Wicked!

Bobi and Rich gave Mike and I tickets to see 'Wicked' for Christmas. We went to the show on Friday night and absolutely loved it. We sat in the 8th row fron the stage! We enjoyed an amazing dinner at BOA before the show. Truffle "Nacho's" , Caesar Salad(made table side), Garlic mashed potatoes, bamboo steamed vegetables, Filet Mignon and homemade cookies and ice cream for desert. Oh, and the fresh french rolls were the best! We really loved the food and had a great night out.

HO HO HO!!!

Santa found our house on Christmas Eve, and the kids were very happy Christmas morning. Julia was content just trying to eat the wrapping paper! She wasn't really sure what was going on but she was spoiled with some fun new toys. Ethan and Hyrum are trying out their new chairs. They yelled "massage chairs" when they saw them, and were a little disapointed when we told them they weren't massage chairs! Funny boys. They got star wars toys and lots of things with wheels, of course.

Mike got me a scooba(the round robot that sweeps and mops). He is a smart man! I got him a handheld GPS and he and the boys have already been on a few "treasure hunts". We had a really great Christmas and hope you all did too.

WINTER BREAK (aka torture for MOM)

Well, thank goodness for video games. Ethan has been out of school for 2 days and I am having a hard time keeping him happy. He has to be busy all the time or he ends up in a bad mood. Every morning he asks: What are we doing today? Are he going somewhere? Are some friends coming to play? When will Dad be home? The answer to that is Christmas Day. Mike is on a 4 day shift right now.Ugh! I hope we make it to Christmas. Then we have to keep Ethan happy for another 2 1/2 weeks until he is back in school. Wish me luck!!! Miss Julia has an ear infection and a cold. You wouldn't know it by her sweet smile though. We saw the Dr. on Tuesday and she is 14 pounds and 26 1/4 inches long. Way to grow little bug!

Hyrum's pre-school party left me over-stimulated and grouchy. 20 kids, plus parents doing crafts, eating and waiting for Santa. I was so glad that Hyrum was the 5th in line to see Santa so we could get home! I'm burned out and ready for all the parties, planning, and pressure to be over.

This is at the ward Christmas party. Julia wasn't very happy to see santa. The boy's gave him a few requests for toy's . I hope he can make them in time! Merry Christmas everyone!

All I want For Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth!!

Well, Julia is getting her Christmas wish early! 2 day's ago I found that her 2 bottom teeth had broken through. It's about time - She is 8 months old already. Here she is enjoying her first candy cane. Yummy!!!

A Visit From Grandma

My grandma Linda was able to come for a short visit last week. The kids loved having her here and all the exta attention they got was wonderful. I liked having someone to visit with while Mike was at work. We don't get to see her nearly enough because she is in Washington. Thank you Grandma for the nice visit during the Holiday Season!

January Concert!

Mike and I were able to get tickets for Garth Brooks' charity concert this January. Since he is retired this is really an exciting opportunity and we are looking forward to it. He is playing 5 concerts and they sold out in 59 minutes! We will think about all of you that aren't going while we are there having a great time!

Have A Happy Thanksgiving

A Happy Thanksgiving wish to all our friends and family. We are on our way to Rexburg,ID for a crisp Thanksgiving celebration with the Bruton's. Hope you enjoy the fun family photos - quite an accomplishment with 3 little ones!

Fun Times of Fall

Miss Julia is 7 1/2 months old now and loves eating in her new highchair. She is crawling really fast and gets into everything. Her favorite place to play is in the pantry. She is starting to pull herself into a standing position and so I lowered the crib mattress. Any Mom can understand what a sad day that is when you have to lower the mattress because your baby isn't such a small baby anymore! Here are our handsome boys on Nov.11 all ready for the Primary program. Ethan did a great job singing and saying his part like the little grown up he is. Our Hyrum was true to form and added a little comic relief to the program. He said his line perfectly and then he came down the stairs and started running down the aisle. I reached out to him and he yelled "I have to go potty!". He headed for the door and I followed with everyone laughing(including Mike and I). You can always count on Hyrum to liven things up!

Happy Halloween!

We all had a lot of fun at the church Halloween party! Ethan was Anikan Skywalker, Hyrum was Superman and Julia was a cheerleader. Bobi and Rich came to help with the kids. Mike missed out on all the fun because he is still at the Lake Arrowhead fire. He has been gone for 1 week now and so these pictures are for him. Love you daddy, come home soon.

The Pumpkin Patch

We made it over to the local Pumpkin Patch yesterday to choose our pumpkins. The kids think it is such an adventure! This year we went early enough to be able to get pumpkins that were firm and not squashy. We learned our lesson last year - Don't wait too long or all the good ones are gone!

Turning the big 30!!

We were finally ablr to get up to Santa Barbara to visit Jerry. It was a beautiful day at the beach for a party. Here is Jerry, Mike & Aaron enjoying some time together. Happy Birthday Jerry - don't worry about being 30 because the rest of us aren't far behind you!

We had a fun time visiting. Good job Heather for putting together the surprise party.

Lake Havasu

So,we suvived another family vacation! Enjoyed the last bit of hot weather and Ethan knee boarded for the first time.Yahoo!!!We were so proud of brave Ethan!
Mommy can't get enough of this little sweetie! She sure brightens up our lives. She has been trying to crawl and weighed in at 12 pounds 11 ounces at her 6 month appointment.

Our bright Hyrum -planting the tennis balls so that he will have more!

Such a happy girl. We have a hard time getting pictures of her without her thumb (or foot) in her mouth! This was her first time wearing pigtails. I've been waiting years for this moment!

Check out my Slide Show!

ON A ROLL!

Hyrum has been doing and saying 1 funny thing after another. Last week while Mike was on a 2 day shift he asked if Dad was coming home this year. I've been wondering the same thing!



On Sunday I forgot the lifesavers that I give the kids after the sacrament. Hyrum asked for 1 and when Mike told them I had forgotten them he yelled "Why did Mom forget the candy?" Then he threw himself on the floor and told us not to look at him. I thought that was the end of it but he was still mad and said "How could she do that!?". "I don't like Mom anymore because she forgot the candy". At this point I give Mike the signal to get him out of here and he throws Hyrum over his shoulder and leaves. By now people are laughing. The Bishop was laughing so hard that he had his face turned to the side while he tried to gain composure. At least the ward has a sense of humor.



Then, on Monday we found Hyrum in the back yard burring and watering tennis balls. He wanted them to grow and make more for him to play with. It reminds me of the "magic goldimarols" !

Mr.Sneaky!!

Hyrum started pre-school this week. I went with him on Thursday to be a parent helper. They had outdoor play time for about 20 minutes and when time was up the teacher blew her whistle and all the kids lined up to go back inside. We counted the kids and 1 was missing. A quick scan of the playground showed no one there. We re-counted the kids and that is when I realized that it was MY kid that was mising!! He was hiding in the tube slide because he was not done playing outside. Smart kid. But, I hope he doesn't do it again!!

CUTE AS A BUG!!

Our bug is wearing a cute outfit from Grandma. We call her our rolly-polly bug becase she rolls and scoots herself all over the floor! The boys love handing her toys and making her smile.

The Birthday Boy

On Monday we had a swim party for Ethan's 7th Birthday. It was a rowdy group!! 8 little boy's makes for a real houseful. They all had a great time and I even found time for a dip in the pool around 8pm when all the excitement was over. Ethan is growing up so fast -- next year will be the BIG 8!!!

Growing like a weed

Julia is almost 5 months now. What a sweet baby! She is eating baby cereal and rolling all over.She has an attitude though. She cried the whole time I was at back to school night with Ethan and we ended up having to leave. Hard to believe someone with such a cute face can be so naughty!!!

ONE OF THOSE DAYS!!!!

So, I thought Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest. But today was anything but. Mike worked today which leaves me with 3 kids to entertain, clean, and get to church....on time I might add. I woke up with a migrain that I couldn't get rid of which just adds to the fun. So, I was doing great, had the boys in the tub and Julia dressed and fed and in her jumper toy so I could get myself dressed. I heard her crying and went to check on her when I saw it.........Like a mud slide under the jumperoo!!! She had a major diaper blowout all down her legs and on the floor and she had been jumping in it. The worst part was her beautiful white lacey church socks were now yellow. Clean-up was a major undertaking, I had to break out or steam cleaner for the carpet. Well, all the delays made us late for church ,but we were there in time for Primary. Isn't being a mom FUN!!!!???

BACK TO SCHOOL

Ethan has been in 2nd grade for 2 weeks now. He is doing great with only an occasional warning from his teacher for talking. I know it's not his fault he is a chatterbox - he comes by it honestly! The boys are both in soccer - I am the taxi driver! it's hard to believe Hyrum will be in school next year too, time goes by soooo fast.

Shaver Lave

We enjoyed 4 days of cooler weather at Shaver Lake with the Taylor's. The boy's had a wonderful time(they love the outdoors). Julia did pretty well on the trip too. We look forward to going again next year.

Where Is Home?

We went "home" to Rexburg to visit my family last week. The kids had a great time getting wet at the water park & fishing with Papa. Mike and I enjoyed a 10pm showing of Harry Potter and attended my HS reunion. But what we always love the most about being there is the easy going pace, the kind people and the beautiful sunsets. So, I was suprised that on our trip home , as Apple Valley came into view, for the first time it felt like home. We have lived here for 2 years now and I always frown at the dry desert view. But, I guess if you live somewere long enough, it becomes home & you see a new beauty in it. It was good to go "home" to Rexburg for a visit, but it felt great to really come home.

Our Hyrum With Papa

Ethan

Happy 4th of July!!

Here are Ethan, Hyrum & Julia ready for a fun filled 4th of July. Dad spent the day on patrol in his fire engine keeping people safe. I took the kids to Grandma & Grandpa's for swimming, BBQ and fireworks. It was a great day!