The Life of NayNay and FeFe

Kindergarten,1st Grade and Mrs. Cloud!

2011-10-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

To kill two birds with one stone, this will include the last two years of school!!

Last year (2010) NayNay started Kindergarten! I was so excited for him and the great experience he would have. He was able to ride the bus, eat at school a few times, meet new friends, color, read, play, and much more, then come home and spend some great afternoons with me! What made it even better was the fact that FeFe started preschool at the amazing Mrs. Clouds the same year, but at a different time. NayNay would go to school in the morning, leaving me with one-on-one time with FeFe and FeFe would go to school in the afternoon so I could enjoy some lazy afternoons with my NayNay. And to top it all off they both had the most amazing teachers. Each teacher was patient and loving and made my children feel special! The hardest part was that when summer came, I wasn't able to keep their minds as focused and stimulated as their wonderful teachers had and they quickly became bored with me. And we all know what happens when a child is bored ;)!

Anyway, here are my sweeties on their first day of school 2010!!

See the joy in those faces? They are so ready to grow up and be big...sniff, sniff. With that in mind, here they are this year, 2011, going back to Mrs. Cloud (yippee!) and off to first grade!

I must admit that when NayNay went to Kindergarten I was not sad in the least bit. I was so excited for him to have such a new and exciting experience! This changed a lot for first grade. Although I knew he was ready for more, I was not ready for less. He gets on the bus at 9 am and doesn't get off until 4 pm. Then there are chores, homework, dinner and bed. Where is my fun time, my cuddle time, my "just me and you" time? I do miss him so much and I love the moment he walks in my door at 4 pm.

I just have to make every second count! Love you bug!

Do I have Something on my Face?

2011-10-15T21:55:00.001-07:00

End of summer trip to Utah....in 2010!

2011-08-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Did you notice the date? Yeah, I’m a year behind. Better late than never, right?!!

So at the end of last summer we did our usual 3 week long trip to Utah. It was full of lots of fun friends, activities, and food, but for some reason I didn’t get very many pictures. Maybe they are all on my dad’s camera…hint, hint!

Anyway, it’s not a trip to Utah without helping Grandpa water the lawn! It’s like being a real firefighter and if you’re fast enough you even get to spray Grandpa! FeFe knows this but is also smart enough to know that Grandpa will return the favor if he gets the chance so every time he showed up she ran for cover!

We were also lucky enough to be there for the annual Box Elder County Fair! What an adventure! It sure took me back to my time of 4-H baking and sewing! Weird considering I don’t bake or sew anything now. The kids loved seeing all the chickens, pigs, horses, cows and sheep. They ended the day dancing in a pavilion set up for concerts! Lots of fun and lots of tired kids!

Mamu and I did some fun shopping while eating delicious treats. We made sure to protect our eyes from those harmful UV rays. It sure is bright in Utah!

We ended our trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s by going to see them at work! They do say you shrink when you get older, crazy how fast life happens!

Looking good Grandma and Grandpa!!

We did have one other fun adventure that I have no pictures to show. NayNay and Grandpa decided to go on their first official hike. The trail they chose starts at Tony’s Grove and winds it’s way up and then back into White Pine. They then had to come back out. Total miles: 9. It definitely wasn’t easy for NayNay and many times he decided he was done and was just going to wait, but in the end he hiked the full 9 miles all by himself! He is so proud of that hike that even now, a year later, he boasts about it! Good job Bug!

After hanging with Grandma and Grandpa’s for awhile, we headed down to visit Mana and Papa. First we stopped to enjoy Uncle Punks fancy pool! The kids LOVED it!

But, my poor Northwest babies, they can’t take direct sunlight for too long!

We headed to the Zoo with Mana, Aunt Emily and Fe! I love the lion drinking fountains!

And then headed to the mountains! FeFe’s memory of this was that Papa found a dead bunny and she is sure he was the one that killed it. He adamantly denies this, but she doesn’t believe him! NayNay received a special gift from Papa, his very own fly fishing rod, made just for him by Papa!! He loved it and spent hours at the river!

Best Buddies!

Needless to say, we ended our vacation at a BYU football game, on a very hot, Saturday evening. NayNay was able to stay awake the whole game, an improvement from last year, and really enjoyed hanging out with Mana!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Mana and Papa for such a wonderful vacation! We can’t wait to visit again!

Summer 2010: Summer Fun!

2011-05-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Summer took it's sweet time coming so when it finally did we took full advantage of it! There is a large park near our home with a single water feature that the kids LOVE! Just look at the joy on their faces!

We also got to head to the zoo, thanks to a good friend with a season pass!!

NayNay loved feeding the birds! There were so many and they came right up to him and ate and ate and ate! Look at those happy eyes!

FeFe loved feeding the goats. She loved it so much, she would even let them lick her fingers! NayNay, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with them.

We can't wait to go again this year!

Summer 2010: All our runs!

2011-05-23T15:28:00.001-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Curtice has become something of a runner. It's what he does. He plans his days around his running schedule. He wakes up EARLY (6 am) on the only day he can sleep in, to go running. He started running a few years ago and has slowly increased his running until he can do 10, 15, even 20 mile runs at once. In June of 2010, Curtice ran his first Marathon! He trained...

He found some fans...

And he ran!! He did a great job! The first picture is around the 13-14 mile mark and the second one is at the finish line! The kids and I were so proud of him!! You would think after accomplishing such a large feat, he'd be happy to step away and boast that he's done it once, but no, he's doing it again this year!!

In addition to his running, he signed both of us up to run a relay race called RAGNAR. For those of you that are not familiar with the organization, it's a 200 mile relay race that has 12 runners on a team. Each runner has to run 3 of the 36 legs starting early Friday morning and ending Saturday afternoon. Now that sounds like no big deal for a marathon runner, but before doing this it had been about 12 years since I had done any type of exercising except chasing my kids. Our team was called "15 kids and running.....away" (that was the number of children we had between everyone on our team). A good friend of ours was kind enough to decorate our van, representing each couple that was running . See how cute we are!!

We started the race and ran through some truly beautiful areas (although the runner on this leg may think differently!).

We all waited at the finish line and ran together the last 100 feet! What a fun experience, so fun in fact that we're doing it again this year...twice!!

The End of PRE for My NayNay!

2010-09-12T17:59:00.001-07:00

After a great year of co-op preschooling, graduation arrived (this was in June, I'm just a little behind)!! The kids were all wonderful and NayNay has really missed seeing them. All summer long he has asked where each of his preschool friends are.

For graduation each mom provided a fun element. We had awards, treats, playing at the park, fun hats, and ...these amazing cupcakes! Each child had their own MONSTER cupcake and if you look right over NayNay's shoulder you'll see a plate of APPLE cupcakes for each teacher.

I really enjoyed co-op teaching in the preschool and would definitely do it again. It was so great to have a break most the time but also have an opportunity to see first hand how my own child was doing. I guess now I'll just have to volunteer in his kindergarten class to see him!

Summer Gardening

2010-09-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

This year a friend convinced/showed me how easy it is to garden, starting small. She gave me three pots, suggested three easy to grow items, and my garden was born! The kids helped with the plants, helped with the water, helped the the picking, and best of all, helped with the eating. Our broccoli gave us one good harvest, the peas a good two months of constant picking, and the squash came on so fast, I lost most the harvest. It was great and I can't wait to try more and different kinds!!

A day out at the zoo.

2010-07-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

A good family friend, Kelley, took us to a wonderful zoo near our home. It was so great because it showcased the animals that are natural to our region. We got to ride a train around and see the animals right up close. We saw:

A bear (this one was enclosed),

some buffalo,
an elk (it is an elk, right?),
and lots more! Kelly, who loves the outdoors, showed us a plant that has leaves that grow like a butterfly! FeFe loved it!!
This was the view from the train at the highest spot in the zoo! What a wonderful day for a fun zoo trip!

In preparation for...Hawaii!!

2010-07-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

Since we are going to Hawaii this fall, we thought it best that the kids have some water exposure. The kids LOVED their lessons and were sad when they ended. One of their favorite things was zipper - airplane - rocket, which FeFe is demonstrating below (check out that form!!).

NayNay learned to do all kinds of strokes and by the end of 6 weeks was doing all of them without help of any kind!! What a fast learner!
They loved jumping in, almost too much!! Kinda scary for a mommy!

But most of all they loved free-time. Hawaii, here we come!

For the love of BLANKET!

2010-07-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

As long as she has her blanket, she can sleep anywhere!!

~Who let the leprechan in?~

2010-06-14T13:19:00.001-07:00

Can anyone guess what day in March this happened on? The kids woke up to find that their oatmeal and milk had turned green!! What a surprise!

Did it stop raining?

2010-06-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Flash back to February. This is what I find in my home. "Mom, can we go outside?" Boredom sets in. There are only so many ways you can play tea party or make your transformers fight.

Then a nice day comes and we head for the park! It's been so long since we've been outside or seen the sun that it's a little bright on the eyes. Next time we'll have to remember sunglasses.

We finally made it! Now we need to get four months of crazy out because it's going to be that long before we get another nice day again.

Party like it's 1993?

2010-06-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

In recognition of Curtice's 35th birthday (we didn't celebrate his 30th due to the arrival of Bug into our lives!) I threw him a totally awesome 90's bash!! I thought for sure he would know what was going on but he had no idea! Yep, I'm sneaky!! This is him arriving home from work to find a house full of people!

**Notice his lunch bag in his hand.

As part of the party, everyone was SUPPOSE to dress up in 90's grunge. To my surprise, no one got the memo -- either that or all our friends are lamo (yeah you heard me, you're all lamos!!).
We had all Curtice's favorite things from the 90's! Movie: Dumb and Dumber; Video Game: Contra on an old school Nintendo; Food: chips, more chips with dip, meat balls, mountain dew, and cheese cake. This was what FeFe looked like when she realized she couldn't have any cheesecake because of nuts.
It was a totally tubular party that rocked all night! Thank you to everyone who made the surprise and the night a blast!! And happy 35th birthday Hottie! I love you even though you're old!

A First for FeFe!

2010-05-10T17:18:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of the year we went to a good friend of ours to cut FeFe's hair!! FeFe did a great job sitting still for her first hair cut EVER (yeah, you heard me, she's three and she's never had her hair cut before). As conservative as I am, we just did a trim. Maybe next time we'll chop it. What do you think?

December 2009

2010-05-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Christmas holiday this year was busy but casual...just like we like it!! No fancy foods or formal parties. Just good friends/family and great food!! We loved it. Between all the crazy running around (shopping, teaching preschool, decorating and then undecorating) we were able to go see Christmas lights at Bellevue Botanical Gardens with some friends. The lights were lots of fun and the company was great!!

Later, NayNay made his rendition of the Nativity scene. There's baby Jesus in the manger, Mary and Joseph standing next to him, the shepherds behind Jesus (the small short ones), and the three wise men off to the side. He made this all by himself, we just came in and found it!
Due to how casual Christmas was this year, we have no visual documentation to prove that it happened. Just credit card statements!

When all was said and done, the scouts did their annual collection of Christmas trees fundraiser. Lucky for NayNay, Curtice was involved so he got to go see what happens to all those collected trees!

It was VERY warm and the ash falling out of the sky looked like snow. It was lots of fun! It was a great way to end a good year!!

I'm Back!

2010-05-10T16:43:00.001-07:00

So now tax season is over and my nights aren't nearly so crazy, I'll start posting again!! Glad to be back!

FeFe's Birthday!

2010-02-08T13:56:00.001-08:00

Fefe had a great birthday this year. It was pretty low key, consisting of her playgroup and a few other close friends but that made it just perfect for her. She wanted a tinkerbell theme so we did her hair up (like at halloween). Each girl was given a fairy skirt and wand and the boys got swords and eyepatches (for Captain Hook, of course!). They colored Peter Pan pictures, chased each other around the house, decorated then ate heart shaped cupcakes, and ended with the Tinkerbell movie!!

This was the spoils of a great day!! Lucky FeFe!!

A few days later Fefe got all dressed up for her first date with daddy. They went to a wonderful production of The Nutcracker. Fefe was so excited. They got there pretty early and got in their seats. She sat quietly through the first half watching closely and clapping at all the right places. Then intermission came. They grabbed a snack and returned to their seats. Fefe was past her nap and her ability to sit still so she finally yelled out "I want to take a nap!". She did wonderful considering her age and the length of the show!!

At the end, through a family friend, they were able to go see Princess Clara!! Needless to say, Fefe talked about being a sugarplum fairy for weeks! Happy Birthday, Princess!

A Wonderful Birthday

2009-12-14T22:23:00.001-08:00

My little guy had a birthday recently and turned the big 5!! What a fun time! He wanted a transformers/legos birthday party but since party stores don't have decorations for legos, it turned into a transformers party. The party was at The Little Gym with some of his closest friends. They played in the gym for about an hour and then came into this room for cake and presents! (If you look closely through the glass you can see Grandma Mamu!! What a special treat to have her come for the festivities!)

This is what was on his cake!! He thought it was awesome!
After, we took him to Red Robin for some fun presents (Optimus Prime) and...
ice cream, which I ended up eating because he was too excited about his toys! I know, the sacrifices mom's make for their kids!
Happy Birthday Bug!! We love you very much!!

From the mouth of my babes!

2009-12-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

So I've procrastinated documenting the funny things my kids say so I will start doing it here. Hope it doesn't bore you.

The other day me and the kids are driving down the road and we see a blow-up santa. The air must not have been very strong because the santa was leaning forward just a little. As we pass, NayNay says "Santa's tired". What a funny kid.

Halloween and Pumpkin Fun!

2009-11-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

A week before halloween we actually found a Saturday nice enough to venture out. We loaded the kids and headed to the pumpkin patch. The kids took a ride in barrels pulled by a tractor, had duck races, ran through a maze, and milked a wood cow (that may explain my previous post!). Then they found the corn pit (I'm not sure what it's called). It's basically an area surrounded by hay bails and filled with dried kernels of corn. They played in it for half an hour, we bribed them out so we could go pick our pumpkins, and then they got in it again till we lured them out to go home. Who knew that dried corn would be so much fun.

The following Monday (Family Home Evening) we carved our pumpkins. Just like last year, FeFe cleaned out the pumpkins and NayNay carved. And the final result....

NayNay's is on the left and FeFe's on the right. If you know my kids well, then you'll understand how well they reflected themselves in the pumpkins! Crazy kids!!

For Halloween this year NayNay convinced us to let him be his beloved Bumblebee (the transformer, not to be mistaken for the insect).

FeFe quickly decided she wanted to be Tinkerbell but I was not impressed with any of the store costumes. Thanks to Aunt Pickle, we were able to make FeFe into a beautiful fairy with sparkles, a bun, a magic wand, and special shoes! She looked amazing.

Unfortunately for NayNay, FeFe's choice of costume led all those who do not know of transformers to think that he was A bumblebee, not THE Bumblebee (get it...Fairy and insect, makes sense). He was quick to correct everyone but also let them know that it was in fact a costume and he could not turn into a car or save them from danger. Needless to say, it was a wonderful Halloween!

Really?

2009-11-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of updating to do between Halloween, Birthdays, and Thanksgiving but they will need to wait until my better half uploads the pictures. Until then, today (Thanksgiving day) NayNay walks out of the playroom holding a toy lion and says "Let's milk this cat." Where does he come up with this stuff?

Max Who?

2009-11-09T22:50:00.001-08:00

Today I'm talking to FeFe about her upcoming B-day party. I say "Who should we invite?". She points to the first person she sees. So I start naming her friends. "Should we invite____?" insert name of friend, and she says "Yes!". Well, one of her friends is named Max so I say "Should we invite Max?" to which she replies "Max Hall?".

Lost a Tooth!

2009-10-25T20:13:00.001-07:00

NayNay lost his first tooth. Due to his young age we thought maybe his tooth was loose because he hit it on something but upon closer inspection we realized that his new tooth was already coming in! He did get his first tooth when he was 4 months old so an early tooth isn't unheard of. He put the tooth under his pillow and went straight to bed.The next morning he got up and went about his day without mentioning his tooth. When I brought it up he said "The Tooth Fairy didn't come". "Well, let's go check anyway." I say. So off we go and to his surprise, he found this!! Lucky boy!

One more year until Kindergarten

2009-10-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

NayNay on the first day of preschool 2008 and 2009. Can you guess which one is which? I feel like he's grown so much but then I look at these pics and I think he looks the same. Maybe I need to add more color to his wardrobe. I've been thinking a lot about how next year he goes to kindergarten. I get all excited and wonder what's up with these mom's that cry. But I almost guarantee that when the time comes I'll be the one on the corner crying as the bus drives away and wondering is he'll be okay.

Summer School!

2009-09-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

This summer I needed something to keep me sane while the kids had oodles (is that a word?) of free time. Structure is the key for my kids. Keeps them calm. So every Tuesday and Thursday we would have school. We did circle time highlighting one letter a day, sang songs, danced, had crafts, and much more. The kids loved it and I loved the sense of accomplishment it gave me! Here are a few highlights from the summer!

D day was "Dad day!". The kids each chose a rock from the backyard, cleaned it, dried it, painted it, and added eyes! It made a great Father's Day gift and both rocks are now at the office!

E was for Elephants. The kids made these great elephant masks and ran around acting like elephants all day! So fun!!

F was one of the best, and easiest days. With a number of friends we toured a local fire station! The kids loved the whole thing! They got to climb in an ambulance,
ride in the trucks,
and hang out with the cool fire fighters! They had a great time!

H was Hat day. Silly kids!

I is for Igloos! NayNay and FeFe loved making their penguin houses!

J is for Jello. Crazy as it sounds they LOVED painting with the jello (and their art work looked amazing) but they would not eat it. I ended up giving the whole pan of jello jigglers to Aunt Pickle. Lucky gal!

M is for Me! We talked all about who they are and how they are so special. Then they colored an outline of themselves!

And last but not least, Z day we went to the zoo! NayNay couldn't wait for the sharks!
It was super scary!
They were so excited to be done with all the crazy! Yeah! One summer over, many more to prepare for! Good job NayNay and FeFe! You are amazing kids! I love you!

It's been how long?

2009-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Nine years!! Yep, that's right! Nine years ago today Curtice and I started the rest of our lives together and what a ride it has been. Thanks for all the fun but most of all for always being there for me! I love you!

Here's to my Sunshine!

2009-07-14T13:42:00.001-07:00

I definitely do not give enough praise to my wonderful husband! I find that most of my entires are focused on my kids and I forget to mention the one who keeps me sane! So, just so you all can see how amazing he is, I will tell you a crazy story. We decided to paint our family room and living room and set it all up so we would be childless from 1 pm to 8 pm on a Saturday (7 hours, that's enough time, right?). So, we start painting. It takes a little longer than planned but by 6 o'clock we're almost done with the family room. We get ready to start on the kitchen. Curtice vigorously shakes the can of paint and then stirs it with a stir stick. We do the edging (maybe 45 minutes pass). We go back to the paint can and it looks all good (note: we only stirred the paint for the family room once and painted out of the can over a 3 hour period) so we dump it into the roller pan and start painting the main part of the walls. About half hour later, Curtice stirs the can again and then dumps more into my cup for edging. We have now taken from the can 3 times over about an hour and a half time frame. I start painting more edging and as I do we can't help but notice that the edges look so much different. Hmm. At about 8 pm we realize there's a problem. We have used over half the gallon of paint, the kitchen is 90 % complete, and there are 3 (count them 1, 2, 3) different shades of brown on our walls. All we can figure out is that this specific paint requires blender-like stirring. When Curtice stirred the first time it didn't get all the dark off the bottom so the first color was very light. Then he dumped out without stirring again (who stirs every 20 minutes?) and took most the light color out, and we finished by painting the dark pigment on the ceiling edging. Anyway, to make a long story longer, I was exhausted by this time, and Curtice was mad. I wanted to go to bed, he wanted to try to fix it, something I thought was impossible. So he comes up to me and says, "Go to bed and when you wake up in the morning you will have a beautiful kitchen.". I didn't believe him but I was exhausted so I said okay and off to bed I go. This is about 11 pm. At 3 am he crawls into bed. And do you know what? He was right! In the morning I woke up to beautiful kitchen!! I love you, Curtice! Thank you for always making me happy!!

Graduation Day!

2009-06-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

So my little guy just graduated from his first year of preschool. He loved Miss Camilla and all the things she did. The kids put on a great program where they marched around the yard, said the pledge of allegiance, and sang a few of their favorite songs. This is a picture Naynay drew of what he wants to be when he grow up (see video below!)

So, this is him saying what he wants to be when he grows up. Sorry, I keep forgetting that I can't turn the camera for video so you'll have to watch it on it's side.

By the end most everyone had shed a tear, except me. Is that weird? I was very excited for Naynay and a little worried about how I was going to fill his active life with meaningful activities like Miss Camilla did. I guess we'll just have to take it one summer day at a time! Good Job Naynay on a great year full of many big milestones! I love ya, Bug!

The Many Faces of Us!

2009-06-04T14:37:00.001-07:00

Spring recap

2009-06-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

Well, spring is gone and summer is here! Yippee!!! Here's what's been going on at our home. As a special treat, Mana and Papa came to visit in March to spend some much needed time with the kids. It was a very laid back visit with one exciting ride on the potty train (the monorail!). The kids loved the downtime with Mana and Papa and I loved all the attention for the kids and help with every day life. I was still working (crazy tax season) so Mana stayed a whole week to help out. What a wonderful blessing for me! I could never have asked for a better mother-in-law! Thank you, Jan, for all you do for me and my family!

NayNay continues to surprise us with his lego building abilities. Here is his version of Grandpa's tire store! I love the color scheme!
For Easter we had the pleasure of a weekend visit from Uncle Teo and Cousin Ryland. It was baby Mikey's blessing so Grandma and Grandpa were also in town but stayed with Mikey most the time. The kids were lucky that the Easter Bunny knew that Ryland would be visiting and they all got fun baskets, lots of eggs, and too much candy.

Shortly after Easter, tax season ended and I was able to go meet Curtice in Rome. He was there for work but I snuck in for a few days of sight seeing! How fun for me! Go to http://gallery.me.com/icurtice for more pictures. NayNay and FeFe were so lucky too because Grandma Mamu stayed to watch over them, leaving Grandpa to fend for himself. Poor Grandpa. At least we had fun!
Upon returning home from Rome, FeFe and I started the wonderful journey of potty-training as a surprise for dad who didn't get home from Rome until the first of May. And for all of you who have done this, you know that it is a journey. She's doing great! Thank you to all who helped with NayNay! I could never do what I do without you!
More recently, we were lucky enough to be visited by my Uncle Grant and Aunt Annette. Grant immediately started spoiling the kids (as is evident by the large tower he left behind). They were great guests and I hope they come again, after their mission in Columbia, of course!

NayNay and dad had a great weekend at a father son outing and ever since NayNay can't stop talking about the next time we go. So now you all know our vacation plans this year.
And last of all, We have just been doing all kinds of crazy and silly things here at home! What a great start of a year it has been and I hope it will just get better and better!!

Hello Epipen

2009-05-28T20:35:00.001-07:00

So........

on Sunday just before church I gave the kids each a bowl of fruit. When they were done, they saw daddy's cereal on the counter and asked for some so I gave them each one (count it - 1) piece of Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Cereal. Five minutes later FeFe throws up. I already had my suspicions that she she didn't much care for peanut butter because she always spit it out and made a horrible face when I tried to feed it to her but I just thought she didn't like it due to lack of exposure. So that is why I had continued to feed it to her. Today we went to the pediatrician and upon hearing the story she states "We'll need to get you an epipen.". No wondering or convincing the doctor that testing was needed. Just "Here's your prescription, if you use it call 911". How crazy. So I need to schedule an appointment with an allergist to see how severe the allergy is. And I was really hoping for some fun picnics this summer with peanut butter sandwiches. Oh well.

Memorial Day!

2009-05-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day this year was lots of fun and VERY relaxing. We were lucky enough to have Uncle Punkface come to visit and spend some quality time playing rock band and reading all kinds of crazy stories to NayNay and FeFe. Then cousin Angie with little ones Kyra and Ian came up to play. We ate all kinds of crazy food, helped the little ones learn to share, and enjoyed way to much sun. On Memorial Day we were fortunate enough to be invited to a BBQ on Alki beach with some friends who own kayaks! Thanks Jared and Leslie for sharing your toys!! Super fun for all! NayNay was a little nervous about going out (I think he thought he had to get in the water), but enjoyed his time out there.

FeFe, on the other hand, was very eager to go out. She went out once and then found her dad and begged to go out a second time! I swear, that girl keeps me on my toes. No fear!
The kids loved playing on the beach and digging big holes which immediately filled back in as the tide was coming in!
But most of all they loved the police men on horses! They went over to the horses two or three times and came back with honorary badges. NayNay (a big transformers fan) then went around flashing his badge and telling everyone that he was with Sector 7!
All in all it was great fun. Thanks to everyone who came to visit!

Boys will be boys?

2009-05-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

So a good friend of mine does babysitting trades with me on a pretty regular basis. Because of this, our kids are pretty good friends. Here is a picture of the girls cooking and having a little tea party. Meanwhile....

This is what the boys are doing...for hours...and hours. CRAZY!!!!

Does Daddy Know This?

2009-04-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

Conversation between me (mom) and NayNay:

M: NayNay, your so big! Are you going to be a daddy some day?

N: Yes.

M: What do you have to do to be a daddy?

Naynay ponders this for a moment.

N: Have a big head. Daddy has big head.

Hmmm. I wonder if daddy knows this.

Naynay's first testimony!

2009-03-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

About a month ago during testimony meeting at church Naynay was intrigued by all the people getting up. He really wanted to get up. So two weeks ago for Family Home Evening we talked about what a testimony was and then practiced. First mommy then daddy. Naynay then took his turn and did pretty well. Well, the following Sunday, last week, Naynay was ready for his turn. As soon as the meeting started he was up and out of his chair and up on the stand. He sat very reverently while waiting for others. When his turn came he hesitated for one moment, was given one prompting by dad, and then said "I would like to bear my testimony. Be nice to others. Be reverent. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.". It was wonderful!!! What a sweet little spirit! I love you, Bug and am so grateful that you know that Jesus love you!

A Tribute to Melty

2009-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up and to my dismay found about 1-2 inches of snow everywhere. Will it never end? Anyway, there was not enough snow to make a snowman but Naynay and I couldn't help but wonder where Melty was. Who's Melty, you say? Well each year we build a snow man (we meaning daddy) and each year we ask Naynay to name it. And without fail, or prompting, Naynay always calls him Melty. So here's to you Melty! Hopefully we'll see you again, but not for at least 10 more months!

This is Naynay helping to make Melty last winter, 2007.
The finished product, 2007. Everyone was freezing so no one would pose for the picture.
Naynay, Melty, Fefe, and daddy, 2008! And this year he hung around for over a week! Lucky us!

Who am I?

2009-02-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

For my Dad!

2009-02-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm no poet but this is for you, Dad!

My Dad

As the years go by

And my time with you

Is only a moment or two,

I have to reflect on all the ways

you taught me to be true.

Thank you for the love,

All the hugs and all the kisses.

Thank you for the chores

And making me wash the dishes.

Thank you for the lessons

And teaching me to drive the car.

Thank you for the discipline

So I knew you weren't that far.

I couldn't be the person I am,

The mother and wife I've grown to be,

Without the love of my father.

Dad, you'll always be special to me.

I love you and miss you very much!! Happy 60th Birthday!

Sofie and Grandpa at the park!!
Now what could this be?
It's so BIG!
A duffle bag?
But wait, there's more!
Ta Da! The thing memories are made of! Thank you for the awesome Lincoln Logs!! They will provide hours and hours of entertainment for years to come!

Just for Fun

2009-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a friend's blog -- and love to give and receive comments (and surprises)... SO --Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

Winter Wonder Land!

2009-01-26T16:46:00.000-08:00

To all of you that live in areas that receive frequent snow, this will seem a little boring. For the rest of you, can you believe it! We never get more than a dusting of snow that MAY stay for 24 hours. This was what our home looked like the week of Christmas this year! Feet of snow. The wind had blown and there were big drifts in our driveway that took forever to shovel. We're just lucky Curtice bought a shovel this year! As you can see, FeFe is not quite into the snow. She touched it and cried, then spend the next ten minutes standing in the garage, looking out saying "cold" over and over again! Crazy lady!

NayNay could not get enough of it. I think on this day he spent about 3 hours outside and didn't want to come in even when it got dark! He used his rake and shovel and dug and dug. He has a big school bus that he spent a good amount of time burying! He then went exploring and got stuck more than one time when the snow was deeper than his step! And he did this all in his green rain boots! What a trooper!
I on the other hand I did not do so well. As long as I was shoveling the back breaking (literally) snow drifts, I was nice and toasty. The second I stopped, too cold, a little too cold! I spent about an hour out shoveling, then NayNay spent an hour with the neighbors followed by about another hour with Curtice as he finished the shoveling I couldn't!
And thank you to Aunt Courtney for the awesome knit green hat (NayNay LOVES green). He wore it the entire time!

Flashback: Halloween 2008

2009-01-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year was lots of fun! We had NayNay's Mickey Mouse costume from the prior year and borrowed FeFe's Minnie Mouse costume from a friend! They looked great and LOVED getting dressed up together! Even now FeFe asks were Mickey Mouse is (meaning NayNay in costume).

When we cut our pumpkin for Halloween NayNay loved cutting the face but wanted nothing to do with getting the ick out of the inside. Mom and dad didn't want to either so FeFe volunteered and loved every minute of it!
Our ward Halloween party came first and FeFe and NayNay couldn't contain themselves. They just couldn't believe that candy was free!! Look at FeFe's red shoes!! They're tennies!!
With noses....
Without! Thank you Aunt Pickle for all your help!!

Yeah, I miss Phoenix!

2009-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Heeeeeere's Mikey!

2009-01-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

He's here! After 9 months baby Mikey is finally here! He is adorable and so good natured. We showed up and hung out for over an hour and Mikey just sat so snug in my arms! So cute! And great facial muscle control. You should have seen some of the faces he was making! Crazy! Pickle looks wonderful (all a glow and the sleep deprivation hasn't hit her yet) and Evan was all smiles! Good for them considering they were asked to stay in the janitors closet.

Life is so hard when your NayNay

2009-01-05T21:46:00.001-08:00

NayNay is so sad because there is no room for him in the wagon. His sister and cousin filled it up. Maybe next time bug!

It has begun!

2009-01-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! It has begun. I don't know how often I'll be updating due to the energy these two have but I will try to update at least monthly! I'll probably start with a few flashback posts to brag a little!!

Rock Band

2008-08-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my rock band fam!