The Carpentiers

Sisters

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

I only have one and I am so grateful for her. I guess that's why I am so bummed Alexis only has brothers, but hopefully she can be close to her cousins and she will have lots of good friends throughout her life. I just happened to be going through pictures to go back and update my blog and came across this picture of my sis and I that I wanted to post to let her know I miss and love her! And sad we won't get to spend a week at the beach together since she has to sit home pregnant with her 3rd girl.

Gratitude

2009-11-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am horribly behind on blogging with many posts left incomplete. I seem to either live on my computer "working" or at my craft table "working". It seems as if nothing is ever complete and I am falling way behind on all that I need to do. In the midst of the holidays creeping closer and closer every day I find that if I don't take a moment each day to find the joy and happiness in my life it too may slip right by.

Every day I take at least a few minutes to "blog hop" and am continually inspired by what I find. I am grateful for those who inspire me (most of whom I have never even met). The most important thing I have found lately are posts on gratitude. I found this link which is fabulous and thought I would share. Before the Christmas season starts to consume us let's all take some time each day to remember all that we are thankful for.

Firestation

2009-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

To save some money I got together with a few other moms and we formed our own preschool. We all take a week and it's 2 days for 2-1/2 hours. This week they were learning about firetrucks and Rene organized a field trip to the firestation. The boys had a blast to say the least and all of us tagged along to enjoy it with them. There is almost nothing better than the wonderful firemen who are so willing to make the little kids feel so special and important.

Our Supermodel

2009-08-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

I know I shouldn't brag, but she is mine and she is beautiful, and I am lucky that I got at least one daughter! We were messing around with the camera trying to get some pictures of my hair clips and I just loved some of these pictures of Alexis. So yes I put them on my blog so I could remember that at least once in awhile she obliged us and cooperated and I am glad that I have them.

Another tootless wonder

2009-08-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

I love when kids start to lose their first teeth. Of course then all the big ones start to go and their mouths have to go through a "transition" and sometimes it's a little silly looking, but still I do love it. Of course it's a little hard when you realize it's one more thing that puts them on the road of starting to grow up. For me, I seem to be in denial until next thing you know they really aren't babies anymore. Anyway, the picture's aren't the best we have of Collin since we were trying to play with the lighting on the camera and focusing on the teeth and him, etc. We still have lot's of practice to go, but it's fun to work on.

Beach 2009

2009-07-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Slade loved posing for pictures in all the trees around.
Our little beach babe! She could live at the ocean all day every day.

Slade's favorite beach buddy (Papa)!

Slade and Gia playing with the sand crabs.

Collin and Alexis could spend the day boogie boarding...

It sure is nice seeing your kids working together and getting along

(especially when it doesn't happen that often!)

I begged and pleaded and invited myself along with my parents to the beach this summer. They go to Carlsbad twice a year and the first week they took Collin and Alexis and the second week me and the kids joined in. With the heat being unberable in AZ in the summer it was all I could do to get out of dodge permanently.

The week was so much fun living at the pool and beach all day every day. We even drove down to La Jolla and watched the seals and looked for crabs. And of course went to San Diego and ate at Anthony's on the water. YUM! It was so hard to come home especially knowing that school was going to start the day after we got back. At least we enjoyed it while it lasted!

Happy 4th Birthday Logan

2009-07-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

What a sweetheart! Logan is by far our most challenging child, but at the same time our most loveable (at least this week.) Actually we just feel that Logan is just plain full of life. He is by far our least shy child and such a ball of fire sometimes. He wants everyone to know he is now 4 and doesn't hesitate to tell anyone his name. Logan hates to sleep and tries everything he can to stay up and party. He is also usually the first one up in the morning and when he's up he thinks everyone should be up too. (VERY frustrating, and no one but Paul and I seem to complain!)

Logan also LOVES going to "Big" primary. He sits in the front row and sings his little heart out. He has been begging to go to big school like Collin and Alexis and can't stop asking if his turn is tomorrow.

Must Try Dessert!

2009-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

So I have been doing this healthy eating/fitness competition for 5 weeks now. Yes I can tell a difference in my clothes, but I have only lost about 5 pounds. Rules for the competition are NO sugar, 64oz fluid, healthy snacks, take a multi-vitamin, healthy proportioned breakfast/lunch/dinner, and 45 min of excercise, etc. We get 10 points per day and Sunday's are a freebie. Well, let's just say I go for broke on Sunday's. Not good, but hey I have to make up for a week of using all my willpower to be good (and let's just say there is a LOT of willpower going on!)

Anyway, my sister found this recipe for homemade smores a couple of weeks ago on picky palate and I made them yesterday. Now, I am not a huge fan of smores, but these are made with a cookie for the top and the bottom. Let's just say DEVINE! A definate must try if you like all the yummy goodness inside. Oozing Chocolate Chip Cookie S'more Sandwiches

Father's and Son's

2009-06-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

So I am totally out of sync with my blog but I forgot to post about the boys Father's and Son's outing. This was the first year I was able to send all the boys so Alexis and I could have girl time. Unfortunately Alexis was pretty sick so she went to Grandma's house to lay on her couch while I went out to dinner with the girls. The boys had a great time though and enjoyed getting as dirty as possible. And what's more fun for boys than being completely dirty. Thank goodness for baby wipes to get them through.

Lake Part 2 Video Added

2009-06-11T11:16:00.001-07:00

Not much better going on so we headed up to the lake again. This time we prepped Alexis enough to have a go. And what should happen, but the little wonder got up on her 1st try. AMAZING!! She went out and tried 3 times and every time she got up. She took directions from Papa so well that when he told her to stay sitting down with her knees bent she really listened. From then on she was too scared to stand all the way up. Who cares though because she did it! YAHOO! Now next week she said she would try even harder. In all the years my dad taught all of our friends and people from church we don't think anyone has been able to do it on their first try. She certainly doesn't take after her mother! Her Daddy is the natural athlete :)

The Lake

2009-06-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

We spent our lives growing up at the lake waterskiing. I was never very good, but at least liked to get out there and try. I was great at being pulled along behind the boat but always hated doing anything crazy. Every time I did I always seemed to do some crazy crash that resulted in my eyeballs being pushed to the back of my brain. Anyway, I did finally learn to wakeboard some years back and now can't even seem to get up on one ski anymore let alone 2. It hasn't helped though that over the last few years lake outings have been few and far between. Let's hope that this summer is different and we can get the kids to give it a try.

One of my parents first dates was waterskiing. And while my mom just turned 65 and my dad almost 67. I must say they still got it! Even my grandpa skiied into his 70's.

Last Day of School

2009-06-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

We finally ended another year of school. With this whole modified year round schedule it's hard to hang in there for so long. It's weird that this year we got out in June and have to go back in July. I just seems wrong somehow. Anyway it was a fabulous year and we absolutely LOVED the kids teachers. I must say that one of my favorite grades is Kindergarten. With the school system offering all day kindergarten it is kind of hard on the stamina of the little ones, but by the end of the year they seem so grown up. I am continually amazed to watch them grow so much so quickly it seems. They go into school seeming to know almost nothing and then come out able to do so much-the biggest accomplishment being reading. I love that Collin all of a sudden can read almost anything. All the billboards and signs around town and even my emails. (oops, time to be careful now just in case-j/k) One of my favorites was a few weeks ago we were at dinner at my parents house and Logan was acting crazy and I said geez Logan settle down you must have ADD. And Collin pipes in with why does Logan have to add? We were so taken aback and all had a good laugh!

Collin and his teacher Mrs. Thompson

Ethan and Collin

Alexis also had a great year and her teacher was also fantastic! She is suddenly my little bookworm and while it took her awhile to get into the chapter books (which is what they try to focus more on in 2nd grade) she always has her nose in a book and was often getting into trouble at school for always reading (pretty funny to be getting in trouble for reading I thought). Her teacher just said that they are always encouraged to read when they have spare time and sometimes Alexis would try and finish what she was reading instead of finish her work first. We are so proud of her though and I was even more surprised with all she learned in 2nd grade. She learned all her times tables and was even doing some long division. I specifically remember learing all that in 3rd grade and here she is already a year ahead of where I was at her age. Alexis is such a joy at school though and has lots of friends. She never wants anyone to feel left out and is always running around in big groups with lots of fun girls. Let's hope it always stays that way!

Alexis and Mrs. Johnson

Alexis, Kate and Harley

Happy 2nd Birthday Slade

2009-05-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our littlest is 2. What a big boy he is! (Well, not really since he is so skinny.) He is also our blondest one and our only thumb sucker. He is such a joy and absolutely loves his big brothers and sister. He is obsessed with his "snuggle time" with dad every night and wants absolutely nothing to do with mom (even though she is trying to get back in the game). He is such a giggler and loves to laugh. Driving around town Logan always has him giggling like crazy. He is also obsessed with the hose. We must have to go out there and turn it off about 30 times a day. He is always playing with legos, but wants to have them apart so is always coming up to mom saying "help." Is is such a sweet boy and we love him to pieces.

I also told myself that since I hate potty training (especially boys) I wasn't going to do it until he was 3. Well, every now and again he wakes up in the morning with a dry diaper and sometimes after his nap. So, last week I started putting him on the potty when I can catch him and know he probably will go. Anyway, I am not trying too hard, but he will sit on it at least once a day and go. I have definately NEVER had a kid this easy. Now maybe when I get around to being serious about it he will be easy.

T-Ball Season 2009

2009-05-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

This year I very accidentally signed Paul up to be the coach of Collin's T-Ball team. Honestly I don't know how it happened. Well, it turned out to be a great year. Collin had so much fun and was really into it. And with Paul being the coach it was easier to let Logan think he was on the team too. We never let him play in the game, but we had an extra t-shirt and hat for him and he was able to practice with the big boys. We're not quite sure how we're supposed to tell him he still doesn't get to play for 2 more years. (You have to be 5 by April to play in Little League and his birthday isn't until July). We also had a great group of kids (and parents) on our team. Quite a few of the dads were always around to help out at practices and games. And now that Paul has the hang of it let's hope that next year is just as great. Go Rockhounds!!

Alexis' Baptism

2009-05-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, May 2nd, Alexis was baptized. It was such a wonderful day and we were glad for the friends and family that came to share in the experience with her. My mom has been teaching the kids piano lessons and a few months ago Alexis said she wanted to learn "I Am A Child of God" on the piano to play at her baptism. She was nervous to play while people sang so we had her play it through as the introduction then had all the primary kids that showed up sing. It was so wonderful to have all the kids there to participate and be such good sports. She thought she would be so scared, but ended up not being scared at all. It was a wonderful day and we are so proud of her and her decision to be baptized. Now we have to make sure we work on always "Choosing the Right" (everyone included!)

Happy 8th Birthday Alexis

2009-04-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

So the princess of the castle has turned 8. What a milestone! We are so lucky to have her in our family. I thought little girls always needed big brothers, but she is such a great big sister and I am glad she is my first.

Eight things that describe Alexis:

1. She can never have enough sparkle (in her hair, on her nails, on her face, and on her clothes - too bad the poor thing has to wear a uniform to school)

2. Always wants to be doing something "Fun"

3. She's a great big sister

4. Loves all things crafty

5. She is learning to play the piano (she is playing I Am A Child of God for her baptism)

6. Loves to sing and dance (when no one is watching)

7. Thinks everything should be pink and purple (with sparkles of course!)

8. Is a wonderful friend, student and daughter!

Happy Easter

2009-04-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend we had. Saturday we went to my parents ward for their annual Easter Egg hunt and games. For the first time in forever probably it was pouring rain most of the day so they had it indoors at the church. Then we went back to Grandma & Grandpa's house and decorated Easter eggs. Then we went to see the movie Hotel for Dogs (cute movie). Sunday was a fun morning eating the little sugar the Easter Bunny left us and then church and Grandma & Grandpa's house for dinner with all the cousins (well, those that live in AZ anyway.) It was a perfect day and everyone had a great time and the food was super yummy! Nice that I only remembered to get a few pictures on Sunday. Way to many crazy kids to get them to hold still. Oh well, maybe next time.

Spring Break - St. Patrick's Day

2009-04-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

So I am a little off and a little behind. (What's new!) For Spring Break me, Alexis and Slade, and my mom and aunt, went up to Seattle to see my favorite sister (and my only one, but who cares she is my favorite!) We had so much fun being together and while I talk to my sister 10 times a day it is nice to have her around for as long as I can.

While we were at her house the leprechauns came to visit. (I will admit I am a blog addict and found lots of cute ideas out in blog land!) The kids thought is was so cool. And while the naughty leprechauns leave golden chocolate all over the place, it's not so nice when the babies have fun breaking into all of it. Oh well, we quickly tried to find it all before any more chocolate ended up on their clothes. Notice how much Slade enjoyed it! We obviously didn't catch the chocolate addict fast enough. Especially when he is such a good climber and leaving him alone for 2 minutes had him rushing onto the counter top for his breakfast of more chocolate.

Slade and Peyton also had a blast together. Now we know what having twins are like. They became so comfortable with eachother we would find them hiding under the table eating their cereal together and lathering eachother up with Aquaphor and playing in any bottles or chemicals they could find. At least Peyton's love of stripping down and playing dress up in any clothing she finds lying around didn't rub off on him. (We just had a hard time getting him dressed at all even though we were always freezing!)

We were supposed to only do craft projects and go to the gym, but Seattle is a fun place and between going downtown and up to Snoqualmie Falls and running back and forth between my niece's preschool and dance we weren't too productive. Especially since I had 2, then 3, real estate deals going haywire while I was there so had to spend too much time sending out emails, contracts and living on my cell phone. I also didn't even do a very good job organizing her pantry this time, but hopefully I can go back and visit again soon! I now need a vacation from the vacation where I had to work the whole time.

We also introduced the little girls to Sephora. BAD MISTAKE! Well, maybe not....they had so much fun playing in the sparkles and I am not sure there was anything they missed trying on. And when we found another one downtown a few days after the first stop they couldn't wait to go back. Oops!

Happy 6th Birthday Collin

2009-03-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

My sweet boy has turned 6. What a fun and happy kid (most of the time.) Some things we love about Collin.

1. He LOVES his sister and brothers.

2. He loves to play soccer and baseball and is actually getting pretty good. (A big change from the first year he did both when he could care less.)

3. He wanted to be like the big girls (Alexis and her friends) and play the piano. He's doing a great job!
4. He LOVES to play his DS and Wii.

5. He has the best laugh. He giggles and LOVES to pretend to hate your tickles so you will give him more.

6. He LOVES primary and participating. He is the first one to raise his hand even if he doesn't know the answer. This is from the child we had to sit in nursery with for 6 months because he would scream bloody murder if we even looked at the door.

7. Loves to ride bikes and play outside with friends.

8. Was determined to do the monkey bars like Alexis so tried and tried until he could do it. Now he is such a pro he has permanent blisters.

9. His favorite color is RED (and sometimes all the colors he says just not pink or purple or anything with sparkles!)

10. His favorite foors are pizza and spaghetti. He loves his dad's breakfast sandwiches and most anything sweet! Although he is my best eater by far. Most everything I make he compliments me and says it is the best thing ever! (I must have one fan around at all times I suppose!)

11. He LOVES to play with Legos, Transformers, Bionicles and now Bakugan. There is something about boys and their ability to learn these things and actually be really good at them. (I am still trying to figure out some of his video games.)

We are so lucky to have Collin in our family. He is such a smart and wonderful boy and makes our life exciting with his love of everything! He certainly keeps us on our toes.

Smoothie Anyone?

2009-03-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

My kids LOVE smoothies. Paul and I started adding veggies to ours and little by little I started adding them to the kids. Well, one day I got caught and Alexis was mortified by what she saw me put in hers until I told her I had been doing it for months. Now she begs for them every morning. And I can't really complain when she gets a few servings of vegetables in it. Not to mention Slade being such a picky eater gets mad when he doesn't get his share.

Recipe for one blender full of yummy SLUDGE:

1 Yogurt (any flavor)

1/2 Banana

1C Frozen fruit (blueberries/strawberries/etc.)

1C Milk (for the girls who need their calcium)

2C Water

1/2C Red cabbage

1 Piece Kale

4 Baby carrots

2 Handfuls Spinach

4 Ice cubes

1-2 Scoops protien powder

1 Scoop milled flax seed

(If you're scared you can add a few extra strawberries or other fruit to sweeten it up, but really you don't need much fruit to disguise the taste of all the vegetables. Be creative and even start by adding some extra fruit and only using a little spinach or carrots until you get brave enough to add some more!)

Brotherly Love

2009-03-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Boys can either be such a joy or such a pain. Playing so well together ang giggling the entire time or fighting like crazy over who touched who and who and what toy first. (Well for me at least). I was getting dinner ready and let Collin play his DS for awhile and at first I heard Logan climbing over top of him and bugging him as usual when all of a sudden I turned around and found this. Apparently Collin had wedged himself in the corner to try and avoid him and Logan must have climbed in behind him to have a look. They must have sat this way for a good 15-20 minutes without saying a word.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-03-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Valentine's Day! Not that anything special ever happens, but it's just one of the happiest days of the year. Having kids in school is extra exciting. I got the idea for Collin's Valentines box off of my friend Ally's blog where she used her Diet Coke 12-pack box so of course I had to scour the neighborhood for one and found some wrapping paper that would work (a little girly and actually old Christmas paper, but he was fine with it). He even decorated the sides and loved what we came up with.

Alexis got to make her cute bucket at school and even got to have a pink chocolate fountain for her party. I wish I could have been there because she had a blast and there were so many "fancy" things they got to do.

Then on Saturday, Valentine's Day, I made heart shaped cinnamon rolls. I made them extra gooey and added lots of yummy cream cheese icing. Then they went to a primary party where they had more sugar and we even had heart shaped pizza for dinner! What a "LOVE"ly day!

2nd Grade Field Trip to the Zoo

2009-02-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Alexis, Harley, Kiana and Haley

Alexis had her field trip to the zoo today so Logan, Slade and I tagged along. It was fun running around the zoo with Alexis and her friends enjoying the nice weather and letting the kids experience the zoo since we haven't been since before Slade was born. And don't you just love digital cameras...I let Alexis use my camera so all the pictures (except the ones with her in them) she took. I was pretty impressed and it was fun to see her do such a good job. Also, Logan and I have a routine of reading stories before nap time and lately we have been reading lots of books with animals in them. So today it was fun looking out for some of his favorites.

What to do with a box of apples...

2009-01-29T10:41:00.001-08:00

So I always think about it and never do it, but this time I caved with the great price and have therefore been on an apple kick! Seriously what does one do with so many apples? Well, my sister had a lady in her ward who was VERY helpful and here goes.

I started off with a quadruple batch of applesauce since my kids LOVE applesauce. And I of course started before realizing I didn't steralize my jars or buy new lids to can it. ooops good thing the kids will eat it...or not. Collin said it was B-A-D and Alexis said it was too chunky (after cooking it extra long and blending it for as long as possible-then gave up). I thought Slade would go for it, but of course Mr. Picky got one small apple chunk in his mouth after the 5th bite and decided he was done too. UGGHH! So what to do with a huge container of applesauce? How about some homemade applesauce muffins? YUMMO!! Devoured I must say!

Applesauce Muffins

1/2 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 c. applesauce
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. blueberries (or raisins if you prefer)

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.
Yields18-24 muffins.

*I didn't add cloves or nutmeg. I added 1/2 tsp. of extra cinnamon instead.

Still having apple issues so I made an apple crisp (not a huge fan of cooked apples myself, but add enough crisp and voila!!)

Apple Crisp

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups butter (melted)
2 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples (sprinkle with generous amount of cinnamon & sugar)

Put half the crumb mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add apples and drizzle with caramel topping. Crumble remaining dry mixture on top.

How's that for healthy apple eating?? (part of my problem maybe!?)

Still too many apples....so I sliced and peeled 4 cups of apples sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and put them in some Food Saver bags (thanks Lorri) to freeze for later (5 batches so far).

Next recipe is for an apple cake that is supposedly TO DIE for, get your man to do anything for you type of cake...(I'll let you know how it is if I get around to it. I'm almost appled out!)

Apple Cake

Cream together:
½ c. shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs

Add:
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well. Add:
4 cups diced apples (about 4 med/large apples)
½ c. chopped nuts (optional)

Bake in 9X13 pan in 350 oven for 45 minutes.

Topping
6 Tbsp. butter
2/3 c. brown sugar
¼ c. milk 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in other ingredients. Spread over warm cake. Serve. Enjoy!

Finally, I don't like apple pie, but my sisters friend has the most AMAZING apple pie filling that everyone in their ward swears by and cans like crazy when they can because it is just so good. Figured I would post the recipe in case anyone wanted to try it.

Apple Pie Filling

Peal core and slice enough apples to fill 6 quarts.

Mix:
4 ½ c. sugar
1 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. Lemon juice

Stir in 10 cups of water and bring to a boil until mixture thickens. Pour over apples. Process for 25 min. in water bath.

And I only have 1/3 of the box left. Maybe someone will eat a few!

Piano Recital

2009-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Logan, Tatum, Noelle, Alexis and Collin
Alexis
Noelle
Tatum

Collin

My mom has been so nice to start Alexis on weekly piano lessons. Once she got started her friends Tatum (Gooch) and Noelle (Brooks) got in on the action and they are all doing so well. It's so nice that Grandma has to make weekly visits to teach these cute girls. (Even Collin and Logan have started to want lessons too.)

So my mom thought it would be fun to do a little recital together so they could all perform for eachother. Alexis made sure they all got dressed up for the occasion and we even had treats to celebrate. Who doesn't need excuses for a party right?

Little Boys

2009-01-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

I think it is so fun when kids grow up and can have fun playing together. Logan's new pastime is going outside and calling for Jonah (Brooks) while jumping on the trampoline. His version of a telephone I guess. He does this about 3 or 4 times a day (at least). This morning he got up and first thing he does is look out the window in the kitchen and asks if Jonah is awake yet. Which I reply not yet, he's still sleeping. So we go to the gym and when we get home he runs right outside and starts calling Jonah. So I call Julie and ask if Jonah can come play before I put Logan down for a nap. Of course I am such a sucker and they were being so cute and having such a great time together we bypassed the nap. Oh well, sometimes it's just not worth it. How can you resist these smiles?

Mr. Muscles

2009-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

So the boys and I were out back playing and since we never charge up the battery to their car Logan was pushing Slade around in it (what a nice brother). Well, he pushed him into the rocks (isn't he nice) and so Slade thought he would try and get himself out. He was of course mad that it wasn't working, but he sure was trying hard. I even tried to help and then he would just push it back in the rocks to do it again. After a few rounds of this I decided I would just take a picture since we would probably be there awhile.

Family Pictures 2008

2008-12-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

So I finally forced everyone to do it...We haven't had "professional" family pictures done since Alexis was 3 and now that we are done having kids I bit the bullet. Since becoming addicted to blogland I found Wendy Whitacre from Blue Lily Photography who was friends with Stephanie Nielson and did her pictures. I was in love with what she did and wanted the same for us. So when I found out she was coming to Arizona to do pictures for people here I got lucky and booked a time for us to get them done. Well, I just received the disk and thought I would post a few...Sorry to bore you all, but thought our families would want to see.

The Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker

2008-12-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Alexis with Mama and Papa
(She's the one on the far right)
Alexis and her friend Georgia

Last night Alexis had the opportunity to dance in the Nutcracker Ballet that was put on by the Moscow Ballet. She had to be there for rehearsal from 12:30 until 5, but when we arrived we found out that the bus broke down and they weren't there yet. I waited around for about an hour before deciding to leave and get some things done. When My mom and dad and I came back to get her we found out the bus had just arrived and they just started rehearsals. So instead of Grandpa taking her out for dinner they ordered the girls pizza. I asked if she was ok and needed anything and she was just sitting there so good in the front row watching all the ballerinas in awe shaking her head no. She was grinning from ear to ear about her pretty white dress she was going to get to wear and was so excited - she was a snowflake in the snow fairy scene.

Every time she dances she is obsessed with being in the "Finale", well this time the show didn't dissappoint. All the dancers came out in each group and the little snowflakes were last so therefore right in the front. And my little Alexis was the one on the end holding hands with the lead male dancer - THE Nutcracker! We asked how she got so lucky and she said all the other girls were too shy to go first so she did. Well, yay for her! Thanks dad for a really fun evening!

(I tried and tried to upload her part, but it would never go through. Darn!)

Is there a Santa Clause?

2008-12-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

For those with young kids who like to read people's blogs please censor.....

So Alexis comes home from school the other day telling me that her friend Bailey doesn't believe in Santa. Well, this is the time of year in school where they are learning about all different types of holidays, etc. so I ask does she celebrate Hanukkah? She says, "No mom she celebrates Christmas she just doesn't believe in Santa." So I drop the subject.

Well, then she comes home yesterday and asks, "Mom, are you Santa?" I say, "Do I look like Santa?" So we go back and forth with tell me the truth mom, do you dress up like Santa, does dad? At this point I am sooo upset! My daughter is only 7 and this perfect world of life is wonderful and the holidays are magical, etc. etc. can not end already. She has always acted older/bigger than she is,. but I am not ready for my little one to ruin Christmas! (Mainly for me!)

Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were invited up to our friends Stacey and Gary to make Gingerbread houses. We met them while living in D.C. Stacey and I were in the same singles ward before meeting our husbands and then being in the same married ward together. Both Paul and Gary are converts to the church and even yesterday Paul mentioned how even when you don't see them in awhile it's like picking up where you left off like it was no big deal. They are wonderful people and very giving. To think they finally moved here almost two years ago and we haven't seen them in over a year. Granted they live ALL THE WAY up in Paradise Valley, but that's no excuse right? We love them and always have a fun time getting together.

Anyway, while Stacey and I were in the Colonial Ward together she was in charge of making the gingerbread houses for our Super Saturday. Let's just say I was hooked. What's Christmas without a Gingerbread House? Not to mention she has been doing them for over 30 years with her family so they have the system down. She has the perfect little template and her gingerbread is out of this world good (and for those of you who know I am a picky cook, you know it has to be good!)

Stacey made enough gingerbread houses for our whole family (me included) and another family and the kids had a blast. Alexis, "Miss Crafty", couldn't have been more pleased adding to her house for hours. She was in love with Stacey and was always having her help add the special touches.

Thanks Stacey (and Gary) for a fabulous day!

Family Hike

2008-12-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

My brother Dave and his family came into town for Thanksgiving this year and with the weather being so wonderful I thought it would be fun to be outdoors and go hiking. My brother Steve told us about a hike out in Gold Canyon that would be easy enough for all the kids to do so we set off on Saturday morning. After the rain Thursday and Friday the weather was so nice on Saturday and we all had a great time. There were 10 adults and 16 kids and even 2 dogs. Most of the kids did so great and would even run back and forth up and down the trail. At the end of the trail there is a great spot to see some hieroglyphics left by the Indians and some rocks to lay back and relax on (while making sure your kids aren't sliding/falling down the mountain!) It was fun being with family and we only missed having my sister Kim and her family with us!

Slade is 18 months

2008-11-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Nursery here we come!!! I can't believe my baby has rached yet another milestone. I think this is one of my favorite stages. They can play happily by themselves, feed themselves (sometimes), they sleep through the night and yet still take naps, and they don't argue about what they want to wear. Of course we are still changing poopy diapers, but at least we aren't changing "accidents" in our pants!

Anyway, Slade is probably our best baby. He is happy to go run errands and get in and out of the car multiple times, he sits happily in the cart at the grocery store and Costco, he knows to ask for cookies when we go to Sam's Club, and is happy in the stroller (as long as it's moving or he has his blanket!) Slade even sleeps at least 12-13 hours each night and takes 3-4 hour naps. I wonder how he sleeps that long, but I think some of it must have to do with the permanent binky attached to his hand. Not that I think thumb sucking is great, but I am lucky that at least he only does it with his blanket (which most of the time remains in his bed). Slade also LOVES his older brothers and sister. Alexis LOVES to help take care of him. She can change a diaper and get him his milk and likes to help pick out his clothes and get him dressed. Slade has also become very good at wrestling thanks to his brothers and his dad. If anyone is laying on the floor he runs up and flops down on top of them. And then he proceeds to do it over and over again.

My biggest problem with Slade is in the food department. For breakfast he LOVES my smoothies!! They are filled with health: yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1c mixed fruit, spinach, kale, red cabbage and carrots, and chocolate protein powder. YUMMO! He still requires food that is mashed. No matter how many times I have offered different things he still will only eat broccoli and califlower whole. He will finally eat small bites of chicken nuggets and french fries which has been a life saver. I was one of the worlds pickiest eaters, but this is getting ridiculous. We even have to blend up his spaghetti - GROSS!

Well, lucky for me I think I have one of the cutest babies on the planet. All 24 pounds of him! He is also my skinniest baby which makes it fun trying to find pants that fit. Nothing that Collin or even Logan wore will stay on him.

Veteran's Day at the Park

2008-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

This is when we are grateful we live in Arizona. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to spend at the park playing and feeding the ducks (and jogging). Alexis woke up that morning wondering why I wasn't at the gym (if everyone else was sleeping in I wanted too also). So she had been begging me to get up so we could go jogging together. I asked her where we should go and she said in the front yard or back yard, wherever I wanted. I tried to bribe her with waffles and it worked for a few minutes, but then we had Collin and Logan begging to go too. Anyway, I decided to take them to my moms and we could go to Kiwanis park and feed the ducks and have a picnic. Alexis was still begging so I put on my workout clothes (after showering and getting ready). We get to the park and took off to run around the lake while Grandma stayed with Slade. Alexis lasted all of 2 minutes before she was SOOOO TIRED! (and her side really hurt) All that build up and even I wasn't winded (being how much I enjoy running-NOT!) So we fed the ducks and headed to the play area where they all had a blast. Slade was happy in his own little world going up and down the slides, swinging and running around. All the kids had a great time and I must say I was a better mom playing with my kids since I was dressed for it (note to self to always wear shorts and tennis shoes to the park!)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing like trick-or-treating when it's at least 80 degrees (at night). We had such a fun night with the kiddos though running around getting candy. I was a little disgusted though when I came home and we put all the candy together. I have a huge silver mixing bowl that I dumped all the candy into and let's just say it was overflowing (wish I had a picture). Even worse though was that the kids were so obsessed over it and must have divided it up at least 3 times. Thankfully though after a few days I was able to bag up most of it and hide it away and the three oldest put theirs in some jars. Hopefully they will forget about it! I was trying to not spend much on costumes this year so I had Alexis wear one of her old dance costumes from last year (which happened to be her favorite) so we turned her into a funky kitty. We did buy Collin's since for some reason he HAD to be a RED Power Ranger - thank you Target. Logan was fine being Buzz Lightyear. I had bought the costume for Collin when he was little off the clearance rack at the Disney store and it is Logan's absolute favorite. He was always wanting to wear it in the middle of the summer when it was 100+ degrees outside. So nice too since I think the costume is made out of plastic. I couldn't let him wear it for very long since he would always be sweating so bad, but what can you do? And Mr. Slade was a dog. Same thing that Collin and Logan were at 1. Yeah for hand-me-downs!

Friends

2008-11-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

So even though I realy wanted another girl I know I should be glad I don't. Don't get me wrong I love everything girly, but when it comes to the mom having to clean up after the little tornado it gets kind of tiring...On Saturday Collin and Alexis were busy playing all day. Logan and Slade were taking a nap and I hadn't heard from them for quite awhile. Finally I go back in the boys room to see what's going on and Alexis had pulled out every blanket and stuffed animal (among lots of other goodies) and arranged quite the set up. You could tell Collin was a little tired of it, but Alexis was still going strong. That night they all wanted to have a "sleepover" together on the floor and we figured it would be fine since we didn't have church until 10 the next day. They were pretty good about going to sleep and when we went to check on them before we went to bed this is what we found...

www.lexikatedesigns.com is LIVE

2008-10-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

So, many of you know that I started a hair clip business. I have a whole bunch of them in a showroom in LA where I sell them wholesale to different boutiques, but now I finally have my own website. It is a major work in progress and my very patient, hardworking husband has been hard at work to make this happen. He's never built a website before, but he managed to figure it out and is having a little too much fun (at times!) http://www.lexikatedesigns.com/

I still have a lot to add and more tweaking to do, but for now there are pictures of clips and yes you can even order online. Since my clips are sold to retail stores, I have to sell them on my website at retail prices as well. Therefore, I am going to offer a "Friends & Family" discount for awhile, but Paul hasn't figured that part of the website out yet. (I have been too busy having him retake the pictures and change the layouts). And as for the adorable pictures of the cute girls, my friend Lorri was kind enough to help me out. She takes pictures for fun and does amazing work. I LOVE them! (Plus her girls are adorable!) Anyway, if all of you out there in cyberworld wouldn't mind passing along my website info I would be very grateful!! And if you have questions or would like to order feel free to email me! I can custom design anything you want and all embellishments and rhinestones can be put on any of the ribbon you see. Eventually I will have a page full of different options to choose from.

The Joys of a Thumb Sucker

2008-10-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

The other morning Slade woke up in the middle of the night screaming. He is the best sleeper, and hasn't woken up in the middle of the night in months, but I got up, gave him some milk, changed his diaper and went back to bed. Well, apparently it wasn't good enough because we heard him making noises for awhile then he still got up at 6. As I am making breakfast he comes in and shows me his thumb. Here is the picture of what the poor thing looks like after it was cleaned up. At first I thought he must have gotten it stuck in something, but I finally clued in later that it had to have been from sucking his thumb. Now he's not so happy to go to bed whereas before he would be so excited to go to bed so he could suck his thumb! (since he only does it when he has his blanket and we don't let it out of his bed).

Studman Hair

2008-10-20T22:38:00.001-07:00

I was cutting the boys hair the other day and as I was chopping away Logan asks for "Studman Hair". I was wondering what he is talking about when I ask if he wants a mohawk and he says yes. Apparently he remembered seeing the baby in Target the week before with the mohawk and he wanted one too. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come. Especially remembering all the lovely hair cuts my older brothers had as teenagers!

Mom's version of the "Studman" look.

The Long Family

2008-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am getting out of order here, but on our way to Disneyland we stopped over for the afternoon to see Paul's best friend growing up and his family. We had only met his wife Crystal once before when their oldest was a baby and they were so wonderful to let our 4 little crazies come hang out with their 2. They have 2 boys about the same ages and Logan and Slade and all the kids had fun running around squealing for the few hours we were there. Also, Crystal and Joey made us some yummy Mexican food and of course it was fun to eat and eat all afternoon and catch up and get to know them better. It was even more fun to see all the kids getting along and having such a great time.

Disneyland - Fall Break 2008

2008-10-05T12:57:00.001-07:00

As we were deciding what to do for fall break Paul was insisting we take the kids to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. I wasn't that thrilled to walk around for 3 days and was frankly surprised that he wanted to go so bad. I know I get stressed before we go since I feel we still have 2 little kids that I am worried will be able to hang in there for that long, but knowing that we will have a great time.

Anyway, we get to Disneyland before it opens on Monday and as we are getting ready to go in it starts pouring rain. I figure, no big deal, at least it's not 100 degrees. Well, as the day goes on it's a little humid, but tolerable and the kids did awesome. We even made Collin go on Space Mountain and the Matterhorn which he wasn't too thrilled about. We're still wondering how he is such a chicken and Alexis can't seem to get enough of them.

On Tuesday we head over to California Adventure and run over to do all the big roller coasters first. It was great! Alexis have so much fun on California Screamin and got to go on all the rides twice as often as we did since either Paul or I would stay with the little ones and then come down and take turns running back up with Alexis. Unfortunately, that day it was 100 degrees and no clouds in the sky and frankly quite miserable for tired little legs. They were good troopers though and it was a good thing Bug's World had lots of water to cool off in. I even made Collin and Alexis go with me on the Tower of Terror (because Paul was a chicken!) and needless to say even Alexis said she would never go on that again. Poor me!!

Wednesday I got talked in to going to Knotts Berry Farm and before heading in someone told us to go and have breakfast at the restaurant outside the park first because it was so good. Well, we did and it definately was. Fresh biscuits and gravy for your appetizer (which I don't normally eat but they were divine!) fresh Belgium waffles and fresh strawberries and cream (everyone's favorite)! We headed into the park and we rented a stroller for Logan since his legs weren't moving very well. The park was so dead that we were able to let the kids go on tons of rides over and over again. We even made Collin do a few of the roller coasters since he was tall enough (lucky him!) I hadn't been to Knotts Berry Farm in so long that I forgot how many fun rides there were. The bad part was that it was still 100 degrees and miserable, but the best part was that with no lines at all we rode every ride at least 2-3 if not 4 times and still ended up leaving at 3 since poor Logan and Collin were on the verge of heat exhaustion. Oh well, we learned our lesson that from now on we go on vacation the 2nd week of fall break in hopes that the weather is a little cooler.

I don't think anyone is very excited!Trick - or - Treat!Who cares about rain when you're in the happiest place on earth???

Someone's mom and dad aren't very nice! (But the Matterhorn can be sooo much fun!)

Have thumb, will travel - anywhere, anytime!

Sharing...

2008-09-28T07:02:00.003-07:00

So at my mom's house the other day it was soooo hot (of course) and the kids just wanted to be outside. The sprinklers were on and Slade didn't want anything to do with them, but was trying to lick the ground and play in the tiny bit of water that was there. After awhile of him doing this I decided to pull out the hose (which he LOVES) and let him play in it. Next thing you know here comes big brother Logan and I figured this was going to be a problem. Logan usually likes to take things from Slade and of course it just makes him mad. Well, apparently not this time. Logan kept filling his mouth up with water - YUM - and squirting it in Slade's face. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. They did this for a really long time until Logan actually got bored and then Slade was mad he left him. It was cute to see them playing together and having a good time. Let's hope they turn out to be best friends!

The Scorpion King

2008-09-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

So my parents house is in one of those great zipcodes in AZ that has scorpions. No matter what time of year it is you can go outside with the blacklight and find some. Big, buff, brave Paul is OBSESSED with the little buggers. He hates to take off his shoes when we are there and is always combing their house for the "cute" little creatures. Most all of our family have been bitten at some point in our lives (my mom being the winner!) and have lived to tell the tale. Of course we worry about the kids but so far we have been lucky until last night.

We were at my parents house while Alexis was at dance and were going to go watch the ballet in the park in the evening. When I got back to the house we were rushing around heading out the door when Collin screamed. My mom looked down and we saw a lovely little scorpion right in the middle of the kitchen floor inches from all of us, Slade included. Well, on top of having tired and hungry kids it certainly made for a little drama. We put Collin's foot in a sink of cold water, I called poison control just to make sure I knew what would happen for a child, and we waited.

After a little while and Collin crying that his foot hurt we gave him some Motrin for the pain and headed home to chill out. By the time we got home he was still complaining that his foot was tingly and I put him to bed hoping that he would be alright. I never heard a peep out of him and when I checked on him before I went to bed he seemed fine.

The best part was that he woke up happy and said his foot didn't hurt anymore and seemed so relieved. Anyway, moral of the story is that scorpion stings don't feel that good, but you'll live. We just keep telling Collin that he is the Scorpion King now and he has special powers just like Spider Man. And now maybe dad can chill out about them a little!

Just a little example of what stung Collin!

Soccer Season

2008-09-28T07:01:00.001-07:00

Last week was Alexis and Collin's first soccer game of the season. Collin is on a team this year with most of his friends from last year and they're called the "Tigers". We even signed Alexis up for the first year and her team is the "Pink Pandas" (leave it to a bunch of girls to pick the name).

Collin's game was at 7:30 in the morning and he had a great time running around and even scored a goal. He was so proud of himself for working so hard and I hope he keeps up his happy attitude all season. And as long as he's having fun that's all that matters!

Alexis started out having a blast with her team in practice. Her coach is great and really works the girls hard. They have to practice 1-1/2 hours twice a week. She's also playing with 8 and 9 year-olds and I think it's great for her to be challenged since she's so competetive! Only problem came to the game and even though it was at 10am it was miserably hot. The poor thing could barely run around and ran out of her water before the game was half over. Let's just hope the weather here in sunny AZ cools off soon!

Slade 15 months

2008-09-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

So I know I am behind, but at least the pictures are from when he was 15 months...I just love this little guy! Every day I am amazed with how much he is learning and growing (well not really growing since is is by far my skinniest kid, but still). I love pulling the camera out on him because he is always smiling. Not that I think the pictures are too different because he really is always happy. Of course his only unpleasant screaming noises come when I won't let him wander the house with my blow dryer or curling irons or hand mixer because he certainly thinks he runs the ship. Which of course he does since I can't resist chasing after him and rolling on the floor playing with him. He started giving kisses and isn't above coming back to give you dozens at a time. He is always so used to having at least me and Logan around that if Logan is sleeping while he is awake he knows where to go and find him and I have to chase him up and down the hall to get him to stay out of his room. Oh well, how can you blame him since he isn't used to being alone. I still wonder how since he was born weighing in at 9 pounds 2 ounces, that he is barely topping the scales at just over 20 pounds. Of course since he has been crawling since 5-1/2 months what do we expect, he's working hard to keep his weight down. (don't we all wish it was that easy!)

Crazy Monsoon

2008-09-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago the kids came home from school just in time for a crazy burst of Monsoon weather. Don't we just love AZ? Within a matter of a few minutes our backyard was flooded and I told the kids to run and get on their swimsuits. For those who don't get to experience a monsoon it is amazing. Most of the time they happen at night so the kids don't get to enjoy watching all the thunder and lightning and the cool clouds that roll in, but this time it was perfect. They all went out and ran laps back and forth through the water splashing and getting covered in the lovely grass. I think Slade actually enjoyed himself the most. He just kept running back and forth through the yard until his diaper was hanging down to his knees. And the best part about it was that with the monsoon's happening in the summer it's nice and hot and humid so no one got cold. Gotta love simple pleasures!

All I Want For Christmas...

2008-09-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Is my two front teeth...After months (literally) of wiggling her two front teeth we finally got them out. Saturday night one was hanging on by a thread that I was afraid to let her go to sleep since I didn't want it to come out and she swallow it. Sunday the other one was so loose that we kept calling her the snaggle toothed witch. By that night we got her to get it out and both her new ones were even starting to peek out. It made me sad though because it seems once they lose those teeth they are no longer your little babies. She has always looked like my little girl and now you don't know how they will grow in. But even if she needs braces she'll never go back to that little girl look ever again. (One more thing to make me feel old I guess!)

Passing of a friend....

2008-09-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

So we arrived at church on Sunday and were told that a member of our ward had been killed in a tragic car accident on his way back from working in LA. His name was Matt Bachrach and he was an amazing person. Paul and I have only know a few people to ever pass away and this has really hit us hard. It has made us realize how fragile life is and how we should all live for today and not take things for granted. Paul really thought the world of Matt and how much they had in common. Matt left behind his wife Brenda, their 6 year-old son Brigham, 3 year-old son Hunter and Brenda is also 8 months pregnant with another son. They were such a wonderful couple and Paul would often say on Sunday's that we should call the Bachrach's and see what Matt was making for dinner because he was such a great cook. He was the life of a party. Very fun loving and one amazing piano player. Paul would always ask him to play and he was one of those people who couldn't read music, but just sat down and played and it always touched you somehow. I think so highly of Brenda and what a great mother she is and how wonderful her children are. Brigham is already like a little man and just talking to him you think he is a lot more grown up than he is. Little Hunter is a doll. Brenda calls him her family cheerleader and he really is. Everything to him always seems so exciting! I know that Matt has been given a greater purpose to be called back to our Father in Heaven so soon, but I know he is also up there talking to his unborn son and making sure he will come down and look out for his mom and brothers. We will certainly miss him!

Brunette Beauty

2008-09-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

Little Miss "sparkly". A little overdone sometimes, but what can I do? I know I have created a monster. The other morning we were getting ready for school and she started to tell me she wasn't pretty enough. Now come on. I know we are only 7, but seriously does this have to start already? After trying to tell her all the things about her that were wonderful without coming right out and saying "you are gorgeous" (like you have pretty eyes and a wonderful smile, you're a good friend and a good sister, etc.) she said she wasn't pretty unless she could be sparkly. YIKES! Oh well, I keep trying to tone it down, but with a house full of rhinestones and sparkles it's a little hard. Anyway, she is certainly lots of fun and is never at a lack for decorating everything she comes in contact with! (Good thing she doesn't decorate her little brothers!)

Fun at the Lake

2008-08-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Alexis and Macy
Slade and his treasures

So growing up we spent probably every weekend at the lake waterskiing. We would all get up really early in the morning (6ish) so we could get to the lake and stake out the best spot and start skiing before the rest of the world came along. We would ski and swim until we were exhausted and come home when the sun started to set. Those were the days!

So Saturday we decided to head out to the lake for the first time in 2 years. What is up with that??? It seems every summer I am pregnant or have a new baby and while we may go once or twice we certainly don't get enough use out of my parents boat. Not to mention they never seem to stay in town long enough to plan any type of outing. Also, it seems like such a hassle with so many kids. By the time you make sure everyone has swimsuits, sunblock, t-shirts, diapers/swimmers, plenty of drinks, snacks, lunch, etc.etc. who wants to go anyway....

We arrive at the lake and Grandpa decided to take all the little kids out first to try the tube. They had been gone for an awfully long time when we finally saw them being towed back to the dock. Yeah for us. We even had Alexis all excited to start waterskiing and unfortunately never had the chance since the cable to the battery ripped off. Well, all in all it really made us realize that even though it is a little work the lake is a blast and all the kids had fun romping around in the lake for hours! Even little Slade was having a great time collecting cigarette butts and beer bottle caps and playing with the ashes in the bbq grills - YUCK! Better luck next time...

First Day of School July 28th

2008-07-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Aren't they cute!

My 2nd baby is growing up!

Too smart and pretty for her own good (with a little sass on the side!)

Who can believe we are actually sending the kids back to school in JULY!!! It just seems wrong. Granted we get 2+ weeks in October and 2 more in March, but still. It is only 100+ degrees outside and here in the ever sunny AZ we should still be at the pool. Anyway, Collin was so excited to start school and go to the big school with Alexis. He was so excited to pick out school clothes and get himself ready for his first day. Alexis is of course so grown up and the first day hardly seemed like a big deal. She was glad to go and see her friends, but would have loved to have a few (or a lot) more beach days. Collin's teacher this year is Mrs. Thompson and Alexis's teacher is Mrs. Johnson. They both seem so wonderful and I know they will both do great and learn a lot! I of course had to go into school with them and walk them to their classes and I loved that Collin got a little nervous once we got there and wanted me to walk right in with him to his desk. It's always good to know that they still love you and want you to look out for them! Love you guys!!

Happy Birthday Logan (July 11th)

2008-07-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Our little daredevil!

Happy Birthday to Logan and Sam!

Nothing better than blowing out their own candles and making wishes!

They were so proud of their presents!

My little cutie turned 3 this year and what a firecracker he is. This year I was still in Atlanta so I wasn't able to spend the day with him. So when I came home my friend Jennifer Powell and I threw our boys a birthday party. Sam and Logan's birthdays are only a few days apart so it was easier to get all the kids together instead of doing 2 seperate parties. We found a friend who had a bouncy rental company so we got a water slide and had hot dogs and cupcakes. Some of the kids were a little timid at first, but overall they all had such a good time. It's so funny to see these little things sail down the waterslide. Thanks to everyone who made it!

Happy Birthday to Me (July 9th)

2008-07-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

So what a birthday. Ever since I turned 30 (only 5 years ago, YIKES!) let's face it birthday's have not been something I have looked forward to. It's the middle of the summer and everyone is gone and Paul is usually working and I am either pregnant or have a new baby and it's too hot to really go out. Well, this year was different.....sort of. When I moved out to Virginia and in with my friend Heather we started throwing each other birthday parties. Her's was Cinco de Mayo and it was always fun to get the friends together for dinner or what have you. And mine was in the dead of the lovely humid summer so we would either go dancing, to dinner or even a swimming party once I met Paul.

This year Heather and her friend Janet were exhibiting in the Atlanta Home and Gift Show and I decided to invite myself along. As some of you know I started a business making hair clips. I am in a showroom in LA and I figured since I would have a place to stay I would go to Atlanta to try and find another wholesale warehouse and maybe some new ideas. Well, there ended up being 3 different buildings, one with 20 floors, one with 18 floors and one with 14 floors. I walked, and walked, and walked and walked some more until each and every day I couldn't feel my feet. I would have thought I would lose 10 pounds in the process, but with Heather and Janet's booth being right next to Gourmet Foods, apparently that didn't happen. It was nice though to have some girl time and we all had a blast spending the days and nights laughing and having fun. I also formed myself lots of new business titles and hope to expand on them some day. For instance: Sterling Pear (their company) director of "Sparkle", Personal Shopper, Gourmet Food taster, and Personal Designer (my new favorite!) With so much fun, and so many nice people and so many wonderful catalogs I even had to buy a new bag to bring them all home. Now I just need to figure out how to make all my many new talents work and keep tabs on my contacts. (I am always open for suggestions!)

Collin and Alexis at the beach-June

2008-07-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

So now that my family is too big it seems I am not invited to the beach as I once was. This year my parents took Collin and Alexis and I got to stay home in this lovely heat with Logan and Slade. While I was pretty sad thinking I was going to be busy with the two crazies it actually turned out to be pretty good. Paul and I sure realized that it doesn't matter that it is our two hardest kids, just that it is only 2 and not 4 and life sure is easy when a couple of kids are missing. I invited myself over to my friend Jennifer's house one day and the boys had lots of naps and Paul and I even made it out to lunch and dinner a couple of times (and even Costco) with the 4 of us. Now we only had to think about how crazy life was really going to be when the other 2 returned. (Pictures will follow soon!)

Dancing Queen

2008-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Alexis with her friend Kamryn Bunker and their dads.

Alexis in her ballet costumes with Olivia and her friend (the "big" girls!)

Alexis and the "Jailhouse Rock" tap girls.

Savannah, Calabria, Alexis, Halle and Ella

Alexis with her teachers Miss Chelsea and Miss Cheney

Dance is over!!!! While I thought I would be thrilled about this I have of course been sucked in again with how wonderful she has done this last year and am really going to miss Alexis dancing. For awhile now she would complain about going to dance, but once she got there you couldn't get her to leave. She has really blossomed and it was so much fun to watch her shake her "groove thang" up on the stage. After last year in dance they felt she had improved so much that she made the Mini Knockout group (and group of all the top dancers in the "Sparklers" and "Firecracker" groups). This of course added 2 more hours of dance a week on top of our already 4 hours we had been doing the previous year. A couple of months into dance the whole carpool thing wasn't working for me and Alexis would complain that all her friends got to take tap and she realllllyyyyy wanted to. (Yes, it had been her favorite class, but I felt she was already over danced as it was!) Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures. I especially love how when she dances she is always singing and making such serious "Dancing Queen" faces as she is trying so hard to get into her little characters. I only wish we had videos of all her dances. We even forced Paul to do the "Dad's Dance" with her. And much to his protesting it was actually pretty good and Alexis was THRILLED!

End of another era

2008-06-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday morning I got a call from my mom that Grandma Wade had died. When I talked with my Aunt Julie about it on the phone a couple of days later I was touched by how she told me things had happened. She said she was tired and didn't want to go see her the night before, but did anyway. She said there was nothing different about her and she was just tired and wanted to go to bed. The next morning she got the call that she had passed away peacefully in her chair waiting for her medication. I guess in the home she was living in, in the mornings they all woke up and came to the community room where everyone was dispersed their medications. Aunt Julie said Grandma got up and got ready and sat in her usual chair and about 30 minutes later they called her to get her medicine and she had apparently passed peacefully in her sleep. No one even noticed. For the people who knew my Grandma they knew her to be a very put together person. Every summer her and my Grandpa would take off in the motorhome and travel around. She would buy a new wardrobe and was always going to the "beauty salon" to get her hair done and her nails done. So for her to wake up and actually get ready to leave on a trip to come back to Arizona was just the way she would have had to do things. And as I was reflecting back to my life with her in it I was remembering all the things we went through and did. Growing up we had so much fun spending our weekends at the lake waterskiing. Grandma water skiied until she was 70 I think (could be off a little, but let's just say she was old!) Her and my Grandpa were such fun to be around. We loved going to their house for Sunday dinner and in the summer travelling with them in their motorhome to stay at the beach. Grandma always had the motorhome stocked with everything we all loved. From cheese hot dogs to M&M's and tons and tons of soda (which we never had much of at home!) We would also get to have sleepovers and wear her and Grandpa's T-shirts and have pancakes for breakfast. The cookie jar was always filled with Chips Ahoy cookies and the freezer with Jell-O Pudding Pops. And for Christmas our stockings were always filled with exciting Avon supplies. As I grew up and started a family of my own it was hard to see how Grandma was starting to change with Grandpa gone. You could tell she was sad and lonely and sometimes took it out on others. I am glad to know though that I had many wonderful times with my grandparents and that my life was more wonderful with them in it. I know Grandma has gone back to be with her eternal companion and that her life is now complete living with our Father in Heaven.

Preschool is over!

2008-06-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

Collin finished up preschool with Miss Stacey on Friday. He did so awesome!! He loved Miss Stacey and always looked forward to getting his turn to go to school. He made lots of friends there and loved to learn. Miss Stacey really helped him learn to start reading and work on his letters. Sad to say that his handwriting is at least 1000 times better than Alexis' was at this age. (Thankfully hers has greatly improved-most of the time anyway). Collin is also so good at coloring (another struggle for Alexis at this age). Anyway, he is so excited to go off to Kindergarten and be in the big school with Alexis. We will greatly miss Miss Stacey and her daughter Britney, who helped out in school, and his friends. Let's hope they are still there (and have room) when Logan gets to go next year! Collin and Miss Stacey.

Collin and friends.

School's Out for Summer

2008-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

First grade is now over....and on to second! WOW!! I can't believe summer is here. While the kids are in school it seems that life is on hyper drive. We have to wake the kids up to get ready for school, breakfast, lunches made and then run off to school. By the time you turn around it seems as if the kids are already set to come home and Alexis has been in dance and homework and dinner, bath and bed. YIKES! Life has been tiring. I am hoping for a more relaxed summer though and we'll see what happens. I was lucky enough to go and spend some of the last day of school with Alexis. The students got to bring in a t-shirt that some of the moms helped them tye-dye and they turned out so cute. They then got to have ice cream sundaes and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Alexis really improved this year and is becoming more and more grown up all the time. She is such a good big sister and helper to me. Miss Webster was her 1st grade teacher and she had so much fun learning and playing with her friends.
Alexis and her teacher Miss Webster. (Her first name is Kristin-how cute!)
Alexis and her friends Macy and Kimberly.
Alexis with her friends Brinley and Macy.
Alexis with her friends from the hood Tatum and Noelle. They survived Kindergarten!

Pizza Time

2008-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

We as a family LOVE pizza. If you ask the kids what they want it's usually pizza and we could never have it often enough (not very good for mom's waistline though). Anyway, for Alexis' birthday the girls were going to make homeade pizza so we decided to buy premade dough from a supply warehouse that's some friends told us about who supplies the same dough to The Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen. Well, Paul was so excited with this find (something like 80 dough balls for only about $24 I think) that we are now having family pizza nights. Of course the kids are in heaven. On our first night they all got to make their own and they had a blast being so helpful. Of course now we have done it a few times and Paul has really perfected his art that it really does taste great. Now we can't wait to build a pizza oven in our backyard someday like our neighbors have so we won't have to smoke out the house anymore! The trick we have found is the oven on 500 degrees with a good pizza stone. Yumm-O!!

Anyone need some lotion?

2008-05-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Logan LOVES lotion. Every time he sees a bottle of lotion or someone with lotion he wants some. And we can never seem to have soft enough skin either. He will keep putting more and more on until you take it away. Well, the other day we hadn't seen Logan for awhile and Paul went to find him and this is what we got. He had stripped down when I guess he saw an unattended Eucerin jar (of course the extra thick cream) and had covered himself from head to toe in it. I enclosed the edited picture, but instead of being in trouble we couldn't stop laughing. It took us forever to finally get it all rubbed in. Way to go buddy!

Slade is 1

2008-05-21T20:50:00.001-07:00

Oh My Goodness!!! I really can't believe my itty bitty baby is 1. The end of sweet innocence are fading quickly. He is wonderful and we all love him to pieces. Coming out at a lovely 9 pounds 2 ounces, the little scrawny man is just 20 pounds now at a full year old. He is truly the happiest baby. He has been crawling since 6 months and now is already walking. Certainly a much more advanced baby than the other three. On Sunday Grandma Franks was here so we invited Mama and Papa over too to do a grandparents birthday celebration. Mama made him a little cake that he was all too UNinterested in. He touched it a little and made a couple of attempts to lick his fingers, but mostly it just made him mad that after a few minutes he just wanted it to go away so he was trying his best to throw it on the floor. Then, today was filled with wonderful fun adventures for the little man. He had a yummy breakfast of baby cereal and yogurt. Then we got to go visiting teaching and then home for a quick hour power nap. Mama called and asked if Slade would like to go out for lunch to NYPD pizza. Of couse since he is such an adventurous eater I brought along some more baby cereal and a jar of baby food. I did try and put a tiny piece of pizza in his mouth, but it just came right back out and he wouldn't buy me trying to do it again. Then we headed over to the mall where grandma bought him a brand new pair of sandals to run around in. Yeah for being the 3rd boy in a row and having something new! Then some running around to get girls from school, off to dance and then home again for some birthday purreed baby food and cereal again for dinner. I sure feel like a good mom, but what do you do when the kid won't eat real food and when he tries he just pukes it up. I will say though that we have started on Ritz crackers and Graham crackers and we are starting to get most of them in without throwing them up. Anyway, we love the little guy and are so glad Mister Happy is in our lives. Let's just hope he stays my sweet baby forever!

Alexis 7th Birthday

2008-05-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? I think I say that every year, but I even tried to say I was only 30 the other day (ha, ha) make that almost 35 unfortunately. Alexis is now 7 and of course all we keep talking about is that she only has one more year until she is baptized. She can't wait. I also can't believe that time is going to once again fly. She is amazing and beautiful and caring and loving (and of course her moments of pure stinker!), but I wouldn't trade her for anything. This year for her birthday she luckily only had to invite about 20 friends. Driving home from dance I would ask her and her friend Kamryn what we shold do and they kept saying a dance party. Kamryn was really excited about planning all the types of dances we were going to have and the food we should have too. It ended up with the girls making pizza, ice cream sundaes and then dancing the night away. Of course it mainly ended up with the girls running around all night screaming at the top of their lungs giving the few of us adults there a headache. Oh well, it was utter chaos and we made a huge mess, but they supposedly had a blast. I even had my mom make them cute aprons to wear and they all looked so professional.

2-wheels

2008-05-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it!!! Our little whiner (Collin) has mastered the two-wheeled bike! He is amazing....We still can't believe that for a boy he sure whines a lot. But, now that he has his cool new bike he refuses to ride it with the training wheels. We told him if he practiced on Alexis' old one (even though it was a GIRL bike) dad would take off the training wheels. I guess since Alexis and the two neighbor girls can do it he has to be like the big kids. So I got out there and ran up and down the street with him and within a matter of minutes he was doing awesome. Then we started having contests for him to get on it by himself and then go to the end of the street and turn around by himself. Anyway, within a couple of days we rode all the way down to Blockbuster and to get ice cream (a mile away) and he was able to go the whole way with no problem and was already up for doing it again the next day too. What a stud!

Easter

2008-04-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am so behind that I am a little out of order here. Easter this year was so fun for the kids. On Saturday we went to Grandma and Grandpa's annual ward easter egg hunt. Last year Collin was so shy and wouldn't run out and get the eggs. (Of course then it was all over and they were all gone before he realized that he didn't have any). This year they all had fun running around gathering baskets full of eggs then decorating sugar cookies and blowing bubbles. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to dye Easter eggs. Sunday was a great day at church then back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch/dinner and more Easter egg hunting with the cousins. The kids sure have fun hanging out with the "cousins" and playing outside at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Collin is 5-March 24th

2008-04-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

WOW time flies!! I can't believe baby number 2 is finally 5. He is so excited to start kindergarten and keeps asking every day if he gets to go. To think he started out such a shy little boy. When he first started to go to nursery at church he would scream (literally) for the entire time. We would have to sit in there with him and he would hang onto us the whole time and barely play. Now if you know him he is almost the class clown. He is the one in Primary raising his hand for every question. Even at the Primary program his class did sign language and he was up there doing the actions like it was his second language. Collin is such a joy to us (yes he can be a little whiny sometimes), but he is so smart and such a good brother and friend. It is so nice to see how kids grow up and you finally realize that they know how to play together and be friends and help eachother out. And for his birthday Grandpa made him a baseball cake. Grandpa has a new hobby (for the last year anyway) where he makes homemade ice cream birthday cakes. Collin was so excited and it was nice that the whole family was able to get together to celebrate this year.

T-Ball Season 2008

2008-04-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, baseball has begun. Paul is in heaven to have his first son start off playing the best sport known to man! Collin is such a cutie. The little boys out on the field are actually doing well and trying hard. Of course a lot of times they can been seen kicking at the dirt and everyone running for the same ball, but all in all we love it. Of course Paul and his patience is funny. He is more into the bigger boys playing and tries to watch them in between cheering on Collin. We'll get him out there coaching before we know it and he can keep working on his patience skills. Poor little Logan though is beside himself that he doesn't get to play. Even at practice he is always steeling the batting helmets, bats, extra gloves and balls to play by himself. He always wants to have his turn! Oh well, we know he'll be amazing once they finally do let him out on the field someday.

Seattle-Spring Break 2008

2008-04-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

So I had been promising Alexis that we would go and visit Aunt Mimmie and Ryan in Seattle ever since they moved there a year and a half ago. I left Collin and Logan home with Grandma Franks and just took Alexis and Slade. We went for over a week and had a blast. It was so weird to be without my crazy life for so long that I must admit I was dreading having to come home. Slade is such a good baby and with Alexis and Ryan playing nonstop Kim and I had so much fun. We went up to Bellevue shopping (and eating), to the movies to see Horton Hears a Who, out to eat some more, and to downtown Seattle to do some more fine dining and shopping (again). And while I don't condone it in anyway, I was realizing how nice it could be sometimes to be a Polygimist. Always having someone there to watch the kids, bathe the kids and help clean and cook and feed babies at the same time. Anyway, in between all our play time we talked non-stop about the baby boutique that Kim is going to open and all the fun ideas we have that I know she is going to do so well. I am just jealous that I can't move up there to help her out and partner with her. Well, here are a couple of pictures from our trip! Slade on his first plane ride (that he could comprehend) and the kiddos on the water downtown.

Potty Training

2008-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

I don't think there is anything I dread more than potty training. I hate feeling like my life revolves around the toilet. All you start to talk about is pee and poop and all that does is gross me out. So on Thursday, February 21st (I know late as usual) Logan kept trying to poop in his diaper. I kept catching him do it and so I kept putting him on the potty. The second time around he was sitting there for a few minutes and went pee pee. He was so excited that he jumped off and had to get on his big boy underwears. After that he kept dropping his drawers and running into our bathroom (apparently the only one he will use). I then started thinking what have I done? My sister Kim was coming into town in 3 days and I was supposed to be running around to get things ready to throw her a surprise 30th birthday party. Anyway, we ended up staying home and practicing our new skill. So here we are almost 2 weeks later and it's time for our setback. Logan has done so awesome. Granted we have had a few accidents, but for the most part he loves being a big boy and showing off his Nemo and Buzz Lightyear underpants. Kim and I even drove over to Los Angeles last week for a few days and he didn't have a single accident in the car. And for 2 days with Grandma Franks he only had one little half accident. Now here we are and by 8:30 this morning we have pooped in our pants twice and peeped 3 times. Oh what a day. This too shall pass right?

Valentine's Day

2008-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Collin and Alexis were so excited about Valentines Day this year. Every time we went to the store Collin would look through all the Valentine's and pick out actual presents for his friends. I kept trying to explain to him that we just needed to pick out a box of cards, but he didn't think that was good enough for his friends. He was especially particular with a very special present for his favorite person Rilee Warner. Rilee babysits for us sometimes and on a few occassions Collin has told us he is in love with her. I told him that he can't be in love with her but he can like her and no kissing until after he gets home from his mission. He said, "Oh yeah mom, I forgot." Anyway, he was still very excited to get her something and so we picked out a box of Spiderman Chocolates that he liked. He did try to convince me though that the biggest heart box of chocolate would be better and maybe he should get her the Dancing Princesses because he knew she liked them the most. Anyway we delivered them on Valentines Day and when her brother opened the door he handed him the box and ran away. When I asked where Rilee was he said he didn't know that he just gave them to her brother and ran away. So basically he is shy about it.
Well, for dinner we went to my mom's for he usual Valentine's Day spaghetti (she makes it every because it is red-I didn't remember the tradition, but I guess my sister did). When we came home that night there was a special Valentine from Rilee left on the doorstep. It was a tin heart box that said "Hot 4 U" with red hots in it and a cute note. Collin was thrilled to say the least. Alexis was also very generous to the family. Mama took her shopping for Valentine's and she gave us all a heart box of chocolates and Slade a little teddy bear. She wrote us notes and thank you notes and drew us pictures too. Anything reason to be crafty is a good thing right?

About Time

2008-02-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

So I keep telling myself I will start my blog tomorrow. That I will have more time after I finish the laundry and mop the floor.....Well, if that were the case I don't think I would ever get anywhere so I guess I might as well get started.
When I was trying to think of a cute log in, all I could think of is something "sparkly". I am always telling Alexis that "Life is Better With Sparkle" since she is opposed to wearing anything that doesn't have some form of "bling" on it. Oh the life of a girl! I of course am the one at fault for it since I am always trying to find a way to decorate things. Alexis is such a girly girl and loves to get dressed up. Even to go out and ride her bike, rollerblade or practice her Heeley's. Alexis loves to dance and is in the Dynamite Express dance team at Dance Connection II. She especially loves to tap and tumble! She seems a little reserved at first, but loves to perform! She also loves her friends. All 500 of them. She never wants to leave anyone out and after the birthday party list from last year I am hoping we can shorten it a little this time!
Collin is also growing up so fast. He is such a character! He is going to be 5 next month and I can't believe he will be off to Kindergarten. He LOVES to go to preschool where he is learning so much. Ms. Stacey is wonderful with him and he loves being around all of his friends. For the boy who screamed every time I tried to take him to the gym as a baby and then screamed for the first 6 months of nursery (literally at the top of his lungs the whole time), he is so outgoing and loves to hang out with his friends and make new ones at the park.
Now my precious Logan. He's 2! Need I say more, except that he is such a handful. He always thinks it's his way or else. Don't take his toys or look at his toys or do something that he doesn't approve of. If only I had all the time in the world to spend with him he would be unbelievable! He loves to read and can practically recite all of "Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo" by himself. We could read all day! He just wants someone around to give him constant attention. He is also my early bird. He is up about 6 and if you don't catch him quick enough he is off to wake everyone else up too since he doesn't want to be alone. (I keep thinking I might get lucky enough to sleep when I am dead-ha ha!) Right now is my struggle with him, but I know in a couple of years he will be amazing!
And then I have my little Slade. What a precious gift from heaven! He is the happiest most loveable, curious thing. At all of 8 months he is so far ahead of the others. When is started scooting at 5-1/2 months I thought there is no way he should be movings around this early. He would even get up on his knees and rock back and forth and I though yeah right. Then, by 6 months he was actually starting to move is skinny little twigs. Of course now at 8+ months there is no stopping him. He is constantly on the run looking for the other kids.
Well, here is the start...now on with life!