STRONG WILLED AND SASSY

Basketball!

2012-01-22T18:41:00.002-07:00

It was about time this boy got to do a sport! He had been begging to do basketball, so of course we obliged.

He was very excited to get his Jersey with his name on it!

He concetrates so hard when he has the ball that his little tongue is always hanging out!

love this boy!

so handsome!

Up next, Flag Football for this little superstar :)

Christmas Day

2012-01-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning...Santa was very generous!

He ate al lhis cookies (like a good santa should) and left a special note for the kids

Kaden couldn't wait to see what it said!

I think Gavin would have been perfectly happy just playing withthe toys he had gotten on Christmas Eve.

Stockings first!!!

"Santa" decided that the entire family should have sweatbands...because doesn't everyone need a sweatband?

lookin' good Anderson's

So after 3 attempts yet again to try to post a video, it wouldn't load. needless to say, the next pics were from their Santa gifts hidden in the garage.

Joel took a try at Kaden's Ripstick first. lookin' good, babe.

Kaden, trying it out.

I don't know if Zoey was more excited about the scooter or the ring pop.

Gavin had been begging for a "fluffy white dog" this was the least girly one I could find. It walks, barks, and wags its tail, but all he wants to do is sleep with it. Funny kid!

Joel got Zo a soccer ball. She is still figuring it out.

And their last big surprise: A new Trampoline!!

I think the kids were happy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T23:40:00.002-07:00

I know, it's January 6th and I am still only posting about Christmas Eve. Bare with me.

Every Christmas Eve we always let the kids open one present before bed and it is always their Christmas Jammers. Well, Joel had to work Christmas Eve this year, but he had that morning off so we opted to do our tradition in the morning!

The kids with their presents

Jammers!!

Joel is so "surprised" it is Jammers...he had no idea. Stinker!

My boys acting "cool"

and then crazy!

Me and my sweet girl in our jammers.

After that we went off to my parents to celebrate with my side of the family. Joel had off until noon so he could celebrate with us. My mom always says it will be small....but it never is! the kids were showered with gifts!

Can you even see Zoey amongst all the gifts?

The girls could have played with this little wind up toy all day, who needs presents, right?

The boys and their cool new toys

My little boys are really getting into sports teams so they were thrilled to get these jerseys!

Zoey was enthralled with her new Dora book

My mom likes to give Joel fun, yet practical gifts..

and you never know when you will need a head lamp, right?

Our family!

Joel went off to work and the kids spent the rest of the day playing with all their new toys!

Christmas fun

2011-12-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so every year the boys and I make gingerbread houses before Christmas. As soon as they were on break it was time for the festivities to begin! I had the grand idea that we were going to make them from scratch this year, but I chickened out and just but the pre-made kits....maybe next year!

Our candy bowls

The boys are ready!

I put the base together for them and then let them do the rest!

They were deep in concentration

When Gavin is really focused his little tongue always slips out :)

They may have taken a break to eat "1 or 2" pieces

Happy boys with their creations!

Kaden's house

Gavin's house

They were fun to pick off of the rest of the day too!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again....time for Christmas programs! We have gone through 2 with Kaden, and now this is Gavin's 2nd go around and he is finally a pro!

So Handsome! I made the boys matching tie shirts for Christmas pics this year.

He was SO excited to see us in the audience, and he just beamed! This is night and day compared to last year. Last year he didn't even want to go, and then just stood up there and didn't say a word. This year, he was ready!!

Praying during pastor time.

I tried 6 times to post the video of his "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" rendition and tupid blogger wouln't cooperate. Trust me when I say it was wonderful!

Kaden was proud of his little brother!

with the Grandparents! So proud of you buddy!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2011-12-18T10:16:00.003-07:00

It just seems to get busier and busier around here!

Last week wrapped up Kaden's second season of Football. He did so well this year. He played Quarterback most of the time, but then ended up playing lots of Defense too because he is such an awesome tackler! He played every game like an animal, and only suffered one bloody lip, and knocked one tooth loose! The last game was against a team we had already tied with once in the season, so we really wanted to beat them.

love his face under that big helmet.

With his teammate, Josh

This past week was rainy and freezing (for AZ), so we had to be bundled up for our 8am game!

Gramma came to almost all his games, which really helped because Zo Zo needed to be watched!

Since it was the last game we decided to try a pass play we had worked on all season. Kaden was one of the only kids that could catch the ball. Can you see the ball in the air? (just in front of the guys head in the white shirt)

He caught it!!!! The only pass play the whole season!!!!!

Look at him run for the touchdown!

SO proud of him!

Great season, buddy!

Immediately after his last game we had to go pack because we were driving to Tucson for me big race! I started training in September for the Tucson Marathon, in hopes to beat my best time, and possibly qualify for the Boston Marathon. I felt so good and ready, and then 3 days earlier this happened:

awesome. pretty sure it was broken, or at least badly sprained. This should make my marathon interesting. (don't judge me for my nasty toenails.)

Off I go....my toe hurt like hell, but what do you do? I had put so much time into training, no stopping now.

Love this pic joel got with our shadows on the street.

saying hi to the kids

The kids entertained themselves while they were waiting for me, they were good little cheerleaders!

Zoey didn't like that I didn't stop...she did this everytime I ran by. poor girl.

Gavin wasn't feeling well but he was a good sport!

At mile 19, my toe is finally numb, but my knee and stomach were killing me.

I was on track to run a 3:34 (which would have qualified me) but the last 6 miles I just lost it. Just wasn't my year, I guess. Since I knew I wasn't going to qualify, I stopped right before the Finish and grabbed the kids so they could finish with me.

Poor Zoey kept slipping

Finished. Exhausted. Sore. 3:42 was time.

It was my best time ever, and I finished 9th in my age group. I was still a little disappointed, but overall glad it was done!

too long!

2011-12-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Soo, Thanksgiving came and went, and I have very little documentation of it! oops. Things are crazy busy around here, and I am beginning to submit to the fact that it will only get busier in the days to come...shoot! Oh well. In other news, santa came early this year and we got a fancy new camera that I have been having so much fun with. There is sooooo much to learn, but I can't wait till I sort of know what I am doing!

Now, hopefully once the kids are on break I can get some cool footage of Christmas cookie decorating, Gingerbread House making, and other fun things that free time will bring!

Zoey's Birthday (better late than never, right?)

2011-11-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

This post is over a month late, but at least I am documenting it, right? Lil miss Zo Turned 2 on Oct. 14th, so a few days after her real birthday, we through her a party with family and a couple friends. Sissy is REALLY in to Dora, so naturally we through her a Dora party and rented a Dora bouncer. My sister had just thrown my niece a Dora party too, and she let us use all the same decorations...sweet! We had to make sure Zoey was dressed the part, so I made my little princess a Dora shirt, and finished it off with a tutu and crown! Perfect!!

She loved her shirt, and I love her in her little tiara!

"2" for my little 2 year old.

She was happy to see Grandma and Grandpa

our little princess

She wasted no time getting into the Dora bouncer! Look how sweaty she is! Did I mention it was 95 degrees that day? Yuck.

Kaden and cousin Hannah

The Dad's, doing what they do best.

We ate dinner and then it was time for PRESENTS!!

She got so many presents, and so much of her favorite Dora and Princess items.

Her first nightgown....her little body in a nightgown is one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

And for the big finish...Grandma G got her a Dora tricycle. She loves it!

Time for cake. I made her a Dora cake using a cake transfer. It turned out pretty well!

We had some Dora cupcakes too :)

I had to move her away from the cake because she wanted to dig right in!

Blowing out her candles

She devoured her cake!!

yummmmmm

And, once she was high on sugar, she took her shirt off, found some candy and went for a joy ride!

It was a great evening, and she loved every bit of it!

The next morning, the kids went right back into the bouncer before it was picked up.

They didn't wnt us to give it back!

Gavin dunking a shot!

Happy Birthday Zo Zo!!!

Justin Bieber?

2011-11-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

So, as I was going through pics for another post I came across these pics from Kaden's Birthday. He got some new shoes and a cool new hat for his Birthday from us. He thought he looked pretty cool, and I think he was right! What do you think, do we have another JB on our hands?

Hey Baby, Baby, Baby, Ohhh!

Seriously, how is he only 6?

Halloween!!!!

2011-11-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a busy but fun day this year. We started out by getting the kids dressed up in the morning after breakfast.

Our Pirate

Mr. Sun Devil Football Player

And lil miss cheerleader

this was the most I could get her to look at the camera!

We dropped Gavin off at preschool and the Kaden and Zoey got to wear their costumes to the gym. When I was done there, we went back to preschool for Gavin's party.

Pirates love snacks

And boy did the girls seem to love our Pirate:) Gavin is quite the ladies man, the girls can't get enough of him!

Our family (minus the Biggest Kid)

Next it was time for trunk or treat. Zoey was ready.

We were just waiting for the class to come out when I snapped this pic. It is one of my new favorite pics!

trunk or treat!

Zoey kept inspecting her bucket after each treat was added. Love her!

Lunch that day consisted of mostly candy :) After Kaden was done with school that afternoon, we got the kids back in their costumes and headed out for dinner and trick or treating at the Wallace's. Joel had a night class (stupid master's program!) so he wasn't able to go trick or treating with us. Thankfully, the kids weren't too upset because they got to be with some of their favorite friends :)

The trick or treating crew

The kids had so much fun. Zoey jumped right in there with the big kids and walked amost the whole time. Miss independent for sure.

Gavin was happy to have his bestest bud with him!

And Zoey liked that her future husband was a doctor!

It was a fun day, with only two or three sugar meltdowns!

Happy Halloween!

Birhday Extraveganza! (part 1)

2011-10-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

October is one of the most stressful months for me....two birthdays, two days apart, plus Halloween, and Fall Break in the middle of it all! I wanted to throw Kaden a party for his friends a couple days after his birthday, but so many of our friends were going to be out of town that we decided to do it the week before. This year Kaden wanted a "Minute to Win It" themed party. It was a blast! I had fun practicing all the games too :)

Friends came over, we ate lunch, and then it was time to get down to business!

This first one, kids had to get the oreo from their face to their mouth without using their hands. Gavin tried first!

Next, Drake and Joshua had to empty a kleenex box using only one hand.

Action shot!

Next, Aubree and Kate had to bounce pencils into the cups.

Then, on to balancing out dice on a popsicle stick.

Looking good Kaden!!

Miles and Aubs getting ready to bounce ball into cups.

Then, one of the hardest ones...blow the ball accross the table into the cup!

Then, the final two: Gwen and Aubree battling it out in Junk in the trunk. they had to shake until the balls came out of the box that was tied around their waste!

FRIENDS!

It was so nice to have so many of Kaden'sfriends there to celebrate with him!

Kade and Drake

Miles, Kade and Alex

Time to shoot those bad guys :)

The Dad's did a lot of this!

CAKE! Kaden wanted a football themed cake , so this is what we came up with!

Happy 6th Birthday!

TWO!!!

2011-10-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

4 years and 2 days after my first baby was born, my last baby was born (yes I am sure we are done, atleast biologically!). My baby girl, who I hoped and prayed for since the first time I was pregnant, is now two. TWO! These past 2 years have gone by faster than any others, probably because life is always a little hectic and crazy in our home. Things are never dull, or quiet for that matter :)

Oh my sweet Zoey....2 years ago God added you to our family and you were born into the chaos of 2 crazy and fun older brothers, a super protective and vocal dad, and of course, a perfect mommy (hey, I am writing this so I can put whatever I want, right?). I was so excited to break up the reign of testosterone in our house with my sweet, gentle little princess. Well, I was right about the princess, but I am not so sure about the gentle and sweet part. You definately have your girly qualities, which I love! you love, love, love, babies. Real ones, but especially your dolls. You love to give them kisses and hugs. You also love princesses, and trying on mommies shoes. You are already stealing my make-up too! I often find you wandering around with my blush brush and a big smile on your face. You love to have your toes painted pink, and then say "pretty toes mama." You are not too big on your hair being done, or sitting still for me, but you have the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen, and always like looking in the mirror after I am done. You have the best mroning hair ever. When I get you up in the morning, you ask for a bow, and once I swoop your hair to the side, you look like I ust spent an hour blow drying it with a round brush! (I may be a little jealous about that one.)

But there is a whole other side to you Zoey. You are spunky, fiesty, and a little crazy! You have very little fear. You love to get dirty, and get right in there with the boys.You love to wrestle, play football, and play with the boys' cars and action figures. I love it! You also love to eat, and girlfriend, you can hold your own at the table. There is nothing petite about you, no you are gonna be tall and athletic just like your daddy. You will probably be beating the boys up on the playground before we know it, because they took a ball from you or looked at you funny. Did I mention that you are drop dead gorgeous? We are gonna be in trouble.....you will be a teenagers dream: a girl that likes cars and is one of the guys, but is so beautiful guys can't take their eyes off you! Thank goodness you have 3 big boys that will be looking after you :)

Lastly, a few things you like: Dora, Dora, and Dora!!! doggies (when they don't lick you), milk, singing twinkle twinkle and your ABC's, dancing (and girl you can move!), jumping, your baby and blanky, sunglasses, otterpops, treats, finding pens and drawing on yourself, and stickers!

Oh my sweet Zoey, I look forward to what the years hold for you, and though I want you to stay little forever, I am excited to see you grow. Thank you for being sweet, spunky, adorable, lovable, and the perfect little girl a mom could ask for.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOEY!!

SIX!!!!

2011-10-12T00:14:00.001-07:00

Seriously??? Well, I did it....I blinked and now my baby boy has just turned 6!! It sounds soooo old, I cannot believe it.

So, where do I possibly start? Kaden, you are so very special. You were the first of 3 to so wonderfully change our lives. You started off as the easiest baby- EVER! Even in the womb, I loved being pregnant with you. You were the best sleeper, the best eater, and you hardly ever cried! Then, at about 2 years old you learned to talk...and so the roller coaster began (always fun, but crazy and scary at times!).

You are fearless..FEARLESS!! Riding your bike at 3, then a real quad, then a real Dirt Bike at age 4, and quickly moved to tackle football at age 5. You have caused my hair to start turning gray....on more than one occasion. You are smart, usually too smart for your own good. You are 6 going on 16. Seriously, sometimes I feel like I am talking to a teenager! You like to argue...a lot. But we are working on that-daily :) You have made me cry both tears of pure joy and pure frustration....but through it I draw closer to God and I see you do the same. You have a giving, kind, loving heart. You love reading God's word and have so many questions. I love to see how much you are learning at church and at school. You are so inquisitive...sometimes it drives me nuts, but most of the time I love seeing how your brain works!

Some of your favorite things at age six are: Spiderman, motorcycles, riding bikes, riding your dirt bike, helping dad mow the lawn, lego heros, puzzles, drawing and coloring, any kind of craft, playing games on my iphone, watching Saturday morning cartoons, rollercoasters, wrestling with your brother and sister, and eating anything you can get your hands on, all. day. long. ("mom can I please have something else to eat, I am starving!")

You keep me on my toes, you bring me to my knees, you challenge me (in a good way). I love you more than you could ever know. Thank you for always forgiving me when I mess up, and for being the son we dreamed about when we so desperately wanted to expand our family :)

Happy 6th Birthday my love!

Mr. Kindergarten

2011-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look like he is 10 years old??? Umm, not even six yet....Seriously!

Birthday Extravaganza!

2011-08-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

We started off the celebration with Dunkin Donuts in our jammers!

Kaden was happy to help his brother celebrate

I don't think Z minded too much either!

Once Joel got home from work we could begin opening presents!

Gavin loves basketball, and now he can play in his room!

Kaden used his own money to buy him a couple presents from the dollar store!

We gave him our present...a new scooter! He had a 3 wheel scooter before, and he has graduated to a two wheeler!

Since his bday was on a Saturday, we had his party on his actual birthday. We celebrated by inviting some friends to Jumpstreet!

Gavin and JJ....these two really love hanging out!

weeeeeee!

down the slides! Check out Z at the top ready to go next!

cousin Hannah and Zo Zo

Birthday boy

Birthday friends!

Gavin wanted a Cars cake....this time I let Sam's club do the honors :)

The cake was a hit!

Presents!!!

He had so much fun! He wasn't done though, later on that evening we celebrated with Grandparents and cousins! Those pictures are on my sisters's camera, though! ( I may have left my camera at jumpstreet, thankfully we got it back!)

The kids didn't make it into bed until almost 9:30 but they had a wonderful day!!

Kindergarten!!!

2011-08-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard too believe but Kaden is officially a Kindergartener! He actually started almost 3 weeks ago, because his school is the modified year round schedule. We got the call in early July that he got in to Edu-Prize ( the charter we were hoping for) and we were thrilled. We weren't ready to send him to full day Kinder yet, so we were so happy to find out there was a spot in the afternoon class. He goes everyday from 1:15 -3:45 and he loves it! By 10am every morning he is usually asking "is it time to go to school yet????" His teacher's name is Mrs. Nisbet, and I love her. She is very sweet and patient! He has already learned so much, and I am so glad the he is at Edu-Prize.

Here are a few pics from his first day of school!!

Look at that smile! He is growing his hair out, and is very particular about it these days (can we say Justin Beiber??)

Proud brother

sportin his new superheros back pack

Lined up and ready to go...look how much taller he is.

He was soooo ready - just waved goodbye and and see ya later!

Love you buddy!

Guess who's 4????

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

This sweet boy!!!

Oh Gavin, how I love you! You are such the middle child, and you have the perfect personality for it. You are kind, and sweet, and loving, and a little more sensitive than your siblings. You love everything that has to do with cars and trucks, and you love love love when I read you stories.....way more than watching tv (which most of the time, I love - but sometimes....). Your favorite restaurants are "old Mcdonalds" and the QT. Your favorite food groups are icees and candy and corndogs....a boy after my own heart. You are a little bit of a Mama's boy, but you still love to wrestle with Dad. You love it when I rub your belly at bedtime, and when your not tired you get up and find ailments to complain about (mom, there is something poking in my arm, I'm trying to go to sleep but it keeps poking me!). You are so darn cute when you do it, I can't even get mad at you!

You are witty, and say things that crack me up all. the. time. You are smart too! You will be starting pre-k soon, and you love to do your letters and sounds. You have a little fettish with numbers too....You are always making up your own age, and the age of others...I think last week I was 99...I have obviously aged well! You can already count to 50 by yourself and this year we took your training wheels off and you learned to ride your Quad really well.

You are officially turning into a big boy....I keep asking you to stop but you just don't listen!

I am excited to see what this next year holds for you, and I am thankful everyday that God gave you to us.

Happy Birthday Gavin!!!

10 years!!!

2011-07-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

We celebrated 10 years this past July 20th --10 years! It sounds crazy to say that we have been married for that long, yet crazy to think about how fast it has gone by! Joel outdid himself this year...he told me he had something planned, but I figured we were just going out to dinner or something! But he did his homework this time! I came home from teaching a class and he told me to pack an overnight bag and go put it in the car. When I went to the trunk to put my bag in, I found THIS:

Isn't it beautiful? Soooo, beats my old crappy one!

Joel arranged for my parents to come over and then whisked me away to here:

Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale

We got all gussied up for a night on the town.

This is his "sexy" walk. I love my husband!

Us newlyweds

We didn 't know where we wanted to go for dinner, but we ended up here, and it was AWESOME! I had heard good things about the Yard House, but never been. It was pricey ( for us) but we had the best crab cakes ever!!

It was 105 degrees but we still had to get a picture by the fire.

After that, we walked around a bit, but it was dead. There isn't much to do on a Tuesday night. So, Joel entertained us:

He is so inappropriate....hehehe....but he makes me laugh every time!

We decided to go back to the hotel after that but we had forgotten to pack a few things, so we wanted to stop a grab them. We ended up here:

Who wouldn't go to Target on their anniversary night and walk around for over an hour?? We are a wild and crazy couple, that's for sure!

The next morning we ate breakfast and got ready for the pool!

This is the balcony a top our casita!

By the pool :)

Then, my parents dropped these crazies off so they could enjoy some swimming fun with us!

They were so excited!

The pool there had a big slide, and a "beach" area. It was a hit!

The boys played in the sand and went down the slide 100 times.

Zoey practiced being the cutest girl ever!

She's got the lounging part down! That's my girl!

We got all cleaned up after, and Zoey found a bath just her size!

It was a great Anniversary!

Movie #2

2011-07-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

The boys could not wait to make another movie....Zoey also makes her television debut in this one!

Enjoy!!!

movie stars

2011-07-17T20:01:00.005-07:00

The boys had been discussing how a movie is made with Joel, and Joel came up with the wonderful idea of the kids making their own movie. They figured out their plot, raided the dress up box, and got to work. Joel did all the video ( and helped them come up for a few things to say) and then edited the fnishing product.
I think it is the best movie EVER made! You can say you "knew them when," and I would be happy to have them autograph pictures for you ; ) I now present to you: Space Cop. Enjoy!

Yah, that's how we roll!

2011-07-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is crazy hot, and when you don't have a pool in your backyard, well.....we tend to get creative around our house. Our kids still love baby pools - we buy one every summer...this year we got one that has a little slide on it. The kids kept asking us to come in it with them. I, of course, declined. But the other day Joel must have gotten hot enough, because he jumped - er, well, stepped right in!

He looks comfy in there don't ya think?

Trying out the slide...I think we need to work on his form, though.

On Monday, we didn't really have much going on, just a lazy 4th of July, enjoying being home. The boys wanted to ride bikes so we went out around 9am and it was already 100 degrees. Bike riding quickly turned into cooling off in the sprinklers:

First the shirts came off while they practiced "chasing" the water

Then, they each wanted an action picture. First, Gavin doing a jump.

Next, Kaden showed off his skills!

Zo Zo felt left out so she took her dress off and sported the bloomer and tennis shoe look :)

Diet Mt. Dew, anyone? (don't judge me, she only had a few sips!)

Soon enough, the shorts came off and the boys were running around the front yard in their underoos! Look at Mr. G's big belly....I love it!

Kaden, and his "you talkin' to me" face. I wonder if underwear modeling might be in his future?

Gearing up to jump again! Nice squat form boys :)

JUMP!!!

See, who needs a pool! (Actually, I do....I was hotter than heck taking these pictures!)

CA part 2

2011-07-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

After Sea World, we spent the next day at Coronado Beach. Oh how I love that beach...the sand is sooo beautiful, and I love walking around the little town. We got there early, around 10 am, and nobody was really out, it was pretty quiet. It was a little windy and chilly too, I was afraid I wouldn't get the California sun I so wanted!

The first thing we did is try to capture a picture of the kids that I have been imagining in my head since Zoey was born. I sooo wanted the three of them holding hands, walking down the beach. So, we went for it right away....and it didn't go so well. I hadn't planned on the fact that Zoey did NOT like the sand on her feet, and when I put her down she just stood there and would. not. move. Niiiice. So much for my perfect picture, huh? Oh well, it was still a good day.

Here is their "walking" picture.

the sand was so soft and clean

Zoey wasn't crazy about the sand, but once I gave her some toys, she was ok to play in it, as long as she didn't have to move!

This is the first year that the boys were not scared to get in the water and splash around a little!

Zoey being brave with Daddy

I love this one....it might just take the place of the picture I tried to 'make' happen!

I love this girl

this is one of his favorite things....we bury him every time we go to the beach!

the "kids" built sand castles

Can you find Zoey?

there she is! Joel is a total baby whisperer when it comes to putting her to sleep. He just laid down next to her and rubbed her hair and she conked out for 2 hours!

Finally the sun came out!

It was a beautiful day, and the boys played in the sand and water the whole time! We walked around later, ate dinner, and then drove home that night. It was a great few days.....I am just sorry we had to leave!

CA part 1

2011-06-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Oh the summer has already been so busy. I am clearly behind on blogging - almost a month-but I am skipping my back blogging (b-day, mother's day, swimming lessons, and more) and I am starting with our recent trip to san diego. It was a quick trip, but we had fun and enjoyed the weather!

We rented a car to make the trip up, since our cars are old and we didn't want to brake down on a road trip. So the kids were smashed like sardines in the back of a sedan, but it worked!

Don't let that smile fool you...Zoey was a little terror! She kept pulling the boys hair, pinching, hitting, grabbing - you name it. (i think it was her payback to them!)

Finally asleep, after about 4 hours of craziness in the car!

After we checked into our hotel we went down to seaport village to walk around

the three muskateers....for this particular moment at least.

We found a crab/lobster thingy, so of course we took a picture with it

And where there is sea life, there are cows?

The next morning it was time for sea world! Zoey was excited!

Zoey and Gavin weren't so sure about the "live" Shamu.

Z loved checking out the sting rays, I think this one had his eye on her!

This is one of my favorite pics of the whole trip...I caught the picture at the perfect time! I think Zoey thought it was coming for her!

the girls

Z kept trying to get on rides....as you can see she wasn't quite tall enough :)

checking out the sea lions

Shamu! The boys really loved this show.

Zoey, on the other hand, was busy doing other things.

A ride we could all go on. The Seaworld version of "teacups"

And of course, the boys most favorite part of the trip....the rides!! They went on this one over and over, Joel and I took turns going with them. Kaden was fearless, and I am proud of Gavin for being brave enough to try it. I didn't think he would be tall enough, but he was and he loved it! We stayed until the park closed, it was a great day :)

Stay tuned for beach pics next.....

Pre-k Graduation!!

2011-05-25T23:39:00.001-07:00

Wow how time flies... this year came and went and now I have to prepare myself to send Kaden to Kindergarten! He is so excited, asks me everyday when he gets to go to "Big kid school."

As the school year came to an end, the kids got to have a few different parties and one of them was a water day in Kaden's class. Gavin wanted to be a part of it too and of course Miss Chrissy said yes!

Checkin out the slip n slide

Weeeeeee!

Kade discussed important business in the baby pool while Zoey found some toys just her size.

This is the "how many kids can we cram into a baby pool" game

And when the big kids got out, Zoey helped herself to some "tea" and managed to get soaked

Water balloons!!

Best buds...Kaden sure is going to miss Miles next year :(

Zoey decided her shorts were too wet so she decided to rock the shirt, shoes, and diaper look!

She also swiped herself a popsicle.

The next day it was time for Gavin's class graduation. If you remember from his Christmas performance, Gavin was not too thrilled to be on stage and wanted nothing to do with singing. I didn't have high hopes for this time around to be any different, but he totally surprised me!

Oh how he loves Ms. Chrissy

Big bro was proud of him....and also happy that, he too, got a sucker.

He is growing up so fast!

The day after that was the Pre-k class graduation. They all dressed up and wore caps and gowns. It was so sweet.

Gavin was proud of him

Eith his 2 favorite teachers, Ms. Chrissy and Ms. Allison

Us with our little grad

Both Grandma's and Grandpa's came to watch too.

What a nice ending to an awesome 2 years!

Bikes!

2011-05-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

I still have so much blogging to catch up on! So, at the end of last month, Joel decided it was time to work with Gavin again on riding his bike without training wheels. We started last fall, and it did not go over very well....he just was not ready or interested, much to Joel's dismay :)

But, after some reassurance and encouragement, my brave little 3 1/2 year old was ready to try again!

Since we were all about bike riding at our house, we also decided to finally give Kaden an upgrade. He has been riding his $10 garage sale bike for almost 2 years, so Joel took him to pick out a bigger new bike more his size.

He loves it!

While they were at the store picking out a new bike, Zoey thought it was about time she had her own helmet. She had been trying to put on the boys' helmet for months. She loves it!

Safety first!

And now, Gavin's training wheels come off!!

football star

2011-05-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

I am long overdue at posting about my little football star. He is doing so good, and loves every practice and game. His first game was about a month ago, and his team was trampled. We scored no points and the other team got multiple touchdowns. Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother Kaden too much. His last game was a couple weeks ago and his team finally seemed to work together. As a result, they did awesome!! Here is just one of my favorite plays (there were many...he played the whole game!) from the game. Kaden's team is in blue, and he is the QB, #13.

I am so proud of him!!

Dentist trips and Splash pads

2011-04-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

ok...so I am so behind on posting. So today I am going to combine two events that have nothing to do with each other, because if I do a seperate post for each one it wil take forever! So, up first, Gavin's first trip to the Dentist's office:

Gavin was so excited because he knew there were toys and games there.

The prize bin for when your they are all done.

Kaden went first, since he had already been twice. He was a pro.

I thought he would be overwhelmed and a little scared, but he just kept smiling!

He kept trying to talk while the tools were in his mouth!

He was so happy to go up and down in the chair and get a new toothbrush. I am so proud of him!

Now on to splash pads. We have already gone to few this month (it's not even May yet....but hot already). Zoey has been pretty hesitant, but this last time we went she really opened up. Plus...her little body in a swimsuit is sooooo adorable! Enjoy:

look at my big girl...she's growing up too fast!

I love her belly. Katie....I have been dying to put this swimsuit on her since you sent it to me. I think she fills it out nicely:)

so curious

She didn't even cry when it hit her in the face!

Dancing!

More posts to come...stay tuned for Kade's first football game and Gavin's training wheels come off!

Bathroom Bonanza!

2011-04-19T22:22:00.001-07:00

So we have been seeing what we assumed were bits of mold on the tile in our shower, and we knew that it wasn't a good sign. We got our tax return back earlier than normal this year, so Joel decided it was time to tackle the bathroom, and hope the damage was not too extensive and expensive to replace!

Gross. the tiles just basically fell off. Look at that nasty stuff!

see all that dark black stuff? Yah, that's mold. nice.

And we found out why we had mold....we had a leak. Look at that water just hanging off the wood.

Is he fooling you with his "happy expression?"

Joel had to do eveything himself. We couldn't afford to hire a company to do it, so he taught himself and figured it out. He ended up having to take everything, including the tub, out and start from scratch.

We opted not to put tile back on the walls, but to instead do a wall shower surround. We did pick new tile for the floor though.

TA-DA!!!He did such a good job. It took a while because he could only work on it over his days off, but it is so nice to have 2 working showers again. We want to extend the tile into our vanity area and re-do that as well, but that is a whole other project. Maybe at the end of the year?

Mind in the Gutter

2011-04-05T01:01:00.001-07:00

Kaden does a letter each week at school, and this week they are on the letter W. This was the paper he brought home from school today.

I honestly ususally don't pay a whole lot of attention to the papers he brings home because he has so many each week. However, I happened to read the little story, and could not help but snicker:

Come on! How are you supposed to keep a straight face when reading this? Am I that twisted, or does this make you giggle too??

Inspired Creation

2011-03-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

I have a tendancy to go through sewing ruts, and lately it seems like I have been in one. I just need a project that would give me the "itch" again, and finally, I indeed found it. I saw a tutorial for this pillow while I was blog-surfing stranger's blogs one day (you know you do it too!), and I decided it was just what I needed to help make over my bedroom set. You see, in the 9 1/2 years we have been married, we have never had a bedding set. Partly because the ones I like are so expensive, and partly because we have a Cal King matress and everything I find that I like does not come in that size. So, we have a make do neutral colored comforter, and I have decided to start dressing it up. So, (drum-roll, please) this is the first pillow that will help dress up my bed:

I am amazed that it turned out exactly as it was supposed to !

Here is the corresponding fabric on the back.

Now, all I have to do is finish up the second flower pilow, then I am going to use corresponding fabric to make some pillow shams. Hopefully by the time I am done, it will at least look like I have a matching bedding set!

Middle child

2011-03-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Gavin. my poor middle child. I just realized he doesn't get much love on my blog....poor guy. I PROMISE that is not true of real life. I adore him, and cannot believe he is growing up so fast! He is going to be 4 in August - 4! Seriously, that doesn't seem quite right. In my head he is still my little chunky 2 year old. it just seems weird. He is learning so much too. He started pre-school this year just barely after he turned 3. He was a little behind....atleast in my head. When Kade started preschool, he knew how to write his name, and knew all his letters. But, I had worked with him, and he was already almost 4 when he started school. I kept comparing them in my head, and feeling guilty that Gavin barely knew his ABC's! But Miss Chrissy assured me that he would catch up and be totally fine. She was right! He can write his name all by himself now, and he is so proud!

He had been practicing so much. I didn't help him at all :) (he did this back in January...like I said, middle child, just now getting his post!)

Look at this face....oh how I adore him! (And love that he is a little bit of a mama's boy!)

A few weeks ago we went to a Superhero b-day party and the kids had a blast (Great job on the party Kel)

Batman was there...

So was Superman!

And did you know that supergirls where tutus when they save the world? Well, they do!

RAGNAR 2011!

2011-02-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ragnar baby! I did my first Ragnar Relays last year with 2 of my good friends from high school. While we ran, our husbands got together to hang out, and decided that they were going to do it with us the next time. Well, they held to their word, and so our co-ed ragnar team was born: The Honeymooners! Two cars of 6 people, 6 couples, all slightly crazy to be running a relay race from Wickenburg to Tempe - over 200 miles.

We left Friday morning after I dropped the kiddos off with two great friends (Thank you Cathy and Lori!) and headed up to the start line up in Wickenburg. Prior to the race us girls made our "wedding outfits", afterall, we were the honeymooners!

Me, Kristin, and Kaylani

Ryan was our first runner, and Kristin met him along the way to cheer him on

His first run was almost all up hill! He did a great job, especially sporting his tuxedo shorts

Jake was up next. He was even sporting his bow tie!

I was runner 3, after Jake. I am getting ready for my first run, 7 miles.

Joel is ready to cheer me on ( he hadn't changed into his Honeymooners outfit yet)

Joel went after me, but I didn't know where he had put the camera, so I have no picture of it. His first run was 6.5 miles and he did great.

Crazy Kristin was runner 5

Kaylani is gearing up for run, she was our cars last runner before we handed off to the other car of honeymooners.

Jake and Kaylani got a little caught up in the moment!

A big part of the fun of Ragnar is seeing all the different teams, their themes, the fun decorated cars and vans (why did I not take a picture of our car...it was awesome!), and the awesome costumes. Their were some really good ones too! Some of my favorites were: The Assercisers, Let's get Physical (things 80's leotards and jane fonda), the Pacemakers, and one group totally devoted to the movie Top Gun. Here is an example of some of the crazy groups out there:

Kristin never turns down a challenge!

After our first round was done, we went to go eat and then it was time to rest before our second leg started. Joel didn't waste anytime! At about 6pm Joel was already out cold.

He can sleep just about anywhere!

Our next set of runs did not start until about 9 pm, so we all had to run with reflective gear on. I think it worked!!

We finished running about 2:30 am, and we were all ready to crash. The boys camped it outside while the girls slept in the car.

Those are our 3 boys right in front

Ya think Joel was tired? He was the last to wake up out of all the runners who were sleeping in the lot!

All of us were tired, but still in love! Gearing up for our 3rd and final leg of the race. It was chilly outside!

Kristin and Ryan, married 8 years

Kaylani and Jake, married 11 years

I finally got pictures of Joel when he did his last leg of the race. He did so good. I think people were surprised to see someone that large out there running. He surprised himself too, by not only keeping his pace, but even going faster!

Us happy Honeymooners, married almost 10 years

and still in love

ok now he is just showing off! I think he was just happy that he was done running!

When our car was done with the third leg we passed off to our second set of runners, and went home to shower up and get the kids. Then we headed back to the finish line at Tempe town lake so we could all run it in together!

love this pic of the family! The boys were so excited to be able to run through the finish line with us!

Think Joel likes to pick people up?

When we were all done we had to finish with some wedding cake!

Zoey liked the cake too!

All in all it was soooooo much fun, and we all can't wait to do it again next year.

In a 24 hour period Joel ran a total of 16.5 miles, the longest he has ever run before! I totalled 23 miles when it was all over. I think I might be a little crazy....but I'm hooked!!

A boy of many talents...

2011-02-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Determined....I think I will be using that word to describe Kaden for many years to come. We have been watching a lot of Minute to Win it in this house lately. Kade is convinced he can easily do any of the challenges with no problem. We tried a few of them (he was convinced it was easy until he tried them) and when we got to the cups he found something he was good at!

This is his "bring it on" face :)

On another note, guess who signed up for real tackle football starting in March?

He is so excited, and man does he look like such a little man in his uniform!

Last week Kaden went with his friend to Awana class and he loved it and begged me to join. So, I figured out a carpool with my wonderful friend Lori, and he signed up. He worked really hard to remember his first memory verse so he can earn his coveted vest. He really loves his vest and is so proud!

I am so proud of him, and I love that he is excited about learning and memorizing God's Word ( he may be partly motivated by the money he earns to spend the the Awana store too!)

Girlfriend has moves......

2011-01-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

OH my sweet Zo Zo....already 15 months and so stinkin cute. I swear just in the last few weeks she has totally grown up. She is babbling so much more, points to everything, and understands a LOT!

I discovered a couple days ago that we can finally fit her hair into pig tails.....I am in love with her chunky cheeks and pig tails! Sometimes I just want to take a bite of her! ( but I won't)

This girl also loves her pink football and loves to run and throw herself on Gavin's bed with it and then yell. I forsee a little PowderPuff in her future!

She has also discovered music and likes to shake her little tushy! If she is in the car and can't move her hips, then she moves her shoulders and head around instead. I think there is a constant beat going on in her head sometimes!

Here's a little taste of her "moves"(she doesn't do it right away so be patient!)

Enjoy!

I got a few things checked off my list...

2011-01-17T22:06:00.001-07:00

Last year I made a "little" New Year's Resolution list, so as 2010 came to an end, I decided to check back through and see how I did. I checked off a few right off the bat, #'s12, 18, 19-done! I still need work on quite a few others, but this week, I was able to check off #11. Now, I realize that technically I didn't complete this in 2010. BUT, I did do all my training for it in 2010 so I think it counts :)

My Dad dropped me off at the start so I wouldn't have to drive home at the end. I told Joel to come cheer me on at about the half way point .

Here's Gavin waiting for me to run by!

at mile 14, and still feeling pretty good.

It was so nice to have my babies there!

at mile 20 (but Kaden was more interested in introducing me to his new friend!)

Unfortunately, Joel got caught in traffic after mile 20, and he didn't make it to the finish line in time. I was so bummed...I was planning to run accross the finish line with the kids. But, on a good note, I felt awesome during my race, definately my best marathon EVER! And, it had been 6 years since the last time I ran a full marathon so I did not have high expectations.

When I finally met up with the kids

My finishing medal! My time was 3:47

If you were wondering where Zo Zo was through all of this, she was there too. but Joel was holding her most of the time, and when I finished she had fallen asleep in the car. This was her wake up "do" when we got home!! I love this girl :)

Crazy Kid

2011-01-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know why his dare-devil ways still surprise me...I blame Joel for teaching him this!

Christmas Vacation Recap

2011-01-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

What a busy two weeks we have had!! We had a great Christmas, and are now trying to get used to going back to school and being on a schedule! Here's a little bit of our Christmas celebration:

We started Christmas Eve by celebrating with my family:

I made Zoey and Hannah little matching outfits...they were so cute!

Grandma and Grandpa always go a little overboard with the presents!

This Christmas moose, er reindeer, or whatever it was, was a big hit with the kids.

Hannah loved it too!

My sister got my brother in law and Joel matching "Christmas Sweater" shirts.

Zoey started getting tired but was nice and cozy in Grandpa's lap!

Zoey got her very own pink chair! It looks so cute in her room.

Our Family

After we napped, we went to church and came home to get ready for Christmas night. We read about Jesus birth, and then got to open our Christmas Jammers so we could wear them to bed.

the boys

Me and sis

the boys and dad

It took a while for Gavin to fall asleep, but finally he did and us parents actually got to bed at a decent hour. Kaden got up first Christmas morning when he heard us making coffee. He was so excited!

look at that face!

Gavin was a little more tired....

This is Kaden's favorite "show" on Christmas morning. He always asks to 'watch the fireplace' :)

the boys reading their letter from Santa

All three kidos. We woke Zoey up to do presents...she wasn't too thrilled about that.

she did love her baby doll in her stocking though....

Presents!!

slippers

Kade loves his new lunch box and wants to bring his lunch everywhere.

a new shooter!!

All Gavin asked for this Christmas was a trash truck....go fugure. My parents bought him Stinky, and we bought him the little one. He was happy!

Santa brought both of them a new drum set.

Kaden is already practing...he loves it!

Zoey enjoyed playing with the boys new power tools set....safety 1st!

It was a great morning! Later that afternoon, we went over to Joel's parents and celebrated once again...but I didn't take many pics, unfortunately. the kids were spoiled rotten, and it was a wonderful couple of days.

Later on in the week we decided to take a spur of the moment trip up to Flagstaff to play in all the snow that had just fallen. Zoey managed to stay awak the whole way up....until about 15 minutes before we got to the sledding place.

she spent the first hour of sledding in the car sleeping!

Kaden and Gavin are ready to go!

Gavin and I did some hills together

Kade had a blast, and went on a number of hills alone, and also went on some pretty big ones with Joel.

Joel took Zo Zo down the bunny hill

Gavin went down a couple hills and then complained of how cold he was. He spent the rest fo our time doing this....and was perfectly content playing in the car!

Zoey in her snow gear..she looked sooooo cute!

Gavin must have really played hard in the car because this is what he did on the way home.

We stopped for dinner on the way home and look who woke up! A little bed head, anyone?

Now, back to school, schedules, and routines....that is until summer vacation starts!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2010-12-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Too much to post over these last 2 weeks, but here is the reader's digest version of our recent happenings.....

We got our Christmas tree and the kids helped me decorate it.

We made our annual trip to Bass Pro where we found this jolly old man. Zoey screamed bloody murder but the joys enjoyed talking to Santa. Pictures are FREE here, which is my favorite part!

We always like to play around with the merchandis when we are there - here is Davey Crocket himself

Miss crocket

I forsee a red ryder BB gun in her future!

Cowboy Gavin in his flip flops - we need to get him some cowboy boots, I think!

Last week we played hookie from school so we could go to the zoo with no crowds (my husband doesn't "do" crowds very well). It was wonderful!! there were like 2 people there and no lines. Plus, the kids really wanted to try the new Polar slide they have this year. I t is really cool - basically a fake hill of snow that you can go tubing down. And since there is no snow here......

Kaden, walking his intertube up the stairs

down he goes!

he loved it!!

Gavin was a little scared, but I talked him into going tandem with me....he loved it too :)

A rare moment when all three of these crazies are looking at the camera at the same time!

The boys tackled a spider web

And it wouldn't be AZ without a cactus slide of course!

Last week was the final week of preschool for the boys and we had 2 Christmas programs this year. Gavin's was first.

Zoey made sure the stage was all warmed up for the kids.

Gavin looked super excited when he came out! So happy to see all of his family there for him!

I prepped him all week for his performance "Gavin, don't be nervous, your gonna sing for mommy - right?" I obviously did not prep him enough.

Who needs to sing when you can just stand there and make funny faces!

After Gavin's performance, we found a field full of leaves to play in :)

the boys loved throwing them around

Zoey enjoyed them too!

The next day it was Kaden's turn to perform....this guy is a little more outgoing!

Kaden and Miles

Mikele looks pretty snazzy in the Christmas tree hat too.

The kids were happy that both Grandma's were able to come to the performances too.

And lastly, a few days ago while friends were over, we made gingerbread houses - the kids had a blast, although I don't know how they were not in a diabetic coma with all the frosting and candy that was consumed :)

Neomi, Kaden, and Gavin.

Christmas is only 3 days away!!!!!!

ugly Christmas sweaters...oh yeah!!!

2010-12-08T22:14:00.001-07:00

This year we started a new tradition that I hope we continue every year. We had our first annual Ugly Christmas Sweater party! Oh it was so much fun....if you didn't make it this year, I hope you will be able to join us next year....I am already keeping my eye out for ugly sweaters on clearance for next year!!

Joel was first to get into his Christmas attire....he really got into it too!

Here is my ugly puppy christmas sweater, courtesy of Savers!

I couldn't find ugly sweaters for the boys, so just ironed on a Christmas tree and bells!

Our guests began to arrive....this is Jen's "ugly" sweater. I am pretty sure she can make anything look cute though!

Some of the rest of the crew (why is this the only pic I have of you Cathy???) You can't see Mikele's very well but she had quaint little angels on her lovely sweater, also courtesy of Saver's!

Scott and Janelle sporting their finds!

Joel, Me, Tawnya, and Kolby....T had snowmen, and Kolby rocked the vest!

Trevor, Tiffany, me and Joel...they worked their ugly sweaters into their Christmas card this year....it was fabulous!

Adam (with his spray painted sweater) and Heather with her Walmart find!

All the boys (minus Mike and Kolby )

All the girls (Cathy and Tawnya had already left :( )

Thanks to eveyone who came...we had so much fun! I hope you will join us next year too :)

PS: Mikele took lots of good pics too, please post them or send them to me, pretty please???

Who needs toys....

2010-12-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ok...Thanksgiving came and went....we gave thanks - twice. It was nice to celebrate with both of our families, but I have very little documentation so I am going to skip the Turkey day post this year...sorry.
Anyhow, I have too many other things I want to post!

Starting, with this lovely girl here....who is now fully walking and into everything!

What an interesting place to store your children

She does look nice and cozy in there....

Look - a souvenir from her travels

She is going to be trouble I just know it...mostly becasue she is soooo cute I can't help but give her what she wants!

Spider-girl

2010-11-15T20:03:00.001-07:00

Beware all you villians...spidergirl is on the prowl!

Baseball Boy!

2010-11-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Kaden started baseball last month, but with school, fall break, 2 birthdays, and Halloween, I haven't had a chance to blog it yet!! We signed him up through NYS for Coach pitch. He practices once a week and has "games" (everyone hits the ball, everyone runs the bases) on Saturdays. He really likes it. I think more than anything he likes his little friend Ella who is on his team. She is the only girl and super cute. Second to that I think he loves his uniform.....so much for hitting and catching the ball, right!!!

Waiting his turn to be up at bat.

In the outfield, ready to catch some fly balls

Swinging' that bat...he has a pretty good swing, too!

Running to home plate!

What a handsome boy...he looks to old already!!!

Halloween 2010!

2010-11-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Halloween was more like a 3-day weekend around our house! On Thursday, Gavin had his party at school, and got to wear his costume to school. He saw this costume in the store and told me he wanted to be the "dirtbike guy" (aka, motocross driver.) Too bad for him, everybody thought it was nascar...oh well!

Brotherly love before the trunk or treat

walking out to get their loot!

The whole class with Miss Chrissy, his teacher

On Friday, it was Kaden's class party! Thankfuly Spiderman was there to make sure no wrong-doing went on!

Trunk or Treat

Buddies, Joshua, Miles and Kade!(ironman, karate kid, and spiderman)

The kids were so excited for Sunday....they tried to put their costumes on several time throughout the day!

Finally! Time to get ready:)

Zoey was my spunky ballerina! I was gonna go with the traditiona; pink tutu, but then I had these tights that I couldn't pass up so I amde her this black and white tutu instead. She looked awesome!

I also really enjoyed her little waddle from the back!

Joel did a little dress up too...I think he is a little too convincing as a junkie....should I be worried?

Last year we were invited to T or T with some friends that have a chili potluck in their neigobrhood, and we went again this year too. So it was off to Pleasentville (Agritopia) for the night!

Zoey was ready!

So were the boys!

The boys liked the "vacant" houses where they got to pick out their own loot!

Zo started to get a little antsy....nothing that a sucker won't solve, though!

Our Family!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Birthday Recap

2010-10-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

So this year I got to experience the joy (pain) of dealing with two kids' with birthdays 2 days apart. Between planning 2 birthday parties and Halloween, I am going to start dreading October. But now that it is over, I cannot believe how fast it all has flown by.

This year I really wanted Kaden to have a party with just his friends, not my friends and their kids. Though he loves my friends kids, we already did that with Gavin, and would be doing it for Zoey's b-day party too. We kept it pretty simple, and invited friends from school, boys only! Kade had been wanting to do the rock wall at the gym, so we opted to do his birthday party there, since now that he was 5, he was old enough to do the rock wall.

His party was a Spiderman theme, but really, any superhero will do, so the boys opted for matching Superman shirts for the party!

Kaden with his friends, ready to get this party started!

Some of the kids couldn't do the rock wall, so they opted for funn jump toys and the bounce house!

Kaden is all suited up and ready to go

He loved it, and made it all the way to the top without any hesitation! ( I know this suprises you!)

Bounce house fun!

Scooter races!!

Only a few fingers were run over by the wheels...no fingers were lost, thankfully!

Pizza time!!!

I made spiderman cupcakes, and neglected to take pictures, of course!

His party went great, he had a great time and got lots of superhero toys from his friends. We did his b-day party early, so 3 days later, we celebrated his actual Birthday:

Stuart Little - He asked for the movie after we read the book

Thanking little brother for his superhero book and card game.

And finally.....Heely's! He's been asking for them for about 6 months. He's doing pretty good with them too!!

The following weekend, it was time celebrate our little Angel's b-day. It was a busy day...Kaden had his very first baseball game just 2 hours before her party (b-ball post to come soon) and it was still very warm outside!

Zo Zo in her Birthday outfit!

me and the birthday girl!

with gramma G

Gramma K bought her this cool new scooter for her Birthday. She loves it!

Girl cousins and sisters....we happened to all dress in pink, though not even planned!

Presents!!

Zoey loved her new baby doll :)

kisses!

hugs :)

Time for cake! I made a flower cake for Z to dig into and cupcakes for the rest of the bunch!

Getting a feel for the frosting....

She likes it so far

Yep, I think it is safe to say that Zoey is a sugarholic, just like the rest of the family!!!!

Messy girl....she got that cake EVERYWHERE!

After, she got all cleaned up and vegged out with Dad. What a great day!!

It's official....

2010-10-14T06:51:00.002-07:00

My little baby girl is ONE today.I really don't know how it happened....seriously, I blinked and she grew up. That's what I get for blinking, I guess! Technically she wasn't born till 11 pm, so if peolple ask me how old she is, I will tell them 364.5 days old....is that too weird.
Ohhhh, my baby girl. I waited so long for you. I am glad God did it on His timing, because if I had any control over it I would have had you first, and you wouldn't have had your amazing older brothers to love you like they do. A year ago today, Zoey, you made our family complete. Everything felt different, it felt right. Seeing 3 little heads around the house, telling people I had 3 children when they asked how many....it was just perfect.
I couldn't wait for you to be born....so I begged my doctor to incuce. Thankfully, he obliged! I dreamed about what you would look like, if you would have hair, what color your eyes would be. And when you arrived, you were just perfect!

You have been such a calm laid back little baby. THANK YOU! you made the transition to 3 a breeze. I would always tell people "she's just happy to be here" because you just went with the flow. And that is not always an easy flow to go with, our house is busy! Little by little I am starting to see your personality. You are gonna be one fiesty girl, and I love it!

You aren't walking yet, but you like to cruise around like a stink bug with your bum in ther air. You say uh oh, momma, dadda, and you can shake your head "no". You love to blow kisses, show your muscles, clap your hands, and wave bye-bye. You already have 7 teeth...that's right, 7! Your brothers barely had 2 by this age. It is weird for me to see a little person with so many teeth.

You have found your voice, and you like to yell.....a lot. I think you figured out that may be the only way to fight for attention in this house! You will not keep your hair bows in to save your life, and I think you do it on purpose now :)

You light up when your brothers come into the room, and you love playing with all of their toys in their room. You like to push their cars around and make noises....so much for baby dolls I guess.

I look forward to so many things with you...girly things, fun things, mother-daughter things. But don't rush....I am in no hurry, so you can stay this cute and little for as long as you like!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOEY!

5 years ago today.....

2010-10-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

I was already on the way to the hospital with contractions 2-3 minutes apart. I had already called Cathy to confirm that what I was feeling, was in fact, labor. My mom was on the way to the hospital to meet us there. We lived in Avondale and delivered in Scottsdale, so, we had a loooong drive. I thought for sure when I got there, they would check me and tell me I was dialated to atleast a 7. Nope. I was (as the nurse kindly pointed out) at "maybe a 1, honey." Needless to say, it was a very long day. But after an epidural and loads of pitosin, this little guy was welcomed into the world:

You were an AMAZING baby...which is part of the reason I couldn't wait to get pregnant again. Easy pregnancy, wonderful infancy. Your dad and I couldn't get enough of you, and as you began to grow you continued to amaze us more and more. You started walking @ 10 months, running very soon after that, and never slowed down from there. (Those of you who have read my blog for a while, or know Kaden at all, know he is fearless). You began jumping off the top of the stairs to daddy's arms at age 2. You took the training wheels off the bike at 3, and soon after began riding a quad. You started riding a dirtbike at age 4, and this past year you have become quite the pro at mastering tricks at the bike park.

But even more special than all your physical abilities is your amazing heart. You love your brother and sister and though you sometimes fight, you are always looking out for them. Your middle name is Justice, and I had no idea how much you would truly live up to it. You are quick to point out injustice, or things that are not right, and I love that about you. You are the first to point out the rules, and the rule breakers (unless it's you, and then you have a great excuse as to why it is ok).

You are so smart, and you talk like a 12 year old. I have to remind myself daily that you are only 5, and that I shouldn't expect so much from you all the time. You are a good helper, and always want to be in on the action. We call you our Tigger, because you NEVER stop moving and bouncing off the walls and running around. Even in your sleep you are consantly moving. Your favorite mode of transportation is running- you run to your room, you run to the bathroom, you run to the kitchen, you run all-the-time!

Kaden, thank you for being so loveable, sweet, smart, and surely keeping me on my toes at all times. You were the first of our family to be born and I am so thankful for you and how you changed our life.

Now, could you please STOP growing up????

Happy Birthday!

Junk in the trunk

2010-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

This girl's smile makes my day. She is becoming very independent and growing up so fast. She is officially off bottles and formula already, and she can hold her own at the dinner table!

Little miss Zoey girl is on the move. She is not walking yet, unless she is pushing around the kitchen chairs as her mode of transportation!

look at this cutie. I bought her these leggings about a month ago, and was so excited to put them on. I thought they might be too big....obviously not a problem. They were painted on so you could see every cute little roll in her thighs.

and just look at that bottom.....girlfriend has a booty, that is for sure. I love it, and I love her!

Can you believe she will be turning 1 in just 8 days????

new stuff I made...

2010-09-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

I had been working on a handful of new creations, but most of them were for my niece, Hannah, for her Birthday, so I couldn't post them or my sister wouldn't have been surprised. Her Birthday was last week so now I get to post!

Ruffle Shirt dress

lilac smocked dress with ribbon trim

purple tank with rose embellishment

(this one was so cute but it didn't fit! It barely fit Zoey too so I need to make another one with a more giving material)

Fabric Initial shirt with matching ruffle skirt.

I had so much fun making them all! I have a few more that I hadn't taken pictures of yet, but I will post those another time!

When Mommy dozes off during movie time with the boys.......

2010-09-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is the result:

who could possibly be responsible for this??

I think I have an idea.....

AHA! Caught in the act!

It's a good thing she is so darn cute!

Already back for more....I need to start closing these doors!

Labor Day Weekend, Baby!!!

2010-09-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

Some friends from our small group invited us to camping with them over Labor Day weekend. We had been wanting to rent an RV for awhile now, and Keisha works at an RV place and got one for FREE! So we went up early Saturday morning to Lake Mary and had a wonderful time!!!

Us with Keisha, Vaughn, and their daughter Naomi.

the kids were so excited! They thought it was the coolest ever!

We drove for about 2 hours and the set up camp

Zoey got to check out the bed above the drivers seat.

Zoey did so good. Especially cosidering she is not walking yet!

she was quite the dirty girl by the end of the trip.

the kids collecting sticks for our fire

the boys went on a nature walk and did some exploring

Gavin explored the bed!

Zo Zo got in her camping clothes...she was quite a sight!!

She got mighty comfy in Keisha's arms

We made dinner and then it was time for ssmores!!!

The boys discussed important grown up stuff

Grown up time.

Joel and Kaden slept in the tent and I can't believe Kaden made it the whole night...it was 40 degrees at night. I stayed comfy inside the RV with Gavin and Zoey.

We started off the next morning with some hot chocolate.

This is Zo Zo's morning face and hair :)

Good morning Gavin

We found a chair just Zoey's size!

After we ate breakfast we drove out to the other side of the Lake. Vaughn wanted to fish but it was too windy, so we just hung out instead.

kids loved the water.

Joel got all the way in! Brrrrr.

the kids were making up funny songs

Zo assumed the sleeping position on my lap

Gavin tried to take down Vaughn

After that we drove down to payson and stopped for some ice cream

Zo Zo likes her some mint chocolate chip

Harry potter was there getting ice cream too!

Joel gave him a piece of his mind.

Kaden thought this was a fun game too

After that we found a school with a playground and let the kids play till it was time to drive home.

Zoey trying to figure out whether she likes the sand or not.

Joel taught Kade some more daredevil tricks:

yikes!!!

Gavin wanted to try too!

We frove hom that night, and had a wonderful time with some great friends. We are already planning another trip in November! So Excited :)

Superstar among us

2010-08-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we all know Joel is very shy in front of the camera so I am sure it is a huge surprise that he was on TV again. He went on Tram's Valley Dish, a cooking show on Ch 12. It was a competition, he was cooking against another firefighter and they had to make a dish containing bacon. Below is a link to watch the show,( I can't figure out how to just load the video on here) it is about 15 min. without commercials. The other contestant goes first, so if you want you can fast forward a bit to just watch him. I know it is a little long, but trust me, its worth it!

Enjoy:

http://tinyurl.com/2fddjhn

1st week

2010-08-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

This week I sent both my babies off to school and officially became aware of how much driving moms of school-aged children do! Whew, alot of back and forth, but the kids love it so I am thankful:)

Kaden went first on Monday

He started PRE-K (not pre-school, don't make that mistake)

He an Miles get to spend another school year together and I am thankful for that.

On Tuesday, it was Gavin's turn....he was soo ready!

Kaden was excited for him too.

He looks so grown up!

They both had a GREAT week, and I got to spend more uninterrupted time with this cutie:)

I was able to make her a new dress (pardon her "drunk eyes") She looks like such a little diva!

And while I was sewing I made this for the oldest of my children:)

It suits him well!

Here's to a great school year!

Birthday Recap

2010-08-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: lots of pictures ahead!!!!

We started off Gavin's Birthday by waking him up and serenading him with Happy Birthday. He was excited, we had been counting down the days!

(there was supposed to be a video here but after 4 attempts it still did not load!! so, use your imagination here)

Present time!!!

Lightening McQueen :)

Kaden was so excited to buy him a present this year. I took him to the $1 store and this is what he picked out.

I also decided to copy Carrie's idea and make them real superhero capes to take the place of the pillow cases we had been using. I made them reversable. They were a hit!

They were a hit!

I think it may have been his favorite present. Kaden's too. Kade's already got the superman pose down.

After lunch I surprised Gavin with his cake. (don't look too close, it didn't turn out that great!)

He loved it.

We had his birthday party later that evening at Peter Piper Pizza.

He was so excited, and loving all the attention.

Friends Dominic and Catia

Riding the merry go round thingy

Cousin Jamie

JJ looking not so excited, but I think he liked it.

Miles ready for more video games

A little Ski Ball. Aunt Robyn and cousin Hannah

Cup cake time!

I am pretty sure he liked it:)

The frosting was everywhere! He looked like the Joker!

Hannah and Zo Zo enjoyed some cupcake too!

Zoey kept stealing pieces from Hannah. That's my girl!

Grandpa was almost as messy as the kids!

Presents!

Gavin had a great day! Thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate:)

My baby boy is growing up!

2010-08-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

Last night I kissed my 2 year old for the last time. Today he wakes up as a big 3 year old....oh how a year goes by soooo fast, and how many things change. Last year on his birthday, he was still in diapers...those have been long gone for about 11 months now! My "little" chunky monkey has grown up so much over the past year. He will be starting preschool in just 2 weeks!

Hard to believe this was him 2 years ago:

And now he is well on his way to be a teenager:

This kid is soooo smart. Remembers EVERYTHING, so be careful what you promise him, because he will call you on it. Loves everything cars, superheros, and motorcycles. Thinks he knows how to do a backflip. Finally knows how to swim!! Loves Food, of any kind, and apparently, is always hungry. Can hear me descretely unwrap a candy wrapper from all the way in the back row of the van....and wants me to share. Cannot watch a tv program or movie for more than 5 min before getting up and wandering off. Is my little shadow, always coming and finding me if I am not in the room. Gives me unsolicited "I love you's" atleast five times a day. Love's his mommy and wants to go everywhere with me. Adore's his baby sister and knows how to make her belly laugh. Looks up to his big brother, even when he is not so nice. Has some of the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen.

Thank you, Gavin, for being such an amazing, loving, witty, cute, snuggly, and wonderful little boy! Hope your Birthday is full of fun and laughter. Now please, stop growing up so fast!!!!!!

new creation

2010-07-31T07:50:00.001-07:00

so its been awhile since I made anything, mostly because if I 'm not in the "sewing mood" then it doesn't turn out right. I was inspired by Jen's romper that she made so this is my first attempt at making one for Zoey! I use a romper I had from target as my template:

I just kind of eyeballed everything, and I have never done legs before, but thankfully making stuff for a baby is pretty forgiving! Here's how it turned out:

It doesn't look as good here as it does on her.(pardon the dark marks, I had just tried it on her and she drooled!)

Not bad eh? When I try again, I will put the waist a little lower on the hips, and lengthen the torso so there is more loose fabric on the top.

And, as an extra bonus, the below pictures are proof that my daughter is part puppy dog....that tongue is ALWAYS hanging out!!!

love this girl!

Back to real time....

2010-07-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

I still have one more post about vacation, but who knows if and when I will ever get to it. In the mean time, I thought I should update the recent happenings around here.

Zoey is finally starting to crawl for real, and she also added clapping to her tricks also. Check out this gorgeous girl:

The boys are obviously very camera shy, because this is what followed:

Starved for attention, poor kids!

Days 4 and 5....shopping and museums!

2010-07-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

The very first night we were there, I slept horribly. Zoey was in our room and I could hear every move she made, her breathing, etc. It didn't help that we unknowingly put her crib under a vent and she woke up twice as cold as could be. We were going to try to put her out in the living room area, but then that meant the boys would probably wake her up when they cam out of her room. Then we were going to put her in the boys room, and have boys sleep on couch, but then I was worried I wouldn't hear her if she was crying. So then I had a grand idea:

Can you find her?....It's kind of like where's waldo.

There she is....that's right, in the closet! I promise you she LOVED it in there, and I never closed the door all the way. Please don't call CPS on me....

The day after Legoland we spent the day at the pool, just relaxing and getting sun. We were going to drive to the beach the next day but our car was acting up a bit, and Joel really didn't want to drive 2 hours each way. So, we found some neat stuff to do around palm springs.

First up, the dinosaurs:

Ever passed these on the way in from california. We had stopped before, but never knew they had a whole museum of them. This time we actually went in and checked them all out!

The boys love dinosaurs!

Inside the mouth of the big T-rex

It was really windy out that day, and we decided to save 8 bucks on admission by me not going in. So this is what Zoey and I did while the boys were looking at dinosaurs. She is a natural!

Next up....the outlets! I had saved up my $$ to by my favorite Seven jeans. I love them, and may have worn them the remainder of the trip. Also, Joel surprised me with an early anniversary present by letting me get this:

Isn't She beautiful!! I am in love....

On Day 5, we found a Children's Museum about 45 minutes away

Ready to do some expoloring!

They had a part where you could paint a real car!

Dress up...meet Dr. Anderson

Cowboy Anderson

Mr. Joe Cool

Next up, make your own pizza

A little motorcycle riding too!

We finished the day at Ruby's Diner making fancy cars

Our little princess had a fun day too ( look at how tan she is here!)

STRONG WILLED AND SASSY

Basketball!

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve

Christmas fun

We wish you a Merry Christmas

Busy, Busy, Busy!

too long!

Zoey's Birthday (better late than never, right?)

Justin Bieber?

Halloween!!!!

Birhday Extraveganza! (part 1)

TWO!!!

SIX!!!!

Mr. Kindergarten

Birthday Extravaganza!

Kindergarten!!!

Guess who's 4????

10 years!!!

Movie #2

**movie stars**

Yah, that's how we roll!

CA part 2

CA part 1

Pre-k Graduation!!

Bikes!

football star

Dentist trips and Splash pads

Bathroom Bonanza!

Mind in the Gutter

Inspired Creation

Middle child

RAGNAR 2011!

A boy of many talents...

Girlfriend has moves......

I got a few things checked off my list...

Crazy Kid

Christmas Vacation Recap

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

ugly Christmas sweaters...oh yeah!!!

Who needs toys....

Spider-girl

Baseball Boy!

Halloween 2010!

Birthday Recap

It's official....

5 years ago today.....

Junk in the trunk

new stuff I made...

When Mommy dozes off during movie time with the boys.......

Labor Day Weekend, Baby!!!

Superstar among us

1st week

Birthday Recap

My baby boy is growing up!

new creation

Back to real time....

Days 4 and 5....shopping and museums!

movie stars