.........the LOW down.........

Doing Disneyland!!

2012-01-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

Kevin's best friend, Kien, wanted nothing more than to go to Disneyland with his Best Buddy, Kevin...so although we had to say no at first through some magical blessings (my Sister and brother-in-law winning 4 tickets to Disneyland off the radio and then deciding to give them to us) we were able to go after all. It was so much fun and all the boys had an absolute blast together. We were joined by some of the Cooke's friends as well who had 6 wonderfully well behaved children of their own, so it was quite a party!!

We started the day on the tram from the parking lot which for Isaac rivaled any ride in the park!!

truth be known the circus train was Isaac's very favorite ride and he was talking about it days later still :D

We met up with all of our friends in the park!!

we split early on at Splash Mountain for the braver souls to ride Splash mountain and we kept a couple of the less brave that day to ride Winnie the pooh!!

Caleb actually rode Splash Mountain but we did a second run on Winnie the Pooh ride and he and Adam got to ride together (Adam sat Splash Mountain out this time)

We rode rides with our friends throughout the day then ate dinner. After dinner we separated by height...the taller kids went with Bryan and Joel and the Shorter ones with Shel and I. This is where we got to ride The Circus Train, Dumbo, Mr Toads Wild Ride, and the Carousel...the Tall kids Rode Space Mountain, Star Wars, The Matterhorn, and Kevin (the tallest as of now) got to ride Indian Jones. They had a blast riding the big rides!!

Then we finished the perfect Disneyland day out with some Fireworks and a Monorail ride to Wetzel's Pretzels (outside the park).

by this time Isaac had succumbed to his "ganky and baba"... :D

What a Day!!!

A 6 Year Old is Roaming Our House

2012-01-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

So this year we rented out the brand new pool house in our community for Kevin's 6th birthday party. It was extra special because we were the very first party at the Pool House!! We broke it in so to speak and what better way than with a 6 year old birthday party :D

Doesn't our minivan look awesome in this pic??

how the venue looks when it is not overtaken with 6 year olds!!

clockwise: Kevin, Ryan, Dillon, and Adam

at the back of the table by Bryan is Brandon and Vincent.

We opened gifts!!

the cute girl with the ribbon in her hair is Alexis!

Now can you guess what we did for Kevin's party? It may not be clear by the pictures :D

we did not have a wrestling party...

Although it looks that way and Alexis would have totally won even though she was the only girl...

But we had a "Cars II" Party and watched the movie on the giant screen with popcorn and treats and it was the loudest craziest movie EVER!!! but everyone had tons of fun and I am sure everyone involved slept very well that night. Kevin had a blast running around with his friends and Isaac loved collecting all the little cars he had gotten as gifts and putting them in a bag and keeping them away from anyone who wanted them. It was lots of fun renting the pool house which was enclosed and pretty soundproof. Also I didn't have to clean my house for the event...yay!!

A Better Late than Never Return to blogging!!

2012-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ok I know I have been a serious slacker on blogging. And the longer it has gone on the harder it is, because I have so much to catch up on it is practically daunting!! It gets a little crazy around here come fall with birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all within 2 months of eachother and add pregnancy and just the fact I have 3 kiddos to that (oh and that I am a procrastinator anyway) and you get this...a backlog of blog posts...

Halloween!!!

Superman, Iron Man, and Captain America!!

this year we got to celebrate Halloween 4 times!! Once at Kevin's school, then at two different trunk or treats, one in Agua Dulce and one in Anaheim, then on Halloween night!! So it was a crazy weekend and as Mom I was a sort of glad to see the festivities pass!!

at Kevin's school we played games in order to win prizes like Dracula teeth and stickers!!!

We decorated pumpkins!!

and Isaac had his first experience trick-or-treating. by the end he was definitely a believer in this game and loved filling his basket with candy. He has gotten an insatiable sweet tooth!!

Our Second Party took us to Agua Dulce and hanging out with our best buddies the Cooke Family!

We got our faces painted so we could zombie, Captain America....hhhhhhmmmmm....

Best friends, Kien and Kevin!!

a rowdy group of boys!! Except Isaac he looks a little bewildered...(he is rowdy too, though)

the cute Cooke Family.

So there are more pictures from Halloween but I have not been able to get the hubby to send them to me from his phone so I have waited to do this post long enough and decided to post with what I had so that's it!! If anyone has Halloween Pics they think should have made it, please send them along :D I'll add them in!!

We then went to the trunk-or-treat in Anaheim with Grandma and Grandpa which was tons of fun and the boys loved going through the haunted house that they had helped Daddy make!!

Then on Halloween Night we went to Papa and Mima's neighborhood and went trick-or-treating and got spoiled there too. The boys had a blast at all the events and I had fun finding ways to donate candy wherever I could :D

Things I want to remember about now!!

2011-12-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

So these are some of my favorite posts because I know I will not remember if I don't write it down and I really don't want to forget these small things that make full days for me now. So here goes in no particular order: Things I just must remember...

Let's start with Isaac since he is the youngest...

Car trains...Isaac loves to build long trains out of all of the cars he can find. He started doing this a couple months ago and now he can build them all the way from the living room to our bedroom and the size and shape of the car doesn't matter. He will put hot wheel cars in line with 12 inch firetrucks as long as they line up he is pleased :D

MIRE MAN!! Mire Man is the word Isaac uses for any superhero character or any character that does not look human but seems "cool" to him. This started with Spider Man. He has a spider man t-shirt and would say Mire Man for Spider Man but once Halloween hit and the boys were all superheros (another post I need to do) they were all Mire Man.

Baba and Ganky...These are Isaac's most beloved items, his blanket, a crochet blanket made by Shel Cooke and his pacifier. He will not sleep without both of them and he would prefer to have them both with him at all times. He drags his ganky around with him all day long, every morning down the stairs it comes and he even uses it as an obstacle for his car trains and builds them right over it like a mountain pass.

Snow Boots...I got Isaac a new pair of snow boots this year and they are his favorite things. He can put them on by himself. Often times he will be wearing them with nothing else or really with anything he has on...

No Pants! Isaac loves to take his pants off recently he has even begun taking off his diaper too...He takes his pants off anywhere usually in public he just pulls them down for no apparent reason, because he can. People think it is cute...I'm not sure that is what I think of it but he thinks it is hillarious and his big brothers definitely egg him on...

Okay now for Adam:

Adam is so into Legos right now. He builds me race cars and space ships and Temples and towers. He just loves building. He can also build a house with doors and windows with his Lincoln logs in about 3 minutes flat...amazing...

We recently had our Primary Program and one of the songs they were supposed to learn was called Scripture Power (very cute song) and one of the lines is "Scripture Power keeps me safe from SIN" Adam was convinced that this line went like this..."Scripture Power keeps me safe from Sid" I would correct him and he would disagree with me. So asked him why he thought it was Sid? He said, "Because Sid in Toy Story is a Bad Kid and Scary and the Scriptures will keep me safe from him" We got to have a talk about what sin was and why it pertained to the song and eventually he came around but we still loved his version too...

and Kevin

first a funny story...I personally love conversations between Kevin and Adam in the backseat of the car. They are almost always entertaining to me and this particular one made me laugh out loud...

Kevin, "I am never getting married"

Adam "Why"

Kevin, "I don't want to ever kiss a girl"

Adam, "It's okay you only have to do it one time when you get married"

Ha ha ha he he he ha ...okay so I guess they will be in for a rude awakening on that one some day :D

GPS Fingers...So Kevin is very good at directions in the car he can get pretty much anywhere or tell people how to get there while in the car with them. One day on the way to school I didn't have my GPS on, it usually turns on automatically but recently sometimes it doesn't I'm not sure why. Kevin noticed and said mom how will you know how to get to my school? I told him I could probably remember the way, but that didn't satisfy him. He then said, "Mom, can you see me in your mirror?" I looked back, "yes" He said, "good just watch me and I will make sure we get there" What then happened was that he took his fingers and would point them any direction we should be going all the way to school checking frequently to make sure I was paying attention and could see him...I snapped this shot...

Monday Night with the Family in October!!

2011-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we carved our pumpkins. We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's new home here in Anaheim. The boys got hard to work on the pumpkins and then Isaac decided to come in and help me and Grandma with treats, like super fun Halloween sugar cookies and hot chocolate!! He was an awesome helper and the big boys rocked it on our super cool Jack-o-lanterns!!

Adam is 4

2011-10-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Adam turned 4 last month and we threw a party!! Although I was still very sick I sucked it up for a day and I have to admit it turned out well. Lots of his friends from preschool showed up along with some of his favorite family members like Papa and Mima and G-Ma and Grandpa and Aunt Sarah, and Aunt Lindsey too. He also got his best buddies Caleb and Kien to come down from Agua Dolce, he is one lucky and loved little man!!

I made these cuties to give to all of our winners/participants in our field games!!

Toss the rubber chicken was a big hit!!

Sack races always are fun to watch :D

3 legged races are fun to watch too

We also had just plain races and tug-o-war which were not photographed

then we ate some lunch (hot dogs and chips) and opened some gifts!!

Here is some of the gang, left to right

Braden, Garvey, Adam, Brandon, and Kevin

Then we had cupcakes in ice cream cones!! They turned out super cute and the kids thought they were awesome!!

I want to give a special thank you to Papa who was our grill master and the only reason we have any pictures of this event, so thank you so much Papa!!!

I Love My Boys!!

2011-10-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

well I just found a treasure trove of new pics on my computer from where my hubby downloaded his phone pics, yay and I found some fun ones that I had to share!!

So here are some pics and why they are so awesome!!

They play ball with Dad!!

scooters are way big at our house

boys don't mind getting dirty!!!

or wet for that matter

They innately love camping and hiking (at least mine do)

throwing rocks into water will never get old for us!!

boys are crazy no doubt about it

they don't have to wear shirts and steal each other's food!!

Sand from head to toe is definitely not something to worry about

a messy face is pretty normal

climbing up on big rocks to get really wet and scare mom is the most fun

for these and many many more reasons we are so excited to be adding one more boy to our family

Boys Rule, Girls Drool

(at least at our house)

Utah!!

2011-09-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

So, way back at the beginning of August, we packed up the family in our Mini-Van and took it on it's first real road trip to Utah. We drove to Las Vegas the first night and stayed there then left for American Fork, Utah, where our good friends the Thompsons now live and they were so gracious to let us stay with them for a few nights. On our way we stopped in St. George to see this beautiful Temple.

and who should we run into but our best buddies, the Cooke Family also heading to Utah. We were all headed to Utah for a decidedly sad occasion, Our good friend's the Gray's had just lost their newborn son, Henry, and we were going to stand by their side I had to wait a considerably long time to write this post because I am just so dang emotional about the whole thing. Seeing Emily and Brent and their strength has really strengthened me in my testimony of our purposes here on Earth and the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

We got to American Fork and walked to the neighborhood park to get all those car trip wiggles out, it was beautiful we were little enamored as neither Bryan nor I had been through Utah since we were children and I had just driven through on one of our Cross Country Moves.

it poured down rain the second we walked back in the door to the house...with lightening and thunder and all, quite a treat for my boys!!

The next day we went to Salt Lake City for the funeral.

We decided to stop by and see the Salt Lake City Temple before hand and it was really nice and the boys absolutely loved it, plus they got hang out with Kien and Caleb and that is always fun!!

touching the door to the Temple: Kevin said he could here Jesus talking inside. I asked him what he said, He said, "He said to be a Good Example" man, I love this kid...

We went out for lunch after the Temple and after the funeral we went out for lunch again?? but we wanted to get to spend a little time with our friends the Stevens

6 of the 7 boys all 5 years old or younger that we took out to eat, that poor waitress!

I stole these pics off of their blog...but I'm in em' so I figured it was okay :) Here we are, an old gang reunited

after the funeral was a get together at Brent's family home. It was so nice to get to see our friends, Brent and Emily, Kristen and Jake and the kiddos, and Claire and Eric and the kiddos, all friends we hadn't seen in such a long time as we all live in different states or countries right now.

Saturday we just hung out with the Thompson's and took it easy before we had to leave for home that evening. The boys had their first experience with a slip-n-slide (they are hooked). and we picked apricots which was another really fun pastime...

we got lots of apricots!!

Then we headed home and that is when we got this news!!

(it is related to advil and my desire to take some but fear that maybe I shouldn't)

Then we went swimming at the hotel!! Then headed the rest of the way home.

I brought HALF the apricots home and decided to make apricot preserves...and thus had my first canning experience (as and adult) and it was good so yay!!

The End

When 3 just isn't enough

2011-09-15T15:55:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Sister is Wed in Laguna Beach

2011-08-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

So on July 24 My sister got married** in Laguna Beach, Ca. We gathered the troops and hiked down to the beach taking pictures all along the way and were met there by the local preacher, Don, who performed the ceremony. It was very beautiful and very fun to get to know John better along the walk and to spend time with so much of our family we were just missing Jessie and her family, but she has a newborn and was home bound, or at least local bound out in Tennessee. So here are some pics from the day. Rachael and John spent the whole week out here and saw everything from Hollywood to Coronado while here so they left tired and sunned but I think they loved it and maybe we will get them to come back soon : D

family Pick. This is the most family we have ever had in one picture, I believe.

the boys

the girls (I look a little heavy in that outfit, I won't wear it again)

my boys

the sweet spot for a beach ceremony!

you may kiss the bride!!!!!!!!!!!!

the sun was super bright and nobody wanted to look at the camera so we got silly pics!!

I kinda love this one!

mom and dad, officially have all their girls married off!!!

After the ceremony we headed back to mom and dad's place to have dinner and cake!!

Josh was having a hard time waiting : D

It was a really BIG bite!

yes, he bit her...(we kinda love this guy)

but she got him back with a Hitler, 'stache...

We are so happy to welcome John into our family...Congratulations Rachael and John and may you have a lifetime of happiness together!

More Random Summer fun Part 2

2011-08-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

We went to our Cousin's wedding on July 9th!! Ashley and Bryce were married and it was beautiful!!

and...we danced. Bryan was dancing with Lorraine so Bob and I decided to "try" to make them jealous of our dancing skills, but Lorraine was pretty good and Bryan was a good follower so we never really succeeded, but had fun trying : D

aaahhh beach days, How I love Corona Del Mar!

and Rainy Days the perfect excuse to wear our rain boots in July!!

and sleepy days, this is how it goes when daddy has the boys for a Saturday, he wears em' out!!

and movie days, with popcorn!!

Swing ball, our new outdoor/beach game is super fun and loved by the whole family!!

pb&j a family favorite and awesome mess maker

Hanging with the boys at Cooke Ranch for a pool and pizza party!!

Daddy had a birthday and blew out imaginary candles!!

for Daddy's birthday Sarah, Josh and I surprised him with a closet makeover which included a paint job and ended up taking a few days and required the help of friends near and far by the time it was over (thank you Hillary)

another picture I found of camping in Yosemite. I love this pic of Kevin so I wanted to add it in.

another picture of Kevin's preschool graduation, super cute and he was so super excited about his accomplishment :D He memorized his lines in the program perfectly and they were long lines too.

and Last but not least we had our 10th anniversary. which ended up being a little odd but lots of fun. Bryan had to study for a test that is coming up and so I had planned on going to watch project runway with some friends so B came with me up to Studio City and we had dinner at Aroma Cafe and then he studied while I went and watched Project runway with the girls then when it was over we had some dessert together then headed home. It was a really fun evening and we both got to do a lot of what we wanted/needed to do and still got a date out of it...oh yah and props to Grandma and Grandpa who had the kiddos spend the night and had them all the next day as I went and worked at the shop for my mom so she could have a grand kids day!! They went to the park, swimming, and the movies, and the book store it was quite a day!

4th Of July

2011-08-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

We started out our day by canning some oatmeal and sugar!!

This picture was taken by Kevin!

Then we went swimming!! So much fun. Isaac is getting very brave with his little floaty thing and was venturing away from daddy...

We took some good naps then we had Ice Cream!!

Then we made sure we were 4th of July ready and headed up to Kairu Goddard's Home for a BBQ and fireworks!

Then we partied until very late like 10 p.m. with lots and lots of our friends!

Adam loved the fireworks!!

Isaac did not they were pretty loud, but I love this picture with his little flag and his Daddy

Our Summer So Far

2011-07-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

As it might have been noticed I got really behind on my blogging, but I recently got the first year of my blog printed in a hardcover book and am now re-inspired to keep up with it. But before I can really do much I have a little catching up to do. So this post is a little bit of everything we have been doing for the last 4 months. So Here goes with the first being the oldest until the end which will be more recent.

Laguna Beach is one of our favorite spots because we can almost always get Grandpa to join us and that makes it just a little bit more fun!!

Isaac loves capris suns I mean LOVES he is hilarious with it so it is extra special when we get them for beach trips :D

My Little Helper, Adam folded that whole pile of towels himself he is such a big helper

When I head to beach, this is how I roll

Isaac's first Father-Son camping trip was a little tough on daddy as he was awake most of the night, but that didn't stop him from having tons of fun. He loved rolling down the hill!!

PreSchool Graduation:

Adam had a tough time with Kevin's graduation, I think he thought it was a little too much about Kevin and little too little about him. But he was very uncooperative and made sure he got his mad face in any picture he could. But we love that face too!!

Kevin and his preschool teacher Mrs. V. She loved Kevin and said he was her life saver in the class because he was such a good listener and example to the other kids. He was very popular with the kids apparently and they followed him often. We are so proud of our little big boy!!

Movie Night at Newport Dunes Campground!! We just found out about this and decided we ought to go. They show kids movies every Friday and Saturday night all summer long on the sand. It costs 10 dollars per car for parking and that's it. The boys had a blast and got to watch Lilo Stitch!!

For a cheap outing we decided to take the little Ferry across the Harbor from Balboa Island to the peninsula. It costs next to nothing to take the Ferry and the parking was free and Grandpa came along on our little adventure we went to the beach playground and had a picnic lunch. It was a perfect way to spend 5 bucks and a morning.

The Doctor's office can be such a terrible adventure but today we decided to take pics of how not terrible it was as the boys were all being such fun kiddos and great brothers.

Hats! Hats! Hats! Isaac loves hats, you might say he is a little obsessed he will put on any hat and this hat was found at Cooke Camp and he loved it, I don't have a picture of the meltdown that ensued when it was time to put it away but he was so into this hat that was seriously bigger than him, lol...

In May we increased our household size by two and a puppy when my sister and brother-in-law and their little puppy Oliver moved in. Uncle Josh and the boys had so much fun for days putting together different train tracks with their geo-trax set and playing with them.

I sewed something. along with not blogging I have not been sewing either, but I finally broke the pattern and I made this travel pillow, and now Kevin actually does sleep in the car when I say to go to sleep. He is faking in this picture which makes me laugh a little bit.

For father's Day for Papa we took some pics with Daddy and Papa's Motorcycle and the boys they turned out soooo fun!!

beach days, are fun and one day we headed to the beach only to find it was cold like downright chilly so on the way in we stopped at Albertsons and got some firewood and marshmallows and now our beach day was not ruined but even better...

The boy's started a soccer class, it is a pre-requisite for joining the Anaheim Soccer League which we will be doing in September. They are having so much fun learning the basics and running out any extra energy they might have had!!

We recently had a birthday party for Aunt Lindsey at Lake Mission Viejo. The boys all went swimming and then Uncle Geoffrey got them all hooked up with some fishing gear and they ended the day trying to catch some fish, they were unsuccessful this time but are sure next time will be different. : D

Yosemite!!

2011-07-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Packed and ready for fun!! This picture reminds of my childhood cross country trips soooo much!!

It is starting to look like all we do is go on Vacation!! Well I would love for that to be so but we actually have gone lots this year. This was super fun.

Day One: Our whole family loves camping and this was a whole new adventure!! The boys had gotten little coughs the week before our trip but these had pretty much gone away by the time we headed off. The kids were travel pros and we stopped and got lunch at in & out and then headed out they slept, played and watched movies the whole way up. But the last 30 minutes

of our trip up to Yosemite Adam started complaining that his ear hurt. We thought that it might be due to the altitude changes since we were already in the park when he started crying. So we got to our camp and got out and found that if nothing else he really did have a fever. Luckily we had brought Tylenol for the kids and we dosed him up and went to the ranger station to see what we could do for the little guy.

Isaac and Daddy after we got everything set up!!

We were staying in Wawona which we had never done before and were really looking forward to checking out the area around there. This Ear problem had something else in store for us :D.

Day Two: The next morning we woke after a rough night with Adam being cold and hot and hot and cold and we headed to the valley where they had a clinic we could go to. They were awesome at the clinic and we got him some antibiotics and motrin there. (did I mention I took him and Isaac to the doctor before we left to check their ears and they DIDN'T have ear infections because usually if Adam and Isaac get colds they DO get them, uuuhhhhmmm anyway) So we decided to spend some time in the Valley and we went to see Yosemite Falls. Then we had a picnic and headed back up to our campsite which was about an hour away.

Yosemite falls is just a short walk in and we did this without much effort even little Adam made there and back with only minor issues (none of them revolving around ear aches, picture taking, yes)

lower falls at Yosemite falls, we got very wet taking this picture and it was very windy as well :D

Rock towers, hundreds of them!!

Night Two: Now we had Adam feeling pretty good and he was pretty tired from not sleeping well the night before and we put everyone down to bed and later we went to bed around 9:30. When we got into the tent we saw Adam stand up walk over to the suitcase and sit on it. We spoke to him but he didn't speak back so we went over to him. He wasn't awake, he was sleep walking. soooo, we got him back in bed then realized he had peed on the suitcase while sitting on it. So we salvaged what clothing we could and pulled the rest out and got him changed and back in his sleeping bag. Then a couple of hours later he woke us up to let us know he had peed in his sleeping bag now too. Poor thing was exhausted and so not waking to go to bathroom.

Day three: So the next morning we had to go back to the Valley to housekeeping to do laundry since we were down a sleeping bag now and it was very cold at night up there at 4000 feet. So we went back down and this time decided to hike to Mirror Lake which we had done once before a couple of years ago with our friends the Bartys and had been vastly disappointed to find that there was no water in Mirror Lake, but we heard there was now so we hiked it again. We decided to go the scenic horse trail instead of the road "trail" up to the lake. it was a beautiful hike but once again we were a little disappointed to find that we still could not see the reflection of anything in the lake from the side we hiked up and there was no way to cross without a boat. So we made the best of it and found a little place for the kids to play in the water and met another family doing the exact same thing from San Pedro (that is where Bryan works, such a small world) and the boys played with their boys and had a blast seeing out deep they dared go in the freezing cold water. We ran back to the bus stop because we thought we were going to miss the shuttles as it had gotten quite late on us. We got back to the car and drove about an hour to go one mile to housekeeping...we won't do that again. and did laundry and had a picnic dinner at the car while our clothes washed. We got back to camp quite late around 10 and transported the sleeping children to their sleeping bags and went to bed ourselves.

Water was seeping from everywhere while we were up there this time it was amazing to see

Meadows and cliff faces!!

on the horse trail to Mirror Lake!!

I had to add this pic of Adam with the big stick because I have so many of him with big sticks in his hands that it just felt necessary :D

Isaac and his blue eyes...

Adam found a fishing buddy at Mirror Lake and caught some "fish" or something :D

Daddy got a little wet trying to cross Mirror Lake to get to the "fun" side where there were sandy beaches and views but it was not going to happen for the whole family so we had "Fun" on our side!!

aahhh yes motorcycles ...

More water seeping from the tops of cliffs. We had never seen this waterfall before on our Yosemite trips it was beautiful and fell right down towards the village.

Night Three: No Accidents No wakefulness!!!

Day Four: We had to go home :( We ate breakfast and started packing up the tent and everything then spent the rest of the morning throwing rocks in the GIANT river and playing Frisbee and such and I made cheeseburgers over the fire.

Here are some pics from at our campsite!!

it was a beautiful campground, we would definitely go back :D

rock throwing!!!

the very large, very deep, very fast river!!

Then we got in the car and headed back home and once again the kiddos were star travelers. We would take them anywhere!!!

Palm Desert with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

In May we ventured to Palm Desert and what was supposed to be 4 days turned into a whole week vacation because wouldn't you know it started raining over here in the coastal areas and I wanted no part in that so we just stayed in Palm Desert where it was wasn't hot but it was at least sunny :D. We drove over on Thursday and Bryan joined us on Friday he rode his motorcycle which he had been dying to try out on a longer journey and had lots of fun doing it when it wasn't freezing or so windy it was blowing him off the road. Here are about a 1,000 pictures to show you how much fun we had!!

It was 97 degrees when we rolled in and first on our list was ice cream for all. So we stopped at the Rite- Aid which did not have thrifty ice cream :( and bought an entire box of ice cream sandwhiches and ate them all :D

Day one we woke up early and did the timeshare thing. I took the two older boys to the kid center and they got to feed the fish their daily food. Lots of fun and the boys loved it!!
Once Bryan got there we headed over to the J.W. Marriot and hopped on a little boat and took a tour which ended at the restaurant we ate at!! YUM seafood buffet's are soooo my favorite!!

The seafood was awesome but what really stole the show was dessert!!

Saturday I got to go to the "Quiet" pool with my mom while the boys hung with Dad and Grandpa, by that I mean they all slept :D

Sunday we went hiking in Palm Canyon! It was a beautiful day to do it as it had cooled down substantially and there was a breeze!!

We did two miles and Kevin and Adam hiked on their own the whole way!

Rainbow on a cloud??

We could see the rain that our friends were getting but we didn't get any of it!!

The view of our place from the park!!

the Marriot playground was tons of fun!!

we brought the scooters knowing we were going to need wheels to get around town :D

Isaac after a bath...too funny not to add!!

Our unit was right in the front of this building!

Thanks for inviting us Grandma and Grandpa, or did we invite ourselves, can't remember but it was so much fun!!

Easter Recap!!

2011-07-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

I know, I know so late but I am going with the better late than never idea.

Easter this year was interesting we had lots of big plans and they all fell through, probably for the better though because as the day got closer it ended up being a rainy like day and Isaac was pretty sick so He and I stayed home from church. We ended up having my parents over for dinner and were able to pull together the classic Easter Meal at least at out house. We had Ham, Mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Here are some pics from the big day!!

Kevin had lots of Easter celebrations at school including parties and such so Adam and I had our own parties one of them was coloring eggs. Isaac sleeps during Kevin's school each day so it is just mom and Adam time.

The Easter Bunny didn't bring Candy this year but Grandma and Grandpa did!!!

The boys looked very handsome in thier Easter Best, (mommy too) even though Isaac and I didn't make it to church I dressed for the occasion.

Easter dinner was super yummy and super fun with family around!!

Long awaited Kauai!!

2011-05-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

We stayed on the East side of the Island for the first night and the water was pretty rough there, but not in this area :D

Waimea Canyon

roosters everywhere. The whole island is covered with them, apparently in the 90's the big hurricane that hit spread these guys from coast to coast (on the island) and now they are free roaming and there are TONS of them EVERYWHERE!!

Bryan looking at a cool valley below with a single house and farm in it :D

this was the pathway to anini beach it was soooo steep but the beach was fun and we later found out there is a parking lot down there and you can just drive, I suggest you do that when you go :D

in case you were wondering where the boys got their brilliantly blue eyes...(see below)

anini beach....there is a reef out there and it makes the ocean look like a lake very serene and quiet...almost too quiet and serene :D

The light house!!

on the catamaran on our tour of the na'pali coast

secret falls!! we hiked and kayaked in and it was worth the wear out :D

a storm a brewin'

Smith Family Luau!!

can you see the giant waterfall that was what we saw out front of our condo :D

farmer's market!!

Hanalei, oh I wish I could have flown the kids out and just stayed here forever :D

more secret falls!!

Just trying to avoid the paparazzi!

2011-03-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

yesterday while goofing around on the internet...ie...looking at floor plans for the new models going up in our neighborhood...I came across this picture!!!

You can link to the website here...and I'm not trying to get you to move here...okay so I am, (we love our community and our home) but you should check it out and the new floor plans too...they are building single family homes and town homes for your viewing/living enjoyment...and you get to see a picture of Adam on the homepage top left hand corner in the slide show there is about 6 pictures and he is one of them...they think he is a cutie too :D

update: I went to the sales office today and saw that they had one framed picture of Adam at the park on the wall and three pictures of the boys two of Adam and 1 of Kevin and Adam at the park on their giant screen slide shows in the office...Yes we are like local celebrities...

Did I mention Isaac and I were in the newspaper because I spoke at a press conference...I can't remember if I blogged about that or not but here is the link to the newspaper article :D I fear this picture of me in the newspaper is like the worst picture EVER but the family pic is not so bad so there are two in the slideshow :D

Feeling the MOM vibes

2011-03-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

So it is official we bought a minivan I only thought I was a mom of 3 before, now I feel like a mom of 3. We love it!! It is gorgeous, I am so glad I didn't settle for anything but the really hard to keep clean BLACK one because, I love it. ( I have a strange affinity towards black vehicles, I believe all vehicles look better in black) It drives like a dream compared to our 99 dodge durango with a V8 , 5.9 liter engine. and will probably use about half the gas which will be nice come this summer when gas will be 5 dollars (it is already 4 dollars here for those of you that don't live on this side of things) The boys think it is SUPER fun. Their favorite feature (we have not gotten the entertainment system installed yet) is the sliding doors that open "all by themselves" in Kevin's words "now I don't have to get soooo tired opening and closing the doors" I love that kid :D....

Now for the car buying story....(there is always a car buying story)

We wanted to do it the easy way you know through costco... get a price...go buy it...be done....

we tried it and we didn't like the costco price, of course, why would we want it to be easy. but we went and met with the costco guy which was a meeting at 6:00 p.m. an especially hard time of the day of course and so we waited for Bryan to get home raced over to Costco, I had to get some things that night for a party I was having the next day at my house ( a belated wedding reception) and the boys ate while I shopped then we rushed over to Miller Toyota and ....kinda liked the car.....and really didn't like the sales guy (who was not a sales guy) but honestly who doesn't want to be told why they WOULD want to buy a car and start making car payments when we haven't at all for a couple of years. He knew very little about the car and we felt blah about the whole thing and then the price was blah too and the color was blah....gray (that is blah for me, other's love gray) So we went home....late....and the kids got in bed by about 9:30....
The next day we set up an appointment at another dealership, Puente Hills Toyota, with another guy that had given us a better quote online...So after the belated wedding reception party we went to the dealership and saw more gray and white minivans but now the price was in our range it wasn't really the entertainment system we would have preferred but hey they have nothing now the kiddos weren't going to complain, and the payments were comfortable so we thought, you can't get everything, or can you???? We ended up getting the exact entertainment system we wanted and my last minute request...."Could we Get it in BLACK?" So a few calls to some other dealerships and voilla!! a black Toyota Sienna with the drop down flat screen from the ceiling/roof...automatic doors, back up cam and my favorite feature, bluetooth, which can play my Meaghan Smith album right off the ipod feature of my new iphone through the car speakers and I am one happy Mama!! Of course, although we got to the dealership at 5:30 p.m. we didn't leave until 10 p.m. and of course we missed dinner (good thing I had water and an abundance of animal crackers in my "purse" Luckily they had a big screen playing toy story 3, and some motocross racing video games there and that entertained Kevin and Adam but Isaac was a force to be reckoned with. ( he is like Kevin and for those of you that knew Kevin as a baby, you know he ONLY sleeps in a bed...so does Isaac) he sleeps fantastically in a bed but not so much anywhere else, even the car. Long story, less long, we were going through an in&out drivethru at 10 p.m getting 3 plain cheeseburgers on our way home and all of this in time for daylight savings that night!!!

The boys are trying to catch up on their sleep the last 3 days they have slept in till" almost 9, and 8:30 which for them is way late as they are 6-6:30 a.m. boys...but we do love the new car!! and eventually we will catch up on our sleep too :D

It may have been this video that made us buy it :D

and Here it is

recent favorites

2011-03-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a grouping of random pics from the last few weeks.

Here is Adam climbing a tree. The boys had their first sleepover at Mima and Papa's house a couple of weekends ago and had tons of fun. One of their adventures was climbing trees!!

Kevin too!!

a cute pic of Adam I just love this one!!

Isaac loves being pushed around on the scooter. He feels like one of the big boys!!

too cute to pass up!!

we love going to our very own park. Isaac loves driving the train!!

Apparently it warmed up substantially from the morning, when it was freezing, till noon, when it was hot!!

handsome boys!!

Isaac recently experienced his first lollipop, it was a hit!!

Isaac Turned One and We Celebrated :D

2011-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

hot dogs and bratwurst for all oh and *special salad* (frog eye salad)

Grandma and the birthday boy. It is so fun to have my parents close by this is the first birthday party they have been able to attend for any of our kiddos :D

Nana specialty: gorgeous cupcakes, just perfect for a boy who loves balls

speaking of a boy who loves balls here he is :D

Some friends from across the greenbelt Jessica (mom) and Amelie (the sweet thing in the bonnet)

the little ball pit was a hit for all :D

What is this wonderfulness???

all my boys and their cupcakes

The friends!!! we are missing Amelie here she had to go home for a nap and Evelyn who might have been sleeping too :)

Friends and family on the lawn!!

He made out like a little bandit!! :D

Happy one year Isaac!!!
What a perfect addition to our family you are.

valentines!

2011-02-14T07:27:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday

2011-02-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Isaac turns 1 today!!

He is just such a fun and happy and mellow little guy. We are so blessed to have him in our family...

He started walking around 10 months and is saying mama and dddddiiddidid for daddy sooo cute. He CLIMBS on everything as high as he possibly can; tables, tv cabinets, stairs, ladders, counters if he is able and there is anyway he will get up there and be darn proud that he did :D We will have to watch this one...he has no fear...

Why not give it a try

2011-02-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

So some friends of mine that moved across the country a couple of years ago are doing a 90 day reboot as in eating healthy and seriously exercising. They have invited anyone to join them, sadly they don't have too much to lose (skinnyish people) but I have a 10 year anniversary trip coming up to Hawaii and I would love to be closer to my goal weight so this seems like a better program than any I've had (none). So here goes lets see if we can get back into those skinny jeans (I've been eyeing a cute white pair)

Here is a picture from today, there is no way I am showing what that middle looks like uncovered but just know I will be working hard to feel comfortable enough to wear only one shirt at the end of this :D

Photography by Kevin Low

To the Zoo!!

2011-01-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Friday we met up with some of our old friends from the Studio City area and went to the zoo. We got to see the new elephant exhibit which was very nice and big and we were glad to see less construction than normal. Although they have started the reptile exhibit and that will be super exciting to have that back. We got to hang out with the Taits, Petersons, and Bartys oh how I miss these girls and their kiddos.

Palm Springs in January

2011-01-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

This week we went to Palm springs for a 30 hour vacation. We left after Kevin's school on Monday and got home Tuesday night. but while we were there we had tons of fun, sadly I don't have any pictures of the boys swimming which is what they did both days we were there. The pool was heated to nearly 90 degrees and they loved being in it for hours. Here are the pics I do have of our fun adventure in crashing the grandparent's vacation...:D

Vacation started with a ride on the luggage cart

the view from the living room of the condo at the Vista Mirage, very cool!!

there were lots of citrus trees on the grounds and it was citrus picking day and the boys got some too :D

Downtown Palm Springs was fun mostly because it included frozen yogurt, and Grandma and Grandpa let them pick their yogurt flavor aaaannnndddd toppings

the playground at the complex was fun too and even Isaac got in on the action :D

Who Made Dinner?

2011-01-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

I made Dinner!!!!!!

We have one sick family this week. One week ago tomorrow my two oldest got sick fevers and all. This was followed by a couple miserable days until Monday evening Mom got sick. And let me tell you I fell hard...fever, chills, cough (ing till throwing up) you know a bad case of the yuckies. Now I am finally coming out of it and although I still have a voice no one wants to hear and I still have coughing fits here and there (probably causing my voice to stay away) I finally felt well enough to make dinner last night. So I made this and it turned out way yummy although I would cook the pork for a little less time next time.

When did this happen?

2011-01-08T20:01:00.001-08:00

How is it that in one year these cute kids......
turned into these cute kids....
Kevin and Adam have gotten sooooo big this year...and of course we have added Isaac, a perfect addition to the crew :D

New Year's Eve Party 2010/2011

2011-01-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to throw a New Year's Eve Party. We do something every year because I was brought up to do so. But usually it is small because I can't seem to pull anything together or I don't have the space this year I did it. We didn't get a huge crowd but it was sure a lot of fun. We had a Wii party. There was Just Dance 2 going on and a whole lotta Beatles Rock Band going on, and even a little Monopoly Deal going on...We even had prizes on the hour every hour till 12...It was tons of fun and It was so fun to bring in the new year with my sister and brother in law and some friends from church. My kiddos were off having the night of their life with Grandma and Grandpa...ie....smores, ice cream cones, movies...and that is just what they told me...but it was lovely to sleep in after staying up so late. What a way to start the New Year...yay for 2011

We look pretty darn good for after midnight...I couldn't choose which one was better so I put both up :D

Bryan made it till' midnight we were so proud of him

we love love love these two and they love each other too...isn't that awesome!!

Our friend Ryan and my Bryan

Sarah and David Trabanino and winner of the 11 p.m prize

Nicole and Kelly Christensen...cute sisters we are sad they have to go back to College in Utah this week.

The winner's circle. Josh took home the 9 p.m. prize...his own monopoly deal game

Maureen Christensen took home 10 p.m. air hockey for your own table

David took 11p.m. with a pizza stone

and the grand prize winner for the 12 a.m. drawing was Conner, he won Despicable Me bluray/dvd and popcorn and candy and such.

We sufficiently bribed everyone to stay the whole time and had fun doing it. :D

Christmas plus some!

2010-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning was tons of fun. We woke up and starting making breakfast, on the menu: cinnamon rolls, cherry cheese danish, and quiche. We ate yum yum...then Isaac was ready to go back to sleep so he went up for a nap, but not before we got this super cute pic...isn't he cute in his Christmas jammies?...

We had all gifts shipped here this year for all the west coast crew and we were joined Christmas morning by My parents and my sister Sarah and her hubby Josh!! And this will go down as the Big Box Christmas, all gifts came in big boxes it seemed... (we almost lost Josh)

two very excited little boys!!

We started with stockings!!

then on to the big boxes :D

Band Hero!

two Giant Dinosaurs, not apples

The first snuggie recipient in our family...Goooo longhorns!

Isaac's own big boy bike, he eventually woke up :D

bikes and scooters for all, Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

Dress up costumes from Nana always popular at our house

Adam hit a snowbank Christmas eve and got a little eaten up by the ice :( but that didn't put a damper on his Christmas fun!!

Dinner for 14, I love my huge table...

Bryan's dessert

The next day Mima and Papa came over and it was Christmas all over again!!

smartcycle for the big boys...so cool

Loves from Mima!!

Isaac's blocks from Mima and Papa were a hit with everyone!

everyone say ooooooo just like Isaac

dueling leapsters

Kevin's family portrait

Adam's family portrait

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Josh got the boys a giant solar system poster, it is a hit!!

stay hydrated (thanks millers) and ride hard (thanks Papa and Mima)

a video for your viewing enjoyment bike riding for all!!

Christmas Eve!!

2010-12-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was lots of fun. Plans were upended and changed but in the end we had lots of fun on our search for snow adventure, We found it and played till' dark...

On our way to find some snow...this picture taken on the 15 freeway at 75mph...a car full of fun

Isaac on his perch

Go Miller's

Ready...Set...Sled...

Our first casualty, Josh hit the snow bank there was another one to follow you'll see that in the Christmas Day pics :D

Beautiful Chica

Sis, playing the part of "the snowwoman"

If only we would had brought Charcoal we could have had a bbq

Easter Island Statues?????

Christmas Eve Dinner = In & Out

I will always remember this Christmas as the Christmas of Huge boxes. No bows had been put on prior to Christmas Eve so Sis and I had our work cut out for us...make em' beautiful girls!

Sis and Josh go down the big Hill!!

They came a-Caroling...

2010-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

We had our first ever Christmas Carolers this Christmas!!! We were so excited. An awesome Family from our Anaheim 1st Ward stopped by and gave us such a treat!! They all play the Violin...I'm thinking lessons for my boys soon???

Look Mom no Hands!!

2010-12-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

Isaac is 10 and a half months

and walking

Lots and Lots!!

2010-12-21T09:04:00.001-08:00

This post is one of those everything posts. Pictures too cute to pass up and things to remember...

Isaac has blue eyes if you were wondering :D

park video...Kevin got rollerblades for his birthday and has been practicing...plus you get to see how fast Isaac gets around, lol...

Christmas at the Clinkenbeards...We decorated Gingerbread houses and the boys got to play with their best buddies, the Cooke boys...

Adam makes dinner for the us and the Missionaries. We made white chicken chili and Adam put all the ingredients in and mixed up. He made a fantastic dinner.

Kevin had his preschool Christmas party where Santa visited. He asked for a Jet, a big one that flies people...We have taught him well to believe in miracles :D

Laguna Beach Hospitality Night

2010-12-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

We waited in a long line to see Santa but it was worth it...they got to give him their pictures they drew for him and get a pic...and of course tell him what they really wanted for Christmas :D Sparky the fire dog was there too

the bands were a big hit...

the fire truck was too

Deck the Halls

2010-12-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

This year I got to DECORATE to my hearts content since I had all the reason in the world...Christmas home tour coming to my home :D.... Here is what we cooked up...

I used a template from target and cut these out of red felt. awesome chargers at a fraction of the price :D

yes, I made those stockings...

I used scraps from the stockings to make these wraps for my canisters

more stockings and B's mom put together that beautiful Garland, I just purchased the goods

Even the bathroom was not left untouched!

I made this one!! ( I used some of my felt charges under it)

Above the cabinets got a Christmas makeover... this was B's idea and it looks fantastic

and the chairs were all me...I do love bows

Soooo much fun. I love this Holiday.

Merry Christmas!

To the Snow!!

2010-12-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Still playing catch up...but the Saturday after Thanksgiving we packed up the kiddos and headed to Agua Dulce to meet up with our good friends the Cookes and then off to Frazier Park to ride the hills. Sledding is one of my favorite past times. Such good times!!

mistletoe anyone??

best buddies always

Isaac's first experience with snow was a good one :D

silly boys

family outings are so fun!!

dinner at the kids table

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

This year we went to Mima and Papa Low's for Thanksgiving. It was lots of fun and we got to see lots of family. The boys got their quilts!!! (you say what????) Yes I sent the quilts up to Aunt Ellen to be quilted and she was super fast and awesome and the boys now sleep with full size quilts on their beds rather than toddler blankets. It really is such a relief and they turned out totally cool and Kevin has said more than once that it is nice to stretch out his legs under his blankets ( I have offered him bigger blankets over and over again but he refused until it was something just for him, I don't know,... so he could have stretched out his legs earlier, lol) My Parents and sister Sarah even came up for dessert it was so much fun. The boys loved jumping in the bounce house and watching movies, Isaac loved swinging in the swing and us big kids loved catching up with family.

Two firsts in one night

2010-12-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

So one night I decided I was going to make a dinner for me...not my kiddos. I love them but fighting with them over dinner every single night gets tiring. I know that dislike soup...I assume this stems from the difficulty they have in eating it not the taste. But, I loooooooovvvveeee soup it is my favorite food and feel a little sad during fall when I see it slipping by without being adequately souped. So with this in mind I invited up my sister and her hubby, sadly he was out of town and my parents and we fed the kids corndogs...they were happy...and sent them to bed. then I made Apple Cider Butternut Squash Soup, my first ever pureed soup. I also made my first ever fruit pie, apple cranberry pie, yummmmmmm. It was fun and I felt accomplished. Now if I could eat like that and lose weight we would be in high cotton!!!

the aftermath of too much food, lol

Kevin turned 5!!!

2010-12-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

I know you thought you lost me from the blogging world but honestly I got overwhelmed by all Kevin's Birthday celebrations. He is one lucky little boy to have so many grandparents that just love and love him. We started Kevin's birthday MONTH by having a little party at Mima and Papa's home. Then a little birthday on his actual birthday with just our family and later Grandma and Grandpa and then a couple days later a little party with Nana...by party I mean cake and candles because to Kevin that makes a party and so we partied hard. We planned a friend birthday party but due to lots and lots of circumstances it fell through and he got to have another family party with just us again. Here are some pics from all the partying :D

My 5 year old

cake #1 Ice Cream Cake

Decorated for his birthday morning!!

future photographer in our midst

cake #2...Cheesecake

Cake #3 is not pictured but was chocolate cake made by Nana!

Cake #4 was chocolate cupcakes with our Ice Cream Sundays!!

Friends were sick and it was pouring down raining and it kept all our friends away for the day but it was still a super fun Birthday Party!!

Our planned party included Ice cream Sunday making and balloon popping...the boys had ton's of fun doing these things even though it was just the three of them...

and for a laugh here is a little video

Colony Park, the Park!!!

2010-11-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the grand opening ceremony for the brand new park in our neighborhood. When we moved into Colony Park we were promised a playground and they delivered a very fun playground. I actually spoke to our Mayor, he thought the boys in the water were pretty cute. He asked if they were mine and of course, yes they were and talked about upcoming cool stuff coming in Anaheim. He seemed like a nice guy, but we just voted in a new mayor last week so oh well. Oh yeah his name is, Curt Pringle. Oh and while I'm dropping names I know two boys that at least made the online version of the OC Register Check them out HERE they are in the "more photos" area of the article. They are the cutest boys at the park, of course I am a little biased Orange trees, lots of them!!!

gelato for attending :D

a creek runs through it!!!

we played for hours and left when we were too cold and wet!!!

sword fighting 101

2010-11-09T19:28:00.001-08:00

Isaac has learned a new game. He is just about ready to join the big leagues!!!

Bonfire Fun!!

2010-11-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

We had a bonfire at the beach last weekend and had lots of fun. We loved hanging out with our friends and the boys had a blast getting as sandy as they possibly could and eating endless hot dogs and marshmallows

we thought this ominous cloud was going to rain on us but it didn't and the sun came out and it was wonderful. Another thing about this picture is if you blow it up really big and look in the bottom right hand corner you can see my cell phone half buried by sand and the reason I no longer have one :( But luckily it was a super fun night!!!

We had lots of fun with Jake, Debbie and Brian and not pictured was Royce who had to leave early...

Halloween Weekend Extravaganza!!

2010-11-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

So this year we decided to make it a weekend and we had Halloween festivities for 3 day!!
Friday morning Kevin had his preschool Halloween party. He got to dress up and Adam dressed up for the occasion of dropping him off. They were pretty cute!!

Friday Night we drove up to Studio City and attended the Studio City Ward Trunk or Treat. It was super fun and the kiddos got tons of candy and we got to catch up with lots of old friends. Bryan and I even dressed up!!

Saturday Morning we headed out again and went up to Agua Dulce to visit our good friends the Cookes. The kids loved hanging out with their best buddies for an entire day of no napping and too much fun. The activities included...getting as dirty as possible in a big mud puddle found on our long walk through vineyards and dirt roads, Haunted Mansion decorating, Caramel Apple eating (I made them for the first time ever and they were soooooo yummy and easy), slimey egg playing, and Movie watching in our costumes which then turned into running through the house in our costumes, then stripping because we got hot in our costumes then jammies. Finally it was time for sad goodbyes and sleeping in the car on the way home....

Sunday afternoon we got our costumes on and headed out to trick or treat at the homes of those who love us the most

First stop Mima and Papa's home!!!

Followed by Nana's home!

Then Great Grandma Elaine...

and finally Grandma and Grandpa's home. Where we had some chili , cornbread and sausage, yum!!

Wall-O-Art

2010-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

What to do with all of the artwork...My perfect plan stolen from some one's blog that I jumped to about 3 or 4 jumps in I found this idea for what to do with artwork from school!!!!

Yup in the Garage!! Adam and I have been working hard to keep his side of the wall looking as full as Kevin's. Since Kevin is in preschool he brings new stuff home everyday and Adam and I have been having lots of fun keeping up :D

and so the search begins

2010-10-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

We, me and the three little guys, are on a quest to find the nearest nicest park with sand to our home. It is quite a quest (we should make that the "the word on the street" quest, lol, if you get that joke you are in my boat) We have wood chips everywhere we go here in Anaheim so far and so Yesterday we tried out a park in Fullerton called Hillcrest Park. On the website it did not mention whether it had sand or not, while others tell you this one didn't so we thought we would try it out. It had wood chips but it was a fun little park with lots of fun character. First Kevin brought it to our attention as we were parking that this park was wooden WHOAH!!! and so it was. but I liked some of the activities it had and it had a nice parking lot and very few people there most of the time we were their by ourselves which can be good and bad. It had a nice covered picnic area like really covered and shaded on a huge grassy lawn something to look into for future park parties (except our park 100 yards from us will be done in 2 weeks and it has a nice picnic area too, eeeeekkkkkk girly squeal, I am just as excited as the boys for it to be done) So without any further ado I bring you ....

Hillcrest Park Pictures!!

A day with our friends!!

2010-10-27T13:29:00.001-07:00

we recently had an opportunity to go visit some of our oldest friends, They are not old we have just been friends a really long time :D It was so fun to catch up and find out what everyone has been up to and what upcoming plans were. The kids had a blast and so did all of us adults who always have more fun when the kiddos are having fun. The boys took a particular liking to Baylie who loved them playing monster with her. We ate a wonderful dinner. Claire made pumpkin butternut squash soup, Brooke made meatball subs, I was the slacker and brought brown rice with cranberries (from out of Brooke's fridge). We gathered at the McCoy home and got to enjoy their awesome back yard complete with grassy slopes perfect for rolling down and playing on all day long... There was lots of kids, food and fun, a perfect afternoon :D

even Isaac took a little roll down the hill, and survived :D

they didn't scare her one little bit!!!

Saturday Out!!

2010-10-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I needed some time and my family was awesome to let me have it. I went down to Laguna Beach and hung with my parents. I went to lunch at the Greeter's Corner Cafe with my Dad then trained at the shop with my mom. It was fun. (I felt like such a big girl, lol) My mom's shop is doing very well and she is loving having it. (Remember any one mentioning my name gets 20% off one item) Here are some pics from my day out!!

A Night in Hollywood

2010-10-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

This year my birthday celebrations ended with a night in Hollywood. Bryan's mom was so sweet to come watch all the boys while my parents and us had a night on the town. We ate at a fantastic little restaurant called Off Vine then went to the Pantages to watch Phantom of the Opera. It was so so much fun!!

My big helper

2010-10-14T23:00:00.001-07:00

Kevin got to feed Isaac for the first time and I think they both loved it. It was so cute watching it and hilarious how much food ended up on Isaac's face instead of in his mouth. But I was able to get Adam ready to go for the day so we could get out the door in time for his 3 year check up. Adam often times doesn't like to get dressed in the morning it takes half the morning to get that kid on target as far as getting out of his jammies he really likes to be in them. (well that was a bit of a tangent but worth recording, lol)

Because We love Adam even though he takes a long time to get moving in the morning!!

Adam bites his tongue and other pics from the pumpking patch!!

2010-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Irvine regional park made for a fun little pumpkin patch. we had lots of fun in the hay maze and the haunted house we took pictures in all of the picture taking holes, I only included a couple. It was super fun to have my sister Jessie and her daughter Kyah with us. Here is the Adam bites his tongue sequence...I don't know why but it totally makes me laugh, mostly because I didn't know it had happened until I was done with the photo op.

lol............................

Kyah and Isaac

We had a picnic first

under a really big tree. It was so very hot that day and humid too

Tawny turns 30

2010-10-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

the title seemed fitting since we had a couple of family parties and we only just had Adam's party as well. My birthday was lots of fun. We started my birthday weekend with a bonfire at Corona Del Mar and a beach day. it was so fun and the weather was nice it was windy and cloudy when we wanted to play in the water and then the wind died down and it was hot later when we started the fire. but when it got dark it was not freezing which is always nice bonfire weather. then on Saturday we went to Knotts Berry Farm with my sister and Kyah and that was lots of fun too. and then ....on Sunday we had our traditional General Conference Breakfast and watched General Conference then we had what turned out to be a big family party Sunday evening where Bryan's Mom and all his brothers and sister came and my parents and my sister Jessie and her daughter Kyah, who knew they all liked me so much :D I got fun gifts like some rad boots, some neat fall and holiday(or any day) dishes, an apron, a purse, a wallet and a headband now that is an awesome birthday but it is not over yet. in 2 days I am going to see Phantom of the Opera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited...Now here is the pic fest!!

Cousin Adam dragging Kyah on the boogie board!!

Knotts Berry Farm!!!

Adam and I hung out while the others were on the calico train ride!!!

My 2nd party was lots of fun too. We had homemade chicken noodle soup and cheesecake and ice cream, yum yum!!

Adam turns 3

2010-10-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

For Adam's birthday we had a bring your own bikes and scooters party. It was of course a super unordinarily hot day so we brought a lot of what was going to be outside inside but it worked out fine and Adam had a blast with his friends. At Adam's birthday we were blessed with some fun friends including Josie and Tallulah Heder, Jackson and Leanna Taneilu, Wyatt, Austin and visits from Family throughout the day...Uncle Josh and Aunt Sarah, Aunt Jessie and cousin Kyah, Uncle Geoffrey and Jessica, Uncle Christopher and Regina, Nana, Mima and Papa and Grandpa and Grandma (he is one loved little boy) We are so blessed to have so much family around. We had lots of fun and birthdays are such great excuses to get all the family together!!

the menu: Polish dogs (costco dogs, Adam's request) Kristen's special salad (frog eye salad), pasta salad, and a veggie tray!!!

Luckily the Taneilu's brought cupcakes because turns out we had a much larger family turn out than expected and ate almost all of them and the frog ones :D

Birthday Boy

Jessica and Isaac

bubble guns what a hit!!!

Kyah loved getting in the action!!

there will be more pictures coming as soon as I get pics from my sis!!

Front Yard Fun!!

2010-09-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today we spent a few hours hanging outside in our "front yard" there was lots of fun and activities: bike riding, wagon riding/pulling, bubbles, chalk drawing, baseball, scootering (is that a word?)

Jessie getting down and dirt :D

Isaac made sure he got all the colors on him!!!

Kyah, our cute cousin!!

Aunt Sarah did Graffiti names for all the kiddos!!

For the Smiles

2010-09-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Isaac loves to crawl under and through his exersauser and he has finally figured out how to get all the way through it and out the other side. He is just bundles of entertainment!!

Fun in the Valley!!

2010-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went up to Studio City/Burbank and hung out with some of our old friends. We were able to catch up with the Taits, the Petersons, and the Johnsons. We loved playing at one of our favorite parks and hanging with our favorite people : D. Sadly I didn't get any pics of the park so Tyler and Audrey are not featured but the boys loved seeing them too...

I love Adam's quick thinking in this picture to put his arm around Abby, he did that all on his own, of course Kevin always has his around people in pics so I guess he is just taking after his big brother, lol....

A Pizza Picnic....Dinner Perfecto!!!

Things Big Boys Do

2010-09-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Like go to school!! Kevin had his first day of official pre-school today. Last year we tried out a session at this school and decided we loved it and today he got to go back. He won a recorder for being the best listener in the class everyone got a prize but he got 1st prize. His teacher said he was "awesome" Well, we think he is AWESOME too!!!

Yay Kevin, I hope you always think school is cool!!

He will be chasing his big brothers in no time

2010-08-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

Here he comes our tiniest guy is on the move!!

We have been busy!!

2010-08-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the rundown!!

Isaac eats lots and lots just like his brothers before him!!

2 new teeth!!!

Isaac and I took a trip out to Tennessee, his first time on airplane and he was an angel baby all 4 flights!!

Isaac crawls!! well he crawls, crawls then lunges then repeats but he gets where he want to be!!

I took the boys to toy story 3. it was only ok which is so disappointing

but they had fun going to the movie theater

had my first relief society activity as 2nd Councilor and it was lots of fun

Ice cream Social with a back to school service project. We were able to put together 25 school kits to give to children that struggle financially during the back to school rush,

and eat some awesome ice cream Sundays!!!

Nine year Anniversary, the STORY!!

2010-08-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Our Anniversary this year was one of those days that just ran perfectly and by that I mean things fell into place like never before and made for a very fun, relaxing and practically perfect day.

6:30 A.M. B leaves on his motorcycle for Fullerton to catch the train to downtown to go to a bargaining meeting for the city (the plan was to go to the meeting which was from 8-1p.m. then come home early) ... He gets to the station and gets a call it has been cancelled so he calls into work and takes a vacation day and drives back home.

7:30 the boys are excited to have daddy home, me too...

10:00 I have a relief society meeting at my house so the boys and daddy go swimming and I have my meeting in a very quiet and peaceful environment

11:30 a.m. they come home from swimming, eat lunch, go to bed and they all 3 take a nap

12:45 p.m. B and I crash on the couch and we too sleep for 2 HOURS, yes you read that right and when we woke it was of our own cognition the kids weren't awake yet, I still can hardly believe it. the kids stagger out starting around 3

3:00 and we take them outside to play while we take turns getting ready for our big date

4:00 my parents get here to watch the boys and we pretty much head out, Woohoo, a super long date, longest one since Isaac was born...

4:30 SHOPPING!!!! We decided for our anniversary we were going to get new clothes were were both in desperate need of a wardrobe update and decided it was time, we got fun stuff I got the most awesome shoes ever...maybe I'll take a pic another day to show them off

8:00 Old Town Pasadena, oh how we miss you...for dinner at the Melting Pot yes there is one closer to us but we wanted the benefit of the shops at old Town.

10:30 leaving the Melting Pot it was so fun and so so yummy to boot we got home to find all was well at home and we had left for 8 hours that is an awesome anniversary date for a mom of 3 boys one of which is only 6 months old!!!

Way to go B and thank you so much for making it so much fun, Did I mention B planned the whole thing...He is such an awesome husband...I am so fortunate to have found the Best Man For Me in the Whole World!!

The fun stuff

2010-07-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

Isaac tried out the swings for the first time yesterday and I'd say it was a hit, what do you think?

Today we did Knotts Berry Farm. Just me and the 3 boys. It was lots of fun and they were such good sports in that they couldn't ride everything because I couldn't go on any of the rides with them because Isaac couldn't go on anything except the carousel.

We kinda all look related don't we???

They chose to ride the Chickens!!!!!

Isaac got in on the action and got to ride the carousel with mommy!!

this is the Huff n Puff ride, it is real work and the boys did it twice at the end of our trip then they were really tired out :D Adam was a champ at this ride he can really make that thing go...

could they get any cuter?? I agree they can't :D

We wore em' out (me and knotts) look at those sweaty red faced boys (they are currently taking very good naps)

Best Friends

2010-07-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Me and my best friend have been through so much together

We have been through a cross country adventure

We have worked together in the same restaurant for 5 years

We have been through college

We have lived in 4 different homes

We have had 3 wonderful little boys

And We have been married 9 years today

We are and always will be best friends

(I woke up to this display this morning, he never fails to do something super sweet for our Anniversary...if you want a reminder on what he did last year check it out here and here)

B's new Ride

2010-07-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Early Morning Church Meetings Just Got a Little Cooler...

B got his license and got his bike and now he is ready to ride...to his Bishopric meeting, lol....

My MOM!!

2010-07-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

It is official this pretty Lady

Owns this cute little shop

C. J. Rose Boutique

Stop by and check her out at 384 Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, behind the flower shop. Mention my name and she will give you 20% off any one item.