Ketchup & Pickles

Re-Do

2012-02-07T16:01:00.001-08:00

While my sister was here visiting we re-did all sorts of stuff...she is the spray paint queen! We took Mallory's old pink and brown magnet board and painted it, and added a cute knob. The knobs were all on sale at HL that week! We took my red frame and painted it "Aqua", and spray painted that little can! Cute!!

we took my ugly brown shelves and painted them...made them look kinda cute again!

We have an old book shelve that broke in the move, so we each made a little board. Got cute knobs at hobby lobby and spray painted them!

This thing is the under basket thingy to our broken coffee table. We spray painted it and made it into something to be talked about!

We made a little Valentine paper garland to sting across it to. Looks cute!

I was sick of everything being so brown, so we did it...spray painted my clock. Crazy, I know!! It was lots of fun to re do lots of stuff. She needs to come back!!!

Cuteness!

2012-02-07T15:00:00.001-08:00

More little Hallie...I love her in Purple! Thanks for the cute dress Melene'.

Big Smiles!!!

Little Love Bug

2012-02-07T14:37:00.001-08:00

Hallie is 6 months!! It really does take 6 months to feel semi normal again!! I am sooo glad we are over the hard newborn thing. Even though tiny babies are so sweet, it is nice to be over that!

I LOVE her dark little eyes! She is a good mix between Mallory and Jillian.

She has the funnest little smile ever, which mainly involves her opening her mouth as wide as she can!! She still is our hardest baby to get giggling. We try our hardest, making fools of ourselves, of course!

Hallie Babe

2012-02-07T14:23:00.001-08:00

I am obsessed with taking Hallie's pictures. She finally has cute little chubby cheeks! She is so sweet!

It's Christmas

2012-02-07T12:04:00.001-08:00

Never mind that it is February...but it's Christmas!!! Finally getting some blogging figured out, I've been fighting with my LAME computer. The kids were so excited for Christmas morning. I made them wait until 7:00 am to call for us. They were not allowed out of their rooms until I came to get them. Their rooms are the the other side of our house and they would have to pass the family room (where all the Christmas stuff was) to get us. I'm sure they snuck out though! What kid doesn't???

Jillian got her roller skates that she has wanted FOREVER!!

Mallory got tons of wii games, earings, and a CELL PHONE!

Logan and his new train table...that will be remembered for years and years, as the WORST toy to get your kids for Christmas. This little gem took hours and hours to set up. It's fun though!

Mallory was excited for her new ihome. (i was too)

Jillian got tons of crafty things...anything to keep this girl busy is great!!

Hallie's little stash! She got some crib toys... since she finally gets her crib!

My totally awesome sister made little Hallie her stocking! I love it!

Me and little Puddin' ready for church! (I took her in her Christmas jammies...I was too tired to get a dress on her)

This may be my most favorite picture of Christmas. For some reason he had to wear his boots and this little bandanna thing he found in his room...so random! He wore it all day long!

Logan got all sorts of boy toys...guns, light sabers, star wars toys, legos, cars, and monster trucks!!

Hallie got a sing-a-majig...sp??

Christmas Eve

2012-01-27T21:12:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve was a super busy day...as usual. We had a big dinner with our friends, neighbors, and missionaries. We had a blast. We played lots of gift games, and Christmas Bingo. I made all the Christmas traditional food, Ham, potato casserole, roasted vegetables, yummy homemade rolls, and of course peppermint ice cream pie for dessert! The kids were all so hyper, the missionaries tend to make them a bit crazy. After everyone left, around 10:30, we quickly got the kids to bed and started all the work! Michael was up until 2:30, due to a certain somebody's train table. He was not happy. 9:00 church came way to quick. The kids opened up their new Christmas jammies. This was the only good picture of all the kids. Logan had to have to chips, and Hallie was so cranky. She may have been ignored and passed from Mallory and Jillian all day.Christmas is so NOT a relaxing time

I love love love the girls purple snowman jammies...from Kohls.

We never found all of our Christmas ornaments, so our tree was a little funny this year. (They are still MIA...have no idea where those DUMB packers stashed them).

I love having a baby at Christmas. Hallie is at such a fun and cute stage.

My Sleeping Sweetie

2012-01-27T21:06:00.001-08:00

Hallie LOVED laying under the Christmas tree and stretching out. She loved grabbing the tulle and ribbon from the presents and playing with them. It was a sad day when we took the tree down. It kept her buys for hours. She feel asleep after our walk, that is why she had a hat on...it does get cold here!

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Christmas Hallie

2012-01-27T20:53:00.001-08:00

My little baby is 5 months here, and so cute! I love these pictures. She is so smiley and sweet! Compliments to Hobby Lobby for the outrageously large bow that is simply adorable!

Jillian is 7!!!

2012-01-27T20:48:00.001-08:00

My Little JilliPop is already 7!!! So Crazy! It seems like since she turned 3 the years have all meshed together. She is spunky and crazier than ever...keeps us questioning why we decided to have children...not nice but true. She just has a bigger than life personality that is HARD to tame. She is a sweetheart too. We celebrated her birthday at my parents house while we were visiting for Thanksgiving.

She got presents from Gramma and Papa, and Nana!

Fijit joined our family...thanks to the grandparents. It is a fun toy!

Nana got her super cute boots and some cute clothes!

Nana and Jillian

We had brownie sundae's.

Back at home on her real birthday we had a little family party minus Michael...he was out Elk Hunting. I think Jillian will hold this against him for awhile. She said she was like the girl in Mr. Popper's Penguins, whose dad was never there on her b-day...so sad! After school we went to the movie and then she chose Panda Express for dinner...her absolute favorite!

Don't judge me on this cake...it was good. I have not been on my domestic-crafty game for awhile!

My sis made her this super cute purse and filled full of smelly store things (Bath and Body Works)

She still loves Barbies! The thing on her forehead is a monkey tattoo...I got a pack of them at Hobby Lobby for fun, and only Jillian would put it right on her head. Silly Girl!

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-10T14:41:00.001-08:00

We were at my parents house for Thanksgiving...after last year I was NOT going to cook and threw up all day. It was a great day. My mom, Mallory, and I cooked most of the day.

There was some leaf playing. Not sure if my kids even knew that it okay to roll around in them. They had a blast.

Logan and Papa did the apples for our apple pie.

Michael hid in the bedroom with my ipad most of the time...as long as he had Hallie I was ok!

She is a Daddy's girl FOR SURE!

Cute little Turkey!

All the cooker-girls, and the turkey. Turned out yummy!

Logan had his eye on his chocolate turkey from See's all day. He wanted to break right into first thing. He knew he had to eat his turkey first...so he gobbled up his dinner so fast. He was on to his chocolate before I even started eating. Hallie cried through most of the dinner. Always lovely!

Nana and Mallory

Finally my chocolate!!!

Telling the pilgrim story!

Oakland Zoo

2012-01-10T13:08:00.001-08:00

Since we don't have a zoo (or really anything for that matter) around us, the kids wanted to go to "Grammas" zoo.

The sun bear was so close to us. The kids loved him.

Little Yosemite

2012-01-10T13:02:00.001-08:00

While we were at my parents for Thanksgiving (It has been a long time since I have posted)...we went hiking. We loved the beautiful area, with green living things. I forget how pretty everywhere else is. I miss it!

Logan LOVES hiking...he says it hokin. He LOVES Papa too, so he was one happy little boy.

He loves sticks too!

The girls came up here last year with everyone. They had a blast, minus Jillian and Papa taking a BIG tumble.

Last year I guess there was a waterfall or a running stream. It had dried up quite a bit. Logan and I didn't hike up the crazy slippery rocks!

Jillian was crying from falling. Her chest was all scratched up.

Gingerbread Waffles with Caramel Syrup

2011-12-17T14:20:00.001-08:00

These are so fun and Christmasy not to mention YUMMY!!! I love finding recipes to liven things up here!

Gingerbread Waffles
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
6 TB melted butter
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix by hand brown sugar and egg yolks until well blended. Stir in buttermilk, molasses, and butter. In separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Mix in with wet. Beat egg whites and fold into batter. Do no over mix!

Caramel Syrup
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 TB corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

In a large pot combine butter, buttermilk, syrup, sugar, and soda. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Keep stirring until it turns into a dark Carmel colored syrup. **Note, Use a Large pot because the soda makes the syrup boil up high**

I whipped up some homemade whip cream with a hint of cinnamon in it...Really good. (made sure I ran today too)

Mint Brownie Recipe

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Yummy Mint Brownies

For the Brownies:
1 cup melted butter ( i cut this down by a 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar ( i cut this down a little too)
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Whisk together melted butter and cocoa. Then add sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix Well. Then add sifted flour. Stir by hand and don't over mix.

Bake at 350 in a greased 9X13 for 25-28 minutes (mine always take closer to 28 minutes)

Cool completely (or stick in freezer for a little bit).

Frosting:
1/2 cups butter ( I only use a 1/4 cup)
2TB Milk
2 cups Powered sugar
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
green food coloring.
(This is just a basic butter cream frosting that all of you probably already make. I don't follow the recipe I wrote it down just in case. I like a little more than this recipe calls for so I use more milk and more P. sugar. This is the only minty part of the brownie so I use a good teaspoon plus a little extra. Don't use the mint or spearmint extract...they are nasty. Make sure is says Peppermint. Watkins is my fav!)

Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet ch.chip.
Melt it together and stir really good. Drizzle it all over the brownies and frosting.
I cut down the butter and add a little cream instead.

Don't say I didn't warn you!!! They are sooo addicting. Happy Christmas Cooking!

My 11 Year Old

2011-12-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Mallory's birthday was the day after we blessed little Hallie. My parents stuck around one more day to celebrate. We picked the girls up at lunch time, and went to a yummy sandwich place. Then Papa watched the rest of the kids while my mom and I took Mallory shopping. She got lots of real earrings, this scarf and hat too. She loves to be stylish! After we shopped we came back and had a little party at home. Was pretty low key, but that is all I could do after the crazy week that we had. Oh yes, she did get Wonderstruck so she was thrilled!!!

I made the sweetest looking cake ever (NOT...but she like it. It was actually yummy. It was white cake with homemade raspberry filling).

My mom made her this super cute owl blanket! She learned a new crochet edge.

Then there is LOGAN....he gets soo silly when anyone has a birthday. He always thinks it is for him!

This is his mean dragon face!

Cute Boy!

...and silly

Hallie's Blessing Day

2011-11-26T23:39:00.001-08:00

We finally found a weekend that worked with most of our families to bless little Hallie. So, my parents, my sister's family, and Kyle came. And Michael's parents drove down for it too. They hadn't seen Hallie yet, so we were excited for them to come visit. We had a fun weekend with family and lots of activity...and crying from Hallie. She was in her super fussy mode. Michael gave her half a blessing because she decided she wanted to sing right into the microphone. She is SOOOO fussy!!!!!! (Have i mentioned that before, not sure???) But she looked adorable.

Amanda and I. I think Hallie looks like an old fashion doll baby here, with the bonnet and the serious face. She looks like some old pictures of babies in my family.

Michael's parents and us

We went to do a kissy picture, but I remembered I had lip gloss on and didn't want to get it all over her dress!

Our first family picture since we have been a family of 6! Logan hates pictures!

Me and all the kids and cousins! I love Logan's face...he's a TURKEY!!



The baby was so done with pictures!!

We had a such a fun week. In 1 week we had Halloween, Michael's birthday, family come for the Blessing, and then the next day was Mallory's Birthday! I think I slept about 8 hours total for the whole week. I was wasted by the end!

Local Flavor

2011-11-26T23:31:00.001-08:00

The weekend we blessed our little Hallie, we went to explore what our town has to offer....pretty much the London Bridge and the Lake! So that is where we took our families.

The Bridge is the actual London Bridge. If you google it, you can read all about it.

My parents

I guess it's a bit prettier than Yuma!

I think it is totally random that the McCulloch dude paid millions to bring this bridge over here!!!

My sisters kids and Mallory and Jillian. I was at the care with 2 very fussy babies.

The little teenie boppers!

Michael's parents came too!

So this is where it happened!!! While everyone was standing here looking at the peaceful lake, a party boat came under the bridge sharing the local flavor with everyone!!! I have warned people about the lake...we can't really go back. So, on this party boat were 3 or 4 topless girls with a lot of silicone bouncing all over the place. They were wearing pasties, which I am not proud that I even know what they are. I wouldn't google them either!! However, we still had a fun day and gave everyone great memories!

How Old Are We???

2011-11-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Michael's birthday is the day after Halloween. The only worse day would be the day after Christmas! It's always "all I can do" to get through the Halloween week, only to have another party the next day. I'm usually up for parties, but so not this year. Unfortunately, Michael had to go to the State office for business (3 hours away), so we had a late party. He never got his sushi lunch that I promised him...so sad! Mallory and I tried to recreate the best chocolate cake on earth, found at Nothing Bundt Cake...and we came close. Michael loved it. All of the sudden this day is a blurr to me. I think we grilled steak and vegetables and had a yummy dinner.

I think Hallie liked the fire...I should light one more often. Anything to keep her happy.

She was happy to see here Daddy. She likes Michael way more than me!

This was Michael's big present from all of us. Logan and I shopped all day for it.

Logan thinks that anytime there is a party it is Logan's party...he says " it's Gogan's burday."

Oh Jillian...you always make me laugh, that is when you are not making me cry!

We gave him a big fire pit! We have needed one for so long.

Of course, the box is the best part. Actually, I think we should set up our big moving boxes for Christmas. May be the best gift ever.

Halloween

2011-11-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Halloween has already come and gone! Where did that time go?? I kinda didn't plan for my kids costumes this year as usual. This baby takes away all my thinking and wanting to do anything! Originally the kids all wanted to be Star Wars characters, but that didn't happen. So, the old standby cheerleading uniform made it out of hiding after almost 15 years! I talked Jillian into wearing her Rapunzel dress if I bought the wig. She was so happy to have the wig.

We should have had these curly hair pieces back in the day. I slept with sponge curlers so many nights!

She looks so funny with the wig on. I know why the movie is called Tangled! That is exactly what the wig did!

My Little Dragon! So cute! This is the ONLY part of Halloween that I like. I love seeing little kids dressed up in cute costumes. I hate all the ugliness of Halloween. I ordered his dragon costume off of ebay. So I wasn't sure about it. It turned out so cute and worth every penny! He loves playing in it. It was filled hours of fun...not to mention really loud roaring, trying to scare his sisters. People from the city were taking his picture all night when we went to the party on main street.

The actual day of Halloween always turns into complete craziness...and it did! It seemed like we had so much going on that day, trying to make it fun for the kids! 20 minutes before we left to go downtown to the trick-or-treating party a 2 liter bottle of Root Beer exploded somehow. The entire bottle went all over my kitchen floor and splattered on EVERYTHING!! It was a nightmare, but my house did smell good! I was loving my steam mop all night.

Since we had trunk or treating a few nights before Halloween, the Rapunzel wig did not make it. We had to braid it all back. But it looked cute still.

We got yummy cotton candy downtown...the best part if the night. We wont be going back here next year. I wish someone would have told me its not appropriate for kids...we saw a lot of BOOTIE, not to mention other things. Gotta love it here!

Logan LOVED trick-or-treating, but would not let go of my hand. He got freaked out by all the scary masks.

I always make my kids trick-or-treat at my door for a special treat!

Logan was so tired and just wanted to play in his car at this point.

After all the fun, we came back and had pizza and witches brew, with more Root Beer!

I didn't get a picture of little Hallie in her cute Halloween outfit. She was busy spitting up and crying...imagine that!

Playin' In San Diego

2011-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

The day after our Taylor concert we hung around San Diego having too much fun! Ella, Mallory, and Amanda were in one room, and the rest of my kids were in with me. We woke up at 7:00 a.m, and the others woke up at 11:00 a.m.!! SO NOT FAIR!! If I slept long enough to dream, that is what I would dream of. We went to all the fun little shops in Old Town. The Candy Store was our favorite. They have real Taffy! So Yummy!

It is so pretty there.

There was lots of Dia Day Los Muertos stuff all over, since it was October.

We had a late lunch at the Old Town Mexican Cafe, our favorite!

After Old Town, I wanted to do some shopping (there is NO shopping where I live, kinda sad). So, we found a Mall and a Target with 2 floors! The girls bought these Taylor Swift calenders.

After hours in Target, we found a Clairs...for EAR PIERCING!! Mallory, the sweet talker that she is, talked her father into letting her get her ears pierced. This has been an on-going disagreement in our family. I am proud of Mallory learning how to sweet talk after all these years!

She got so nervous in the chair waiting. I kept telling her that she didn't have to do it, but she insisted!

Then Ella had her ears pierced. We were in the store FOREVER!!! I think Logan opened every package at his height!

After the ear piercing, we found some ice cream. Cute girls showing off their "new"self! They bought matching sweatshirts at Target!
Back at the hotel we all got a little silly. The girls went Taylor Swift dance party on us.

Nice 4 Star Hotel bed jumping. Hope they don't mind!

Ear Piercing excitement!

Speak Now 2011

2011-11-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I had a crazy moment a few months ago that involved letting my sister talk me in to getting concert tickets for Taylor Swift down in San Diego! So, I bought them for birthday presents! We were so excited all of October, as it got closer and closer. We met Amanda and Ella in San Diego for a girly girl weekend. Michael had to bail on me which left me with no babysitter for the concert. Luckily my brother has a friend that works in San Diego. I did have a stranger babysit my kids all night long in a hotel room...so not like me, but was so worth it. The concert was awesome. Getting ready to go.

Here we are getting to the stadium.

Our seats were on the floor, which ended up being so fun. We jumped up and down, danced, and screamed our heads off all night long. We were so tired by the end, we barely made it back to the hotel.We came ready with all sorts of glowy things!!

Ready for the show to start.

In the middle of the concert Taylor walks down the isle to get to this tree in the back. Since we were on the floor and close to the isle, I pushed Mallory to the edge trying to touch her. Taylor actually grabbed Mallory's hand. You can see it in the video of her walking down. You see Mallory's purple flower, then the hand with the glowy bracelets that Taylor touches is hers. It was so worth getting sandwiched in with all the drunk girls sitting next to us.

We ran to the back by the tree to get a better view. We were so close to her. Jillian cried the whole time she was in the back singing because we were so squished and she couldn't see. We loved how she talked and the songs she sang, especially fearless on the ukulele...SO FUN!!

During Love Story all sorts of confetti shot out right behind us. The girls Loved it. Amazing concert.

2 of the biggest Taylor fans! We didn't want it to end.

LOVE STORY

FEARLESS

Taylor Touching Mallory

SPARKS FLY

Beginning of the concert

CRAZINESS

Practical Joke

2011-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Look at this picture closely and you will see the best joke ever. Mallory thought this one up as they were all waiting in line for Splash Mountain...for 1 hour!! She is genius, if only we could channel her thought process into science and math! These pictures are a little blurry, so if you can't see it keep reading. It was over 100 degrees while we were at Disneyland and the kids drank all their water in line. So, they filled up their empty water bottles and were getting each other wet. Mallory talks Ryan into pouring his bottle of water on Jillian's head during the big drop, where the picture is taken. When they get off the ride they are all looking at Jillian and telling her how wet she got...she is thinking it is from the ride. It's not until they exit the ride and stop to look at their photo when she gets it. SO FUNNY!!! Next time I go on Splash Mountain I am definitely taking a water bottle.

Disneyland

2011-10-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

After the beach we found our way to the happiest place on earth...actually that is now considered my bed, but Disneyland was our destination! We haven't been for awhile, and the last few times I was pregnant, so we were all excited to go. Even Michael had fun! We met my parents, my Nana, Kyle, and my sister there. We missed Jeff and Megan...they are super fun to have at Disneyland...and the girls LOVE Megan! Unfortunately it was busy and so HOT. We still managed to have a blast though, even with NO sleep. Boys gotta stick together

Little Princess Hallie...getting so cute!

My sister made her this cute Minnie outfit. She has to wear a bib though, little miss spit up queen!

ICE CREAM TIME

Papa loves getting the kids Mickey bars, they are yummy. Thinking about it, I never had one. I guess I was busy with Pea Pod.

Hallie did pretty good being shoved around all day. The last day Michael took her back to the hotel so we could do more. There are benefits to a bottle baby. We stayed until midnight and used all our fast passes that we collected all day. The new Star Tours is Awesome!

SPLASH MOUNTAIN...MY FAVORITE!

I attempted to get a Halloween family picture but Logan was such a stinker, big surprise. My girls were cute.

Gramma and the girls

we even got some smiles

Thursday it was so busy and so hot, we had to take another ice cream break and watch Jedi Training. Logan was into seeing Darth Vader.

So, we were a little crazy with the Star Wars Vinylmations...just a little! The first night we walked to Downtown Disney and went to our favorite Vinylmation store, D Street. They had the new Star Wars series, and the kids all wanted to buy some. Amanda and I put our heads together and thought it would be a good idea to buy the entire box, which is 24 of them. My mom whipped out her 20% off coupon, so we did it. Our plan was to NOT tell the kids, give them how many they were buying and save the rest for Christmas. By the end of our trip they kids had bought us out. It was so fun...guess you had to be there.

Jillian got her favorite guy, 3CPO...or whatever his name is...not too into myself!

Wouldn't be Disneyland without the pickle stop. Once one person has one everyone must have one! Mallory started it this time...I didn't even have one again...I must go back!

More Vinyl Craziness.

Sally, Ella, and I on the Hollywood ride...love that ride, and LOVE little Sally's face, she is only 3. I know, that is somewhat child abuse.

We were exhausted after week of vacation. We were excited to get home and to our own bed and most of all to Logan's crib. We had to gear up for our Taylor trip just the next week.

Playing At The Beach

2011-10-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

We started our fall break off with a fun trip to San Diego. We meet the cousins at the beach houses on Del Mar. The kids had so much fun playing together, they have missed them since we have moved. San Diego was gorgeous as usual! Since we stayed right on the beach the kids started playing before 9. It made for a LONG day for Logan. He fell asleep about 12:30 and they were up by 6:30, and no nap...until he fell asleep on the couch sitting up watching cartoons.

They loved this raft. It provided hours of fun.

Jillian and Megan

Mallory loved boogie boarding and just catching some waves. The water was freezing!

Logan loved playing. We haven't been able to play at the beach to much, so he loved being there for a few days.

The beach is always a good idea. The beach house was nice with little Hallie. She could stay inside and nap while we played. We had so much fun hanging out with family and sitting by the fire in the fog!

My Little Twinners

2011-10-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Mallory and little Hallie were dressed the same so I quickly grabbed Michael's awesome new camera and snapped some pictures. Mallory loves holding Hallie.

She didn't like the kisses!

She wasn't in her smiley mood either. Michael just got home from work and she always gives him all her smiles.

Logan's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

September 11th came so fast with everything we have had going on. Things have been slightly crazy here so it was hard to try and threw together a party. Our friends from Yuma were going to be driving through on their way home from a trip . It worked out perfect. Logan loves their kids and it made for the perfect party! He talked about a Buzz and Woody cake forever, so Toy Story it was! We ended up with a Woody cake and then a small Buzz cake. They were cute, and I didn't have to stress over making a cake. I thought about just getting the small Buzz cake for Logan then making a delicius cake for everyone else. Sweet Mallory pointed out that I would never have time to do that. (I only have time for baby sister) Funny she knows that!

Logan LOVES cake!

Jillian was so happy to see Addi...we miss our friends!!

Elise and Logan loving the cake! She is too cute!

All the kids had to join in to help Logan get the job done.

Logan got a totally awesome truck for his birthday. He was smitten! (It was on the clearance isle at walmart...even better)

2 months

2011-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

We made it to September, and Hallie's 2 month mark! It seems like 2 years though. She is so sweet, especially when she is asleep. She was taking a nap while we played at the lake!

We go back to the doctor this week...we'll see if she has put on weight. For some reason she is really deceiving.

Our August Adventures

2011-09-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

August was such a big month in our family. Michael graduated from Academy, Hallie finally got to meet her Daddy, and we had to say good-bye to Yuma and all of our friends (so bittersweet). Hallie was all ready to go to the airport and pick up Daddy. We were so excited to go back to the Yuma airport and make yet another scene...and boy was it a scene. The kids were so hyper and crazy! So many tears and emotions!!

Michael's first time holding his little baby! So sweet...and in the Yuma airport. We will always remember this place.

Michael and his 4 kids...looks like his hands are full.

So, we had a week all together before the movers came to pack and move. We needed a week to regroup and figure our Hallie out a little more. The week we moved was one of the craziest weeks of my life and we didn't even have to pack! It was so hard to do this with a newborn who has all sorts of issues. But we did it! I was so tired, way more than after I had the baby. I am missing my parents wathcing the kids while I sleep.

Then the girls had to start their new school which is 4 minutes from my house! I hate moving the kids. They were so sad to leave everything they knew and be the new kids again.

They are doing so good in school and seem to be happy. Church will take a little time. Mallory does not like it at all. I don't blame her...her class is a bunch of weird boys.

Then my sweet baby Hallie...NOT an easy baby. I thought she would be the easiest since she is the 4Th baby. Her main problem is failure to thrive...she is NOT gaining weight as she should. She is still plenty big. The weird thing is that she eats and eats and NOTHING! So, we have been to dozens of appointments, have had lots of expensive tests, tried all sorts of different formulas, and practically given up nursing, and still NOTHING! This little baby has had her tongue cut twice, had a not so fun blood test, an EKG, and an echo cardiogram...all while trying to get moved! Time will tell how she does. I think if there is a problem it is a digestive one.

Through all the business I haven't taken many pictures of her. She is such a cutie pie, and regardless of what her daddy thinks, I do love her name!!

Back to the Hospital

2011-07-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

So, my little Hallie had to be readmitted to the Intensive care unit for some photo therapy. She was not nursing, and not having any dirty diapers which made her bili levels sky rocket. So we had to go back to the hospital and stay for 2 days. It was truly an awful day when we went. We had a weight check and then the lab work and then we had to go to the lactation place to get some help. I never imagined we would have problems nursing, after all she is my 4th. But that doesn't matter. Michael also called this great day and told me his academy president was not going to let him fly home to visit. He was planning on coming Friday, but then he couldn't. The lactation lady told me that Hallie was tongue tied and needed the connecting skin under her tongue cut. GREAT! Then the doctor told me she had lost too much weight, even though she was still in the 7 lb range. So I started pumping and giving her bottles. We made it through the 2 days back at the hospital. I really do hate the hospital here. I have been way too much, and each time I've had to check in at the ER. With Mallory going the week before I had the baby, I was getting to know all the ER people!

After we came home we had lots of frustrating moments getting her back to nursing. I just don't have time to pump and I hate formula. She had to get her tongue clipped a second time too. Each time we took steps back in nursing. I think it hurt her for a few days after. She is still not back to her birth weight and she will be 3 weeks tomorrow. But she is nursing and gaining some weight (she will only nurse with a nipple shield though...really annoying).

Needless to say, it was a really hard 2 1/2 weeks. We are doing better now. It was hard doing it all on my own with no husband. But I am glad we were at my parents. They have helped so much with the kids. I am so grateful that nothing was seriously wrong with Hallie. Being in the ICU for 2 days gave me a huge understanding of gratitude and humility! There were babies really sick in there. The second night we were there an emergency baby came in with her lungs filled with blood and fluid. It was crazy how they work with these little bodies and can get them well. I felt so sorry for the mom whose baby was being transferred to a entirely different city. Tears came to my eyes as I stared at my new little baby, thanking Heavenly Father that we were really ok, with or without a husband there to help!

Baby Hallie Janelle

2011-07-25T22:45:00.001-07:00

Little baby Hallie was born July 10 at 3:30 am...that is in the morning! I had all day to go into labor, but she wanted to wait for me to be good and tired!! She was 8lbs 9oz, and 21 inches long, a very big baby. No wonder I was so uncomfortable. I had been dialated to a 4 for about a week, so the doctor warned me that my labor would be fast. She was right! I had a few strong contractions about midnight, but nothing regular. We were all up helping (or watching) Jeff and Megan pack for Hawaii. They were leaving that morning at 6. I wasn't sure if I really was in labor or not. My mom kept telling me we should get to the hospital but I told her no, and sent her to bed. Then I had 2 strong contractions 8 minutes apart and thought maybe she was right. So I gathered my stuff, and we left the house about 2:30. It took a long time to check in (they make you go to the ER ad check in, and I was already registered too). Once I got up there they checked me, I was at a 6. I called Michael and told him the baby was coming. My water broke right away, which was the first time it has ever broke on its own. And 30 minutes later Hallie was born. It was a super intense 30 minutes which involved me screaming for medicine the whole time. I had a horrible on call doctor. The only thing he said to me was that if I wanted the pain to go away then I should push. He was such a jerk. I am glad it was fast and had no complications!

This is her first picture.

She came out screaming. I nursed her and then went straight for the binkie. she had to have it in or she would scream.

I had her on Sunday, so before church the girls came for a quick peek at their new sister.

The hospital was no fun at all. I was all by myself and Hallie never slept. She was sooo fussy!

She looks like baby Jillian here.

I do look awful. Don't think I had slept in a LONG time.

She has a big head...it is so round!

Getting dressed to go home.

Leaving the hospital (only to return a day and a half later).

She looks so tiny in her seat. (My friend made me this super cute car seat cover...I love it)

Finally home with all the kids. I was so glad not to be alone in the hospital. Really missed having a husband through all of this. I would NOT suggest it at all! He will pay!

Baby Shower

2011-07-25T22:22:00.001-07:00

My mom and sister in law had a surprise baby shower for me. It was so much fun. It was at Casa Orozco, a super yummy Mexican joint. She even had some friends come! It was tons of fun. Loving the HUGE belly. Oh, that looks like it hurts!

Nana and Mallory

Me and Nana

Crazy kids!

Me and my girls

Trying to hide the big belly behind everyone!

4th of July

2011-07-09T22:04:00.001-07:00

We had a fun filled 4th of July this year. The kids made their own shirts with Uncle Jeff and Auntie Megan. Thy had a blast learning how to tie dye.

Uncle Jeff was making them be silly!

We made homemade Root Beer...it was yummy!

The kids loved all the smoke from the dry ice.

This kept Logan busy all afternoon.

Papa BBQ the kids hot dogs and corn...yum yum. Think Logan dipped everything in the ketchup. He's my boy!!

We made some delicious homemade ice cream too.

Then we did some sparklers and some little fountains. Logan got a little scared.

Slightly dangerous...give a 2 year old a stick with fire!

Uncle Jeff is always coming up with something new. Floating fireworks. It was pretty funny.

We got to celebrate Megan's birthday too. We had yummy brownies with our homemade ice cream and strawberries and then opened presents. We had a fun day shopping at Macy's in the morning, swimming all afternoon, and watching the capital 4th....all hoping to go into labor and get this little girl out!! No luck though.

A's Game

2011-07-09T01:00:00.001-07:00

We love to go to the firework A's game every summer. Unfortunately, Jillian was the only one that could go. Mallory was in the ER all night and so super sick, with a kidney infection and a nasty UTI...she couldn't even move for a few days. So, Jillian had tons of fun with Gramma and Papa, and Uncle Jeff and her favorite person ever...Auntie Megan!

She picked out an A's elephant puppet. Logan kinda took it over and loves it!

Jeff and Megan took her down on the field to see the firework show after the game.

I love purple fireworks!!

Fair Time

2011-07-09T00:55:00.001-07:00

The girls got to go to the fair with Gramma and Papa. I didn't want to waddle around the fair chasing Logan who can't ride any of the dangerous rides! They had so much fun riding until they got sick...Mallory threw up all night, so badly! Don't think she can have nachos for a long time!!

They even enjoyed the sweet concert, Roy Clark! Jillian thought it was going to be a Taylor Swift concert....that would have been an awesome county fair concert!

Jillian saved her money to play all the little games to win stuffed animals. Her piggy is really cute!

I guess Mallory talked Gramma into letting her go on the crazy swings! Kinda scary, right?

Jeff and Megan showed up and played with the kids...made the girls night!

Silly kids! I sure missed out on all the fun!

Think this was the favorite ride of the night.

Mallory doesn't want ice cream for awhile either!!

Playin' in the Rain

2011-07-09T00:46:00.001-07:00

We had a fun rainy summer day. It was so much fun and so different than the Arizona rain we are used to...it actually rained ALL day instead of flood everything for 20 minutes. And the rain made it cold, not hot and muggy! We need another day like that. I need some cold temps!

Papa, Logan, and I went shoe shopping while the girls played with Auntie Megan outside...what a fun Aunt!!

We can't play in the rain at home, we'll get struck by lightening.

Check out the green grass...who has that??

We played games and watched movies and went to Mexican food! What a fun rainy day. I was hoping the storm would induce this stubborn baby, but no luck!!

Apricot Time

2011-07-06T16:34:00.001-07:00

It wouldn't be summer without going to Brentwood and picking apricots. They are so yummy and the jam we made is even yummier!

Logan's favorite was climbing the ladder with Papa.

Only Jillian would fall and get a huge scrape up and down her leg from a mean branch.

Logan even tried the apricots.

Our favorite part is stopping by the 7-11 and getting huge slurpees!

Shark Shirt

2011-07-06T16:31:00.001-07:00

Gramma brought Logan this cute shark shirt from Hawaii. When we tried it on him he immediately said "no ike it!" So, when Sunday came around I talked him into wearing it and then said, "church, ike it!" Funny little boy. He will only wear it to church now.

He loves the nursery here and always comes out in his silly goofy mood!

Car Crazy

2011-07-06T11:05:00.001-07:00

We were so excited for Cars 2 to come out. Logan was so into it he wore his orange Mater shirt for 5 days straight. He loved the fact that his sisters had Cars shirts too.

Swimming and Splashing

2011-07-03T22:22:00.001-07:00

We love playing in Papa's pool. The girls are definitely getting their swim time this summer!

Jillian and Addison. We've missed all of our friends!

My super sassy girls...they were being a bit naughty!

Mallory and her friend Isabelle. We had so much fun playing with our Yuma friends!

Jillian, Addi, and Elise

Summer Fun

2011-07-03T15:06:00.001-07:00

We made it up to my parents house a few weeks ago and have been busy doing all sorts of things before baby comes. We took a picnic up to the Oakland Temple and walked around for awhile. It was such a nice day up there. Then we went to Fenton's for the yummiest ice cream ever...the toasted almond is like nothing else!

Logan loves the "Waterfall"

This was Mallory's ice cream. She got Sundae of the month which was a s'more combo.

Logan took over Jillian's bubblegum ice cream.

Etudes and Excerpts

2011-06-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

Our end of the the year dance recital, Etudes and Excerpts, was this weekend...which means we are SO done here!! The way the Academy does the recital is making it a demonstration instead of a full blown performance. It is kinda nice since all the other shows are pretty big. It was definitely sad thinking this will be Mallory's last performance with this school. It has been such an awesome experience for her. We will miss it, but I am looking forward to a break!

Mallory and her friend, Isabelle.

She was in 2 shows which made for a very long afternoon.

We Made It!!

2011-05-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the last day of school, and through a super tough year of Kindergarten. Ironically the last week was every bit as worse as the first...lots of blood, sweat, and tears!! But we are DONE!! Jillian had a cute little Kindergarten ceremony. They sang some cute songs and then were "promoted" to 1st grade!

Jillian with her cousin Madison.

Jillian and her kinder aid. Our school is awesome with giving the kinder teachers full time aids!

Jillian and Mrs. Larson, her teacher. She was great...especially with Jillian.

Last time Jillian will go into her classroom.

Saying Good-Bye to her classroom...was kinda sad.

Waiting for the other kids to get out, it was SO HOT!

After school party!

We went swimming with all our friends for the afternoon.

Logan loves to play on the waterfall.

Logan and his best buddy Fox. These two are CRAZY together!

My wild child...what a day we had!

My handsome little guy!

We are so excited for the summer, even though it will be super hard!

Flower-Clip Crazy!

2011-05-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

My friend taught me how to make these super cute flower clips and now I am obsessed. I keep buying fabric to make them. Good thing I am having another girl!

These are my favorite minis!

I love these ones too!!

I've had a lot of sitting time the last week with appointments and not feeling good.

Easter

2011-05-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited for the Easter Bunny to come and visit, especially little Jillian. She got some super cute Rapunzel nightgowns! Mallory scored 3 DSi games. She was so excited.

As for Logan...trucks, cars, and tractors...his favorite thing EVER!!

After church was the big egg hunt. Logan was napping and I was NOT going to wake him up. He was so naughty at church!

Cute Cousies!

Jillian in action...she is so serious about egg hunting. It was like she'd been in egg hunting training all year!

The Easter Bunny was a little tricky this year!

This is my favorite. Mallory tried and tried to get this egg, then Ella (who is super tall) came and got it for her!

Checking out all the eggs!

These kids are so weird. After the egg hunt they all came inside and ate their hard boiled eggs. YUCK!!! That must skip a generation.

Somewhat of a family picture...Michael was too impatient and changed before Logan woke up from his nap. And Logan hates taking pictures.

I was glad I didn't wake Logan for the big egg hunt. I made the kids donate a few pieces of candy and put them in eggs. They scattered them on the grass for Logan to find. He was so NOT interested. He would pick one up and open it to get the candy. All he cared about was eating the candy right there. I think we got through 3 eggs and then Sally found the rest. It was funny.

He really just loves his red tractor..which we left there. So Sad!

Easter Time

2011-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

For Easter we went to visit my sister. My parents and Nana met us there too. We had fun doing all the Easter traditions. Dying eggs, making Resurrection buns, peanut butter eggs, and a yummy Easter dinner. We figured out that Logan is NOT old enough to dye eggs. He kept throwing them across the table like they were balls!

We went to the new cupcakery, Bake You Happy, and indulged in the yummiest of cupcakes. The owner is my sisters friend and she won on cupcake wars!

We did some baby shopping...I finally found some cute baby girl clothes. We made yummy smores too!

Logan just wanted to eat his marshmallows on a stick. He didn't like the fire.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2011-04-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

1 cup of each chopped potato, onion, carrots, and celery

Saute in butter for 10 min.

Add 1/2 cup flour to pan and cook for 1 min.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup of half and half.

Gradually stir into vegetables.

Add salt and pepper and 4 cups of cooked chicken (or turkey...if you eat turkey)

I use a casserole dish or a 9X13. I also use store bought pie crust if I don't have time to make it. Cover with a pie crust and cook on 400 degrees for about 45 min.

This is super yummy!!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2011-04-29T09:50:00.001-07:00

Saute 3 stalks of celery, 3 chopped carrots, and 1 small onion for 5 min.Sprinkle with 2 TB flour and stir.

Add 1 big box of chicken broth, 3 chopped potatoes, and a lot of broccoli. Add salt and pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper. Simmer til tender. Mash soup. Add a little milk, heavy cream, 3 pieces of American cheese and Cheddar cheese (or however much you want).

This is our favorite soup. It is perfect to get rid of all the big bags of veggies that are going bad!

Melinda's Oatmeal Cookies

2011-04-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup br sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal

Mix like a normal cookie batter. 375 for 8-10 min.

This is our favorite! I make cinnamon ice cream (taking store bought vanilla ice cream, letting it thaw and adding a lot of cinnamon to it, 1-2 TB) and we make ice cream sandwiches with these oh so delicious cookies. It is quite a taste treat!! The cookies are delicious plain too!

Emeril's Rib Sauce

2011-04-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

1 TB oil
1 Med onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 can beef broth
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 -1/2 cup br sugar
1/2 tsp of cumin, coriander, celery salt
1/4 tsp cayenne

In a med saucepan, heat oil add onion and garlic. season with s&p. Cook 3-5 min. Add remaining ingredients, bring to simmer and cook for at least 30 min. The longer the better.

I use this recipe when I make the inexpensive cut of country style pork ribs. They never get tender if you don't cook them for hours. I grill them on our BBQ for about 45 min. Then I put them in my crock pot or a roasting pan with this concoction from Emeril. I let them cook for a long time...at least 6 hours in a crock pot and 3 hours in a vented roasting pan. They are super delicious if you can do it right.

(I always lose this recipe, so now I will not)

Artichoke Picking

2011-04-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

We found a little Artichoke farm here that lets you cut them. I couldn't wait to go. I love picking produce. It was so awesome. They were $10 for a bag of how ever many you could squish in. They gave you a huge knife and let you loose. Logan just wanted the knife, which wasn't the safest! They are delicious...perhaps the best artichokes I have ever had! They are SO HUGE!

Logan had to hold his tiny one!

I think I ended up with almost 30 of them! It was SO worth it.

Tour de Arizona

2011-04-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

We are continuing on our tour of the Grand Canyon State! It seems that we are taking a tour of the state, staying about 2 years in each location. Yipee! Michael accepted a new position with the same department he is with now. He is so excited for the change. It will be interesting to see how everything will work out. He has to go away for training the end of May. So, we will move on to the next leg of our tour in August. Wish us luck!

Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

2011-04-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a standing Hemming tradition every Easter. In fact, I have made them into balls for Christmas and other times, and have a hard time eating them. They are so Eastery to me. I can't wait to make them next week. They are so good! For those that requested this recipe, sorry it took so long!

1 box powdered sugar**

3 Cups Rice Krispies

1/2 Cup melter butter

2 cups crunchy

PB Beat all together, form into eggs and dip in chocolate. The old recipe says to use 1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 king size Hershey bar, with a little paraffin grated in. You can dip with whatever you like to dip with.

**So this powdered sugar amount causes confusion between my sister, my mom, and I ever Easter. The original recipe calls for a box of powdered sugar, but we think it makes them too dry and hard to form into eggs. I think 2-2 1/2 cups is the best amount. You need them to be sticky enough to form, but not too sticky to dip! Good Luck!

We Are Seeing PINK!!!

2011-04-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's A Girl!!! Today I went to the doctor and asked for another quick peek at the baby. He was NOT happy that I requested such ridiculous demands, but he did it to appease me. I am SO glad I will NOT be having my baby here. He is not a great doctor!! So, he was able to see better and saw our 3rd GIRL!! Poor Logan! Good thing he is "BOY" enough to stand his ground. I really don't think we could have had another boy as sweet and cute as my little Logs...he is truly one of a kind. Last night he played babies with Michael and I forever. He kept scooping the baby up from my tummy and carrying her around. Then he gave her his binkie and put her to sleep. He tried to find one of his old bottles too. It was the sweetest imaginary play ever. I am excited to by all new baby girl clothes (if the government decides to function) and make all sorts of headbands. I love dressing up baby girls! It will be interesting to see if she looks like Logan or the girls. We need baby girl name ideas too. Please pass some on...only good names though. I am picky!!

Going Greek

2011-04-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Those that know me know that I love finding healthy food (probably to balance out all the unhealthy food)! I love finding food that has so many great nutrients in it and is not too over the top crazy gross for a picky girl, like me, to eat. So, my health conscious mom got me interested in Greek Yogurt. I really don't like normal yogurt, let alone a more thick and sour yogurt. But after reading about it I really have tried to like it. I have bought every brand that the markets here have available to find the best one. My mom likes them all...I DO NOT. Actually, I think most of them are nasty and taste like sour cream! My favorite is the Dannon vanilla, it is actually the only one that I can stand to eat. So, why eat it, right??? There is so much protein and with no fat and cholesterol and no sweeteners, and it is really low is sugars and carbs. It is more money than regular yougurt...so don't let the kids get it unless they need more protein! I eat it over fruit for breakfast and it keeps me full until lunch...and I am pregnant. Just thought I would pass some information on!

A Little Local Flavor

2011-03-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday after all the ballet performances were over, we had a FREE day. We didn't really now what to do. Michael even had the day off!! We were too tired to go to San Diego, plus it was freezing cold there. So, Gramma wanted to do what the locals do. Boy was she in for a treat!!! Since we don't drink or drive ATV's our options were narrowed done. After searching the Internet we decided to do a little hike and visit a nearby lake. Logan's favorite word is now hoking (hiking). The kids actually had so much fun and Gramma loved being surrounded by the beauty. (ha ha ha)

We found this huge tree and put Logan up in it. He started yelling "fall" while crying!

Jillian climbed right up it!

This tree branched was asking for all the kids to sit on it. When Mallory got up she almost pushed Jillian off, making her cry. Then Logan immediately started crying when Michael put him up. It was pretty funny!!!

After our big hike, we went to see the Lake. Logan loved seeing all the canoes and boats. Then we took my mom to a yummy burger joint. It is super yummy...onion rings, and fried pickles!!! A pregnant persons dream...Right???

After lunch we decided to brave the flea market. We have never been, and it is practically in our backyard. We found lots of funny knick knacks to buy! We had a fun day just hanging out.

Jillian's New Dress

2011-03-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

While my mom was here we did some shopping. I found Jillian this cute dress. She is super picky about the dresses she wears. She loved it!

Mallory the Sneetch

2011-03-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have been practicing since January for the big Dr. Seuss ballet here...Ballet de Seuss! Mallory had to audition for this role. She was excited when she learned she would be a Sneetch...we DID have to google what it was. I'm not too familiar will all the Dr. Seuss books, but I certainly am now!!! Then she was chosen to be a star-bellied Sneetch, which made her so happy. She did so awesome. There were long Saturday practices that she never complained about. My mom came for the performances which was fun! She also had to miss 2 days of school for 2 of the performances. Jillian was a little bit jealous.

Here she is getting ready. She looks super cute!

St. Patrick's Day Festivites

2011-03-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is a favorite holiday around our house thanks to our corned beef dinner we always make. The kids and husband LOVE it!! It was even better this year because my mom was here visiting...she makes better food than I do. Mallory's Ballet de Seuss performance was this weekend, so she came to watch Mallory be a little Sneetch.

I made this plate from the big charger that I found at the Goodwill. I think it turned out super cute. I wish I had bought all 6 of them. They were gone when I checked back for them. My girls got into the spirit of things...a little too much. They tried to have a competition to see who could put on the most green...that is why Mallory has wings on! My Nana sent these silly hats with Gramma. They had so much fun with them.

We made a green sherbet drink to go with our party. It actually was good, really sweet but good!

We ended up with these awesome sugar cookies from Kneaders.

This picture cracks me up..especially Jillian!!

Michael was so excited for his dinner!

...and Irish Soda Bread

Gramma even made the girls dollies a cute top!

During dinner we told each other St.Patrick's Day jokes (that I found on the Internet). They were funny! Then we played LUCKY bingo afterwards. We also played find the lucky shamrock and Irish Hot Potato. The girls had the most fun playing all the silly games. Logan just ate all the See's Candy chocolate coins and leprechauns that Gramma brought!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2011-03-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

I never can find this recipe when I need it...

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 T corn starch
2 TB soy sauce
mix all together until hot and thick.

This sauce is good on anything!

Thrift Shopping

2011-03-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get to some thrift stores for quite awhile. I need things to craft! We had a little bit of time today, so Logan and I went to 3. I found these cute Martha Stewart plates. I've needed some for our Tea Parties!

Then these random plates...I am excited to do something with.

I'm gonna try spray painting cheap plates and vinyling them up!!!

This plate was a quarter!!! I'm gonna glue it on to a candlestick thing of some sort and make it into a platter...will be cute for a Tea Party!

I bought 2 sets of Jenga...not to play but to use the wood blocks. Surely something will come up in YW.

This is my favorite random find! Mallory needs a display box for her vinylmations. Hopefully we can make it cute!

I thought this little vase would be cute to paint and vinyl!

Better get painting!!! Hopefully I'll get something cute out of all this!

It's 91 Degrees!!!

2011-03-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

It turned summer here all of the sudden, SO we busted out the swim suits and headed to the trampoline! Logan loved playing with the hose. I think he was too little last year to join in on the fun! We need a new sprinkler head to put under.

Shoes, Purses, and Sunglasses...

2011-03-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

are about the only thing that I have fun shopping for these days (I hate maternity clothes that I now have to wear). I got a big Macy's box in the mail! Fun! Fun!!! I have to post this purse because I think it is so cute and Springy!!! It is huge though. When I ordered it I thought it was half this size.

Where Do I Live????

2011-03-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

I guess all the jokes about this dang city have really come back to haunt me...they ARE TRUE!!! I really should stop making fun of it here. So, my appointment was a FLOP! The Doctor was NOT able to tell what the baby is going to be...Really I am 5 months along. Plus he only spent about 2 seconds trying to look. I was ready to have a fun activity for the kids to figure it out too. I was so deflated afterwards, and I still am. I have made another appointment with a different doctor...I am ditching my current one. Today made me REALLY mad!!!

So, now I don't think I really want to know what I am going to have. (I was so excited to start baby shopping though. So for now, I ordered a really cute Fossil purse that should come any day. That will be exciting!!!)

BOY or GIRL?????

2011-03-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

OK...so tomorrow is my ultrasound appointment where maybe the doctor and technology can be good enough to see what is floating around in me! Any guesses???

More Disney

2011-03-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to the Toy Story Mania ride this trip. It was closed last time and the time before the line was always 1 hour. It is so fun and Logan loved it. We could have gone on it all day. Since the Disney geniuses lay out most of the rides to dump you out into a store, Logan attached himself to the Toy Story figurines. He sat and played with them forever, while the others rode the roller coaster. It was quite cute!

Papa got Jillian Cotton Candy, while the big kids were doing big kid rides!

Logan loved seeing Lightening. The tires were his favorite!

We pooped out early the day we went to CA Adv. We left before they closed...unheard of, I know! Since it is freezing in CA this time of year we didn't let the kids ride the grizzly river ride. Mallory begged all day, so once we decided we were done we let them ride and get soaking wet. We walked straight to the hotel after, and had a pizza party in the room. The kids were crazy!

Back at Disneyland, Logan and I hung out in Fantasy land, since I can't do many other rides, nor can he. We had tons of fun hanging out together. He is such my little sweetie!!

Whacha doing???

We went to the Tiki room and had the yummy pineapple whippies. They are SO good. I need one right now!!

Disneyland already had gorgeous spring flowers up...we don't have anything close to this here! I miss all the prettiness of spring.

We snapped some quick pics before we all had to leave to drive home. Vacations always go too quickly. We love meeting my family at Disneyland. It is such a fun place to play! We will be saving up for new passes!!

Logan pretty much sums up our trip to Disneyland in this one picture!!! Being pregnant at Disneyland certainly kicked my butt. I can usually keep going all day. I was so soar everyday..What a wimp I am!

We ran to Downtown Disney on our way to the car. Logan was thirsty, holding his favorite gun Gramma got him and Papa slipped him some dollars...which I used for him. I bought him a cool Buzz car. He looked so funny.

Disneyland

2011-03-05T22:50:00.000-08:00

We went on a little trip to The Magic Kingdom before our passes expire (they expired today...it IS a sad day!). We met my sister and her kids, my parents, and my Nana came along too. We hadn't been for a LONG time, so we were SUPER excited!! Mallory's ballet class was canceled Monday, so we got to leave earlier than planned. We can skip school but NOT ballet!!! We stayed until Thursday afternoon, then drove home. I thought the kids should get 1 full day of school in for the week. We went to the Jedi Training...mainly for the cousins. My kids don't even know about star wars, but they had fun. Logan loved the BAD GUYS!! We will have to watch the shows sometime.... when we are bored.

We had to get right to our favorite thing...VINYLMATIONS!!! There is a new Cutester 2 set out. Mallory got the cute doughnut one on her first try.

Gramma and Papa got in late Monday so we all got to play at Disneyland on Tuesday.

I got Logan his 1st Lanyard and the girls gave him a few pins to trade. He got some toy story pins. He was totally loving his lanyard and knew right what it was!

He loved the Carousel and Dumbo! He cried the entire time on Nemo, which was weird. He LOVES Nemo...just not the submarine.

Cotton Candy Boy!

The little ones sharing cotton candy while the big kids rode Thunder Mountain.

Gramma got right in on the Vinylmation craze too...she did start it all.

Sally and Logan riding the Tea Cups.

Jillian begged for the "stick thing" ( being a churro) all day. We finally got one on our way out! (Kyle, we thought of you the whole time we ate it!!!)

More pics to come...

Sucker Crazy!!

2011-02-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

We have gone a bit sucker crazy for some reason. I had some old molds from awhile ago, but then I ordered more to teach the Laurels how to make them. Since then it has turned in to Mallory's science fair project, and we have ordered our second round of molds and flavors. Root Beer is by far the favorite flavor of the family, but we love them all.

Anybody want some??? We've made hundreds!!

Valentine Crafts

2011-02-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here are my 2 Valentine crafts I made! The top one is a glass block from home depot that I just vinyled up. These blocks are my favorite. They turned out so cute and were SOOOO easy! The are just 4x4s painted and sanded.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

We were so excited for Valentine's Day...anything to break us out of our ordinary! The girls wanted to make the big pixy sticks for their Valentine's this year. They turned out cute! Unfortunately, the box comes with 50. There are 26 in each of the girls classes, so the only way they would get one for themselves is if someone was absent...there were no absences, darn it!

(totally love my messy kitchen...it just got worse)

So, I like to make Valentine's Day something special and fun, so that includes presents, yummy food, and even better chocolates!!!

Logan was distracted even before dinner started. As soon as the girls showed him his high chair with a big present, he was done for the day!!! He turned into crazy Logan, as sometimes he does. We were going to try an wait to open presents after dinner had been eaten. Logan won (of course) and got to open right away!!! So we all had our food on our plates getting cold and watched Logan be so cute with his present!!

These look gross, but I thought it would be fun to make jello jigglers. This was my first attempt. They were kinda fun for the kids.

This looks even grosser (my camera doesn't do good inside, I'm waiting for my labor and delivery present which should be a canon rebel) I made chicken fettuccine with asparagus and lots of yummy Parmesan cheese. It was pretty tasty.This is the girls fav.

more Logan opening his present...once he found out it was a gun, he flipped out. Little boys are SO MUCH FUN!!! Especially Logan, he loves trucks and guns. How could he not being Michael's little boy. He sees his Daddy's BIG FRUCK and BIG UNS everyday!!

Little sweet Jilli got a new set of Polly's, her fav.

Mallory got some magic marbles and a crystal growing thing that I am sure will be thrown out soon. She always wants things like this!

We dipped our peanut butter eggs into balls and decorated them up. Yummy!

These videos are funny!

Cute Boy Logan

2011-02-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

I have been so bad with picture taking lately. I realized I haven't taken any of my cute little boy (well, today he is more naughty than cute). He loves loves LOVES his big boy bike he got from Santa. Anytime we are outside he goes straight for the bike.

Logan is getting SO excited for Disneyland this month...we keep practicing what to do on rides. Anytime I say Disneyland he immediately puts his arms up in the air! He's so funny!

Individual Worth

2011-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

For our personal progress activity this month we worked on passing off an Individual Worth experience. Since it is February I tried my hardest to tie it in with Valentine's Day. I really wanted the girls to decorate the mail boxes from target. So, we did the last experience, which is about gifts the Lord has given us...or talents.

I had all the parents email me a letter or list of qualities about their young women. Then I fixed it up, stamped it,and then laminated it. I thought it would be nice if the girls could put it on their magnet board or somewhere where they could see it often.
Then we decorated the cute mailboxes...the girls had tons of fun. We did them super simple..I had everything cut out and sticky taped before to help the night go smoother.

After we decorated them I had a million cut out hearts that we used to write down a talent or positive quality each girl has. To pass off the requirement each leader did it too. Then we had yummy sugar cookies that I love making at Valentine's Day!

Jillian's Mystery Tooth!

2011-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break, Jillian bit her fork so hard it bumped her little bottom tooth slightly loose. It bleed and bleed but wasn't loose enough to fall out. Then a couple weeks ago Jillian was playing in her bunny costume hopping around on the floor and started screaming bloody murder...big time. I ran to see what was going on and just saw blood dripping from her mouth. I immediately thought she somehow bumped her mouth and forced the tooth to come out. Mallory was in the bathroom at the time, so I was pounding on the door to get something to catch all the blood. In the meantime, Michael thought something really terrible had happened and almost knocked the door down. When he found out she had just lost her tooth he was pretty mad. (I guess we are pretty dramatic)

So, somehow Jillian lost her first tooth, which I really don't understand still. It was so not loose enough to just fall out on its own, and she said it just popped out. I guess she was freaked out because she thought this was the only set of teeth she was gonna get. She had no idea that we get adult teeth. Such a funny girl. She was excited to experience the tooth fairy...which I nearly had to tape Mallory's mouth shut, not to spoil any childhood fun.

I really hate when kids loose their teeth. It makes them look so big, but I guess she is growing up. She said a bad word yesterday when she was mad at the wii!!! It shocked me to pieces...I hate playground mouths.

Feasting Upon the Word

2011-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

We have such spiritual children...we must be really good parents!!!

Hiking Little Yosemite

2011-01-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

The girls went hiking with all the boys, plus Megan...who gave up shopping for hiking!!! They had tons of fun being outdoors and seeing some pretty things. (we live in the ugliest area)

It's SO green. I've kinda forgotten that color.

Wish they were always this willing to help each other.

My cute Jilli

...and Mallory

This picture CRACKS me up big time. I guess some areas were a little tricky. They all came home wet.

Jeff and Jilli

Compliments to Jeff for the awesome pictures!!