Meeting Santa

This year went much better then last. We have been talking about Santa, and who he is and the

importance of giving, so I think that helped them not be so scared. Santa was at the festival of Trees. We saw him on the way in and said hi. After we saw everything else, what better way to get your kids to leave some where fun, then to bribe them with Santa.

Owen was the first to sit on his lap. He was very careful at answering his questions. He thought very long and hard about all of them.

Bree was the biggest shocker. She gave him a big hug, jumped up on his lap and talked away.

Ella was the quietest. But she was just as polite.

I love that when we talk about Christmas my kids talk about Jesus being born, and being extra nice to people, and giving to others. Santa is not the first thing out of their mouths. Of course if you ask Ella she will tell you what she wants Santa to bring her.

Tree Festival

While in California we went to the Tree festival. I know you are thinking what does this have to do with trees.


There were about 50 trees all done up, some really cool, so not so cool. I didn't take picture of that sorry. After you walked about the trees and voted for the one you liked best, you went into another room with games and booths. The kids were weighed and measured they all got fake casts on there fingers, and of course glitter. This a picture of Owens finger. They also had a Police officer there to talk about drunk driving and car seats. There was an EMT with paper work to be filled out for your baby sitters to have all the information you need.











Then the kids made nurses hats. We thought it went well with the broken finger.
We also made angels out of coffee filters.







Then it was all to face painting. Owen wanted a Basketball, not Christmas but he is a boy.










Next was making caterpillars. There was decorative paper that was folded like a fan, a hole punched through the middle, then you slip a pencil through the middle. the kids had lots of fun.

And you can't forget decorating cookies. Which Owen and Kyle liked the best.

Thanksgiving

Ella got to dress make a "costume" for her schools Thanksgiving lunch. Bree, Owen and I were able to go eat lunch with Ella the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Every year her school does a big lunch with all the fixing and families are encouraged to come to school and see them all dressed up.

Our family had the oppertunity to go to California for a week and spend Thanksgiving there. We had a lot of fun, and I was able to see some old frieds.

The kids were able to see there Uncle Aaron, who always brings them candy. Some times he gets a little stingy with it, and the kids have to use force. He finally got off the couch and is trying to get to the kitchen to put it away. The kids think that is a bad idea.

The FEAST.

Owen and Kyle got there own table. Probaly best with the mess Owen made.

We all enjoyed having the time together with the family and remind ourselves of the blessing we have.

Halloween

I know Halloween has come and gone, and I am a little behind, but I wanted to share our Halloween with you all.

This is all of us dresses up for our ward Halloween party. The kids had lots of fun. There were games and treats. Nathan and I won the chilli contest, Bree even ate it.

We also went to a second party on Halloween for the kids to trick or treat. We ended up with way to much candy, that we are still eating, and lots of laughs. I was a Gasha girl and Nathan was a Legenair. His last minute idea.

Here is Ella, she is still into Pochahantos, so she wanted to be an indian. The costume was giving to her for her birthday from her babysitter, in our old ward.

Bree is our Warrior Princess. I had a lot of fun making this costume, and she had more fun waring it.

Owen was The Warrior. His costume was also fun to make. He actually kept most of it on. He also enjoyed all the sward fights he had. He was one of the big boys.

OHH So Cute

Owen does well with naps, every once in a while. He made up a bed on the girls room and fell asleep. Bree sat next to him and sang him songs while he slept.
They are so cute when they sleep. But they have
to wake up at some time, and that is when the fun begins. If you remember the story about the girls doing the dishes while Owen put Nathan and I to sleep. Well this past Sunday Owen was up to it again. He didn't want to take a nap with daddy so he told me to lay down. After being up with him all night I layed down. 45 min. later this is what we found....

Owen had found the sand toys from our beach trip, and since there is no sand in the house he found the next best thing, in his mind.
I had to bite my tongue so I could take a picture. He is a cute boy with a lot of energy and a great imagination. It didn't stop there. He thought it was fun to get his picture taken so it took him a few days to realize, mommy does not find it funny anymore. The next day I found him with my measuring cup and dumping the flour in the sink, and that it was duping cups of water into the flour bag, and no we were not napping during that! The flour now has a new home and I am trying to grow those eyes in the back of my head faster so I can watch him a little better.
But he is still so cute!

Ella's first day at School

We had a very long night last night. Ella had a hard time going to sleep. Finally at 9:30 she was able to lay still enough to fall asleep. Then she woke up at 3:00 and again at 5:00. When she woke up at 5:00 she told me it was time to make her lunch. I told her it was time to lay in bed with mommy and cuddle. We were up at 6:30. I have never seen her eat so well, and fast, and get dressed and do her hair, with out complaining. She had lots of fun helping make her lunch.
So it is off to Kindergarten for Ella. She goes 9-3. I hope she is not to tired since she didn't sleep so well.
This is Bree trying not to smile. She was not very happy to have Ella leave her. She threw a fit and wouldn't keep her shoes one. We left 10min later then I wanted to, and parking was horrible. I had to run a block and a half caring Owen and dragging Bree who lost her shoe 3 times. Ella made it in time to line up, and before the final bell.
The little boy in the red shirt is in her primary class at church so she has a friend. Not sure if that is good or bad. The morning was so rushed I didn't have time to cry, so I do think that was good.
However Bree had plenty of time to cry and be sad her sister was leaving and she couldn't stay with her sister and play on the slide.

Birthday BOY!!!!!!

Owen is 2 today!! They grow up so fast. Our kids are not big on cake, So I took Owen to the store today to pick out his dessert. He picked out M&M Ice Cream sandwiches.
They were very YUMMY
Owen loved opening up his presents. This is from Grandma and Grandpa the greats in Texas, he says THANK YOU for the Monster truck.
Grandma and Grandpa in California sent him shirts and a constructions site play set. THANK YOU!
And his sister got him a mega block tow truck. Thank you. Also thank you to everyone who called and sent cards.
They grow up so fast, soon he will be starting school. I would like to say that I am now entering the Terrible 2's but we have been in that stage for a while.

Our Artist

Ella Loves to draw. At this age a lot of it is "abstract" but this she was very proud of, as were we. She calls it her Beezy Bird. It took us 3 days to erase it from the magna-doodle. Taking a picture helped persuade her.

Stikey Fingers

We had Pancakes, eggs and bacon for dinner one night last week. I think that might be the kids favorite meal. Owen ate more then me, although that happens often. Then he sat in his chair and played for the next 15 min. with his sticky fingers, hands, face, tummy etc...

Can you see his hand pulling his cheek?

Roles Reversed

The other night at bed time, the kids, namely Owen, decided Nathan and I should go to bed, instead of them. So I informed the kids that mommy and daddy don't do anything fun while you sleep. The dishes need to be done and the laundry needs to be folded. As Nathan and I lay in Ella and Bree's bed a light went off in my head. I told Nathan, "you know the girls are in the kitchen right now?" We both jumped up and headed for the kitchen, and sure enough this is what we found.
When Ella went to put on her jammies, daddy helped Bree with the dishes.

This picture is for all those who thought Bree's hair was cooler then the Monster Truck we had. If you pull those curls down they go to her shoulder.

The Fire house

I thought this was a great picture and wanted to share it with all. (p.s. they did get the kids wet with the water cannon)

We took a trip to fire house #7. The oldest fire house in phoenix. The girls had lots of fun. Owen was not all that interested until you got to walk though the fire truck. He did it 3 times and on the third time I had to go in to get him. they also had one of the fire men put on all the gear, including the oxygen mask, to show the kids what they look like. Of course they gave them all the tips they should do if there is a fire. One was a new one for me, they told the kids if they are in their room and can't get out, shut the door and lay on the floor and wait for help.

Then the fun began. Most of the kids had their swim suits and the firemen turned on the hose. Each of the kids got a chance to turn it on and get all the other kids wet. Just like the truck, Owen thought this was cool and got his hand in there as much as he could.

When they turned on the water canon, (this fire house does not have a ladder so they use the water canon instead), Ella was right in the middle of it. She is not afraid of anything, says her.

Bree did not get her feet wet until the hoses and the canon were put away. She is afraid of most things. There is detergent in the water to make it wetter, and also make it stick to surfaces so they will not catch on fire again. Bree had all of 10 seconds of playing in the bubbles.

The Monster

Our Freestyle was in the shop last week. Ella was very concerned about "Big Jet" getting sick and being at the car doctor. Of course none of it was covered under the warenty we have. I did ask if my warenty would cover a rental, of course no, however they did offer to pay most of the rental. So I went down to pick up the car seats and the new rental. They tried to put us in a Torous, but didn't fit the car seats. There were not very many options left. So I drove home a F-250 Super duty deasel FX4.

Our family loved it. It was fun to drive, but painful to pay for the desiel gas. We got to have the truck for 5 days. I could not find anything big to load up in the back, but it did have plenty of room on the back bench for the 3 car seats, and then some. Maybe someday we will be able to drive one again. (next time I will have to buy a step stool to help get into it)

Parents are always right

I think the picture speaks for itself. Ella played with the treadmill after she was warned not to. Maybe she will learn that Mom and Dad know what they are talking about. This was taken 5 days after it happened. She would not let me take a picture before that.

One boy, One Girl

It all started with one boy and one girl....
I moved to Arizona the Spring after I graduated from Moreno Valley High. I was excited to be on my own and determined to make the most of it. My first Family Home Evening activity in Arizona changed my life. I meet Nathan then, and life has not slowed down since. We were playing Volleyball, and I noticed the Tall Skinny guy with the funny serve. He noticed the girl who was wearing to much purple. (shirt and shoes) That weekend there was a chili cook off, and a "group" of people were invited back to Nathan's house to watch a movie. All that showed up was me and one other guy. Not a very big group. It was that night that I fell for the first pick up line in my life. Nathan held my hand that night. From there we Engaged in September and Married the weekend before Christmas.


Nineteen months later we had Ella. Nineteen months after that we had Bree, and you guessed it, nineteen months after that we had Owen. For all you math attacks Owen is passed nineteen months and there is no news to give.



I am a stay at home mom, and I love the craziness of it. Most of you are probably laughing at me for starting this, knowing that organization is not my thing, but it is something I am working at. I sew and scrapbook, when I get the time. I am also the second councilor in Young Women's, and I love working with the youth. I am also a ward missionary.

Nathan works for Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. He is doing a desk job which is nice in the summer when it is HOT. In the winter he gets a little antsy to be outside. Nathan has every other Friday off, which we all love very much. We try to get a little extra family time in on those weekends. Nathan is the Wards Mission Leader, which gives us the opportunity to get to know the missionaries.

Ella just turned 5 and starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks. Time goes by fast. She is soooo ready for it. I am excited and scared and happy. She will be going full day at Alhambra Traditional School. I am excited about the program they have and how much she is going to learn. She already tells me she knows everything.

Bree is 3, and full of energy. Some days you just can't keep her from bouncing. She will try to move her birthday up so she can go to school too, but she has 2 years before she gets to go. We will do preschool time at home.

Owen, what to say about Owen. He is all Boy. I thought my girls were tom boy and I would know what to do when a boy came along. I was mistaken. Owen loves sports. If you are flipping through the TV and there is a basketball game, or soccer, or football (you get the picture) the runs to the TV yells BALL and goes crazy until you turn it back. Then he makes himself comfy on the couch and will watch it. He also loves cars. Anything on wheels, he can not get enough of.

I love each of there personalities. They are all so different and so much fun. I am excited to start this Blog and I hope I can keep up on it so you can have fun with us.

And it all started with one boy, one girl.