then we headed back to the Hotel for the Mini Meet. The guys had a lot of fun checking out all the different Minis. They saw a lot of really neat things. Nate had the most fun with these RC Minis. This guy set up a track and was racing them. Nate was completely fascinated by it and would sit and watch it race. If it crashed, he would go get it and fix it for the guy. Then he would yell, "Go Mini, Go!" My dad had the camera by himself, and I don't think he realized he was doing a video instead of a picture. So, the quality is not great, but I still thought it was so cute.

We had a good time, and the guys are already planning the next trip to the Mini Meet in Minnesota!

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

2008-06-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Arizona has some weird weather sometimes. Just out of the blue it started to rain a little bit late this afternoon. I think it is so weird that it can be raining and completely sunny at the same time! And HOT! Well, the kids didn't waste anytime. They put on their "rain" boots and grabbed the umbrella to go play in the rain. Livvy even asked if she needed to put on a rain coat!

They are too funny!

BOB Books

2008-06-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just got finished putting Livvy to bed, and as normal we read through some books. However, lately our routine has changed. We now make Livvy read one book to us. I found these awesome books at Lakeshore Learning and I am so proud of Olivia because she is reading. We just finished Set 1 which has 12 books in it, and Livvy has read all 12 of them by herself. I never read the books to her, and I have never told her what a word is. That is the beauty of these books. All the words can be sounded out by the child. They only have a few sight words in them, so it is easy for beginning readers. Each book builds upon each other. I am amazed. Now she is starting to read other easy books. I definitely recommend these books for children who are ready to start reading. They are wonderful. I am so ready to order the next four sets!

Sisters can be so Cruel . . .

2008-06-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Of course, Mom is not much better! Taking a picture of her poor boy dressed like this, and making him smile for the camera!

The Dance Recital

2008-06-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

We are having recital withdrawals in our house already! Well, Olivia is anyway. I am still recovering! She was so excited and had such a blast, she is already counting down until the next recital. She was a complete star, or so I am told. Unfortunately I didn't get a great view from backstage and missed portions of it. (Good thing we ordered the video.) There was not a hitch with the three hair changes, and three costume changes that Olivia had to go through. She looked beautiful thanks to all the backstage moms who helped her! The best part: when Olivia waved to her A.A. during her Thingamajig dance amidst her shuffle hop steps .

And I was so happy because there was no screaming, crying, or panicking from my 2 year old classes! (At dress rehearsal, they just cried for their mommies and didn't dance at all! And one just ran around the stage!) Here are some pictures from dress rehearsal and the exciting day.

Performing Ballerina Boogie at Rehearsal

She is second from the right
(It's hard taking pictures in the dark!)

Getting ready for Itty Bitty Pretty One
(I love the background hubby chose for this picture!)

She is second from the left performing Itty Bitty Pretty One at rehearsal.

This is the Thingamajig dance.

Olivia is third from the right.
(Don't worry, we had a really nice backdrop for the recital. No fish in sight!)

After the recital, Livvy got some flowers from her family.

(Again, the hubby chose a nice background!)

Olivia and her daddy!

Summer has Officially Begun!

2008-05-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

Olivia had her graduation this past week. It was so stinkin' adorable! They dressed the kids up like dinosaurs, and had them act out "How do Dinosaurs go to School." They sang songs and did a wonderful job!

This is Olivia doing Tutti Ta. Remember that song? It was a crack up watching the little kids do it! They can be such hams when they want to be!

Olivia holding her diploma! I wonder how many diplomas and graduations this girl is going to get/have in her lifetime. I counted 10. Here is the list I came up with:

1. Preschool last year
2. Preschool this year
3. Kindergarten Graduation
4. 6th Grade Graduation
5. 8th Grade Graduation
6. High School Graduation
7. Seminary Graduation (At least I hope!)
8. College Graduation
9. Master's Degree
10. PHD (I have high hopes!)

Olivia with her Grammy!

We are so proud of all that Olivia has accomplished this year. She is doing so well! She has even started to read this past month. Wow!

Olivia with her teacher, Ms. Peggie. She was an amazing teacher!

So, with school over, summer has definitely started! We went to our summer movie this week, and we broke in our pool today for the first time this season. The kids were so excited to put on their new swimsuits and dive in.

It was still a little chilly but that didn't stop them. Olivia picked up right where she left off last year: Jumping in, swimming across the pool, and diving to the bottom.

Nate had fun, but I think it was a little cold for him. He preferred "surfing" out of the pool. The poor guy was visibly shaking from being so cold. But he sure does love his Lightnin McQueen swimsuit.

BUT, nobody was more excited to go swimming than Maggie.

She heard me say the word, and she was going nuts in the house. As soon as that gate opened, she hightailed it for the pool. She had a lot of fun, too!

Yeah! It's summertime!

The Many, Many, Many Cars of Jeremy

2008-05-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

I can make a pretty safe assumption that my husband has owned more cars in his lifetime than any other male (or female) his age! In the almost 10 years that I have known him, we have collectively owned 11 cars! I doubt anyone can beat that, as he is averaging more than one car a year! I decided to put together a history of his car ownership, you know, for posterity! He just recently bought his eleventh car last week, a white Nissan truck:

So, our story begins with when I first met him, nearly 10 years ago. He was driving a blue Chevy truck, sort of like this one.

Then he decided he really wanted a Jeep Wrangler. So he bought a black Jeep with a hard top. It was really fun. We went four wheeling in it a couple of times, but it had major problems. And, he had just proposed (to me, not someone else) so he sold it.

He bought a really "cheap" car to save on finances. That brings us to the Nissan Truck he bought. It was a cute little gray truck, but it did not have power steering. He definitely built up his muscles with it! (I couldn't find a good picture.)

So, I was driving a white Honda accord like this one.

Well, about this time, we were moving up in the world. So, we bit the bullet and decided to get a much newer car, and a car payment. We bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Then, my parents bought a new car, so they sold us their old Honda Accord, and we sold our older Accord. So then we had car #6.

That brings us to the year 2003, when our Olivia was born. We wanted to be responsible and safe parents. We decided we needed a safe car, too. So we traded in the old jeep for a new jeep.

After awhile, we started to back pedal, and we thought maybe it would be better to own two cheaper cars, and get rid of the Jeep so we wouldn't have a car payment. So we bought the Toyota Camry. Well, we couldn't get rid of the jeep, so we sold the Honda and kept the Jeep and Camry.

Then Jeremy got tired of his Camry, and decided to buy an Audi A4. Car #9

Then Jeremy said we should sell the Jeep, and get a minivan! "AHHH! A minivan! I can't drive a minivan!" was what I was thinking! But, nonetheless, we bought a Honda Odyssey and I LOVE IT! Sad, I know!

So, this brings us to current. Jeremy's Audi was the WORST car we have ever bought, and the ONLY car that we have actually lost money on. But now we are happy because we have the truck and the Audi is gone.

Jeremy has told me that he thinks he will have the truck for a long time. I don't know what his definition of "a long time" is but I am guessing we will have a different car next year. With how fickle he is, I am surprised he hasn't traded in his wife yet!

A Recital Sneak Peek

2008-05-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

It was picture day today! Olivia got all ballerina-d up for her pictures. This is costume #1 out three costumes. Here she is sporting her "Ballerina Boogie" costume. It is my favorite. Only three more weeks and it will be recital time! Olivia and I are both very excited!

I am also very nervous though because I have 4 dances that I have choreographed, and I hope that my classes do well. I would hate to be the one that has a disastrous class! I have two 2 year old classes, and 2 three year old classes. Well, at least they are small, so there is not as much pressure. Hopefully they will just be so cute no one will notice if they are doing the right moves anyway.

I found the costumes online so I thought I would share!

This is what the two year olds are wearing, and they are dancing to "Baby Love".

This costume is for my three year olds, and they are dancing to "Little Red Caboose" only they are wearing red.

This costume is what my three year olds will be wearing and they are dancing to "Teddy Bear Picnic".

And finally, my two year olds are doing a dance to "Boogie Woogie Piggy" and they are wearing this adorable pink costume.

Gotta Love it! I know I do! I love my job! How fun it is to dress up these cute little two and three year old girls in these fancy costumes. I hope all goes well! Wish me luck!

More Surprises!

2008-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! I had more Mother's Day surprises today! Olivia's preschool had a Mother's day Program for all the moms today. It was so adorable. The kids all lined up and sang us three Mother's Day songs (with hand movements and everything).

They set up the tables for all the moms with yummy treats and cute goodies on the table for us. There was a piece of artwork, a bookmark, and an All About My Mommy letter.

Here is what Olivia wrote in her letter. (Her answers are in pink.)

All about My Mommy

My mommy's name is Sarah. My mommy's hair is straight and her eyes are blue. She is 14 years old. My mommy's favorite color is blue. Her favorite food is Red Lobster and her favorite dessert is cupcakes. My mommy's favorite thing to do is watch TV and her favorite TV show is Oprah. My mommy makes the best pancakes ever! I love my mommy because she's beautiful.

Ahh! Isn't that so sweet! Most of the answers are pretty accurate, except maybe the age, but she was only off by a few years or so! :)

They had three centers set up for the moms to go around and do with their kids. First we planted flowers in a special pot.

Then Olivia took me over to a table with lotion and she gave me a hand massage.
(Isn't that so nice!)

Next we went to make a bracelet.

She did a lovely job!

I loved going to visit her at school, and I loved doing all these things with her. She is a wonderful little girl and I am grateful for the fun memories!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days that makes you stop and think. Today I feel so grateful and blessed. Blessed to be a mother, and blessed to have a wonderful mother. I often take for granted what a blessing it is to be a mother, and often find it too hard. I forget to stop and enjoy all those precious moments. Life is so crazy at times, that it is easy to forget the important things in life. I am thankful for these two little ones,

and thankful for the opportunity I have been given to raise them. They have brought so much joy, love, and smiles into my life. I may not love every minute of motherhood, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love.
- saying by Mildred B. Vermont

I had a first-rate mother's day today! I was treated like a queen!
It started with a beautiful bouquet of roses yesterday,

breakfast in bed this morning,

and a stunning necklace picked out especially for me by Olivia.

I feel so special after a day like that!

I found this quote,

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.
- Famous Tenneva Jordan

This is my mom! She is always willing to sacrifice for her children and family no matter what! She is always putting us before herself, and is truly an example of selflessness. She is always wanting the best for us. She is the best mom, and a truly remarkable Grammy!

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't.
- Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Watermelon Anyone?

2008-05-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing like digging in to a juicy watermelon!

Our Big Guy Turned Two!

2008-04-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

My cute and funny boy turned two! It is an old cliché, I know, but seriously, where does the time go? He still seems like such a baby in some ways, and in other ways, I can see how he is growing up and starting to gain a sense of the world.

We had a fun party for him at our house with family and friends. Since we have the new play set up, it was fun for the kids to get outside and play.

So what is the big guy up to these days? Well, I never thought it would happen, but he is finally speaking a bit more. He is up to 50-70 words, I would say. He is still not putting words together yet, and unless you really know him, you probably wouldn't know what he is saying. He is still in speech therapy twice a month, which is good for him and me. It shows me things I can do to help him. But regardless of what he says, or doesn't say, you can completely understand those facial expressions. His face says it all! He has a mean look, a surprised look, a happy face, and a really good sad face.
Nate has many favorite things! His biggest obsession is the movie, 'Cars.' We watch it everyday. But, I am not complaining because he will sit like this . . .

for a guaranteed 30 minutes. He is also starting to gather lots of paraphernalia from the movie. He loves his Mack truck, and all his Lightenin' McQueen cars. He has three 'Cars' shirts, and three pairs of 'Cars' shoes. It's awesome! And, not surprisingly, his favorite song is “Life is a Highway” from the movie. Whenever we hear it on the radio, he nods his head to the beat, and when it is over, he says, “more, more” which actually sounds like nor. Then I have to find the song on my MP3 player for him. He also really likes the song “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” He sings the WooHoo part, and sings No, No. It’s so cute. But, whenever you ask him what song he wants to sing, he always goes to the ever faithful, E-I-E-I-O, his favorite from when he was 1.

He is also very obsessed with Mini Coopers. Since he was 16 months old, he has really favored them. My dad has always like Mini Coopers and has owned 3 or 4 in his lifetime. So, it is not surprising that we have a lot of Mini cars to play with. But, from the time Nate was 18 months old, he could pick them out when we were driving anywhere. At that time he only knew 3 words: Momma, more, and Mini! He likes it when Grampy takes him for rides in his Mini, or reading the Mini magazine with him.

Well, up until last week, Nate WOULD NOT go to nursery. Even if we go with him and stay with him, he will cry. It is a bit frustrating since Jeremy and I usually both have things we have to do for our calling. Last Sunday was weird though, he must have turned a new leaf, because he actually stayed for 45 minutes and was fine. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the new norm!

Nate loves his big sister and really looks up to her. When she is at school, he is always very anxious to go back and get her. He is so funny and has the cutest personality. He may not be as laid back as he was as a baby, but he is still a relaxed and easy going kid for the most part. We sure love our little guy, and we are having lots of fun with him.

Photography by Olivia

2008-04-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Olivia is very interested in Photography lately. She wants to take pictures all the time. I think she has some major talent! I love the way she captured her father in this picture:Wow, the whole curvy back, with the curvy slide. That is just amazing!

I have never quite seen a towel captured in this light before! Isn't it astounding!This piece, I like to call, Reflections.

And finally, the one portrait that is going to bring in a million dollars, I just know it . . .

Olivia, a girl of many talents!

Two Happy Kids

2008-04-14T20:25:00.001-07:00

Want to know why my kids are so happy?
Because their playset is ready for PLAY!!!

With help from Papa,
the boys worked really hard on Saturday to finish the monster. The slide was a horrible pain and mess. Digging the hole just for the steel slide pole took forever and was definitely hard work. But all the sweat, bruises, cuts, sun burns, splinters, and sore bodies paid off because the kids have never been happier!

They played all evening and it was so fun watching them enjoy the playset. They love everything! They have got the glider all figured out . . .

They like playing on the picnic table, and Livvy even got out her pretend food.

They have already gone on the slide about 50 times!

The fort is so exciting!
And here is the man behind it all! The amazing Project Manager, Jeremy.

Way to go, babe! You made our kids the happiest children in the neighborhood!

P.S. The roof will be assembled soon. Due to packing errors, the playset was messing crucial parts to the roof. Luckily, everything else is ready to go. Jeremy is so good, I bet he can figure out how to make it a retractable roof, just like Chase Field!

The Work Has Begun!

2008-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

We are slowly, but surely beginning our backyard transformation from this: into hopefully this:

As you can see, our current playset is a little small for our kids. Olivia told everyone that the slide was too small, because her legs alone took up the whole slide, and the swing was a baby swing. So, they are both extremely excited for the new playset. We got the 5, 100 pound each, boxes on Thursday. We began construction Friday. It took nearly two hours just to lay out the pieces and label them.

Look at all the hardware! Yikes!

Special thanks to my parents who came out and helped! We are so grateful because I don't think Jeremy and I could have done it by ourselves with the two kids. (Allyson and Justin, I don't know how you two did it alone!) The men worked really hard while . . .

the women just . . . well, you know, were there for moral support!

I did get to use the power tools, every now and then.

My hardworking dad!

This is what we got done yesterday. We are on phase 7 out of 25 phases. Each phase has about four steps. So, we only have about 72 more steps to go! Can you guess what we will be doing all day, today?

In Fours!

2008-04-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been tagged..and I am glad for it, because I have nothing to write about on my blog. So here is something!

4 “people” who email me regularly
1. Terry
2. Allyson
3. Coupon Sense Alerts
4. Diane

4 places I would like to visit
1. Any place in Europe
2. Australia
3. Canada
4. Any place like the Bahamas, Tahiti, etc.

4 favorite restaurants
1. NYPD
2. Black Angus
3. Someburro's
4. Red Lobster

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year
1. Olivia's Dance Recital
2. Swimming in our pool this summer
3. Jeremy getting a new job!
4. Olivia starting school!
(Wow, this was the best I could come up with, that is sad.)

4 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year
1. The hot, hot, hot, summer!
2. Renewing my teaching certificate and taking 75 hrs worth of classes to do it!
3. Wearing a swimsuit.
4. Turning the big 3-0!

Ok, I tag Allyson, Carla, Rebecca, and Kari

My Two Cuties

2008-04-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Maine Trip

2008-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally getting around to blogging about our family trip to Maine with my parents and sister. It has taken me four days to recover from our 8 day journey, although I don't think I am completely recovered. I have suitcases that still need to be unpacked and a really tall stack of laundry that needs to be done. And I am sick on top of it all! (I think the travel home is what did me in.) It was worth it though, we had a wonderful time!

Our plane trip took all day from Phoenix to Manchester. The next morning, we had a three hour drive up to Maine. We stopped at a cute little town called Kennebunkport. I want to live there just because of the name. Isn't it cute? It is a fun little town with shops, and a harbor. I bet it is really nice in the summer. The Bush family has a home there and we stopped by to say hello, but for some reason, they wouldn't let us in??? It is on their own peninsula and really beautiful. Here's a picture:
We also saw the Wedding Cake house.

The next morning we woke up to this:
It was so beautiful, and it snowed all day long. We went to a transportation museum which was really neat. It had a bunch of stuff! It had the first cars made as well as later models. It was fun to see what year they were made, and how much they cost when they first came out. They had a Rolls Royce that was made in 1913 that cost $8,500 new. Can you imagine spending that much money back then for a car!!! They also had lots of airplanes and trains.
We took advantage of the fresh snow, and went tubing with Olivia the next day. We went to the Camden Snow Bowl, where they have a big hill for tubing. Olivia loved it! We also did the Toboggan ride. Apparently the Toboggan Nationals are held at the snow bowl. Watch the first few minutes of this video to see what Camden is like, and to see the toboggan chute we went on. We are so ready for the Olympics. Sorry we don't have actual footage of us going down the chute! We also helped Olivia make her very first snowman! It was a mini snowman!After that, Jeremy had to leave for home and work. We ceased having fun after that! We were just too sad! We tried our best to have fun without him, though. (Sob, Sob!)

Just kidding, we had lots of fun! We went shopping in Camden, and tried to go to an aquarium. Unfortunately it was closed. Fortunately Livvy had to go to the restroom, and fortunately they let her in. She saw a 20 pound lobster! We also went to an alpaca farm and learned all about that. I went skiing with my sister, and I am ready for the Olympics in the downhill event, too. :) Another fun thing we did was go bowling. However, it wasn't your normal everyday Arizona bowling. It is the New England way of bowling. They call it candle pin bowling. You bowl with a 2 pound ball, smaller than a cantaloupe, and try to hit the pins that are much thinner than a regular pin. The kids had a ton of fun, and we even got to take home a pin and ball as a souvenir.
(I am not ready for the Olympics in this event, though!)
Then we went back to Manchester and hit a Christmas Tree Shop! This place is the best place in the world! If you have never been to one, you have to mark it on your to do list. They are only back east though.

The next day we got ready to head home. We fly standby because my dad works for the airline. We flew from Manchester to Baltimore, Baltimore to Chicago, Chicago to Las Vegas, and Las Vegas to Phoenix. We started at 4:30 am Eastern time and didn't get in to Phoenix until after midnight. We had been up for 24 hours, traveling, stressing about making flights, struggling with two young kids; Ahhh!!! It was a nightmare! But we made it!

It was a very memorable trip, and I enjoyed Maine more than I thought I would. It is a beautiful place and I would love to visit it again!

A Fun Family Home Evening

2008-03-24T20:01:00.001-07:00

Wow! Easter crept up on us really fast this year. I don't know if it was because we were on vacation this past week or what, but we didn't even have any Easter shopping done until Saturday night! And we didn't dye Easter eggs this year!

So, tonight for family home evening we talked about the resurrection. Livvy enjoyed learning about the story of Jesus and how he was buried and resurrected. We then made resurrection rolls. I had gotten this idea from my cousin, and then a friend last year. The recipe has been sitting in my inbox since then. I finally got to use it! Here is the recipe and what you do:

Resurrection Rolls

Crescent Rolls
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350*
*Give each child a triangle of crescent roll
(represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in)
*Give each child a marshmallow
(represents Jesus' body)
*Have them dip the marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon and sugar
(represents the oil and embalming and the spices used to anoint the body)
*Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll-not as you would normally roll a crescent...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside
(This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after his death
*Place in 350* oven for 10-12 min.
(The oven represents the tomb. Pretend it takes three days)
*When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN!
(The marshmallow has melted, and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty)

Note: We used the big crescent rolls. Using the big rolls makes it easier to close the marshmallow in, and then I think that the rolls aren't over sweet, because the bread balanced them more.

Livvy and Nate making the rolls.

Livvy is opening her roll . . .

Olivia discovering the marshmallow has disappeared! This was a great object lesson and the kids had so much fun making the rolls.
Plus, they were really yummy to eat!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny brought lots of jelly beans and chocolate to our house!

Nate was very impressed with his loot!

Nate enjoyed a chocolate bunny for breakfast!

Livvy was excited about her unicorns that the Easter Bunny brought her.

Both kids enjoyed looking for Easter eggs, although Livvy was a little too fast for Nate. She woke up two hours before Nate did and therefore had a much bigger advantage! But, being the good sister she is, she shared her eggs with Nate.

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter, too.

It's Exhausting Being Four!

2008-03-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

You can tell what kind of day it has been by the hair:(Bows coming undone, hair falling out, sagging ponytails)

Poor Olivia is just so, "tired and starving" from her long Wednesday. I must admit it is a lot and probably too much for a four year old. Here's how her day went which started bright and early at 6 a.m.

1. Off to preschool for three hours of gym, P.E., centers and learning.

2. Home for lunch, play time, and clean up time - all within an hour and a half.

3. Skedaddle to her dance class for 50 minutes.

4. Return home for a few minutes to change (or rather to put clothes over her dance clothes).

5. Head for a play date with her friend, Abby which included playing outside on the playset, dressing up, and eating dinner.

6. Rush to her second dance class for another 50 minutes.

7. Finally we head for home where she eats a second dinner.

After all that, guess what she does for another 30 minutes before bedtime?! She DANCES some more!

I also have to mention her eating habits. I swear I have never seen her eat so much in one day. All that dancing and activity caused her to eat one bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, a snack at preschool, a whole grilled cheese sandwich, yogurt, chips, and full glass of milk for lunch, two large slices of pizza, serving of oranges, and a handful of raisins for dinner, and then a rather big bowl of cereal before bedtime. She must have guzzled ten glasses of water today, too. This from the girl who we have to force to eat breakfast, and negotiate 'bites' for lunch and dinner. Amazing! I don't expect her to rise from her bed tomorrow until after 10 a.m.!!!

LOST (in Sawyer)

2008-03-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

I saw this on my friend's blog and I just had to do this! Click here to go to the Lost website and you can have Sawyer pick out a nickname for you! Who wouldn't want a nickname from Sawyer! My nickname is . . . TWO BITS! Hey, if it is from this cutie, I will take it!

Hubba, Hubba!

Thanks for the fun idea, Rebecca!

Thrilling Thursday or Gluttonous Thursday??

2008-02-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

I can't decide if Thursdays are a good day or a bad day! I mean, when 4 of your favorite shows are on in two hours of the night, what is a person supposed to do? We have American Idol and Survivor on at 7,
and then Lost and Celebrity Apprentice at 8. All of these are shows we must, MUST watch! Our Tivo can only record one show at a time! Do the networks not know that there are 6 other days in the week! Why do they have to put all the popular shows on in one night! Come on, spread the wealth!

Words from an Expert

2008-02-21T18:05:00.001-08:00

I really think my daughter has it all figured out. I know most moms are biased when it comes to their children, but I am definitely not one of those moms! I know my daughter is extraordinarily gifted. She is more like 4 going on 22. You don't believe me, well let me give you some examples.

Yesterday she was talking to me about her friend from preschool who is a red head. She told me he had orange hair. I corrected her, but she said, "Mom, his hair is not red it is orange." I gave her the lengthy explanation about how people are referred to as red heads just like a blond is said to have blond hair, not yellow hair. In that special tone she has, she said, "Mom, Red is Red and Orange is Orange!" Well, how can you argue with that?

Another example: Olivia obviously does not think there are enough words in the English dictionary to support her rapidly expanding vocabulary. All the time she makes up her own words. (And I know she is not trying to remember one, she is really making up her own words.) The other day she was trying to describe something to me and she said, "It is kind of flat like a bumberbush." OKAY??? And then she told me that a boy on T.V. was being "naughty and nurst!" Well, then. (P.S. I am just guessing on the spelling of these words, as I don't have a copy of the Olivia's First Edition Dictionary.)

So there you have it! Now you all can agree that my daughter is ready for college! :)

Horse Kisses

2008-02-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, I, along with my mom, sister, and aunt, took the kids to the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. If you love horses, this is the event to go to! It is remarkable! We had so much fun last year, that we went twice, and we were so excited to go again this year. Olivia saw a commercial on TV, and it was over from there. That is all she talked about for a week!

I mean look at how beautiful these horses are:

It is so fun to watch the horses and riders perform too. There are all different types of performances and contests. My favorite is the Country English Pleasure. These horses do the high step walk. It looks like they are walking on air. So amazing . . .

Olivia's "A.A," aka Aunt Allison, bought her this adorable pink cowboy hat. Now she is really ready to be a cowgirl!

One of the perks of coming to the show is to walk in all the stables. They let you go in and see the horses. We got to pet them, pat them, and love them. We got licked, kissed, nibbled, and loved in return. I can just tell that the horses love to have company and to have you stroke their noses. They are so loveable! This horse, Hollywood, even gave the kids kisses! How cute is that!
Olivia was a little scared by the fact that the horse was going to actually lick her!

Although this event was so fun and entertaining, it also made me so sad that I don't have a horse of my own. It has always been my dream to own a horse, or to at least work with them. I really am envious of all those people there who own them, ride them, etc. Oh well, at least I got to go home and cuddle up with this animal! :)

A Mother's Guilt

2008-02-15T13:51:00.001-08:00

If I was a good mom, this is what would have happened this week:

We would have had frozen pizza or leftovers every night.

I would have a stack of laundry hitting the ceiling right now!

I would only have 2 episodes of Oprah to watch instead of 16.

My house would definitely not be clean.

There would be no food in the house, from lack of grocery shopping.

I would still love being called Momma.

I would not be at my wit's end.

But instead, Nate has been suffering with a horrible sickness for six days and a Momma who just won't slow down. I should have just sat with him on the couch for six straight days holding him like he would have wanted me too, but I was just too caught up in the things that needed to get done. So instead I put myself in misery as he followed me around the house every day crying and saying Momma, Momma, Momma over and over. Maybe if I was more attentive to him, he would have only been sick for three days instead of six, and we would all be happy campers. Next time, I will have to not worry so much about what needs to get done, and just focus on what my kids need!

The Evolution of Dance

2008-02-11T17:39:00.001-08:00

I am sure you have all seen this before since it has gotten 74,313,839 hits on You Tube. But, it is my absolute favorite! And, I haven't seen it in awhile. Every time I watch this, I just crack up! I hope you enjoy it too, whether it is your first time or tenth!

The Rising of the Bread

2008-02-08T12:34:00.001-08:00

I was named after my great grandmother, Sarah Jane. I don't know much about her, but I know one story about her that I think is so appropriate. Appropriate because it is something I would do. In fact, something I did do.

When my great grandmother was newly married, she decided to do something "homemakerish" to impress her new husband. While he was out in the fields working, she set to work making some bread. She knew you needed yeast, so she began adding the yeast. It wasn't causing the bread to rise, so she continued to add more and more yeast to the dough. It still did not work. The dough, she decided, was a failure, and she gave up on the idea of making bread. Now in those days, they didn't throw things in a "trash," but buried them out in their yard or field. So she buried her dough.

Later that afternoon, her husband came home for lunch and dismounted from his horse. As he was walking toward the house, he sunk knee deep into the ground like quicksand. He had stepped right into the buried bread dough, only now it was six times as large. During the morning, the bread began to rise under the warm sun.

So, my reason for telling you this story is because it happened to me too! Not exactly like this, but I did have a bread rising problem! I pulled out a loaf of frozen Rhodes bread dough to make for dinner (because everyone knows I don't make my own bread!). It sat there all afternoon, but by dinner time, it had not risen at all. I decided we would just make biscuits instead. Forgetting about the bread completely, I woke the next morning to a massive bread dough explosion. Picture it like this, but about three times the size! Seriously! I could not believe my eyes when I saw the bread. I had no idea that could happen. (I wish I had a real picture of it, but I didn't even think about it.) Learning from my Great Grandma, I did not throw the dough away knowing that that could cause a real problem. So I pushed all the dough down and baked it. It was all flat and funny looking, so we didn't eat it. So, this is my funny bread dough story that shows I am properly named!

A Tribute to Gordon B. Hinkley

2008-01-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

I was emailed this tribute, and when I watched it, I was inspired. I want to be a better person, and try harder, and be a better mother, wife, friend. President Hinkley was a true example of love and compassion. I hope that I can be a good example to other people as well, and stand up for what I believe in just as President Hinkley did.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Curious George

2008-01-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Saturday this weekend. Jeremy and I were able to go to the temple for a session, while my dad and sister watched the kids. After our session we went to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner and fun. That place just brings out all kinds of happiness! We stuffed ourselves with lots of pizza, and little Nate, yeah this guy, ate 4 whole slices! He just kept eating and asking for more. Even though Livvy was off playing games, he didn't care. He wanted his Pizza! Afterward we went to Cold Stone Creamery to get ice cream. It was so yummy! May I recommend the chocolate ice cream with butterfinger. It was so delicious!

Anyway, while we were enjoying ourselves we had a funny conversation with Olivia. She asked my dad about his skunk problem. This past week, when my dad went out to his truck after work, he saw a skunk hanging out in front out of it. Olivia asked my dad why he couldn't just get in his car. After explaining to Olivia that he didn't want to get sprayed because it was not pleasant, we told her that you can't get the smell out because it is so gross! She immediately responded back by saying, "Yes you can! You can take a bath in tomato sauce!" We all were completely dumbfounded that our little four year old would know such a fact. I asked how she knew that. Apparently she learned that one on Curious George, her most favorite show. I have to say, that she has learned quite a bit from that show, all about x-rays, and space, and gravity, etc. I think I will continue to let her watch that show since she is fast becoming a genius!

It's a Tag!

2008-01-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yeah a tag! A recipe tag. For those who have never done a tag, here is what you do. Copy the top part (all except the recipes) to your blog and then put in your recipes. Tag other fellow bloggers and let the fun begin. Please share 3 dinner, main coarse, meals. The easier the better.

Here are my ideas:

1. Go to Fry's and buy a rotisserie chicken with some of their mac n cheese!
2. Order a Pizza
3. Go to Cafe Rio!

These are my three favorite recipes!

Okay, Okay, I guess I will actually give you some of mine! I don't feel I have any good ones to share, however, here it goes!

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Broccoli Alfredo Pasta

1 box Bow Tie Pasta
1 jar of Alfredo Sauce (I prefer Bertoli's)
1 can of chicken
1/2 bag of frozen chopped broccoli, steamed in microwave
1 bag of shredded parmesan cheese

In a large pot, boil pasta until done; drain. Over low heat, mix the pasta and the alfredo sauce. Add the parmesan cheese and mix until stringy. Add the chicken and steamed broccoli. Mix well.

(This meal is super easy, and really tasty. Plus the kids are eating broccoli without knowing it!)
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BBQ Beef Sandwiches

1 Roast (You could substitute chicken, too)
1 C Water
Seasoning
1 jar of BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)
Hamburger Buns

In a large skillet, add a little oil and turn heat to medium. Brown all side of roast, adding seasoning to taste. Put roast in crockpot, with water and seasoning, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Half an hour before eating, remove roast and drain water. Shred the beef. Put back in crockpot, and add the jar of BBQ sauce. (I like to use the whole bottle!) Mix until beef is well coated. Simmer on low for another 30 minutes. Serve on Hamburger buns! So yummy!
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Soda Waffles
(We love to have breakfast for dinner, so this is one of our favorites!)

2 C Bisquick
1 egg
1/4 - 1/3 C of Oil
1 jar of Club Soda (You know the little 6-8 oz glass bottle they come in?)

Mix all ingredients together, being careful not to overmix. The batter can become too flat if you overmix it. Cook in waffle iron. These are the best waffles!
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Well, I prefer my first three recipes, but maybe one of these will suit your fancy!

I tag Carla, Heidi, Emily, and Sally