The Davis Family

LiGhTs

2012-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

We made our annual trip to Temple Square to see the lights. But this time we went after Christmas, before New Years. There's a new tram station five miles from our house so we rode the TRAX up to SLC.

We wandered around Temple Square and took in all the sights!

I love it when the tabernacle is open! We went in for a quick peak.

I love to see the temple :)

Winter Break

2012-01-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Where's the SNOW??? We're used to getting a ton more during winter break. So even though we got just a "trace" of snow the girls were headed out to sled...

...down the driveway!

Now that's resourceful :)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was perfect!

We woke up early to see what Santa brought and opened presents before heading out the door to church. The kids asked Santa for snuggies. He must have had a hard time finding them, or maybe he thought they were hideous, but they got robes instead and they loved them :)

Aaron and I decided to keep Christmas simple and not too extravagant when it came to gifts. We never go overboard, but we really brought it down a notch this year. I was really worried the kids would be disappointed, but Aaron made me stick to the list we had agreed on. I am so glad we did. The kids were so happy and I had no buyer's remorse. There was such a feeling of peace in our home!!!

All I want for Christmas is my...

2011-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

TWO FRONT TEETH!

All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth!

Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas."

It seems so long since I could say,
"Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!"
Gosh oh gee, how happy I'd be,
if I could only whistle (thhhh, thhhh)

All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth.

Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could wish you
"Merry Christmas!"

We hope you have a very

Merry Christmas!!!

Love, The Davis Family!

Graham Cracker Houses!

2011-12-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Every year we create our dream homes out of...

well let's be honest,

SUGAR!

And when we have more frosting than what we need,

I decorate my children :-)

Our Graham Cracker Village!

Tis the season for RECITALS!

2011-12-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

Sam and Kaeli had a piano recital in November.

Kaeli, Sara & Rylie had a dance recital.

And Sara had a tumbling performance!

Sara also had a preschool performance.

The kids all did great, and most importantly had fun doing it.

Besties

2011-12-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Sara and Violet are two peas in a pod. They are so funny together and totally feed off of each other. Their combined energy is insurmountable! They love to be silly and nothing is more entertaining than watching these two. When they've been separated for a few hours (naps, preschool, whatever) they are so excited to be reunited, like long-lost relatives who haven't seen each other for years! They are also roomies, so bedtime can be quite "interesting" to say the least.

I am so glad they are such good friends!

(Yes, that would be a healthy lunch of cheetos, banana & poptart :-)

AWESOME hair!

2011-12-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

I saw on pinterest a tutorial for perfect curly locks. I couldn't wait to try it! Here's how it's done:

While hair is still wet, divide it in sections and twist the strands until they start coiling up on themselves. Then pin them or use pony tails to keep it in place. Just like so:

Once the hair is almost dry, undo the little buns, but leave the twists until it's completely dry!

Gently, undo the twists with your fingers or a pick, and...

TA-DA!

AWESOME!

Violet wasn't a fan, but I couldn't stop laughing! Maybe I should have tried this on my girls with thicker hair...with thicker sections.

Try, try again :-)

5 Little Monsters

2011-11-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

(pirate, smurfette, clown, alien & vampire)

They're on the LOOSE!

So you better LOCK your doors...

because...they're coming for YOU!

...and your CANDY!

(I wore the same costume Violet is wearing when I was her age...made by my mom. I LOVE it :-)

FIVE!

2011-11-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

We can't believe our sweet Sara is FIVE!

Anyone who knows Sara knows she has built-in springs...she bounces, twirls, and tumbles from point A to point B. I've never known anyone with as much ENERGY or as much PERSONALITY as she has. Sara is also very smart and very caring. We love her so much and we're so grateful to have her in our family.

(this year's "Birthday Pumpkin" :-)

Photoshoot with a FIVE year old!

2011-10-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sara endured a photoshoot with me a few days before her birthday. She is such a cutie!

Camping!

2011-10-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Every year during Fall Break we go camping! Which might seem like a cold time to go, unless you are headed to southern Utah! This year we headed to Zions National Park, and my parents came too! I had just received my fancy-shmancy camera, so most of the trip was spent trying it out. I have sooooo much to learn, but I absolutely LOVE it!

Utah has AMAZING geology! Zions is just beautiful!

Fall Photoshoot

2011-10-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine (Niki Noel Photography) took our pictures this Fall! She did a fabulous job!!! These are some of my faves!

PuMpKiN TiMe!

2011-10-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Fire Station Field Trip

2011-10-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

AWESOME!

And just in case you're not sure what to do in case of a fire or an emergency you can ask Sara. She knows it all!!! She can even sing you a song about it :-)

ZOO time

2011-10-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

September is the perfect time to visit the zoo! We love it there!

monkey see,

monkey do!

It doesn't matter HOW old you are...animals are just COOL!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-10-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Violet is a busy, busy girl!

She is busy making messes, that is!

She is busy getting into the magazine basket.
(Supposedly, it's a great place to unwind and catch up on some reading :-)

She also stays busy with the laundry! She loves to help me push the laundry basket through the house and down the hallway. She loves to help me sort the dirty clothes and load the washer and dryer. But she mostly loves to UNFOLD the clothes I've already folded! Despite the extra work, I couldn't ask for a cuter helper :-)

Here she is trying on one of her sister's undies!

(This particular sis has asked to remain anonymous :-)

Violet keeps busy doing many other things too!

... emptying kitchen drawers, painting my bathroom and herself with liquid eye liner (by the way, it does NOT come out!), emptying dresser drawers, trying on everyone's shoes, rearranging shoes, brushing her teeth with whoever's toothbrush she can reach, throwing food on the floor, and then later eating off the floor, throwing whatever she can find down the stairs, throwing whatever she can find into the kitchen garbage, emptying all the tissue from the tissue box, going through the pantry, depositing napkins in every room, emptying the recycling box, finding treasures in siblings' rooms (they're learning to shut their doors before they leave for school), unrolling TP, coloring on walls, rearranging the table decorations... etc, etc, etc!!!

OH! And always, ALWAYS running away!

Welcome to toddler-hood!

Sara's 1st Day!

2011-09-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Sara's first day of preschool. This is her last year before kindergarten! Isn't she STYLIN'!!!

And this is her after preschool :-)

Labor Day

2011-09-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we hiked to Cuberant Lake and the Lofty Lakes in the High Unitas.

(yah, we hike in formation because we're cool like that :-)

We must have seen a dozen lakes!

Sam and Rylie decided to test out the water.

We underestimated the amount of miles it would take us to hike to Cuberant and do the loop. We ended up doing 8 miles. The terrain was rocky and steep in places, but the views were worth it. We were met with some wind and rain toward the end of the hike. That always seems to happen when we're hiking in that area. Thankfully, our kids are real troopers!!!

(note to self: always pack rain gear and fleece jackets when hiking in the high unitas :-)

And this last picture is for you, Dad.

(He's a Plant Pathologist and studies water lilies. I can't count the number of times I've seen him wade into some body of water to collect samples.)

The GOLDEN RULE!

2011-09-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Each year we have a "Back To School Feast" with a theme. In past years we've done "I Am A Child Of God", "Put On The Whole Armor Of God", "Let Your Light So Shine", etc. This year we decided to focus on the Golden Rule...and not just at home, but wherever they go! (Let's hope it sticks!)

For our feast, Aaron smoked pork tender loin (YUM!), and we had some "golden" sides like apricot jello and rolls. For dessert I made creme brulee' (YUM...again!)

I spray painted wooden rulers a metallic gold color and wrote the golden rule on each of them for the kids.

The best part of all, following the feast-ivities, Aaron gave each of the kids a father's blessing. I don't know a better way to start off the school year!!!

A Racin' & A Skiin'

2011-08-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

So last week I decided to run a 10K. I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking. I signed up on a Tuesday night, leaving myself only 3 days to prepare for the race! Most people train for these for weeks! Needless to say, I had butterflies all week and didn't sleep much...

Can I just say, post-race pictures are never pretty!

These are my racin' buddies (they are awesome!):

I didn't quite make my goal time, BUT I did get 4th in my age group :-)

The four of us are looking for another race, so we'll see how I do next time!

On our way home from the race, friends called us inviting us to go water skiing. YAY!

Here's my hunky hubby wake boarding!

I skiied too, and even Sam and Kaeli got up on skiis!!!!

This giant-banana-looking-thing was a blast!

Thank you Rosiers!

Another year older...

2011-08-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

And wiser, too!

Summer is...

2011-08-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

ice cream,

movies,

visits to the ice shanty,

cousins,

(cousins, Corbin & Cooper in the middle)

and getting wet!

(or not...if getting wet is just not your thing)

This picture made me laugh!

She can feel the wind in her hair :-)

I can't believe summer is almost over :-(

No more BRACES!

2011-08-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sammy got his braces off two weeks before school started! What a handsome SMILE!

POOOOOOOR Rylie!

2011-08-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

While we were in Washington, Rylie got stung by a wasp at a park :-(

THEN she sprained her ankle when she landed wrong in the pool! These pictures were taken a few days later. You can see it's still swollen. I wish I had taken a picture right after it happened. It looked like a golf ball poking out of the side of her ankle!

I took her in for some x-rays when we got back into town. Thankfully, it wasn't broken.

She also ended up with swimmer's ear a few days after we got home. And if you don't know already, it's super painful! Her doctor said her ear canal was so swollen he couldn't even see her eardrum.

Apparently, Rylie didn't get the "Milk It For All It's Worth" memo, and kept right on playing as usual. She was caught jumping on the neighbor's trampoline just a few days after she sprained her ankle, ignoring my "no playing, but you can sit and watch" rule. Luckily, it is healing nicely and she was able to walk on it like nothing happened a few weeks later, although I still make her wear a brace when she's running around.

I guess she inherited my weak ankles. Bummer.

Going HOME!

2011-08-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

The palouse! This is where my family moved to (Pullman, WA) right before I started high school. This is where I went to college (WSU) and met my Mr. Right. This is home!

After I got married, my parents moved to Moscow, ID...which is only 8 miles from Pullman. They are still on the palouse and we love going home!

My FAVORITE spot in Moscow is the arboretum. We always spend some time there. My mom and I like to go there in the mornings to run :-)

(Arboretum)

We also went to Moscow's public pool. The kids LOVED it!

And of course we hiked Kamiak Butte. I have a GAZILLION memories from my high school years of Kamiak!

My Mom & Dad :-)

There is a play ground that the kids always play at after the hike:

So there's this little stone house that you can see from my parent's back deck. There is no road to it. My parents explored it a few years ago and we asked to go see it. Doesn't that house look so content and in a perfect spot?

We walked through thick long grass to get there...

The sun was close to setting so I couldn't help taking a ton of pictures in the orange light!

This is looking out the front window!

The floor in the house was weak and missing in spots so we had to be careful walking around, and of course we wouldn't let the kids go upstairs. We wouldn't call it move in ready, but Aaron and I are considering it :-) It's our dream home!

After our visit on the palouse we headed out,

stopping by Ferdinans for ice cream of course...

(I love that I caught Violet in mid-sneeze!)

...and drove to Kennewick, WA. This is home too! Aaron is from Kennewick and I grew up (until I was 13) in a small town just east of it. Aaron's parents have a pool so we swam, swam, and swam some more!

This is Rylie's infamous "pencil dive"! She did it over and over and over again. So funny!

Kaeli is our fish. She is a natural in the water!

Aaron and the cousins!

And Violet, our little skinny-dipper!

I love Sara's goggles! Too cute!

Sammy is just chillin'

Aunt Kiera (Aaron's little sis) has horses. The kids loved going with her in the evenings to feed and brush them. They also got to go riding!

(Duke & Tally)

I see little cowboy & cowgirls in the making!

While we were there we went to Jessica's (our niece) baptism. I was so bummed we didn't get pictures of her, but here is a snap shot of our family at the gathering afterwards:

(Can you believe everyone's eyes are open and looking forward and everyone is SMILING!!! Amazing!)

We loved our trip HOME and wish we all lived closer! It's worth the 11 plus hour-drive!!!

Love y'all!

Just having a BAD day...

2011-08-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish that "grumpy" looked this cute on the rest of us?

It was nothing a good nap and some cuddling couldn't fix!

Girly

2011-08-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

I don't think anyone can call my girls "girly". They've got some toughness and a little bit of tom-boy in each of them. But their girliness comes out every once in awhile!

Violet has such a sassy saunter when she walks. Her bum sways side to side...it's so stinkin' cute! And I love to watch her run around on Sundays in her dress.

Doesn't she look girly?

Aaron and I have been taking the kids out on "Daddy & Me" or "Mommy & Me" dates. They're so much fun! Rylie was ecstatic when her daddy called her up on the phone while he was at work and asked her out on a date. She was so excited and said, Oh I need to go get pretty! She wore a skirt and I straightened her hair. She definitely looked pretty. And she was tickled to death that daddy was a gentleman and opened doors for her. And she made sure to let Aaron know that he looked handsome. It was really cute.

I couldn't help but wonder what it'll be like when she first starts dating for real. I bet she'll be all giggles then too :-) And I'm sure that daddy will be threatening teenage boys and pacing the floor until she gets home.

A typical hike (for us)

2011-08-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Violet's little legs do a pretty good job keepin' up!

But when she gets all tuckered out this is her ride:

There's always lots of UP!

(I think this must be a man-pose:)

And of course I have to climb a tree or cross a log.

(Yes, I know that's strange

for a woman in her thirties...,

but oh well.)

Wait...what kind of trail has ladders???

And there's always a stream or river to cross with daddy's help!

Aaron's redneck-ness almost always comes out!

And then it starts spreading to the kids (yikes)!

WARNING:
REDNECK-NESS is CONTAGIOUS!

(Yah, they both have grass sticking out of their mouths)

And it's typical for me to take a gazillion pictures.

I haven't decided if this one is
STUNNING or kinda FREAKY:

Sara's "S"

2011-08-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is Library Day!

We go every week during the summer.

And just about every time

I find Sara here:

...curled up with a book in the S!

This spot was made especially for her
...she's pretty sure.

(The "S" is part of "KIDS")

FiShiEs

2011-08-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

The fishies loved swim lessons

and they made lots of progress this year!

Violet watched part of the time,...

and then tried her darndest to get past me

and join the kids in the pool for the rest of the time.

We LOVE grass!

2011-08-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a little bit of grass can do!

We love our backyard!

cAmPiNg!

2011-08-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

...soft lush grass, shady scrub oak,

clean bathrooms just steps away,

and no parents!!!

Where is this AMAZING camping spot?

In the

BACKYARD!

We made a campfire and

invited some neighbors over for

S'MORE FUN, too!

Colorado Cousins

2011-08-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

(Sara & Hannah)

My sister and her family came for a visit. I was so bummed I didn't get a picture of Ollie (he was napping when we went to the park), but here are the others:

(Will)

(watching the ducks)

Oh and of course miss Clara!

So sweet!

FIVE Little Monkeys

2011-08-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

We love the

PARK!

Independence Day!

2011-07-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we BBQ-ed!

We had chicken shishkabobs, grilled pineapple & mushrooms, oven roasted red potatoes, corn on the cob, jello jigglers, and topped it all off with homemade strawberry ice cream!

It was YUM!

Yesterday, we went down to Provo for their Freedom Festival!

We had some BBQ at DICKIES!

(and Yes, it is VERY hard to get Sara to sit...even for a meal :-)

This guy is SERIOUS about his BBQ!

And then we headed to Electric Park (Thanksgiving Point) for fireworks. We hung out for over 3 hours!

And of course Sam climbed a tree :-)

and we played some frisby and football,

But most of our time was spent chasing Violet. She WOULD NOT stay with us! I guess it's safe to say she's over her separation anxiety...

It rained off and on.

But we mostly just hung out,

Or cuddled :-)

Backyard

2011-07-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

After living here for over four years we are FINALLY getting our backyard in! I'm so excited!!!!

We (Aaron mostly) prepped the soil by raking and pulling weeds, raking and pulling some more weeds, and then raking some more...

I sectioned off some areas where I don't want grass and will eventually (hopefully really soon) will have trees and shrubs.

Here are some BEFORE SOD pix:

And here are some DURING SOD pix:

Are you catching my vision?

We still have a lot of doing left (planting trees & shrubs, bringing in gravel & maybe bark, hefting & placing super gigantuous rocks, killing some not-so-pretty sagebrush and weeds, back-filling walls, decorating patio, lighting...the list goes on and on).

...so the AFTER pix will have to wait.

Next year we will finish the upper part of our backyard where we have all the shrub oak and wild grass...yay!

Herriman Days Parade!

2011-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

We always look forward to Herriman Days. This year it was a lot earlier than normal AND we've had cooler weather than normal, so the HEAT wasn't an issue. It was perfect parade-day weather!

The girls and I had a good spot!

Kaeli and Violet

Sara and Rylie

The Scouts started out the parade,
and we cheered and hollered for Sammy!

There's our boy!

Summer-Time-Craft-Time

2011-06-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Painting plaster magnets!

First Grade Opera!

2011-06-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Rylie's class worked really hard this year getting ready for their opera. They studied Ancient Egypt this year so that's what it was all about. The kids wrote the lyrics to the songs (someone else put them to music) and made the props. And of course, the parents came up with the costumes. It turned out so GOOD! I was impressed.

Rylie played two parts; an Egyptian Slave and a Mummy. Since she wasn't going to have enough time to change she wore her mummy costume UNDER her slave costume.

Here are some snap shots of her big night:

Congrats to Rylie!

She did a fabulous job!!!

G is for GRADUATE

2011-05-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sara had her preschool graduation last week!

(She still has another year of preschool before kindergarten, but we like to celebrate the little things :-)

She was so excited to wear her "Hawaii Dress"

and have her toe nails & finger nails painted.

She is such a

CuTiE!

pRiMaRy RoCkS!

2011-05-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sara brought this home from church and it made me laugh!

lucky SEVEN!

2011-05-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Rylie is SEVEN!

And we're so LUCKY to have her in our family!

She is such a good sister, and she's growing up so fast!

Rylie is smart and spunky and silly!

She has always been very strong-willed,

even from the start!

She knows exactly what she wants,

and has such a strong sense of right and wrong.

Rylie has a very strong and amazing spirit!

She is destined for amazing things!

We love her to pieces!

Piggies

2011-05-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

gottta love 'em!

Introducing...

2011-05-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

So I have been pondering this idea for quite awhile.... I love to do projects. I love to do art. I love to create. BUT I rarely have had time to do these things as much as I want. A few months ago as I jotted down my new year's resolutions, making time to do these things was at the top of the list. I know that when I make time to create I am so much happier and feel so much more complete. Sooooo creating a blog where I can record my creations was a natural step, because it gives me accountability to make time for these projects and blogging is just one more creative outlet. I will keep SMARKS as more of a family blog and the Eclectic Nut as my Artsy/DIY/Creations/Project (not sure exactly what it really is) blog.

Check it out and let me know what you think...for reals, I would love your feedback!

www.eclecticnut.blogspot.com

Hula Baby

2011-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Board & Batten

2011-05-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Look what I've been up to?
This weekend I put board & batten in our front room!

We bought primed mdf from Home Depot:
Header: (2) 5-1/2' x 6'
Verticals: (11) 1-1/2 x 8'

After a tutorial from da hubbs on how to use a chop saw and a nail gun, I went to work.

It took a full day, but it was totally do-able and FUN!
Here's how to do it:

1. MEASURE
Measure out the wall for the vertical boards, using painter's tape to mark it. Making sure that the boards won't cover any outlets or light switches. There are 10.5 inches between each vertical board. But I really only measured every 12" keeping in mind that the mark would line up to the left of each board. 12"-1.5"(width of board)=10.5". Then I marked where the header would go, using a level and pencil.

2. HEADER
Measure the header (I used two boards) and cut the edges at 45 degree angles where they join. Using liquid nails I glued the header in place, checking with the level to make sure it was all good. I used the T-support to hold it in place so I could nail it. (Holy cow mdf is heavy!) I used 1.25" finishing nails. Then with a pencil I marked on the bottom on the header the 12" increments for the vertical boards.

3. MEASURE & CUT VERTICALS
Line up each board to the marks on the header. Number each board on the back along with the length it needs to be cut to. Measure each board individually because the may need to be cut at different lengths. (I didn't want the vertical boards to hang over the existing base board, so I cut 45 degree angles leaving 0.25" blunt edge, so it didn't come to a point, at the bottom of each board. That sounds confusing so refer to the picture below).

When the bottom cuts are done, measure and mark each board according to their individual measurements and cut them to length.

4. GLUE & NAIL VERTICALS
Line up each vertical board to their place and make sure they'll fit. One at a time, glue the board with liquid nails, lining it up to the mark on the header and checking with a level. When it's good and level, nail it in place.

5. CAULK & PAINT
Fill in nail holes and joints with putty. Caulk around all the boards with paint-able caulk. Sand the putty places. Tape off the walls and paint. And then paint again...

TA-DA!

My decorations are still a work in progress.
As soon as my basement is finished the piano is moving downstairs and I hope to replace it with a cute chair and lamp.

Oh, and a hutch will replace my armoire...some day.
I search ksl classifieds weekly for "the one", to refinish just the way I want.

Family trip to KAUAI

2011-04-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Prepare for

PICTURE OVERLOAD!

DAY 1:
The kids (except for Violet) had never flown before so this trip was full of firsts! Aaron being super special or something like that :-) was able to get us into the sky club as we waited for our flight. We're talkin' big screen TVs, sofas, and FOOD. Nice. We boarded our plane and headed to LAX (where our flight was delayed...then delayed some more...) and we then we boarded another plane to Lihue, Kauai.

We arrived later than expected, and it got dark quickly (Hawaii doesn't do daylight savings). So as we drove to the north side of the island we didn't see much of it. Our condo was nice (thanks to Aaron's parents who let us use their time share). We stayed in Princeville in the Cliffs Club.

DAY 2:
We woke up to this view from our lanai. It was absolutely beautiful!

"A double rainbow! What does it mean???"

We explored Hanalei, which was only about 5 minutes from where we were staying. I decided it was my favorite little town of all. Here's a view above Hanalei Valley where they grow taro.

As we wandered, I endlessly snapped pictures. I love this little church.

Everyone was excited to hit the beach, so we did! We swam in Hanalei Bay. I think we were at Waikoko Beach, but they all blend together so it's hard to know for sure.

DAY 3:
We decided to hike the Kalalau Trail from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapia Beach. Kauai had received a lot of rain so the trail was muddy and slippery and there were waterfalls and streams across the trail that normally weren't there. But the views were amazing so the steep slippery trail was worth it.

Here are the kids toward the beginning of the hike overlooking Ke'e Beach:

And of course the pack lama and his wee little one:

Breathtaking views along the Na Pali coast line:

There are no roads along this part of the coast, so if you're going to see the Na Pali Coast you'll have to be in a boat, a plane, or hike it!

Here we're thinking our hike is almost over...overlooking Hanakapia Beach:

Little did we know that the little stream that we needed to cross had turned into a fast-flowing river! Aaron decided to take the older two across first. There were deep pockets in the river so the kids were in up to their arm pits. There was a rope to hold on to, which was necessary because a few times Sam's feet were floating down stream and the only thing that kept him there was his grip on the rope, and his dad's grip on him!

After crossing with Sam and Kaeli, Aaron came back across and scouted out the area for a better way to cross. He was able to cross by jumping from boulder to boulder back to Sam and Kaeli, but decided it too was too dangerous to cross with the littler girls and Violet. Sooooo we found our own little beach on our side of the river and ate lunch. It was a pretty spot, but the water was rough.

On our way back we decided it was good we didn't cross it, even if we had we wouldn't have let the kids into the water:

Our hike was up and down and up and down and...you get the idea. But the mountains of Kauai are like none other so the views were worth it!

There are tons of wild roosters and chickens all over the island. They freely roam wherever. In fact, that is what woke us each morning, but it wasn't obnoxious. I thought they were pretty neat. We saw them along roads, on beaches, parking lots, towns...they were everywhere!

After the hike we swam at Ke'e Beach!

DAY 4:

breakfast on the lanai.

We drove to the south side of the island and visited Koloa and Poipu. We also saw the Spouting Horn. It's pretty cool. Water bursts out of a lava tube 50 feet into the air each time the waves crash up against the rocks.

Here is the view toward Poipu:

We discovered that Poipu Beach was pretty, but small and crowded sooooo... we scouted out our own little beach which ended up being one of my favorites. We took a dirt road, and several turns and found what I think is Mahaulepu Beach right next to Shipwreck Beach. So we walked Shipwreck Beach...

and swam at Mahaulepu Beach. There were only a few other families there so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Violet and I found a nice shaddy spot to chill.

There was a lot of lava rock, but the waves and water were perfect. We just had to watch out for the rocks.

DAY 5:
We drove to Opaekaa Falls:

And then to Wailua Falls. Do they look familiar? They were featured in the series Fantasy Island. I've never seen that show, so...Ok.

After a lot of driving around, seeing sights, but mostly giving Violet a good nap in the van, we drove to Kealia Beach. Kealia has super big waves and a strong current. So the big kids loved it (aka, Aaron, Sam & Kaeli). There were times when we got tumbled around pretty good. In fact, Aaron lost his sun glasses in a wave and Sam lost his snorkeling goggles in a wave. Kaeli and I also did some somersaults.

This little girl has a crush on her daddy:

But he's just as smitten with her...too cute!

We love our beach baby. Poor thing was constantly smothered in SPF 70, forced to keep a hat on, and was in shade whenever we could find it...and if we couldn't find it she was in the stroller with an umbrella....

Sara made friends with a naked native. It's sweet how a child really doesn't care if you're dressed or not and no judgement is made.

DAY 6:
We visited the Kilauea Lighthouse. Everything around it serves as a nature reserve for thousands of birds.

Here is the view looking toward Anini Beach:

This little island was at the end of the peninsula, also a bird sanctuary:

Then we drove to the south side of the island again to see Hanapepe. This is the little town that "Lilo and Stitch" is based from. We decided the drive was a waste of time. Hanapepe wasn't very impressive. But we did go across their swinging bridge just for the heck of it.

We drove to Lihue and swam at Kalapaki Beach. Kalapaki has a lot of fancy hotels and resorts right on the shore. It wasn't too crowded and we had a lot of fun. This is where I finally figured out body surfing!

Our first day we ate at a regular ole restaurant and when the bill was over 100 bucks we decided we weren't going to do that again. So after that we searched for little "hole in the wall" places or bought our food off the street. And we loved everything and never spent over $50 for a meal of 7 after that. (We bought food from grocery stores for breakfast and lunch). My favorite place was called "Chicken In A Barrel" in Kapa'a. They had picnic tables set out next to their little trailer, and had metal barrels within a chain-link fence where they smoked all their meat. It was soooo good that we ate there twice.

Here we passed up the fancy-shmancy restaurants and found a fish-n-chips shack. The kids were excited to eat upstairs and the view was nice!

DAY 7:
OK, so this was one of the highlights (in my opinion) of our trip. I loved, loved, LOVED this hike. We drove clear over to the east side of the island and up Waimea Canyon. They call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and you can see why.

Purdy, ain't it?

We had a plan to hike the Alakai Swamp Trail and I was really excited about it, but finding it was tricky. We drove to the visitor center to buy a map and I asked the ranger-lady there questions about it and she was really trying to discourage me from going. It was weird. But she insisted we needed 4 wheel drive and would not make it in a mini van. She really had no idea who she was talking to, and being in a mini van had never stopped us before :-)

So we hit the 4x4 road. It was pretty gnarly, and a bit slippery in places but we made it to our trail head. This is where we ate lunch before the hike. Nice view, huh?

The trail started off pretty nice. It was green, wide, and grassy. A long time ago they attempted to cut a road and failed. Sara was the leader and she runs more than she hikes so we kept up a good pace. We were worried about driving our crazy road back in the dark and if it rained it would be impossible to get out, so we were in a bit of a hurry.

Soon enough we discovered why it was called a swamp.

A boardwalk was built on the trail for about half the hike. I accidentally slipped off the boardwalk on the way back and I sunk in past my ankle. I was lucky to get my foot up with my boot still on!

Lots and lots of steps:

I loved the swamp/jungle feeling throughout the hike. The wettest place on earth is actually on this very island!

When we finally arrived at the Kilohana lookout we were disappointed to have fog blocking the view.

But we waited a little longer and sure enough it cleared up and we saw the most AMAZING view of a deep valley and the ocean. We could see Hanalei Bay and the cliffs where our condo was. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was truly breathtaking!

We ended up hiking 7.5 miles.

DAY 8:
We honestly needed a day that wasn't super crazy. So we did some laundry, let Violet take a nice long nap, while Aaron and the kiddos swam in the pool.

And yes, I had to get a picture of Violet in a hula outfit. And yes, I'll probably dress her up again, take some more pictures of my sweet hula baby.

We headed back to Hanalei Bay and walked the pier.

Sam and Kaeli even jumped off the end of the pier. And of course we swam some more....

The water here was really mellow and shallow...perfect for Violet. Sara was even able to wear her floaties!

I love this sillohuette of Aaron and the kids.

(L to R; Kaeli, Rylie, Aaron, Violet, Sara, Sam)

The mountains that surround Hanalei make it feel like paradise! Could it be more perfect!

DAY 9:
On our last day we spent the morning packing up and then hit Kealia Beach again, since everyone was craving the big waves. We got to the beach early enough to get a perfect parking spot on the beach and in the shade. Doesn't that look like a nice set-up for V?

Rylie and Sara loved playing in the sand when the waves were too rough or current too strong. They were able to go into the water with Aaron or I.

Aaron helped Sam-man become and sandman. Nice abs!

We showered up at the condo, finished packing and headed out! On our way to the airport we ate in Kapa'a. We flew out at 9pm to LAX and then onto SLC. Violet had it rough but eventually slept. On the last leg of the trip we were told that the flight was full and discovered that it wasn't. So Sam sat behind us (next to STRANGERS!) and Violet took his seat. She ended up falling asleep like this at the end of the flight:

We arrived in SLC at 9 am in our flip flops and shorts and it was SNOWING! I was ready to turn back around and head back to Hawaii!!! When we got home we slept for hours!

I already miss Kauai. I loved the sunshine and loved swimming in the ocean. It was great to have time to spend with my kids and amazing hubby with no other obligations, interruptions, or pressing schedules...it was paradise!

Sweetness!

2011-04-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I met my new little nephew!
Isn't he SWEET?

I wanted to take him home.
So so sweet.

Conference Weekend

2011-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Between sessions on Saturday we went for a little bike ride.

A few of us ended up with some owies.
Kaeli scored a nice one!

I pulled the Littles (aka Sara & Violet).

When we got to our destination we played around.

Violet sampled some rocks and sticks.
She likes the way nature tastes.

Rylie just kept riding her bike. She LOVES to ride!

Sara found a stick that she decided would make a great sling shot.
It was a straight stick that separated into a V at the end.
She would wedge a rock in the V and give the stick a good fling.
She's a tom boy in the making!

And of course Sam climbed a tree!

I LOVED conference!
I feel refreshed and uplifted,
ready to take on the world!

A Decade Old!

2011-03-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

It's birthday time at our house again!

Our little Kaeli is now TEN!
FLASHBACK: Here she is when she was 4 years old:

We love our Kaeky-Ray!

Kaeli holds a very special place in my heart.
She is sweet, strong, smart & spunky!
She has a big heart and is a good friend.
She is mature & wise beyond her years,
but also very silly and loves to have a fun time!
Kaeli is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside!
We are so grateful for our Kaeli!

She asked for a baker's hat :-)
Looks like she's ready to whip up somethin' GOOD!

This was the cake I made for Kaeli.

The colors in the picture are messed up!
They really weren't this putrid.
The colors were neon pink, purple, orange & yellow.

I had never used fondant before. I still have a lot to learn, but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I found fondant and a how-to book at Walmart. But really all the credit belongs to You Tube! You can learn anything on You Tube!

I think I may have found a new hobby!

FaNcY

2011-03-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sara was invited to a "Fancy Nancy" birthday party.

She looked just so fancy I had to snap a few pix.

Wow-wee!

And YES, she got to wear mommy's blush and lip gloss.
Now that's a BIG deal!

Sara is such a little comedian.
I couldn't stop laughing as I was taking these pictures.
Sooo fancy, but sooo much more SILLY!
I just love my little pixie!!!

Meet Lamby...

2011-03-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look dignified?

Lamby is very important.

He is very LOVED.
He is Violet's "lovey".

She WILL NOT SLEEP without this
fleecy, tiny blanket with a sheep head.
We have tried other toys, stuffed animals, & blankets,
but only Lamby will do!

She chews and sucks on his ears.
And they are brown now!
Because of my germ-a-phobia I sneak Lamby
into the washer when Violet isn't looking.
But his ears remain brown.

And just so you know
Lamby loves Violet right back.
And he especially likes it when she chews on his ears :-)

(awwww)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T11:37:00.001-07:00

I love St. Patrick's Day!
It may be because my favorite color is green,
or because I like little green men & rainbows,
or maybe its the wee bit of Irish in me blood!

Last night Aaron and I were practicing our Irish accents.
He told me I sounded more Australian.
I don't think he knows what he's talkin' 'bout!
(and yah, I just said that in my amazing accent, could you tell?)

Needless to say, we ended up laughing so hard I almost peed my pants.

And for the record, my accent is MUCH better than Aaron's,
but he has much better bladder control than I do.
So I guess we're tied: 1-1.

After we were all asleep a leprechaun must have sneaked into the kitchen and turned our milk GREEN! He must have spilled his coins on the floor in his rush to get out!

How else do you explain this?

The kids got a break from uniforms again!
Here are the lasses and lad in their Irish getup before school:

And we mustn't forget the wee lasses!

Guess what! I decorated those shirts!
Cute, right?
They are way easier than you think!

Freezer Paper t-shirts!

1. Find the design you want and put it on paper.
I googled to find the perfect images and then tweaked them a wee bit in photoshop, and printed them. For more complex designs you'll have to print a few copies for each layer of paint.

2. Cut out the design on freezer paper.
Lay down cardboard to protect your counter and then the freezer paper (glossy side down) on top of that, and then the paper with the design on top of that. Tape it all in place and cut out with an exact-o knife. Words and more intricate designs can make it tricky so try to keep your designs simple. The part you cut out is the part that will be painted. You're making a stencil.

3. Iron on the freezer paper to your shirt.
Iron your shirt first so there are no wrinkles. Make sure your iron isn't on the steam setting. You want a dry iron. Place the freezer paper, glossy side down, and iron it to the t-shirt.

4. Paint!
This is the fun part. Paint with fabric paints using a foam brush. Make sure you paint by blotting up and down, instead of moving your brush across sideways. This prevents bleeding under the stencil.

5. Let it dry.
If you're in a hurry or as impatient as I am, you can use a blow-dryer to speed up the process. Once it's dry remove the freezer paper. If you have more layers repeat steps 2-5 until you're all done!

Rylie & Vylie

2011-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sara calls Violet "Vylie",
and the rest of us call her "Vy".
Occasionally it can get confusing...
You know, Vylie & Rylie and Vy & Ry.

Ry is a great big sister to Vy.
She gets creative with the way she carriers her.
This is only just one of the ways Vylie & Rylie get around.

And just in case you didn't get your fix, here are more pictures of our Little Vy:

SERIOUSLY, she must be the most photographed baby in the world!

Arrow Of Light

2011-03-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sammy earned his Arrow Of Light!

(where's my face?)

We are so proud of our little scout!

So long cub scouts...Hello BOY SCOUTS!

Wild!

2011-03-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

I love Violet's WILD hair,
which is pretty much like this every day.
She won't leave in clips or head bands.

This picture makes me laugh out loud!

Wild hair or not, how could I not LOVE this little face?

Springy Pillows

2011-03-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have been on a search for green & springy-looking pillows, and kept coming up empty handed. So I was forced to break out the sewing machine and make some. I made four. I still think I need more color though.

Hmmmm...any ideas?

Is it SPRING yet?

2011-03-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to get some warmer weather and headed to the park on bikes!
I was excited to try out my newly acquired bike trailer!

You could say Sara was ECSTATIC!

Our warm weather turned windy by the time we got there,
but we made the best of it!

It's so nice to be able to go on a bike ride with the whole fam :-)

SPIRIT Week!

2011-03-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

NOT wearing uniforms was a big deal!

One-eyed Monster Cake

2011-03-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

My in-box is OVERFLOWING with pleadings to explain how I made Sam's birthday cake!

OK not really!
But a girl can dream, right?

Whether or not you asked for it, I'm going to tell you :-)

I wanted to make a birthday cake for Sam using my new bundt pan. I stared at it trying to figure out what on earth I could make out of it that he would like. I came up with the one-eyed monster!

You can use any size bundt pan. The one I used is smaller than the norm.

Bake the cake following directions on the box or bake it from scratch...whatever floats your boat. Let it cool.

For the eyeball, scavenge for the perfect-sized ball. I found that golf balls were too small, and wiffle balls and tennis balls were too big. I was lucky to find a large bouncy ball that was a perfect fit.

Wrap the ball in press n' seal (love that stuff), and gather it all at one end, twisty-tie it, and cut off the excess with scissors. The twisty-tie side goes down.

Use a small cup to balance and steady the ball so you can paint it without it rolling around. I used a medicine cup. If you don't want paint to get on the cup, wrap it in press n' seal too.

Paint an eyeball on the press n' seal-covered ball with acrylic paints. (I bet permanent markers would work too!)

While the eyeball dries, decorate the cake with green frosting, using the star tip. You don't need to cover the entire cake, just enough to make it look hairy. Frost on an eyebrow and smile.

Make arms out of chenille stems.

Make teeth by cutting a large marshmallow with scissors.

Find some horns! I used Violet's banana cookies (you can find them in the baby aisle).

Plop the eyeball down in the center of the bundt, stick the arms into the side of the cake, stick the horns in, and place marshmallow teeth sticky-side down, and...

VOILA!
You have an One-eyed Monster Birthday Cake!

I was happy how it turned out considering it was a PIECE OF CAKE to create!

eLeVeN

2011-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Sammy made me a mommy ELEVEN years ago.

I am so grateful for my BOY...who is quickly growing up.
Sam has an enthusiasm & love for life!
He has a BIG heart and has blessed our lives in a BIG way!

We love our Sam!

In case you missed it...Sam is now eleven!!!
Oddly enough, Sam had an encounter with an alligator during the festivities!

No worries, he won the fight, and best of all he made a new friend :-)

-FLASHBACK-
Here is little Sammy as a 3 year old.
It doesn't get much cuter than that!

(all pictures of Sam pre-2003 aren't in digital format...
meaning Sam was born in the olden days!)

China Girl not Tin Grin

2011-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Kaeli got her braces off on Monday!
YAY!

On Wednesday she presented a report to her class on China.
And she even dressed the part!

A New Perspective

2011-02-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Could this be the face of ADHD?

Last year after a month or so into the 5th grade I had a parent-teacher conference with Sam's teacher. She told me what a smart and intelligent kid he is, how he always participates in class discussions, and what a delight he was to teach. I could tell she really liked Sam and meant what she said. But then she started listing the things that we had heard time and time again from his teachers...since preschool. He has a hard time sitting still and he doesn't do his work independently, he talks endlessly, and he forgets to finish assignments, or forgets to put his name on assignments, or even forgets to turn them in. He is often disruptive.

With every new school year more accountability is required and with that the more Sam struggled. He's such a smart kid, so why wasn't he doing well in school?

Things at home were following the same trend. He had a hard time finishing his chores without getting distracted, he was impulsive, and he was overly emotional. I often wondered in a Dr. Phil sort of way, "what on earth is his 'pay-off' for this behavior?" I couldn't figure it out. Aaron and I always tried to make the consequences for bad behavior as natural and logical as possible, and made sure "negative attention" from us wasn't the "pay-off". But no matter what we did the behavior continued.

After some discussion, Sam's teacher carefully suggested that Sam might have ADHD. I was a taken aback. At one time I had thought he had ADHD, but that was when he was a rambunctious 2 year old that spoke excessively in the third person, and who literally bounced off the walls. But since then ADHD hadn't ever crossed my mind. To me a child with ADHD was wild and uncontrollable, misbehaving and impulsive...someone that no one could control. THAT wasn't my Sam.

I went home and started researching everything I could about ADHD. The more I read the more I saw Sam in the descriptions, and the more I understood for the first time past behaviors that always baffled me. ADHD has so many different looks, but they always have symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. They don't need to fit all the symptoms, but must fit a certain amount in each category to be considered ADHD. The very next week I went to the school to help in Kaeli's class and afterward I spied through Sam's classroom window and watched him. There he stood behind his desk leaning over to do his work while all the other kids sat doing theirs. He fidgeted, paced, and spoke to the kids next to him. Overall he looked so much more active than the others in his class. This was all during a time that was obviously meant for working quietly and independently. I was scared and confused about what I was realizing.

I sought advice from my friend who has sons with ADHD and she suggested I make an appointment with their pediatrician who is a behavioral/attention specialist in Provo. So I did. Sam and I went to Provo and with us I had surveys filled out by Aaron and I, and by his teacher, rating Sam's behavior in all three categories.

The doctor spoke to me privately and then spent a considerable amount of time with Sam. He went over the surveys and concluded that Sam definitely had ADHD. He wrote up a prescription and we were to return in a month with new surveys filled out assessing his behavior while on the medication.

During our first month we saw a big change in Sam. He was doing better in school, remembered to turn in assignments, and his usual emotional responses that always seemed disproportionate to what he was reacting to was nonexistent. And most of all his self-esteem was so much better! That was the best part. He liked who he was and he was confident.

My need for knowledge switched gears and I started researching the effects of the medication. I didn't like the idea of Sam being on medication. Especially when it affected his appetite and sleeping. A boy who is almost 11 years old, but the size of an average 8 year old, needs food and needs sleep! I had never been more conflicted! He was doing fabulous now, but only because of a medication, a medication that may not be healthy in the long run.

When we returned to the doctor I asked him about a more holistic approach or herbs that we could consider. The doctor told me that there was nothing else out there that would work because ADHD was a bio-chemical issue in the brain and there weren't any herbs that could change bio-chemical responses in the brain. Nothing else was FDA approved.

I decided I needed a second opinion. So I made an appointment with our regular pediatrician, who I already liked and trusted. I also borrowed several books from the library, one was about self-coaching and coping with ADHD without medication. And of course Aaron and I have discussed every aspect of ADHD to death, but more importantly we have prayed for guidance.

We have a plan now. And I'm sure it will change as more knowledge comes and as Sam develops and matures. But for now we have a plan that we feel good about.

I've waited several months before telling anyone (other than parents) because I wanted to be sure I knew what I knew, because something like this doesn't come without opposition and opinions from all different angles and directions. And now I'm OK with receiving it. I'm OK with it because I know that Aaron and I were meant to be Sam's parents and that makes us the best experts out there on what to do for our son. And we won't make these decisions without thorough study and prayer.

So is Sam the face of ADHD? Not really. There are so many wonderful things that define Sam, but ADHD won't ever define him. And it won't be an excuse for him either. His path may be a little rougher than someone without ADHD but in the long run we hope it'll be something he can learn to cope with, adapt to, and navigate without the help of medication. Maybe in the future it won't be anything at all to him, but a mere bump in his past that he overcame.

Two little sickies sittin' in the tub...

2011-02-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

The kids have been sick.
Sara and Violet were the last ones to get it.
And they were the sickest :-(

coughing, fever, stuffy nose, green boogies, ear infection, up all night...
all called for bubble-bath-in-Mommy's-tub-medicine!

Unfortunately, Violet was then diagnosed with
BUBBLE-PHOBIA!
So this medicine didn't help.
We'll just stick with the amoxicillin.

Violet also had her 12 month check-up.
Apparently she is TALL!
Aaron's genes just might make an appearance after all!

Skillz

2011-02-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

I know most babies are walking by now, but we still get a kick out of Violet's new skills no matter when they're mastered. Here she has finally learned to go from a tummy position to sitting up:

I swear I heard Woody Woodpecker laugh at the very end :-)

Because you can't hear too much about LOVE in February...

2011-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Have a lovey-dovey Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER daddy's girl :-)

little miss ONE!

2011-02-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

Our sweet baby is ONE!
I can't imagine our lives without her.
What a BLESSING she is!

Here she is just one year ago:

Violet Mae

(picture taken by SIL Dawn)

Sooo BIG!

2011-02-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Miss U Daddy!

2011-01-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Our studly daddy (& hubby) has been traveling LOTS.
How we get a long without him, I'll never know!
We miss him LOTS.

getting SO big!

2011-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Just a few more weeks left in infancy!
But she'll be our baby forever.

Sledding in the New Year!

2011-01-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

The kids love sledding!

Especially Sara (aka, Toboggan Girl)
She got a polar bear sled from Santa, and we had to put the sled in the garage after we discovered her love for sledding down the hallway, across the living room, and down the stairs!

Sam got a snowboard-sled from Santa and loves it.
He looks quite studly in his boarding goggles too :-)

And Kaeli & Rylie like bumping into new friends!

Our search for a steeper, faster, bigger sledding hill continues...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

and Happy New Year!

Lights on Christmas Eve

2010-12-29T21:25:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we bundled up & headed to Temple Square!
It's a MUST every year!

On our drive home we searched the sky hoping to see a glimpse of Santa flying through the night. We think we may have actually seen Rudolph's nose!

When we got home we did our annual Christmas Eve routine...
Luke 2, opening one gift (jammies & snowman soup), leaving goodies, egg nog & a note for Santa (apples for the reindeer), and going to bed hoping to fall asleep quickly so Santa can come.

But it's soooo hard to fall asleep when you're soooo EXCITED!

Tis The Season

2010-12-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for Christmas cards,

pictures of baby's first Christmas,

decking the halls,

and candy making!

1. White Chocolate Peppermint Candy
2. Marshmallow Creme Chocolates
3. Mousse Balls
4. Caramels
5. Peppermint Bark
6. Snow Balls
7. Krispy Turtles

Lil' Bum Scooter

2010-12-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is Violet's way of getting around.
She reminds me of a little frog :-)

Say CHEESE

2010-11-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

2010
SCHOOL PICTURES

Sam - 5th grade

Kaeli - 4th grade

Rylie - 1st grade

my little MONSTERS

2010-11-01T19:48:00.001-07:00

Violet was a kitty.
And yes, I know her whiskers aren't on straight.
She's a wiggly little kitty.

Sara was a witch!
She requested the green face and green hair.

Rylie was a ghost!
She was hoping to be scary, but turned out to be cute,
bummer.

Kaeli was a vampire!
And she took the role very seriously.

Sam was a ninja!
Don't mess with the ninja.

What a frightening sight!

We hope your Halloween was as SPOOKTACULAR as ours!

Birthday Ghoul!

2010-11-01T15:16:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it?

Sara had her friends over for a Halloween/Birthday/Costume
PARTY on Saturday!
They had a real spooky-good time!!!

Sara is such a blessing to our family!
She is sweet, spunky, and oh so very silly.
She has so much energy and is always bouncing, twirling, & running.
Sara is also very good at sharing and very loving!
She's a HUGE helper and takes such good care of her baby sis.
We love our Sari!

Flashback: Here's little Sara on her first birthday!

Arches

2010-11-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

(whatever :-)

The kids had "fall break" last week. So we invited my parents to go down to Moab with us and hike in Arches National Park. We had the nicest campground I think I have ever camped in...flushing toilets, warm showers, and even a sink to wash dishes in!!! Despite temperatures dipping in the low 20's at night (brrrrrr) we had so much fun hiking and exploring!

Our first trail was considered "primitive" but we hadn't had more fun on a trail before! We followed the cairns to know which way to go over the slickrock. There were a few places that presented a challenge to get to where we needed to go, but we tapped into our "inner mountain goat" and navigated the trail.

(partition arch)

(me with the tiniest nanny goat)

(kaeli, sara, & rylie)

The next day we hiked to Delicate Arch
It was one of the coolest arches we saw!

The girls were inspired by the arch!

We took a ton of pictures around the arch!

(Daddy & Vi)

(vi, me, ry, sam, sari & K)

(me & my kiddies under the arch)

(my parents on the trail)

We also went on some mini-hikes around "windows" and "balanced rock".

(muscles)

(windows)

(I couldn't resist taking this one :-)

I balanced balanced rock on my head.
Beat that!

And we happened to find an adorable baby sitting in the middle of the desert.
So we took her home :-)

Mountain MEN

2010-10-24T13:41:00.001-07:00

(my boyz)

Aaron took the scouts (ages 16-18) on an overnight back-packing trip.
And Sammy got to go...again!

(so cute, love the dimples)

We were able to adjust my pack for Sam.
It was a perfect fit!
My little man is growing up!

My boys on the mountain top.

Sunday

2010-10-15T14:27:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of the kids before church on Sunday.
I thought they were cute.
My mom made the girls' skirts & flowers.

Q: Does the world revolve around Violet?

A: Apparently so :-)

PK field trip

2010-10-15T14:14:00.001-07:00

Sara's preschool class took a trip to the Herriman Fire Department.
They got to tour the fire house & fire truck!
She loved every bit of it!