March Madness Champions

While I was with the girls all day Saturday Justin was with Jaxson. Jaxson's bball team was playing in a March Madness tournament at the same time the girls were dancing. I was able to make it to some of the championship game after the girls were done. The boys had been playing since 9:00 that morning, and had been doing very well. Both of the games had been high scoring (at least for us) and the boys had been on point. When it came time for the championship game they were tired and when I got there they were getting beat. Not by a lot, but enough for me to say, I don't think it's going to happen. The girls hadn't eaten anything all day, so I was going to take them to get some lunch. I took some pictures and headed out. About 15 min later Justin texted me saying "THEY WON!!!!" by a last second shot. I was so mad that I had missed it. Yes, once again, I win the "Mother of the Year" award. I was so happy for Jaxson and the team. They are a great group of boys and very talented athletes.
On a side note...Jaxson has injured his Achilles tendon and will be in a walking boot for the next two weeks. The dotor then will re-evaluate him and we'll go from there. The doctor thinks it will heal and Jax will hopefull have no more issues. It's a good thing we caught in time.

Their Big Night

Since the girls are both in dance this year we decided it might be fun to have them do a duet at some of the competitions. Lilly just started dancing in January so we needed a dance at her level but not too easy for Kinsley. We called Markelle (my cousin) and she put a routine together. With the help from their amazing and talented coach, Nikki, they were able to pull it together in time for compettion this last weekend. Justin and I are so proud of them. They did so well for their first time. They scored a Superior rating and won best costume! Enjoy the video clip and a few pics from the weekend. And thanks Grammy and Gauko for making the trip up. The kids loved that. I have such beautiful, talented girls.

My Dancer

Kinsley was asked to write a poem about "the fun things you do with your free time."
This is what she wrote...




I sing and I dance, I fly and I prance,
I leap with the sheep
I twirl then I curl
I sing and I fly to reach the sky
Oh! How I love to dance!!

As the craziness of dance competition season approaches, this poem reminds me of why we do it! Here are some dance pictures of Kinsley since the beginning.

Lilly Turns 6!!!

I can't believe that our Lilly is 6. Lilly is such a pretty little girl. She was sent to our family to keep us on our toes, entertained and young!! She is always talking, doing round-offs and cartwheel's. Her energy is exhausting and her smile is enchanting. Lilly is so helpful with Tyce. They are home together in the morning before she goes to school, and she is always so willing to help and play with him. He loves his Lilly. We are blessed to have you Lilly...We love you!!

Our good friends from Utah came to visit us in our winter wonderland. We loved having them. It was crazy at times...We have 8 kids between us. It's crazy when I met Laura she had no kids and I had just had Kinsley. Now we have 8. Oh my!!! We had a great time...It's nice that all the kids get along.

Justin turns 40!!!

The day finally arrived a we all were so excited for the big day!! (well all of us but Justin) We celebrated by taking balloons and treats to his work and then making one of his favorites, Clam Chowder and homemade bread. I had been working on a huge surprise for him for a long time. I had saved my pennies and with help from my parents was able to make it happen. After countless hours of researching which one to get and trying to find the best deal, I had made the BIG purchase.

Then came time to open the presents. I had the big one well hidden and Justin had no idea. I had him open his cards and the Blue Ray first.


He seemed excited and then I blind folded him and brought out the big one. We took off the blind fold..... And ta da!!! A Samsung 46' inch flat screen. I was so excited about giving him this present and Justin was not looking so excited. I think he was overwhelmed and a little sticker shocked.

You would all have to ask him what he was really feeling. By Sunday afternoon when we were all getting ready for the Super Bowl, I turned around to see this boyish grin on his face. Then I asked him..."Now do you like your TV?" And with excitement in his voice, he said" Oh yeah this is so cool".
So all is well now and we are all enjoying the BIG present. Even Justin!!
Happy 40th Hus!!! I love you!!

Our Arizona Get Away

Justin decided for the big 40th birthday that he would like to just get out of town, instead of having a traditional big party. I was not going to argue with that. He made all the arrangements and I let him decide where he wanted to go. Justin has two brothers in Arizona and a missionary companion in Arizona, so that's where we headed. Now we know that we have other family and friends there also and we apologize for not having enough time to see all of you. We did think of you while we were there. When we left home I think the temps were in the 20's. So landing in Phoenix was a warm welcome.

The the time together, the food, and the shopping was great. Poor Justin...There we were for his birthday and there I was shopping like a mad woman. He was very patient and so kind to let me just have fun. Every now and then I even caught him doing a little shopping himself. Justin is so not a shopper. In fact his mood changes completely when he enters a mall. So I was pleasantly surprised by his good moods while I was shopping.



One of the days we spent with Dee in Mesa. We really wanted to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Dee took us on a hike on the East Mesa bench. It was a great hike and we were able to see the whole valley from where we stood. The weather was perfect while we were there. I was so amazed with all the fresh citrus growing everywhere. Dee took us to a great little fruit stand to buy tangerines and grapefruit. When we got home and finished them all, we called Dee and he sent us a box of fresh grapefruit. I think we need to start a trade system with him. We'll send fresh produce from the garden in the fall, if he'll continue to send the fresh fruit!! Thanks Dee!! You were a great host.
We had a great few days together. It had been 2 years since our last trip alone, so it was some much needed R&R!!!

Jaxson's Project

Jaxson had to make a model of an animal cell this year for school. We made a giant sugar cookie and then added candy to make up all its parts. I think we did a pretty good job!! We have a lot of fun doing these projects and book reports.

Christmas 2009

Another year has come and gone! All the Christmas decorations are put away and life has resumed as normal. I love the Christmas season. The spirit of the season, the friendships reconnected and the excitement from the kids. That is one of the funnest parts of being a mom and dad. It's not about you anymore. It's about the kids and the making it the best holiday for them. I'm pretty sure that all the Chistmas wishes came true.
We stayed home this year for the long holiday. It was the first time we were not packing our bags the day after and heading north or south. We did miss seeing family, but it was nice not to have to go anywhere. We enjoyed the holiday playing games, going to movies and playing in the snow. Over the break Kinsley got her braces off and Lilly lost her first tooth.
It was another great year and a great time was had by all!!

December Happenings

Its been awhile since my last post. This seems to be a common occurrence for me lately. Since the last post, we went to Utah for Thanksgiving and are now in the thick of Christmas preparations. I am proud to say that I am done with all my shopping, the jammies are done, the Chirstmas cards are being stuffed and addressed, and now have I to get wrapping.
The kids are busy in their various activities and I am busy running them everywhere!
Jaxson is playing basketball and the their team is 10-2 right now. He also scored perfect score on his cumulative tests and the end of the term. WOW!!
Kinsley is busy with dance and friends.
Lilly loves gymnastics. She is so close to her round-off back handspring. She was also asked to join the Babes dance team for Dance Addiction. They had someone drop out and the Nikki, the dance teacher, called Lilly to ask if she would want to take that spot. Lilly is thrilled and cant wait to get started.
Tyce...what can I say about Tyce? The boy never stops. His naps are only an 1 1/2 hours and it's all I can do to keep up with his messes. He is into everything. Justin and I say all the time that we do not remember the other kids doing any of what Tyce does. It's a good thing he's so cute!!

Happy Birthday Tyce!!!

I can't believe Tyce turned 1!! Yesterday was the big day for Tyce. It does not seem like a year ago that we welcomed our sweet baby boy to our family. Tyce has added so much laughter and love to our home. He loves to growl while making the "Hulk" motion. He has been doing this for awhile now, and we never seem to get enough of it. He also has a scream combined with the growl, that we all call his Pterodactyl scream. As annoying as it is, we still laugh at it. We are so bleesed that he is a part of our family.

We Love You Tyce!!