Fresh Lemonade in January

It's that time of year again! The lemon trees are overflowing here in AZ and my girls and itching to make some fresh squeezed lemonade! This year they spent hours preparing the signs that we hung around the neighborhood with balloons. We have a juicer attachment and juiced as many lemons as we could snatch from Uncle Kelly's trees.

Even G was in on the action!

The girls spent a few hours set-up in front of the house and sold TONS!! They made about $10 because of some generous neighbors and return customers. We love this weather!

Pregnancy...Shoot!

Marian and Mike got a nice camera for Christmas and so we had a last minute pregnancy shoot as they were loading into their car. I kept thinking I should get more pictures of the belly, since this is MOST LIKELY the last baby! Thanks Marian :) My unborn child thanks you. I am the worst at just creating poses, but she did a great job capturing the belly and my other cute kids. We even got the popular heart pic with Tim's hands included. I'm sure glad we took these before my belly got even bigger. We are ready to pop by now.

After Christmas Visitors!

Marian always gives the most creative gifts--this is vinyl lettering for the top of my Kitchen Aid mixer.

My Sisters! We missed Hilary so much too! After Christmas we had my parents and sister Briana come stay for a couple of days. The Kanets also drove out to visit! It was a full house and we loved it. Although I was a slacker with the camera, we did get a few shots at the end of the visit. It's never long enough when cousins come to play!

2 prego bellies

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids

We visited the "Hole in the Rock" next to the Phoenix Zoo before heading to the Zoo Lights that evening. It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa and Briana all to ourselves for a minute!

We love having visitors!

End of Soccer Season

The end of the soccer season was fantastic! And I don't just say this as a tired/pregnant mom that is loving having her Monday/Wednesday/Thursday evenings and Sat mornings back!!

Kennedy was thrilled to receive her first trophy and medal for the U6 team. She had so much fun practicing and playing with her friends. I will miss this outlet for her...although she is not sure she wants to play again next year. Maybe we'll try gymnastics next.

Taylor's team went into the tournament in 2nd place, but surprisingly lost both games and came in 4th place for her division. However, she was chosen by her team-mates to compete in the All Star game for U8. It was exciting to see all the best players play each other and really have some competition. Taylor had the best play I've ever seen in U8!! A boy on her team kicked a perfect corner kick into the air and Taylor headed it into the goal, scoring a point. Tim got it all on film and hasn't stopped talking about it since. A true "proud parent" moment. I even shed some tears--it was that exciting! And did I mention that I'm pregnant and cry during commercials... Tim's probably sent it off to College Soccer scouts already!

The girls are non-stop pretending to be prego too--so funny.

Over Christmas break we spent a Saturday exploring Cabela's. They have lots of stuffed animals and a huge fish tank. We were there when the diver came to feed the fish, which was pretty cool.

Christmas Morning

Santa brought Taylor the curling iron she has always dreamed of--she was SO excited!

I really didn't get many pictures of Christmas morning this year. We kept things pretty simple and tried hard to buy valuable gifts, instead of just buying to buy. Each child received 3 gifts: a need, a want and a treasure. And Santa came through too!

Grant mesmerized with his Monster Truck and all the stocking goodies. Each year the stockings are filled with fun little trinkets, peanuts with the shells and an orange. It's tradition!

Taylor's "treasure" gift was her own set of scriptures with her name imprinted on them. What a life-long treasure these will be...
If you look closely you can see the necklace that Kennedy gave Taylor. It's a BFF necklace in a set with one for herself too. I have to say that was the cutest, sweetest gift of Christmas this year. The fact that Kennedy wanted to wear BFF necklaces with her sister was so cute. I tell them all the time that their sisters will be your best friends their entire life---BUT I never thought they were listening. I got a little teary!

Kennedy was so excited to get the game she requested. She had never played it before, but had seen some commercials about how amazing it was! Oh, commercials.

Tim spoiled me by getting me the iPhone. I am pretty clueless with how to use it, but have to admit that is definitely something I would not have gotten myself, but love it. I made a year's worth of dates for Tim in a big envelope. We will be glad to have something planned this next year! However, not as cool as an iPhone :)

Something that I loved about this Christmas season was the fact that we were able to stay home and make some of our own traditions. Even though it was a little different to be away from Grandparents and cousins, we made wonderful memories on our own. We are growing up!

We did the 12 days of Christmas: Service Edition this year. Our family came up with 12 simple ideas to serve others and try hard to put the focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The kids really got into it and each night became a memorable experience. Some of the ideas we had were: tying a fleece quilt for someone (the girls did all the tying!), doing an Angel Tree tag @ WalMart, picking up trash in the neighborhood, making treats for the neighbors on our entire court and delivering them, donating some of our toys and clothes to Goodwill, collecting our change for the Salvation Army bell ringer--This was fun to surprise them with; lots of pennies!), passing out candy canes at a retirement home and lots more.

I love to visit Retirement Homes / Care Homes etc. There is just something so rewarding and enriching about talking to older people. They have such wisdom and most are sweethearts that just want to be noticed. We brought 12 candy canes to pass around and used them to nudge our way into conversations. We met some really sweet people on Christmas Eve that looked rather lonely. Whenever I do something like this I like to stand back and watch and listen to Tim. He is so cute at creating conversation with strangers and making them feel good about themselves and cheering them up. My kids came away from this night feeling the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas 2011

Grant on Santa's lap at our Ward Christmas Party. He wouldn't let go of the cherished balloon. I don't think he ever made eye contact with Santa either. But, he asked for a monster truck and sat up there without crying.

Taylor wasn't too sure if she was too old for this stuff this year! She pretended not to be excited, but deep down she still believes and tried to play it cool. I love that she's still wanting to believe and it's exciting. She asked for a curling iron.

Kennedy was confident this year that she had been a good girl. She asked for the board game Operation and gave lots of smiles to Santa. I love this age!!

Acting out the Nativity
Every year we read the Nativity story and act it out as it's being narrated. Usually we have lots of cousins around to help, but this year we had to get creative and double up on some of the characters. Taylor memorized the angel's lines, Kennedy switched it up being Joseph and a sheep / shepherd and it was all we could do to convince Grant to be the donkey. It was only fitting that I be the pregnant Mary! Daddy was the narrator and it was a quick play Christmas morning after church.

Kennedy Turns 6!

Kennedy woke up to a birthday surprise before school. She really wanted to open her presents and have a little family party first thing! I've never seen her get ready this fast before. One of her favorite presents was a huge doll that she had been asking for for Christmas...which was supposed to be a Christmas present (we just didn't hide it good enough!).

This year Kennedy wanted to have a Hello Kitty party! We made invitations and invited the entire Kindergarten class, friends from church and soccer. She only wanted to invite the girls (and the 3 boys in her class didn't show up..so it worked out). We rushed home after 2 soccer games on a Saturday and threw together the last minute everythings for the party. It was a wild day! We played "pin the bow on Hello Kitty", limbo, ate cupcakes, opened presents and played freeze tag in the backyard. A fun day for Kennedy!

6 year old interview:
Favorites
Color- Pink and Purple
Friend- Selena Adams
Food- Mac and Cheese
Animal- Cat
Book- Curious George
Scripture Story- When Nephi gets tied up on the ship
Movie- All the princess Disney movies
TV show- iCarly
Outfit- Zebra sweatshirt and Hello Kitty shirt and jeans
Game- Playing Barbies
Subject at school- writing words
Treat- All!
Thing to do with Mom- cuddle
Thing to do with Dad- play hide and go seek
Holiday- Christmas
Why? Because it's fun and you get presents and it's Jesus' birthday
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom
Primary Teacher- Sister Von Moses
Kindergarten Teacher- Mrs. Frechette
If you could change your name, what would you choose? Rose
Vacation Spot- Canada and Hawaii
Why? Because they are fun places
Something you wish for? Kids--when I get pregnant and have kids

Part of the Utah trip!

We traveled to Utah to be with the Webb side of the family this year for Thanksgiving. We spent the night at my sister Marian's in Vegas to shorten up the trip a bit. I am so glad we did this! Grant is just not a happy guy in the car. I can't wait until he'll sit still and watch a movie for longer than 5 minutes. He wants live entertainment, people! But, of course by then I'll have another baby. And so it begins all over again.

We stopped by the BYU campus on our way up to my grandparent's home in Riverton. It was so nice to walk around for a few hours and show the kids where Daddy and I went to college. It's never too early to start brainwashing them. The huge autumn leaves were beautiful and the mountains just make me feel safe and comfortable. Arizona doesn't really do autumn like that! So many good memories of this place! The kids were delighted to find some old snow piles and roll down the huge hill by the library. We spent quite some time in the Bookstore and each came home with a souvenir. We even ran into some of Tim's Merced friends. Miss that place!

Thanksgiving will be a separate post when I get some pictures! But, my birthday was on Black Friday this year. It was nice to be with so much family and feel special on my big day. My mom made me an angel food cake, Tim took advantage of Black Friday to go and shop for some presents, Marian did my nails, I milked a few back rubs out of some siblings and we got together with the Bushman side for some games and dinner at my cousin Tyler's beautiful home. I wouldn't have had it any other way!

When we first told the girls our Thanksgiving plans they immediately began talking about playing in the snow. There wasn't too much snow on the ground when we got there, so we made a special (short!) trip up the canyon the day we left to get in some snow time. And it turns out that 10 minutes in the snow was long enough for everyone :) Grant fell asleep in the car on the way up the canyon, so I stayed in the car with him and enjoyed the view. Kennedy got snow in her shoe and has told me several times since we've been home that she in fact "Does not like the snow!!". Hopefully next time we can do some sledding.

I got to visit with some old roommate from my freshman year at BYU. I absolutely LOVE these girls and could sit for hours with them and catch up. How did I get so lucky to be randomly paired with some of the best people I know? So fun to see them! I also surprised my good friend Krystal at her house (no picture--darn!) with a quick visit. It's never long enough when you see old friends.

We traveled home through St. George and spent the night at my grandparent's winter home. Again, so glad we could break up the time in the car. We also stopped by the Hoover Dam on the way home and took the tour with the kids. Every time we go I learn lots of new things. What an amazing structure built in only 3 years! The kids were thrilled to get out of the car and run around for awhile. Thank goodness we tired Grant out and he slept most of the rest of the way home. And...the biggest bonus of the trip was the our van did not get a flat tire, no one got sick and we did everything we had planned! It's still our last road trip for awhile.

A Play and a Parade

Our local library put on the play "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". It was a 2 man play where they changed character throughout the performance...Amazing job! Grant even sat through the entire performance intrigued by all the costumes and accents. He did jump when they put on the lion mask. The girls had seen the movie, so were able to follow along the storyline pretty well.

This year for Veterans Day we followed the crowd to the parade in Phoenix. We brought donuts and stuffed ourselves while we waited for it to begin. The girls were SOO excited to see the parade and cheer for all the participants. Taylor yelled at the top of her lungs "Thank you for your service!!!" to anyone that looked official, and so Kennedy joined in too. It was an amazing feeling to honor the veterans of war. I can't help but get chocked up when I think of all the things they have sacrificed to protect our country. They even had some Pearl Harbor Vets and some cute little grandmas in cheerleader uniforms--I was impressed!

Halloween 2011

Tim- Cute Dracula, Sarah-Overdone Cowgirl, Grant-Sweet Cowboy, Kennedy-Spunky Cheerleader, Taylor-Spooky Vampiress

This year the YW were in charge of the Trunk or Treat at church. We had a chili cook-off, costume parade, carnival games (cake walk, fishing booth, ghost craft, face-painting booth, photo-booth and hayride) and then trunk or treating in the parking lot. Whew! The youth ran all the games and it turned out really fun. It's always hard when you're in charge of events, because I didn't seem to take many pictures of my own children! It was exhausting and a blast all rolled into one. But, maybe next year the Elder's Quorum can be in charge of this one...

Taylor really wanted to be something scary this Halloween and saw this "Vampiress" costume in a catalog. I wasn't sure I was ready for her to leave all the cute and sweet costume options behind and go for the dark and gloomy. BUT, I found this costume at Kid to Kid for $3 and it ended up being the exact costume she saw from the catalog. Love it when that happens!

Yes, this costume needs an explanation! Kennedy wanted to be a cheerleader this year and was pretty set in her ways. Our friends are HUGE U of U fans and had this little costume to borrow. It was a little bit painful to dress my child in something so against my beliefs in every shape and form. First of all--the cheerleader issue, and then BYU's nemesis to top things off! Good thing she has no idea what she's doing and has made no commitments to her college of choice. Ha ha. With a little Photoshop editing...this never happened.

What a sweeet cowboy! Grant kept his hat on really well. There's just something about a little guy in a hat and chaps.

Tim loves to decorate the trunk for the "Trunk or Treat" part of the night. It's really cute to see him get into it. I think it may be his favorite holiday. It didn't take long for Grant to get the hang of saying "tick ohh teeet" and thank you before he was on to the next car. This stage is so fun.

On Halloween night we had our friends the Twedes over for dinner and then walked around our neighborhood to fill our buckets! It was beautiful weather and we didn't even need jackets. We love Arizona this time of year.

Thundercats & Jaguars!

Soccer season began a couple of months ago. Taylor is still in U8 (barely young enough!). She's the oldest on her team and is doing fantastic! Most games she scores at least one goal and she is one of the top players. It's been fun to see her really get pumped up about soccer and see a lot of the strategy and placement "clicking" this season. She loves it! Her coach is great and it's been refreshing to be on the sidelines to cheer her on this year instead of coaching :)

They switch up her position every game, sometimes even playing goalie! I think it's more stressful for Tim and I to watch her play goalie than for Taylor to play goalie. She has been playing mid-field most of the time lately, since she is great at scoring and getting back to play defense too. She is a runner and puts her whole heart and soul into each game!

Jaguars--undefeated so far!!

We can't forget about the #1 fan, Grant. He has been to lots of practices and games lately and loves to play on the nearby playground, in the dirt piles and with the spare soccer balls on the side. We are lucky to have lots of little kid siblings on each team for him to be entertained.

Kennedy is on the Thundercats for her first season of playing U6. She is really starting to understand the concept of the game and stays with the bunch ball swarm pretty well. She has scored 2 goals and is getter better each week. Tim is the Assistant Coach, although his work schedule has only permitted him to come to the games to help.

Kennedy's favorite part about soccer is scoring goals and having the snack :) We have 3 families from our ward on the team and so it's been a fun time to socialize too. I can't believe next year she will be moving up to U8!

Last week Kennedy told me that when she's a mom she will ask her kids what sport they want to play and she will let them choose! I think she's losing some interest in the all the practicing (once a week)--"It's SOO much hard work!" Maybe next year she will forget...

Hi, I'm Sarah

Come check out my new profile on Mormon.org

http://mormon.org/me/6M0J/#

Family of SIX!!

When I was about 10 weeks we told the kids that we were pregnant by playing Pictionary with lots of baby themed drawings. It was so fun to see them connect all the clues and pictures. They are pretty thrilled and have done a FANTASTIC job taking care of the Mama.

AND today we found out it's a baby BOY!! We are excited and due February 26th (could it be a leap year baby??). We were hoping (and trying!!--Google the "Shettles Method" if you're curious) for a boy so I was not too surprised. I'm 18 weeks right now and feeling huge already. I guess that's what baby #4 will do to you. As soon as my body figured out it was pregnant it just went right to business expanding all areas that had previously been stretched. For some reason this was the hardest first trimester of all my pregnancies. I would like to blame the heat...and possibly my age! You already feel BLAH because it's 115 outside and then you add the bits of nausea to it. I think I was low in iron a lot because I felt like I was going to pass out a lot and spent a lot of time on the couch moaning and groaning. Luckily that part is over! Whew... on to the fun part of picking a name and planning for a little brother. Any name suggestions?

Taylor is 8

For Taylor's 8th birthday this year we decided to keep it all in the family. We were busy planning for her upcoming baptism and family party! So, on her real birthday she requested going to a movie and out to eat. We put on our b-day tiaras and headed off to see Kung Fu Panda 2. It was super cute! Then we kept the theme and went to eat at Panda Express and hit the car show on the way home. We made ice cream cookie sandwiches and had a day all about Taylor. Our sweet neighbor Hayes even baked her a huge chocolate chip cookies with the letter T on it...what a day! I still can't believe she's eight!!

Taylor's Baptism

Taylor was baptized by her Dad on September 3, 2011
She was beaming!

It's so sweet to see the relationship these two have already...

Taylor wore a white dress to get baptized that Grandma Webb made for her! It was special to have a bit of sentimental value, (even if she did have to get dunked twice because the dress came up in the water.)

After she was baptized she changed into a dress that Mema got for her.
The 2 grandmas represented! I am so proud of Taylor for making such a great decision to be baptized. Grandma Webb and Uncle Brian gave fantastic talks, the cousins all sang "I am a Child of God" together and lots of other participants to make for a sweet spirit on a special day. I know this is the start of a great journey for her. She is lucky to have a strong foundation in the true church and such a support system of family and friends. Taylor tries hard to do her best each day and has taken the whole process quite seriously.

The whole crew! We are so blessed to have had most of our family with us for Taylor's special day! Thanks to everyone for coming and especially those that had to travel quite the distance! We love you guys! And we for sure missed the family that could not make it.

We took advantage of all the family in town and partied it up! It was a full couple of houses (thanks for all that played hotel!). We enjoyed cousin time, swimming at the Webb's for a nice bbq, playing games, eating out with my moms and sisters, talking and eating up all my cute nieces and nephews and just plain catching up! Wish we all lived closer!!!