STORIES OF THE SHARPE SIX........

NEW YEARS ALREADY!!

2011-01-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast the past 2 or so months have flown by! We had such a lovely Christmas season! We started out with our anual carriage ride & visit with Santa(it's so nice for the kids to get some time to visit w/ him), then that same evening, we went to the boat parade near my parents house, where Nathan volunteered to lead the crowd in singing Jingle Bells....too cute! Shortly after, we enjoyed Gregory & Nathan performing in the Christmas Pageant at church. Gregory was a Sheppard & Nathan was a cow....it was a great production, and all of the kids did a fabulous job! We hosted 3 family Christmas parties at our house. Our Christmas Eve sleepover with my parents and sister & her husband was a blast...many fun memories were made:) Then came the big Christmas party with all of the relatives from CA(that was not at our house), it was so nice to get to see everyone, and all the kiddos had such a fun time together...many WII playoffs. We rang in the new year at our house with my parents....had a fire in the pit, ate a ton of good food, and enjoyed a lot of football games. It was a great season, and many fun times were had....I'm still working on getting all the decorations down.
A couple of weekes into the new year, and we've started our backyard remodel.....changing it up a bit with a rock/firepit area, new trees & plants & and a new huge wood swing set....still working on that(it came with a 40 page instruction guide)! It will be so nice once everything is done....it's been a fun project....

HALLOWEEN 2010....

2010-11-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind with blogging...YIKES!! Anyhow, we had a fabulous Halloween weekend!! It started on Friday night with the school carnival(had fun watching the boys playing all the games), then later that night, I loaded Eli & buddies in the van, and headed to the Chambers of Fear Haunted House! We all had a blast...and it was really pretty spooky!Then on Sat., we had a morning full of carving pumpkins...I bought the books w/ the templates to trace...I think it's easier for the kiddos to draw a free hand pic., and cut it out, but nonetheless, we still had a lot of fun. I attemted to bake the pumpkin seeds, but they were in the oven too long, so they were not too edible. That evening, we went to Grandma & Grandpa's house for a spaghetti dinner (yummy), then we went to a party at a friends house. Had a great time at the party...lot's of great costumes!! On Sunday...Halloween, we went to church, had nachos & goodies/football in the afternoon, then had a pizza dinner w/ G-ma & G-pa before transforming into our costumes. Eli went as a Crazy Doctor, Gregory was Bumblebee the Transformer, Nathan was Dracula, & Jacob was our little Skeleton...Dave was Daddy Dracula, and I was a witch (a good witch:) Everybody looked awesome!! This was Eli's first year to go Trick or treating w/ his buddies, he had a great time!! The young kiddos trick or treated till they couldn't walk any more, and their pumpkins were almost overflowing!

Since then, the boys had school conferences, and are all doing a great job...way to go boys! Last week, Dave & my parents watched the kiddos, so I could go to Vegas w/ my sister, and have a girls weekend...we had so much fun!! Did a ton of shopping, wining & dining, a little playing of the machines...it was great to get to spend time together!! AND, this brings us to this week, the weather is beautiful, so we've been spending a lot of time at the park. Gregory & Nathan are starting practices at church for the Christmas Pageant...can't wait to see them in it...fun times!!

TEEN IN THE HOUSE...HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!!

2010-10-05T12:25:00.001-07:00

Yes, we now officially have a teen in the house!! This past weekend Eli celebrated his 13th Birthday!! We are so proud of him...he is such a good big brother and friend to all, he enjoys going to church, he's very smart, and athletic too...he's growing up to be such a nice young man! We're looking forward to this new chapter of our lives:) His party was a blast! He had it at the roller rink. It was his first boy/girl party (oh my goodness)! They skated for 2 hours, had pizza & cupcakes, and gifts, and his group even got to be guest DJ's for 1 song. After the party the kids came back to our house for kareoke fun & snacks....girls left at 9pm, and then the slumber party continued. They played video games, and watched a movie, but they were all pretty tired by midnight.
We did have a very heartbreaking situation arrise. To make a long story short, we had put all of the gifts & cards Eli recieved, our camera, diaper bag, cupcakes etc. in a rubbermaid box. Well, in the process of leaving the roller rink, the box was stollen!! We searched the whole roller rink inside and out, and to no avail! My # was even in the diaper bag on a permission slip, and no call! We were so upset, but at the same time didn't want to make a huge deal, as the party was still going on, and we wanted him to enjoy every minute of it! Anyhow, we are so thankful for such wonderful Grandparents & friends, as they surprised Eli with duplicit gifts later on Sunday...very thoughtful!!
When I said good night to Eli on Sunday, he hugged me, thanked me for the best party ever, and said it didn't matter about the gifts, he was just happy to be with his family and friends:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE & GREGORY!!

2010-09-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, was a very fun weekend full of Birthday celebrations. On Friday, Dave turned ....well, that doesn't matter:), anyhow, for his celebration, I took him on a date night to a new Irish restaraunt, we had the BEST fish-n-chips! Then we were off to see "The Other Guys"....so funny, great movie!! It was nice to get out, just the 2 of us:) Sat., was Gregory's 9th Birthday! I can't believe he's already 9....he's such a loving, caring, happy, & fun boy...such a special part of our family! For his party, he decided to invite family, and a couple school friends to celebrate at Lake Pleasant. So we got up early, packed up, and headed to the lake. We started with bar-b-qued hot dogs, water balloons & guns, a fish pinata(his theme was sea life), presents, & cake. Then we headed down to the shore for swimming, playing on tubes, inflatable boats, kayaking, and some of the kiddos spent some time fishing. We all had a BLAST, and he's already said he wants to do it there again next year.....FUN TIMES!!

BACK TO THE SWING OF THINGS.....

2010-08-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

The kids may have gone back to school, but summer is deffinitely not over, as it's 110 today....I'm about ready for Fall:) The last weekend of summer break(the 7th), was also our 11th Anniversary!! So, we packed up, and took the kids to the Arizona Grand Resort, for a staycation. We chose this resort, because it has an AWESOME water park too. We all had a blast, on the lazy river, wave pool, and the slides were so much fun!! That evening, we had a great dinner at the Rustler's Roost...great live band, and this restaraunt has a huge slide in it, so as you can imagine, the kids went down multiple times. It was a really nice weekend for the whole family!

Then, on the 9th, it was back to school! Eli's now in 7th, Gregory 3rd, and Nathan started kindergarten! It was an emotional start to school, but they all adjusted great, and are very happy with their teachers, and happy to see their friends again. Jacob misses his big brothers, but I am watching another little boy, he's one year older than Jacob, so they have become very good friends, and have a lot of fun together. Tonight, we have our parent meeting for Religious Ed classes for the kids at church, and I've become very involved with the MOM's group at church, so it's getting pretty busy around here....

ALREADY AUGUST!!

2010-08-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Since it's already August, I thought it would be a good time to get caught up on the rest of July. After the 4th, we met up with my parents at Lake Pleasant for a week of camping. Dave & I, and all of the boys(except Jacob of course),got up on water skiis. Gregory was too cute, he couldn't get up all the way, but he squated, and did it for a long time! My Dad pulled us on the tube...Nathan's the true dare devil of the family...faster, faster!!! Eli drove the boat for the first time, and loved it! We all went out fishing, and caught about 3 fish each...the boys were thrilled!! We spent one day exploring the shore, and kayaking. Jacob loves the kayak, as he even fell asleep in it, while Dave was giving him a ride:) Thank goodness my parents have the trailer...one day it reached 118, so the AC was wonderful! It was also nice to come off of the lake, and watch a movie(roughin it). We all had so much fun...it was a great week with the family!

We made it to the movies to see Despicable Me , and Toy Story 3. We've been going to the aquatic center to stay cool, and been enjoying the inflatable pool too. We've been spending time with friends, and family. Dave and I went on an early Anniversary date night last Friday...dinner at Johnny Rockets&we saw Salt....great action movie!! Now, as we're approaching BACK TO SCHOOL, on Monday, we're just about done with our shopping, and we're getting all of the supplies organized and ready to go. To celebrate our Anniversary, and wrap up the summer, this upcoming weekend, we're taking the family on a staycation to a nearby resort...details to come after the weekend:)

THE WAVE RUNNER EXPERIENCE @ LAKE POWELL.....

2010-07-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

...MORE LAKE POWELL PICS....

2010-07-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

HAVING FUN....

2010-07-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

....AND STAYING BUSY!! Thus far, we've had a very fun summer!! After much discussion, for our family vacation, we decided to go on a week's camping trip to Lake Powell! So before hand, we ventured out, and bought a kayak to use on vacation, and at the nearby lakes too. We headed on our trip on Father's Day--it was about a 5 hour drive, with a lunch break in the middle. We got there, and it is so very beautiful(we'd been there about 3 years ago, and it is such a great place)! Anyhow, we were pleased to find we had got the campsite we had requested, and so we set up camp...that's a project...a fun one, but a project!! Being that it was Father's Day, we splurged that night and had dinner at the Lake's restaraunt:) We called it a night early that night, as we all were pretty tired from the long day. So, throughout the week, we enjoyed kayaking....it's 12 feet, so the older kids all fit on it, and Jacob enjoyed riding with Dave&I. We could even fish off of it,,,it's the Anglers model. We did a ton of swimming in the lake, and at the pool at the resort....gotta love that!! We went on a cruise of half the lake......the scenery is just breath taking!! The boys all enjoyed that, and Eli & Gregory took a ton of pics(as did I)! Nathan had fun exploring the cruise boat, and Jacob passed out and took a much needed nap. Later in the week, we rented a wave runner, and had a BLAST!! The boys want us to buy one now. We took a lot of walks, and did a lot of bike riding, played a lot of games at the campsite, and the boys created a fort in the tree next to our tent. Of course all the bar-b-qued food was so yummy, and the s'mores to die for!! It was such a great time for our family, and we can't wait to go back!!

On a side note, when we came home, Eli played in the Allstar tournament!! He pitched the first 3 innings of the first game, and did a great job!! His team played very well together, however, they did not make it to the next round. He had such a great season, and gave it his all, we are so proud of him!! It was really a great experience for him!!

On another side note, we had a great 4th of July....spent it with friends & family, did some swimming, ate delicious food, and watched a great firework show at the nearby baseball fields....it was a very fun day!!

OUR BASEBALL SEASON CONTINUES ON.....

2010-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last week, we recieved a call from the sports and rec. dept. They told us that Eli had been selected to play on the Allstar baseball team for his league for the upcoming summer tournament ( very exciting)! They told us the dates, and we were bummed to find out that we'd be out of town during the tournament:( Well, on Sat., the phone rings, and it was Jason from the rec. dept., and as it turns out, they had given us the wrong dates, and he WILL be able to play!! He had his first practice last night, and he did a very good job, he said after having a few weeks off, it was good to play again. As well, 3 boys he's played with in the past are on his team, so he was very happy about that! So, we're back to practices, pictures, and upcoming games:)

FINALLY.....

2010-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, I had luck uploading a few pics from Nathan's B-Day party:) I have many more, but I'll be happy with 3!! I'll try posting baseball pics tonight, and hopefully I'll have some luck then too!

NATHAN'S BIRTHDAY W/ CHUCK-E-CHEESE!!

2010-06-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

PROBLEMS POSTING PICTURES.....

2010-06-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am trying to post some recent pics, and everytime I try, my computer freezes up!! If you have any tips, I'd greatly appreciate it:)
Tracy-- If you read this, how do you like the slide show you use....is it pretty user friendly??

THE MONTH OF MAY...

2010-05-17T12:25:00.001-07:00

Started May out with a wonderful Mother's Day! Dave & the boys made it so special for me. We started with a yummy breakfast, that we all made together. Then we headed to church, and after, back home for some down time. In the late afternoon, we went to meet our neighbors new baby boy...he's sooo precious!! We then went to my parents house for a nice family dinner. It was such a nice day! Since then, we've been wrapping things up before the summer. The boys just finished Religious Ed. classes. We're now down to the last 3 days of school. I'm so proud of them. Both Eli & Gregory had such a good year of school, and are ending with excellent grades...way to go boys!! Baseball season is also winding down. Gregory's last game is Wed. Eli has 2 more regular season games, then post season tournament starts next week. Kuddos to Nathan & Jacob for being troopers, and coming to all of the games and cheering on there big brothers!! Still trying to figure out our summer vacation plans....either a big camping trip, or to Disneyland??? Spent today running errands, making sure I have plenty of supplies to keep the boys having fun, and staying busy this summer...I think I'm just about all ready!

On a side note, I'm way behind on posting pics; hopefully next week, I'll post Nathan's B-Day & baseball pics:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!

2010-04-29T08:58:00.001-07:00

Nathan celebrated his 6th Birthday on Tuesday! I can't believe he's already 6...time sure does fly by quickly!! He enjoyed a couple of parties. We had a family bar-b-que at our house to also celebrate G-Ma's & G-Pa's Birthdays...it was great to visit with the family! Then this last weekend, Nathan spent Sat., night with G-Ma & G-Pa, and on Sunday, we had a surprise party for him at Chuck-E-Cheeses with his friends. He was sooo surprised when he saw everyone:) Some of the kids were a bit frightened of Chuck-E-Cheese, but they all had a great time playing games, and going on the little rides. Nathan recieved a Birthday crown, lot's of tokens, a piggy bank, and a huge balloon from Chuck-E, so he was thrilled! It was a great celebration! Then on his real Birthday, we were going to spend the day at the park, but poor Gregory came down with the stomach flu, and was home sick, so we changed our plans, and had a water play day in the backyard, then he chose Chinese for dinner...yummy!
Nathan as a 6 year old....he's a fisherman,baseball player, a great helper, enjoys playing with his brothers(most of the time), and loves going to church. He's such a special part of our family, and we are so blessed!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!

HAPPY EASTER HAPPY SPRING...

2010-04-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung, and we've been very blessed to have a mild spring. Since I have blogged last, we have enjoyed our spring break. It's a very busy time for Dave at work, so we enjoyed doing activites around town. We spent a lot of time at the park, flying kites and having picnics. We went roller skating, and to the batting cages....And enjoyed spending a lot of time with Grandma & Grandpa, and having play days with friends. Baseball season is in full swing. Between practices and games, we have baseball 4-5 nights a week! Eli is playing major league little league, and is pitching. While Gregory is playing coach pitch, and still rotates positions. In the meantime, Nathan decided he wants to wait to do a sport until Fall, but he loves to play T-Ball with Jacob in the backyard:) So that brings us to Easter weekend. WE started the weekend with a day of decorating eggs, Eli went paint balling for his friends Birthday, and I had to go treat myself to a pair of new sandals...they're really cute!! Then on Easter, we were woken up at 5am by Gregory ready to go see what the Easter Bunny had brought him. I got him to go back to bed till 6:30, then they all began to file out. We went to early church, and it was a beautiful Easter Mass! Then, we came home for a delicous brunch, and an egg hunt. We had some down time in the afternoon, so we watched Horton Hears a Who, and some of us snoozed for a bit. Then we were off to my Grandma & Grandpa's for a huge dinner, and another egg hunt for the boys. We ended the day with watching Where the Wild Things Are...great movie! A beautiful Easter was had by all!!

JACOB'S BIRTHDAY PICS

2010-03-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long.....

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

2010-03-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, not only was it the USA VS Canada Olympic hockey game, but our baby celebrated his birthday....Jacob turned 3!! I can not believe he is already 3 years old,it seems like just yesterday he was a newborn! We celebreated with a "Firetruck" themed party. We had 25 friends and family come, it was great to see everyone! We enjoyed Dominos pizza, a pinata, pin the fire hat on the fire dog, cake & ice cream, and I had arranged for the crew at the fire dept. to stop by so the kids could go in the truck, and see the equipment....that was a huge hit!! They didn't get any calls, so they were able to stay for about 1/2 an hour. The kids were so excited, they even let them try on some gear! Jacob wasn't able to get a nap in before the party, so he was a bit tired all day, but in the evening, he got his second wind, and enjoyed his new toys...he even tried on his new clothes:) It was a wonderful day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

......And from Birthday party Sunday to stomach flu Monday....yep that's right, Monday, we had set out to go out to breakfast & shopping with Grandma&Grandpa, and about 5 mins. into breakfast, my phone rings, and it's the school nurse....Gregory is throwing up!! He's still home sick today, but is doing much better, and has been able to eat today. Thank God, it seems to be passing quickly, and hopefully, it won't go through the whole family.

DOUBLE THE VALENTINES....

2010-02-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

Other than continuing to fight off colds, we've had fun the past 2 weekends, celebrating Valentines Day. On Valentines, I woke up to a beautiful gift basket that Dave had put together for me. That day, we enjoyed a nice breakfast, did some Valentine arts&crafts with the boys, went to the park, took the boys out for a yummy pizza dinner, and went to church in the evening....it was a great day! Since it didn't work out to go on a date night on Valentines Day, Dave & I went on a belated date night this past Sat. We had such a nice time. We had a delicious dinner at the Outback, then went to see Valentines Day....it was the best movie....a must see!! It was nice to have some alone time with Dave....it's always nice to talk, hold hands, and be romantic:)

WATCH OUT KINDERGARTEN...HERE COMES NATHAN!!

2010-02-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Well, today was a special day for Nathan. I took him to kidergarten roundup, and he's now all registered, and ready to start school in Aug. I am happy we did decide to wait a year later, as he's now so excited about starting! He was thrilled to get to have a tour of the school, and meet all the teachers. Of course, I had to sign our life away, and sign a gazillion papers, but he's all set now! Way to go Nathan!!

FEBRUARY 1ST....

2010-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Good news to report....I am feeling a bit better, and nobody else got sick over the weekend, so hopefully, this cold has finished making it's way through the family! On another note, I can not believe it is already February!! I'm looking forward to some fun upcoming events in Feb. Of course Valentines is just a couple of weeks away, which means date night(yeah)! The winter Olympics begin the same weekend...that's always exciting to watch! We just registered the boys for baseball, so we're looking forward to a fun season, and Jacob turns 3 at the end of the month...time to start planning his party!!

OUR FAMILY IN THE SNOW

2010-01-29T21:20:00.001-08:00

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME.....

2010-01-29T21:00:00.001-08:00

We started January out with a fun New Years camping trip. We had a little New Years party to usher in 2010. We got out and did some hiking, bike riding, watched a ton of movies(in the trailer), and even had some R&R. It was a great start to the new year....although since then, we have had cold after cold pass through the family, so we've been staying pretty close to the house the past few weeks. Imbetween the creeping cruddy colds, we had a huge storm pass through, we got a ton of rain, and cold temps. It was great to get the rain, as we are deffinitely in need of rain. It has been nice to take it somewhat easy....we've been reading a lot of books, and catching up on movies, but I am ready for us ALL to be healthy again!!

OUR CHRISTMAS SEASON

2010-01-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share some of the highlights from our Christmas season:

We started our Christmas season on Thanksgiving weekend, when we all worked together decorating the house, the tree, and putting a ton of lights outside.
The first Saturday of Dec, Gregory made his First Reconciliation at church, it was a very special time for him, and the whole family. Later that day, we went on a horse drawn carriage ride with Santa Claus.
The 3 older boys were in a Christmas play at church....they did great!
The first Sat. of Christmas vacation, we headed up North for Christmas with Dave's family, and fun in the snow. However, the next day, Eli went sledding down the hill, and fell off of the sled, hitting his head on the snow/ice(ouch)!! After about 4 hours in the ER and a C-scan, we found out he had a concussion, and thank God, he would be fine! Needless to say, the next week or so, he took it pretty easy!
The week before Christmas, we had fun play days with friends, did various Christmas art projects, and had a day of making cut out cookies, and decorating them.
On Christmas Eve, we went to the early mass at 4pm. We came home, and had a fajita dinner, and our annual Christmas Eve slumber party with my family. ...And of course, we all opened 1 present, which was PJ's.
On Christmas Day, we got up pretty early, and enjoyed a morning around the tree....Santa was good to all of us:) We had a play day, and the kids had a blast trying out the new toys, and trying on the new clothes. We had a delicous turkey dinner that evening. It was a great celebration of the Birth of Christ!
The Sat. after Christmas, Dave was so sweet, and watched the boys, so I could go shop the after Christmas sales:)
Then on the 27th, the relatives from CA. came, and we had our family get together. It was great to see all of the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins!
The next couple of days, we had fun visiting, playing, and going to the movies with cousins...the boys had a blast!
Poor little Jacob did come down with an ear infection, and stomach flu,and was very sick, but thank God, he is feeling much better, and is up and running again!
On New Years Eve, we headed out camping with my parents(in there trailer). We took turns staying in the trailer with Jacob, and hiking, exploring, and bike riding with the boys. We had a little party early in the evening, but the boys did make it till midnight. We stayed for 3 days, and had a very nice, and relaxing time...watched 6 movies!!
It's been a very fun & blessed season, and it's been so nice to spend time with family and friends!!
We wish you all a very Happy & Healthy 2010!!

HALLOWEEN 2009 PIC.

2009-11-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

HALLOWEEN 2009

2009-11-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Halloween!! Friday night we had carved the pumpkins...the boys loved that! Eli carved his own, and Gregory&Nathan helped eachother work on another. Jacob just enjoyed playing with the pumpkin goo:) The boys all looked great in their costumes, and got a ton of candy....we won't be buying any candy for a while! The weather was perfect for trick-or-treating, so we were able to cover a lot of ground. Jacob loved being pulled in the wagon, and he walked up to a couple of houses, but was a bit bashful. Nathan was so excited about his costume, he wore it again today:) It was a very nice family day, and such a fun night...finished off with watching some scary movies(after the kiddos went to bed).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-10-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's feeling a lot like winter today...it's only 63....BURRRR!!! Although, it is supposed to be back to the high 80's next week, so we won't get too used to it...yet.
Halloween is all a buzz here. The house is all decorated, and the costumes are picked out. Eli's going to be "Jason"(scary), Gregory will be a Star Wars Clone Trooper, Nathan's going as a Knight in Shining Armor, and Jacob's going to be a little Elmo. They're all very excited! We're having a pizza /pumpkin carving night on Friday. Then on Halloween, we're heading out trick-or-treating with friends and family; it's going to be a spookely fun weekend!!

COLD & FLU BUGS....OH MY GOODNESS!!

2009-10-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of Fall break. Last night, I had told the boys, we won't set the alarm, and we'll try to sleep in. Well, come 4:30am, Jacob woke up warm, screaming, and grabbing his ears. I knew it was an ear infection. The poor little guy cried from 4:30-7:30am, and I was able to get him to the Dr.'s at 10:40....sure enough, he has a double ear infection. Meanwhile, after one unsuccessful dose of meds making him sick, tonight, he was able to keep it down, so hopefully, he'll be on the road to recovery!
The Dr.'s office was packed with sick kids, people were even waiting in the hall! The Dr. said, thus far, between the regular flu, and the swine flu, this is the worst flu season he has ever seen.
It's only October, this is just the start!! So, bring on the vitamens and anti bacterial hand gel!!

IT'S TIME TO CATCH UP.....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2009-10-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

September continued to be a pretty hot month, so we were able to enjoy a lot of water play days. Both Eli and Gregory started their Religious Ed classes at church; Eli's in the junior high class(EDGE), and Gregory's in the 2nd grade class, and will be making his 1st Reconciliation in Dec.(exciting)! The boys continued to get used to their teachers, and are enjoying school. Nathan has been doing a home preschool program with me, and Jacob is talking up a storm(too cute)! We enjoyed the school Fall festival, and Eli went to his first school dance! He said it was awesome, and one of the teachers said he was a dance machine:) All is good!
Finally we can say....Fall has arrived...YEAH!! It's been chilly at night and in the morning, and the afternoon weather has been in the mid 80's..perfect!! Which also means, ELI TURNED 12 YEARS OLD!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!! I can not believe he is already 12, time flies!! He is such a special boy, we are so very proud of him! He had a slumber party...they rode skate boards in the cul-de-sac, played football, hit at a pinata, h20 balloons, sprayed silly string, rocked out to Guitar Hero,watched movies, and ate a ton of really yummy food!! He had 4 friends spend the night, and they all had a blast!!
Now we're thinking, HALLOWEEN!! Dave went in the attic tonight to bring out the decorations, and I can't wait to get them all up! The boys know what they're going to be, but that will be revieled in a later blog....

NEVER FORGET!!

2009-09-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

I will never forget every moment of 9/11/01 and the weeks that followed. Gregory was 2 weeks old, and as cute and cuddly as could be, and Eli was loving being a big brother. On the morning of Sept. 11th, I was giving my Dad a call to see how GG was doing(she was very ill and in the hospital), and when he answered, he told me to turn on the news. I was in total disbelief...in shock as to what I was seeing! I had every emotion go through me. Nobody knew what would happen next! I started calling Dave, as I wanted him home, and for the family to be together. I stayed glued to the TV listening to the terrifying news and had both boys in my arms just about every minute of that day. In the evening,I did go to the hospital to see GG, and I will never forget how quiete it was, and hearing almost all the rooms having coverage of the day on TV. That night, and about a week to follow both boys slept in our room. In the weeks..months to follow, people seemed closer...there for eachother, and very proud to be an American.
9/11/01 changed everyone....it was after that day, that I made the decision to be a stay and be home with my kids...my family.
I give thanks everyday for all the men and women that serve our country, and protect us at home and overseas!

AUGUST NEWS

2009-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, August kept us busy, like most months do:) We began the month with the boys heading back to school. Thus far, they are doing a great job, liking their teachers, and are enjoying seeing their buddies again. On August 7th, Dave & I celebrated our 10th wedding Anniversary. On the 7th, we had a nice family dinner, and the boys surprised us, with getting in their fancy clothes, and being our waiters for the night...too cute! Then, on the 18th, dave & I headed to Vegas for a couple of days!! We had a blast! We did some, wining and dining, a very small amount of gambling,and of course, enjoyed the shopping!! We did the Freemont Experience, and the theme was Woodstock....ton's of fun! We also made it to the Shark reef at the Mandalay bay, which was a great aquarium! It was a great celebration of our 10 years of marriage!! ....And we finished August with celebrating Dave's and Gregory's Birthdays. Gregory chose to have his 8th Birthday party at the lake. So, he had 4 friends and the family come. We did a pinata, h2o balloons, bar-b-que, and had a blast playing in the water...it was a great day!! On the way home, he said he want's to have his party there again next year:)
So, now we're to September, and we're experiencing a heat wave...I think I'm ready for Fall!!

SUMMER 2009

2009-08-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

OUR SUMMER

2009-08-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

Okay... so...when all the boys are asleep, and the house is calm, I often think, should I blog, or should I veg out, and watch a movie with my hubby; I often choose the second:) However, now, it's time for me to update my blog!!
WHAT HAVE WE DONE THIS SUMMER??
We started our summer with camping up north. We enjoyed bike riding, hiking, swimming/row boating..getting some R&R. As well, we had a lovely visit with Dave's parents.
We had a fabulous 4th of July with family and friends.
A couple of weeks later, we went camping with my parents. We enjoyed water skiing, tubing, fishing, ton's of water play, playing games, and watching movies in their trailer....we had a blast!!
Play days with family and friends
Roller skating
Swimming
We enjoyed seeing UP, Ice Age 3, and Transformers 2
We went to a monster jams show...had great seats
....It's been a really fun summer, and now even though it still is VERY hot, we're to the last few days of summer break. We've finished our back to school shopping, and we're getting our binders/backpacks all ready for the 1st day of school. Tomorrow we have "meet the teacher night". Summertime ALWAYS flies by!!

LITTLE LEAUGUE DIVISION CHAMPIONS

2009-06-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!!

2009-06-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged, so I thought I'd better get caught up! We've been staying busy since school got out. The weather has been very pleasant, so we've been bike riding almost everyday in the morning, swimming at the aquatic center, and using the inflatable pool and slip-n-slide:) We've done some cool art projects, and the boys decorated cupckaes too. Eli's baseball team were the CHAMPIONS in the league finals!! It was so exciting!! Following the BIG win, his coach had a team pool party......the team all showed up, and they were having a blast, then Eli was pushed in the pool, and collided with Branton, as he was coming up from under the water. Eli had to get his chin stitched up, and Branton got stitches on his head. Both boys were able to return to the end of the party after they were taken care of. Needless to say, we've been taking it pretty easy until he gets his stitches removed tomorrow. Thank God, Eli is feeling much better!

BASEBALL&MISC. PICS.

2009-06-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

SUMMER IS HERE!!

2009-05-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we've wrapped up the school year.....and school's out for the summer!! Baseball season is finished...well, almost finished, Eli goes into the post season tournament next week. Both Eli and Gregory had great seasons. Eli has become a great hitter, and catcher in the outfield. Tonight, on Eli's last game of the regular season, he hit a GRAND SLAM!! It was so exciting, and his coach...his whole team was thrilled!! Gregory has become a great catcher, and he did a wonderful job on 1st base!
Today was the last day of school. It was a fantastic year for both boys. Eli was honored last night for being on the honor roll all year; he recieved an award and a beautiful medal. Gregory recieved an award for excellent behavior! Way to go boys; we're very proud of you!!
Now, we're onto summer activities, and I can't wait!! When I was a child, summer was my favorite time, as my parents always made it so much fun for us. So, I hope my boys will have just as much fun, if not more:) I've stocked up on art supplies, science projects, outdoor water play games. We have our inflatable pools, sprinklers, and slip-n-slide, and we're going to do a lot of camping.
Tomorrow, is our day of remembering. It's been 2 years since Great Grandma (GG) passed away. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think of her, or talk about her. In the morning, we're going to the Five&Diner for breakfast, as it was her favorite restaraunt to go to for breakfast. We have so many wonderful memories, and we were all so blessed to have such a special GG.

THANK GOD FOR MOTHERS!!

2009-05-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind on my Mother's Day blog, as it's been somewhat crazy around here the past week. It started last Thursday, Eli was home sick with a sore throat and low grade fever. Thank goodness, by the end of the day, he was feeling much better! However, by the time it was time to go pick up Gregory from school, I had come down with the stomach flu, and had to drive with my bowl next to me just in case. So, Gregory came home, and by that evening, I was sicker than a dog, and not able to keep anything...not even water down! As I was going through that, Gregory started to complain of a tummy ache, and before I knew it, he was throwing up and feeling miserable too! Thank goodness, Gregory was feeling pretty much back to normal by the next morning....as for me, I was hit HARD, and was sick through Sat. Dave was a huge help; he made us soup, and helped when he could, but he still had to go to work. Thank God for my WONDERFUL MOTHER (did I mention she is AWESOME), she came down and stayed with us, to help with the boys, so I could get some rest to get healthy ASAP. That was a great help!! I am up & running again, and am much better!!

MOTHER'S DAY was a very relaxing day. As we were recovering, we took it pretty easy. Dave and the boys made me a delicious breakfast, and gave me very nice cards, movies(Don't Mess With The Zohan & PS I Love You), and perfume. Dave had also sent me clothes shopping last week. My Dad is out of town, so we spent Mother's Day with my Mom, and we all watched Enchanted, and then we went to have pizza for dinner. When we came home, the boys made Just a Trifle for dessert (it's pudding, angel food cake, and whipped cream-great for a summer treat), and it was delicious! It was such a nice day! I thank God everyday to be blessed with such a wonderful husband and 4 absolutely awesome boys!! It was great to spend the day with my Mom--she is such a special person!

Now, moving on to TODAY.....yet but again, we have the flu going around our family....AGAIN!! Yesterday, Eli had gone to the park, and came back, to lay down for a while...now, he doesn't do that often, if he could be out with his buddies! So, by bedtime, he was saying his stomach hurt, and he better have a bowl. By 10pm, he was throwing up, and didn't stop till 3am! He's home today, very weak, and sleeping. Hopefully he's feeling better quickly, so he can enjoy the last 2 weeks of school!

NATHAN'S BIRTHDAY PICS

2009-05-05T13:19:00.001-07:00

RECENT PICS

2009-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Zoo and Easter Pics

FIVE NATHAN FACTS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!

2009-04-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

NATHAN gives the best hugs.
NATHAN always says how much he loves his family.
NATHAN would spend every waking hour outdoors playing and riding his bike if he could.
NATHAN loves to help Dave in the yard and in the garage.
NATHAN is our jokester, and loves to dress up & use his imagination.
NATHAN turned 5 today!! He had a super fun Star Wars themed party this past Sat. We had his choice of food, which was hot dogs and nachos, and Grandma's potatoe salad....and of course cake & ice cream. The kids played a fishing game, pinata(it was one that you pull the ribbon, and the 1st ribbon Nathan pulled, the pinata broke), they played pin the sword on Darth Vador, and us adults got the kids with water balloons:) He had 8 boys come, and 1 girl....as you can imagine, it was loud and crazy, and they all had a blast! He told me today, this was his best birthday:) I can not believe he is already 5 years old...the time flies so quickly! He is such a special boy!! Happy Birthday Nathan!!

SUMMERTIME'S KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR!

2009-04-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Can you say spring fever!! Summertime is well on the way. It's been between 95-102 the last few days. This past Sunday, we had such a nice day, having a play day with our friends(theCox family), and Grandma&Grandpa. The kiddos all played baseball, rode scooters, and played WII. However, the evening did take an interesting turn. We came home, and Jacob fell ill with the stomach flu. He threw up off and on from 8pm till 5am Monday morning. Then while he was sick, at midnight, Nathan woke up throwing up too! It was the wierdest bug though, it hit really hard for 6-12 hours, and by Monday morning, they were both feeling much better(Thank God)!
As for Eli & Gregory, they are healthy, and both of them played great baseball last night. Gregory was catcher, and he does a great job, and Eli got awesome hits everytime he was up to bat....Good job guys!!

APRIL

2009-04-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I can not believe we are already to mid April! We've been spending most of this month breathing, eating, and dreaming BASEBALL. Eli & Gregory are both playing baseball, which means baseball 5 nights a week. Gregory is on the Lakewood Blueclaws ( coach pitch ), and Eli is on the St. Luis Cardinals ( major league little league ). Gregory has been switching positions each game, but he does really enjoy being catcher. Eli is in outfield, and most likely will be pitching this season too...he's doing an awesome job with his batting. They're both doing great, and it's so much fun to watch them!

We had a beautiful Easter weekend. On Saturday, we decorated eggs ( they turned out very nice ), and that evening, we took the boys out to dinner. On Sunday, we went to church, and came home to have our Easter egg hunt, and brunch with Grandma & Grandpa(jen's parents ). The kids enjoyed their baskets and goodies from the bunny. We took a short break, and had some down time in the afternoon. Then we headed to Grandma's & Grandpa's house for a delicious Easter dinner with the whole family....19 of us! The weather was perfect, we were able to spend a lot of time outdoors...it was such a nice day!

JACOB'S 2ND BIRTHDAY

2009-03-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

SNOW DAY

2009-03-19T22:28:00.001-07:00

LOT'S OF PICS

2009-03-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

PARK PICS

JACOB'S BIRTHDAY PARTY & SPRING BREAK

2009-03-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

We're all healthy again, so we were finally able to have Jacob's 2nd Birthday party with an Elmo theme. He had a great time playing with his cousins, playing balloon toss, and eating cake. When it came time to open gifts, he was pretty tired and not too interestd, so I opened most of them. However, he has had a blast playing with all of his new toys!

The boys were on spring break last week, and the weather was beautiful, in the mid 70's. We spent most of the week at the park, doing art projects, and at baseball practices. We also made it to Chuck E Cheeses, and ice skating. Unfortunately, the last few days of spring break, I was hobbling around with a minor sprained ankle. We had gone to the park, and I turned my ankle on the curb, and went falling into the sand box. After the initial shock of the pain, I had to look around to make sure I didn't have an audience or anything. Dave has been taking very good care of me. He bought me an ace bandage, a heating pad, and a pie.....I'm hobbling a bit less now, and it's feeling a bit better.

It's so hard to believe that spring break is over, and we're now looking forward to summer vacation! Time sure does fly!!

SICK, SICK...AND MORE SICK!!

2009-03-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

For most of February, we had lot's of rest, fluids, meds, and multiple trips to the doctors. Almost every week, one or more of us had a high fever, and a terrible cold. For most of us, it turned out we had a viral syndrom, that needed to run it's course. Unfortunately, Dave just found out, he has Bronchitis. Of course, it's when work is super busy. He is now on antibiotics, but I'm hoping he doesnt relapse.
We did have a very nice Valentines. That morning, when I woke up, Dave had put together a huge gift basket of bath products, and movies and goodies for me(so romantic)! We took the boys out for pizza, then my parents watched the kiddos while we went to the movies and saw, New In Town....very good, must see movie!
About 2 weeks ago, we made it up to Flagstaff for a snow day. It was 58 degrees, sunny.....beautiful! There was about 5 inches of snow, which was perfect for sledding. We spent the day with Dave's parents, and our niece, her husband, & 2 boys(on Dave's side of the fam). We all had a blast, and the boys had so much fun flying down the hill!
Jacob turned 2 on February 28th! He is growing so quickly, and learning something new each day! He is such a happy and fun little boy!! Unfortunately, we had to postpone his Birthday party due to everyone being sick. We still had cake on his real birthday, and he had fun opening gifts from his brothers too:) We're planning on having the party this coming Sunday, so we're praying that we all stay healthy!!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!!

2009-02-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

What an awesome Super Bowl!! I have been a Cards fan for many years, and I was so happy to see them make it to the play offs, and then to the Super Bowl. They played so good, and tried hard till the last minute.....I'm proud of the Cards, and will always be a Cardinal fan! The game was Dave's dream game, as he has always been a Steeler's fan, so of course he was thrilled that they won, but he also enjoyed watching the Cardinals. The boys really enjoyed the game too, and had there buddies over, and had a little Super Bowl party. It was a fun day!

A PAINFUL WEEK.....

2009-02-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I had to have some extensive dental work done, which included getting 4 teeth pulled. I chose to have them all pulled at once, and it's been pretty painful to say the least. That's without mentioning, that I'm still on the yogart, jello, and pudding diet....Dave has been making me shakes every night too:) Then, while I've been in the recovery process, Jacob came down with a TERRIBLE flu. He had fevers of 104, and throwing up non- stop. Thank God, he is feeling much better today, and I'm slowly beginning to use the left side of my mouth again.

BABY TALK, REPORT CARDS, AND FUN TIMES AT THE PARK

2009-01-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

I had gone out shopping the other night with Jacob. He LOVES to talk in his 22 month old language. So, on the way home, I didn't have the radio on, and he talked and sang to me the whole way home(about 25 mins.). Oh, it was so sweet; I wish I could have recorded it!

Way to go Eli and Gregory!! They both got awesome report cards! Eli was honored in an assembly this last Friday for being on the honor roll!

Januuary has thus far been like spring....in the high 70's-low 80's. It's been absolutely beautiful! We've been riding bikes and going to the park everyday! The boys have been becoming expert fort builders and tunnel diggers at the park. However, we're not getting too used to the weather, as winter usually hits somewhat hard in Feb.

WAY TO GO CARDINALS!! I've been a die hard Cardinals fan for many years. THEY ARE ON THE WAY TO SUPER BOWL!! YEAH!!

NEW YEARS CAMPING TRIP

2009-01-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

THE BOYS WITH THEIR NEW TOYS

2009-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2009-01-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas was very interesting, as we had our share of asthma attacks, the flu, and trips to the Dr. Knowing that we were having Christmas parties at our house, for both Dave's family, and mine, I was getting pretty nervous about all the germs going around in our house. Thank goodness, everything went great! We had Dave's whole family for an Italian feast the Sat. before Christmas....it was great to visit with everyone. My family came for our annual Christmas Eve sleepover, and Christmas day. We all had a great time, and the boys were so surprised with all of their new toys! Eli woke up to a RipBoard under the tree, Gregory got an RC Truck, Nathan got a new bike, and Jacob got His own "CARS" couch.
For New Years we headed out camping with my parents. We did a lot of hiking, play washers, and the boys had a blast riding bikes. The weather was perfect...in the low 70's! We rang in the new year....Gregory got the biggest kick out watching the new York ball fall( I think he enjoyed being up till midnight)! So, now we're into the new year, and things are starting to slow down a bit. The boys are back to school, and I'm back to work. It was such a nice Christmas season, and of course, it goes way to quick!!
We hope you all have a very happy and healthy 2009!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

2008-12-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

The shopping is done, the gifts are wrapped, the bows are tied, the baking is almost done, the house is all decorated....and we're ready to celebrate!! From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with many blessings!

HUGE HAIL STORM!!

2008-11-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness....it felt like winter here yesterday! We had a bout a 10% chance of rain. We had just been at the park taking our Christmas pics, and headed to Costco. About 5 mins into shopping, there was a huge blast of thunder, the lights flickered, and the rain and hail poured down! It hailed so much, it looked like it had snowed! It was crazy, but it deffinitely made it feel like winter. Now, today, it's sunny, and I'm back in shorts.

HALLOWEEN PICS!!

2008-11-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

Halloween Night.....it was such a beautiful night! The weather was warm(almost hot), a sliver of a moon, being covered by the clouds, and the boys all dressed up and ready to go! They all looked so cute in there costumes. Eli was a Rock Star, Gregory was a Policeman, Nathan was a Fireman, and Jacob was a Little Spider. We pulled Jacob along in the wagon, and his eyes were WIDE open the whole time, he was just looking around at all the decorations. Toward the end of the evening, he even held our hand and walked from house to house. Gregory really got into the trick-or-treating this year; if he could have, he would have kept going all night! Nathan was very proud to be a fireman, and he liked the plastic axe....he thought it was a sword:) Eli enjoyed getting to dress like a rock star, and was doing the air guitar as we were walking. Of course, after trick-or-treating, we did the traditional counting of the candy, and of course eating of the candy too. It was time to leave Grandma, and Grandpa's house, and We got in the mini van(about 10pm), and it wouldn't start! It turned out to be the fuel pump. Thank goodness, Dave had met us there with his truck, so we went home, and called the tow truck in the morning. It was in the shop until this afternnon, and it so nice to have my kiddo mobile back! Thank you to my wonderful mom for helping me with taking the kids to and from school!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

We've carved our spooky, cute, and alien looking pumpkins, the costumes are ready, and we're having our little halloween party this afternoon. The boys can't wait to get out trick-or-treating. Dave and I are getting into the fun, as Dave is going to be a Ghost Buster, and I'm going to be a Halloween clown. I'm looking very forward to having our Halloween pumpkin pie, and apple cider! I love the Fall holidays!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

OUR BUSY NON-STOP WEEKEND

2008-10-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we had! On Friday night, we all went to our church's Octoberfest/carnival. They had a full carnival with rides and games and all the yummy food to go along. Eli & I worked at a booth for a couple hours, then we enjoyed the rides. Eli brought me on a roller coaster that went upside down....it was a lot fun! Gregory and Nathan LOVED the fast rides, and their was a ride similar to Dumbo that Jacob was able to go on. We stayed pretty late and finished the evening with a ride on the Ferriss Wheel. On Saturday morning, Eli had to be at the football field for pics at 9am, and he had a football game at 10am. Unfortunatley his team did not win, but they all did a great job, tried very hard, and had fun! After, we scooted over to our nephew, Jeffrey's(on Dave's side of the family), and celebrated his 3rd Birthday. All the kids had a blast, and Jeffrey was so thrilled to get his 1st bike! About half way through the party, Eli became very tired, and fell asleep(now that's unusual for him). At first we thought he was just tired due to the business of the weekend, but when we came home, he slept most of the afternoon, and into the night. When he woke up, he had a fever. Thank goodness, he was feeling much better by Sunday morning. So, that brings us to Sunday. We celebrated Nana's 82nd Birthday at our house. We kept it simple with finger foods and cake. It was so nice to get the family together!
After that weekend, I think I need a long nap, and a hot soaking bubble bath!!

OUR FALL THUS FAR.....

2008-10-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

We finally had a drop in temp last weekend.....all the way down to 78 degrees....the perfect weather. It didn't last long, as we're now back up to 95! We have all of our Fall and Halloween decorations out, and we've enjoyed our first pumpkin pie of the season. We've bought and tried on the Halloween costumes. Eli's going to be a rock star, Gregory's going to be a policeman, Nathan's going to be a firefighter, and Jacob's going to be a cute little spider. We've been busy with Eli's flag football. He's doing a great job;making a lot of interceptions, and getting right into the thick of the game. I recently started my in- home childcare. I'm watching a little girl all day, and her brother before and after school. It's going very well, and the boys are enjoying there new friends. So, we're enjoying the cooler temps, and being outdoors & spending a lot of time at the park. HAPPY FALL!!

ELI'S BIRTHDAY PICS

2008-10-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!!

2008-10-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Eli celebrated his 11th Birthday last Thursday!! He had a fun "football" themed slumber party. He and his buddies played a football game, swung at a football pinata, played PS2, watched movies, and of course had pizza and cake:) On his real birthday, we had a spaghetti dinner, and welcomed in the Fall season with a yummy pumpkin pie! I can not believe he is already 11, as it seems it was just yesterday, he was a tiny little baby! He keeps telling me he's a pre-teen.....I say, don't rush it!!
I'll be posting pics soon!

AUGUST BIRTHDAY PICS

2008-09-24T22:19:00.001-07:00

HAPPY B-DAY DAVE & GREGORY!!

2008-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am a bit behind....Dave celebrated his Birthday on the 27th, and Gregory turned 7 on the 28th!! On the 28th, we did pizza and presents at our house. Instead of doing a big party, last Sat., we spent the day at Water World! The boys all loved the slides and wave pool....Jacob even went down the baby slide on my lap:) The lazy river was a big hit too! At the end of the day, Gregory said it was his best Birhtday! We all had a blast, and it was a great family day! I'll be posting pics soon!

BACK TO SCHOOL

2008-08-22T21:32:00.001-07:00

CAMPING PICS

2008-08-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

ALL THE PLACES WE'VE BEEN!!

2008-08-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

It is time to play catch up from this summer! Of course the summer has flown by, as it always does! I left off when we were gearing up to go camping with Grandma and Grandpa at Lake Pleasant in their trailer. We had a blast! We did a lot of water play; Dave, Eli, and I all water skiid,Gregory and Nathan were pulled on the tube....slowly.....with me:) Jacob enjoyed the boat rides and seeing the ducks. We did a lot of swimming in the lake and at the resort pool. Eli and I both did some fishing with Grandpa......Eli caught 3, and I caught 1. It was so nice in the trailer. We would come off of the lake, in the heat of the day:the AC, the lazy boy chair, and a good movie was such a nice touch!

The first week of August, we went for some rustic camping in Flagstaff. We did the tent camping in the middle of the pines; it was so beautiful! It was such a nice break from the HEAT! The boys had a great time riding bikes, and making friends around the campground. We took our inflatable boat, and did some rowing, and water play at Lake Mary. We took nature walks, and went hiking in the nearby areas. We were able to have campfires everyday, and had some yummy s'mores. It is monsoon season, so we did have some rain and thunderstorms, but that added to the fun. One night, we even heard coyotes howling/laughing in the woods....that was a bit scary!
We had such a wonderful summer......we have so many blessings to be thankful for!

BACK TO SCHOOL.....As of the 11th, Eli & Gregory are back in school Eli's in 5th, and Gregory's in 1st grade. Thus far, they are enjoying school, and making some nice new friends, and are enjoying seeing their friends from last year too. Nathan has started his preschool curriculum at home, and can't wait to start school next year! He misses Eli and Gregory,but enjoys entertaining Jacob! Jacob is full of words these days; he's added to his list of words: night night, hi daddy, and mamma mamma....too cute!
So that's what we've been up to, and now that we're back to the swing of things, I'll be updating this more often!
Pics will be coming soon!

GOING CAMPING!!

2008-07-14T22:59:00.002-07:00

This last weekend was spent preparing for our 2 upcoming camping trips. On Sat., we started by going through the garage getting our camping supplies together....which turned into cleaning the garage from top to bottom. The boys even were helping, and ended up going through toys, and put some aside for Goodwill. Then on Sunday, Dave, the boys, and I all went shopping from store to store picking up more camping supplies that we needed. It's always oh so very interesting taking all of the boys shopping:) ....And of course, we bought making for s'mores! Today was spent getting packed for the first camping trip....the boys could barely go to sleep...they're so excited!
On Sunday, we did take some time out of packing, and went for a much needed swim at the public pool.....and we had CHRISTMAS IN JULY! We watched the Grinch and The Polar Express. In the evening, we had a rain storm go through, so the boys played in the rain, and we ended the day with hot chocolate, with lot's of marshmellows! It was a lot of fun!

GOING CAMPING!!

2008-07-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

FUN 4TH!!

2008-07-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

We had a fun and busy 3rd and 4th! On the 3rd we had gone to the lake, and enjoyed the festivities....a kids water zone, concert, and fireworks (even a good lightning show). On the 4th, we had a great bar-b-que at my uncle's house, and had a blast swimming. There was a huge dust storm coming through, so unfortunately, the firework show was canceled. Since then, we've been having our own water park in our backyard(slip-n-slide and inflatable pool), and we're packing for our 2 upcoming camping trips. Gregory and Nathan just finished there swimming lessons...both did great and had a lot of fun! Eli is very into lifting weights, and Jacob is cruisen all around....and loving the freedom!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

2008-07-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

We're off to the lake, and we'll be doing lot's of swimming and bar-b-quing over the weekend!! Have a very happy, fun, and safe 4th of July!! More summer pics and blogs to come after the 4th....stay tuned!! Until then....stay cool!!

MORE DISNEYLAND PICS

2008-06-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

VACATION AND FATHER'S DAY

2008-06-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last week, we headed off to CA to have some fun, and much fun was had!! We surprised the younger boys with Disneyland(Eli found out a couple of days before we left). It was so cute, as we drove into the parking lot at the hotel, Gregory noticed the Mickey Mouse signs, but didn't realize we were there:) So, on Tuesday, we started early, and walked to Disneyland...our hotel was about a 5 minute walk....it sure beat dealing with the parking lot traffic! What the kids still did not know, was that my parents were meeting us there! Eli saw them first, and they were all so thrilled! It was pretty crowded, but the lines moved pretty quickly. Eli loved the fast rides and going on some rides by himself ( enjoying his independence ), Gregory enjoyed Toontown, and Nathan loved Fantasy land. Jacob was such a wonderful baby and had a great time! He was able to go on my lap on a lot of rides......he just loved the rides and had a huge smile....he's a little trooper! We all had a great time and stayed till the park closed....the kiddos are already asking when we're heading back:) On Wed., we went for a day of play at Newport Beach. We had a nice and relaxing day. Eli & Gregory had fun boogie boarding, and Nathan & Jacob had a blast playing in the sand! We ended the day with a delicious dinner at the beach! Even though we had an occasional spill of the drink or tired mode temper tantrum....it was a WONDERFUL vacation, and many memories were made!! We had a lovely Father's Day weekend. On Sat., we made it to see Sex&The City...it was a really good movie! On Sunday, the boys & I made Dave breakfast, Dave watched the Clint Eastwood marathon, I gave Dave a back massage, and we went for a bar-b-que at my parent's house. Now it's back to reality, and piles of vacation laundry!!

ENJOYING THE SUMMER!!

2008-06-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying the summer! The boys have been swimming in the inflatable pool, slipping on the slip-n-slide, doing arts and crafts(and of course work books too), going to the movies, playing at the park, and having ice cream every evening:) Unfortunately, Eli's best friend moved this week, but they did have a fun going away slumber party, and he is only moving 45 minutes away, so we'll keep in touch. We're getting ready to head to CA this coming week. We're surprising the boys with Disneyland, and Grandma&Grandpa are going to be there too, and we're going to the beach. I'll be back in a week with lot's of pics!!

THE KINDER GRADUATE

2008-05-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

Gregory is our kinder graduate!! He had an awesome year and has blossomed so much! He really enjoys school, and teaches Nathan what he learns:) He recieved his Kinder diploma, and is sailing off to the 1st grade now! Great job Gregory!!

ELI'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2008-05-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

Eli has had a terrific baseball season, and hit a home run this last Wed. Last Saturday he made his Confirmation at church....it was a beautiful celebration, and we had a nice family lunch following. He finished the 4th grade on the honor roll with a 4.3GPA.....Great job Eli!!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!

2008-05-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

The last couple months have been pretty non stop for us, with Birthdays, baseball season, new babies(nephew), and end of the year school & church activities. So we reached the last week of school, and wouldn't you know it, our family was hit by the flu! On Monday, Jacob came down with a terrible stomach flu, then Dave and Nathan were to follow on Wed., and Eli came down with the bug today...on the last day of school! By the end of the day, his fever did break, so he was able to make it to school for the last hour to say good bye to his friends. Gregory and I haven't caught the flu, so I'm crossing my fingers! We're all looking forward to a nice summer, lot's of outdoor family time, and a couple of fun vacations!
Today, May 22nd, it's been 1 year since GG passed away. We looked at photo albums, and went down memory lane, and shared stories...of course a day rarely goes by that we don't share GG stories....we all miss her very, very much!

NATHAN'S 4TH B-DAY PICS.....HE'S ALL PIRATE!!

2008-05-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

WHAT A WONDERFUL MOTHERS DAY!!

2008-05-12T23:08:00.001-07:00

Dave and the boys all gave me a WONDERFUL Mother's Day!! Dave very rarely gets the day off, but he was home all day(which was a gift in itself)! We had a pancake breakfast( they were frozen, so I didn't have to cook)! Dave and the boys had put together a basket of bath products for me, so I took a hot soaking bath! In the early afternoon, we all went to the park, and had ice cream. When we got home, Dave sent me BY MYSELF on a shopping spree, so I bought some cute outfits for our vacation(to Disneyland)! In the later part of the day, we had dinner with my parents, and we all went to the batting cages to watch Eli practice. We then came home, and watched Breaking Down The House. Of course, with 4 boys, there were some moments in the day that the boys made sure that I knew I was a mom!! IT WAS A GREAT DAY, AND I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL FAMILY!!

DENTAL WORK.......OUCH!!

2008-05-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, I had an appt. to have my teeth cleaned. Now, last year, I had a root canal, and I knew I have some more dental issues I need to get taken care of. So, they took the xrays, and cleaned, and I was going to have a consultation with the dentist who would extract 2 teeth. I had never met him before, and the first thing he said when he entered the room, was, "I'll pull the two teeth, but am I going to pull all the others as well.....you're going to have dentures in 3-5 years"! Keep in mind this was not said nicely! Then he continued very rudely telling me I need to go to a root canal specialist, and on and on! As he was looking at the xrays behind me, he was snapping at the dental assistant, and he is so dominant in the office, the other dentist couldn't come in the room to look at the xrays to give his opinion! At one point, I tried to sit up to cut the visit short, and leave, and he had the nerve to stop me! When I did leave, the assistant had me leave through the side door because he was in the front office, and she didn't want me to walk past him! WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS ARE THEY RUNNING!! Needless to say......I am finding another dentist and will not be returning back there!
THANKS TO DR. CARR, NOW, NOT ONLY DO I HAVE A TOOTH ACHE BUT I ALSO HAVE A SPLITTING HEADACHE!!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!

2008-04-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Our little Nathan turned 4 on Sunday April 27th!! We had his party on Saturday, and he seemed to have had a great time! We had it at the park with friends and family. It was a Captain Hook party. He had a cute pinata, and lot's of fun with water balloons! He had a blast playing with his buddies and brothers. On Sunday, we spent a family day at the monster truck show, which all of the boys loved, and it was great to have a day with the family!
Pictures will be coming soon!!

NEW LIFE

2008-04-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

We just got back tonight from meeting our new Great-Nephew on Dave's side of the family!! He arrived 6 weeks early, and his shower is on Sat.(hey....he wanted to be invited)! He is perfect! 10 tiny fingers....10 tiny toes.....5lbs 6oz......a little bundle of joy!
I held him for about an hour, then Dave had to get me out of the room....before I caught the baby bug....again:)

Easter Pics

2008-04-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Okay....I am finally posting our Easter pics......better late then never!!

OUR TV DILEMMA

2008-04-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

As you may recall hearing, back during the Christmas season, our 3 year old TV died, and of course the warrenty was finished. Well, about 2 weeks later, we bought a new TV, and we HAD been enjoying it.....until.......we came home Easter night, and the new TV mad a loud POP sound and completely died. So the tech came out last Thursday, and it turned out to be the lamp light unit went bad. Well, now were getting the run around. Yesterday, we recieved a call, and this specicfic lamp light unit is so expensive, that Panasonic has to authorize the part to be shipped. Today, we recieved the call that the part is on back order......oh my goodness!!
Although Dave is missing watching baseball , it has been nice having the quite time. We've been playing outdoors till dark, and the boys have been going to bed somewhat early......And the boys are coming out of the cave of video games:)
There are good things that come out of not having a working TV!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

2008-04-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Well, spring has sprung here! It's a warm 85 degrees, and we're loving it, and spending a lot of time outdoors. We all had a wonderful Easter...what a beautiful day we were blessed with! The boys all enjoyed decorating and hunting for Easter eggs. Eli started his Little League season, and is having a great time. His team was filmed in a TV commercial for a local Ford dealership, so that was a neat experience for him and his buddies. Eli and Gregory are doing a fantastic job in school, and are down to there last about 7 weeks of school....the final stretch! Nathan is looking forward to his Birthday later this month. Since his last Birthday, he has constantly asked when his B-Day is, and it's finally right around the corner;he is thrilled! Jacob is doing fantastic! He's so excited to be on the move, crawling and taking little steps. It's amazing how quickly they all grow up......and it's AMAZING how quickly this year has flown by....I can not believe summer is right around the corner!
Until next time.....HAPPY SPRING!!

HAVE A HAPPY EASTER!!

2008-03-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

JACOB'S 1ST BIRTHDAY!!

2008-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

2008-02-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, my baby Jacob turned ONE year old today!! He had a wonderful day at the park and this last Sat., he had a Mickey Mouse themed first birthday party. He had taken a nap before the party, so he was all smiles! He absolutely LOVED the cake.....he had frosting all over his little face! He even got into taking the tissue paper out of his gift bags....too cute!
I'll be posting pics tomorrow!

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW.....AND MORE SNOW!!

2008-02-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

We've been having a real winter! We've had lot's of rain, and even ice on the windshield in the mornings! We've been enjoying going to Flagstaff and playing in the snow. The boys all really enjoy sledding, and eventually, I'm sure they'll learn how to snow board too. This last weekend, on Sat. it was a prime snow play day.....it was 40 degrees, with the sun shining bright and lot's of snow to play in. However, conditions did change quickely....On Sunday, we woke up to winds and heavy snow. Driving in it was a bit scary, but thank goodness we do have 4 wheel drive, and that does help! It's just nice to get out and have fun with the family!

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR CHRISTMAS 2007 SEASON

2008-01-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Putting up our indoor/outdoor lights
The boys decorating the Christmas tree
Our trip to Grandma& Grandpa Swartz's in Flagstaff for our BIG family get together
Sledding in the snow in Flagstaff
Our carriage ride with Santa Claus
Our cookie & caroling night at church......and a visit with Santa Claus
The boys in the Christmas play at church
Santa's elfs visiting us at our house
Cutting out and frosting Christmas cookies
Christmas Eve Mass and dinner
Our Christmas Eve sleepover with Grandma & Grandpa and Aunt K
Waking up to a sea of gifts and goodies under the tree on Christmas morning
The Buswell family get together....and the boys playing with the cousins from CA.
Our New Years camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa in the 60mph winds......thank goodness we were in a trailer; once the wind died down, we did a lot of hiking, and bike riding

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2007-12-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness.......it's time to play catch up with my blogging! We've had a nice and busy Fall. Back on November 4th, Nathan and Jacob were baptized, and we had a lovely celebration/reception . Jacob had his biopsy and endescope done, and we did find out, he is defficient in enzymes that digest lactose, so he is deffinitely allergic to all dairy products, and when he's a bit older, they'll do more testing to find if he has more allergies. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.......spent the day with my parents and relatives from my mom's side of the family, and rang in the Christmas season with Dave's parents in Flagstaff on the Sat. of T-Day weekend.

Now we are ONE week from Christmas!!! I have all of the cards written and sent out. My shopping is almost done. I haven't started to wrap gifts.....that will be Thurs/Fri. I'll be doing most of my baking on Wednesday. Tonight, we had a fun Christmas Carol and cookie night at church, and on Thursday, Gregory has a performance at school. The boys really enjoyed helping decorate the Christmas tree, and seeing all the ornaments. They are all very excited about Christmas! Dave did a great job with the outdoor lights. I call him Clark ( from Christmas Vacation )! We always make it a point to watch Christmas Vacation early in the season, as it is so true, and it just seems to get us in the spirit:)

We hope you all enjoy the sights & sounds of the Christmas season! Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

TRICK OR TREAT!!

2007-11-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween to all! Of course on Tuesday, we had our evening of carving pumpkins......that's always a lovely smell and mess:) Eli was able to carve his own this year, and he had so much fun! We had a great Halloween! We've been having a Fall heat wave, so the weather was great for the evening. Nathan & Gregory had a blast going door to door. .....And with Nathan being 3 going on 6, he said some pretty funny comments. At one house, they had already said trick or treat, and Eli & Gregory had got their candy, and Nathan screams.....HEY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME....PLEASE!! Jacob even got in on the fun, and got some candy in his mini pumpkin. The boys counted all of their candies, and Eli topped out at 102, Gregory @ 89, and Nathan was at 90. I'm not going to have to buy any sweets for a long time!!

ELI'S PARTY PIC.

2007-10-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

ELI'S 10TH B-DAY PARTY

2007-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Eli's party went off without a hitch.......it went great! He had 4 of his buddies come for a party at the roller rink, and they had a blast! A couple of the boys had never been on skates before, and by the end of the party, they were all wanting to race eachother. After the roller skating, the boys came back to our house. They sprayed eachother with silly string spray, and had a football game. Two of his friends spent the night.......which of course meant popcorn, video games and movies all night....until about 2am. After everyone had left on Sunday, Eli told me it was his best party ever:)

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY ELI!!

2007-10-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today, Eli was born!! He had a great day.......other than getting a black eye while playing basketball at school:( He chose that we had pizza for dinner, and pumkin pie ( his favorite ), for dessert. The evening was beautiful, so we stayed outside, and rode bikes till dark, then we all watched a cute Halloween movie, " My Mom Has a Date With a Vampire ". This coming Sat., he's having a skating/slumber party, so I will be posting B-Day pics after the party.
I just finished going through his baby pics, and .......wow.......it seems like it was just yesterday that he was that little baby, and now he is TEN YEARS OLD!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE & GREGORY!!

2007-09-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Over the last 3 weeks, we've had Birthday parties, and the flu go through our family. Back on August 25th, I surprised Dave with a big 40th....OVER THE HILL....party. He had no idea I had been planning it for about 3 months, and his parents were a great help getting him out of the house the day of the party, while we were getting ready. Well, the day before the party, Jacob, had come down with a fever and the runny baby runs! Knowing the party was the next day, I took him to the Doc, and she said he probably picked up a virus, and it would have to run its course. So, the day of the party comes, Dave's out of the house, and my family's over helping me get everything ready. Jacob's fever spiked to 104,his hands & feet turned purple, and he was very lathargic. So, just 2 hours before the party, I took him to the ER. As soon as the Dr. saw him, he was talking like he'd have to be admitted to the hospital. They took several lab tests, and they all turned out pretty good. It took 2 doses of Motrin, plus the Tylenol he had at home to break his fever. The purple hands & feet were due to a low Hemoglobin level, so he's now on iron drops. I was just so happy it didn't turn out to be anything too serious! In the meantime, Dave arrived at his party, and was very surprised to see all of the family & friends, and was shocked to hear I was at the hospital with Jacob. Thanks to my Mom and Kerrell hosting the party while I was gone, everything turned out great!! Now after going through a day like that, Gregory's 6th Birthday party with all of his little buddies was the next day, the 26th. He had a Pirates themed party. We had a pinata, fun games, and cake & ice cream. Gregory had a wonderful and very special day. We got him roller skates for his Birthday, and he has a great time on them!

And so the story continues.....The Tuesday following the weekend of Birthday Parties, Jacob wakes up with a rash all over his little body. I take him back to the Dr.'s, and it turns out with the high fever, and the rash, he had rosiola. He's continued to have the "runny baby runs" for 3 weeks now, and they've been testing it, and seem to think it's a virus. Then it continued for our poor Jacob, as this week, he came down with the croupe cough. After having breathing treatments, he seems to be doing a bit better, and is smiling, and talking in his adorable baby language again.

As for the other boys......Eli was home sick 1 day with his allergies bothering him, and Gregory was sick 1 day with a fever, but they're both back in commision. Nathan & Dave have been fighting a cold this week, and so far, I haven't caught anything.

After the last 3 weeks, to sum it up best.......there's just never a dull moment!!

LIFE'S LITTLE HAPPENINGS

2007-08-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am back to my blog, and trying to play catch up. We wrapped up our summer with some more FUN. Dave & I celebrated our 8th wedding Anniversary on August 7th. We went out for a nice steak dinner, and a movie....we saw Chuck & Larry.....very funny movie. We had a great time!! It's been an amazing 8 years, with new experiences and adventures, and I look forward to each new day and adventure with Dave.....I am very lucky to have him as my best friend,my soul mate......my husband and he is such a wonderful Daddy too!! Now the funny twist to our anniversary;our Anniversary was on a Tuesday, so we went out on Sat. On that Sunday, we decided to begin the LONG task of painting 2 walls in our room RED. So, on Tues., our real Anniversary, our room was all torn apart, so we had to sleep in the living room, and the boys all slept in their sleeping bags.......it turned out to be a family movie night/slumber party. With the temps the way they are, you sure wouldn't know it's the end of the summer....it's hotter than ever. Over the summer, we did have lot's of stories to share about GG. I keep telling the boys, she's looking down with a big smile, and she's our angel. We did have a very nice summer, with some fun, well needed get aways, and many memories were made.

FUN IN FLAGSTAFF

2007-07-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

A ton of fun is what we had in Flagstaff!! It was such a nice get away and even relaxing too. Usually, when we go at this time of the year, we camp, but since Jacob is so young, we opted to hotel it this time. It is Monsoon season, and on the way up to Flagstaff, we did have some heavy rain, but the storms never really interupted our outings. While we were up in the area, we headed to Sedona......beautiful place......actually, one of my favorite places to visit in Arizona. We went to the Red Rock Crossing State Park. The Oak Creek runs through the park, so we hiked through the park, and the boys loved swimming in the creek, and going on the natural water slides. We also had a picnic under a HUGE willow tree, with the creek flowing right behind us. The veiws of the red rock mountains/hills are absolutely spectacular. It was a great day!! While we were visiting Dave's parents, Gregory decided he'd like to spend the night with them, so he did so. He had a great time and he's ready to go back! Dave's mom does beautiful artwork, using water colors. So, she helped gregory do some paintings, and he was so proud! We all headed up to Snow Bowl Ski Resort for a picnic. We were hoping to ride the scenic sky ride(ski lift), but it had been stormy that morning, so it was closed for the day. However, the weather did cooperate for our picnic, and the sun was even shining too. After the picnic, we went hiking up the second mountain, to the other ski lodge and lift......we made it about half way up, and it was a bit too steep for the kids to hike. We then headed to the Lowell Observatory. We went through the museum, watched a movie on the planets/universe etc., and went on a tour of all of the telescpes. It was very informative, and the location of the observatory, is over looking the town of Flagstaff......very scenic veiws. The hotel that we stayed in had an indoor pool and hot tub, so over the course of our vacation, we did a lot of swimming as well. The boys all had a great time, and really enjoyed all of the hiking, swimming in the creek, and all of the new sights. It was one of those vacations that we weren't on any specific timelines, we even had time to veg out and watch movies in the room. When it was time to head home, we felt very refreshed! It was so much fun!!

CRAZY COUPLE OF WEEKS

2007-07-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

We all had a wonderful 3rd and 4th of July. .......Actually, our fun started on the 2nd. Cousin Geoff came to spend the night with the boys on the 2nd. Eli was just so excited, and they stayed up till about 3am watching movies and playing PS2 games. On the 3rd, we went to our local lake for the firework show, and festivities. We found a grass area that was reserved for a group of marine vendors, that didn't show up, so we had a huge grass area to ourselves and one other family. We brought the little Webber grill, and cooked out, played ball, and we even brought a little inflatable pool, so Jacob could stay cool. We had a wonderful 4th. We spent the evening at Uncle Rob and Aunt Linda's house, for swimming and a bar-b-que. To top the night off, he had put together a CD of Patriotic music and the soundtrack to Star Wars, and que'd it to play along with the firework show, that we had an awesome veiw of from there backyard.

Then came 7-7-07......a day that was supposed to be full of luck......it didn't turn out that way for us. That afternoon, both, the AC in the mini van and our house stopped working. Keep in mind that we are in the middle of the summer and temps are reaching 117.....needless to say, every AC repair company has a long wait at this point of time. We were displaced from our house for 10 days!! Thank goodness Mom & Dad live close, and we were able to stay with them. Once the shock of the situation wore off, it turned out to be fun.....kind of like an unplanned vacation ......the boys were all thrilled to get to stay with them that long.

In the meantime, the boys just finished swimming lessons today, and they all did a great job! To celebrate, this afternoon, we went to see Shrek 3......it was a very cute movie. It was Jacob's first movie going experience, and he slept through the whole movie......so that meant, I was able to watch the whole movie!! On Monday, we'll be heading on vacation to Flagstaff to visit Dave's parents, and we'll be spending some time in Sedona as well.

.......UNTIL NEXT TIME.......LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!