Arizona Sun Dried

Just curious

2010-03-18T04:10:00.003-07:00

So I have been trying to decide if I should do a catch up on the previous year that I missed blogging on, or if I should just start from now...Wondered what you all thought. let me know and then I will follow your advice.

Malibu

2009-02-16T16:50:00.010-07:00

Labs make the best pets.
Malibu was quick to potty train, didn't chew up too much stuff as a puppy and was always good with the kids. He turned 4 on January 29th...yes I know my dogs birthday's...so what!
So here is a little bit of Malibu growing up...
March 2005
March 2005
April 2005 Nika & Triston
May 2006
July 2006 Malibu with a little puppy we rescued...found her a good home...
July 2006 Playing
Sep 2007 Sharing some birthday cake with Liam
Oct 2007 Good spot to take a nap
May 2008 Labs love the water...
November 2008 Checking out our visitors...the classroom pets
A Good Happy Dog! Feb 2009

WaterFall Trail

2009-02-16T14:51:00.007-07:00

So it is cool in the Valley of the Sun. That means time to go hiking and enjoy the outside before the outside can not be enjoyed anymore.
So we took a late day hike January 24th in the White Tank Mountains. The Waterfall Trail is barely a mile and a nice easy hike for families. I have seen people take strollers on this hike...
We brought one backpack with water and took turns carrying it. Triston was not happy about wearing a pink backpack and when other people would pass us on the way down he would hide it behind him or drag it... So of course mean mom that I am, I snapped a picture of him wearing it.. he he he
Here are my girls... that don't look at all alike !
Last time I hiked this was March 20th 2008...
Liam is so much bigger! Thankfully I am not! He he he
Liam was a slow walker but would get mad whenever we would pick him up to carry him. He loved climbing... every time I looked around he was up on something...
The girls were exploring too. Anja was a little nervous on the rocks, Nika reminded me of me...She wanted to climb on everything and kept yelling at anyone trying to help her "I can do it myself! I don't need any help!!" She was making me nervous but she was totally fearless (as always).
Triston climbed up the last slippery part to where the waterfall starts...
Just to show you how high he was...

It's all in the hair....

2009-02-13T18:09:00.003-07:00

Why? I don't know... but when stars loose it, they loose it in their hair... What's that you say?
Let me list some examples...
Before...

After...

Another Case in point...
Before:

After:

and it seems even Men are not exempt from this crazy phenomenon...
Before:

AFTER:

It is a sad sad world...

All in your Perspective

2009-01-29T11:03:00.002-07:00

So decided it would be fun to let the kids watch a little American Idol before they went to bed. It was a few minutes to 7 so the show wasn't on yet. There is this sleazy show called TMZ on right before on fox...and why they are on at the 6 o clock hour I have no idea... Let's just say they are the ultimate bottom feeders in the media world.
Anyhow caught a brief glimpse of the actor Vern Troyer locking lips with some girl. Quickly flipped channels... you know like, "whoops that's not American Idol!"
Too late, Nika had caught a glimpse and lets out a huge "EWWWWwwwwww!"
Before I can offer any parental guidance Anja pops up in her bossy big sister tone " What! It's just a baby kissing his mommy!"

Ahhh yes that is exactly right! 10 points to Anja! Let's just leave it at that.... yet another reason to keep the TV watching to PBS.

Just some mutterings...

2009-01-25T15:04:00.004-07:00

Adding on....

Woman gives birth to octuplets in California.

Yes you read that correctly...A woman has given birth to eight babies in a hospital south of Los Angeles, the world's second live-born set of octuplets. The hospital says the mother, who asked not to be identified, gave birth to six girls and two boys weighing between 1.8 pounds and 3.4 pounds. This happened 10 years ago... I remember reading about it and I still feel the same. Women were not meant to have litters...

That said... I hope that they all grow strong and healthy... and I hope those parents have a lot of friends and family living close by.... wow

So a while back I was watching Triston's football team practice. The park has a large walking trail and many people take advantage. Jogging, walking, walking with friends, pets, etc. I saw this lady walking with a stroller and didn't think anything of it until Anja asked if she could go pet the dog.
Yes that is right she was pushing her dog around in the stroller. Now I know little dogs sometimes need less exercise but come on people!!! A Stroller for your dog! Geesh things like that just bug me.

Now say what you will about the fashion industry...those people are always on top of things. Sometimes it bothers me that it will be July and they start putting out sweaters. Or December and they start putting out swim wear. But I have to say this... in January when we are all trying our hardest to eat right and work out. Looking at all those cute bathing suits sure makes it easier to remember our resolutions. I know while it's cold and I am covering up and not caring, sooner than not it will be HOT and I will really appreciate the hard work I am doing now... So for all of you feeling the same way. Stay strong and reach for that salad, over that Krispy Kreme....

See you all at the beach!

Making more Notre Dame Fans...

2009-01-23T21:30:00.004-07:00

Tonight we had a movie/picnic night in the living room. I got to pick the flick. Ben had his concerns that I was trying to influence our kids to be Notre Dame fans...heaven forbid the world gain anymore USC fans...
So we watched Rudy! I can not watch these last few minutes without crying!
It says a lot about the spirit of hope and the will power to continue despite all the odds being against you. Love it!

Say what you will and I am sure some of you will say a lot! But I love this team and even when they aren't the best I still watch them and root for them and hope that they rekindle some of their former glory.

The little boogers...

2009-01-21T18:03:00.004-07:00

So just thought I would make note of some of the smaller day to day "funny's" that have gone on.

I should preface this first one by the fact that when I was little I would never finish my green beans... (nothing new there gross!) So as punishment (or my parents idea of encouragement I guess) I was stuck in my high chair in the hallway outside the kitchen and told to finish... So I was a little sneaky and decided to squish all the beans on the underside of the plate. Vuala I got to get down and my parents didn't realize my sneaky solution until I was well hidden upstairs.
Anyhow flash forward to my little mini me Nika sitting at the table and being my pickiest eater as always. So one night she is told to finish what's on her plate and after she comes to me with an empty plate and an innocent smile letting me know she's done I let her go off to play. Only to look over at Liam's plate and realize she has piled all her food on his plate... Nice!
Second time there were no plates to shove her food onto and I was more on to her... so I believed she had finished for about 5 min until I looked at the table and saw she had dumped her food on the floor. Probably would have worked but her accomplice's AKA: ROSIE& MALIBU
were outside at the time. Little Stinker... it's a good thing she's cute!
Also Liam has mastered getting out of his crib. I guess it is time to get him a real bed *deep sigh*
I love that he is getting older but it sure makes it harder to keep him in bed. Again that cuteness factor sure helps...

I especially love that he tells me "I love you"
I love Babies and that is probably why I have so many *laugh* but there is nothing like when they tell you they love you. Melts me every time!

Christmas Day

2009-01-17T09:59:00.005-07:00

Christmas morning was a blur, we were up until like 2:30 in the morning, sorry Danny and Lisa for giving you a likewise late night... Thankfully the kids did not wake up too early, although around 4:30 Anja came in to tell me that Santa had been to our house... I told her it was too early to get up and she responds with " I know Mom I was just going to the bathroom." Duh Mom
Although I agree with this saying...
Even as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age. ~Carrie Latet
What would Christmas be without the yule log?
Ah the year of the Barbie's
And the Polly pockets..
My Mom was able to open presents with us in the morning.
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. This was the aftermath...
And what could be more fitting on a day where we celebrate the birth of Christ. A beautiful rainbow reminding the world of the promises of our Father in Heaven to his children.
Hope you all had an equally wonderful Christmas!

Feeling Romantic...

2009-01-16T22:11:00.001-07:00

December in a Blink or a Stare... whatever

2009-01-16T15:21:00.011-07:00

I am a sucker for architecture and so was really excited to go see a ballet at the Orpheum Theater in Downtown Phoenix. Anja's girl scout troop had tickets and so I took my mom and Anja to the show. I was a little more excited to see the inside of the building but don't tell Anja that...
The Orpheum was built in 1929 right before the depression. It started out with plays, vaudeville that sort of thing. It changed hands many times over years but was restored to its former beauty by the city in the late 90's. It was gorgeous! One of the many beautiful features was the ceiling and its illusionary nightfall.
The "sky" changes color... Sorry it is a little blurry, I was trying to do the best I could without a tripod.
Here is Oma and her namesake Anja
They have this beautiful staircase with hand painted peacocks. They had to do the painting a la Sistine Chapel style. I totally hate when my photos don't do the subject justice. This place was gorgeous! Makes you appreciative of the miracle that is our sight... nothing captures quite like our eyes.The outside and on our way home, after a cute ballet performed by youth.
So on the 15th Jed moved out. He packed up and I dropped him off for his flight up to SLC. He spent the holidays with friends and family before going to the MTC on the 14th of January. We miss him but it is nice to be able to walk around the house wearing what I like and not worry about running into a 19 year old boy. ha ha
So the next day I was super mom and went on a fieldtrip with Triston & Anja's class. WE went to a play called the Snow Queen, again put on by a youth acting troupe. I think Anja has the bug. She would like to act... Oh yeah and I drove too!
So I guess all the culture was affecting my brain because I agreed to be part of the ward Christmas program. Well actually I was signing up Ben's lovely voice and he told me not to sign him up unless I signed myself up. Usually I would think twice but this time I signed us up. Well then Ben ended up not feeling to well that evening and guess who was left speaking and singing without him...yep me... It went pretty good. I took pictures of the hall before people started getting there. And it pretty much looked the same after the program started. Lots of people out of town thank goodness! I thought it looked pretty for a ward function.
The next night we decided to meet up with our friends the McBurney's and go see the temple lights in Mesa. It was nice and cold so we only stayed a short time. Long enough to take some pictures, look at the lights, and listen to an interesting men's singing group and their approach to some carols... yeah that was my nice description...
The McBurney's
Me trying to get a picture of all the kids... Nika was not having it...
This was the sexy face... right Lisa?!! Ha ha ha
Transfixed...
On this scene...
Ben trying to avoid my camera...
The boys
The temple... not bad for no tripod
The guy who holds most of my heart...
Afterward we drove over to Ben's office to eat our cookies and drink our hot chocolate in relative warmth...
And lets not forget early Christmas with Gertry and Joseph... my kids are so spoiled! They were excited that Santa dropped off a few early presents!
Then for the first day of Winter Break I took the kids over to the children's museum, we met up with Nika's teacher who has become our friend. She has had all three kids in her class! Lucky girl! Anyhow I brought my camera but was lame and forgot the battery so no visuals sorry!
I am tired so I will post Christmas happenings later... for now that is pretty much December...

This was a great wedding dance....

2009-01-10T12:53:00.002-07:00

All I can say this made me laugh , smile, etc.

November in a NutShell or a Coconut....whatever

2008-12-22T21:11:00.012-07:00

So we had an exciting November.
Triston got baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on November 8th. Ben baptized him and we had quite a lot of guests come see it all happen. I guess I was just so excited I forgot to take my camera out even once... By the time we got back to the house to have a little food and fun I finally remembered. I might have to recreate the scene and pretend I remembered... Anyhow we had the Stolworthy's, McBurneys, Johnsons, Punchios', the Davis' minus Darren, Jed and my mom all there. I think that is the most people at our house at the same time ever! It was great fun! Again sorry I lacked on the photo's!
Here is Triston and cousin Hannah crowding round the computer
So the Johnson's stuck around till Tuesday and since my kids had the 10th and 11th off for Veterans Day we decided to head out to the train park! Camera in Hand!
Eating a little lunch
Riding the Carousel, Anja demonstrating a good Big Sister!
Nika really excited to be on that horse!
Speaking of excitement. Here is my cute nephew Tucker.
And his equally good Big Sister Hannah!We like to trap our children when they misbehave... I mean they like to be in the cattle car on the train. Kind of disturbing to see your child behind bars...Here are the two two year olds ready to ride!
And here is my beautiful sister in law Camille! I love this shot!
They have a couple different playgrounds. This would be the adobe, old fashioned western town playground... Triston had the girls cornered.. and yes he wore his hat sideways without any prompting....
My adorable niece Chloe was riding with me this time since her mommy decided to join the characters in the cattle car... I am really surprised that an adult can fit in there....who knew!
The conductor liked his horn...
the kids obviously did not...
Triston doing his brotherly duties...
We got to take care of the classroom pets for Anja and Triston's class. Mice...Four of them to be exact! Malibu was intrigued and Liam was too... Nika mastered the art of swinging in November. We have a swing set in the backyard and she was forever frustrated that I could not spend all day long pushing her. It was a little bittersweet because it was just another example of how your children grow each day and need you less and less. She can swing all by herself! I can comfort myself with the notion that she will still like a starter push every now and then.
Anja found out that jumping on Mommy and Daddy's bed may be a bit bad for your health. We have an air bed so it is kinda like sleeping on a balloon. Except no rubber smell and you don't have to worry about deflation. Anja came running into our bedroom and was about to jump on the bed. Except she saw clean laundry and decided that would be a bad idea. So she aimed for the corner. And did something a little like this... OK maybe not so dramatic but she did slam back down to the ground and we ended up taking her to urgent care because we thought she had broken her arm. Thankfully it was just a bad bruise... but yes another exciting night at Goodnight Pediatrics!
We had the Davis Family come out towards the end of the month and had some fun with them! We love house guests!
A little male bonding, I believe they were looking at car videos?My girls love their Aunt Klare!
Anja and her cousin Eve strike a pose... Eve is thinking airplane while Anja is thinking Cats
Awwww so cute!
And the two youngest boys watch a little Big Bird
WE had a crazy Thanksgiving. Starting out with some really yummy food cooked by yours truly, some good company Jed and Oma.
A really intense sunset
And then a freakish hail storm that left hail on the ground for a couple of hours!Ben scooped this off of Oma's windshield!
This is the closest to snow that we will probably ever get....
The kids were on the front porch yelling to me that there was a frog. I didn't know we had frogs here... or at least near our house but sure enough there he was. So I scooped him up and let the kids check him out. For some reason snakes, frogs, mice, etc. don't bother me. Only bugs...
I did some searching and I think he is a couch's spadefoot. Basically he got confused because they only come out when it rains and all that hail must have made him think it was monsoon mating time.. sorry little buddy. We put him in a safer spot outside...the kids really wanted to keep him but we had to explain that wild things belong in the wild.
Here are the kids amazed at all the rain.
Our street was a river. Good thing our house is on higher ground!
Triston bending over the storm drain. I was coming over to stop him from doing that... the water was going really fast and all I could imagine was him loosing his balance and falling in!
So it took me a while to post all this but wasn't it worth the wait... Next up December catch up...

Triston my Old guy...

2008-12-07T19:52:00.006-07:00

So November 1st was Triston's eighth birthday. This year has been the one I have been waiting for ever since Liam was born...This is the year that all my kids are ages 2, 4, 6, 8!!! Yeah who do we appreciate! Me!!! OK sorry I digress....
So Triston had a football game that day and afterward we had a little family party for him. Didn't you just hate it when your mom said to you "Read the card before you open your present!" Yeah I am that mom...
Triston excited to have Oma over!
A remote control airplane! Sweet!
He had been dropping a ton of hints that he would like a skateboard...
Strapped up and ready to rock!
a few last minute instructions...
We all ended up in the front yard. The kids were riding their bikes, Triston his skateboard. Jed, Ben and I were throwing the football and Oma was playing with her grand kids. It was so simple and yet so fun. It was one of those afternoons that you think of fondly for a long time...
Here is Oma getting a push from Nika
Some years I am all about the homemade creation....this year I was all about the easy store bought cake... This one was really yummy!
Triston a little sweaty after all that skateboarding!
The next day you know who was all about the new gear... isn't he so dang cute!

Halloween ... just in time for December posts

2008-12-02T10:45:00.006-07:00

Sigh.... this is my life always a little behind..but never fear Halloween pictures are here...
This year our ward's Fall Festival (fancy way of saying Trunk or Treat) was October 24th. Yes I know a little early but the two other wards that share the building had taken all the other primo days. So the day before I grabbed a pumpkin at the market for carving...just one mind you because I have learned that my children don't like pumpkin carving and one pumpkin is all I can handle (guts wise). Nika had been on a field trip with her preschool class to a farm earlier in the week and had brought home a cute pumpkin. All the other kids decorated theirs with paint and stickers but not Nika, she liked it just the way it was. This would later prove helpful to me when I was deciding what pumpkin to carve. Here is Liam excited about the new footstool he has discovered. Just big enough to give him a boost so he can climb all over the couches!
This is the trash bag spider that I made... again an idea I had as a family activity which ended up with me crafting, while my merry band of misfits ran circles around me on the floor. This is my photo shopped attempt to make it look scarier than it really was...
Here is my pumpkin with Nika's little pumpkin held captive in it's mouth. Nika saw what I was doing and wasn't too happy that as she put it "My pumpkin looks sad!"
I just told her the big pumpkin was hungry and then she seemed OK with it. The kids were pretty proud of it at the ward party and kept telling everyone to come look how hungry their pumpkin was!
Here we are dressed for the party. I was not feeling like dressing up and then at the last minute decided I could use some of my old swing dancing attire to be a 40's girl...I was stationed at a "pin the nose on the pumpkin" game. So Ben graciously took over the camera duties that night.
A little blurry but cute all the same... Try not to notice that Liam's candy bag was indeed an Easter basket... way to go Mom! It didn't really matter since he ended up sitting with me and passing out candy. So really he didn't need a bag right!?
The best part about Halloween...candy...
I wish Ben had gotten a picture of me and Liam passing out candy. He was so proud of himself. He did all the doling out by himself, all with this proud little smile on his face. This was taken towards the end of the evening with Anja done trunk or treating and taking a rest with me.
So on Halloween we decided to ditch our neighborhood which has proved disappointing in years past. (Last year we would maybe get one door to open out of ten...even though their lights were on! Come on people if you don't want to open your door then don't turn your light on!) So anyhow rather then hear my kids disappointed voices asking me why they won't open their doors we asked our awesome friends Danny and Lisa if we could come hang with them in a nicer neighborhood (east side) Here are the kids ready to go again!
Their cute little daughter, Kassidy the Witch. Love her little red shoes! I didn't get a shot of Danny and Lisa with my camera but she was dressed up as a punk with a cool purple wig and fake rings hanging out of her face everywhere. Danny was the bling king complete with a fake grill and lots of jewelry.
They live in a neighborhood where the neighbors actually talk to one another! Amazing! Anyhow they were having a block party so off we went. It was mildly embarrassing since we ended up being the only adults dressed up and half the night people kept asking me if I was even dressed up. I mean come on do I really wear vintage dresses and two toned shoes every day.... oh well... The best was when a lady asked me (with drink in hand) if I was Pam. I thought she was confused and thought she knew me but soon reasoned out that she thought I had dressed up as Pam from the office... wow! Way Off! But funny none the less.. they must have all thought I was some freakish girl who thinks Halloween is every day... (-=
Anyhow there was lots of good food and the kids had fun and then we went trick or treating. People in this neighborhood had the good stuff! Some had full size candy! Who does that!? Oh well we reaped the benefits and had lots of fun! Thanks Guys!
I love the idea of Halloween. The concept that for one night you can be whomever you want to be. It is a magical night for kids and I am glad that they had fun. I miss being a kid and just changing into your costume after school. Being a mom you realise how hard Halloween can be. Especially if you have four kids who all want to be different things... putting all those costumes together can be rough but it is worth the magic you give your kids for that day!

Fall means Football

2008-11-30T17:15:00.004-07:00

No this is surprisingly not another homage to my favorite college football team...

And yes I know they lost yesterday...
ummm no this is an homage to my oldest child and first born son. This is the first year we had him play football. Usually fall means soccer, but Ben and I wanted to broaden his horizons. So flag football is what we settled on. Not as demanding or complicated as tackle football. Just enough to teach him the basic's.
So I signed him up to play in the 8-10 year old division even though he could have played in the younger division due to his late birthday. But we had friends on the team and thought that it is always nice to know someone on the team. Hindsight I am not sure I would have done that his first year playing. He is the smallest kid on the team and the youngest. But he likes football, especially practices since he gets to actually touch the football. Games are hard since there are a ton of kids on the team and he doesn't get himself open to receive the pass. But still it has been fun watching him play and then coming back home to watch the college games together. Two more games and it will be done... with a short break and then baseball! I am actually looking forward to baseball! So before the season is through I thought I would post a few pictures...
Game day #1Warming up... although it was in the high 90's I think... so really just getting tired not warm
Waiting in the shade for the game to start. That green thing is his mouthpiece!
Liam: 1 part sweat, 1 part water, and 2 parts cuteness!
Anja heading back to the shade after playing on the playground...that pink blip in the background is Nika
Kickoff!
I love this picture! Just my boys! Too bad that Triston turned his head otherwise you would see their cute ear resemblance!

I've been cheating...

2008-11-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

And his name is Facebook...sorry blogger

Dalton Family Reunion

2008-11-14T14:15:00.007-07:00

As I mentioned two posts ago... this trip included a Family reunion as well as a funeral and a wedding. So now onto the Reunion.
This took place on Saturday October 11th. We all congregated in Canyon Country CA. The first time all the Dalton Siblings had been together since 2004. Yes I am sure you know what comes next....photo ops!
This is the first time he has worn a tie....He feels special, can't you tell!
Grammy and Granddaddy and all 16 grandchildren!
The two people who made this all possible!
My handsome hubby and his mini me Anja
Strike a Pose! He cracks me up!Aunt Abbey and Nika
The boy cousins get some serious debate and snack time in.
I love this one of Nika
And this one of Anja
Triston looking cute!
This is going to sound horrible coming from his own mommy's mouth but does anyone else see a resemblance to The Goonies...I will let you guess what character
Ryder getting his chow on!
Anja found a snail...something she has never seen in AZ
The OG Dalton's
Granddaddy trying to ignore the participants of the next picture
Chaos Theory...throw 16 children of various ages into a picture frame and ask them to smile
All the Girls
Grammy reminding Granddaddy... don't feed the animals...
What?!?
The Boys
This was after Ben left for a funeral... Davianne's car decided to kaput...so all the guys in their handsome attire worked to fix it.
They could be sisters... Kali and Anja -cousins
Cute little Issac! This was our first time meeting him in person! He was a cutie and all boy!
Nika and Natalia more long lost sisters...or cousins... whichever you believe...classic Nika look by the way.
Eat your heart out... I mean this was after dinner... Ben caught me stretching...
Miss all you kooky Dalton's....

More on the Wedding

2008-11-10T17:03:00.013-07:00

So as I mentioned in the last post. We lucky girls (Daisie, Sam, Me & of course Angela) got to stay in the slightly spooky but very beautiful Hilton Checkers. The room had lots of windows and mirrors.This was just the dining room!There was also a living room and a master bedroom, guest bath and master bedroom bath with a huge sunken tub and a steam shower... It was a gorgeous suite! A photographers dream with the amount of natural light flooding in. I took a bunch of pictures of Angela as she got her makeup applied.
Here is Daisie getting her hair done by the wonderfully talented JoAnn... want fabulous hair and live near Simi Valley CA? ...check this link out...http://anewtechniquesalon.com/index-2.html
As a side note I would like to mention that she did my hair for my wedding 9 year ago! She still rocks!
And the finished product... Angela was going for a 40's vibe and I think all the girls (and guys) turned out beautiful! Here is Angela...almost ready to go...
This picture is kinda funny now that I am blogging it, it almost looks like they could be related... Any how this is the awesome aforementioned hair stylist JoAnn!So here are the people she is really related to... The beautiful Carper family!Daisie looking vintage glam with a view of the historic downtown LA buildings outside our window!
Just a shot of Daisie's broach. Angela is too talented not to infuse some of her style into the wedding! She found these at the Rose Bowl and added the plumage to them. Each of us girls got earrings and a broach but they were all uniquely beautiful. The feathers were the unifying factor and they were the crown jewel to these pieces! Thank you Angela for a gift that is truly unique and wonderful!
Angela and Sam right before we left for the Marvimon.
It was so neat to walk in and see all these people putting together the room. The tables were so pretty and it was fun to see all the ideas come together so perfectly!
Angela's parents produced a bit of homemade love for all the guests! I remember high school and being jealous of all the good food that came in Angela's lunches! This time we all got a little bit of that yummy food!
Daisie's impressive artist brother created this 4x4ft work of art! It looked like it belonged on that wall!
Since I was in the ceremony and didn't get any pictures during you will have to just get an idea from this shot. The guests sat in on the chairs and benches and Angela and Mike were in the center! It was so pretty!
This shot looked better in black and white I think... Here is Angela going over the ceremony paperwork. Just a few minutes till the ceremony starts!
This made me laugh...Angela was giving fashion advice to the man marrying them.. "just unbutton that button..."
Yep that's my girl... always willing to help the fashion unfortunate, just like a super fashion hero!
Just some more of the little details that made this wedding amazing! From left to right is Angela's moms wedding dress, Mike's moms wedding dress, and Angela's grandmothers wedding dress! With pictures of the couples on their wedding days!
Here is one closer up! Isn't this a fun idea!
The food was awesome, it looked beautiful and tasted even better!
A timeless shot of the happy couple! We got to sit with them at the wedding party table! I felt like the popular girl! *laugh*
The first dance as Mr and Mrs Lanahan
I will explain this one because it didn't really turn out as well as I had hoped... This is Angela's parents watching the couple dance...
Angela on the dance floor looking hot!
And more of the beautiful bride! Thanks for letting us be a part of your day! You and Mike are great together and I love you both!

Whats New

2008-11-07T13:49:00.003-07:00

So in October we were able to travel to CA again. This time for a wedding and a reunion. Also a funeral for Ben.
First comes the Wedding. My beautiful friend Angela married her long time love in a beautiful and timeless spot in Downtown LA.
Thursday Morning I drove down to the Marvimon to meet the wedding party for a dress rehearsal. I was one of Angela's "Matron's of Honor."
We got done there and headed to the Hilton Checkers to check in to the Bridal Suite. Located on the top floor...All us lucky girls were going to spend the night in the Suite. We then headed to lunch downtown and then off to get our nails done. Back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner that Mike's parents had arranged at McCormick and Schmick, located at the base of the US Bank Building. In the picture of the hotel you can see the US building...so it was just a short walk to dinner.
Here we are in the lobby getting ready to walk to dinner looking fab!
It was a nice evening of good food and meeting new people. I had to give a speech which was a little nerve racking but it turned out just fine.

Ako po si Elder Dalton

2008-10-13T19:26:00.003-07:00

I am Elder Dalton and I am going to the Quezon City, Philippines Mission!

We got the mail today and Jed's call was there just a day under 3 weeks.
Ben and I went to the mailbox this evening and there it was. Ben stuck it in his shirt and came in without Jed noticing. We called Mom Dalton and got her on the phone so she could hear him read his call.
This Photo is Ben telling Jed something came in the mail for him. He had been playing with his camera and even though half his face is covered you can still see the shocked expression on his face! I love it!
Here is his second expression... elation... He gets his camera ready for videotape mode. Yes we have a video and when I can get him to upload it we will post it for all to see!
Here he is talking with Mom and Dad on the phone.
His Call... He reports in Wednesday January 14th 2009...

Hair...

2008-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

No more long hair... I have cut both girls hair... yep Nika has gotten her first haircut ever. Daddy wasn't too happy but Mommy is happy that hair time will no longer be cry time...
Pictures to follow!

Sisters

2008-10-06T19:11:00.001-07:00

Phoenix Children's Museum

2008-09-25T13:20:00.014-07:00

We went to the newly opened Children's Museum of Phoenix on Saturday the 13th of September. I drive by it almost 5 times a week and couldn't wait for it to open. So when I was trying to think up a fun way to celebrate Liam and Anja's birthday's, I decided that this would be a great place for the whole family!
___BEWARE___ There are a ton of pictures to follow

The Building is beautiful all by itself. It was originally the Monroe School. An elementary school built in 1913 and used until 1972 when the declining downtown population forced it to close. They renovated it and it is awesome! Although they are still not finished it was pretty neat. I hope my pictures do it justice... You really just have to see it in person!
You walk in and the first room has a three story ceiling. Eventually they plan on making this a climbing room but for now it has these colorful tunnels. Anja was being nice and bringing a ball over to Liam.
For some reason Liam wasn't overly thrilled with the museum. He was bit overwhelmed I think.
Here's my mom and my awesome friend Lisa. The wall has all these CD's hanging from it. It was pretty.
They had these contraptions around. The kids had fun walking on the tires to make them go.
Here are the race tracks. They had several that you could race these wooden cars down. Anja is pulling the wrench lever to see them go.
And off they go...
You could walk up this ramp that took you up to the ceiling for another track.
Anja's head almost scrapes the ceiling as she races her car...
And there it goes...pretty cool huh... I bet you know a few boys who would like to play with this!
That's one hot biker Mama!
And an even hotter husband!
Just banging on stuff
Lisa's gorgeous little girl Kassidy cooking for us ...spaghetti I think
Pretending that she is reading with Mom...when really she was forced to fake a picture op!
They had a cute reading corner...
This is on the third story...reading area looking at the open area from the first level... remember those CD's I mentioned hanging on the wall? Well this is where they start!Here the kids scoop us up some pretend ice cream... rubber balls and craft foam rolled up in a cone... so cute!
Looks good enough to eat!
Here is Triston's Peter Pan moment... in a place like this it is easy to understand the desire to never grow up! Don't worry the bean bags made a nice soft landing spot!
NOW WE ENTER THE GRAND BALLROOM... not for dancing.. oh no.... FOR BALLS!!!
There were tubes everywhere and the balls would go past keys hanging or bells and so this room was not only full of balls it was full of noise too...
You could climb up to the tree house looking thing and let the balls go! This was Liam's favorite room!

Anja made Daddy a pizza!Nika shops in the grocery store...
"Look Mom they have the same cereal as us!"
Can I get in... nope sorry just a painting on the wall... looks real though huh!
Anja helps Liam shop. Again it all looks incredibly real!
What is that you might wonder....
Oh just some of the cool decor!
They had a craft room with different tables doing different things... all included in your admission... I love that they both have their tongue's sticking out in determination.
Busy little Liam...
Nika painting the never finished house of paint...
More painting on top of the other million layers of paint
Moving on to the Trike run.... Here is cute Kassidy again
Anja trying the helmet on for size
Triston giving the girls a ride...
We were able to bring our own food in for lunch. They have an inside and outside eating area. I think it is nice that they don't force you to purchase their stuff... I made these baseball cupcakes for the boys...
And Butterfly's for the girl's
On the way out we had to pass through the tunnel room again... Liam was better this time... He really liked this cone!
The perfect arm size hole too!
Until it wouldn't let go of his arm....
But he escaped and even conquered the scary colored tunnels...

So it was a happy ending and I didn't even mind the fruit loop food fight in the van on the way home... Anja even mentioned a desire to live there...
If you haven't been I totally give this place two thumbs up!

Never will we forget....

2008-09-23T18:08:00.006-07:00

September 11th....They have done this healing field in Tempe AZ for five years now, but this is the first year I have been to see it. I had heard about it on the radio and I felt this overwhelming need to go there. So I picked up the kids from school and headed out there. There is a flag for every person who died in the attacks. It was an amazing thing to see in person and I am glad that we went. The pictures only do it so much justice.
There was a yellow ribbon and a card on each flag with a picture of the person and there name and where they were when the attacks happened.
It was a bit eerie to see these planes flying overhead. The airport is somewhat close by and they were coming down for a landing. The sounds of the airplanes while walking through the park gave you the chills.

This is Tempe Town Lake... and no they were not about to fall off as the picture suggests....
Here is a video link to a video of the field. Kinda makes you feel like you are walking through it with us..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIQbmacg6E
We had walked around for a while when off to the west we saw a reason to leave...

We have lived in AZ long enough now to learn to run to the car before the brown cloud gets us!
That is your typical monsoon dust storm...

Liam is a 2 year old!

2008-09-17T16:39:00.008-07:00

So Liam celebrated his birthday this past Wednesday. I hadn't planned on celebrating much because Ben was out of town for work and I figured we would do a combined birthday celebration for Anja and Liam when he got back.
Growing up my Mom was very good about celebrating our birthdays and making us feel special and so even though I thought he would be too young to think much of it my mom decided that he needed some presents and cake on his actual birthday! Go Mom! Thanks for making his day! Not to mention his siblings night! Nothing better then ice cream cake!

He got an Elmo doll and has brought it everywhere since... he calls it Melmo.... and Melmo must go to bed with him, ride in the car, play...you get the idea...
Trucks are always a good bet too!
The yummy cake!
and the aftermath...Liam was being very cute with the presents, he opened them himself but every time he ripped the paper he would hand it to one of us. He seemed concerned about where the paper should go... maybe he will be a good room cleaner when he gets older..
.

I hope they call me on a Mission

2008-09-17T16:39:00.004-07:00

So Jed has finished his paperwork and we are a few interviews away from turning them in. To celebrate his latest birthday (the big 1 - 9 ) I made a little cake for him.
Ben took the official photo to send with his papers... there ya go mom....

Innisbrook

2008-09-11T14:47:00.005-07:00

So the kids are fundraising for school.
If you need Christmas gifts or wrapping paper please think about ordering... Triston, Anja and Nika would appreciate it! I figure you have to buy gifts and paper sooner or later and this way your helping out a school at the same time!
Just click on the word Innisbrook in this blogs title and then type in these three seller id's R48142D (for Anja) R48138D (for Triston) and R481570 for Nika... This way the prize credits can be distributed between them and they all feel good about helping out the school! Thanks in advance for any orders!

Down to one!

2008-09-11T09:32:00.003-07:00

So Nika started Preschool at the same campus as Triston and Anja. She started August 26th. I thought it was neat that each preschooler was given a unique day to start. That way the teacher could be focused on them individually that day and help them get settled in. Here she is with her box for school (a change of clothes... they do alot of dish washing, watering plants, etc. so if they need to they have a change of clothes on hand)Nika didn't need any more lessons in independence but she is already showing me some changes at home. Ever the independent child, now she doesn't want my help in anything. While I am happy she is so sure of herself this leads to some arguments. But she is loving school and her teacher loves her go get em attitude. She told me she is just trying to guide that energy and determination (to put it nicely...dutch stubbornness if you ask me) into something that works for the class. I have been reassured that she is following the rules and playing nice with others....
Her first day I tried to get a snap of her in front of the sign that Triston and Anja had taken their picture at. She was so busy, I don't think I got one shot of her eyes towards the camera...

Eating breakfast with Anja! She has been wanting to do this ever since Triston started Kindergarten! So she is excited she finally can! We have to go with her and help since she isn't tall enough to see the food on the counter. But then that's what older siblings are for right?

She goes 5 days a week 8 to 12 and I was wondering how she would like it. But every day when I go to pick her up she is angry that she can't stay longer. Especially since Triston and Anja are not coming home with us! So I guess that means she likes it. Her favorite thing right now is when she gets to go outside and do work out in the garden. She loves the bunny's and the birds and finds every reason to go visit with them. I think she is an animal lover like myself.
All I know is I am down to one at home at least for a few hours and I am giddy with that realization!

My First Born

2008-09-11T09:29:00.001-07:00

So Triston lost another tooth last month.... Here he is in all his toothless wonder

Daddy took this pretty one of him. Love his handsome little self!

More thoughts....

2008-09-09T15:59:00.002-07:00

1. I have been without my washing machine for I think a week and a half now...maybe longer... I have concluded that rather than complain about the obvious inconvenience this causes our family I would blog about the positive side of things. When going to a Laundromat I can get all my laundry dried and folded in an hour an a half and my house is still cool when I get home. Usually laundry takes all day and then I look at the pile of clothes waiting to be folded and manage to find every reason in the world not to get to it right away...not to mention the ironing... don't even ask my husband how long that takes me.. so while I miss my washing machine and the ease I had before, I am excited to get through this chore in record setting fashion. (The parts are ordered and soon I hope to feel my home heat up with the laundry being done)

2. We live near a dairy and while some days this brings a peculiar country smell to the air most times I don't think twice about it. I happened to be driving by said dairy on my way to before mentioned Laundromat when I noticed a large truck pulling out of the dairy. It had the wooden slats on the bed to hold in its cargo... I think normally it would have had hay in it.. and would have looked like this truck
Now I have to mention that I am a bit near sighted and couldn't really tell what I was looking at until the truck was almost passed me. It turns out the truck was filled with large bloated cow bodies... I have to say my reaction was shock and laughter... All I could think as they headed east was they had better not be taking them to the local meat packing plant down the road...gross...and second why in the world didn't they tarp the silly things! I mean anyone driving by would have this horrible view... I told Ben about it later and all he could say was he hoped that truck didn't get into an accident...could you imagine the bloated things exploding on some poor schmucks car?! Yes I realize this is a gross conversation just consider yourself lucky that you didn't have to see it in person...

3. I dislike bugs... I am not afraid of them but I certainly don't like them. For some reason they are always near me... now I know logically that there are a lot of bugs in this world but do they always have to land, bite, dangle, or fly at me?!!!
Ben thinks it is funny at this point...
yesterday I went to walk out my bedroom when I noticed a spider right in front of my eyes... It would have landed right on my nose if I hadn't seen it! Then the other night I went to go get in bed lifted up my sheets and found a spider square in the middle of where I would be laying... thank goodness the light was on... nasty!
We took the kids to ride their bikes and in 20 minutes I had killed three mosquito's on my leg but apparently at least 4 managed to bite me... I mean what the heck! The kids who were playing on the wet grass didn't get one bite... Finally Ben and I went shopping at Kohls... I was waiting for him to try something on and sat down in a chair... no where near an outside door mind you and what jumps on my foot but a dang nasty cricket... By now I should just expect it but I am starting to get mad... I think some one's having a laugh by now...
I probably shouldn't even mention this one but last month when I visited my dearest friend for the weekend. I had not been there for even two hours and I was given a drink with a fly in it.... yep right under all my pretty ice was a fat black fly... gross.... it was at a restaurant not my friends house so don't blame her... anyhow I am tired of bugs... do we really need them in this world? ....yeah I know the answer to that.... still...

1st Day of School

2008-08-31T23:04:00.004-07:00

So no more guilt about being behind... it is what it is...
But I was having other thoughts about privacy and while I don't want to go private I have noticed that other people when they blog don't mention any names... it is hubby and daughter one and son #2. Or just first initials...Here is why I don't do that... T&A started school.... OK maybe I shouldn't even point that out...and some of the more innocent people that visit here, won't even get that...alright moving on...
No point in concealing their names now because than I would have to go back through all my posts and edit and that is just crazy...
So I will just continue along... Triston and Anja started their first day of school...shhhh no I won't tell you where... that would be to easy for all those predators... j/k
OK sorry now I am just being silly...onto the real posting...
Their first day of 1st and 2nd grade started on August 4th! So exciting!
Triston sporting the mohawk!
School breakfast and lunch again! My grocery bill will be so much less, let me tell you!
To cool for school!

This year they are in the same class together. I love it! I can compare stories and tell who is fibbing! Aren't I a crafty mom! OK I don't really do that.... but I do get a lot more info from Anja on how their day went. Triston's answer to the question what did you do today is always "I don't know","I don't remember"or my favorite.... "nothing"
So it is nice to have Anja keeping me informed... girls love details!!! Giving and Getting...

More from CA trip....

2008-08-31T22:58:00.003-07:00

I don't know why but I find that keeping my blog updated has turned into yet another thing I can guilt myself about. Does anyone else feel bad when they are behind... I feel almost like it is my scrapbooking... anyhow... for all those awesome moms out there that blog the same day about their families happenings! I salute you!
We spent some time with Ben's sisters and their kiddo's here are some shots of us playing in their pool... FUN TIMES!
Liam looks like he is ready to dive in.... love his tan little arms..
.

Hard to believe that their are more cousins than this! We are missing 6 others!

Beach Time

2008-08-28T17:50:00.006-07:00

It wouldn't be a trip to CA without a beach trip. This is July 31st in Port Hueneme. Liam ran right to the water and fell right in...by the look on his face you can tell it was a bit cold.
Nika was happy to splash!
And Anja looks cute in her suit! (Let's see if Michelle notices anything different about this one of Anja...thank you for inspiring me to learn a bit of P.S.)
Triston was excited to go boogie boarding. I noticed his chest was red and bleeding and in true boy fashion when I asked him if he was ok...he wrote it off as no big deal...

Abbey was happy to help her niece and nephew ride the board! Here is Anja and Triston together... Have to dig a hole... I mean come on!And for some reason Liam discovered he really likes to throw sand at mommy....

Land of the Lost

2008-08-22T08:50:00.003-07:00

So we took a little trip to California right before school started. My best friend Angela was having her bridal shower (I was in charge of games) and we also wanted to see Ben's family before school started. We always pass by Cabazon off the I 10 and think gee we should stop and let the kids see the dinosaurs...you might remember them from a certain pee wee movie..anyhow we are usually in a rush to get to our destination and then we usually forget on our way back. Mostly because on the east bound part of the freeway you can't see them till you have already passed them.
Anyhow this time we decided to stop. It was mostly Ben's idea...what a great Daddy!
Turns out that you walk up the inside of this Dinosaurs Tail and the belly is a gift shop. The Museum is actually around the corner. The whole thing is owned by a church that likes to post anti evolution posters all around. I guess the theme is the Dinosaurs were real but evolution isn't. But we didn't care about all that, the kids were just excited to see big dinosaurs up close!

Here is Triston being eaten and Nika running away in fright... hmmm the landscaper in the background doesn't seem frightened at all...
(yeah if you notice there isn't a whole of landscaping to take care of... Ben and I were laughing because the guy was weed wacking dirt mostly and the one patch of weeds anywhere... Hope they aren't paying him very much....
gotta check out the T-rex...
Photo of Daddy and all the kiddo's. It was a bit hot and windy hence the hair flying and the red cheeks...

Here is a shot to show you the size perspective..

A parting shot of the T-rex... loved this it was fun 10 min rest stop. If your driving past it and you have kids take a stop stretch your legs and make some memories with the kids! We did!

I promise...

2008-08-19T15:06:00.003-07:00

I am trying to get caught up but honestly is it just me or are you addicted to the Olympics coverage as well... It only happens every four years so I think I should feel this way but I feel like nothing is getting done!

More Birthday Fun...

2008-08-19T14:55:00.004-07:00

My mom couldn't join our party for Nika because of work conflicts but we went over to swim and celebrate the next day.
Honestly I don't where she gets it from....
Liam in a trance over Anja's bathing Suit
The four crazies! Daddy has taught Nika to make faces at the camera... here is her latest work...
It wouldn't be a birthday without clothes from Oma!
Riding her new PURPLE bike! She is way too happy!
Loved this ice cream cake! Yum! Can't wait till September and another round of birthdays begins!

Happy 4th Birthday Nika!

2008-08-18T14:54:00.005-07:00

Ok so I am attempting to get updated on my blog. We celebrated Nika's 4th Birthday on the 28th of July.
Opening up Presents and looking cute as ever!
All the siblings have to see what she is getting!
Excited to see the Butterfly cake that mom made!
We went through a few websites but when she saw the butterfly idea it was like their were no others... This is the easiest cake I have ever made. Bless you Nika for not picking the Princess Castle Cake....
Blowing out the candles...
I can't believe she has made it to four! Preschool starts August 26th!

What's a birthday without Balloons!

Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog

2008-08-06T11:39:00.001-07:00

This show entertained both Ben and I. He usually doesn't like musicals but this one was hilarious!
Check it out on HULU.com

Still Tired...

2008-08-04T11:44:00.002-07:00

So we went out for a mad dash to California before school started... I will post some things when I feel my strength returning... School is back in and right now I am just reveling in the quieter house...
Some thoughts, experiences....

#1. There are several times when your child will ask you a loud question in the store... One of the ones you don't really want to hear and certainly don't want the general public to hear..."Mom is that a boy or a girl?"

#2. While going through the McDonalds drive through Ben commented that they serve condoms there. I glance over at the sign they have at the window and mind you it was a quick glance... all I can say is why would they sell that here? Then I look at Ben and realize I need a closer look at that window...hubby was making a joke out of the condiments served here sign... I really need to get new glasses.

#3. I think I watch too much TV... here is the proof... while trying to give directions to Ben... I tell him that the offramp we want to take is only a couple "episodes" away... Yeah I also had like zero sleep.

#4. I hate my bed until I have to be away from it.

#5 Kids are either never hungry or really full until of course you sit down with your own plate of food.

Compliments

2008-07-25T10:35:00.004-07:00

Yes I know this song is over played... however I like it still and when it comes on the radio I sing along... We were in the car and I was singing along when suddenly Triston says "Mom!" In a kind of urgent voice so I turn down the radio to see whats wrong. He says" Mom you sound just like her"
Wow love those random compliments... I have always wanted to be a good singer and I know I am not really. So to have him say that really made my day...
Now I need to find a Karaoke Bar and work the crowd! *laugh*

Sibling Conversation

2008-07-23T21:11:00.003-07:00

So on the way home from the gym tonight I overheard a partial conversation between Anja and Triston. They are all the way in the back of the van so I might not have gotten the full context but what I did hear made me smile.

Anja - "I can't marry you"
Triston - "Why? Don't you like you me?"
Anja - "Of course I like you, you're my best friend..."

Yep I love em!
This is a oldie but goodie... September 2003 to be exact!

Of course later when Ben asked Anja who her best friend was, her response had changed...
Anja - "Everyone I know..."

An Admission....

2008-07-20T20:40:00.002-07:00

So the book club met this month and we discussed the book.

A great read and not what you would think from the title. It really is all about improving as a wife. The author Merrilee Boyack is LDS and the book is how to improve your marriage not your spouse. Anyhow I liked it and learned a few things. She starts out talking about how as women we don't really admit to doing anything wrong. So it is unusual to have a woman write a book about her faults as a wife. Ben and I both know I am not perfect but I don't know how comfortable I would be declaring those faults to the general public. However in the spirit of encouraging others I will let you know that I am not even close to being a perfect wife or mother for that matter!
It doesn't mean I stop trying or that I say "Take me or leave me" it is just a fact that I constantly fall short.
Which is why I am thankful for the atonement and the ability to admit to my faults and strive to improve. What a wise Father in Heaven we have that he already knew we would mess up and he left us this awesome plan to fix all our mess-ups.
Anyhow I just was thinking about all the little things we do as women to put on this perfect front and all it really does is make other women feel bad that they aren't doing those same things for their family. Darn you Martha Stewart!
Anyhow I will now admit to one thing that through my silence I am taking mommy credit for ...
Nika has these beautiful baby curls that I have been unwilling to part with. Ben likes the girls to have long hair and I could not part with the curls at the bottom of her hair. I know that once I cut them they will not come back (mostly since the rest of her hair is straight)
This causes some stress in our house because combing through curls is not always easy and getting her hair done is probably Nika's least favorite activity. So cutting those curls would definitely improve on that experience. And TRUST me there have been many a morning where I am ready to lob it all off! But no, I endure the madness that is combing through Nika's hair and the end result is always beautiful slightly curled locks. To which I always get a ton of compliments on. People are surprised when I tell them that they are her baby curls and that I have never cut her hair. She is turning 4 in a little over a week and has yet to see scissors touch her head. Except of course for the slight lock that was stolen from her head courtesy of big brother.
Anyhow I guess I never really thought about it but I have unknowingly made other mothers feel bad because they think I take the time to curl her hair to perfection each morning. By my silence I am allowing this image to be seen by the world.
So now I feel relieved the truth is out. I no longer have to live the lie of perfect momdum.... I am human and so are the rest of you!

Family Home Evening

2008-07-14T20:48:00.003-07:00

It is always an interesting event in our house. Trying not to get frustrated at the gnat attention span of most of our children. This week's lesson was standing in Holy Places and what that means.
We read 2 Nephi 9:45 " O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation."
I was asking the kids who is it that wants to bind us fast? Who wants us to sin and be bad.
Triston's cute as pie answer ...."Sinbad" Yep I love him!
He also lost a tooth tonight so this blog is all about the T Man...

I am so honored...

2008-07-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

4th of July...

2008-07-13T19:20:00.005-07:00

So we had a quiet 4th of July. I did some more face painting...
Gotta love the deer caught in the headlights look for both Anja and Triston

Even did some self work...
We were going to go to a neighboring city to see some more fireworks but a monsoon storm swept in and the city ended up sending 9,000 people home and canceling the fireworks. The winds were pretty strong and their event tents were collapsing on people and I think there is some rule that if lightning strikes are occurring less then 5 miles away they have to cancel. We hadn't actually parked yet so at least we didn't go through all the hassle of walking to the park and then being turned back. We ended up going to a different park and watching the storm in the distance and all the cool lightning. One of the good things about these storms is that they lower the temperature enough to make playing on the playground more feasible. AZ playgrounds are like ghost towns in the summer months (at least when the sun is out)
We had packed this big picnic dinner so we ended up going home spreading out the blanket in the living room and watching the fireworks on TV. The kids were not disappointed since we had seen some live ones the night before. Plus I had bought lunchables and I never do that, so they were happy munching away.
The biggest show out here is in Tempe on this man made lake that is huge. The newscasters were saying that lightning got within 6 miles and they almost had to cancel but that is as close as it got so we got to watch that one on TV, and we also checked PBS cause they always have the show from Washington DC. Anyhow it was a nice 4th of July, I am so thankful to be raising my family in the United States. As bleak as the economic future looks it is still amazing to live here. The list of why would be too long to post here, but as a Mom I know I am thankful for the opportunities that are available for my children and the safer surroundings they are in. My heart aches for those women around the world that live every day fearful for their children's lives and well being. God bless the USA!

Independance Day Fun!

2008-07-13T18:56:00.004-07:00

Out in our neck of the woods the city puts on a free fireworks show on the 3rd of July every year. It is held at the Phoenix International Raceway and is pretty neat. The first year I was here I was confused as to the date but I guess there are so many cities close by on the 4th doing fireworks shows that some cities opt to do it the day before. At any rate we went to this year's Rev, White and Boom event featuring classic cars, water slides, rides, and local businesses. It wasn't 117 like last year so the girls avoided getting heat stroke.
I decided to do some face painting before we left.

Everyone but Liam who wouldn't sit still, but still looked cute in his 4th of July wear!
Triston, Anja and Nika sitting in the firetruck! They also had a smoke trailer there which only the girls were brave enough to go in. It is a 5 minute demonstration where the firefighter talks about what happens when a house is on fire and where the smoke goes. Then they turn on a smoke machine and have you stand up so you can see how hard it is to see and then they have everyone crawl out to show the proper way to exit in a fire. I thought it was a great thing for the kids to experience, you never know...
Of course it was still pretty hot as you can see from Liam's red little cheeks
Here we are sitting in the grandstands waiting for the show to begin.
Once the show started I was so happy to capture this look from Anja. Too bad it is blurry but you still get the point. Holidays are so much more fun when your a kid...
Some of the beautiful fireworks!

New Battle

2008-07-01T11:08:00.003-07:00

Nika has been potty trained since she was around 20 months... trust me even I was surprised. I credit Anja and definitely not my pregnant with Liam self. Anyhow it is always a battle to get her to flush. She has never liked the noise. But lately her excuse makes me laugh. She goes pee and when I remind her to flush she responds. "Well it isn't yellow it is still white. "
I am glad my children love to drink water and their pee isn't that yellow but I still tell her to flush anyway! Kids can be so strange...

Just Curious...

2008-07-01T10:30:00.003-07:00

Ben and I seem to disagree over this point quite a lot and he thought maybe I should ask the blogging world what they think of our points of view.
The other night we were parked in the car and eating a bite of food before returning to our house and kids. With the recent scare on tomatoes he didn't want to eat the one in his hamburger. Can't blame him on that...well without a second thought he tosses it out the window and into the parking lot. Now I get all worked up on the fact that he is clearly littering.
Now he tells me as he always does when I catch him doing this that he is not littering because said item is "biodegradable."
I of course counter that who cares if it is going to be gone in a week. Tomorrow when someone steps out of their car and steps onto said rotting tomato they are going to be as mad as I was.
So I ask you...what is the ruling? Is it ok to toss "bio's" out the window or should he put it in the bag the food came in! (I always turn that into the trash bag)

What's That?

2008-06-30T20:06:00.002-07:00

So I don't look like this when I bend over...

nor might I add do I want too...
When I bend over there is some appreciation on Ben's part...at least if he is in the room.
The other night as I reached down to grab a dish out of the dishwasher. Ben happened to be in the line of sight of my ummm ...
assets.
He sweetly mentioned" Hmmmm What's that?" Using that very telling tone of voice that husbands use when they want you to know they appreciate their wife and can't wait to show her that appreciation later when the kids are in bed.
I of course just smile at the banter and before I can even turn around I hear Nika's sweet little voice say " THATS A BOOTY!"
Ahhh the benefits of little people! They will help you when you're in need of an answer!
Duh Dad that is a booty....

Chocolate... everyone's friend

2008-06-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

Fingerpainting...

Warning

2008-06-22T20:43:00.002-07:00

The next post is huge and somewhat boring but I wanted to put every little detail into it for our own records.

Nika's Hospital Stay

2008-06-22T17:04:00.015-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while because of the chaos in our life lately. With it being summer I find I am never really home. I am always trying to find things to do with the kids like swimming, or going to free movies sponsored at our local movie theater. But it is Sunday now and I feel like I can catch up on our latest happenings.
So those of you who know us well know that our 3 year old Nika has Asthma, and we have known about it since she was two. We deal with twice a day treatments through her nebulizer.

She usually falls asleep during her night treatment.
She also takes a daily allergy pill to hold off possible asthma triggers.
However even with all the preventatives there are days where she suffers an attack. We have albuterol on hand to deal with these situations.
Tuesday night the 10th, Nika was sounding a little squeaky. She literally will sound like a bird has taken up roost in her throat. We noticed and gave her a treatment before she went to bed.
She has lived with this long enough to know when she needs what she calls her "breathing medicine." So around 4 in the morning she came and woke me up sounding worse and asking for another treatment.
We have her machine hooked up in the living room so most times this occurs she will just grab her pillow and end up sleeping on the couch once her treatment is done. This time was no different. She also tends to strip off her pj's ( I think because in her mind this allows for easier breathing) When Ben got up in the morning of the 11th for work she was agitated and wanting another breathing treatment. We both could see that even with the albuterol she was still struggling.
I have never had to take her to the ER before for an attack. We have an overnight urgent pediatric care facility that I usually use but they are not open during the day and her doctors wouldn't open for another hour. She was retracting pretty badly. (meaning: when you look at her you can see her skin sucking in between and under her ribs, and using her auxiliary muscles, like her belly to breathe.)
We have dealt with this before but this time she was very anxious and upset. I drove her to the ER and they let us in immediately. Her O Sat. (oxygen saturation) wasn't to bad at that point because she had just had a treatment. It was around 90%. She received a one hour continuous zopinex treatment. (Zopinex is like albuterol with less of the side effects, like increased heart rate.) A bright side to going to this ER was that a member of our ward was her nurse and he made me feel a little more calm than I normally would have been I think.
She seemed OK during the treatment and for a short time after. They took chest X-rays and after an hour had gone by she was agitated and uncomfortable again. When respiratory got in they took one look at her and knew she was in need of another treatment. This time they gave her a mixture of albuterol and atrovent. She had been so wound up and breathing so hard that this treatment and the relief it brought, sent her right to sleep. She slept for another half hour or so and when the nurse came in to check her O sats they were hovering between 77 and 80% which is hypoxic (that's a big word for deficient in oxygen).
At this point since she had had two treatments and was worsening they decided she needed to be put on oxygen and admitted. The hospital I was at (while wonderful) does not have a pediatric unit so we got to have one more breathing treatment and then had a lovely ride in the ambulance to a nearby hospital. Usually we go to Phoenix Children's Hospital (the hospital where 1 month old Liam had a two day stay)but they had no beds so we went to Banner Thunderbird.
Nika was very tired and cranky at this point and even though Daddy came with our friend Brandon to give her a blessing, she still wasn't very happy. Even a visit from a therapy dog named Molly didn't cheer her up. That afternoon they decided that instead of an oxygen mask (which makes it hard to eat and drink) they would give her a oxygen nasal tube. It was quite disturbing for me because even though the tube barely goes into her nose she absolutely did not want it on.

Myself and another nurse pulled the bed sheet up to her neck and held her down while a 2nd nurse placed the nasal tube on and then taped to her cheeks. She was furious (especially with me) and thrashed and tried to kick. It was like she was possessed!
For the next little bit I had to make sure she didn't reach up and rip off the tube. She eventually calmed down but every five or ten minutes she would scream "take it off of me!"
That night was a hard one for both of us.
Even looking at this picture now makes me start tearing up. All I wanted to do was help her and it was hard that she was so angry with me.
A little bit happier
Because of a higher O sat... and also a lower heart rate..
By the next morning she had pretty much forgotten the nasal tube was in. She was still breathing rapidly (even with breathing treatments every two hours and a liquid steroid - prednisolone)but was feeling better.
Surprisingly that morning the hospital was opening a new child's outdoor area for the pediatric patients. So Nika was one of three patients to be the first kids to use the facility. They had balloons, bubbles, a lot of hospital higher up ands a bunch of therapy dogs on hand.
With her portable oxygen tank and a fast male orderly she managed to play on everything!And another car...

Pausing off the car long enough for a pet with Suzie...this is a scan of a Polaroid (sorry for the quality)
All the therapy dogs had these baseball like cards with stats on the back. If a child petted the dog then they got to keep a card. Very cute!
A close and personal visit from Allie
Some more playing
Getting a hand painting (since her cheeks were occupied) by Pinkie the clown. Want to guess what her favorite color is?
Our favorite therapy dog Dakota
Playing with the bubble machine...
The orderly did an awesome job keeping up with a running, jumping 3 year old with a nasal tube! She has fun and makes due even with low oxygen...that is my trooper! She is determined to have fun, the stubborn little dutch girl!
We found a fun room on the pediatric floor that was a toy room for the kids. Full of donated toys, books, and crafts the room was open during the day and kids could take toys back to their rooms or play there. It was a nice escape for Nika and she seemed to be one of the only kids well enough to play in the toy room. We spent most of Thursday there. I should mention that they had a full children's movie list as well and you could ask your nurse to check out movies. So that was also helpful.
One of the hard parts of our ER visit was that Nika was totally bored. They had a TV but no remotes so I couldn't even turn on PBS for her. (Apparently they had all been stolen and the TV was no longer being built so the manufacturer did not have the ability to send new remotes.)
Also the hospital has a program called Andrea's closet (named after a little girl who died of Leukemia.) Pediatric patients are offered a choice of a toy from the closet as a reward for their bravery. We got a little stuffed Mickey Mouse. I joked that we could tell people that we went to Disneyland instead of the hospital
Anyhow we ended up staying until Friday at which point I let everyone who came into the room know that we were ready to go home. Nika was at a point where I felt comfortable treating her at home and though her oxygen was still in the low 90's I pointed out the fact that her baseline was bound to be lower than a normal healthy child. At this point she was bouncing all over her room, the hallways and the toy room. In other words back to her normal little self.
Considering everything it was a great hospital, we had a private comfortable room and I found that I actually could sleep at night there. But still I was ready to go home.
So Friday afternoon after one last dog visit. This time from Ashley we managed to get away with prescriptions in hand to fill and a happy family waiting for me.
I should note that Ben, Jed and the kids had cleaned the house big time for us! If not for our ward family and Jed we would have been a lot worse off as far as taking care of the other three kiddo's so I am grateful to them!
Thanks everyone for your love and support. We are home and hopefully we won't have any more hospitalizations!
Next step is a blood allergy test for Nika.

Book Club

2008-06-22T16:54:00.002-07:00

Our ward has a book club that meets once a month. I love to read and it gives me a chance to talk about books that I love and form friendships at the same time.
Plus reading alone, is like going to the movies alone. Sure you are entertained but sharing your take on the film with someone else makes it better. That is why I like the book club... anyhow I just thought I would share what we read this past month. We met on June 4th and besides talking about the book, "In Search of Heaven" by Anita Stansfield. We had a yummy lunch of Pasta Salad, rolls, and lemonade.
A good read and good feed!

As Promsied...

2008-06-22T16:36:00.002-07:00

Here are some at bat pictures of Trison taken at his last game on June 7th 2008. His team ended up only loosing twice the whole season which put them in first! Way to go Diamondbacks!
Here Triston hits a base hit! He loves to hit that ball!
These pictures were taken after closing day ceremonies June 20th. He got his trophy and baseball is now officially over. We also had a little team party at Peter Piper Pizza, all the boys got a Diamond Back pennant to hang on their wall, a blue first place ribbon and a baseball with all the boys signatures on it. The coach kept one also and said, that way when the boys make it to the majors she will have the first signed baseball.
Yes we will be playing again next year. Triston wants to play in the minors but we will see. (Minors have the boys pitching the ball, this year it was coach pitch) His coach liked him at the catchers postion but thinks he will make a good pitcher because he apparently has a good arm for his age. I am just happy that he enjoys the sport so much.
Now comes the fall sports and the decision between football and soccer.I will let you all know what he decides!

hair day info...

2008-06-09T13:48:00.003-07:00

Apparently I do need to say more! *laugh*

This was for school and awesome mom that I am... forgot about it until oh midnight the night before... didn't have time to run out and buy the essentials so I googled a couple of things and found out that I could color Triston's hair and make it stick up by mixing glue water and food coloring! Yeah his hair is a mohawk all the time so not to crazy for him but this is what he wanted and wouldn't take any of my suggestions. (He has gotten to that age!) Last year I put a blond girls wig on him and it was hilarious! But apparently he didn't like the kids calling him a girl so all he wanted was a green do.

With Anja's hair I stuck some skewer sticks in and broke off the pointy part. With some bobby pins and that ribbon I made it stand up. (Originally I wanted to do the pippy longstocking hair but it wasn't working...

By the way Triston's hair washed out the first time and Anja no longer looks like a maypole...

I was worried about my hand being forever green but after about 50 hand washes (in a row) I came out clean!

Crazy Hair Day - May 28th 2008

2008-06-07T19:58:00.001-07:00

Really... need I say more....

Graduation

2008-06-05T22:22:00.006-07:00

So Anja graduated from Kindergarten on May 27th. We were excited that she did so well in Kindergarten. Out here in AZ the cutoff date for school is Sep. 1st. and Anja just missed that as her birthday is September 14th. I knew she was so ready and so I had her tested and put into Kindergarten. At first she had a hard time adjusting and told me she liked her old preschool better. (She missed the Playdoh I think)
But by the end of this school year her teacher told me she was ready for first grade. Not only that but she said she had never had a student make such a big turn around from the beginning of the school year, "GO ANJA!"
Ben thinks Kindergarten graduations are so lame and I have to admit to thinking that way a bit as well. However when you see all those cute little faces in their black paper graduation caps and they start marching down the aisle to "Pomp and Circumstance" you can't help get a little choked up. Your mind starts racing to the fact that your child is propelling into the future at a rate that seems way too fast. What happened to my little baby!
What a bendy arm shot...reminds me of Aunt Davianne.
Giving her advice to the incoming Kinders... "Walk in the Classroom and be gentle with the animals." Great advice indeed!
All the graduating Kinders from all three Faith North classrooms
Her teacher brought each child up and told everyone what special character quality they had. She said that Obedience was Anja's trait. She does what she is told whenever an adult asks her to do something. Ben turned to me at this point excited and said " We have one!"
All the kids got up and sang a song set to the tune of "New York, New York" it went a little something like this... "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today... I want to be a part of it 1st grade 1st grade!" It had other cuter verses but I can't remember them all and since Anja is in bed I can't ask her... anyhow at the end they started doing the Rockette's kicky leg thing.
Here she is getting her official diploma.
Getting a congratulations hug from Oma
And mommy...
And the whole affair ended with ice cream! Awesome finale! Liam sure thinks so!
I love his ooooo face! Did I tell you or did I tell, he is a little monkey!
Ben was there too! Proud of his daughter and annoyed at me for taking his picture! Love you HusBEN!
One last shot before the summer... Anja and Mrs. Karklins

Brave woman! She had Triston, Anja and starting in August....(play jaws theme music in your head......) NIKA.

Chocolate Covered WHAT?

2008-06-02T00:19:00.001-07:00

Ok I love chocolate as much as the next girl but this is seriously gross!

Yes that sign says chocolate covered bacon....

Anja my DAISY

2008-06-02T00:05:00.003-07:00

So I think I remember blogging last year that Anja was starting girl scouts. She started last November and had her little end of the year celebration last Tuesday the 27th of May. Well she was a Daisy Scout and she loved it. It was only two days a month and some field trips but the troop is made up of a bunch of little girls from her class at church and so she had fun socializing. This past Tuesday was a busy day for us. It was Pajama day at school and this girl scout graduation was at 2pm. (Anja was the only one in her troop to still be in school as most districts got out the week earlier) So Ben picked Anja up early from school and brought her to her leaders house. We were invited to come an hour later for the presentation.
This is in front of her leaders house she has this huge sunflower growing and I had to take a picture!This is her whole troop holding up hand made pictures of the things they liked best about being a DAISY scout.Anja drew a picture of her and her friends and thought the best part of being a DAISY was earning the little petals to make a Daisy on her tunic.This is her getting her awards, pins and petals from her leader.
And this is the new way she smiles for me when I whip out my camera....

I am so glad for the ladies in my ward who decided to start this troop it has been so great for Anja. This has helped her become more confident and she has just blossomed this past year.

Triston new Career

2008-06-01T23:52:00.006-07:00

So I realized that I don't have a whole lot of pictures of Triston playing baseball. This could be that as a family we all come watch the games and there isn't a whole lot of opportunities to take pictures while wrestling with children who think the bleachers is a new type of metal jungle gym. Or maybe because I only have one small lens that just doesn't zoom in as far as I would prefer. Whatever the reason. I finally took some pictures of Triston's game on May 21st so I thought I would share.
His coach usually has the kids switch positions to try different things out but she thought that he did awesome at Catcher (he is one of a few kids on his team that can throw accurately and far enough to get it back to the pitcher in order to keep the game moving along) so for four or five games now he has been catcher. This also helps keep his attention in the game (when he was in the outfield he would get really bored.)
Anyhow so here he is as catcher.

I was excited to bring my camera this time around for one other reason. After each game the coach gives out a game ball to the player who had the best play. Not neccesarily a hit but maybe an out or something good like that. Well Triston got his first game ball. She said it was because he did such a great job as Catcher and helped with so many plays and just for an all around good job. It was neat! We have a lot of fun at the games and I have been surprised at how much this sport has grown on me. The season will be up in a few games so I need to remember to get some shots of him swinging. I'll post them in the future...
For now here is a cute shot of Nika being bored and hot at her brothers game

Jed's new Job

2008-05-28T12:03:00.004-07:00

Had to take pictures and post them. He is adorable in his new uniform. Jed works at Johnny Rockets as a COOK! I see some similarities....
Alfred E. Newman....a little....too cute!

Great Way to Raise Money!

2008-05-28T11:54:00.003-07:00

On May 16th our ward had a movie night and silent auction (which turned out to be loud at the end) to benefit the boy scouts and help them pay for Camp. Members donated things for auction and they made over $800 dollars!
We all brought our blankets to spread out over the gym floor and watched CARS. I went to check out the auction stuff and was surprised to see my kids all sitting and watching as if they had never seen the movie. (I can't count how many times they have seen it!) They had bags of popcorns and nachos and had set up a "screen" on the stage with chairs and sheets. Very cool!
For some reason Liam found watching the people more entertaining.
I bid on this quilt and won. It was too cute to pass up. Plus I can totally act like I know how to quilt now. *laugh*
I made this for the auction... any guesses as to how much it got?
A lady in our ward did these... they are amazing! I told her I want lessons! Either that or I am going to have to hire her for the kids birthdays!

Nika and Ben conversation

2008-05-26T23:58:00.005-07:00

Preface: We call our private parts Our "Business"

Nika: Is "Business" a bad word?
Ben: No but we don't talk to other people about our "Business"
Nika: Why not?
Ben: Cause that is private and it's none of their "business" (ha ha)
Nika: (pauses...)"tomorrow I'm gonna talk "business" to myself"

All I can say is wow...

2008-05-25T22:49:00.001-07:00

Mothers Day Tea

2008-05-21T17:03:00.004-07:00

So Anja's classroom celebrated a late mothers day last Friday the 16th. We came for a mothers day tea. The kids ushered us in to waiting tables with pink tablecloths and vases with various flowers in them. The plates were already on the table with fruit salad, a muffin and a scone. The kids made everything themselves. And we happy moms ate it after being assured that they washed their hands before preparing and if any of them had runny noses they were not invited to participate!The poured our glasses of lemonade or tea.Then they all got up and recited a poem they had memorized.
Maybe you have heard this one before...

Sometimes I might upset you, just because I 'm small
By leaving fingerprints of mine on a table, chair, or wall.
But every day I grow a bit and I'll be big one day
when all my tiny fingerprints have long been cleaned away.
So keep these prints of my two hands to help you to recall
just how big my fingers were, that time when I was small.
Yep it made me cry...

At the end we got to each take a flower home (which turned out to be a flower pen that the kids had made earlier in the week). I love being a mom but this is just the icing....

Ca Ca...

2008-05-21T16:14:00.002-07:00

Is Liam's way of asking for mommy to take a picture of him... so ca ca I did... This is his own clothing and accessory creation.

Father & Sons Outing

2008-05-20T07:31:00.009-07:00

May 9th Ben and Triston headed up to Bartlett Lake up in Carefree, AZ. Kind of fitting name for the city.Here is Triston in our garage as we are packing the van. Is he excited? Yeah you don't even have to ask!
Here is a view of the beautiful lake.Checking out the dock with Malibu. Yes we bring boy dogs on this weekend!
A boy and his dog...is their anything cuter?
Here is a tuckered Malibu on Friday night sleeping in the van. This is Saturday morning but this is what Malibu did on Friday night to get so tired...He loves the water. Ben was throwing this stick way out into the lake but it didn't faze him he would just jump out and swim right to it!Hiking around the lake
There was a lot of fishing being done Saturday Morning. Here another Dad in our ward is helping Triston to fish. He actually did catch his first fish on this trip but we didn't get a picture of it. Yeah he had fun and so did Dad. I am grateful for Ben for actually bringing my camera and capturing this fun trip. Next year he will need to get someone to take a picture of the two of them. I mean it is a total Kodak moment!

Krispy Kreme

2008-05-15T13:51:00.002-07:00

It has been a long time... try two years since I have had a Krispy Kreme...Not because I have some crazy willpower. No because the AZ franchise went bankrupt and closed its doors...
Well let me just tell you that this number is no longer unlucky...
May 13th saw an opening of a Krispy Kreme in Mesa AZ. I am a lucky girl because Ben works in Mesa. So yesterday loving husband that he is he brought home a dozen. Even though the drive through had 22 cars waiting in it. Doesn't he rock... So see Jensa you don't have to mail them. Karma has seen that since I want to eat better they decided after two years to open my favorite doughnut store!
Oh it is so worth it though....

Totally Red !!!

2008-05-15T09:59:00.004-07:00

On April 29th I was able to go see a play with Anja and her Pre-school/Kindergarten class. Here she is while we are waiting for the bus to pick us up.
There is this really pretty church right across the street from their school. I have always wanted to take pictures of. I snapped this one while turning the corner inside the bus. It is all angles but I think it came out pretty anyway...
Here we are wedged in the bus like sardines. This little girl is in another classroom. All three preK/K classes went on this fieldtrip. This is Anja's second time riding the bus and by her smile you can tell she approves!
We got to the Phoenix Theater and had to wait just a few minutes to enter. It is hard to explain but basically there are lots of buildings surrounding this courtyard. One of them is the Phoenix Theater and another is the Phoenix Art Museum. I like that all these different theaters and museums are all connected. It makes visiting them so convenient. Anja was being so cute she kept asking me to take her picture and then she would totally pose. She saw this pole and informed me that it would look good if she knelt down...I think she was right...
So this is why I titled the post Totally Red. It was the name of the play we went and saw. It was Essentially little red riding hood but they kept retelling the story in different styles. Like Shakespeare style where red is obviously played by a guy. The kids found this hilarious! The company that performed is called the Cookie company. If you are ever in Phoenix look them up. They cater to a youthful audience and do a great job. I was laughing right along with the kids. They did a version of Red where they take her out of the woods and into the hood. She has a red running suit on and sunglasses and they are all dancing to Mc Hammer "you can't touch this" during the scene where the wolf is chasing red. It was really fun and I am glad I got to go!
After the play was done we found out why they are called the Cookie Company. Everyone gets a cookie and a carton of milk at the end. Here is Anja with her milk mustache.
The courtyard is called the Dorrance Sculpture garden and has many cool sculptures to look at. Here Anja is doing her best to immitate the "five dancing" sculpture by Magdalena Abakanowicz. I was actually impressed to see her work featured here. She is a pretty famous sculptor from Poland and is regarded to be one of the most important and influential female artists of the 20th century. Well her artwork certainly inspired this little girl!
Here she is with a statue by Robert Arneson who is deceased. This sculpture was a self portrait of the artist. Called "no Pain" I wonder if he did this one during the time period where he was suffering with liver cancer?
Here we have "The Personal Miraculous Fountain" by Jaume Plensa. Can I just say that I love google because without it I would have thought this was a giant eggplant spouting water....nope it is so much more than that.... I found it miraculous in Arizona....anywhere you see water running continuously in the desert is miraculous!

So that was the end of our cultural experience. I hope to go back soon!

Random thoughts....

2008-05-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how when you decide to eat healthier people just randomly offer you crap food. I think that is what homeless people should do...say they are on a diet and then they will get people offering them donuts left and right!
I think I am gonna go on a money diet anyone feeling generous towards me?

Escape to LA LA Land....

2008-05-09T15:39:00.010-07:00

So you know Ben whisked me away prior to Spring Break with the kids and that was lovely... well the week was actually pretty nice with the kids, I didn't sell them on the black market or tie them to their beds...(-=
We had baseball practice and a game, presidency meeting, visiting teaching, you know a pretty normal week. On Thursday April 24th I went with my visiting teaching companion Stephanie and we took one of our gals Shauna out for a pedicure. She is 9 months pregnant and didn't want a baby shower so we took her out for pampering and got a little ourselves!
On Friday the 25th I was able to take a flight to CA to visit my best friend Angela out in Manhattan Beach! It was my first vacation by myself ( a little strange to be alone) and my first time on a plane in over two years, I thought it was my first flight solo since I was 18 but now that I have been thinking about it I was flying with a friend then so this was my FIRST time flying alone. No wonder I was a little nervous. I mean I was afraid of getting lost or missing my flight or just the sheer uncomfortableness of sitting next to a stranger. When you travel with someone you can grab the aisle or window and not have to worry about who is sitting next to you.

Plus I flew Southwest and they have no assigned seats so it is pure luck who you will end up sitting next too. I was next to two girls on the flight over so it wasn't too bad. I was sitting near the window and the girl next to me was nice, the girl on the aisle was a total trophy wife with bleached blond hair, humongous diamond ring and humongous...ummm other stuff to match. She broke out this really stinky burrito as we were just taking off and that was kinda gross but all in all if that is all I had to complain about I am lucky. Besides I was off on a child free vacation with my best friend from High School. Time to live it up and suck it up!
I arrived that evening around 7 and Angela took me to her home. The place is gorgeous and only like a 15 min drive from LAX (in good traffic) They have this really cute two bedroom that has a view of the ocean! They are only like 3 blocks away! Angela cooked this awesome meal of scallops and asparagus over wheat pasta. She has always had a knack for cooking and I appreciated the meal it was delicious! We then ran out to a cute little Gelato place that Angela used to live close by in Silverlake. Pazzo Gelato is a cute little place and had some really yummy gelato.
It was my first time having some and it was quite nice.
We had decided that we would catch a show at The Sacred Fools Theater Company.
An Amazingly Awful Screenplay.Word for Word. Unedited.
Angela's man can act and I had yet to see him on the stage so I took this opportunity to laugh and be entertained. The show takes some actual screenplays that Hollywood has gotten and then performs them exactly how they are written. It is really funny and really obvious that these people must speak English as a second language. It was the perfect way to spend my first night in LA. It didn't start till 11pm so by the time it ended and we drove home it was pretty late. I wasn't tired though, I was too excited. I think I fell asleep around 2am.
The next morning we were up and heading out to Studio City to hunt for Bridesmaids dresses. We met Angela's other CO-Matron of Honor Daisy... Yeah I know "Matron" sounds old. But we are the hottest Matron's around let me tell ya! *laugh*

We went to the dress shop where Angela bought her dress. Hoping to find the right dress and get a discount to boot. It was a fabulous little shop called "R Mine Couture"that looked like something out of Ugly Betty.With bright chairs and blue walls it was a funky fun shop!
We played princesses and tried on a lot of dresses.
After finding a beautiful gown we headed off to curb our hunger. Driving around we found a fun patio dining place called "Tommy Rays". There were musicians playing some jazzy music and the weather was CA perfect. After changing tables a few times we finally found one with optimal shade and enjoyed our lunch.

Next we headed back to Manhattan Beach and enjoyed about an hour of late afternoon sun and fun at the beach.
This is the view from where we are on the beach, looking up to her place. Just up the street a bit.
After a quick shower and change of clothes we headed out for our girls night.
First stop the "Viceroy" in Santa Monica, Angela's friend Samantha had the in's (namely her boyfriend who works there!) so we started out the evening feeling like VIP's. It was a beautiful trendy hotel lobby/bar with cute cabana's you can rent and overstuffed white chairs it was beautiful and trendy. We then headed to dinner where we met up with Sam's boyfriend Aaron and his hilarious friend Jackson. We ate at another cute eatery called "Primitivo" It doesn't look like much from the outside but it was another great place. It was a "Tapas" restaurant, which mainly just means appetizer. We shared all the plates and I must say I think my Salmon was the best!
Now we were informed by Sam that for Dessert there was no better place then "Boa" in Santa Monica.
I am noticing a red trend in these pictures...*laugh* anyhow Boa is a steakhouse within view of the Santa Monica pier and they have some tasty donuts on their dessert menu. Or so I am told... as they were all sold out by the time we showed up. )-= We ordered smore's instead but I wasn't really hungry so I just enjoyed watching the rest of our group eat.
We decided on one last stop for the evening, "Huntley" another Santa Monica hotel with a penthouse with fantastic views of the ocean on one side and LA on the other. It was breathtaking and so much fun! I couldn't find really great photo's other then this one.
None of these pictures are from my camera by the way. I didn't want to look all touristy!The only strange thing about this place was that the girls bathroom had two stalls. I ended up in the larger one and it had a full wall window looking out over the city. Now I know we were up high but there was no curtain and I couldn't help but think...hmmm it's night there are lights on in this bathroom who is getting their kicks with the binoculars tonight! *laugh* yes I am aware my brain works in bizarre ways!
We ended our evening there and dragged ourselves tiredly home. Again though I didn't fall asleep until almost 4 in the morning, it didn't help that two drunk boys were standing outside Angela's place drunk dialing and talking extremely loud! One thing I forgot about living near the beach is the lack of AC and if your gonna sleep with the windows open you might get woken up by noise.
Sunday was church with an old friend Pete B. and his wife and kids in their ward in Hawthorn. Then some more relaxin with Angela until my flight home. Had to get one shot from her living room looking at the beach. I apologize for my camp face.
I was a little concerned when I saw the plane home was one of the older models. Maybe it is just the paint but it looked unreliable. Then the pilot announces the air in the back of the plane has to be shut off until after take off since their engine 3 is down. Nice... real reassuring... I got home safely (surprise) and was happy to see my beautiful kids and husband. Being away made me a more relaxed mommy and I was sure more appreciative of them all. Thank you Angela for the flight and the fun! I sure love you and can't be more thankful for our friendship through the years! Yep we are old enough to say that...
Anyhow how can you not love coming home to this!

Back to AZ life...

LAZY BLOGGER

2008-05-08T11:02:00.001-07:00

I decided that I am a lazy blogger. I look at my wonderful friends who post their activities sometimes the day that it happens and I realize it takes me weeks to finally relay similar info. but I decided to be Zen about it I mean you all know how many people have blogs now a days. If your a blogaholic then you probably take hours reading and catching up with everyones life. I think in my own way I sympathize with your plight and purposely only give you a blog every week or so. That way you don't have to stress about reading my blog everyday...yep that is it I am not a lazy blogger just a sympathetic one!

Liam & Nika

2008-05-03T11:11:00.003-07:00

We were over at my moms and they climbed into the chair to read together.
Well actually it was more like Liam joined Nika, and she tolerated it...
Classic Nika face....
They are only two years apart and yet they look so different...
My two little monkeys.... (-= I just realized they both have on primate shirts....

Pretty Anja

2008-05-03T10:50:00.001-07:00

Just felt like taking some pictures of her after church on the 20th...

Props for my Love...

2008-05-01T10:06:00.002-07:00

Even after being together for over eight years Ben can still surprise me. Friday the 18th of April we headed out to dinner at Macayo's.
I ordered the Fajita Quesadilla
Tender steak or chicken fajitas, folded in a grilled flour tortilla with green chiles, onions and cheese. Served with rice, refried beans, sour cream and guacamole. Yum!
I was looking at the menu after picking that item and wondering whether it was enough food for me...(I was hungry) when Ben says " Well if it doesn't fill you up we can always order room service."
I look up to see him sliding a hotel key across the table to me.
After my shock and amazement he let me know that Jed would watch the kids, my mom would pick up Triston for his early morning baseball game and I didn't have to worry about anything more.
I love this man so much! He knew I had a week of spring break coming up with the kids and decided I could use a relaxing evening with just the two of us.
We stayed the next city over in a very comfortable hotel room, top floor corner suite! It was the nicest room I have ever stayed in.

We sat in the spa that night, I haven't been in a spa since we moved from our apartment complex in Simi. That has been 3 and a half years!

An example of our room!

We had a great time and even though it was just a one night slumber party, I came home a happier more relaxed me...
Thank you Ben for being a thoughtful husband. I love you!

A new Frontier....

2008-05-01T08:24:00.002-07:00

Doggy Underwear...
Yes I have found cute underwear for my dog when she is in heat... Does Rosie love it?
No
Does she leave them on....
Yes

I swear I am not a weird dog nut... this just makes me laugh...

Adventures of Nika

2008-04-17T13:33:00.006-07:00

After seeing my beautiful sister's blog and her sons head stuck in a banister I realized I failed to post these pictures of Nika being well....Nika.
We heard her in the toy room yelling for help, this is what we found.
She said she was trying to show Liam what to do...hmmmm
She wasn't to happy that we were giggling and taking pictures.
Daddy told her, "I want to see a smile!" before he would help her out....aren't we mean!
I love that she is wearing this shirt! "I didn't Do it!"
She smiled and was saved.... lesson learned...don't climb through the sink in your play kitchen

Some things I love...and am trying to love

2008-04-16T08:38:00.003-07:00

I love

And I am not talking about just loosing weight and having no pudge ....no I am talking about NO Pudge Fudge! Which after translation is fat free brownies! They even help people with no self control by telling you how to make one serving brownies in the microwave to stave off possibly eating the whole batch at one sitting. I seriously gained 12 pounds in one month. So I decided that now that I am no longer breast feeding I need to watch what I eat and make a concerted effort in eating healthy. No I am not dieting I am liviting! Anyhow these brownies are 100% better for you and if you are a chocoholic like me then it is a good substitute.
I also love
These have been popping up all over AZ lately. They are actually pretty cool stores (a lot like trader Joes but better...side note I always forget the name of Trader Joes in casual conversation and end up calling it Farmer Johns...) Anyhow these stores are awesome for anyone wanting a healthier selection of fresh foods but I also see it as an awesome answer for single people or small families that are busy. If you want a healthy fast food go check out their store. They have a lot of pre made food to buy in a snap. Plus the store just feels friendly...maybe because it is small...who knows. Ben told me that they want to me like a neighborhood market where you know the butcher and he knows what cut of meat you like. Whatever their aim I would say it is working! I love it!

I am working on loving working out. I get motivated and then loose interest, but I hope that I can learn to love it and not just like it.

New things since Easter

2008-04-15T14:27:00.008-07:00

1. I have been introduced to Rock Band and can say that I like being the drummer the best.
2. I also got to play Guitar Hero and let me tell you, for someone who doesn't like video games I actually enjoyed these two games!

3. I celebrated my 28th Birthday. Enjoying a quiet day and a fun evening of dinner at The Yardhouse in Glendale AZ. We have this new shopping/dining area just north of the cardinals stadium and coyotes stadium.
The Yardhouse is there and it has some great food. I had the Porcini Crusted Halibut - which is porcini cream sauce and white truffle oil with asparagus and bok choy over Parmesan mashed potatoes. Yum!
We had to dress up, how often is it your birthday!?
You know I miss working somewhere on my birthday and having flowers delivered and seeing all my coworkers stare... but the next best thing is having flowers delivered when your neighbors are out watching! Ben works for an amazing company called Beneficial Financial Group. This was from his bosses! They always out do themselves! The kids all get birthday cards and gift certificates to ice cream or Mcdonalds on their birthdays, and Ben got $50 to Amazon! I love this company!
4. Triston had opening day ceremonies for little league on the 5th of April.
He is on his first team and they are the Diamondbacks! They had the mayor there and the police and fire department. Also city counsel members and the kids got to high five them all! They were playing patriotic music and did the whole national anthem and pledge of allegiance and it really got my heart swelling with patriotic pride. I actually found myself thinking "Wow this really is America's favorite pastime!"
Nika was having fun walking Rosie around a bit. They played their first game on the 12th and their team won 7-6. Triston was up to bat his first time ever with the bases loaded!
I would love to say he hit a home run but it wouldn't be true! However he did hit a single and eventually scored in a run himself. I never thought I would say this but I am actually enjoying watching him play!
I had resisted little league sign ups mostly because I didn't like the sport but after living here a few years and going to quite a few major league games and now watching Triston play it is actually pretty fun! I don't have any shots from his first game because I had to have him at the field by 7:30am and my sleep addled brain forgot the camera. But we have several months to go so I promise to post some action shots soon!
5. Anja has been busy with girl scouts and had a slumber party/luau at her leaders house. It was only till 10pm but that is pretty exciting when your 5! She got to wear her Pj's and when she got there the leaders daughters came running out to say Aloha and to wrap one of these around her neck. They got flip flops and got to decorate them and they got some colored sand and grass skirts. She was a happy girl when she got home.
The evening was such a success that another girl in her troop that lives four house down decided for her birthday to have a PJ party. Anja was excited that she was able to "walk" to her party. They had a fun pampering session and came home with a cute denim skirt/purse they had decorated with glitter glue, some chapstick, nail polish, a new travel brush/mirror It totally reminded me of my youth because we had these same push out brushes. Way to go 80's!
6. Nika has been up to her usual self. Saying funny things, making funny faces, and being a mischief maker. The other day in the car she says to Ben. "Daddy Jesus is up in the sky with Heavenly Father." He replies, "Yes." Then she says, "I want to get out of my seat, get a balloon and fly to them." This gave us quite a laugh. But also made me thankful for yet another example why I love my sweet children and their righteous desires.
7. Liam is getting to be a funny little boy. He makes faces just like Nika and likes to push buttons, literally! He turns off the TV all the time and then turns to see what we are going to do, all with a look of delight on his face! He just makes me laugh all the time and I love giving him kisses and hugs. Lately he has taken to grabbing my hand and directing me where he would like me to go. Something about holding that little hand and allowing him to govern my movements just melts my heart.
Here is a picture we took of him after eating Spaghetti! He is thrilled to be such a mess!

If men could have babies.....

2008-04-08T18:15:00.005-07:00

A good friend of mine's parents once said after having my friend. That they would have more children when men could get pregnant. Well apparently that time is now! I tripped across this story the other day. I guess he was on Oprah but since I don't watch that I missed out.
****HAD TO TAKE OUT THAT PICTURE...IT WAS GROSSING ME OUT*******
http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid52664.asp

Sea Horses may not be impressed but I am in shock at what is possible in today's world...

Nika Easter

2008-04-05T12:46:00.003-07:00

So I had a sick baby and a sick Anja so it was just me Triston and Nika on Easter Sunday at church. Ben took some shots of Nika in her pretty dress.

Easter Hunt - a little late....

2008-04-03T12:05:00.003-07:00

This was our wards easter egg hunt.
Nika searching for eggs
Anja finding her eggs
Triston off in the Senior Primary Area
Daddy helping Liam in the nursery side
Checking out his egg.
This is the way Liam rolls
Stuffed to brim of his overalls
Can't wait to open and consume!

"The Jonas Brothers" or "The three Hobbits"

2008-04-03T11:43:00.005-07:00

I am not always up to date with the latest "thing" and watching Dancing with the Stars last week I was introduced to these guys.
Is it just me or do these guys show a little hobbit flair?
I can totally picture them in the shire....

Roadrunners Ice Hockey

2008-04-03T11:19:00.003-07:00

So last summer the kids participated in our county library's reading contest and won some cool prizes. One of them were four free tickets to an ice hockey game in downtown Phoenix. It is actually in the same arena where the Phoenix Suns Play. Anyhow the Roadrunners aren't in NHL but they are the next best thing. We had to redeem the tickets this season so we picked Thursday the 20th of March. We had fun! The highlight for the kids was Rocky the mascot.
Ben met me and the kids there since it is in between work and home. He doesn't normally wear a suit to sporting events! (-=
Happy but tired kids. The game started at 10 past 7pm which is usually when they start to get ready for bed. Thankfully they didn't have school the next day but they had been up early so they were ready for bed.
Gotta have some of the hockey action shots!
ROCKY the ROADRUNNER!

And what would a hockey game be without the Zamboni!

Visits with Elisabeth

2008-04-03T10:38:00.005-07:00

I really have to be better about posting in a timely manner...oh well.... Elisabeth (Ben's sister) came to visit us in March for five days. The kids loved spending time with their aunt! We got to show her our AZ world. We even went to the Easter Pagent here at the Mesa Temple, it was amazing! One of the days Jed had work off so we took off to the White Tank Mountains for some hiking. She came at the best time of year because all the wildflowers are blooming right now and the desert is the prettiest it can be. We went on a hike called the Waterfall trail.

There was a ton of these yellow wildflowers but there were others out there as well. My favorite were these purple ones that for some reason I didn't get a picture of them. Too busy looking at them in person I guess!
At the end of the hike there is actually shade! Because it ends where two mountains meet.
Taking a rest and looking guilty. I wonder what she was up to?
Here is the end and the little pond that has formed from all the recent rains. The waterfall is actually on the right hand side of the picture. The boys in the picture were climbing those rocks to get to it. Usually the pond isn't there and there is only a little waterfall. This year was a wetter one so the reward at the end of the hike is greater!
On the way down the mountain. Uncle Jed thought he would scare me and take a picture of him and Nika up on a boulder. Smart girl... she held on tight!
Almost to the car. A nice little shady area to rest. I figured I should get a picture too just to make sure you all know I was there...

The end! Thanks for coming to visit Elisabeth! We love you!

Anja's Field Trip

2008-03-28T15:22:00.004-07:00

So I also went on a fieldtrip with Anja's Class and the other preschool/kindergarten classes at their school on March 17th. We went to the Wildlife World Zoo. Google it if you like! (-=
We have been there before but not for a couple of years. This was of course Liam's first time to a zoo. Nika, Liam and I drove to the zoo since it is on our side of town and waited for Anja's school bus to come. The first animals we saw were these cute baby tigers. There were three of them, two were white and the other was normal. Here are the two white ones.
We liked this monkey. He had a boo boo on his tail and I managed to catch him licking his tail better
Here are the three of them. I forgot my stroller and had to rent the weird little strollers there. The two front wheels were broken and I didn't notice it at first. I spent the whole day tilting him back on the rear wheels just so we could walk. The handle was too low so I was stooped over on top of it all. Yeah my back didn't appreciate this field trip too much. Oh well next time I won't forget mine!
You can feed the Giraffe's at this zoo and Anja really wanted to try.
She got a little scared when she saw that tongue so I ended up feeding it. But after she saw me do it once then she fed this other guy below.... Isn't he cute he looks like the Toys R Us giraffe

This is me in the petting zoo trying to get a picture of this deer without getting my sweater that was tied around my waist completely eaten. I had to wash it when I got home it was covered in deer saliva! *laugh*
I had to post this one because I caught Liam making his kissy face.
They had a playground so we stopped and played for a bit. And of course I had to get a picture of the three of them looking so cute! Although Nika has started making a face for pictures...that totally fake smile. I can't wait for her to grow out of that one!
We took a whirl on the carousel and I guess Anja was so thrilled to feed the giraffe's she needed to sit on one too!
I love this school. We have so many fun adventures!

Taxes

2008-03-28T15:13:00.003-07:00

Just wanted to vent. This year is the latest we have ever put off doing our taxes. It is such a drag and this year I just kept saying "oh I will get to that next week." Well I am almost done and plan on mailing today or tomorrow. Thank goodness it is over. Anybody want to have a, "Got the Taxes Done" party!?

This makes me laugh

2008-03-26T22:23:00.001-07:00

BOX BOY

2008-03-26T21:03:00.003-07:00

Liam was playing with this empty box and put it on his head. The combo of his stick out ears and large noggin allowed it to remain stuck on his head without him holding it. It looks like he is trying to keep it on but actually he came to me to try and get it off. Mean mom that I am I took pictures first...and to answer your question...yes there is no point to these pictures except to show off his cuteness. ... and yes I thought three pictures necessary!

Yeah FREEDOM!

Thus ends the saga of my little box boy...

Escapee...

2008-03-25T15:01:00.002-07:00

I didn't think we were doing too bad as parents until I found one of my children trying to escape...

and the other one just sad she can't get up there with him...
Really he saw his friends four houses down and was trying to get to them. Uncle Kevin was visiting so he got to witness this spectacle. Triston was stuck and Daddy instead of rescuing him, told me to get a picture. Ah yes these are the days I live for as a parent!

My garden

2008-03-25T14:56:00.002-07:00

So I don't have much in the back yard but I do have a nice little garden on the side yard. Here is an example of my carrot bounty. Ahhh it's cute they like each other! Separated only in eating... not life.

South Mountain Fieldtrip

2008-03-25T11:33:00.003-07:00

So on March 6th I went on a field trip with Triston's class. They were going to go hiking to the South Mountain which is a 15 minute drive south of the school. I volunteered to be one of the driving chaperone's. One of Triston's classmates has a grandfather who is a petroglyph expert so he came along to point out some petroglyph's in those mountains. Now since I took Liam hiking on President's Day I figured I could handle taking him on another hike. Ben decided to have a take your daughter to work day with Nika and so it was just me and Liam. I had looked up the hike path that morning before we left and was a little worried since the path they were hiking was listed as Difficult - fairly steep and long 2.5 miles. I thought well that can't be right these are a bunch of 1st through 3rd graders. Well thankfully we didn't hike the whole trail we just walked back a little and looked at the petroglyph's.
It is funny how I always get the speech from Triston about how,
"youuuu haveeee to commmmeeeee mommmmmm."And then get pretty much ignored the whole time I am there...
Oh well it was still fun. The expert is the guy holding the large stick.
Actually it is a Saguaro hiking staff made from the skeletal remains of an actual saguaro cactii
like this one right here.

Waiting to hikeTriston's cute teacher...
Some authentic petroglyphs from the Hohokam Tribes. Some I would have never noticed if we didn't have a guide pointing them out. Others were quite
bright!

All in all it was a fun trip and a nice hike!

Feeling Dated...

2008-03-19T14:30:00.002-07:00

There are moments when I feel older than I should. Today was a half day at school so I picked up the kids and headed to Costco for a little shopping. Something about store bathrooms make my children need to pee. So after we got done paying I took them to the bathroom. Triston was taking a little longer then the girls so we stood waiting for him by some water fountains and a pay phone. Nika being Nika, she picks up the receiver and starts playing with it. Anja being the little mommy that she is told her to stop and then proceeded to try and hang up the phone. Except she wasn't sure where the receiver was supposed to go. I told her hang it on the hook. So she tries to hang it on the change returner hook. I calmly showed her exactly where it was supposed to go and then spent the next five minutes reflecting on the fact that my children don't know what a pay phone is. Don't live with any land line phone in the house and probably don't remember when we did. Besides we had cordless telephones so they just sit in a charger. So even if they could remember it wouldn't help them in this situation. I have already had to explain what a cassette tape is. What will be next?

Which one is not real...

2008-03-16T13:38:00.002-07:00

Nika fell asleep practically kissing her doll. I couldn't help taking a picture. The lighting was bad because I didn't want to wake her.
It is times like these that I remember the days before she learned to say "No"

Sunday Naps

2008-03-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

So Sundays we have church in the morning now, which we love. After meeting 1 - 4 pm last year it is nice to meet in the mornings. But with early church comes the Sunday dillema of naps. I noticed that when we make everyone take a nap so Ben and I can take a nap well the kids have a hard time falling asleep in the evening. So last Sunday we put the baby to bed and told the other three to have "quiet time" in their room.
Someone found a marker and decided to decorate his sister's.He also let them color on him. He was really pleased with himself so we had to tell him to make a sad face.
They of course were "quiet" so how does one get mad at them.
He even made sure that we would be able to identify them after we killed them. He lovingly wrote "their" letters on their feet. Can you guess whose foot this is?
Yep it is the "Nikanator"
You can not get mad at a face like this. It is impossible.
Long lost brother?

So I think naps are out for now, either that or I will have to scour the room a bit better looking for all that contraband that gets past me.

The new Playground

2008-03-07T12:39:00.005-07:00

So after a few months of toil and a husbands hard work, our Christmas playground is finally up! Now we just have to do something with the dirt and we will actually have a fun backyard!Liam figured out the rock wall yesterday and even though I am proud of his ability it scares me to watch him scale that thing. So needless to say I am stuck outside making sure he doesn't fall off. Soon we will get some wood chips to soften the fall should there be any.
Liam is loving the slide!
Not sure if he is the biggest fan but I would say he is pleased with this new development!

Yuck

2008-03-03T21:21:00.002-07:00

Can I just say yuck! Why is this back in?

The jelly sandal is back -- and this time it's not just the floppy rubber shoe in the bins at the 99 cents store. Luxury brands such as Givenchy, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Fendi are all making jelly shoes for spring that cost vastly less than anything else they make -- and yet, so much more than the jellies you ran around in through the 80s.

Some of the top-dollar styles -- such as the $165 Mod peep toe sandal from Givenchy (LINK) -- have great thick straps, which add an architectural element (a big trend in spring shoes). And the shiny rubber makes them look sleeker than your average jelly.

A great Video

2008-03-03T12:13:00.002-07:00

This was made a few years ago for the media before the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. It is a good one and I hope explains the church a bit more to my friends and family that are wondering about it.

Church

2008-03-01T21:48:00.003-07:00

So today was filled with a lot of prep work church wise. I was able to give a baptism talk at our Stake baptisms today, so there was the procrastinated talk prep a few hours before. Then I remembered that Triston was asked to give the talk tomorrow in Primary, so the again procrastinated talk prep and fun trying to get a 7 year old to decide what he would like to talk on and then get it to be something coherent for the rest of Primary. I love that when I ask him about a favorite gospel story he has a ready answer!
Also I have sharing time tomorrow so yes again, the procrastinated prep time for that lesson. I guess the theme for today was Esther is a big procrastinator.
I hope to get it together this week since I have sharing time for the rest of the month. I vow that it will be thought of, prayed on, and finished by Friday!

On a happier note I can say that Ben finally finished assembling our backyard playground. I will post pictures soon! Our backyard is finally getting some work done on it! Yeah!