The Walkers

Chinese New Year

2010-03-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated Chinese New Year! It's the year of the lion. Jim and I are going to China in early March so I thought it would be fun to tell the kids about where we are going and attempt to make Chinese food. My good friend Carollee had decorations already so I put them up and whipped up some sweet and sour chicken, rice and fortune cookies. I turned out to be fun. The kids like the colors and the dragon. China here we come!!

The great escape!

2010-03-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

The escape!

So happy to leave!!

Old Pals reunited!!

January brought the release of David from the State Hospital in Provo. He spent three months there. Jim and I would visit him just about every Sunday since he went in. It was one of the most heart breaking things to watch someone endure. Especially someone who doesn't understand why they are there. He finally passed all of the things he need to do and was release. Bonnie was up from St. George for Little Buddy's endowments. He will be leaving for Mexico in March for his mission. (Can't believe it) Any how we picked up Bonnie, Cathy and Joey to go and pick up David. Of course he was packed 5 mins after they told him he would be going home. In fact he called Jim to ask us to hurry. I think he was afraid they would change their mind. LOL. After all the paperwork was signed I told him to pose for a picture and act like he was escaping! He thought it was funny. During his time in the hospital we watch his dog Jada. I was so happy to let her go home with David. My house has never seen so much fur!!

Ice Skating or falling....take your pick.

2010-03-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

This year for a new tradition on Christmas Eve we decided to go ice skating. The boys loved it and Savannah....well she liked it better towards the end. After a few close encounters with the ice to face we decided that Savannah probably needed a helmet. Rylan & Dylan got ice hockey skates instead of the regular ice skates. Rylan wore ankle socks instead of tube socks and rubbed is poor leg raw to the point of bleeding. Note to self next year long socks a MUST! All in all the kids want to do it again.

Chirstmas PJ'S

2010-03-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

You would think it would have been so much easier to get a picture with all three of them in it. Yep, but I like to do things the hard way I guess....here to livin on the edge...

Awards!

2010-03-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yikes...He is a BOY SCOUT now!! His first award.

Thanksgiving

2010-03-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

The cook.

The hungry brood.
I am so "thank"ful for my family. I love them so much.

Thankful

2010-03-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

This year I was in charge of the Thanksgiving lesson in YW. I found this awesome talk that Pres. Monson gave about service. I thought that is perfect for Thanksgiving since we are "thankful" for all the service we have received and done over the year. Anyhow in the great tradition that most people have of saying what you are "thankful" for I decided to have the girls put them on fall leaves. The basic idea was to show them that their service is great in the sight of Heavenly Father. And if we put all of the leaves or "service" in one area it becomes many just like the leaves on a tree. It was a fun visual for them.

Disastrous!!

2010-03-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yep! That is Savannah's missing eyebrow!! So how did this happen you ask? Well she decided to take a shower in our bathroom. She looks up in the soap dish to see my razor sitting there. I suppose she decided that it would be a really good idea to shave off her eyebrow. The killer part of the story is, this was a Sunday morning and in the mad dash to get to church on time, I didn't even notice until we where home. Yep that’s right she when to church like that. Guess it's a good thing her eyebrows are so light that no one noticed. Not even her Mom. Sheesh! Kids! Yep!

So much fun!!

2009-11-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this weekend is already over. It went by too fast. Savannah and I went to Baltimore to visit my sister Angela, her hubby Nick and Baby Ian. He is the cutest little baby ever. We went to his doctor's visit and he is a whooping 6 lbs 6 oz. at 2 weeks. Seriously, my kids were never this small outside the womb. I enjoyed every second with him. He is such a cuddler. His little goo's are to die for. Can you tell I am in love? I also got to spend some time with my little brother Mathew. He has been living in Miami for the past 5 months trying to launch a computer software company. Things are going well for him. This makes me happy for him. Ang and Nick took Savannah and I to Washington DC to check out the white house and the monuments around town. It is so amazing to see these buildings in real life. Takes history to a whole new level. I am so bummed that some of my siblings and newest nephew live so far away. But there is always Skype. Right? Or at least that is what I keep telling myself. Love you Baby Ian...see you in January!

Aren't these cute??

2009-11-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

I made these darling witch shoes for all of my YW girls. I rolled up some cute halloween socks inside the shoe. I also added a bag of candy...Ofcourse what would Halloween be with out the candy. Right?

Halloween

2009-11-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that Halloween was on Saturday this year. For one thing I didn't feel like a chicken with its head cut off...running from one thing to the next. Trying to race across town to get home in time to trick or treat. This year was very relaxed. I decided that I wanted to make a fun/spooky dinner. I made eyeball soup. I used whole green olives for the eyeballs. It was in taco soup so, I told the kids the corn were werewolf teeth along with zombie brains. We had breadstick witch fingers and candy corn delight. It was different puddings. Carmel, Vanilla dyed yellow and whip cream topping. It was yummy!! They boys went trick-r-treating with their friends and had a blast. They came home with quite the bounty. Savannah went with the Levitres (Sammy and Grant) her Dad and Randy. I got to stay home and pass out candy. Later that night we went to a Halloween party at the Jaffa's. The older kids made a haunted house and had all of the neighborhood kids and the parent to go through. It was pretty scary. It was a fun night. I do like Halloween because the kids can make believe into whatever they want. I love to see their imaginations at work.

Aunt Arlene

2009-11-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

On October 22, 2009 my great Aunt Arlene passed away. She was so amazing. She grew up in Mink Creek, ID. Later marrying John Warburton. Where they were later sealed in the London, England temple. After a long service in the Air Force their family returned back to the family farm in Mink Creek. In the early 90's my parents bought a portion of the family farm. We build a "cabin" or house on the property. I of course have visited her a lot before my parents built the cabin. But since we go up there so much during the year, we have gotten to know her very well. She was very spunky and you always knew she loved you because she always told you. She even took the time to get to know each one of my children. She has 21 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. So for her to take the time to get to know my kids really means so much to me. She is a shining example of service. She served so many people in the community. I come from a heritage of service she would tell me. Her dad Hyrum, was the first bishop of the area. Aunt Arlene and my grandma did a lot of baby sitting and helping many families in the area. I hear endless stories about this. It will not be the same going up to the cabin. I will miss her terribly. Love you Auntie Arlene till we meet again.

Ride em' coboy.

2009-11-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

We took the kids down to Thanksgiving point to Corn bellies. That place it a lot of fun. Each of the kids had a chance to ride the mechanical bull. It was hilarious. The operator blasted the music while they were on the bull. They each got in to it. They were holding up their one arm and they even wore a cowboy hat. We also had fun watching the pig and goat races and getting lost in the corn maze. They had huge pillow that all of the kids and adult could jump on. It was a perfect fall day and a fun family memory.

Do you Wigalow?

2009-11-05T17:27:00.001-08:00

Savannah had the opportunity to do the cheer clinic at the highschool again this year. She of course had a blast. Added bonus the highschool actually won the game. They haven't had the greatest year. Thanks Haylee for inviting us!!

Baby IAN!!!

2009-10-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

After 38 hours of labor, baby Ian is finally here. It truly is a miracle. Angela had a detached cord meaning the baby wasn't getting enough nutrients. The doctor's were worried about his small size so they induced labor. After a long long wait he finally made his appearance this morning at 9:27 am (Maryland time) weighing 5lbs 7 oz. 18inches long. YAY baby IAN!!

Projects....

2009-10-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

The boys have decided that they are going to re-build a go-cart. Grandpa gave the boys my childhood go-cart. This go cart provided a lot of good times growing up. The go cart has been sitting at the cabin for years now. We brought it home and the boys have taken it completely a part. They have been mowing lawns all summer and have put some of the money they have earned towards fixing up the go-cart. Jimmy took the frame in for a power coating. Now the boys need to sand it down and fix a few welds and add a front bumper. This should be a fun project for them and an awesome reward to ride it when they are done. I love things like this that they can learn how to fix something and have fun doing it.

On to the oldest kids I mean man of the house. Jim and Randy have decided to put their pilots licenses to good use. They now fly dogs that are in shelters to new owners or to shelters that can take that type of dog. They are also doing some other projects that have to do with flying....any thing they can use for an excuse to fly.

Boating

2009-10-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Our good friend the Levitre's took us boating. We went to Jordanelle reservior. It also was my birthday. What better way to spend the day than with the ones I love the most!! Rylan and Dylan both did the wakeboard. Then it was the tube. Or shall we say the mattress with backsupport. It was a blast. But towards the end of the day we ended up popping the tube. tear... We hope that we get to go again next year. Thanks Levitre's for a fun day.

Zion's

2009-10-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

At the end of August we took a little trip down to St. George. We stayed in my boss' summer home. It's beautiful there. We took my parents with us. The kids love the pool. I decided since Jimmy has never seen Zion's national park that we should take everyone over there to check it out. The kids loved it. Here are some of the pictures from our trip.

Casade Springs

2009-10-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to update the blog several times....but never got around to it...So here is what we have been up to. Every summer I love to go to Casade Springs. My parents took us there, so I have tried to keep the tradition. It is a beautiful ride and a nice walk to see nature.

Green

2009-08-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

The other day Savannah and the boys went in a neighbor’s hot tub. Well I don't think that they take care of the hot tub. They definitely use too much chlorine. Guess how I know....Savannah beautiful blonde hair turned green. AHH! So I enlisted the help or Bonnie. I texted her. MAYDAY!! Help what I do for green hair. She suggested ketchup. Yep that's right ketchup. Well we tried it and it worked. HOORAY BONNIE. No more GREEN!

1st day of school!

2009-08-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow. I really can't believe that we are back at school. Rylan 6th grade, Dylan 5th grade and Savannah 1st grade. That's right peeps all three kids are in full day school. I almost don't know what to do with myself this year I don't have to find someone to pick up one of the kids. WAHOO! I am looking forward to this year to see the success the kids accomplish. They are so awesome. I love them to pieces.

People I have spent a lot of time with lately!!

2009-08-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

I love these girls!! So for most of the Summer I have been busy helping prepare for Girls Camp. We had such and awesome theme. "A league of their own" I was in charge of "Kick off" Yes I made those decrocations. (don't look to close!) We ended up taking them up to camp. At camp we split into teams of three and planned a whole day. We had so much fun. We had awesome crafts and fun games and a awesome testimony night. I definatley was nervous about going up to camp. I haven't gone to camp since I was in YW. So I didn't know what to expect as a leader. I was impressed that the girls got along pretty well for the most part. Let's be honest girls will be girls. Happy to report not too much DRAMA! Until the drive home. My Jeep got hit three time with throw up. Yep, a little darling that gets motion sickness rode home with me. $100 dollars later and a citrus smelling car all is well. GOOD TIMES!!

M.I.A.

2009-07-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the time or the energy to keep up on blogging. Plus I don't really feel I have anything interesting to post about. I will be posting soon. We have had some events happen....So stay tuned.

Ode to Diet Coke

2009-05-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love thee!!! But alas I must stop our love hate relationship. I am trying to be healthier. You cause me shortness of breath and major headaches when we are apart for long periods of time. Why o why do you stay in my thoughts and taste soooo good? I think it is definitely time for us to part. For now....

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was treated like a queen by my kids and cute hubby. On Saturday we helped Grandma Betty plant our Mother's day gift. We bought some flowers for her garden. They turned out so pretty. Sunday was a crazy day, we went to church and Jim had a study group over. We then ate a yummy dinner at Grandma's house. But for lunch (during the study group) the kids and I went on a picnic. It was so fun to be with them. I was also fun to see how they acted while at the park. Some other smaller children joined my kiddos on the playground. Rylan and Dylan really impressed me with the kindness to the little kids. They got everyone to play hide tag. Savannah also made a friend. All of the kids made sure that each had equal turns. I am so proud of them.

Here is what I got for Mother's Day. Yes. I requested them. I want to start running. Maybe next year run in a half marathon or something. I will defiantly start small and see where it takes me.

Hello Governor

2009-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of Dylan, it shows his personality. He is such a ham. Recently Dylan was elected class Governor. He was very excited about this. As Governor he is the line leader and helps teacher with different tasks. He told me that he might want to run for Class office someday. He said that sixth grade does that. We will see if that is in his future.

More Disneyland

2009-05-13T19:26:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures of us in Disneyland. We had such a great time. It was a much needed family vacation. I love hanging out with my family. They are the best people in the whole world.

Savannah and I stood in line for almost 2 hours to see the princess. It ended up being worth it, but it wasn't fun. We rode all of the rides at least once in both parks. Savannah hated I mean hated the Tower of Terror. She still talks about how much she hates it. All of us loved Soarin' in California adventure. Our other favorite ride was Splash Mountain. One day we stayed at the park for 13 hours. I was so glad we didn't have really small children. I was sick of strollers by the time we went home. We also visited Downtown Disney. The boys were in hogs heaven at the Lego store. They had some really cool lego models. It was Awesome!!

We had a great time in Cali.

Balboa Island

2009-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

We decided not to go to Disneyland only while in California. I wanted to take the kids to the beach and to see the ocean. Balboa Island is such a quaint little town. It has a fun boardwalk and cute little shops. It also had a Ferris wheel and carousel and a couple of video arcades. We had such a fun time there. The kids played on the beach and the playground. We ate lunch at BJ's pizza. One of the best pizza joints that I have been to. To get to the Island you have to ride a ferry. The kids were so excited to ride it. While on the ferry we saw a few sea lions. That was fun for the kids. It was such a nice break from the huge crowds at Disneyland. I think this was my favorite part of our trip.

The happiest place on earth....

2009-04-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

We had three fun filled days in Disneyland.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!

2009-04-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

Today was Dylan's birthday. But we celebrated it for three days. He first invited his cousin Dallin to sleepover. Dallin is always fun to have over. Such a great kid and cousin. Then on Sunday we had a family party. Grandma and Grandpa P came. And Grandma Phyllis and Joan stopped by. Dylan got some great gifts. Dylan was unlucky to go back on track on his birthday. YUCK! So I checked the kids out of school and we went to lunch. IT WAS YUMMY... he got a molten chocolate cake from Chilis. It was delish. We also went to gasoline ally and played a lot of arcade games. What a fun day for a fun kid.

So here are the top TEN for DYLAN...
1. Funny
2. Be imagination ever!!
3. Best smile
4. Shy
5. Very helpful
6. The most honest kid I have ever met!!!
7. A great friend.
8. Has the prettiest (or he would say Coolest MOM.) golden brown eyes ever.
9. Has a contagious laugh.
10. So lovable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN! I love you sooooo much.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

We really enjoyed Easter this year. Well for the most part we did. The kids all found their Easter baskets the Easter bunny left for them. Dylan complained that the Easter bunny always hides his basket up high. Savannah was pleased as punch to find her basket and that it was filled will all pink eggs and a new pink poodle beanie baby. We also told the kids that the Easter bunny had one more surprise. We are all going to Disneyland in two weeks. They were so excited.

We have early church that that meant getting up early and getting everyone ready to go. Normally this would be fine except for the fact I stayed up way too late the night before preparing my Easter lesson. It was combined YW and all of the advisor’s had to give the lesson. Well there are only three of us and at 8:00 I got a call from one of them telling me they were sick. Yippee skipee I got her part added to me....AHGGGG. It, I hope turned out all right. We did the last week of Christ's life. I had day 5 and 6. As you know this is the heaviest part of the lesson. Since my darling other advisor was ill I also did day 7 and 8. We really wanted the girls to have a good experience, so we got allot of props for our table. We had food. (Goat cheese, pita bread, olives, golden raisins and almonds.) In lieu of wine we gave them grape juice. It was fun to see them soak in the tastes and smells. I also brought a crown on thorns, linen cloth, wooden bowl and towel and myrrh. I picked up myrrh in Marrakech back in January. I knew I would need it for something. :-) I wanted to really badly show this and this
but I couldn't get a signal to my laptop. If you haven't seen it take few minutes and check it out. It's awesome. Any way the lesson turned out as good as it could have. Later in the day we enjoyed a yummy meal at my mom's house. The kids got to have a fun Easter egg hunt. We then went to Jim's sister's house and visited with his family that gathered to celebrate Easter. It was a fun day. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Savannah's Twitterpaitted....

2009-03-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Jim and I wanted to do something fun with the kids. We took them to see Monsters vs. Alien's. It was a cute show. Then we decided to go to the car show. Jim and I love old muscle cars. My fav is '69 Mustang GT or Shelby. Jim's is '69 Camero SS. Any how we were enjoying all of the cars and the announcer came over the PA system and said that "Rico from Hannah Montana" would be appearing in 15 minutes. Well Savannah went a little crazy. Mom, we HAVE to go and see Rico. I told her I didn't know which one he was. You should have seen the look she gave me. She even rolled her eyes. At that moment I knew I was "un-cool". I told her okay we will go and stand in line. I couldn't believe how long this line was. It was full of little girls. As we approached the table were "Rico" was signing Savannah waived me down to her level. She whispered in my ear that she didn't like Rico's new hair do. Apparently he cut it. It was finally Savannah's turn to get an autograph. "Rico" couldn't be nicer. He was very cute with Savannah. He told her she was very pretty. She turned red. I thought it was hilarious. She then proceeded to ask him why he cut his hair. He told her it was for a movie he was doing. She reply "oh". I then asked if I could take their picture. He let us. For the rest of the car show "Rico" is all Savannah talked about.

What do you want to be.......

2009-03-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

It was spirit day at school. The kids were asked to dress up like what they would like to be when they grow up. Rylan ofcourse was an Airforce pilot. Dylan a rock star and Savannah a vet. Dylan always makes me laugh. He allowed me to do his hair "crazy" that day. Dylan told me that the crossing guard really like his outfit. When I think back to when I was their age I wanted to be a dance teacher. Well....that didn't happen. Maybe some day when I grow up....

Yum-O

2009-03-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Look at what I got at work today!! I have the sweetest, most loving, hotest hubby ever! He has been so stressed with school because of finals. I just love that he took the time to think of me and actually send me something and tell me how much he loves me. Honey your the BEST!!! I love you!!

Things are a changin'

2009-03-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of days after Rylan turned 11 the hormones kicked in and he got his first ZIT!! Right smack on the tip of his little perfectly shaped nose. So now we are teaching him the fine art of popping zits. (Oh I hope that he gets Walker genes on this one and has nice zit free skin). In other news Savannah lost another tooth. This one is right next to the other, so she is toothless wonder in reverse. (two bottom teeth.) Ahhh the fun never ends with growing kiddos.

Happy Birthday RYLAN!

2009-03-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Time fly’s by and Rylan is now 11. I can hardly believe it. I took the day off work not only for Rylan's birthday but I had to go to school and do a walking parent/teacher conference with Savannah. I decided it would be fun to check the kids out of school and go to a birthday lunch. Rylan got to pick the restaurant. My parent joined us. We then asked Rylan what he wanted to do. He chose to go to a movie. We saw Hotel for Dogs. It was a fun movie for kids especially if they like dogs. We then had a yummy dinner selected by Rylan. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and rolls. He got some great gifts from the family. His favorites remote controlled airplane, basketball and movie tickets. And of course MONEY!

For Rylan's 11th birthday here are Mom & Dad's top 11.
1. Super duper handsome
2. Smart
3. Athletic
4. Good example to his brother and sister.
5. Loyal friend
6. Funny
7. Good student
8. Reliable
9. Honest
10. Very affectionate
11. Coolest kid you'll ever met.

I love to see the temple!!

2009-03-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to the Draper temple open house. I was a fun experience to take the kids to. A couple of weeks before we went I told them about my visit/ tour of the Jordan River Temple when I was young. I talked about the feelings I had and the funny white booties we had to wear on our shoes. As we arrived at the temple the kids were asking a lot of question about the symbols. It fun to see the curiosity they had. Savannah told me that is where princesses get married. I told her yes that's right. The boys were really interested in the font. Rylan only has to wait one more year before he can get his recommend and go to the temple. I am so excited to take him.

editor's note: I copied this pix from Andee. Thanks sweetie!!

2009-02-20T20:32:00.001-08:00

Surprise!!

2009-02-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Today is my Mom's birthday! She is 60 years young. My Dad and I planned a surprise party for her. Well okay my Dad planned the majority of it. I just helped. It turned out so awesome. It was really hard to keep the secret from her. I called her earlier today and asked her what kind of cake she wanted and that I was going to have everyone get together at my house. I called her later and told her that I just got off the phone with my Dad and told her we were going out to dinner and that I would see her later. Connie a good family friend called her and wished her Happy Birthday and that she would come and see her tomorrow since she was tending her grandkids. This was the cherry on top because my Mom was totally caught off guard. She thought for sure if there was to be a party Connie would be there. Nice work Connie!! Anyhow were all got there 15 minutes early and waited for her. My parents arrived and Mom true to form was totally oblivious. She walked towards the table and several people waived to her and she didn't see them. As so got closer to me I shouted out Surprise. Her face was in totally shock. As we finished our meal my Dad had a singer serenade her. He sang Happy Birthday in Italian. We then ate our dessert. I really think that see enjoyed herself. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Valentines Day

2009-02-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

I got totally spoiled for Valentines Day! My cute hubby sent to me two fun things to the office. My friend Diane who sits at the front desk said that she wanted Jim to train her hubby. Too funny. We took the kids to Mall Cop. They loved it. We just wanted to do a low key Valentines. It was so great. Happy V-day!

Someone lost a tooth!

2009-02-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

She is so excited to have lost her first tooth! So was totally hooked up by the toothfairy.

Award.

2009-02-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

My sis-in-law gave this award to me. Too kind.

So here is the I nominate:

1. Shannon
2. Heather
3. Olivia
4. BreeAnn
5. Andee
6. Kathleen
7. Amy
8. Christy
9. Jen
10. Mindy

This is what you need to do. Thank the person who gave the award to you, post the award on your blog or on a post, nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude, link to the people you chose on your post, and comment on their blogs to tell them about the award!

Malaga

2009-02-01T20:18:00.001-08:00

Malaga, Spain

2009-02-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

Malaga was our next stop. We went the caves of Nerja. These caves were discovered by group of little boys who fell in a sinkhole. It was huge inside. We visited the town of Nerja it was quaint and clean. We then headed back to Malaga and visited the ruin of the Alcazaba. The Moors built it in the 8th century. It was amazing to walk through something so old. Especially since we don’t have anything near that old here. We ate at a local café and I ordered hot chocolate and churros. The hot chocolate in Europe is like a melted down chocolate bar. So thick and decedent. The churros don’t have cinnamon sugar on it like ours. But it’s so good.

Funchal

2009-02-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Madeira Island, Funchal

2009-02-01T18:45:00.002-08:00

Next stop Madeira. This island reminded me of Hawaii, so green. We took cab around the island. It was fun to get a taste of the local favor. We visited a local market they have a special fish they eat. This fish live about 300 feet below the surface and is transparent and colorful. But when it’s caught and pulled to the surface it turns black. They had amazing fruit. So much better than ours here. We also visited a botanical garden. They had gorgeous manicure gardens and birds there. We went to the north shore and saw and nature warm springs swimming pool that the locals use. It right next to the ocean. The spray hit the rocks and went up about 15 feet in the air. It was so cool. We ate lunch at a local restaurant and a lot of our group ordered the fish. I stuck with the soup. I am not very adventurous in the food department. We toured the rest of the island and visited where the locals have a toboggan ride. The streets look like the steep streets of San Francisco. Get for a fast toboggan ride. We shopped a little in the center of town. I bought an authentic Madeira cloth for my mom. It is hand stitched it looks similar to batten berg lace.

2009-02-01T18:45:00.001-08:00

Las Palmas

2009-02-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

Our next stop was Las Palmas on the Canary Island’s. This Island was beautiful. We decided to take it easy from all of our adventures the other day. We toured the city on the double decker red bus. We visited the beach, city and cathedral. Christopher Columbus used this island as a stopping point to stock up before he set sail for the America’s. And on the way back to Spain. We also visited a mall. I was nice to have some familiar territory.

Marrakech

2009-02-01T17:59:00.001-08:00

Amazing race in Africa (Morocco)

2009-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

As a group we decided to bag touring Casablanca and get a cab to Marrakech. It’s a 3-hour trip inland. Marrakech is well known as the “Red City” This is because all of the buildings have a reddish coral façade that sparkles in the sunlight. We went to the center of the city called the Medina. This is the busiest square in Africa. (Yes I said Africa….I can’t believe my feet set foot on the African continent). In this square we found snake charmers, acrobats, musicians and dancers AKA she boys. Yes these are men dressed like women and perform. Weird!! Needless to say I was taken back by my surroundings. I was very surprised to see the women still so suppressed. I guess I didn’t think too much about this being an Arab city. So we heard the call to prayer for the first time I was totally freaked out, only because it made me think of the movie Bourne supremacy. You can hear the call of prayer in the chase scene. The people there are very forward. We of course stuck out like a sore thumb. At times I felt like people were swarming us. Anyhow, Sterling and Amanda that we were with found us a quaint hotel to spend the night in. The hotel was three stories tall and it had no roof. It had a tent like top to it and it was amazing to look through at night. You could see the stars and feel the cold air. We had a lot of time to spend in the Medina this is like a huge swap meet. Vendors were out selling goods. Jim and a fun time bartering with the shopkeepers. I pick up some frankincense and myrrh. We were welcomed back to the hotel with some native dressed dancers and musicians. They entertained us for about an hour. The music to me didn’t really have a tune. It was kind of like the song that never ends. It went on and on. I had a huge headache when they left. But it was fun to see their culture. I didn’t sleep very well that night. Not sure why but I was really nervous. The hotel fed us breakfast. We had something like a crepe, tangerines and Mint tea. They serve Mint tea with everything. We then started out to find the bus station to met the boat in Agadir. We went outside the Medina to hail a cab and apparently the cabs have territories and we upset a cab driver. Four ladies of our group got into this cab and the upset cab driver came over and sat on top of the cab while in motion. It was surreal. The guy fell off the hood and put his back against the grill of the car. The car slowed down and it was amazing he didn’t get run over. Both of the cab drivers were yelling at each other. We left to find other driver that weren’t so crazy. We got to the bus station and headed to Agadir. It was interesting to see the countryside of Morocco. There are a lot of shepherds out in the fields with their livestock. On the bus we were pulled over by the police and the bus driver got out and talked to the police. We were all looking out the bus like deer caught in the headlights. We were there roughly 15 minutes. We finally made it to Agadir and were relieved to see the ship. I was excited to take a hot shower and to get a quick nap. Well little did we know that our message back to the ship did not get related correctly. The didn’t get the part that we would meet them in Agadir. So the ship called the US embassy to search for us in Casablanca. So when we boarded the ship we were asked to go to speak with the US embassy in Agadir. They had cancelled our Visa’s in fear that someone would take them and use them for illegal purposes. YIKES!! He basically told us how lucky we were not to get and that if the police wanted to they could have put us in jail for being illegally in their country. Remember how we got pulled over….
I was so relived that we made it safely back to the ship. The embassy reinstated our Visa’s and we finished the rest of our trip.

Barcelona

2009-02-01T17:36:00.001-08:00

Barcelona

2009-02-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our trip to Spain, Morocco and Portugal. Wow! What an amazing trip. I want to document some of the things we experienced. After a 13-hour flight to Barcelona we toured a little bit of this amazing city. Our first stop was to the famous Sagrada Familia. Translation Temple of the Holy Family. This is a massive Roman Catholic church. This church has been under construction since 1882. It was very interesting to see the different styles of architecture on the church. There is a very realistic side and a very modern side. Supposedly this church is going to be completed in 2026. The eastside represents the Nativity; the west side is called the passion or the crucifixion. The north and south sides are under construction still.

We walked around the city for a while and then headed to the ship. We were exhausted. Our first day on the boat was a sea day. Jim and I took advantage and slept in a long time!! It was a little difficult for me to adjust to the time change. Spain is 8 hours ahead of us. Our first stop was in Casablanca.

Happy B-Day Grandpa!

2009-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my Dad's birthday with a movie and yummy dinner. We appreciate him so much. He has really help us through some really rough times (especially last year when Jim was out of work). I hope that we have many more birthday's to come. Happy Birthday!

Marley and Savannah

2009-01-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

We decided as a family to see this movie. Savannah has such a love for all dogs. She has asked for a couple of weeks now to go to this movie. For Grandpa's birthday we decided to go as a family. I sat between Savannah and my Mom. They movie was darling. It was funny and sad. It hit really close to home since the family had two boys and one girl. Just like us. Hmmm that gets me to thinking....I could totally handle look like Jennifer Aniston. I digress. Anyway, the dog ends up dying at the end. (Sorry to spoil the ending). But Savannah was so upset over this that she cried all the way home from the moive theatre. She keeps asking if Gunner was going to die. I re-assured her not for a long time. She then declared if Gunner dies I hope that we can get another puppy. I told her that she could. She seems happy about that. The boys told Savannah that she acts just like the little girl in the movie. Miss bossy. hehe. She totally is. We love her despite her bossiness.

YIPEE!

2009-01-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

I finally got a new camera. Just in the nick of time too. Jim and I are going on a trip to Barcelona, Spain, Casablanca, Morocco, Agadir, Morocco, Las Palmas, Spain (Canary Island's), Funchal, Portugal and Malaga, Spain. I hope to take some amazing picture while I am there. I will update the blog with the pictures.

Holiday Re-cap

2009-01-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

December was an extremely busy month for all of us. I wanted to write something down before I forgot. I was totally awful with getting any pictures. I guess I was way to busy will planning the party, hosting it and making sure enough food was out. SIGH...
The Sunday before Christmas we have my Mom's side of the family get together for a party. I was my Mom's year this year. Meaning she was in charge of the festivities. We had talked about it for months and we were going to try and do it in September, but my mom and I got really sick. So before we knew it December was here. I could see the stress in my mom multiplying so I offered to have the party at my house. (Mom's house is under some construction) What a big job. It took the kids and me two full days of deep cleaning to get the house ready. But, it was nice to have an excuse to clean out some of my cupboards. The day of we prepared the food and the games. The party turned out really well. Just about everyone... Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, brothers, sisters and cousins and their kids came. We did miss those who didn't come. The game turned out really cute as well. My mom asked everyone to bring a baby or childhood picture. We drew a huge Christmas tree on a big piece of butcher paper. We then took everyone’s picture and make ornament out of them along with a number. Everyone got a piece of paper and had to write in their guess on the picture. It was really funny because everyone got Rylan and Dylan's pictures mixed up. Anyhow, we had some great food, great company and a great slideshow.

Christmas found us with out any power. It was only about 21 degrees outside so it was a really cold with out a heater. The kids still enjoyed opening their gifts from Santa Claus. Biggest hit was the electric guitar for the boys and Savannah loved her scarf. She tells everyone that Mrs. Claus knitted the scarf just for her.

We had a nice dinner at both Grandmas’ on Christmas day. We stuffed ourselves. Plus we enjoyed seeing everyone.

New Year's eve we celebrated with friends. We had yummy food and enjoyed being with friends. The kids played truth or dare. It was funny to hear and see some of the dares they came up with. There were a few snow angels made with out coats or hats. Adults played "Pit". Thanks to April and Greg for introducing us to a fun game. New Year rang in with a "New Year's Kiss from my honey. We have really made any resolutions. So we will see what 2009 brings us. Cross your fingers for good luck!

Holiday craze!

2008-12-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

I tried getting some pictures of the kids for the Holiday cards. WE got a little crazy! What do ya do?

Manner Candles

2008-12-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Jim and I decided to start manner candles for the kids. The idea comes from the Walker side. The basic concept is each child has their own candle stick. At each dinner meal we light the candle, they are to chew with their mouths closed, have no elbows on the table, say their please's and thank you's and talk in an appropriate manner. If they make it through dinner without having bad manners their candle stay lit. If they have a slip up their candle is blown out. But when they are done with their dinner, they asked to be excused and blow out their candle. We told them who ever has the smallest candles in two weeks wins an awesome prize. We will see how it works out.

BreeAnn's Shower

2008-12-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Aunt Anita, Beth, Lindsey, Nikki, Aunt Judy, Jen, Liann and Drew.

BreeAnn getting a little sum then sum then.......

Opening presents and fill out advise cards.

BreeAnn and Savannah hangin out.

Karcie and her lovely girls, Andee, BreeAnn and Cathy.

I can't believe its has come and gone already. Denise and I planned BreeAnn's shower and it turned out great. The food was good and the company even better. We missed those who couldn't be with us. On to the wedding. :-)

2nd row vs. 7th row!

2008-12-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

I got two tickets to go to the Jazz vs. Bulls Basketball game. Jim had too much homework so I took Rylan. He was in heaven. The tickets were waiting in will call, so I had no idea what great seats we were getting until I picked them up. The lady handed me the envelope and I looked inside and glanced at the tickets. I looked up at Rylan all wide eyed. "Mom what's wrong?" Rylan said. I said nothing how would you like to sit on the 7th row behind the hoop? Rylan was so excited we started laughing and talking about how awesome it was going to be. Plus we received two tickets to the halftime munchies’ lounge. Basically you get popcorn, nachos, desserts and all the soda pop you can handle. We stopped by the concession stand and bought Rylan and Jazz baseball hat. He proudly put it on his head and we headed down to our seats. I have never sat so close. I could hear the player's talking smack, grunting and I could see the beads of sweat on their foreheads. Holy cow what a fun experience for Rylan and I. The folks who invited me had seat on the 7th row and on the 2nd row. After halftime Rylan took a turn sitting on the 2nd row. He loved it. But he said after the game that he could see better on the 7th row. Thanks Bobbi, Teresa and Chris for taking us to the game.

Dylan's Killer Season!

2008-12-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

I have posted a little bit already about Dylan's awesome season. He made the D team. At the beginning of the season the boys were all a little (lets just say out of control). But the coaches were really positive and upbeat. I honestly beleive this is what made the team work as a TEAM! Dylan far exceeded my expectations. He really dug his heels in and learned every thing he could. The coaches were amazed with how quickly he picked up the plays and how well he tackled. I loved seeing how much he focused. This not only helped him in football but his grades are up. WAHOO! The season ended with 7 wins and 2 loses. Dylan's team was the only Copperhills team to make it to the playoffs. (this includes the Highschool) **let's hope that the football program gets better by the time the boys are old enough to play in highschool** Dylan's team took 3rd place in the 5A district. What an awesome season. YAY DYLAN!

Rylan's Football Adventure

2008-12-01T18:55:00.001-08:00

Football season is finally over. Wow what an adventure. I have to admit I am secretly glad it's all over. For the first year the boys did so awesome. Rylan made the A team. This is supposed to be the best of that age group. In Rylan's case the best of the 10 yr olds. I am so proud of him because all of the other boys on the team have played football for 2 years going on their third. He had a lot of ground to cover in a short time. He definately held his own. The team ended the season with 3 wins 6 loses. At the award cermony dinner the coaches had each of the boys stand in front of everyone as they said a few words. The coaches recongized that Rylan made the A-team his first year and said how awesome that was and how well he did. YAY! RYLAN!!

Halloween!!

2008-10-31T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here are the kids ready for trick 0r treating. The boys went out with their friends this year. Savannah and I went out and got loads of treats. Yummy! Savannah won a prize at the ward Halloween party. I think it was her personality that won not the costume. We had lots of fun.

Rylan at the school Halloween parade. We had to paint his face since the school won't let them wear masks. Obviously, some kids didn't listen to the no mask rule.....

Here is Dylan. He got mad that his helmet wouldn't stay on his head, so he took it off.

Savannah with her friend Lindy. They are so cute at this age.

Grizzlies POWER!!

2008-10-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait....DYLAN"S TEAM WON!! WAHOO! The stress relieved for now. Here is a recap of what happened. We were in a three way tie for third place, us, Brighton and Riverton. Basically each team had a chance to play offense and defense on the 20 yard line. If both teams scored a touchdown and the extra point (we don't do field goals we run a play for the extra point) than we continue until someone doesn't get a touchdown or goes through 4 downs without scoring. The winner of the first game watches the other two teams battle it out and the winner from the second game played the winner of the first game. So first up Riverton and us. We blew through their defense scoring up the middle for a touchdown on the 1st play. Riverton didn't know what hit them. So they were on offense, us defense and they did 4 off sides and got pushed back 20 yards. We then sacked the QB twice. It was awesome we won. Then Riverton and Brighton battled it out. Brighton came out on top. So it was between us and Brighton, since Riverton lost both games. Brighton definitely brought their A game. We started on defense on the 4th down Brighton scored a TD. But we stopped their extra point. Our turn on offense and on the 3rd down we scored our TD. Dylan helped knock some guys out of the way so the other running back could score. We made an all team push forward for the extra point. We win!!!
It was a long night we had to wait our turn. We had three groups in front of us and it took forever. But the wait was well worth it. Dylan played awesome! He played a running back which he normally doesn’t play. He plays QB and Tight End. I was so fun to see these boys win. They worked their little hearts out. GO GRIZZLIES! Next on our defeat list ALTA!! Game on.

I am so StReSSeD!!

2008-10-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I would stress about this dumb football stuff. Dylan's team has made it to the play off's. Kind of. I am stressing.....I can't sleep. I know that I can't do anything about it.

We are fighting for third place. KILLER! I have never experienced this before and I am worried on how Dylan is going to handle the pressure. I am trying with all of my might not to show him that I am stressed. But I am encouraging him to do his very best. Cross your fingers, toes, and hair what ever you can. GO DYLAN!!

Cheerleader Savannah

2008-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

During all of the craziness of the boy’s practice and football games, I signed Savannah up for a cheerleading camp. Our neighbor Haylee, is a cheerleader at the high school, and invited Savannah to do the camp as a fundraiser for the cheer program. The first day was really rough, but we met some great people. Carlie and Heather. This made all the difference in the world. The girls learned a couple of cheers and a dance routine. Savannah was thrilled when the cheerleaders told them they were dancing/ cheering to "Kiss the girl" (one of Savannah's favorite songs). The camp lasted three days. They practiced for two days and preformed at the high school football game during half time. The stands were filled that night with parents, highschoolers and kids. I forgot how crazy it gets at the games, a lot of shoving and pushing to get where you needed to be. UGH! But the girls did such a great job on their performance. I managed to get it taped, but since my camera is broken I didn't get any pictures. Alas, Heather took some pictures for me and emailed them to me. Thanks so much Heather!!

Gillis Girls

Carlie

Why women should vote!!

2008-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

A friend at work sent this to me. We shouldn't take it for granted that we have the power to vote in this day and age. I wanted to share this with every woman out there to get out there and vote.

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE
This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
(Lucy Burns) And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic'.
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
(Dora Lewis) They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
(Alice Paul) When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, xactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels'. It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.
All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.
My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'
HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.
It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party, remember to vote.
History is being made.

Tagged

2008-10-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Okay so my sis-in-law tagged me awhile ago. I finally have had time to get to it. Here it goes.

Seven things that I love.

1. I love M&M's. I love almost all of the little morsels except for the almond M&M's. My nickname for them is "My happy pills".

2. I love to laugh. Sometimes life gets to serious and daunting. I love those little moments that you can just have a good laugh.

3. I love going to movies.

4. I love the smell of clean babies.

5. I love to dance. I love to watch anything about dancing or watching my nieces dance.

6. I love my friends. They are so much fun and they help me through difficult times.

7. I love going on vacations. Come to think of it I need one right know. :-)

Seven things I hate.

1. I hate not being able to sleep in late on Saturday's.

2. I hate to go grocery shopping.

3. I hate filing paperwork.

4. I hate when I have to repeat myself more than three times.

5. I hate mushrooms.

6. I hate eggs. Let me clarify, I like eggs when it's incorporated with a recipes like cookies. :-) But to eat a scrambled eggs. YUCK!!

7. I hate liars.

That took me a long time. Phew I made it through. I tag anyone who wants to try this out. Good luck.

I feel old!

2008-09-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Over the past several years I have had my niece's and nephew graduate from High School. I always pictured myself being much older than I am for these events. Needless to say there is another event to make me feel my age. DA DA DAAA!!!

Looks who's engaged!!!! click here

Although this does show my age just a little, I am so excited about the news! Congrats you guys.

Update

2008-09-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated for a while. I have been crazy busy. Plus my trusty camera broke. (So sad)Here are a few of the highlights/lowlights of what's been going on with The Walker's.

* Football season has begun. The boys have been doing so well. Since I am not the greatest with the positions on the field here goes nothing... Rylan plays tight end, safety, corner, and x receiver. Dylan plays quarter back, running back and tight end. (I didn't ask the boys either)

* I was released from Primary. I have been in for five years. But I love Primary!! My new calling is with the Young Women's as a Mia Maid advisor. Cross your fingers and wish me luck.

* I have had Mono since July 24th. It's awful. I have never been so sick in my life. I was really sick for the first two weeks of August started feeling kind of better and have had two colds since. Doctor says I will probably get everything that comes around this winter. UGGG!

* Jim and I are another year older. BOO!

That is all I can think of right now. More to come.

Bombs Away!

2008-08-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today Dylan participated in the 4th grade egg drop. He decided to make a parachute for his egg. We attached the parachute to a small box and crumpled new paper around the egg to help cushion it. The whole 4th grade was challenged to make up ways to prevent the egg from breaking. The contraptions were lifted to the roof of the school and released to see if the egg would survive the fall. Dylan's egg made a successful landing. The parachute open only partially opened but it was enough to break most of the fall allowing the box to land gently. Way to go Dylan!!

Waiting his turn.

His parachute making it's final approach.

Dylan holding his award for no broken egg!

Miss V.I.P.

2008-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

This week Savannah was chosen as the V.I.P. in her Kindergarten class. This is such a fun thing for all of the kids to be spotlighted, and for the others to learn more about their classmates. On Monday I brought in this poster of her and spoke about all of the fun things about Savannah. I even brought in Gunner for the kids to pet. Here are some of the things I told her class.

Savannah is the only sister in our family. She is the youngest. Her favorite food is peanuts. Her favorite color is PINK but she does change it sometimes when you ask her. Her nickname is Banana. This is because her younger cousins can't say her name. She is really fun to be with, and she is a great friend. She got her name partly because her Mom loved to watch "Savannah Smiles" as a kid (a great Disney classic). Her favorite movie is Cinderella. Her favorite songs are: Kiss the girl by Colbie Caillat. and Mr. Roboto by Styx. (When I said this she busting out singing Mr. Roboto along with her robot dance moves.) It was hilarious. All week long she wore at school a special V.I.P badge the teacher made for her and she got to be the line leader and teacher helper all week. At the end of the week she received a cool award and she met the Principal Mrs. Easton who gave Savannah a stuffed animal.

Lego Mania

2008-08-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Dylan has found some extra time to build this Lego "The Destroyer" machine. Which blows me away because he is so busy with school, homework and football practice. He is my most imaginative child. He loves to build things with Lego’s. He has a couple of friends that talked him into entering an online Lego contest. This is what he came up with. Apparently, the theme is battle ship/machine for Mission Mars. I think he did an awesome job.

How CUTE!!!

2008-08-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

YAY! The newest member of the Walker Family, Shawn! Isn't he so cute.? My nephew decided to come into this world early, but we couldn't be happier. There were some scary moments during his delivery but Mom and Shawn are doing wonderful.

Bragging Moment!

2008-08-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Many of you that know me well know my nieces compete in pageants. Well I am so excited for my niece Dani. She won the "Miss America's Outstanding Teen in Idaho" I am so proud of her, yet so nervous and excited for her national competition going on now in Orlando. This is supposed to be televised but I haven't heard when it will happen. Anyhow I am sending out "Good Luck" vibes to her and her family. No matter who wins the national title, I am so proud of Dani for going for it.

Savannah's 1st day of School!

2008-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Savannah started school on Aug. 5th. She is in Kindergarten, her teacher is Mrs. Chandler. She is such a cute teacher. I hope Savannah behaves in her class. She is so excited to go with her big brothers to school.

Standing in line waiting for school to start. Of course wearing her signature color PINK!

Sitting at her table.

1st Day of School

2008-07-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

The madness begins! The boys started school today. Rylan started 5th grade with Mrs. Ketcher. Dylan started 4th grade with Ms. Ryan-Davis. They did so great this morning, right back into routine mode. This was a huge help to me since I am really sick. I had a doctor’s appointment right after we drop the boys off to school. (Thought it was strep.... but not so lucky it's a virus, so no meds to help. :-( )
Savannah has an appointment with her kindergarten teacher tomorrow. She is excited to meet her teacher, I am so excited that she got the teacher I wanted her to have. I am really excited to see how she tests tomorrow. She officially starts Aug. 5th.

I hope that I survive this year. Between football practice every night, homework and working full-time, I hope I don't kill over. Plus Savannah will probably start dance lessons. I think I might be crazy.

Kids being kids...

2008-07-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Last night the boys picked up their pads and practice uniforms for football. Of course the first thing they do is try them on. They look so little. They are anxious to get started. Savannah was feeling left out so she decided to put her crown she made at her party on Gunner and the new one she made at the library on her. Of course I snapped a picture. Kids are funny.

And so it begins.....

2008-07-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's official; the boys are going to play football. They are so excited they can't stand it. They can hardly wait to see which position they will be placed in. Needless to say I on the other hand am a little apprehensive. I am your average Mom that worries about injuries. I told the boys as long as they run and run fast I will be okay. I am sure that there will be plenty of more posts in the future.

4th of July

2008-07-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to have Brynlee spend the night and join us for the annual 4th of July parade. I have been going and riding in this parade since I was a little girl. It's fun to pass the tradition on to my kids. This year the boys decorated their bikes and rode in the parade. They did such a good job on their bikes. We also saw some of my classmates from high school. It was fun to catch up with them and to see their kids. We then enjoyed a yummy lunch at my mom's house. Later that evening we had all of the friends and their kids over and did our spectacular firework display. Equipped with illegal fireworks. Sorry no picture. I can't have documentation. Luckily we didn't get caught. We had a great time eating, talking and having a water fight. Thanks to everyone for an awesome day.

Happy Birthday Savannah!

2008-07-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today Savannah turned 5. I can’t believe my baby is 5. I was so excited to have a girly party. My oh my was it ever girly. This morning I told her "Happy Birthday" you are officially five. She said no i'm not. I don't turn five until I get the "Happy Birthday" song and I blow out my candles. Who can argue with that? She invited all of her friends from church and her cousin. We asked the girls to wear a princess dress. They did such a great job, they all looked beautiful. And Sam looked handsome as always. We decorated crowns and played “kiss the frog” a spin off of pin the tail on the donkey. Savannah helped me make the cupcakes and decorate for her party. She had such a great time. Thanks beautiful princesses and handsome prince for a fabulous party.

Savannah favorite cereal "Barbie".

Chadda Mantana!!

2008-06-27T08:10:00.001-07:00

Calling everyone to vote for Chad!!! He is trying to win tickets for his girls. Please send this to everyone you know! Here is the link to vote. http://www.971zht.com/!!!

GO CHADDA!!

Uncle Nick this is for you.

2008-06-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Uncle Nick and Aunt Angela gave the boys these Air Force hats for their birthdays. Uncle Nick joined the Air Force about 8 months ago. The boys think that it is so cool. The hats comes in handy when the boys play airforce pilots. Thanks Nick and Angela for the awesome hats.

Hole in my head

2008-06-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

It never seizes to amaze me how klutzy Savannah is. I could swear that she has had more wounds then the boys combine. Tonight is no surprise. For some reason she still gets so involved with playing that she forgets to get to give herself enough time to get to the restroom. You can always tell. She starts dance and tapping her feet really fast and talking to herself. Well this time she made it in time to take care of you know what but in the process she fell against the corner of the counter top. This punctured a hole in her head. She started crying and I went in to see what the problem was and I found blood dripping all over the place. She was really upset. I have to strip her down and put her in the shower. I finally got her cleaned up and settled down.

We got her jammies on and she wanted her Hello Kitty ice pack. She made herself a camp out bed on the floor so she could watch TV. She was so proud of herself that she figured out that she could prop up the pillow and lay on her ice pack. What a character.

OUCH!!

Happy Fathers Day!

2008-06-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

Rise and Shine! The kids and I got up early to make Dad breakfast in bed. The kids were so excited. The boys made the scrambled eggs. Savannah made the toast. I supervised. They did a great job. I got the serving tray and a quick photo ops and Dad had an awesome breakfast in bed.

Jim and Rylan celebrated Father’s Day a day early and flew up to Rexburg, ID to see an air show. Randy and Jim said the flight up there was smooth and beautiful. Once there Jim called our friends the Ferguson’s and they joined them for a little while. They were happy to see them. Thanks Libby and Jackson for taking some time. The show had a few scary moments until the guys realized it was part of the show. All in all they had a great time.
We all went to church and had a nice day. The Primary asked all of the Dad’s who had children in primary to come and be with us for a surprise. We enjoyed ice cream and wafer cookies. I teach Savannah’s class and she was so excited to see her Dad in primary. So told him several time that she was glad he came. Jim is so cute with her.

We then had my family come over for a Father’s Day BBQ. We had some yummy food. We miss Angela, Nick and Nate.

I am so thankful for the great men in my life. They are such a good support for me. I also know that they love the kids and me. What more could you ask for.

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Anniversary!!

2008-06-09T20:56:00.001-07:00

This weekend was our anniversary. It was awesome. My parents took the kids to the cabin for the weekend. So we had a wonderful time kid free. Jim got a convertible mustang to cruise around in. Friday we went to dinner with our good friends Randy and Becky. Saturday we went to a movie "What happens in Vegas" we loved the movie. Perfect for a good laugh. Jim then surprised me and took me to La Caille for dinner. It was good, but my favorite part of the meal was the chocolate dipped strawberries with the sparkler candle. He was so sweet to make our anniversary so special. We then just drove around in the mustang. It was so nice to just be with each other. We have had our ups and downs but we can always count on each other for support and love. I am so lucky. I love you very much Jimmy!!

The Award goes to....

2008-06-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

DYLAN! He came home today so excited! He was given two awards from school. The first award was the Silver Hawk. During the school year he did various "good deeds", he was noticed by different people at school who would hand out little papers called hawk eye awards. He earned several hawk eye to receive the "Silver Hawk". His second award was for Character Education. This is for Citizenship, Safety, Caring, Compassion, Responsibility, Respect and Integrity. These were given to him by the Principal and his teacher Mrs. Thomas. I am so proud of him. He is such a great kid.

I love this bench!

2008-05-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Aden and Brynlee slept over at our house last night. They were so much fun to have over. For one thing Savannah didn't complain once she didn't have someone to play with. They jumped on the tramp and talked until midnight. Since we have construction going on in the back of our house it woke everyone up around 8:00 am. Sheesh! People don't you know it's Saturday my only day I get to sleep in!!! Oh well. The kids were just filthy so I stuck them in the tub. They had a great time splashing around. I told them if they clean up the messes in the bedroom we would go somewhere special for Aden birthday. Well a little bribery goes a long way. They had things cleaned up in no time. I told the kids that we were going to see the horse and maybe see if we could ride them. Aden told me that he only wanted to ride a big horsy. I thought to myself as I was driving these horsy will be big to you. We pulled up to Gardner Village and had them look out their windows at the horse. They were all so excited to see them. Aden immediately took of his seat belt while I was trying to park, to tell me "I'm ready to go". We got up to the ponies and the girl went in first to get on the horses. Savannah picked "Queen". I must say very fitting. Brynlee choose George and Aden chose Sparky. (Equally as fitting) :-) The kids had such a good time.
We then went to the petting zoo. Aden thought the goat was so cute. I thought they were cute until they tried to bite my toes off. OUCH! We then went to the little lake in the middle of the village. Aden got so excited to see the coy fish. They are huge there. They duck were also in the lake. The kids enjoyed sitting on the grass and watching the ducks. It was so much fun to have Aden and Brynlee come with us.

Good Times!

2008-05-31T18:38:00.001-07:00

I'm a Big Girl! Savannah's Graduation

2008-05-18T17:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:52:00.001-07:00

Mom you are the best! Thanks for everything! I truly can't describe how awesome you are. I am where I am today because of you. Happy Mother's Day!

Girls, Girls, Girls....

2008-05-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend was all about girls. The pageant came through town and I helped my sis-in law judge. We always have such a good time. It's has become a tradition every year. This year it landed on her birthday. I deemed it appropriate for her to wear a sash and tiara.
Isn't she fabulous?

We were lucky enough to go to dinner with the pageant director. We ate at Macaroni Grill. It was fun talking around the table and enjoying each other’s company.

I enjoyed the time I spent with Julie, Dani and Jenna.
I hope to see them soon.

The beauty's Dani, Kayla and Jenna.

Oh my how you have grown

2008-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

On Monday we got to see Camden, Danny and Lissa. It was so much fun to see them again. I can't believe how much Camden has grown. I see his picture his Mom puts on the blog but it's hard to actually realize until you hold him. He is so dang cute. It was fun to catch up with Lissa and Danny. Hope to see you soon.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-11T19:56:00.001-07:00

Get away to St. George

2008-05-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

We went down to St. George for the anually Jet Rally. Usually the men just go down but Becky and I decided to go down with the kids and make it a fun weekend. We were lucky enough to get the Boss' St. George House. Can you say WOW!!! I had asked some people in the office about the house and they all commented that it was a nice house. Okay nice house is good. But I wasn't expected a spectacular house. It was in Coral Canyon. That is a golf course community. Totally gorgeous. It had a jacuzzi and infinity swimming pool. They kids couldn't get enough of the pool. Becky and I talked about how hard it would have been in a hotel. It was just perfect. We just had an awesome weekend. For sure we will be going next year. We had a nice visit with Grandma Cottrell and Aunt Judy we went to dinner with them. It was fun to see them especial since we haven't seen them for 2 years. We should get down there more. All in all we had an absoult BLAST! Thanks to Randy, Becky, Sam and Grant for coming with us.

Weekend fun with good Friends

2008-05-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post for a while since the computer has been acting funny. But alias all is well now. A couple of weekends ago we invited some friends over to hang out. Since everyone has been hibernating we thought it would be fun to BBQ and play guitar hero.

Jim and Randy battling it out over "Welcome to the Jungle".

Shawn chillin' on the couch. I must say he is quite the master guitar player. I believe he was playing expert. (hardest level).

Jace looking around me. Basically "Get out of my way lady I'm tryin to jam here." Jace totally gets into it. It's so cute.

Outside playing on the tramp and chillin with Gunner. (Jace and Kaden)

Here is Sam and Grant hanging out. Trying to see what the girlies are up to. Sam is my little buddy. He updates me on all of the things that are happening. They are so fun to have around. They remind me of Rylan and Dylan at that age.

Last but not least here are the girls playing princesses. Mickaylee is so cute. He has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. A combo of her Mom and Dad (Misti and Shawn).

We had so much fun getting together. Thanks for coming. We will do it again soon. **Editor note** Yes there are no picture of the ladies we were busy with brand new baby (Koleton) and resting from being pregnant. (Rayeann). Not me!

New Shutterbug?

2008-04-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

I started downloading pictures from my camera to the computer and noticed that I had a lot more pictures than I thought I did. Apparently Savannah has taken some pictures of her own. Here are a few of them. They are funny. BTW the picture of her close up from Oh My! Before shot is one she took of herself. Not to shabby. I hope to develop this new hobby of hers and maybe I might be in some pictures instead of always behind the camera.

Oh MY!!!

2008-04-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was helping Savannah get ready for school and me ready for work. I notice that her bangs are getting really long and were getting in her eyes. So I sat her on the counter and had her hold the garbage can under her face to catch the falling hair. I took out my scissors and trimmed her bangs. I remember saying firmly to her that she in not allow to cut her hair only Mommy or Bonnie our hairdresser. She agreed and said "Okay Mommy". We had a normal day she went to school and I went to work. Later that night I asked her to get ready for a shower. She did what I asked her and I met her in the bathroom. I told her to look up so I could take out her hair. I looked down and this is what I found. WHAT ?!? Where did the other half of your bangs go??? She was in her room for like 5 minutes. I asked her where the scissors were. She immediately started crying because she knew she was busted. I said didn't I just say this morning not to cut your hair. Yes mommy she sobs. She asked me to glue her hair back on. I told her we couldn’t do that. I told her that we would have to call Bonnie and have her cut the rest of her hair off. Just like a boy haircut. She freaked out. No mommy I don't want boy hair.....I like my hair. I then asked her why she cut it? Typical 4-year-old response I don't know...

I was really upset. I love her hair. It's so shiny, straight and thick. I on the other hand have half curly wild 80's rocker hair. Okay only when I let it air dry. So now I am left with dreaming up new ways to camouflage her hair. Any one have any ideas?

Attempting to camouflage...

Disastrous!!! Notice she's frowning....

Her before normal bang's pic:

Happy Birthday Dylan!

2008-04-20T17:32:00.001-07:00

Dylan turned 9 today! He had a great day. He chose Cinnamon Toast crunch for his breakfast. We headed to church, during Primary he had to stand in front of everyone and we all sang to him. I could tell he was a little embarrassed but he was a trooper and made it through the song. When we came home and had a family birthday party for him. He chose a great dinner. Then he opened all of his gifts. He as usual was spoiled especially from Grandpa and Grandma. All in all he had a great day! Happy Birthday Dylan! We love you.

Tagged....

2008-04-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Shannon.....Killer! Just like Shannon I have a really difficult time coming up with stuff like this. I will try my best not to bore you too much. Here it goes....

1. A Loyal Friend. I have friends that I have known for a really long time. I love all of my friends. I have learned so much from each of them. They have been with me through good times and bad times. I would do anything I could for them.

2. I love to dance. It started at a very young age. I remember watching Michael Jackson's Thriller. I was mesmerized. I love all types of dance. I love watching the dance reality shows. I try and do the moves and my kid’s kind of laugh at me. But tell me I do a good job. hehe . Love it!

3. Crazy about my family. They are the light of my life. I love everything about each one of them. They are each so important to me. They have taught me a lot about myself. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

4. Habit of tag lines. At the office you can always hear me saying "Killer" or "For the love..." I have notice people around me have picked them up as well or have I picked it up from them. I'm not sure. But it's probably a bad habit that I'm not sure I can break.

5. I jam out in my car. I don't as much with my kids in the car, but when I am alone...watch out. As Shannon is fully aware. hehe.

6. I love chocolate. I am kind of a chocolate snob. I only like certain kinds of chocolate. I don't really like dark chocolate or super sweet chocolate. I don't know....I like what I like.

So there it is. Not to exciting...what can I say I am boring. So now I have to pick 6 people. Angela * Cari * Olivia * Lissa * Rebecca *. Good Luck Ladies.

1. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

2. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and post their names; then goes to their blog, leaves them a comment by letting them know that they have been tagged and invites them to read your blog.