Happy Birthday Stevie!!

Update #3 March 12 of this year Stevie Turned 12 Crazy right?! Grandpa Game down from California to be here in his circle as he received the Aaronic priesthood for the first time. He did a great job serving his first Sacrament too! so very proud of my Angel baby. :) On his actual Birthday we had a Stevie Day! Being home schooled and it being Easter break, trying to get a party together didn't work out. :( poor Guy. So We had our Stevie day! we went to the Dino Museum! red Robin for his Birthday Burger! and he didn't want a cake so we made a Giant Cookie! we Love Stevie!!

Fun With Stevie!

Update #2 In Dec We pulled Stevie from Legacy, the school the kids attend, to try Homeschooling. He hated 6th grade and was really struggling with his spirit. Basically , he just wasn't Stevie. Back to the post! ;) One of his online classes was project based. Stevie got a chance to choose one of them and had planned to organize and 'run' a preschool play date one day. he set it up on FB and picked the day, planned the games and made treats! It was a huge success. Stevie has a real gift for little ones. They think he is amazing!! The funniest part of the day was when he was 'teaching them' Duck Duck Goose. everything was fine until he picked his 'goose' and started running. they each got up as he circled and started running with him, when he turned to sit back down the entire group of 10 3 yr olds were chasing him with great big grins!! So funny!! There is a Stevie buried in the bottom of that kid pile! (lower right picture!)

Big News and Beauty!

Update #1 In March we had some really big news!! Steve has been taking online classes from NAU Northern Arizona University, to receive his BS in Management. He was really making a goal of moving up with the City of Mesa where he works. Sadly it hasn't been the benefit that he was promised and so its been difficult for him, But we are so very very proud of him for all his hard working in achieving this goal in the first place and soon enough, he pray he will receive the recognition at work as well. :) We Love You Daddy, for all you do for us!! The Dragon was an Art project of Lizzie from school. It came out so nice. Really beautiful. she is so talented and artistic.

Shame on Me....

I have let the Evils and Convenience of Facebook take over my Blog. Not to say I Blog on FB but I do post. I do comment on our daily goings on there. its quick, its easy and I am done.. and frankly, People read it! No one seems to read my blog. No one seems to read anyone's blogs anymore. Unless of course its some stranger, who is great at DIY projects, or some wonderful cooking blog. But Family and friends? Nope. and I suppose I shouldn't blame anyone, I had a hard time peeking into my friends blogs, because it was so much easier to check up on FB to see how they were doing. To see their kids first day of school pictures or their family Vaca pictures. Then it seems that everyone has left the Blogdom...I check and no one has been there for a while, no where. But tonight, and for a very long while, I remembered why I started my blog in the first place. I started my blog to be able to to share with our Family far away. But mostly I started my blog for my children. I wish I journal-ed. I so wish I did, but I don't. So my Blog is my family journal, of our accomplishments and of our fun. Of our good times and of our love for each other. I missed you dear friend. But I am back.

Jimmy's 2013 Pinewood Derby!

Well technically, its his last! which makes this our family's last Pinewood Derby Ever! have to say, a part of me will miss it. But i think a bigger part is okay with it! ;) Jimmy and daddy made his car just a couple of days before the Derby because of Steve's surgery and such. But it came out really nice! Purple is Jimmy's favorite color so that was a must. Didn't win any trophies, but frankly it was the fastest car we have ever had! Yay!! for Jimmy!!

Big Changes for Katie Jo

My Darling little Katie Jo has long beautiful hair. She was Rapunzel for Halloween and never wanted to cut it. Ever! She hated to wash it. She hated to have it brushed. Every Morning was a real struggle to do anything with it. But she never wanted to cut it. Then one day last month she said out of the blue. 'I wanna cut my hair short, like this!' pulling her hair up to her ear!. Then again, another day. Pretty soon I was worried she would do it herself! so I called a friend who cuts hair, I called another friend to take her picture before we cut it off, and then we did the deed. Jo was so happy! She loves it! She spend most of that day after the cut saying, 'Don't I look Fan-say?' We were able to donate 11 inches of hair to Wigs for Kids. and My baby girl looks all grown up. :( I miss the hair, but I dont miss the morning screaming, or the breakfast lunch and dinner stuck in her hair. :) and best of all, she is Happy! I love my Baby girl.

Katie Jo 4yr Pictures

I know I'm a slacker. I realize her birthday was way back in October, but when Jo decided she wanted to cut her beautiful long hair I realized i didn't have any nice pics of her and all her long hair. :) So I called my Friend Alicia. Let Jo pick out her very favorite outfit, and off to the park we went. Jo isn't easy to take pics of, But I think Alicia did a terrific job! and these came out beautifully. And Captured alot of Katie Jo's personality.

Piggies!!

Meet Gus and Bernie! I have always wanted Guinea Pigs! I love them! they are funny and lovable and frankly very cool. I kept not getting them because it seems like the kids barely take care of the animals we do have. I'm always reminding them or just doing the stuff myself. But I just started thinking, its me that has always wanted them. Its me that would take care of them. So they would be MINE!! Sweet. That morning I went on Craigslist just to see... well there they were! Free! with Cage, with food! the lady brought them home to discover her Husband was highly allergic so the Piggies had to go and fast! on top of all that they lived just across the street in the next development! So one rash decision later and I was home with my new friends! Crazy. I hadn't even talked to Steve yet, I hadn't even met the Piggies till they were in my car! Nuts but so fun. I went home and immediately spent all day doing more research on them so I had a good idea how to care for them. I soon discovered the cage they had housed in, was waaaaay too small, so after more research I found what we needed to build for them. Mikey built it and designed the perfect Piggy pen. They dont smell like ferrets and Rabbits, so they are in our family rm with us. I am so in love and the are getting more and more comfortable with us. Molly loves to nudge them when they are on the floor, but they don't mind her and she just watches. The Cats could care less. Its funny actually, the day we brought them home, everyone watched,sniffed and then nobody cared. :) Piggies ARE Cool!! Front Image of my Custom PiggyPen Side view that shows the 'kitchen' upstairs! ;)

Emergency Surgery for Daddy

Early Saturday morning on the 19th of Jan. Steve woke up to horrible pain in his upper abdomen. He had this once before but he was able to 'walk it off' and take some Tums. This night was different, it got worse and there was nothing we could do to help. we ended up in the ER. After a whole lot of pain meds and an ultra sound, they admitted him for Gall Bladder surgery the next morning. Routine, no big deal, in fact they repaired an umbilical hernia whiel they were there. :) but it turns out Steve, who has never been under anesthesia before, had a bad reaction to it all. They had a really hard time waking him up and keeping him awake was the next struggle. It really was a scary thing for us. After 4 days in the hospital he was able to come home. We are so grateful for the Doctors and Nurses who studied and learned so that they would have the skills to help us. And so very Grateful to My Father in Heaven for keeping my Love safe yet again.

Science Museum Fun

last day of Christmas Vacation we decided to go and check out the Science Museum again with our membership. The best part is.... It was the very last Day of the 2 month long Lego Event! AND Snow Day!! It was soo Much Fun! I love Fun Family Days!

Christmas Morning! We had a wonderful time and enjoyed great gifts and time together. A collection of some of our Favorite presents! I made Blankets for all the kids this year, and Jimmy's was purple with little monsters all over it!... Typecasting? Jo got lost of princess stuff but when she opened the superhero cap and mask, she wore that the rest of the day! :0 Uncle Mikey got a Mr Bill doll 'OH NOOOoooooo!!!' from Aunt Betty. Stevie Got a real remote control plane from Uncle Mikey! its the kind that real RC guys train with. Tough and can take it. It crashed on the 3rd run and so far its not working. :( so sad. But between Uncle Mikey and Steve we r hoping to have it up and going again. Merry Christmas Everyone! And She's Spent....

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had a fun Dinner of Fun Foods! appetizers and finger foods that we made. Then we made sugar cookies for Santa. Jo put out her special reindeer food she made at school, and then we waited for the Elves to bring us our Christmas Jammies!! Even Mommy got a pair this year The warmest fuzziest jammies EVER!!

Holiday Cheer!

Daddy and Jimmy Shakin up their Muddy Buddies! Its a lot of work people! Lizzie and her famous Aunt Betty Oreo Truffles! Every year like a lot of others we make treats to share with our friends and neighbors. This year we made Steve's now famous Muddy Buddy and Chocolate covered marshmallows, cinnamon pretzels, Oreo truffles and Turtles! It was great fun to make things that all the kids could help with and share with our friends. I love the Holidays and the wonderful spirit it brings to everyone.

Yummy treat for Mom!!

Lizzie so sweetly decorated the family treats with Mickey Mouse for a surprise for Me!! She is so talented she didn't even use a stencil. :) My fav is the reaction she had when the boys stole one during the photo Op!

Babysitting Stevie Style!

He's actually a great Babysitter, gets right down on the floor and plays Princess witht he best of 'em. But it was Movie time and he made them his special Popcorn!

George Lucas

Just before Christmas Stevie had his Wax Museum Book Report.  At the school the kids go to, every quarter they do a book report, they try to make them more interesting and fun by having the kids present them in different ways.  This one was a wax museum.  they choose a Biography, make a report, make a poster, and then a speech, presenting the info as the person they chose.  So much fun!! Stevie chose George Lucas! He did a great job! actually the best if i do say so myself. :) he had his speech completely memorized and he had people lined up to listen to him. So fun!!