Crawfords......Est. 1997

Abbie's Baptism Pictures

2012-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I feel guilty really easily. When Mason and Eli were baptized I don't remember it being so "the thing to do" to take a bunch of pictures. Anyway, my friend Tara Bowman took these pictures and did an amazing job! Abbie turned eight in May. Hard to believe! It seems like the years have just flown by. But I'm so proud of her that she chose to be baptized. She has such a strong testimony and teaches me everyday! She is such a great example to her friends. She has several friends who aren't members and she is so bold with them!

Summer of 2011 in Utah

2012-01-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

Oak is my youngest brother and always has the "cool stuff". Probably cuz he's spoiled. haha...just kidding. The guy can "sell and Eskimo ice". He always seems to have anything he wants and puts his mind to. We all get a little envious cuz it seems like life is "easy" for him.....but all the same, we just LOVE him! We all had to take a turn in his jeep and then some of us even drove it. THis is his "fun" jeep. He actually drives a zippy little car, which is nice, but this is just for kicks.

Everyone that sees these 2 together say they look so alike! It's funny when someone from my past sees Eli and they say "oh my goodness! He is a total JEfferies!" Or when we went to visit Oak in Ca....when they saw Eli they would say "WOW! He is a mini Oak!" Ü We love it when Oak comes to town to visit. He lives up in Vernal right now, but comes down to see us when we are there.

We have no family here in Arizona, so we try to go to Utah and California a couple of times a year to see everyone and keep our bonds strong. THe kids are really good sports, but from time to time they say "do we HAVE to drive this time?" "Can't we just take an airplane?" I let them know I have more time than money and then they say "Ok".....The drive is pretty long. About 12 hours to Utah and 14 hours to CA....but they seem to keep busy with their music or video games. I've got a bunch of great kids....

Grandma is always playing games or having a craft for the kids to do when they come up to visit. OR she likes to bake with them. I'm glad they are able to get to know her even though we live so many miles away.
THis summer Abbie also lost her first front tooth. It's funny, it seems like my kids lose teeth on trips. I guess that just keeps things exciting!

When I lived in Utah, I think I took for granted all the things there were to do there. Especially taking advantage of church sites. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a broadcast every Sunday up at the Conference Center. It televised every week. THere are huge buses of people dropped off all the time. Well, I wanted my kids to experience the Conference Center. To see where the Prophet and his apostles speak from and to hear the MOTAB choir in person. It was a truly wonderful experience. Now when the kids watch conference every 6 months, they can picture exactly where it is and know they have been there. I think it's so important to give the kids experiences like that.

On the way home, we stopped again at Cove Fort cuz they mentioned there would be free hot dogs on that day. How cheap am I? I can't even remember why they were doing it. Maybe it was their anniversary or something. Hahaha....but we stopped to eat a free lunch and then noticed a guy making pottery. I told the kids that's why my dad does is throw pottery on a wheel. We started watching him and found out that he and my dad are friends from college. I had to call my dad to tell him I met Andy Watson, the guy that I heard about growing up.

I love being with my family. I guess I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I did. I look forward to hanging out with my sisters and being with the cousins. I guess we just get so busy having fun that I forget to take pictures! Next time.

Nana Grandma's Idea for a Rest Stop on the Way to Utah!

2012-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

There is a little place that the church owns called Cove Fort. It is a couple of hours away from my parents house and my mom called to tell us that we should stop here and visit it.

I could be getting my facts mixed up, but I think President Hinckley's Grandfather owned this. IT was a rest stop in between Salt Lake and St. George. And a safe place from the Indians. Correct me if I'm wrong. We had a fun time stopping over there. I tried to imagine us really having to travel in a covered wagon. Doesn't sound too fun!

Can't believe what the pioneers went through!!!

Thanks Grandma. Great idea!

I Love to See the Temple!

2012-01-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

I made a New Years Resolution to get back on blogging at least once a week. Now I know why I quit! I am SOOOOOO behind! I made the mistake of voicing my resolution in front of my friend Sara, and she of course asked me why I haven't started yet, so here it goes. And thank you Sara for getting me started again! I'm sure the next couple of months are going to be old news, but stuff I want to include for my kids.

I LOVE the temple! I have really come to be much more familiar with it in the last couple of years and have really looked forward to having Mason turn 12 so I could take him to the temple. I think it's so important for my children to gain their own testimony of the temple and not just rely on their parents'. Summer of 2011 we went up to Utah to visit my family. We stopped on the way to visit David's brother Greg and his family in St. George Utah.
I was so excited for Mason to do baptisms while we made our one day stop. He is such a good kid and a great example. He seemed to really like it. That temple is gorgeous. It's one of the first temples, so the architecture is amazing and it's just fun to learn about some of our church history. The cousins came and met up with us so here they are sitting as high up and in the shade as they can since it was such a hot, sunny day! There aren't very many temples that you can go up on steps and sit on the.

On our trip another temple that we HAD to go to was the Salt Lake City, Utah Temple. I LOVE THIS TEMPLE! I may be a little partial cuz this is where David and I got married, but when you look at this magnificent structure, you can't help but be in AWE!

So far, the temples Mason has gone to do baptisms in are Mesa, AZ....St. George, UT....Salt Lake City, UT...and MT. Timpanogas. Not bad! He is the Deacon's Quorum President right now and is being a great leader! Hope to have many more temple trips and can't wait for Eli to turn 12 in 13 months!!!!

2011-07-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

We have just had the time of our lives. David's parents Bob and Linda just took all of their 5 kids, spouses and children to DISNEYLAND! We had so much fun! We live in different parts of the country and just enjoyed being together as family....especially the COUSINS!

A little too much Mirror Time!

2011-05-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

I think we've all done it, we go into the bathroom to brush our teeth and get ready for bed and we'll figure out how much we can stall going to bed. Well, maybe not as adults, but as kids. As adults we probably sit in front of them mirror making faces and seeing how we should smile for pictures and all that good kind of stuff.

I came up to see how the boys were progressing on their getting ready for bed routine and this is what I found! 2 boys looking like Alfalfa! I started to laugh. I should have scolded them and told them it was time for bed and to stop messing around, but c'mon...this is priceless! It will be something I'll hold over their heads when they are older! Maybe something I'll show their girlfriends! BLACKMAIL! Ü

Love this one especially with the daffy looks on their faces! Boys will be boys...gotta love em!

Happy 12th Birthday Mason!

2011-05-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Mason turned 12! I remember when I turned 12. I couldn't wait to be 12 so I could go in the jacuzzi at the Rec Center. Ü I don't think there are age limits on things anymore. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I brought home my first baby. Mason has always been a good boy. He made me feel like a champ of a mom! He has always been good nature, well behaved and a good eater. He has always been a dream! There is something really special about Mason. He is well liked, a good athlete, smart, the peacemaker of our home and so handsome! (If I don't say so myself.) I'm not a proud mom, am I? Actually, Mason probably has an older spirit than I do. I feel like he's always teaching me. It is an honor to be his mom and to have him in our home. Now I will say, he is a big tease and does get Abbie all grouchy sometimes, he is NOT perfect, but I'm sure glad he's our son!

We don't have parties every year, but we felt like this was a big year....so we decided to have a party. Mason planned it, which is great for me. He wanted to play Dodge Ball. I have keys to the church, so we just went there and played Dodge Ball. Is this a legal thing? I dunno. Ignorance is bliss. I just hope you don't use me as the example that it's ok to have a birthday party at the church, cuz maybe we were in the wrong. But it sure was fun! And so easy to clean up, and big enough for everyone to fit....

They had a few tournaments and at one point we had the Crawfords against the rest of the party. SOO fun! David's parents came out to see Mason get the Priesthood, so were here for the party. So, it was David, Bob, Mason, Eli, Abbie and Me. WE WON!!! ONly because David is so good, but I like to have any kind of bragging rights that I can have.

They played hard and would come to take water breaks and having a few snacks. Did I say how easy this party was? Ü Nothing fancy, I know....but boys don't appreciate fancy anyway. Or do they? I'm pretending they don't!

As you can see, we DID obey the rule about no fires in the church. So, we took my lovely homemade and decorated cake outside to put some candles on it. DON'T look too closely at my cake decorating skills, cuz there aren't any! haha....It tasted good though. I love that Mason is so easy going and didn't care that I made the cake. I will say that Mason has changed this year. He's getting into the "cool" stage. I don't know what I think about that. I have gone to help at the kids' classes every year and this year he kind of acts embarrassed! Hey! C'mon, I'm the COOL mom....(at least I think I am. hahaha) But, I know this is when they really start worrying what their friends think. He still treats me well....he just doesn't want me coming up to his desk to talk to him. He just wants me to help and then go. I never thought it would come to this! hahaha...oh well...it's part of life right? We reap what we sowed when we were younger.

Mason had to bring in a poster to be spotlighted and here it is. I love the baby pictures we put in there. I guess I kind of embarrassed him by doing it, but secretly I think he LOVES the attention. He just has to ACT like he's embarrassed!

Since turning 12, Mason has been able to receive the Priesthood. (Power given to worthy Males over 12 to act in the name of Christ). He has enjoyed passing the sacrament the last 2 weeks and wants to get to church early to help set up. He is such a great brother and son. I love him! I'm so grateful he is in our family!!!

Shnookie Doodle Came to Town...Riding on an Airplane!!

2011-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

For my journal's sake...I have to include my sister Brook's nickname. For as long as I can remember, I called Brook Shnookie Doodle. She never really liked it, so that's probably why I kept calling her that. You know, the teasing sibling thing Ü. Now that we are older, I don't think she minds the name too much. It helps her to know how much I love her. This trip, we started making up a song to "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with Shnookie Doodle instead. Abbie proceeded to sing that song the whole time Brook was here! Kinda funny....at least I think so...haha....

Brook and Michael live in Florida now. Michael is in Residency for Dermatology. (I think that's what it's called). Michael had a conference to come to out here, so Brook and the girls came too! We had so much fun together! They were here only a few days, but I'm really glad our kids got to know each other. We haven't had them together since they were really small and they don't really remember those times.

Ebony is 9. She's a really sweet girl. She has definitely grown up. Very mature for her age. She and Abbie got along really well.

Erika is a little spitfire. We love her. Very fun, and also sensitive. She and Abbie were either having a ball or really not getting along at all! Sounds more like sisters, huh?

Here are those cute girls right before church. We were very impressed that their Easter dresses went so well together since we didn't plan out what they were going to wear. Aren't they just lovely? I thought so too!

This is the Sunday that Mason got to pass the sacrament for the first time. So, he and David went a little early to church which left Eli at home with all the girl to have picture time. He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

They had never been to The Grand Canyon before...so on Monday, we decided to drive to the South Rim. We laughed so much and had such a fun time! The kids were all great travelers. It was a 9 hour round trip....but we sure enjoyed it!

Brook and Abbie are both the princesses of their family. Ü I just had to get them posing as we walked down the rock stairway to see the gorgeous Grand Canyon!

To say the least, it was a very exciting and unforgettable trip! Especially that after I drank some of the "delicious Grand Canyon Water" I got the Rocky Mountain Quick Step! haha....I had to stop at 3 bathrooms and was worried I wouldn't make it home! Mercy! Last time I'll fill up my water bottle with THEIR water!

The trip went by too fast. I wish I lived closer to my sisters. We always have a fun time together. We just need to get our own airplane or something! There has to be a solution to this problem! Wait, I got an idea! They should move HERE!!! hint hint.....

Actually, they had to leave after a few short days to go up to Utah. Erika was having Grandpa Jefferies baptize her. Michael and Ebony were baptized last year, so really, Michael could have baptized her, but she didn't want to feel "left out" so they went up to Utah for Grandpa to do the baptism.

I love your Beautiful LIps!

2011-04-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've given my blog a rest for a few weeks. I thought I'd do a little experiment to see if it was just technical difficulties, or if I really can't post anything anymore. As you can see, it's now April and I'm still catching up with February.

For some reason, it seems like a holiday isn't quite complete without the scrumptious taste of SUGAR COOKIES! I've made cookies with the kids since they were small! We thought we'd continue on the tradition!

So glad to have such a wonderful family for my VALENTINE! Love you guys!

CALGON...Take Me Away!

2011-04-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Do you know how many times I have FIXED those last 2 posts? WHat is wrong? Tawni!!!! If you are reading this, let me know if it's because I have too much on my blog. Do I need to start a different blog? What am I doing? I am falling further and further behind. I always have GREAT intentions...but I am NOT keeping up with life at all! So with that said, I for SURE do not have time to keep editing those last 2 posts! THIS IS CRAZY! lol

Families are FOREVER!

2011-04-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for this little family of mine! I'm even more grateful that I will be with them FOREVER! I'm glad that our Heavenly Father has made a way for us to be sealed for TIME and ETERNITY!

We are so blessed to live close to a Temple and want to take full advantage of going as often as we can. Last week was a tragic week for a sweet family that goes to our school. Their son Ethan Ellsworth, 7 years old, passed away from a Brain Aneurysm. It's been hard on a lot of the kids there, and just reminded me WHY it's such an important thing to be sealed! His funeral was SO neat and actually a celebration of his life. I wonder what some people thought that weren't members of our church. How could we laugh at a time like this? Honestly, I'm sure the family will have MANY dark days, but the Spirit was there comforting them and also having the knowledge that they would see him and be with him again one day made it a little easier.
I hug my kids a little tighter, and try a little harder to teach them the gospel. Life is fragile and we NEVER know what each day will bring! But this much I do know, I'm so grateful for the Plan of Salvation, and I'm grateful for my knowledge that we can be reunited with our loved ones. HOw tragic for those that dont' believe that!

Neighborhood Sports Brought to you by.....Matt Peterson

2011-03-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I've mentioned a few times how much I love our neighborhood and ward. How about another time. Ü Matt Peterson is in our ward. Actually, he is the new Young Men's President and David is one of the advisors. (new calling). Anyway, Matt decided he was tired of paying so much money to have his kids participate in sports, so started a league of his own! What a guy! The great thing is, he has included all of us! They have a big enough family that they probably could just do family sports (between in laws, cousins, etc.) But we feel very fortunate to be included! Anyone is invited! The kids have just had a blast! There aren't a lot of people that would be so willing to give up so much time to the whole neighborhood. Thanks so much Matt!

David helped to coach during the tournament. But really, every team is Matt's team. It's great. We play with friends from our ward now and the other ward we attended. IT's like a big reunion! How fun is this? The right price and the right people! What more could a girl want? I love seeing my kids have fun and sharpen their skills at the same time!
Eli and Mason played on the same team. That was nice to see them play together. Eli seemed to like taking the shots from far out and was able to make some of them! He enjoys basketball.
Mason was excited to play with his brother and his friend Tait. They are a great twosome. I would steal Tait to be my son if I could. Mason is a great competitor. Glad to see him having fun.

Matt held practice on Fridays after school. He would have all the boys come together and join all the teams. This practice was great. I'm not eloquent with my words, but I"ll try to explain. He told these boys that they would need to run 10 suicides after practice. The only way to get them erased was by making free throws. Each free throw made would erase ONE suicide. That whole line of boys went and I think maybe one or 2 shots were made! The kids begged coach Matt to let them all have one more turn. They went through the lineup again and some of the kids made their shots. It got down to the last 2 boys and there were 2 suicides to run....

What do you know? The first boy.....made his shot! The boys jumped up and down and then got quiet......and then the last boy MADE HIS SHOT! They all started to cheer and jump up and down and high five each other! IT was GREAT! I loved seeing the teamwork and the determination to get that last point! Matt is a great coach and is teaching these boys such great things!
Thanks Coach Peterson! Can't wait for softball next! Ü

Love the People....NOT the game!

2011-03-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I love being married to an athlete. He is so handsome and I LOVE the way he moves! He makes everything look EASY and fun! I am a PROUD spectator! I really don't have that itch to get in and help the team or anything like that. I'm a great cheerleader....I'll yell and scream and just make you feel like a CHAMP! I gotta tell ya, if there was ever a WORST sport that I could play, it would be SOFTBALL! C'mon folks, I got NO eye/hand coordination....REALLY....I'm not joking! Ok...I can kinda play volleyball (not really, but kinda)....and I can play a mean game of HORSE...but when it comes to hitting a little ball with a bat, that is a JOKE! We have some friends that wanted us to play....ok....they wanted DAVID to play. But it happens to be a coed team...so I got ROPED into doing something against my better judgement. I must really love that David of mine, cuz I make a fool out of myself each and every week to help my husband have a fun time.

Truth be told, I look forward to going, because we hang out with some GREAT friends! I love the 2 hours we spend together every Friday night. I just don't look forward to being up to bat or being in the outfield. If there is ever an extra player, you can bet I'll offer to "sit this one out!" I love being in the dugout talking and holding cute babies!

Here are the Mahaffeys. They are the "owners" or whatever you call them of the team. Molly is a total sweetheart and I love her. Dave, well....he's a fun guy and a GREAT ballplayer, but a little sarcastic! Ok...alot sarcastic! Eli isn't a fan because he hears him saying rude things to me. They are all in fun, but I think it's cute that Eli is protective of me. He actually is fun and a good guy. I think I bring out that "tease" factor in people.

Jeff and Paula Judkins are great. Jeff is the athlete in the family. I'm glad that Paula and I can take turns striking out. At least I have a partner in crime, right? She is so fun and makes Fridays that much more fun.

My Davey is the pitcher. He does a great job. It's amazing to see how quick on his feet he is. He can catch some crazy balls and is having a great season! It's funny, because that's not really "his sport"...but you would never know. He is just GOOD! Ü

Me? Well, there you see me in all my glory...or not.....haha....I get a "A" for effort, right? The funny thing is, this night that I brought my camera, I was determined to get some pictures taken for my blog. After all, I have to get this documented! I took my camera out into the outfield so I could get a different angle for my pictures. I guess I thought I was so far out there that no one would notice that I had my camera out. Apparently, they started aiming to hit the balls out to me! C'mon people, have a little heart! Leave me alone! They started yelling "BALL!" I looked up, and saw a ball coming and dropped my camera and started to run for the ball.

I wish there was a good story at the end, like I caught the ball and saved the day, but NO....I didn't catch it, but I was told to put my camera away after that. Oh well....I'm sure they'll all be glad to see their mugs on this blog!

A little sidenote: I guess to get the game moving more quickly, before you get up to bat, you start with one ball and one strike. So, that HAS to be the reason I strike out so often. I need that last strike! Ü

Diana and Kimball are both athletes. That's always nice, huh? Kimball is a firefighter so he can only be there some of the games. Actually, I guess we've all taken turns missing a game or 2.

Shelly and Jason are such great friends! I just love them! Shelly is a person that brings everyone UP! She brings out the best in everyone! She is always happy and optimistic. She is quite the athlete too. My theory is that people with long hair and a ponytail are athletic. I'm sure it's not all true, but coming from a hairdresser, I just wanted to say my observation. Ü

Erin and Freddie are awesome! I guess Freddie and Dave Mahaffey played baseball together in highschool. I'm glad to have played just to meet these 2. I knew everyone else, but I LOVE these guys! They are so fun and both great athletes. Freddie always has to have his bag of "DILL PICKLE sunflower seeds"....ugh...sounds gross, but that's who I'll think of when I see those things.

Katie and Martin Winfield are some other great friends. Katie is the one who wanted to play on the team. Martin was a good sport like me. Ü Hey, misery loves company, so I was always looking for someone that was just there cuz their spouse wanted to play. Ü Poor Katie, 3 weeks in a row, the ball hit her so hard, it left huge knots and bruises on her legs. The third week she even wore shin guards, but the ball still hit RIGHT above the guard! She sat out the next week or 2....just to let them heal up. Now you see why I don't want to play?

The kids loved coming to the games. Even when they were 8:30 and 9:30 at night. We weren't home until 11pm. They all just loved coming and hanging out and playing with each other. So glad we have such great friends!

Last, but NOT least, when we did have people gone, we would call a few different people to sub. Tami is one of my favorite. They just moved into our neighborhood a few months ago and we are really enjoying them being here. Her husband Jonathan is a baseball player, but since he umpires....he's not allowed to play with us....darn....

So, all in all.....IF they should ask us to play again....I suppose I would say yes. NOT because I improved, not because I now love the game, but because I love being with all of these people! THanks everyone! Our team "The Mamas and Papas" was a great success!

Strawberry Delight....Gotta drive to Utah for one INGREDIENT!

2011-03-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of my FAVORITE desserts! It is yummy white cake, with this cream cheese stuff in the middle and then topped with this Strawberry Gel stuff with fresh strawberries in it! Simply the best! Unfortunately, I CANNOT find Danish Dessert anywhere in Arizona! Maybe I'm shopping at the wrong stores....but I can't seem to find it!

I think it's funny that one state carries something, and another doesn't. So, I call my mom and ask her to bring me 10 boxes when she comes to visit...just so I can make this piece of heaven when I get the craving! Summer is coming and those strawberries will be calling!

MMmmmm Love it!

Girlfriends from......The Gym...yes, the Gym...

2011-03-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Life is meant to be FUN! That's what good girlfriends are all about! The funny thing is that these particular girlfriends are from somewhere I don't find especially fun. Haha...isn't that terrible? I look at this picture and see them all with their cute bodies and skinny faces and think, "hmm...maybe I should go there more." Ü It all sounds great until 4:37 am when my alarm goes off. THAT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! C'mon...what's wrong with you people? Haha....actually, it really is fun, it's just getting my mattress off my back and getting my buns there...once I'm there, I'm good.

Actually, that's kind of what a lot of things in life are like, aren't they? I think I don't have the time or energy or will to do things...and once I'm there, I'm good and then I'm glad I went. I just find myself being extra tired, so I think I need extra caffeine and chocolate to make it through the day, thus undoing all my exercise. So...my rationalization is that I should just stay in bed, so I get more rest and eat less. How's that working for me? Uh....not so well. hahaha...

In all honesty, these ladies are amazing! I'm so happy to call them friends! To me, friends are people that bring you UP and help you be the best person you can be! They are all so positive and just GREAT role models for me. We've had some fun times and I'm sad that Natalie will be moving to Boston in the summer. Her husband Anthony is in Medical School and they will be going there for his last year....Don't ask me the round that this is in Medical School cuz I'm not good at that kind of stuff. I just know he's really smart and has been in School since I've known their family.

We've had some fun times together. Anything from THE AMAZING RACE, to a IRON CHEF cook kind of thing. Lately we've had a Girl's Night Out watching a movie in a HOme Theater and then this fun lunch together. I love just being ME sometimes. I love being a mom and wife and hairdresser, etc....but sometimes it's fun to just act like I have no worries and have all the time in the world to go out to lunch and TALK, TALK, TALK! It;s total therapy and then I'm ready to go back to reality and be a better mom and wife. It's amazing what a difference a couple of hours of fun can do!

Here's to MANY more Girlfriend Shindigs! Love you guys!

Practice Makes Perfect!!!

2011-03-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

I was the 2nd of 7 children, which meant that I had LOTS of experience with babies. I was babysitting at age 11. One of the downsides of having a hysterectomy at age 31 is that my kids don't have any babies in the house. So, we just "adopt" cute babies from friends and act like they are our own even for just a few hours.

This little Talan is one of our favorites! His parents (and our friends Ü) ran the RAGNAR this last weekend. My kids were so excited to be in charge of a baby for a day and a half. I love it because this gives them the practice they need! We had some of the neighbor kids over "helping" us too. Talan is such a good natured baby, so the time flew by fast! I'm so glad the kids enjoy being with babies, that will makes them such great parents one day!

As for me, I LOVE holding those cute babies, but I have to admit, they are more work than I remember. And it's amazing the amount of stuff it takes to keep them happy! So much equipment! So, I'm content to be in the spot of life that I am. I love having 3 older kids that are independent, and I don't have to feel guilty that I'm not having any more. But you can bet that I'll steal any cute baby to kiss and hold for a few minutes or hours until I'm too busy or they just want their momma back!

Valentines Party at School and Home...

2011-02-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

I try to go and help at the kids' classrooms once a week. I enjoy it and love being able to see the kids in their own classrooms with their teachers and classmates. It's a great way to keep in touch with what's really happening there. This week I went twice since I help on Thursdays and the parties were on Friday.

My Friend Sara Ray gave me a GREAT idea. She said she does a Family Fondue Party for Valentines Day. We have had fondue parties with friends before, but never just the kids. Sara was a sweetheart and went and got me Alfredo Sauce from Olive Garden and brought it over. We dipped french bread and veggies in that sauce. I was excited to have this special night. Well, after I saw so much food....I thought "We should share this with some friends!" So...I called a few friends here in the neighborhood...

The Allens...

The Griners...

The Bowmans...

And Us!....

We should have called the Mostoskys, Speths, Gaineys and Randalls. There are so mnay fun families here in the neighborhood...I hate leaving people out.

Anyway, We sat outside and enjoyed the company, the fondue and the fire! That is really one of my favorite things to do. We might have to make this a tradition!

Family Bonding...

2011-02-23T20:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 13th David was released from the Bishopric....we decided to have a little family fun and make some Valentine Cookies together! We used to do this stuff all the time when the kids were a little younger. I need to be better about taking time to do the simple things. Times that we will remember....moments that "bond" us. Ü And let's admit it, there's something about sugar cookies with yummy frosting gushing through your teeth....THAT totally makes the holiday complete! You will notice some of the cookies are LOADED with toppings. So much fun!

Happy 10th Birthday Eli Boy!

2011-02-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Where did the years go? Can it be real? Eli is officially in the double digits! Wow! Time sure has flown! Eli, you are growing up to be such a great young boy with so much potential! I love so many things about you!
Here are some of them....
Your hugs and kisses first thing in the morning...
Your BIG HEART! You try to include everyone and make new people feel included...
Your determination to succeed...
Your constant need to have some kind of ball in your hands...
Your quirky way of needing to touch people's ear lobes...
Your funny sense of humor...
Your cute freckles...
Your OWN sense of fashion...you get stuck on 3 shirts at a time...until I hide them...then you find 3 more shirts! Heaven forbid you wear all the shirts in your overcrowded drawer!
Your loyalty to your friends...
Your sneaking into the storage room to find anything that has sugar in it (yes...I know)
Your love for little kids...I love that you hold people's babies!
Your love of sports. You're such a natural!
Your 3 point shots...
Your example of jumping up out of bed first thing in the morning when I wake you up...you don't need to lay there and have me tell you 3 or 4 times to GET UP!
Your love of breakdancing...
Your smart brain that picks up things and memorizes quickly...
Your imagination...you can always find fun things to do without asking me what there is to do...
Your testimony, you know so much and have known at such a young age!

This year, Eli's birthday hit on President's Day. We told ourselves that Eli is so special they called school off for the day! How fun to have NO SCHOOL on your birthday! So we took advantage of it!
We tell the kids they can have a bigger present or a birthday party. Eli decided he wanted a new bike, so opted for a family party. He chose to go as a family to AMAZING JAKES. Kinda funny, he found his way around our rule. Amazing Jakes isn't cheap Ü....but we sure had fun. We let him invite one friend, so he chose Brennen Hixon.

Abbie hung out with David and I. She had a ball on the rides there!

Mason wanted Tait to come. So he paid half of Tait's way and Tait paid the other half.

I don't think I've ever seen David eat so much! Seriously. IT's a buffet...so you definitely WANT to eat...just some of us can't keep fitting in the food! He loaded up a tray like this 3 times! We were there about 6 hours. We were just laughing. The kids loaded up once and then would go back every so often to grab a quick slice of pizza, but David would fill up a tray and go to the Sports Area and watch a game. THAT'S the LIFE! Ü

We just enjoyed the day together. Lots of fun!

Here's to a great year Eli! So glad you're in our family! We love you!

Nothing More Constant than CHANGE!

2011-02-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

I'm always amazed how things work out in life. When I'm not enjoying something....it NEVER ends and when I wish I could stay doing something, it CHANGES QUICKLY! Ü Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor, doesn't he?

So....Last week, we had a new Bishop called...which means that David was released from the Bishopric. He really enjoyed that calling, although it was ALOT of work! But you know, that's how we grow and learn is through service. He grew so much during this last year and a half. As soon as David said he was going to be release, I had a sinking feeling that my calling wouldn't be for much longer. You see....I LOVE my calling in the Primary. I play the piano. I have to say it has been one of my FAVORITE callings ever! I will admit, one BIG reason that I love it so much is it's SO EASY. Ü No planning, no practice, no extra meetings, no time commitments, and I get to see my cute kids faces singing songs, and the Spirit is always so Strong. What's not to like? I would tell David to make sure I stayed in that calling as long as he was in the Bishopric.

I remember telling a friend that I was nervous about what was around the corner because David was released...and she likened it to Jonah, how he didn't want to go and do what he was supposed to do. I just had a feeling I was heading into the Relief Society. Well, Saturday...Bishop McLaws came over and extended a call to the Relief Society Presidency as the 2nd Counselor. I am excited to work with this Presidency. It's full of wonderful women, but I couldn't help miss my kids in the Primary.

Well, at the end of church, (the last 5 minutes) The Primary came to get me and when I walked into the room, the whole Primary started singing to me....Here are the words and the music was "I love to see the Temple"

I Burst into tears! I just love those kids! They know I really loved them too! I really tried to have fun with them in there. I would look over the piano to see if they were singing and if they weren't I'd give them a hard time and then they'd start to sing. Music is something I love and I will always treasure the memories of being with my kids in Primary.....

Happy Valentines Day! Here are 20 Things I Love!

2011-02-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

1. David
2. Mason, Eli and Abbie
3. Going on Trips! Wish I could travel all around the world!
4. The Temple...I have noticed a big change since I try to go once a week Ü
5. Homemade Bread
6. Smell of Rain
7. Good Girlfriends
8. Going out to Lunch
9. Chocolate and Diet Coke.....I think I need them everyday.....
10. My parents and siblings....
11. Having the firepit out on the driveway with friends
12. My neighborhood/neighbors....we all get along and watch out for each other! It's such a blessing to be surrounded by great people!
13. Our Ward....GREAT people and friends that we'll have for LIFE
14. Playing the piano...It's therapy for me
15. Smell of Laundry just out of the dryer
16. Doing Hair. I love making people look good and I love the friendships that have formed from seeing these people every couple of months. I love that I can work from home and still be a mom.
17. A good chic flick! It's so fun to go to the movies when it's a GOOD movie! I'm a little picky on what I'll see. No science fiction or scary movies for me!
18. The Great and Terrible Series by Chris Stewart! Those books were AWESOME!
19. The Gospel and the Priesthood. Don't know where I'd be without them. My life is more full having these in my life!
20. Backrubs, footrubs...you name it, I love massages!

Premenopausal at age 39? Really?

2011-02-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

So.... when I had Abbie at age 31, I had other complications which led me to having a partial hysterectomy. You know, I thought I'd have like 5 kids. That's a whole other story. Well, for the past 5 years with stress and everything, I have been experiencing a whole lotta stuff I'm not happy to say I've experienced or happy that I experienced them. Maybe this is too much information to put on a blog, but this is really the only journal I keep.

I have had MOOD SWINGS galore. Ok...ok...I know women are known for having mood swings....but I feel like I experienced more than your normal hormonal woman. I am constantly having to talk myself into being nice and not getting angry. I hate that I have to even coach myself. I am a pretty fun and easy going person. Well, generally....
INSOMNIA I used to hear people talk about not being able to sleep and thought they must just not work hard enough during the day to be tired enough to sleep. Well, I am now having a hard time falling asleep and feel exhausted! I do nothing but go all day. (guess that's what I get for judging, huh?)
WEIGHT GAINI've never been an Olive Oil skinny lady or anything...but I haven't really changed the way I eat, but seem to keep gaining more and more weight and when I try to be good, and exercise and eat better I hardly lose anything. I do have some thyroid problems, so I thought it was because of that.
ANXIETY ATTACKS How embarrassing is that? The first time I had one, I thought I was having a heart attack. I had the paramedics here in my living room the night before a trip at 2am. In the end, they told me I needed to stress less and enjoy myself.
FUZZY THINKING Ummm....yah.....I forget what I'm saying, people's names, what I was talking about, etc....
TIREDAll of the time! I mean all the time! Seriously, that is the most frustrating feeling. I have so much to do and don't have time to be tired. So what do I do? I drink caffeine and eat sugar. That gives me a quick UP and then a quick DOWN.
There are a couple other symptoms I won't list. Just use your imagination. Ü So with that all said, I have felt less and less like myself for a while now. I want to fix it but don't know how. When we first moved here I went to the regular doctor and he said I needed to exercise more. Ok...did that...don't feel better. I go to a LADY doctor and she says "Could be Thyroid"...yep...that was part of the problem. Start having anxiety attacks, go back to the doctor she says I have a nodule on my thyroid....I go to an Endocrinologist. (Had to wait 4 months to get in to him) and he says my thyroid is "normal" with the medications I'm taking. GREAT. I'm back to square one. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I want to feel well and with lots of energy!
My friend Sue sent me to a female OBGYN and she did more blood test and what do ya know? I need ESTROGEN because I am premenopausal! I feel so validated! I am NOT making things up! I can already feel a difference. I still have crazy cravings, and am tired, but I feel like at least I know what is going on and can try to start fixing it.
Anyway, I'm mostly hoping for these symptoms to subside so when I get the umph up to try to tackle myself again it will actually HAPPEN!
It'll still take a lot of work, but at least I'm aware of the culprit now!

Snow Camping Ain't for Whimps!

2011-02-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

Well in my humble opinion, I think regular camping aint for whimps, so camping in the snow seems even worse! But as you look through these pictures you will see the 11 year old scouts along with their dads and leaders had a pretty fun time! This ward has just been SO FUN to be in. It is filled with good strong boys for our boys to grow up with. Actually, we have lived in the same house and have been in 3 different wards, so I'm sure this won't be permanent.....but while we are part of this ward, we will ENJOY every last minute! Ü

They left Friday after school and of course it was cold week here (like high 20's) which is cold for Arizona. I can only imagine what it felt like up in the mountains. So, looks like they have a nice blazing fire for the night!

Kyler Mellor pushing Mason on the sled. Already starting in on the fun!

Mason

Ryan Hawkins

Sam Callahan

Joseph Ritchie

Tait Brown

Inside the Bishop's Cabin...how nice, a little get a way from the snow. Actually this is where the dads and leaders slept. (kind of slept, amid the snoring and all. lol) I have to add that in cuz it's funny. I am the snoring person in our family and have kept people awake before. We really do try to NOT snore, but remember we're unconscious. Ü

Ryan Hawkins and Brayden Williams

Don't the boys look so cozy in their tent? Glad they have smiles on their faces. They all get along so well. Infact, one of the leaders talked about how well they all include each other. That makes a mom so happy....whether you're the mom of the nice boy that includes or the mom of the boy that doesn't always fit in.

David is such a great dad! I'm glad he's so involved and part of the kids' lives. He actually loves to camp and since he's married to the bah-hum-bug camper, he loves to find excuses to go camping! Why not a father/son bonder right? Eli has a little over a year before he gets to start going on them. Ü

YEP...That is what you'd call YELLOW SNOW. Pretty disgusting, huh? I guess that's par for the course when you mix a cold night out in a tent and a bunch of 11 year old boys. I thought it was funny that David took a picture of this. Actually, David really did well with taking lots of pictures this time. A lot of times, he takes the camera and comes home with 2 pictures. So, this time I actually feel like I saw how much fun they had! Cuz you know, A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

This actually looks like fun. They said it was a nice, sunny day and as you can see....they just enjoyed themselves. One of the sleds Mason is on I have never seen before. He said it was super fast and fun! Those saucers are the ones that KILL your bum!

Bishop Williams...and also Brayden's dad. He's such a great Bishop. David has really enjoyed serving as a counselor under him.

I LOVE this picture of David and Mason. How sweet is this? Mason is a lot like David, that's probably why they get along so well. He has the same mild manner and is athletic too. It's interesting seeing Mason changing so much this year. He is really trying to gain some independence. Especially from me. I guess that's how I feel anyway. When I go into his classroom to help, he acts a little embarrassed. It kind of hurts my feelings, but I'm trying to remember how I felt at that age. To be honest though, I thought I was cool mom! Dream on, huh? Anyway, my whole point is that Mason seems to be really happy that his Dad is there with him!

Here they are in all their glory. What a GREAT looking bunch! Boys I'm glad for my son to be surrounded by. I'm a firm believer in good friends and how much they influence us!

Aren't they the most handsome guys ever? I'm not biased or anything. Ü

Well, looks like we'll have to get used to this being normal thing every month. Glad Mason thinks it's fun, cuz the scouts go ALOT! Have fun boys!

Since When was Bread bad for Ducks?

2011-02-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

I think my mom hates when I go back down memory lane cuz she's sure that I remember the events worse than they really ever were. I do love telling a good story from my past. I really don't think I "embellish" the stories...but just for mom's sake, she would like you to know that I stretch the truth to make the story sound more funny. With that said, I have fond memories of things we did growing up. I do come from a family of 7 children, so Mom and Dad had to be creative with things to do with us that were fun and cheap......and PRACTICAL for that matter. We weren't big crust eaters, and when the bread got a little stale, we weren't big fans...oh and then sometimes the bread got a little mold on it too....which NO ONE likes to eat.....mom wouldn't want to waste....of course not, so she would nicely tuck all the bread into bread bags that we rejected....EVEN THE MOLDY STUFF....(this is where Mom would disagree) She would store them in the freezer so they wouldn't get any more moldy or old....and save them until there was a big grocery bag of bread and then as a family we would go to Utah Lake and feed the ducks! SOOO much fun! We always wished we brought more, those ducks were SO GRATEFUL that we chose to spend our Family HOme Evening feeding them....they would just quack and quack and eat to their hearts' content. They ate ANYTHING we gave them! Yes, even the moldy bread! Well, that was back in the 1980's before ducks weren't so snooty and picky about what they ate. I thought just people went on carb diets! lol So, you can see where I'm going with this, can't you? Ü We had a couple of bags of older hot dog buns...not moldy...maybe a little freezer burned...and a few other bags of bread. I remember that feeling of wishing we had more, so I went and bought 3 more bags of GOOD BREAD at the Bread Outlet and told the family we were going to have a fun night of feeding the ducks for Family Home Evening like I did when I was a kid! You know, it's good for the kids to know that we were kids once too! They were all so excited!

Look at that! So much fun! The kids picked the good loaves first cuz they were hungry too. So they would eat a piece and throw a piece. You know, eating dinner WITH the ducks! We were JUST getting started!

What? We haven't even BEGUN! Full already? You ungrateful Ducks! hahaha....just kidding! I really was BLOWN AWAY! I mean, c'mon....we haven't even gotten through our first bags and it's getting dark! How are we going to drive and find more ducks before it's dark? We should have opened the stale stuff first! My whole purpose in coming was not to waste....er spend time as a family! Ü

As you can see...those blasted ducks started to swim away...they had ENOUGH! Yep, enough! I started looking around....was anyone else surprised? I was determined to get rid of these bags of bread! So I said, "C'mon! Jump in the car! There is a lake outside of the Library, let's go there!" We drive as quickly as we can....and get there and Lo and Behold, there is a sign that says "Do NOT feed the ducks bread, it's bad for them. Feed them seeds or grain" (or something like that). Really? Has anyone else heard of this or is it just me? Is is a Utah/Arizona thing? Really? C'mon....this is crazy.

The kids went and got their football out of the car and we went to Plan "B"...which was play catch, and climb on the cement structure. Oh, and go to the Library and get a few books. I'm just wondering....Are we criminals to go and feed the ducks again? Should we just totally cross this activity off the list? Does anyone else feed ducks bread? Really.....

Mason for President!!

2011-02-01T18:34:00.000-08:00

Well, while we're on the subject of not winning. Let's just keep it going.....Mason ran for Student Body President and didn't make it this year. He lost to one of his best friends....but I was really proud of him for doing it. He didn't want to do it, but I coaxed him into it. I know he is well-liked and a great leader. We just didn't have the "cool speech" (a rap) like his friend Tait did. Those darn clever people. Ü He's a great kid and I'm glad he's our son. I think there are great life lessons learned when we don't win everything. Sure, it's a let down and hurts the pride a little, but it gives us empathy for later in life, right?

He actually took it like a man. The two of them are still friends, as they should be....and he said he'd try it again. So, here's to better luck next year!

Winner of the Flat Tire Award! Ü

2011-01-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is another year and time to do the Pinewood Derby again. I can't say that is exactly the top talent we possess in the Crawford genes. We ARE good sports, that's for sure. Well, usually. Ü You might have seen one of these pictures with Eli not looking too excited. But, the important thing is that we participated, right?

Our stake puts on a pretty impressive Pinewood Derby. They have a nice track, have a screen up with the boys' pictures and how they rank, sound effects that sound like the car is starting it's engine and then peeling out....and all that fun stuff. We enjoy watching all the different cars that are created.

But for sure, we don't have the mad skills to get a trophy car. I don't know what it is that the rest of them have. Honestly, we only have one more year to go and we have NEVER won the thing. I know, there are lots of people that swear by watching some stuff on you tube or some other place online...but i guess we just never thought of doing that ourselves. Or maybe it's too much work? I don't know...but....if you can't be THE TOP DOG.....what fun is it anyway?

Unless you win the FLAT TIRE AWARD! Eli was so excited that he got the flat tire cake! Yep, that MUST be the reason why we didn't want to get any extra hints from anyone or anywhere, cuz that way you get a cake all to yourself! Yesiree! Good Job Eli! Here's to one more year til we're DONE with this sport! AMEN!

Well, there's the beautiful flat tire cake that Eli ate all by himself! He deserved it! Love you Eli!

It's the Girls' NIght Out and We're gonna have FUN!

2011-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

We moved here to Arizona a little over 5 years ago. We are in East Mesa...and since it's an area that is growing rapidly, we have been living in the same house and have been in 3 wards. I have been sad each time we leave a ward because we have made such great friends, and don't want to leave them. HOWEVER....the great thing about being in 3 wards is meeting so many great people! Shelly Turner is definitely one of them! I look up to her in so many ways! She is such a beautiful person inside and out! She is one of the kind of people that everyone wants to be around. She just makes everyone FEEL GOOD! We need more of those kinds of people in our lives for sure! The dads took their boys out and we decided to go and have a girls' night out plus one cute little boy! I thought we would just do McDonald's or something since we had all the girls...but Shelly said "LET's GO OUT!"

I might have gone on a little too much about my new favorite place. Abuelo's. IT's such a yummy Mexican Food Restaurant. It was still yummy...but the service and stuff weren't up to par from the 2 other times I had gone. All the same, we had ourselves a wonderful time! What's not wonderful about great food and great company?

I think little Talan is an adorable little baby. I just want to squeeze him every time I see him! Look at those big eyes and dimples! Simply irresistable!

I am so grateful for good people in my life! I love being around people that truly raise me up! It's hard sometimes not having family here and I feel like Shelly is a sister to me. We have kind of "adopted" family while living here...and I'm glad they are "family" now.

Pancakes for Dinner!

2011-01-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

We love where we live! It is so fun to have neighbors as friends! Last week we were all outside and hungry. I had JUST bought a 50 pound bag of IHOP pancake mix, so what better night to try it out than a night that we're all outside! David set up the table and got a griddle and before we knew it, Amy brought over another griddle, some milk and we started cooking! Making dinner is so much more fun with people all around!

I had to get some shots of people saying "THUMBS UP!" I thought it was cute. Especially Bryson from across the street....look at his "thumbs up" he's pointing his finger!

We feel like we have a great thing going here! Here's to many more dinners together!

Christmas Happenings 2010

2011-01-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

It was David's idea to go to Utah this year. I'm always happy to do it so I can see my family. It's just he expense and the cold and the fact that our van is getting old. (144,000 miles on it).....With that being said, we had our van serviced to make sure it was "trip worthy" so we wouldn't be stranded anywhere in subzero temperatures! HA! You know where this is going, don't you? Here in Arizona, we just don't really understand what winter is. If there is rain, we think we're experiencing bad weather. The day we left just happened to be overcast. Not a big deal, got to Vegas and there was rain, St. George...sleet, and wouldn't you know it? Cedar City it started to snow! No problem, we have driven in snow before. WE were doing fine. We noticed cars that had slipped off the road hitting the median or going off the side, but we kept plugging along. Suddenly, our car started to kind of hiccup....we thought maybe it was the bumpy road cuz of the snow or maybe that the gas was getting low. We were lucky to find a gas station since between Beaver and Mona there really isn't much of anything. Actually, there really isn't much in Mona either. The exit before Mona, we pulled in and got gas, went the bathroom, etc.

We get back on the road and the car hiccups again....ok.....it's OUR CAR! We pull off the road and say a prayer. Great time to teach our kids a valuable life lesson that when you are in need of help, you call for Divine Intervention! We pray and I say "I have a really good feeling...I think everything is going to be fine". Mason says he got that good feeling too! I'm so grateful for opportunities to teach my kids the gospel! :) SO, David says "You got a good feeling? Oh good!" With that, he turned the car on, put it in drive and........NOPE! Not gonna go. "DOn't lose faith guys" I say...."Heavenly FAther will bless us, I had a good feeling!" Now I'm thinking, I hope I have enough faith to finish this great lesson! What if we DO get stranded? It's storming, 7 degrees outside, dark and we are in the middle of nowhere! I say another silent prayer....

We slowly drive down a dark road to get out of the way of traffic, but are heading towards NOTHING. Let me tell you, even if Mona is the name of the town, there really isn't much of a town. NO services for sure. So, I tell David we should turn around and at least be close to the freeway. We turn around move a little towards the freeway, then pull the van over, turn off the lights, turn on the hazard lights and take a deep breath.

I'm a little frustrated, but don't want it to show. I mean, we just payed $900 to make sure we would get there safely without car problems....I'm feeling blessed that we are only a couple of hours from Orem...so worse case scenario would be my parents coming to get us....but still....

Heavenly Father was looking out for us. We experienced a TOTAL tender mercy. The minute we turned on the hazard lights, a SUV comes driving toward us and stops to see if we need help!!!! YES, WE DO! Long story short, the kind man builds metal shelves for Costco and was at Home Depot getting ideas for his business. What a blessing for us! He also happened to own a few trailers. THAT is not a coincidence! What a blessing to have him say he would drive home to get one of his trailers and would haul us into Provo! He came back 15 minutes later, loaded our van up on his trailer, had us get into his Suburban and drove us 45 minutes to PRovo! I told the kids that Heavenly Father doesn't always answer our prayers how we expect them. I thought he would just make our car go...but instead, HE sent us someone to help us.

So....here are some of the highlights of our trip....

All the kids playing in the snow. THe good thing about driving to Utah during a storm was that there was TONS of snow to play in!

We got to hang out with our cousins. These are my youngest sister Autumn's kids. We love them! Autumn is such a bonder. She is always the first one to come and see us when we get to Utah. Even though our kids aren't the same ages, we have so much fun together! I think it's cute little Aaron was trying to wear my shoes. He was having a hard time walking in them, such a cutie pie!

IT's always fun to go and see G'ma and G'pa. G'ma's been a little under the weather. She fell and hurt her back a couple of months ago and is still on the mend. We hope she'll be feeling 100% soon!

David and I have been enjoying reading the "Great and Terrible" series. It's always fun to have a good book to read on vacation! :) Abbie is following her dad and reading too! LOVE IT! If we weren't playing in the snow or reading, we were watching movies or playing on the computer. Now THAT'S what we call VACATION! No work....just figuring out how to entertain ourselves. (well, we did shovel sidewalks and do dishes, and cook....but you know what I'm sayin....)

The big reason for going to Utah in December was to ski! David has taught the boys to ski one at a time. Mason learned at 4, Eli at 6 and now Abbie is 7. It was her turn to learn. Apparently she did great. We don't have pictures of her skiing cuz it was yucky weather.....David was afraid of ruining the camera. I came and got Abbie half way through the day and then at least took pictures of her with her skiis.

David was able to get some pictures of the boys....but as you can see, it was still really foggy....just not sleeting anymore!

This year mom made chimes for us. Such a FUN idea! I want to make them now. It's a great way to involve everyone in a big group. We each had 2 notes to play and we all sang as we chimed our chimes! VERY fun and a great memory! Thanks mom!

Ashley, Rodd and Oak redid this family picture for our parents. When Oak and KaNeil were married, I guess we were totally spaced getting a picture taken with just our parents with their 7 kids. Well, Oak and KaNeil have divorced and the last family picture we had was our wedding. So, with the help of photoshop and I don't know what else, Oak was able to somehow get just us in a picture. It's funny, cuz if you look closely, you'll see some of the funny stuff. Like David's hand on my shoulder looks like Dustin has his hand on my shoulder. Anyway, the important thing is, my mom got her wish. She got all teary....which is AWESOME! Love those sappy tears! We as siblings also went in on group gifts for the padres. We got mom season tickets to the Hale Center Theatre. And Dad a night to display his pottery. Rodd wrote this cute poem and Ashely did a TON of work trying to get a place for DAd to have an art show. IT's something he has wanted to do for years. He did it a long time ago when he was at BYU....but he said that would probably never happen again. Once again, those sappy tears came flowing! LOVE IT!

Here's Amber (my sister) and Michael and their boys Chandler and Ayden. I've always had a soft spot for Chandler. He was a little baby when I got home from my mission. I used to go and pick him up all the time and take him places. Ayden is 2 years older than Mason. THose two just click! They are really fun to watch. Glad they are so bonded. :) Amber is such a great sister. She is WISE! I look up to her so much! Love her!

Uncle Craig comes out a couple of times a year. Bless his heart, he is a bachelor and used to things clean and quiet....a combination that doesn't come with large family gatherings. When he has enough of us...he goes for a walk, or shovels snow. He's a good sport to come so often. We even get him to come visit us sometimes here in Arizona.

Autumn is the epitome of a mom. Patient, kind, fun and nurturing. I love her so much!

Rodd and Ashley are lots of fun. If it wasn't for Ashley, the Christmas gift would not have been so sentimental! She is wonerful. Rodd is a funny guy. Keeps us laughing.

Here we are Christmas morning. Kind of different trying to do ours with kids and the grown ups with their 3 presents each. They would have more, but we did a HUGE group gift on CHristmas EVe...so we kind of felt a little on display. But, the kids didn't seem to mind. They were happy to get their gifts.

Yes, those are THONG underwear. It's a family joke we gotta keep going. Actually, I think it's Oak or Autumn that started it...I just keep being the place where the joke stops! 2 times now, in my birthday package from my mom, she has sent some crazy underwear to me. My kids always question me about them, so I thought it was finally my turn to return the favor! You know, those gag gifts are the best, aren't they? lol

Lookin' good on Sunday after church, huh? Can you tell Eli is NOT a fan of having his picture taken?

We HAD to go up to Salt Lake City to see the temple lights there. After all, that's where David and I got married. Good for our kids to see it, and there is always a great feeling there! I love that Chandler, Ayden, Autumn and Lucas joined us too! IT was CCCOOOLLLDDD that night, but they were all troopers!

ok....not in order...don't know how to change it...my lack of blogger experience. Just a fun picture of the cousins.

Since it was so cold outside we lingered a LONG time inside the tabernacle. IT was warm and a very nice, and inviting spirit there. I love that the cousins enjoy each other so much!

I love to see the temple! Especially at night with the lights on!

After walking around the temple grounds, we walked accross the street to the Joseph Smith Building and went up to the top to overlook the temple. Such a gorgeous sight!!!

Kids got to have a sleepover one night at the Bustos home. So fun to be little and everyone fits on the living room floor!

One night we went up to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and did Sealings as a family. On the way home Rodd and Ashley suggested we go to this place called "JCW" apparently it stands for "Just Can't Wait". We loved it so much, the next day we took Oak there for Lunch. Oh, yes, Oak came the day after his birthday. Always fun to have Oakie Ben with us!

On the way home, we had to stop at the squeaky cheese place. We kept hearing about it, so had to try. Ummmm....I hate to say it, but the kids are NOT fans. So, we got ice cream there instead.

We came home New Years Eve. We planned on coming home the day before, but of course....it stormed so bad that we had to wait an extra day to come home. So glad we went though! Happy New Year!

WInter Concert

2011-01-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

Time to play catchup again! Something we look forward to every year are the concerts the kids get to sing in. Here they are in all their glory!

It was funny because Abbie had a little part that she got to dance with some other kids during one of the songs. But at the end, she stood out in front of the line of kids and did a big bow of her own like she was the star of the show! Well, she's OUR star, but we thought it was cute and a little funny that she was stealing the show!

Eli has such a GREAT group of friends at school. I couldn't ask for any better! I love these boys. We are missing a couple from the picture, but I would steal these boys to be mine if I could. I feel like greater success comes from having great friends that bring out the best in you! These are cream of the crop for sure!

Mason is definitely growing up! He has gotten taller and his shoes are now bigger than mine. Such a great kid though. He does get a little embarrassed by me coming in to help if I talk to him or anything like that. I can't help myself! I love to tease them a little....his friends all like it, but he doesn't, or at least pretends like he doesn't! I can't believe these years are going by so quickly! What happened to the little boys that wanted me around all the time? Savor every minute you have!

Abbie's daring adventure!

2010-12-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

I've had this debate with myself for a while now. You see, I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 16. I never understood that. But, we all have different ways of parenting. I didn't feel comfortable piercing Abbie's ears as a baby cuz she was born a preemie ( 2lbs. 7oz)...and we were just trying to keep her well and growing. By the time she was one, people would ask if she was a boy or a girl because she had no hair...but I still didn't feel good about getting her ears pierced. Well, when she was 3 she decided she wanted them done. She saw some little girls at the gym and wanted to dress up like them. We went to the mall and ordered the earrings, sat her in the chair, cleaned her ear lobes, and put the dots to mark the spot. She freaked out all of a sudden....so we went home and thought "Ok....she's too young". So I've put it out of my mind. I wanted her to do it when she wanted to do it. Monday morning, she woke up and the first thing she said was "Mom! I dreamed last night that I got my ears pierced! Can we go today to get them done?" I told her it was a busy day, and also thought she'd chicken out by the evening. Well, for the last 3 days, she kept bugging us about it. SO last night, we had a little girls night out. It was Abbie, her friend Ashley and me.

Since Abbie's middle name is Claire it was only fitting that we went to Claires to get them done. They gave her a bear to hold onto to be brave!

Ashley was great moral support for a little girl that was trying to be brave! After all, Ashley is a veteran at this! She has had her ears pierced for a couple of years!

I video taped the first ear...just to get her reaction. I thought she would cry. She did surprisingly well! She just said, "Is that ear already done?" But as you can see in this picture, she was a little more nervous to get the left ear done.

Look how PROUD she is of herself! She did it! She was beaming from ear to ear!

I told the girls I would take them out for ice cream afterwards. I thought they'd pick Dairy Queen or Golden Spoon....NOPE...they chose the awesome gas station QuikTrip so they could make their own shakes. They both chose Oreo. They were all laughs and giggles last night. It's so fun having a girl. She's way more dramatic than the boys, but I love her just the same.

Irene Rushton Jefferies 1915-2010

2010-12-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

Since I was 19 years old...I've only had one living grandparent. My mom's parents lived in Minnesota, so I only saw them a few times in my life. I've heard lots of stories, so I feel like I know them somewhat...but the grandparent I know best is my grandma Irene Rushton Jefferies. She would always tell us she liked to be called "Grandmother" and our Grandpa she wanted us to call him "Grandad"....but usually we said "Grandma and Grandpa Jefferies" and then later in life I think Amber got us calling her "Grams". Such obedient Grandkids, huh? Oops! So forever more...she'll be GRAMS.

Here she is in her younger days. Probably the way my dad would remember her as a kid. She looks like a different person to me. I guess my kids and grandkids will say that one day too. It's kinda funny how much people change. I find myself looking at old people and try to imagine what they looked like and what they were like. You know, were they cool? Nerds? Some are so sweet and gentle and others act so entitled and grouchy! Lol...that's another post for another day. I am thinking now about Grams....and how much I miss her!

"Grams" father passed away in a hospital after an explosion when she was only 3 1/2 years old.

Exactly 2 weeks later her little sister Lucille passed away she was only 7 months old...This left her mother with 9 children & 2 months pregnant with her 11th child. Can you imagine? The picture below is the children standing around their father's grave. How heart wrenching is that? What a strong woman my great grandmother had to be! I never met her....but my grams really loved her! Infact, her last days while she was alive she cried for her mom! She must have been a special lady! She's someone I look forward to meeting in the next life. :)

My sister Amber is the gem in the family that really took care of Grams. She put up all these pictures on her facebook and I had to copy some of them to remember things about my grandma. Honestly, I learned alot from these. They're priceless. Thanks Amber for knowing the history of Grams and letting us share in all your hard work and effort!
Irene was 8th of 11 children born to Lewis James & Julia Caroline Rushton....Being the youngest living girl she grew up mostly surrounded with her 3 brothers Sam, Sylvester, & Lewis... Grams told us stories of how she could hold her own with them as long as she could get on the bed & use her legs to defend herself...Even in her last days she would ward off people who she thought were trying to hurt her with them*

Grandma and Grandpa eloped....apparently she just ran in the house and got the ring and they were off to get married.

Her mother was only 50 years old...and died of something that could of been curred with antibiotics these days...Grams was months away from turning 19 when she lost her mom!

I think every kid loves to see pictures of their own parents being kids. I think it's fun to see the backgrounds for one. The old fashioned cars and the clothes they were wearing. Their hairstyles, etc.....I think my dad looks especially handsome sitting on the couch with his BYU lettermen's jacket. He wrestled for BYU. But now as a mom, I can't believe how much Mason looks like my dad when he was a kid. I had so much fun looking at the pictures again from a mom's perspective. Incredible those family genes!

These pictures are the ones that I remember Grandma and Grandpa looking like. I remember the spunky, funny lady and the way the two would banter back and forth. Grandpa was a carpenter. He built their home. He also raised rabbits and took them to shows. Good ole gramps...when we would go up to visit, we would go out and help grandpa feed the rabbits. We would remark about the poop and the smell, but for some reason, we just loved them and talked our parents into getting some rabbits for our yard too! IT was all fun and games until we started eating "bunny burger"...well, I guess that's all I'll say about that!

Well, on Mother's Day last year, Grams tried to get out of bed by herself and fell pretty hard. She hit her head a good one and hurt her hip also. Grams was never the same after this! She was definitely a fighter! She tried hard to get better. There were days that we saw the Grams we knew and other days that she wasn't herself. The last time we got to see her was in July when we came up for a visit. We made a few more sweet memories with her before we left.

The man standing next to Grams is Ron....can't think of his last name right now. Maybe Daniels? Anyway, he is a one of kind guy. He is NOT related to us, but acted more like a son to her than a friend. He helped her with her house, took care of her garden, took her to the doctor, etc........unbelievable! We say he's an angel!

One of my favorite memories from these last few years was Grams love for CORN on THe Cob! Mercy, I have never seen anyone like corn the way she did! Poor Grams had false teeth, but she was determined to eat that corn off the cob and not have it cut! She would hardly eat for the people at the rehab place, but when we would come to visit she would ask "You got any corn?" Grams was a great pie maker. In fact, she taught me to make Lemon Meringue Pie......a MUST at Thanksgiving for me! I love the taste and the memories too! She was also a fantastic candy maker! Fudge, caramels, turtles, peanut brittle, choc. covered cherries, and MY personal favorite, Toffee! She was a friend to everyone. Very fun and spirited. Kinda fiesty and sarcastic but a huge heart. Everyone loved Grams. Oh and she LOVED to garden! She had an acre and a half in her back yard. She was known as the Tomato Lady. She would pick the tomatoes and put them in front of her house by the road and people would come and buy them and drop some money in a can. Dad even had a tomato plant for one of her bouquets. That was a little random...but hey, we like to do stuff in a different kind of way sometimes.....

The other picture with her headphones on is a cute one to me. Grams loved music! Here she looks so content to be listening to her Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She looks angelic!

I love the picture with Amber and Grams. Amber was more like a daughter to her than a grandaughter. She took care of her for several years by going up to see her, taking her to doctor appts and to visit her siblings. The last months of her life, Amber had Grams come and stay with her. She really loved Amber. THey had a special relationship.

Well, all good things must come to an end. Grams lived a good 95 years. We will sure miss her here, but look forward to seeing her after this life! We love you Grams! She was layed to rest next to my Grandpa in Salt Lake City, Utah.

We were missing our two youngest brothers...they were in California, but the 5 of us sure had a fun time spending time together. We all live kind of spread out...so I have to say it was a really enjoyable funeral. Maybe it's cuz we knew Grandma had lived a good long life and was ready to go. Maybe it's cuz it was a reunion. I don't know, but I really had fun.
Oh and I almost forgot to say that I was able to do her hair for the funeral. That was a first time experience for me. Mom, Amber, Autumn and I were able to go to the funeral home and dress her and I did her hair. It was a special experience to be there by ourselves with her. We felt like we got our own special time with her before everyone else would come to pay their respects.

Here are our cousins. We only have 7! Can you believe that? My dad has one sister and one brother. Diane has 4 kids and Gene has 3 kids. My mom has one brother....but he never married. So there you have it....our not so big extended family!

Family Pictures 2010!!!!

2010-11-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

Leah Davis is one amazing photographer. Anyone who can get us all to smile this often is GOOD! I feel bad cuz I have avoided family pictures for a long time. I have to admit the reason why is cuz I'm gunna lose some weight before I get my picture taken. That obviously aint gonna happen...So I finally am giving in, cuz I feel like I"m missing out on family memories. We only have these kids being small for so long, right? So, we Leah found this fun place in downtown Phoenix and I just LOVED it! Check em out!

Eli Boy's Poor Unfortunate Event!

2010-08-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

It was your typical Friday....I went to go and get pizza and a movie for the kids so David and I could go out on a date and know the kids were having fun too. I pull up to our friends' house with the movie and pizzas and she meets me outside. "I think your son is going to need stitches!" I kind of thought she was joking. I mean, I was only gone 15 minutes. And 10 minutes ago, I had just called their house asking what movie the kids wanted to see looking at the titles from the REDBOX!

She let me know all the boys were carving sticks and apparently, Eli didn't realize that when using your pocket knife, you always cut AWAY from you. WHo's bright idea was is for the boys to have pocket knives anyway? I never gave them one! Mason went and bought one with his own money and knows how to use one. I didn't know Eli was trying his luck with one though. DARN KNIVES! SO....the front part of his thumb was pretty much a little flap. "Well David...let's go to the children's ER for a date!" Doesn't that sound fun? :)

Eli was NOT happy to hear that we would be getting stitches. He started crying saying he hated being himself. But, it had to happen! David gave him a blessing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood in our home. That seemed to really calm him down.

Eli is waiting for the numbing medicine to work. Not a pretty sight is it? If you don't like to see doctor kind of shows, maybe you wont' like this post. It's all fascinating to me though. I got out my phone to take pictures. Eli at first was NOT happy I was taking pictures, but I assured him that he would be happy later. This for sure is one of those events that must be documented. I mean c'mon, not everyone nearly slices a thumb off!

I love this place! It is a little Urgent care kind of thing by Phoenix Children's Hospital. VERY happy place to be. I love that they specialize in kids. GOOD doctors and staff! I mean, if you're going anyway, you might as well LIKE the place, right? Very happy, cheerful, bright place. We can use anything to get our kids to be more calm for a not so fun thing to do like stitch up a thumb.

Isn't that a beauty? Man, it still kind of gives me the willies in my stomach! It's a perfect horseshoe shape.

Well, the numbing stuff has kicked in...so we moved to the main surgery room. There's Dad giving moral support from the side. I was holding Eli's hand. He was so scared! Poor guy. Here we are getting the wound rinsed.

Half way through, Eli starts crying. I guess kids metabolize the medicine so quickly that sometimes it wears off really quickly! So the Dr. had to put more numbing medicine in his thumb to finish the job. This beaut took 12 stitches! Mercy!

All done! The stitches look like a baseball! Why not? If you're going to have stitches, they might as well look cool like a baseball, right? Well, in the end....I think we learned a life lesson. NEVER cut towards yourself. Some of us can learn from others and some of us just need to experience it the hard way.
LESOON LEARNED!

Summer Fun In San Jose

2010-08-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

This summer we somehow managed to take 3 trips. 2 of them were to go and do hair and then we stayed a played a little bit. After all, we gotta take advantage of those business trips! We were so excited to play with our cousins! We got to know Aaron and Kimberly much better since they are living with Grandma and Grandpa Crawford for a year. Abbie even got to take a turn feeding Kimberly! What a great mom in training!

ONe of our favorite things to do with our favorite friends in San Jose is go to the beach and have a bonfire! We went with Langlois, Whitmarsh, and Dyreng families. I guess we were having so much fun that I didn't get many pictures! It looks like a really small group, but 4 families around the fire made for a BIG gathering! We sat around talking, laughing and eating until the police announce it's time to get off the beach! TIme sure flies there!

Our friends the Rachel and Richard WHitmarsh came out from Australia for a little visit. I guess it's a long visit. 3 weeks! I LOVE them! We tried to take advantage of our time got to do a few fun things together.

Donny and Michelle are such neat parents! I learn from them all the time! Michelle is quite an accompished musician and a GREAT mom! One night, I heard them in their room singing and playing little instruments and couldn't help but peak my head inside to see what was happening. How cute is this that they were all playing their little instruments while singing primary songs for Family HOme Evening.

IN the Summertime, Santa Cruz has dollar nights at the boardwalk. We try to make it there once a year. Here we are eating our dollar hotdogs and dollar drinks! Whatever we do together is FUN!

The night flew by as we rode rides and ate Kettle Korn.

2 of my favorite people! Sara and Rachel. These girls are some of the reason that I LOVED living in San Jose! IT's all about the people!

Eli asked if he could try to shoot the basketball for a prize. I personally don't think it's ever worth your money to try to do that. But he kept asking, so I thought I'd teach him that lesson that it's a waste. Well, he showed me! He got it in the hoop and won a prize! GOod job Eli boy!

Rachel is such a great friend! I love her so much! I really miss her! I don't get to see her very often now that they moved back to Australia, but whenever we get back together, we just pick up where we left off. We stayed an extra day just to be with them a little longer. We hope to go and visit them someday....hopefully sooner than later!

OUr last stop before parting ways was YOGURTLAND. WOW! That is Yummy! You get your own yogurt and toppings and then weigh and pay. What a great idea! OUr kids had so much fun together. Richard in his socks and Abbie with her black teeth. How much more fun could there be? IT was fun to reconnect again since we hadn't been together for 3 years. Thanks for all the fun memories!

She Finally Lost it!

2010-08-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

My baby finally lost her 1st tooth at age 7! I can't believe it took so long! I guess that is supposed to be good, but if you ask Abbie she will tell you that she has waited forever and wanted to lose it a long time ago! She is in a hurry to grow up, so I am grateful that Mother Nature holds her back a little. I do have to say how funny it that since Kindergarten, Abbie has come home several days and asked me "When are my teeth going to start to wiggle?" It would come up from time to time when a kid in her class lost another tooth. By 2nd grade, it's no big deal that kids are losing teeth...they have already grown in their 2 big front teeth and everything.

Well...Abbie started complaining that her tooth hurt and that it was wiggling. I was so excited for her! Well now that she felt it, she wasn't very excited. She didn't know there was a little bit of pain involved with losing teeth! Soooo, she didn't let me touch that tooth for a good couple of weeks. Then one evening, I convinced her that it was time to get it out and that I would quickly pull it and everything would be over. She cried and whined, and kept asking me to pinch her arm for how much it would hurt. It was quite comical actually....Finally, I pulled it out and when she realized it wasn't as bad as she imagined, then she was instantly PROUD of herself! She went around telling everyone in sight that she lost her tooth!

The funny part is, she is short and little and is just starting to lose teeth, which is alot of the kindergarten population. So, people are always asking her if she's in Kindergarten or 1st grade...she quickly tells them "I'm in 2nd grade!" She is not happy that people think she is young. Isn't that funny? When we are little, we don't want to be little or young and when we get older that's all we want to be!!!! I guess that's just life.

RRRRiiiinnnnggggg!!!! School is Back in Session!

2010-08-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I don't have a cute poem to go with my post. I wish I was that creative! I am completely behind and need to post our summer activities....but for now I'll start where we are right now. I am probably the epitome of bad mom cuz I am one of those that is GLAD my kids are back in school. WHY? Cuz it's blazing hot here and nothing to do except for eat, watch tv, and play video games. Yes, I did try to get them to do some chores and they were on the swim team (another post for later) and I had them reading, but that only lasts for so long. When you don't own a pool, you are at the mercy of the community pool or a friend inviting you and if neither of those come to pass....you stay at home and play video games! I love these cute kids of mine, but want them to be SOMETHING and SOMEONE....so while I'm doing hair all day, they do that which takes the least energy.....

WIth that said....here are some pictures from the eventful day....
Abbie in all her 7 year old glory. She has so much spunk in her! Just look at her pose! :) Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants! The fun thing was going to "Justice" to clothes shop! She was in HEAVEN! Let's just say she's 7 going on 17! Abbie is in 2nd grade this year. I can't believe it. She is so excited to go back to school. What a cutie pie!

Mason is the big 6th grader this year. Hard to believe! He is turning into a Young Man! He will probably pass me up this year. I guess that's not too hard to do when I'm only 5 foot 2! Hey, that ryhmed! He is LOVING this year because the 6th graders are over at the Jr. High...so they get to have Jr High dress code which means he can wear SHORTS! Hooray for shorts since it's only 110 degrees at school everyday! The other kids at the bus stop didn't think that seemed too fair, but they'll get their chances right?

Eli boy is in 4th grade this year. He comes home SOOO much happier this year! I can't tell you what a difference it makes when your teacher is happy.

The Crawford 3 ready to take school by storm!

Some of the girls at the bus stop. Now you can see why it's all so fun!

There seems to be this tradition of all the kids riding their scooters to the bus stop and then the parents bring them all home. Any exercise is good, right?

Our bus stop is just so fun this year! When we started at this school there were only 2 families there and now we have 8 families there! It's a party!

Can't leave the boys out of the equation! We LOVE our neighborhood! We're a big family!

Wasn't It Just May?

2010-06-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously....where has the time gone? Last time I checked, it was May and we were playing flag football. Eli had so much fun playing with his friends on coach Ben's team. He also was able to play with his best friend Logan. He was a great player this year. We say instead of calling him ELI PAULL CRAWFORD, we should call him ELI BALL since he ALWAYS has a ball in his hands!

Ok. Ok...so he has a Gatorade in both of these pictures. USUALLY he has a ball in his hand. Even at home, he wakes up and goes out to the garage and starts kicking a ball, or lays on the carpet and throws a ball up and down. He is one determined kid!

This year was a first playing on Coach Brown's team. Mason has loved hanging out with Tait this year. There were a lot of his good friends playing this year! We love them! Joshua, Brayden, Tait, Crew, Joseph, and Ethan. Tait's dad is an excellent coach and really helped Mason overcome some of his fears that he had playing for the a different team last year. It's interesting to see what a difference a coach can make. He needs someone to be positive but push him. I loved that when he would make a mistake, the coach would put him back in to show him he could do it instead of taking him out to "punish" him. Mason was able to make some great plays and was the able to enjoy being the quarter back some of the time.

Abbie took her 2nd year of ballet and loved having her friend Elyza in her class. It's always nice to have someone to carpool with! Abbie is a cute little dancer. I will say I think she is a little silly out there. Her facial expressions cracked us up! Not sure if she will continue this year, but she sure loved MS Robbin! We might be going for hip hop next year, who knows. She sure has a lot of rhythm and loves dancing! She was even breaking out into a big dance on a diving board Saturday night during a pool party! You just never know when she'll show us her dance fever!

Abbie started off the year with Mr. Sessions and ended the year with MRS. Lewis. Mr. Sessions retired during the year. Abbie has become a great reader and loves math! I will say she did a lot of talking too! Little Miss Social! Hopefully she'll be able to curb that a little better this next year! She wanted pictures with several friends....take notice on the cute boy she's standing next to. She seems to have a crush on Drew this year. She has good taste. He's cute, popular and the smartest boy in the class! What's not to like, huh?

Mason is ending 5th grade? No way! How did my little boy grow up so fast? I LOVE MRS CAO! She is such a terrific teacher! The kids learned so much and really had respect for her! They had a lot of fun too! She was firm but FUN! I enjoyed helping in her classroom every THursday and getting to know her.

Here they are on the last day of school playing Dodge Ball. Such fun memories! Here we come summer!

Eli did really well in 3rd grade. This was a pretty tough year since he had a VERY strict teacher! I'm all about firm and stuff, but sometimes she seemed a bit GROUCHY. I guess I'm that way sometimes too, so who am I to talk? lol...anyway, here they are playing a fun game on the last day of school. The thing Eli loved most about this year was that his best friend Logan was in his class with him!

Parenting Ain't for Whimps!

2010-06-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid playing dolls and watching moms and thinking how much fun it would be to be a mom myself. I still love holding babies and smelling their soft loveable skin. There is something about kids being around that makes everything that much more special and memorable. I love being a mom, I love the hugs and kisses, the laughter, watching them grow and learn. I don't think I've ever felt so happy but never so sad or discouraged!
I'm not a writer, so I'm sure I won't be able to articulate my feelings on paper...but sometimes I wonder how I'm going to end up with good, well adjusted kids! Seriously! I know we can't force them to always chose the right...so we have to persuade them. So, where is that instruction book for each kid? I need those intructions!
I want to be fun, so I let them stay up a little later, eat a little too much junk food, watch tv at a time they shouldn't, play outside a little longer, etc..... you get the point. But is it just me, or does that stuff backfire on you?
We are doing the best we can and hope it will be enough. I don't want to be so strict that they feel like they need to rebel or give them so much rope that they hang themselves with it. Where is that middle ground? I know it really comes down to being close to Heavenly Father and being guided as to the best way to raise these kids. After all, they are HIS children and He sent them to us to teach them and help them return to HIM. I am grateful for such a great husband. David is so kind and gentle. He really does back me up and I"m thankful for him. I'm glad that as we were correcting our child tonight that we did it in a kind, and respectful way. And in the end, the child was happy and giving tight hugs to dad.
If anything, I guess I'm getting a little glimpse into how Heavenly Father feels when we disobey. He wants us to be happy, but has to let us make our choices. Why do we make it so hard on ourselves sometimes?

Family is Everything!

2010-06-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

I love getting away from the busy life I lead sometimes. I am grateful for the life I have, but I appreciate the moments that I can get away and focus on the people I love the most. My FAMILY! Immediate and extended! I love the way our kids are so excited to see their cousins. Even though their ages range so much...they love each other so much! Even church was a fun activity as you can see.....

David is such a great husband! I love my DAvey Doo....

Aren't these earings just gorgeous? LOL....Abbie found them lying under a tree and figured they'd be great jewelry...

My family....can't imagine life without them! I have a quote on my wall at home that says "When I cound my blessings....I count you twice!"

I'm trying to get pictures posted from the trip we are currently on. ONe day I'll get caught up! Until then, I'm enjoying the wonderful memories we made in Carlsbad, CA with Aut and her family!

Carlsbad, Here We COme!!!!

2010-06-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

Autumn and Gus were given a week at a time share Condo in Carlsbad, CA and were SOOO kind to invite us! We have been looking forward to this since THanksgiving when we were invited! We could wait to see our cousins and be in such a FUN spot all together! And to top it all off...it was free! We could ALL use that kind of place to stay, huh?
I'm sure the pictures won't do justice to just how beautiful this place really was, but I"ll try to capture the fun we had here!

Here is the front of the condo where we stayed. I guess it is a mixture of hotel and condos....it's in a great spot right up from the beach! WE literally could walk out of the gate, accross the street and down to the beach! SOOOOO fun!

We arrived Saturday evening...so the next morning, we tried to start the day off right and go to church. WEll, we should get the blessings for trying....but I'm afraid all we were able to do was take the sacrament because there was standing room only in the foyer! I have NEVER seen a place so crowded!

The kids just had a ball together. I am so grateful that my kids love their cousins so much. We weren't super close to the 7 cousins we had growing up. I want to make sure that my kids know their cousins better than that! Since we live far away from any cousins, we really try to make an effort to see them at least once a year. Abbie and Lucas were 2 peas in a pod the whole trip. It was really cute how much they were together!

Aaron is a little heart breaker. He is such a cutie pie! We all just couldn't get enough of him! He is definitely a busy boy. ALways closing doors, getting into the toilet, climbing up on things, you know, you're typical toddler. BUt those dimples and chubby legs and all of that just made us want to come back for more and more kisses! The kids loved being around him. SInce I can't have anymore kids, I love to have a baby around for them to have that experience of loving a baby!

THe first thing the kids want to do whenever we get to a hotel or condo is SWIM! I think they swam 3-5 hours a day! They couldn't seem to get enough! THey would go in the afternoon and were ready to go back again in the evening. THis was really turning out to be a fun LOW BUDGET trip! A condo has a kitchen...so we cooked all but one meal in 6 days and went swimming alot! TERRIFIC!

This guy is the love of my life. I don't know where I'd be without him. He is such a gentleman, and so kind and loving. I love the dad he is to the kids...I love that he calms me down and puts everything into perspective, I love the example he is to me....he just makes me want to be a better person! He's here trying to catch a couple of sun rays and getting ready to go toss the ball to the kids while they are jumping into the pool....

Abbie and Lucas were jumping into the water together holding hands. How precious is that? Lucas got really brave in the water this trip! Much to him mom's delight!

The boys played ping pong several times. IT's fun to see them go and play things together. It does a mom's heart good. I love having them be this age. They are still my little boys, but old enough to entertain themselves and have a good time. I just love my boys!

ON Memorial Day...the condo had a whole celebration. One of the things they did was have this lady come in and show them some different kinds of animals and reptiles. Mason was chosen to come up and help hold this snake. EWW...I can't stand snakes, but Mason sure liked it! Abbie got to go and touch it too. GOod for them....keep it away from me though!

What is it about the beach that just brings out the excitement? The sound, the smell, the people all around, the sand, I dunno...but Abbie could hardly contain herself as a wave came rolling in.

Here they are giving boogie boarding a try. Eli did really well! He got the hang of it and made it look fun! OF course I didn't do it cuz the camera would get wet. :)

The kids brought their DS games. Those were quite a hit! It was really cute watching Lucas and Sam sit by Mason and Eli to see them play their games. We made sure to have them share, but it was fun that they all sat together and enjoyed the games.

Gus is a GREAT and MARVELOUS cook! Oh my goodness! That guy can make meat taste like....a little piece of heaven! I didn't think to take pictures before we ate, I just captured a picture of a LITTLE bit of leftovers...we just kept eating and eating cuz it tasted so good!

The Big Sister Abbie Never Had!!!

2010-05-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sara Langlois is more like a sister to both Abbie and I than a friend. We love her so much! When we lived in San Jose, she was one of my Young Women that I taught at church. She and her family would come over often to just hang out....I have to admit, it was really hard moving away from them when we came here to Arizona. It's been really fun to keep in contact and do things together still even though we live miles apart. Sara and Steve decided to get married and asked Abbie to be her Flower Girl. Abbie was SOOO excited to do that!

Abbie was really nervous to fly in an airplane. She had flown a while ago, but must have forgotten....so she kind of worked herself up. She was afraid the airplane would tickle her tummy like a rollercoaster....and worried about it so much, that she ended up throwing up TWICE in the little white bags that are in the pocket behind the seat! I couldn't believe it!

Sara picked out Abbie's dress to match hers. How fun that they look so alike and are dressed alike too! I thought it was really sweet of Sara to go out of her way to make Abbie feel so special!

Abbie was constantly watching Sara. It was so cute. What a great role model for her to have! I love everything about Sara. She is so confident, smart, creative, and many many more things.....I would love Abbie to be like Sara when she grows up!

Here are all of Sara's Bridesmaids. Such a fun group of girls! Abbie loved them all. It was cute, Abbie fit right in and acted like they were her friends too!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture! SO sweet! Sara has no sisters, and Abbie doesn't either. So, why not adopt each other, right? I'm sure Sara will be apart of our lives forever!

Eating up all the love and attention for sure!

Steve and Abbie had a pretty instant connection too! They first met last summer when we were invited to go to a beach house with the whole Langlois family.... He is such a great guy! She actually looks like she belongs to Sara and Steve instead of us!

Here we are standing in front of the Oakland, California LDS Temple. Gorgeous, isn't it?
Ginger and I didn't plan it, but we ended up wearing almost the same thing. So we decided we would be our own kind of bridesmaid and have a picture taken together! I love Ginger. She is more of a sister than a sister-in-law. I love all of them actually. I feel really fortunate to be in such a great family!

Here we are at the luncheon in between the wedding and the reception. IT was YUMMY Mexican food! One of Steve's friends made a nice video with music of pictures from when Sara and Steve were both children up until when they met, their dating, engagement and all that fun sappy stuff.

Like I mentioned before, Sara is VERY creative. She thought up things that just made the day that much more perfect! Since Sara and Steve Fisher have the same initial, they made up T-Shirts for the whole wedding party that said "I Love SF 5-1-10"..... Some think it's "I love San Francisco", my brother Rodd says it means "I love Stinky Feet" but for that day, it meant I love Sara and Steve Fisher!

What a great looking group! I love the colors Sara picked! I love this candid shot of them all laughing....sometimes those kinds of pictures are my favorite.

When we were driving trying to find the reception, I kind of got lost. I was worried about getting there to fix Sara's hair before they had more pictures. Abbie said I was ruining her flower girl day by not getting her there fast enough! She was really taking this job seriously, wasn't she? I guess I should have been thinking about the flower girl instead of the bride? NOT!!!

This is Abbie's favorite guy ever! She has been connected to Jake for as long as I can remember! Since we have moved away, she's a little shy (I know, hard to believe) when we first get to San Jose. But for some reason, when she sees Jake, she runs to him and jumps up in his arms and acts like they haven't ever been apart! Their little relationship is so cute! She adores him...and I think the feeling is mutual the other way too! Look at these pictures! They are just precious! It's funny to see them standing next to each other cuz Jake is 6'8" and Abbie isn't even 4 feet....

They just seemed to be connected alot through the night! She had the time of her life!

The reception was just gorgeous! I wish my camera would do justice to the way it looked! Sara and her mom Sheri put the whole thing together! They are quite the wedding planners! They are so talented at decorating and flowers, and, and, and, and, and.........

Abbie's job was to hand out little goldfish crackers to people to thank them for coming....."FISHER"....get it? :)

I think this is the most fun I have ever had at a reception. The dance was SOOOO great! Sara and her friends made up a few different dances and performed them in front of all of us. Greg (bro in law) was the best DJ ever! There was a dance and so many people were out there just having a good ole time. Abbie really got into it! She was dancing with everybody and lots of times was going down into the splits! I don't know where she got that move from. I've never seen her do that during a dance, but she had the time of her life!

That was such a great day! I am so proud of Sara for being worthy to be married in the temple to such a great man that honors his Priesthood. Here's to many years of Happiness Sara and Steve Fisher! We love you!!!!

Slip Slidin' Away!!!

2010-05-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

It's very obvious that summer is around the corner. We are all looking for those fun activities to keep cool and get wet! I guess in Arizona....it comes a little earlier than other places. I hear Utah was getting snow just a week ago...that is CRAZY! THis is actually back in APril, I was just so busy living in April that I didn't get time to blog about it....so I"ll be catching up for a little while, but had to get started with the water fun!

David is always such a fun dad. Very involved and loves to play with the kids. So glad he's in our family! It was his idea to run and get the DAWN dishsoap. I don't think Tara (in charge) was too happy....she was kind of worried about the soap getting in kid's eyes.....keep scrolling down, you'll see what I mean.....

Everyone is waiting in line so patiently for their turn to go down the slip n slide. It was only like 80 degrees. In AZ...that is cold for swimming....we need it to be 100 to love it...or even hotter!

Just look at Eli's form! Looks like too much fun!

Head first! Yee haw!!!

Abbie is grimmacing a little. Notice, she doesn't like that cold water directly on her! I'm telling you, we must have some thin skin and blood, cuz we were cold! But, still having fun, as you could see!

We love being in this ward. This was actually a ward activity. It's funny because we have been in 3 different wards since we have moved here. We are still in the same house, but they keep realigning our boundaries. We have made such great friends and LOVE it here!

Look at them all just having a ball!

Ta Da!!! Look at me Mom!!!

Mason pulls such funny faces!

Mason and Hunter braving the slide together!

Iron Chef

2010-05-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Tiffany Watkins is one amazing woman. She is the one that got us all out for the AMazing Race Competition...and now challenged us to an Iron Chef competition! We were so excited to be included in such a fun night! HOw fun is that to have a friend that is so talented, fun and creative!?!

Here we all are before diving in to a bunch of DELICIOUS food! Anthony Perry (Natalie is the photographer, so you don't see her pictured here....) Tyler and Tiffany Watkins, Heather and David Crawford (US...) Lori and Ben Mecham, Shawn and Katie Cullimore, and Greg and Tara Allen.

There was such a great variety! We were given the choice of chocolate, cheese or chicken. I of course thought chocolate....but I made something I had never made before and have to admit, I don't think they turned out that great. But, I sure loved eating so many yummy things! Is it just me or does it seem like when you make something at home for just because or just the family...your stuff is delicious.....then when you have to make something for someone or have company over or enter something into a competition, you totally flop! Maybe it was subconscious! If you look at this picture, you will notice that we were invited to a party that has a bunch of gym rats! I'm glad they invited, but c'mon....they all LOOK like "IRON chefs!" and after that night, I see they cook like them too! Oh well, I still had fun. Wouldn't you know? Shawn and Katie won in almost every category. That's funny, cuz they are the ones that won the AMAZING RACE too! What a winning couple they are! :) I love them!

Let's Grub! Isn't your mouth watering just watching us eat all this stuff? I will admit, I have a big sweet tooth. Infact, I would say it's more like a fang. But we had so many desserts, I actually felt a little sick! I enjoyed the savory stuff more. I never thought I'd say that!

Natalie's home is so fun and relaxing! The guys had to "TRY OUT" the big screen television. Wouldn't you know? A basketball game! Actually, it was the end of the Jazz, Lakers game. A disappointing finish, but that's another story.

We all went downstairs for a friendly game of "Around the World Ping Pong". It was funny to watch each other try to run around the table trying to hit the ball on their turn. You can bet that I didn't last long in that game, but it was still fun! I can't wait to see what Tiffany will drum up next. She mentioned maybe a "body contest" or something....uh......uh.....uh......c'mon.......this has got to be a joke! You're all a bunch of hard bodies! Triathalon, marathon, gym goin' and teachin' people! You're killin' me! Let's do something like.....uh....I don't know....but I'm sure you'll come up with something REALLY good! hint, hint. :)

We just had fun all being together. We played the fun "signs" game. We just laughed and had so much fun. It reminded me of when we were younger and single and had big shin digs. I hope we do more of these fun group things. That is what makes life fun and exciting! It takes us away from the daily grind. I know the grind stuff is important, but when I can get away for a minute or an evening....it makes it easier to "keep on keepin' on" (like my dad says.) Speaking of that, it's funny how I always thought the stuff my parents said was weird and old fashioned and now I hear myself and my siblings saying funny things like our parents! I guess we gotta keep traditions alive, huh?

GREAT QUOTE FOR THE DAY!!!

2010-04-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

"'What most people lack are: 1) The awareness that what will make them happy demands a great deal of thought. 2) The self-discipline to overcome their natural inclination to do what is most pleasurable at the moment instead of what is most happiness-inducing.' ---Dennis Prager."

I saw this on my former bishop's facebook page this morning. This TOTALLY hits the nail on the head for me! I KNOW the things that I should do to be happy, but it's overcoming what I want now instead of what I want LATER! Now how to go about that!

Value of Good Friends!!!

2010-04-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

I am SOOOO grateful that our kids have some really good friends. One of Mason's new found friends is Tait. He is such a good influence on Mason. Mason is a really good kid, but I know how important it is to be surrounded by GOOD FRIENDS! I remember a talk I heard John Bytheway give about peer pressure and how important it is to be with good friends that help you to make good choices. They aren't perfect and I'm sure there will be mistakes made...but I feel so grateful to have good friends around that bring out the good in my kids.
This year...Mason and Tait just earned their Arrow of Light together...(another post another day) and they are also on a football team together. They both enjoy sports, riding ripsticks, playing video games, and eating! Pretty typical boys, huh?

Spring Sing ain't for Whimps! :)

2010-04-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Every year we are supposed to sign up for 2 things to help with at the school. It's hot when we are registering and I'm not thinking straight....for the last 3 years, I have signed up to play the piano for one of the concert, (winter or spring) but they have never called me! I thought maybe it was because I go into all of the kids classrooms once a week and they were giving me a break. Right? WRONG!!!! I got a call from the music teacher saying that she wanted me to play the piano for the winter concert. I was secretly happy when I noticed I'd be in San Jose for that week and wouldn't be able to do it. She was a step ahead of me though, and asked if she could reserve me for Spring! Ahhh!!! What do I do now? To make a long story short, I said "yes."
The good thing is, it made me buy a piano. I found it on Craig's list and David went to go and pick it up. We got a great deal on it. The bad news is, she picked TOTALLY hard songs! I thought they'd be simple like "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" or something like that. But, no, it was like 6 Sharps or 5 flats and some songs had the craziest timing ever! I was practicing up until the day OF the concert!
I wasn't sure if I could take pictures, so at the end of the day, I decided to take out my camera and get one of Abbie at the rehearsal. Of course I forgot to bring it out when the boys were in there practicing! I had to be there all day Friday and All day Monday for rehearsals! NOte to self: Pick the track and field or book sale or something much more SIMPLE!

Here we are ready to leave for the concert. This is my moment of truth! Would all that practicing pay off? Here is the lovely piano from Craig's List that I found. IT's nice enough looking.....I just gotta find a tuner! I didn't realize how badly it was out of tune until I played the cd to learn to play the right rythm...and then could hear how badly the notes on the piano really were! I've been wanting a piano forever, and finally have one! Now the next question is if we should have the kids take piano. There's always somewhere for the money to go, isn't there?

Here I am with my boys. I just love them so much. Aren't they just so handsome? They are great kids. I really couldn't ask for any better. A mom has to say those kinds of things sometimes. Is there room for improvement? Always, but when you see them all spiffed up and ready to go sing their hearts out, you can't help but feel grateful for such wonderful kids!

I tried going outside to take a few pictures, but as usual, we were running out of time! I always think I have more time to do things than I actually do! So, apparently I didn't get a picture with all 3 kids, just Abbie and Eli. My mind wasn't totally there, I was thinking about how glad I would be when I would be done playing the piano! IT's a lot of pressure!

David got home just in time to go with us to the concert! I'm glad he is such a good, fun, supportive dad!

Here's Abbie after singing her 3 songs.

Here's Eli after his songs. Apparently I looked out into the audience and David snapped a quick picture of me looking at him. I look thrilled to be up there, don't I?

Last but not least, Mason's performance. You know, there were some REALLY hard songs to play at the concert! One song had 6 sharps and some had 5 flats. Flats are WAY easier for me than sharps....but I practiced so much that I ended up doing better on the hard ones and messed up on the easy ones. Lesson learned, you can't relax when you think it's going to be "easy"....always gotta be on your "A" game, right?

All in all, I'm glad I did it. I love to be involved with the kids at school. For right now, I'm still "cool" and the kids like me coming. I'll enjoy it while I can, who knows, pretty soon I will be an embarrassment to the kids and they won't want me coming to their school!

My Roomates Came Back to Visit Me!

2010-04-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

I went to Ricks College....that is currently BYU Idaho in Rexburg, ID. I guess this dates me a little, huh? :) It sure was fun going there. I ended up only going for one year. I realized I didn't like paying so much money to go up and socialize! Some things NEVER change! Well, 2 of my roomates came down to visit. It was SOOO fun to see them again! Amy (Slade) Lemke and Shanna (Wood) Fuhrimann. We really had so much fun together! We laughed about some of the things we used to do! I can't believe how much I forgot! Something I didn't remember but they did was that I would go into different bedrooms to talk to people while they were studying. Apparently I didn't study so much, but would feel bad bothering the same person, so I would trade off who I would go in and talk with. I DO have pictures of me studying, but apparently it wasn't enough! Nothing to be proud of, but those are just the facts!

Here we are....Me, Shanna and Amy! It was so fun to just be with them again, even if it was only for a couple of days!
Amy had the idea that we should all go up to Washington to see Karie's grave. (She is one of our roomates that died of Hodgkins Disease). The weekend they picked I wasn't going to be able to go. I told them they should still do it and just post some pictures. I guess they decided we would do that when we could ALL be there, so the next best thing was to come and visit me in Arizona. Shanna has a friend here that wanted her to do some faux painting, so she came down to do that, and Amy rode the Greyhound bus from New Mexico to have our little reunion! It's fun to see how we have changed. Definitely different now that we are older and wiser....I hope we are anyway, but fun to talk about those good ole'days...

My kids had lots of fun getting to know them. They thought it was funny to look at pictures of their mom with curly funny big hair. Hey, that was the style back then! :)
Amy and Shanna came to church with us. After church, they taught my kids to fold papers into a pac man kind of thing. What are roomates for? Nothing like having one more thing to clean up, huh? LOL just kidding!

We'll definitely have to do this again. I forgot how much fun we all had together! Love you guys!

Raw Egg Toss at Easter!

2010-04-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

The kids have all had their scooters stolen. They must be a nice and easy thing to take. I didn't realize they were all gone, cuz they will ride their bikes and other things. But recently I was having some of the neighbors complain that my kids were always taking their kids' scooters and going to other neighbor's houses. Just what a mom wants to hear. So, we decided that since we didn't have birthday parties for the kids this year, that we would get them an "easter gift". They have LOVED these scooters! That will be another blog entry...but I thought I'd include the pictures to show them getting them anyway.

The neighborhood HOA held an egg hunt. I tried to capture pictures of the kids looking....but I was busy SNEEZING! I don't look forward to egg hunts just because it's spring, everything is blooming and standing in the middle of grass with blooming things around is not my idea of fun. I know, these pictures look like everything is DEAD! But somewhere, it's all trying to come back to life and it's KILLING me! Don't I just sound like the funnest mom in the world? :)

My friend Tawni and her husband Brian went off for the weekend. She is the one that taught me to blog....and I thought I would at least capture her kids in the egg hunt. Their grandma was kind enough to come and watch them and bring them to the egg hunt! Cute, huh?

Now this is something I have never seen done at Easter. Maybe it's nothing much to the rest of you, but I thought it was funny to see people tossing raw eggs to each other. You know, the game where you toss the egg, and then take a step back and you keep doing that until the egg breaks! I've seen this done with water balloons and the end result is not NEARLY as messy as the end result of eggs. But you know, they were all good sports about it! This was actually the bright spot for me! I had fun watching them!

Wouldn't you know? Poor Eli ended up wearing his egg! It was hilarious to see his reaction and watch him try to get the slimy gunk off! He was sliding on the grass, rubbing himself on the tree or shaking his arms. Anything but actually TOUCHING the stuff to get it off! I was really laughing!

Easter was a little different since it fell on "General Conference" this year. That is when our church meets together as a WHOLE church to listen to our Prophet and his Apostles. (we watch it on TV or the internet). It was really good! I guess I took advantage of the fact that we didn't go to "regular" church.....and didn't buy the kids Easter outfits. Nice mom, huh? It's just one more thing. So, here we are casually sitting outside dying eggs and blowing bubbles. Very low key! I think this was a year we were really able to focus more on the Savior and the real reason for Easter! (No, dying easter eggs is NOT the real meaning of Easter. :) )

Mark, Liz and Cade came over for a Ham and Scalloped potato dinner. They are like our family here. We have just loved living close to them. It's always nice to have people over that you feel so comfortable and can just sit around and talk, and arm wrestle, watch movies, play games, etc. All in all, it was a nice Easter. Very different from the ones I grew up with, but nice.....

My Kids WIll NEVER!!!!

2010-04-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

Famous last words, huh? "My Kids Will NEVER!!!" Do you know how many times I have had to eat those words? I remember being the "babysitter" growing up and noticing some things that were errors on the part of the parents that I was tending for. For example: I couldn't imagine why parents would buy SOO many toys....it's hard to keep them organized and clean! Well, now my kids' rooms are messes from "little pieces" like legos or crayons or something else.

Ok...Here's another one....My kids' faces will never be messy and their noses will always be wiped! Uh......my kids always have a booger or 2....or when they were small had colds with noses dripping and their little tongues trying to catch it....you get the point.
Well, here is another thing that my kids were NEVER going to do! Ok, MY kids were supposed to be the "cool ones" that dressed REALLY nice! You know, the polo shirts and stuff. I thought I was the cool mom that "knew" the styles. Apparently NOT!

So, what do my kids chose to wear? Sweat pants and t-shirts and even worse, old soccer uniforms day in and day out! OH MY GOODNESS! I need to hide these 3 shirts! Eli is constantly looking in the laundry for these shirts! MY child wasn't going to do that! I always thought it was funny when there were kids hooked on one shirts! Ha ha!!!! Now I have one of those! I put him on a "diet" and say he is only allowed to wear them once a week!! Does this make me a mean mom? Am I worried too much about what others around me are thinking? Do people think I still dress my kids at ages 7,9 and 11? I hope not! Well, we have DEFINITELY gotten our money's worth and them some outta this shirt! Look at the neck! It's officially a lint collector now! WOW....

And THIS shirt! THIS ONE takes the cake for sure! I think this shirt is from 3 years ago....and he has worn it 3 times a week since then. WHY oh WHY did I ever buy the 20 other shirts that are in his drawer? I have NO idea, cuz all they do is CROWD the drawer and make it messy....cuz ELi throws them all out looking for those top 3 shirts! I am ready to HIDE them or THROW them away or DONATE them! I'm a bad mom for sure for posting this, but I HAD to do it for posterity sake. Just to remember what these good ole' days were really about!

Please Help my Wife! She's looking like a Mormon Mom!

2010-04-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Being a hairdresser is a FUN job! I love it more than I ever thought I would. I didn't grow up thinking I would be a hairdresser. In fact, I always played "secretary" and loved taking care of babies. So I thought I'd either be a pediatric nurse or a secretary somewhere. I changed my major LOTS of times, but for some reason, after nothing seemed "right" I gave "Hair" a go....and whadayaknow? I LOOOVVVEEE it! WHy you ask? It's so fun to make people feel good! I love hearing the words "I LOVE IT!" Or "I feel SOO much better! THANK YOU!" I love meeting new people and I love the friendships that have come through GREAT clients that I have! With that said, there are some REALLY funny things that happen as a hairdresser. Most people set up their next appt for 5 or 6 weeks out. THen, there are others who have long hair or whatever and call me when they are in desperate need. I have to say, I have never seen this desperate and I HAD to write about it!
So, I was in California doing my week of hair there, when I get this phone call from my friend Jamie's husband. I thought that was weird cuz I don't usually talk to him. I am NOT joking when I say this.....he said, "Hi Heather, this is Travis, Jamie's husband. She says you're in CA but I am checking to make sure. We are leaving Sunday morning to go up to Utah for her brother's wedding and she NEEDS a haircut! She is looking like a Mormon mom and needs your skills!"
Now, just to make sure no one is offended by this statement....I will say, WHAT is wrong with being a Mormon Mom? We are REALLY nice people! And I will say that alot of us have some kind of fashion sense...at least I think we do.....I think he was trying to exaggerate a little to let me know that she looks better with a less conservative haircut.....Anyway, I called her and she was SOOO embarrassed! She couldn't believe Travis had "gotten into her business" and didn't want to put me out....but since she has been one of my best friends from Utah and is like my sister...I told her to come over at 10:30 at night after I got off the plane and i would "save" her and give her to doo she desserved! LOL!!!

Here she is in the "before" shot. Isn't it funny how in the "before" you don't want them to smile or anything? Kinda like....WOA is me! It's really not that bad! I was ready to see something WAY worse... none the less....I was ready to get out my scissors and carving comb and have at it!

Oh My! 11:24 pm? It's so late! She IS a great friend! :) Really, I don't mind....I would do anything for Jamie. I love her!

WOWZA! SHe is Gorgeous! No longer a frumpy mom! She is ready for the ball! I mean wedding! :)

Here is my HAPPY friend! This is why I love my job! Look at the way Jamie is smiling after I'm done with her hair!

Bradley D. Foster

2010-04-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Bradley D. FosterI was so excited to see my mission President speak in General Conference today! President Foster is such a great man and I feel like I learned so much from him! IT's crazy to think that I've been home for 16 years. Where has the time gone? He has hardly aged! He looks great!

Uncle Craig's Visit

2010-03-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Uncle Craig went to San Diego to visit a friend and escape his cold weather. He decided to stop in at our house for a few days on the way home. We sure love having him visit! I don't have many uncles actually. And Uncle Craig never married or had kids, so we were KIND OF like his kids. He could only take so much of us, but what time he could take, he would spoil us. I always say I'm his favorite....but I'm sure that just stirs up trouble, so Craig says that I'm the "self-proclaimed favorite niece". Nice, huh? :)

Craig is pretty easy going. Doesn't take much to entertain. If it were me going on a trip, I would want to go and see stuff and go places and feel like I was on a trip! For Uncle Craig, he is content to walk around the neighborhood, and maybe even over to the Post Office.....read the paper, and maybe see a couple of sites that are FREE. I tried to think of where I could take him that wouldn't be too spendy....so, I thought about Gilbert. That's a fun place to go. Downtown Gilbert where it's got some historical kind of stuff. WHat guy doesn't like to go and look at old fashioned cars? Craig liked this place. It's always fun to dream, right?

Just a little further down the street from the cars is a yummy place to eat called Joe's Bar-B-Q. That is a yummy place and a fun atmosphere too. Doesn't that sandwich look scrumptious too? I think so!

Another day, Craig wanted to go out and see the old Ghost Town. I think it's called Goldfield Mine or something like that. THat's what I put on the picture anyway. He has been there a couple of times, but he really likes it there. Our neighbors accross the street tease us for taking people here. THey think it's funny that it's an attraction we show out of towners. We don't give in to the teasing though :) we still take people there because they seem to enjoy it. Here is Craig sitting inside of the church at the ghost town.

AFter a while, I felt bad taking Craig everywhere "free". C'mon. You gotta have something to go home and say that you did. Whenever I think about Craig, I think of his LOVE for our country. He is so into buying only American and so when I noticed that this dinner theater in Mesa was having a show called "George M" (which is a patriotic kind of show) I thought we would treat him to a night there. We have heard about this place several times but have never gone ourselves. Isn't it funny how we do stuff for company, but not ourselves. Like deep cleaning, going to more expensive entertaining kind of places, etc. I guess it's a good excuse or something.
The doors open at 5:30 to start eating. We had an hour and a half to just eat. The kids were in HEAVEN! They were able to pick out the stuff they liked from the buffet and then they went to the dessert bar! NOW that's what was heaven for them! THey went back 2 or 3 times. They kept saying what an AWESOME place that was! Maybe cuz we don't usually get so much dessert and we let them eat to their hearts' content!

Here we are posing in front of a HUGE American Flag! We're already feeling REALLY patriotic!

After all that food and then a great show, the kids were SOOO tired! They flopped down on the couches outside of the theater and wanted to fall asleep! They really loved it though. Craig was impressed too! I'm so glad we went there! THanks Craig for coming and spending some time here in warm ARizona! Pretty soon it will be too hot again, but we're glad you could thaw out here while MInnesota was FREEZING with lots of SNOW! Come again!

The Amazing Race!!!

2010-03-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to have fun and very ambitious friends! Tiffany Watkins is one of those kinds of people that everyone wants to be around. She makes life fun and exciting and has lots of great ideas and energy to go with it! We were so excited when we got invited to compete in "THE AMAZING RACE!" I've always wanted to be on that show....so here it is MESA AZ style. :)

IF you look at the invitation, you'll see I'm really behind. I know it's mid March and I'm still talking about February. And will be for a couple more posts too. :) Here we are gathering to get started on this race. We're sizing up our competition. I'm wishing I was fit like my honey. Really, it was just so fun to see so many of our friends and were so excited to have a night to hang out together!

I didn't get everything...but here is one part where we were supposed to kick the football through the goal. David, my athletic man that he is, kicked it the first time! I was pretty proud of him. Then he had to run one lap around the track.....

...and before we could get the next clue, he had to eat a fun dip, sugar, stick and all. So here he is chewing it and Greg is demonstrating the very green tongue.

Here we are at Chuck-E-Cheese. This is where we started to go wrong. Of course, it's because it was my turn to do something. I never have been good at this competition stuff. I thought the least I could do was get 25,000 points at skee ball, but no. We had a 5 minute penalty. THat's where everyone passed us up...but we still had fun.

Here we were supposed to order 2 things from the dollar menu. Another mistake on our part. WE ordered 2 things of chicken nuggets...lots of other people came after us and ordered drinks, quickly drank and ran. THere's where we lost the 2nd half of the competition. Darn....but we were just laughing so much. It really was fun!

Davey was our driver. He looks so determined, doesn't he?

These are all the pictures Tiffany took of us as we came running into Krispy Kreme to solve a puzzle before we got our next clue. Isn't she just so creative? I can't believe I'm on this date! I want to do this again! Maybe I'll be more in shape next time. We can only hope!

As you can see, it was a race. Mark's back with sweat just shows how hard it was....or at least that it was a competition. It's so great to have friends like this! These are the moments and times we live for!

Here we all are at the PIT STOP of the race. The final....Thanks to TIffany for a great night of fun!

ANd thank you to all our officials who helped this all come to pass!

IT's a Girl's Night OUt and We're Gonna Have Fun!!!

2010-03-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last week was Spring Break. We stayed home this year. Too many bills and I had a full week of doing hair...so we made the best of the time we had at home. Mostly the kids played outside with their friends. Abbie has been asking me for about a month to take her out for "Special Time". She was very specific in where she wanted to go. I was surprised, because we haven't been here forever...but she wanted to go "where all the fountains are!" You would think she would pick CHuck-E-Cheese or McDonalds....but instead, she wanted "Costa Vida". Woo Hoo, a girl after my own heart! I love that place and haven't been for a while. She wanted to eat outside so we could see the big fountain. IT was actually a really beautiful evening, so I was happy to sit outside too. In a month or so....we'll be dying of heat and either need a mister outside or just stay inside with the airconditioning.

It wouldn't be a night out with Abbie if we weren't striking poses and giggling a bit. Abbie is such a ham and really enjoys attention on her. She can be so fun to be around! She was cracking herself up with all of her poses. I love the scenery all around. Arizona really is a nice place to live. I love the shopping especially! I shouldn't, but I do.

After eating, we walked over to the fountain and got out 5 pennies. We were figuring out where we wanted to toss the coins and stuff. Of course Abbie was wanting to reach in and get some extra coins to toss, but I let her know that wasn't a good thing to do! Notice Abbie sitting next to her pennies to show you her coins before she makes a wish with them!

Now, what to wish for? How many different poses can I get with a little girl thinking of what to wish for! She let me know she was wishing for a bike and a pink scooter and then I said she can't tell me or it wouldn't come true! She was very concerned and wanted to "take it back". I thought that was cute.

Here we are in action. TOssing the coins hoping our dreams will come true! Abbie asked "Mom is your wish that Dad will kiss you?" She is pretty hung up on kissing and marriage and all that stuff. I'm trying to remember if I was like that when I was young. I think that I thought it was gross if my parents kissed. I don't know....

We walked down the whole sidewalk stopping at EACH and EVERY fountain to make a wish. GOod thing I had lots of coins in my purse that day, huh? We had to stop and pose by the gorgeous flowers that were there!

THis place is great, you pass by several cool stores, like Borders, an ice cream shop, Pei Wei's (SP) and places like that. WEll, around the corner is one of MY favorite spots. IT's call Paradise Bakery. It is paradise to me for sure! We got some little mini cookies in our little box to top off the night with a little somethin' sweet! Sweets for the sweet, huh?

We decided to count all the fountains on the way back to the car. You see us holding up 9 fingers, and that is EXACTLY how many fountains we made wishes in I think this is going to be a LUCKY year! WHat do you think? Thanks for suggesting this Fun Special Time Abbie! We'll have to do it again sometime. What a great idea!

You can Tell You're getting older when.....

2010-03-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

You know, my mom always made a big deal about holidays. I don't know if it's because my mom just LOVED the holidays or the fact that there were 7 of us and mom felt entitled to spend a little money on us and make a big deal during the holidays. Whatever the reason being, I LOVE celebrating holidays! I think it's funny when I look back at pictures of when I was first a parent until now. My kids were really young and could have CARED LESS...yet that was the time that we carved pumpkins, decorated the Christmas tree, made sugar cookies with the neighborhood....you get the point! Now, when they are actually remembering specific events in their lives, I find myself too busy and tired....and then TRY and might I say TRY again....to make it somewhat of a memorable holiday. I let the kids decorate the Christmas tree, thus the reason you didn't see all my CUTE decorating on the blog....and then as you can see in this picture, I don't do cut out sugar cookies.....I do cupcakes! Much easier, quicker and send them outside to eat them! As I look through my Feb pictures, (of which I have more to catch up on) I see that I need to make a little more effort with the kids. I mean well....it's just amazing where all the hours go! I wonder how my mom did it with 7 kids! I feel SSTTRREETTCCHHEEDD to the max and utterly exhausted most days and only have 3 kids. I am sounding like "Lemuel" right now, but 's late and I feel like "unloading" if you will. With that said, it was fun and the kids enjoyed eating most of the frosting before getting it on their cupcakes and dumping 1/2 a bottle of sprinkles on each cupcake before eating them. Yum!

I didn't realize the kids had taken so many pictures of me talking on the phone. I guess this is the cake decorating time in the kids' eyes. Good one, huh? I'm sure I was talking about something REALLY important! :)

Mason's 5th Grade Field Trip!

2010-03-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

You know, I remember 5th grade very well! I had just moved up to Utah from The Indian Reservation in Arizona. I can't believe my oldest son is now in 5th grade! Time is FLYING by quickly! No, that was not intended to be a pun since they went to a flying simulator place! LOL
This field trip was really fun! Mason really enjoyed it! The whole class had to memorize all the parts of an airplane (at least the main things) before they were allowed to go on this field trip! I think it took a couple of tries...but he finally got it! They were first instructed on how to fly and were able to practice in these little rocking seat looking things. I didn't realize that the littlest movement makes such a difference! I guess it's like a steering wheel....

After being instructed, they were allowed to go to these special computer things and try their hands at take off, and then landing! HOw easy does this look? I thought, "hmmm...I'll do it to show the kids HOW" LOL Oh my, that was WAY harder than it looked! I crashed 3 times! THe instructor came over and helped me to land safely! Now I'm really thankful each time I fly to CA that those pilots are really good at what they do! Who would've known it was so hard!

The next step was to get into an Airplane Simulator and feel like they were flying a plane. Well, as much as possible anyway. The little plane would move around as Mason would move the joystick and stuff. I'm not great at explaining this place. I need my hands to talk. :)

I love that the kids are exposed to different stuff like this...it helps them to see what their interest are! Mason flew a helicopter at the end. After it was all over, I asked him if he wanted to be a pilot! He said...nope. Oh well....at least he had fun trying, right? I think he wants to be a pediatric dentist. That still sounds good. At least he didn't say a garbage man or something. NOt that there is anything wrong with being a garbage man. I'm grateful each Wed when it's picked up!

Boys will be Boys!

2010-02-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

Wow! February has almost come and gone and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at keeping up with all that has happened! I keep thinking I need to leave enough time to do it all in one blow, but that's not possible...so I'll start with one of the things. This is the mighty Aztec Basketball team that Eli is playing on. What a bunch of goofy boys, huh? I think it's funny that boys are so....well I guess I should say CRAZY! This team has been one of our favorites just because it has all of Eli's favorite friends on it! As you can see, they all feel VERY comfortable. Enough to be pulling their shorts up a little high huh? THe people around us didn't seem to amused, but Logan and Schuyler sure did! In all seriousness, the boys have done really well! They have all played well and really given the teams a run for their money! Have they won all their games? Nope, but yes, they have won several and they just play so well together. I think it's because they all love and trust each other....we parents have a fun time on the side too!

Here they are a little more serious....well most of them anyway!
From Top Left: Coach Ben Ritchie, Joshua, Joseph, Logan S, Brayden, Gunner, Coach Ben Mecham
Bottom Left: Logan M, Schuyler, Crew, Eli and Grant

Hiking and Pancakes....A great combination!

2010-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying this stage of life right now. THis is probably my calm before my storm. I'm out of the diaper changing and potty training...not that it was a bad thing...I'm just having fun with my kids. I am noticing little glimpses here and there of what might be in store around the corner with teenagers! But I'm determined to enjoy each stage! We have been having fun getting to know kids and their families that are our kids' ages... On President's Day, the Williams family invited a few families to go hiking at Usery Park and have breakfast afterwards! It was a blast! It was a nice, easy hike that anyone could do! Even the 2 year old kids were hiking some of it. I will admit, my first thought was that we needed to stay at home and get some jobs done! I get the best work out of my kids first thing in the morning...but it's important to play too. (My kids won't believe I'm writing this!) Thanks Kristy for helping us have some fun!

As you can see, there is cactus all over the place. This particular cactus wasn't very forgiving when Abbie and Kia stepped on it! I guess this kind of cactus jumps out and attatches to you if you even brush up against it. So we feel grateful that their shoes brushed up against instead of their pants! YOUCH! That would've been painful!

Sure glad Jason could get those prickly things out of their shoes! What a hero!

This park is only about 10 or 15 minutes away from our house. IT's fun because it has a close place to hike, a playground, bathrooms and picnic benches! THis is my idea of getting away into the outdoors. It's not too far from home, and has some of the bare essentials. Now don't get too excited, cuz I'm not saying I like to camp. That's another story. I really DON"T like camping, but I like hiking and I like the outdoors...I just don't like to be away from the comforts of life too long. I know, I'm spoiled. But not really....

If there is ever some catastrophe (I hope I spelled that right) I want to be in the Williams or CLuffs camp. Look at this stove! They totally set the stove up, cooked for 6 families like it was nothing, filled us all up and then cleaned it up, and packed it back away! That's what I call being prepared!

Here we are hiking. NO, we don't have a new kid in the family. We just love little Henry and steal him every chance we get.

What a bunch of good looking boys! They were out hiking around and playing the whole time! We got home and found a few minor cuts and bruises, but all in all, it was a BLAST! We really should do stuff like this more often!

I've lost my mind! And my Fed-Ex package too!

2010-02-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning I needed to be ready to go to the airport by 8:30am. I was leaving for another trip to San JOse to do hair. THat doesn't sound too early, but I had to get my 3 kids to the bus and then had to run to the product store for a new carving comb (comb with a razor in it).....so I was a bit stressed. I tend to run my life that way....I don't know why...I just think I can get more done than I ever have time for. I thought I was all packed, and I was...I guess I forgot my medication....DARN! I didn't notice until midnight. To be honest, I'm not happy that I NEED to take medicine everyday, but what can I do about that? So I called DAvid in a panic and asked him if he would PLEASE send my medicine Fed-EX overnight so I could get it ASAP. He is such a kind and loving husband. He agreed and didn't get irritated that I woke him up...I thought I had it all figured out. Well, my cute husband went during his lunch hour to send my medicine, got the tracking number and everything. He let me know what time it would arrive and was proud of himself! Well, what do ya know? He had a lady help him send it, and she put in our address as the address to send it to and the address here in San Jose as the return address. So in a nutshell, we paid $10 to have my medicine sent from David's work to our house. Hmmmm....not good. I called the DR and she called in a prescription. $12 for 3 pills! Oh well, at least I have them. I guess I should have just done that in the first place. I should learn my lesson and start packing earlier. I am just not a fan of packing and since I leave every 6 weeks....and it's to work, I'm really not excited about packing. But it NEVER fails, I always leave something! My toothbrush, my contact solution, my scissors, you name it. I end up buying something everytime! I guess that's just the way it goes. Keeps life interesting, huh?

Mom Phrases!

2010-02-10T20:23:00.001-08:00

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Annoying (but very funny) Mom phrases! @ Yahoo! Video

I love this! I really don't have to say much about it. I think we've all said these things to our kids! It's nice to know we're all in the same boat. We're all more similar than different!

Just the two of us.....

2010-02-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the young women in our ward were doing a fund raiser for girls camp and did some babysitting. The hours were kind of funny, 6-9 which is right in the middle of movie times. I REALLY want to see that movie called BLIND SIDE with Sandra Bullock. We decided to go to the RAINFOREST CAFE to eat instead. Studies show that you talk more during a dinner than a movie. LOL Just kidding on studies, it's just a plain fact. So, it's good we were able to get out just the two of us. These pictures really don't do the restaurant justice. That place is very calming and relaxing. All the jungle looking stuff and the fish. It's so fun to just be there. THe shrimp was yummy, David's fajitias were delicious....my salad, well, it was a salad, but definitely not to die for. Ok, if I can be honest without sounding like Debbie Downer, I well......the chicken was TERRIBLE! It tasted like it was quickly boiled in water with no spices or anything! I much prefer BJ's salad or Costa Vida, or Chilis. But I was still out with my main squeeze, which is the main attraction anyway. I am happy to have such a great man in my life. He definitely keeps me sane! I think it's really important to get out as a couple. We aren't always great about that. Life gets busy. I'm excited that Mason is almost old enough to leave at home and have as our babysitter! I am enjoying this stage of life SO much!

Girlfriends

2010-02-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

Where would we be without girlfriends? I really DON'T know! I have had some really close friends that I feel are more like sisters. Abbie is here in all her glory. SHe and her friends went upstairs and decorated her walls with their homemade snowflakes and then played dress up! I love it when I see my kids playing like we used to! Oh to be a kid again....then again, I don't think I'd do it all over....I like where I am now....

2010-02-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

I help at the kids school on Thursdays. I feel like it's really important to be involved and to see what is happening. I like to know who the kids' friends are and most importantly, I like to know where I can help my children do better! SO, I walked into Abbie's class and scanned the room to see her, wanting to wave and say hello.....I didn't see her pretty little face among the other students, guess where I found her?

Her desk was by the teacher's desk. Abbie has to be TOTALLY isolated because......she TALKS too much! Where on earth could this be from? I can't imagine! :) I asked the teacher if she could put her in the front of the room so she couldn't watch everyone around her and maybe she would stay on task better. Guess what she said? "Oh, I already tried that! Abbie had her head turned to the back of the class watching everyone most of the day! I kept asking her to turn around. So, I thought if I put her at the back of the classroom, she could see everything and everyone and would pay attention better, but instead that just makes her talk to everyone about what is going on!"

Abbie is a great student and gets good grades, I just need to figure out how to get her to not be so social! I've offered her favorite treat (Cheetos) if she doesn't get her card flipped....that worked ONE day, and now I've told her she can't play after school if she needs to play during school. What's a mom to do? Any ideas?

When There's a WIll There's a Way!

2010-01-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows me....they know I am a MAJOR crock pot cooker! I LOVE the crock pot! It is such a time saver for one. Stuff tastes SO delicious and tender when it's slow cooked...and I just love that I don't have to tend the food, worry that my house will catch on fire while I'm gone and really, and don't have to stir it much during the day. It makes my house smell like I've been such a good housewife and have done nothing but fix meals for my family all day. :) Last week....I quickly threw a roast and some green salsa over the roast, plugged in the crock pot and away I went to help at the kids' school. I got home 4 hours later to find that same cold roast sitting in the crock pot! OH NO!!!! Did I forget to plug it in? NO! ....Did I forget to turn it on? NO...Did the GFCI button pop out and turn it off? I decided it MUST be that! I ran out to the box on the side of the house to reset the buttons....then ran back inside and plugged in the crock pot...POP! Ok....that couldn't be it shorting out could it? I did that 2 more times. I guess I'm a dummy...but I wasn't going to admit that my lovely crock pot could actually be dead! NOOOOOO!!!!! Ugh....what was I going to do? I have said it before and I'll say it again...I don't really like having to buy something I already own. This seems to be the year that this keeps happening to me!

As you can see, the crock pot comes apart. I couldn't help but be sad about throwing the ceramic bowl and lid away...so I stuck it in the garage to think about it. Thursday I went to Goodwill thinking that perhaps I'd find another crock pot for cheap. I like mine cuz it's BIG....and lots of them out there seem to be the little ones....so before I parted with my broken one, I wanted to replace it with a BIG one. Well what do ya know? I found the OUTSIDE SHELL to the crock pot. Some other poor unfortunate soul must have dropped their ceramic crock pot and it broke and they thought to send the shell to Goodwill. I am grateful to whoever that person is by the way....well, when I got to the front, they said it would be $10! What? It's only a part of a crock pot! That is highway robbery! I couldn't do it! I know they say one man's junk is another man's treasure, but c'mon! I looked over at the window and it said 50% off sale on Saturday! Should I do it? Walk away until Saturday? Who could possibly want part of a crock pot? I had to take that chance!

Saturday morning Goodwill opens at 9am. I am determined to go claim that crockpot shell! I am as excited as a kid at Christmas! Is this pathetic or what? I wake up at 5:11 am and start thinking about getting there right at 9 to give me the best possible chance of getting it. That is, IF no one else bought it Thursday or Friday! I can't fall back asleep! Good heavens! The thing I love about Saturdays are that I don't usually have to set my alarm. I can wake up around 7:30 and feel refreshed! I can't fall back asleep! I lay there for a good half hour...and then get up. I know, simple minds, simple pleasures, right? I got up, and wrote the kids their job lists to do, got in the shower and was out the door at 8:50am. I get there and my goodness! The parking lot is totally full! What is this? Black Saturday? WOW! I get in there and there are no shopping carts left and just HOARDS of people! What is WRONG with all of you? Stay in BED on Saturday! I just need to get in and out of here! I am NOT kidding you, there were people everywhere, and the lines to buy stuff were HORRIBLE! I go back to find the crockpot and a man has every good pot and pan and crockpot that exists. He left the junkie ones. I quickly scan his cart and NOPE, he doesn't have MY shell! But where is it? OH NO! It's NOT there! I walk quickly up to the front to see if it's still under the register that I left it at.....NOPE...... Then, I think to myself, "you're so cheap, that you lost it....lesson learned!" Then I get a feeling to go back and look in a different spot just in case. Friends, I am happy to say, that the shell and I are once again together. I stood in that line and paid my $5.00 and am now a VERY happy owner of a crock pot again!

I'm a happy girl! Good things come to those who wait! Oh, I forgot to tell you that I had bought a crockpot at Costco on Wed. because I thought it was a "must" in the house, not a "would be nice to have"....but I hadn't openend it, so I took the new one back to Costco and got my $45 dollars back! This is a GREAT day! So, here's to some good cookin' huh?

The FInal Chapter of Crazy Cousin Christmas! Promise!

2010-01-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

The main reason for blogging for me is to keep a family history for my kids. I was TRYING to scrapbook for a few years and fell so far behind that I felt REALLY overwhelmed! To say the least. Then, everyone around me kept talking about blogging and how it is SO much easier than scrapbooking. I really feel like it is a WONDERFUL thing! With that said, I know this cousin Christmas has lasted a long time, but it's really more for the kids....
David's dad BOB CRAWFORD grew up in Oakland, CA. BEFORE the Oakland Temple was built, he lived in that neighborhood and would play on the hill where the temple now sits. The COOL thing is that he wasn't a member of our church. He has been the only person in his family to join, but we think it's pretty special that he joined later in life after he and Linda were married. Anyway, our cousin Brittany wanted all of the cousins to come to the house Bill, Bob and Tom Crawford grew up in to hear them talk about some of their memories. So here are all of us gathered looking accross the street at the house watching Bob and Tom talk about things they remembered. The funny thing is, people kept looking at us so funny. We were a LARGE group all staring at this house. It would be funny to know what people were thinking as they drove by!

Here's their home. Their parents were F. Mason and Margaret Crawford. Bob is telling us some fascinating story....I just can't remember to jot them down!

We went to Tom and Alana's home afterwards to have a yummy lasagna dinner and some fun hanging out time! They live in Castro Valley which is only about 15 minutes away from their growing up home. It's so nice to have family! The kids all got along so well!

Poor Linda gets hot so easily! One night the kids heard her say "I'm just SWEATING!" One of the grandkids ran and got an icepack out of the freezer and brought it and put it on her head and then gave her some ice water! I had to include it! Nothing like those funny memories!

One thing for sure is....these Crawford kids are VERY creative! It reminds me of when I was growing up. Sometimes that creative play seems like a lost art with all the computer stuff, Wii games, etc....The kids built this HUGE fort and called it CLUB B. Not too sure what "B" stands for...but they were trying to make money! They had us come in and get a back massage for 1 penny! WHAT a bargain! We would tip them big like a nickle or something. :) I love the rules they have posted. These are memories we will always treasure!

We love our cousins on both sides. Here are a few of the candid shots that Donny took. I had to "borrow" them. Thanks Donny!

2 Seperate Family Pictures in One Month! Wow!

2010-01-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Donny (David's brother) has recently gotten a really nice camera and took some really nice shots of our families. I try to avoid family pictures for obvious reasons, and find it funny that in one month I have had 2 official family pictures taken and haven't really had one for probably 6 years! Bad, I confess....I must be more diligent about family pictures! The years just go by so quickly! It's amazing! This was the first time we were ALL together in a really long time. Yes, we have had some family get to gethers, but there was always someone missing....(war or work or whatever) hey, that was three W's. Kinda cool. Anyway, he we are in all our glory! Thanks Donny! You're super talented for sure! Love the place we had these taken at!