Mindy and Dave

Home Sweet Home

2012-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

We moved into a new house at the beginning of this year! We have been looking for a house in this neighborhood for quite some time. This is close by the kids' school, and Jake and Isaak can walk to their bus stop to ride the bus to their schools. We have great neighbors, and lots of friends close by! We love it, and it is a perfect fit for us! Dave and I have been spending our time making our house a home.

Rest In Peace Perry

2011-12-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

Perry a.k.a Agent P born July 24, 2011 died December 12, 2011.

We are very sad, and with heavy hearts had to put our puppy down last week. He suffered for about a week having Parvovirus. We did multiple treatments on him at the vet hoping he would pull through, but things got worse and worse he ended up with pneumonia as well, and his lungs were failing. This is something that I never want to go through again. We will miss him. He was like a kid to us, with a huge personality. I hope he is up there in doggy heaven running through a field of flowers and laying in the sun. Rest in peace Perry!

Isaak Gets Called Up for the All-Stars!

2011-10-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here is Isaak and 4 other teammates that got chosen to play in the All-Star game. They chose 25 out of 600 players to play on this team, and it is so cool to think that 20% of those players came from Isaaks team. He is very excited.
Read more about this here

Jakob's Bowl Game

2011-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Jakob's team won their last game of the season! It was a tough season this being their only win of the whole season. Jakob stuggled in the middle after being in a car accident and very sore, but decided that he was going to give 100% to his team each time no matter if they win or lose and stick it out til the end. He did just that, and I am so proud of him deciding to do that. He played some awesome games, one had us laughing because he blocked a field goal with his head! This last game he interecepted a pass, had a few sacks, and a few tackles for losses, and was just a huge part of almost every play. You could really see that he played his heart out. At the end of the game the coach handed out a medal to a player that grew to be a huge leader through out the season to Jakob. As you can see in the picture Jakob had a grin from ear to ear. Happy that his coaches noticed that he played his heart out, helped call plays, and talked to the coaches on the sidelines of the things that he saw that could help. The season ended in a bang for him. I am so proud to have a son like Jakob. He is very strong minded and truely a leader.

A Vacation for Mommy!

2011-10-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

I got to fly into Seattle and visit my mom who was working up there on Whidbey Island for 5 days! We visted the San Juan Islands as well. It was so much fun! I really love that area.

My Good Looking Kids!!

2011-10-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Arent they cute when they are all dressed up? This is at their Aunt Amanda's wedding last weekend. They had a lot of fun. Colin refused to take off his "fancy clothes" and wanted to wear them the next day too. Im pretty lucky to have such a good bunch!

Growing Up Means..

2011-10-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Learning how to mow the lawn! This was Isaaks first time mowing the lawn. Dave taught him how to run the weed eater and how most importantly how to be safe!

Isaak turns 11!

2011-10-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Isaak's Aunt Hazel and Uncle Kenny threw him a birthday party at their house inviting his whole team to celebrate. They did a lot of swimming! Isaak got to choose what kind of cake he wanted me to make him and he said "all chocolate mom!" So thats what he got!

Colin turns 7!

2011-10-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is totally out of order. Thats ok. Colin turned 7 in July! We had lots of family over to our house to celebrate. I made him a cake, and he got lots of presents. It was a great day! He is growing up!
Colins current Favorites:
Cartoons-Phineas and Ferb
Riding his bike
Sitting at his "desk" making stuff (mostly love notes to his mom!)
Football

Redskins Fans

2011-10-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

While I was out of state Dave and the kids went over to their Nana's and watched the Redskins game. They all look so cute.

Back To School

2011-10-14T14:46:00.001-07:00

I am a little behind on blogging. The kids started school again in the end of July. Jakob started 7th grade, Isaak started 5th grade, Colin started 1st grade, and Natalie started Kindergarten!

Meet Perry!

2011-10-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

We did the unthinkable and added a new puppy to our chaotic house. He is a white Boxer. Colin adoringly named him "Perry" aka "Agent P".

Soaking up San Diego

2011-07-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

While we were at Isaaks national tournament, we got to roam around San Diego for the day. Isaak had to stay rested for his big game that day back with his team at the hotel, so we were missing him. We got to walk around and sight-see and enjoy some great weather!

The kids at La Jolla Beach

Natalie

Taking on the waves!

The kids sitting by the USS Midway.

Me and Natalie

On the Ocean Walk by La Jolla beach

Colin Graduates Kindergarten!

2011-07-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

He did it! Colin graduated kindergarten with perfect grades all year long! Not only is he a handsome little devil, but he is smart too! Here are couple pics from his little graduation ceremony.

His class sang..it was the cutest thing ever that melted every mothers heart in there.

Colin with his "diploma".

National Champs!

2011-07-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

So this year was a great year for us in football! Isaak's fall team went on to win the Arizona State Champion Game, and not only that..
Isaak got the opportunity to go to San Diego for a National Championship tournament with his Blackhawks team in June. We had a BLAST! Isaak had a great experience. Oh, and did I mention that they WON?! It was very exciting and something that he definitely won't forget.

Black Hawk Pride

2010-11-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Football season has come to an end! Isaak's team the Junior Pee-Wee "Black Hawks" made it to the state championship. We lost, but hey, second place is still pretty good! What a great group of boys! Isaak made some awesome friends, and developed his talent even further.
Here are some pics of the last game. We were ready with signs, noise makers, and Jakob was a super fan!

The team took a bus to the game in Glendale.

Our subtle tribute to our son
that takes out other players
as if they've been hit by a train..

take for instance this unsuspecting player..
yup, about to be Clonts'd!

Leaves them seeing stars!
This is one of the things Isaak got to be known for on his team.
Nobody wants to be Clonts'd!

Isaak was very proud of his 9 recognition stickers he got on his helmet.
He got the most out of every player on his team.

It ended up to be a really tough game, a team we beat earlier in the season obviously got better! Sadly, We ended up having a lot of boys injured, but in the end, Isaak got to run the ball. It was so fun to watch him. He was just beaming.

RUN ISAAK RUN!!!

The End.

Wildcat Wrestling

2010-11-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

Since Jakob didn't get to play football this year, he chose to do wrestling. He is pretty good for just starting out. This year, he doesn't have any meets to wrestle at, but this is an offer from the Jr. High to learn the sport by going and participating in the practices. (Which are intense) So that next year, when they do participate in the meets, he is ahead with his knowledge. I can't say that he enjoys it, but he is sticking it out for the sake of commitment, but I bet he will end up liking it anyhow later. Like I said, the practices are tough, and they are soaking wet with sweat by the time they are done. It's good for him..builds character, right?

Brothers

2010-11-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

^I found this ADORABLE picture of Jakob and Isaak back in the year 2000. What a pair!

Here they are 10 years later..

Splash of Freckles

2010-11-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite things ever, are Jakob's freckles. I just had to share.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween was busy, and ended with way too much candy! The kids had a blast this year, as we always do, we go around my dads neighborhood trick-or-treating. Isaak told us while we were doing this, "I think I am too old for this..this is my last year!" Yeah, I was a little stunned. Are my kids growing up too fast or what? Here they are in their scary/cool/beautiful costumes.

Jakob was zombie. I am proud of my make up work, I should be a pro! haha..

Isaak was a football player. Think Beetlejuice!

Colin wore Jakobs costume from 5 years ago, Capt. Jack Sparrow!

Natalie is a beautiful bride!

Kindergarten King!

2010-10-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

This year Colin is doing AWESOME as a Kindergarten student. His teacher told us today that he is always happy in class, and very excited to learn. As a parent that makes me so happy. Right now he is learning 5 states and their capitols, and about money. Colin has great handwriting. He does his homework everyday with great pride. (picture him thinking hard, tongue out and all) I am so glad this year has worked out better for him.

Nighttime at our house..

2010-10-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

Lets just say for a few of us it stays exciting..I have chronic insomnia, and between Isaak taking his nightly stroll, to Natalie's terrors..its exhausting! I wanted to write about this mostly for myself, so I wont forget when my kids are grown up and gone. So about 3 am Isaak crawls out of bed, (I can hear him because his bed is super squeaky) he goes into the kitchen and just stands there. Some mornings, I find him sitting upright on the couch totally asleep. Its sometimes funny because he has no clue in the morning what happened. So when I hear him walking around I get up, I usually find him just standing there, all crazy-eyed. I say "Isaak! Are you awake?" Which almost every time he says yes. Oh yeah, sure buddy! He has been doing this since he was in a toddler bed. When he was about 4, I woke up to this sound of water running..IN MY CLOSET! Sure enough, Isaak was going to the bathroom all over my shoes. I did a lot of reading on this, and turns out 9 times out of 10 they need to go to the bathroom and don't know where to go. So I direct him to the right place, and he gets back in bed with no causalities. My biggest fear is that I wont hear him one night and he walks out the front door.
Natalie has night terrors. There is absolutely nothing I can do to help her. She wakes up screaming and crying. I go in and hold her, but experts claim she doesn't even know I am there. This episode lasts anywhere from 2-30 minutes. It stops as quick as it starts too. She will just roll over and she's back asleep. I read up a ton on this, and it claims this is something that she will grow out of but is certainly hereditary, so her kids will most likely do it too.

Go BLACKHAWKS!!

2010-09-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

This year Isaak is playing football for the Blackhawks. He gets to play with his cousin and his uncle is coach. Jakob is helping coach as well, and during the games he is the waterboy or ball boy. So far we are UNDEFEATED!! Check out these awesome pictures: (Isaak is number 63)

Isaak is a captain along with his cousin Jordan.(#26)

Isaak is playing pulling guard, and is on the D-line. So he never gets a break! The head coach posted this on his facebook after the first game:
Great job by the JPW Black Hawks today at the league wide scrimmages. This is hands down the most dominating defense I have ever had. I can't wait for our first game next Saturday. Q: How many Clonts's does it take to blow up an O-line and kill the other teams play before it even starts? A: Just one baby! Great job boys! Hit Somebody!!!
How cool is that??

Isaak For President!

2010-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Isaak ran for Student Body President at his school this past month. He had to make these posters and write a speech. He did so good. He ended up not winning, but it was a great experience for him, and we know that the votes were really close. Check out his awesome posters! Here was his campaign speech:

Hello my fellow students! Today is the day where I tell you what a fantastic President I can be for this school year! My name is Isaak, and I am in Mr. Collin’s class. A little bit about myself, I am a good leader. I have 4 other brothers and sisters, so I know what it is like to be an example and to help others. I have played football for the past 6 years, so I know what it is to be a part of a team and to work together. I am a straight A student, and very responsible. I like making new friends, so if you don’t know me yet, don’t be shy. You will learn quickly that I am funny and that I love to talk! My goal this year is to make this school an even better place to learn. I am open to any new ideas from you guys, and I also have some ideas that we can put together to make this a fun year. School is a very important part of growing up, and I want you all to wake up in the morning excited to come to school! Thank You!

RIP "Lola Baby"

2010-08-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

So sad to say that Jakobs hampster died of old age on June 25th. He had her for 2.5 years. She died right in his hands..it was a very tramatic day. He loved her so much, and knew dwarf hampsters only lived for a year and a half to two years, so she really stuck it out for him. Lola enjoyed the mazes out of books Jakob made for her on his bedroom floor, and she loved strawberries and carrots. She is buried in our backyard with a stone Jakob wrote on.

My Sweet Seattle Trip!-PART 1

2010-08-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

On June 25th I got to fly to Spokane to meet my mom who was working up there to drive back home with her. We took the scenic route home, and had so much fun. It was the best trip ever, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a vacation! I have not been on a plane since I was a kid, so I was a little nervous, but so excited! My flight left Phoenix and stopped in Las Vegas, then stopped in Boise, and then finally got to Spokane. This is going to be a long post, but I was demanded to have full documentation of my trip! (Mostly because there were certain vampires and werewolves involved..lol)
Here is my plane..

So I warned you I havent been on a plane since I was little, so I was snapping pictures left and right. This was my view in the air over Boise..

My mom picked me up at the airport and we drove about 2 miles north to where she was staying and working near Chewelah, Washington. She was staying at a little cabin on Waitts Lake. It was beautiful, this was the view from the back patio of the cabin..

We went fishing first thing..I caught 4 fish, but let them go. I didnt want to touch them, so gross! One swallowed the hook, and well, I wasnt about to dig it out of its throat, so I made my moms friend do it. Lets just say, he was a goner!

On the way over to Seattle, there were spectacular views!

We made it to Seattle, it was just how I imagined it. A lot of neat stuff to see.

My mom took me to The Crab Pot to eat some tastey crab legs!

After that, we went over to the Public Market. That was the coolest place ever! There were vendors selling seafood, flowers..pretty much everything..and for very cheap.

The view was awesome above the Market..you can see Mount Ranier above the staduim.

After the Market we caught the ferry for a ride across to the Olympic Peninsula.

My mom and I stood out on the front of the ferry. It was a nice clear day out, no rain in sight. I got a couple pictures of the Seattle skyine and other views on the way over.

I will post the rest another day..coming up..Forks! And my trip down the oregon coast!

Isaak Turns 10!

2010-08-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

On July 28th Isaak Ray turned the big 1-0! It was also his first day back to school. He has never gotten to celebrate his birthday at school, because it seemed that his birthday fell over the summer break every year. So we made it special and brought him balloons, and cookies to hand out to his class. After school he did get to pick a movie too, and he chose Sourcerers Apprentice. He got to go with just Dave and I, on the way home he told me it was his best birthday ever.

Isaaks favorites..he loves to read! He has his nose in a book whenever he can, and reads at a high school level. He loves Harry Potter, and anything along those lines..He loves going to school, I hardly have to wake him up because he is already up and ready when my alarm goes off. He is playing football this year too, and is one of the best players on the team, he gives 100% all the time. Isaak loves to dance. I joke with him that he always has a song in his heart!

Colin Turns 6!

2010-08-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Colin turned 6 on July 23rd! He wanted Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast, I've never made them before, and they were actually really good. We made cupcakes and decorated them for later that day. Colin chose Pizza for dinner, and then after he got to chose a movie..he wanted to go see Toy Story 3.

This year Colin is repeating Kindergarten. His birthday made him right at the cut off last year, so he was young, and had a tough time. I decided that maybe it was best for him to do it again this year. He seems to like it better, and is soaking things in better, but still over all.. Colin is not a fan of school. Oh boy!

Colins favorite are..Cars, (still as always!) Candy, Anything technological like cell phones, computers etc. He enjoys P.E at school, talking (its like he has a word quota everyday!) and playing with all of his toys.

Back to "Normal"!

2010-06-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

I promise one of these days I will catch up on my blogging! One of the most exciting things that has happened to us recently is..After being unemployed for 13 months..Dave got his job back! We are so thankful. That was tough! He is back working for the same company he was at before. Currently he is building the spring training field for the Diamondbacks and Rockies off of the 101 and Pima.

Very exciting. Next he is going to Palm Springs to build something..we dont know yet! Lol. All I know is..it is so nice to be back to "normal"!

Backyard Camping!

2010-03-30T02:04:00.000-07:00

The boys put this little camping adventure together, and had a lot of good times. Didnt have to go far..just right in our back yard!

Christmas Cheer

2010-03-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

We all had a wonderful Christmas 2009! I've been terrible at updating our blog lately so bear with me while I get caught up!

First we had the Miller Family Christmas party, where we ate delicious home made soup, the kids put together a very creative nativity, and Santa came to visit all the kids!

Jakob with Santa

Isaak Ray with Santa.

**My camera lost battery power soon after, and I didnt get any pictures of Santa with Colin and Natalie. :(

So Christmas Eve we had the Pittam Family Christmas at my dads house..tons of relatives, tons of pictures I have yet to even go through, but I will add a few here.

Our house Christmas Day:

Gooo HUSKERS!!

2010-03-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

My dad took our family to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. We had so much fun, some of us painted our faces..we were a rowdy bunch! It was the best game! Here are some pictures of our adventure:

Here is Fred hanging a flag out the window on our way to San Diego.

The painted faces!

Me and Dave

All of us before the game.

A close up of the players.

Cherish and Kayla ran around like crazed fans every time there was a touchdown.

We had awesome seats!

Check out Dave's New Blog!

2010-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

http://daveruleandsonsaz.blogspot.com/

I found this..

2009-12-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

And it made me wish she was little again! And I miss those cheeks!

Happy Birthday Dear Natalie!

2009-11-22T00:10:00.000-08:00

My "baby" has turned 4! I don't even know how to let this sink in. Seems just like yesterday she was brand new, and all "pink and fuzzy". That was how I described her back then. Today she is just beautiful. That is all I can describe her as because I cant think of another word as she is laying here next to me asleep of course with her mouth wide open just like her dad. She is a gift..and just..Beautiful. A little bit about Natalie: She was an "opps a baby" as Dave and I call it. Not planned what so ever! Colin was only 6 months old when I discovered my little peanut growing inside of me. I was so sure it was another boy. Can't say that I was so excited. Love my boys, but 3 was enough for me! Imagine my surprise when the ultrasound tech said, "oh yeah..I'd say 75% sure that this is a girl". What does that mean exactly? How can one be 75% sure? So I had her check again..Yup. This was a girl. I came home and on my way bought a pink bib and some pink booties and wrapped them up to give to my mom who was waiting for the news. We were excited.
Natalie was born on November 22 at 5:35am. She was 7 pounds 12 oz, and just a little bit of dark brown hair. She was born on Thanksgiving Eve. So naturally I call her my little turkey, and I had A LOT to be thankful for!

Natalie and Momma's photoshoot!

2009-11-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Natalie is at such a fun age. She claims daily that she is a mommy's girl. Spends hours in my bathroom into my make-up and jewelery, and changes her clothes at least 5times a day. I am so happy to have such a girly girl. We did a little photoshoot together, we had a fun time.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

The kids had a fun time dressing up and got a boat load of candy too!

Go Tornados!

2009-08-29T01:04:00.001-07:00

Jake and Isaak have survived the first month of football practice! This is their 4th year playing Pop Warner Football! Tomorrow is their first game of the season. Jake is #75, and Isaak is #63. Go Tornados!

Home Improving

2009-08-29T00:49:00.001-07:00

Dave has been keeping himself busy the past couple days re-doing our flooring in our house. We had some crummy carpet in the hallway and in the den. He laid tile in the hallway, and wood floors in the den. I wish I took a before picture, but I didn't. Here are some after pics.

First Day of School!

2009-08-12T23:43:00.001-07:00

Jakob, Isaak and Colin started school this year on July 30th. They all had a great first day of school. Dave and Natalie and I got to take Colin to his playground and wait for him to line up. He did just fine. No tears.. well, no tears from him anyway. He lined up with the other kids, and waved goodbye and walked inside. Dave and I looked at eachother and about busted into tears. Even Natalie was upet. Our little guy that has been home with us is now into his education adventure.

Isaak Ray turns 9!

2009-08-03T01:04:00.001-07:00

Isaak's birthday was July 28th. He is 9 years old, and going into 3rd grade. Let me tell you a little bit about this boy of mine. I couldn't be any more luckier to have him. When he was a baby he was the sweetest thing ever. Easiest baby of all. He hardly ever cried. When Isaak was born, him and Jake became instant best friends. I remember Isaak would be on my bed watching the ceiling fan, and Jakob would come lay next to him just to be near him. As Isaak grew older, I have noticed a lot of my dad's personality in him. Isaak is very caring of others feelings, and just a sensitive kid all together. If he sees any worry on my face, he is right there to give me a hug. If he sees that I am overwhelmed, he will ask what he can do to help me. I wouldn't know what I would do without Isaak. He is an amazing little person, and I can't wait to see what he is going to do with his life.
Things Isaak enjoys: Reading, Learning new things, school, chess, Harry Potter, video or computer games, dancing, playing cards..
I dont have many picture of him from whan he was little, but when I find more time I will scan some and add them in here. He was such a cute little kid! (and still is!)

Colin's Birthday Festivities

2009-07-30T22:50:00.001-07:00

For Colin's birthday, Dave and I took him out to lunch wherever he chose to go. He wanted to go to Fuddruckers. He likes the games there that you can play, especially because mommy can win him some cool stuff out of the claw machines! Haha..

Next, we took him to go see Transformers 2. I wasn't sure that he'd make it through the whole thing, but he did, and sat on the edge of his seat the whole time waiting for everytime they showed Bumblebee. He loves anything to do with cars, and especially cars that turned into big robots..that was right up his alley!

After that, we took him and all the kids to Uncle Kenny's to swim. Since Isaak wasn't going to be here for his birthday, we had birthday cake for him too. Isaak will get his lunch and movie day this weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!!

2009-07-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Colin (a.k.a. Doo) (a.k.a doozy bear) (a.k.a Bugga) (a.k.a doody) is turning 5! (so I guess the nicknames gotta go!) He was born at 10:34pm during a big lighting storm. After a long day of inducing, He finally decided that he had to make an appearance, and the doctor had no time to put up the stirrups, and delivered him right on the bed. I cant believe it has been 5years. Our life has never been the same since. Happy Birthday Colin! I will post his birthday festivities tomorrow!

Kid-Free Camping!

2009-07-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Daves parents invited up up to Mormon Lake this past weekend to have a quiet relaxing time. Boy, after the past two weeks we've had..we needed it! My cousin Christine came over and spent the night with the kids, and Dave and I drove up there to join his parents. I was surprised that it was only a 2 hour drive to get out of this heat. As soon as we got there, Dave and I took off on the quads, and explored the forest. We came across the start of a forest fire, and rode back into town to get the firemen up there. It was pretty sweet, they were totally grateful that we came and got them. It looked like someone dumped their charcoal out of their grill in the middle of the woods, and left. They even left the grill behind! So naturally the coals caught the ground on fire, and it spread out about 10 feet when we found it. I didnt take that many pictures of our trip, but got some.

Guess who had to push him out of this pickle! Boys...*sigh*

A Summer Cool-Off Adventure

2009-07-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

My aunt invited us to go with her to the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Hotel this past weekend. We got a beautiful room (I wish I took pictures of it!)We hung out in the pool and watched a concert. It was a very nice night. The kids had a lot of fun swimming, and playing with everybody. A BIG thank you to my cool Aunt Roxanne for doing this for us.

A Room Fit for a Princess!

2009-07-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

Natalie got her own room finally. Earlier that week, she was carrying around a Kohl's magazine that we got in the mail, because it had a picture of this bedroom in it that was pink and decorated so cute. So Dave and I decided to surprise her with a pink room. We went to Home Depot and got the paint, and spent that night painting until it was done. It is VERY pink! It glows down the hallway! So with her pink room, she needed a sheet/comforter set for her bed. We took her to go pick one out, and she picked a (big surprise) Tinkerbell one. I still have to hang her pictures up on the walls, but you can get the idea of just how pink her room is!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Jakob's Blanket

2009-07-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jakob has had this raggety old blanket since he was brand new. He wont let me toss it, and he sleeps with it every night. We poke fun of him about it, but he doesnt care. He loves his blankie! Hahaha..

Kya's Spider Bite

2009-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Kya got this awful bite, and I am pretty sure it looks like a black widow bite. We had to put a t-shirt on her to make her stop itching it.

The Heat Is On!

2009-07-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today our poor neighbors house burnt down. No one was hurt, in fact the neighbors have been gone on vacation or something for awhile now. I can't imagine their surprise when they get home to their bbq'd house. It is a total loss, including the boat and new car in the garage. Dave and I stood on the corner and watched the firemen in action. It was so hot out they were so miserable, and it seemed that the fire just got bigger and bigger. The temperature outside 4 houses down from the fire read 123 degress! Can you imagine just how hot it was if you were the one right in front of it? I got some good pictures of it in action.

**If you click on the pictures, they will get bigger, you can see more detail.**

Jakob and Isaak's Colorado Adventure

2009-07-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

The boys got to go on a little vacation to Durango, Colorado with my mom and her husband, and their 2 dogs. Since we have picked them up today, they have talked about it non-stop. They had a lot of fun. Isaak was being especially quiet tonight, and when I asked him what was wrong, he said he wishes he can be on vacation all the time! Dont we all! My mom got some awesome pictures, and sent them to me.

This is Isaak learning how to fly fish!

Caught one!

Kings of the mountain!

They got to go on a 5 hour quad ride!

A little hiking!

Some Games!

Playing horseshoes!

Jakob watching the fireworks

4th of July

2009-07-05T11:51:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun celebrating 4th of July. Jakob and Isaak are celebrating 4th of July in Colorado with my mom, so Dave and I just had Colin and Natalie with us. We first went out to lunch, then we went shopping for this kids' clothes so they could look festive. :) After we got them looking cute, I took their pictures. Colin wasn't having any of that, so I didnt get too many of him cooperating. Then we had a BBQ at Dave's parents house with his family. After, the kids and Dave and I went and found a spot to park the truck to watch fireworks while we had some of our own. Colin and Natalie had fun with the snappers. When the fireworks were over we came home and all watched a movie together. It was a really good day.

Waiting for the fireworks to start sitting on the tailgate. I love the kids' faces in this one..I couldnt stop laughing while editing this one.

Dave kept making me light the fireworks! Big chicken! Finally he got brave enough to try it himself.

The kids with their Nana.

Natalie

Two of the cutest kids in the world.

New School

2009-06-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am excited that my 3 boys got in to Eduprize this coming year. I have heard all sorts of good stuff about this school. Mainly, that they have it all together, unlike most of the schools out here, which has been since day 1 very frustrating. I wasnt going to sign Colin up for kindergarten if they werent going to make it into this school. He is able to wait another year before going, but since they got accepted, I will go ahead and put him in. He is very excited about going, I am scared to death for him, but I think it will be worse for me than it is going to be for him. I have been very "on the fence" about him being ready or not. I guess we will give him a little shove and see what happens. The scariest part...I have 1 kid left at home! *GASP!*

New Kitty

2009-06-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Dave got a wild hair and decided to get Natalie a kitty. Every girl has to have one! She named her "Tinkerbell" of course. We got her a tinkerbell green collar. She loves to snuggle, and lets Natalie do anything with her. Which is a good thing, when she pushes her around in a stroller! She is 10 weeks old, and already litterbox trained. The dogs want her for a snack, so we have to let them get used to her first. I am sure they will come around.

DANCE!

2009-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Dave and I went to go see Kaitlyn's Dance recital last week. It was so much fun to watch her dance. She is so shy, we were astounded when she went on stage and danced her heart out in front of a full auditorium! I took some pictures, not the best since I wasnt allowed to use a flash.. but still so cute.

Dave and Kaitlyn after her recital.

Take a Picture of Me Mama!

2009-06-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

While I was taking pictures of my cousin for her graduation, Natalie was feeling left out since she is usually my subject, she was willing to do anything for me to take a picture of her.. so here she is, as she is doing this, she is yelling, "Take a picture of ME Mama!" Thats my girl!

Christine's Graduation

2009-06-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are very close with my aunt Roxanne and her 2 kids Christine and Andrew. They live very close to us, so we see them often. Last month was Christine's highschool graduation. She graduated 16th in her class of about 250. She is a very good girl, and got a full ride scholership to go to college. She is working towards being a veteranarian. She will do it, she is very driven and is a hard worker. She babysits my kids a lot, and I couldn't be more grateful for her influence. So anyway, I got to be her photographer during all the festivities. It was fun, and I was glad to be a part of it. You can also see her senior pictures I did on my photography website. (see link on the right)

Getting ready!

Christine and her friends

Aunt Roxanne, Christine, Jeff, Andrew, and Kelly

At the graduation party!

Christine, Me, My mom, Grandma Lloyd, Roxanne

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to put a few random pictures of me and my kids in honor of Mothers day..I have the best kids ever. It has been a memorable 10 years! So here are some photos that I currently have saved on my computer, I wish my scanner worked, but here for now are some fun ones from the past 10 years.

This is Jake, Isaak, and Colin in their underoos. (2005)

This is Isaak in his spiffy unders, and me and Jake in the background. He will certainly kill me for this picture later, but it's too funny not to post! (2002)

This is Colin, when he was a baby he loved looking out the front window, so he stood inside these curtains, you could just see his chubby legs sticking out the bottom.
(2004)

This was Colins 1st birthday. Natalie was in my belly. (2005)

This is me and Jake being silly. (2005)

This is me and Natalie on her blessing day. (2005)

Me and Jake at the Top Fuel races at Firebird Raceway. (2003)

This is me and Jakob at my moms house. I was so young! (1999)

Natalie being a poor sport with my picture taking! Poor thing! (2006)

Natalie and one of her many funny faces. (2006)

One of many "first day of school" pics. (2006)

Me and Natalie at one of the boys' football games. (2006)

At the park with Natalie. (2006)

Me, Jakob and Isaak just being crazy. (2007)

Jake, Isaak, and Natalie at the park. (2006)

An attempted photoshoot with the kids...Colin was VERY mad. (2006)

Me, my mom, and Jakob and Natalie at my moms house. (2006)

My favorite little chin! Isnt it so dang cute?? Miss. Natalie. (2007)

My kids out in the backyard playing. (2008)

Colin and Natalie in the car in Sedona. (2007)

My hair was flipped up over the back of the couch, and Colin thought he was funny making it look like he had long hair. (2008)

Natalie got a princess dress up kit for Christmas, and Colin just HAD to test it out for her! (2008)

The boys out back playing. (2008)

That is all I have for now...I wish I had more of when Jake and Isaak were babies, but my scanner is not working right now.

Why the hat little princess?

2009-04-20T19:33:00.001-07:00

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BECAUSE SHE DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!!

She did it 3 times as bad as last time..just when her bangs grew back out, she found some scissors and went to town. Dave decribes her new do as "business in the front, party in the back". Am I amused? NOT ONE BIT! I have had so many talks with her about only mommy cutting her hair. Needless to say I have been bawling all day. I just want a girl who has beautiful long blond hair, and here I have a refugee. I think I will take her somewhere to try to get it fixed tomorrow. I will post pics of that later. For now, I am going to go cry!

Here are a few more, just so you can see the depth of my crisis here!

Daddy's Girl?

2009-04-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Noooo....She's Mommy's Girl!

A Whole Week of Fun!

2009-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't know how many people still actually read this anymore, but there might be some changes happening, since I've gone private, my blog no longer pops up on people's Google Reader. So I am sure that is a big part of the traffic slowing down on my blogspot. I am not going back to public, so I have to figure out another way, or put the caboshes to this completely. Anyway, I wanted to post about the fun week we had this past week. Dave was home from work. (not necessarily a good thing, but it was fun having him home)Really, the fun started on Wednesday. We woke up went to breakfast/lunch at Joes Farm Grill. I have never been there before, and I really found it peaceful, and tasty. They have some beautiful landscaping there, so I took some pictures of Natalie since she was the only one that was not lookin' homeless that particular day! LOL.. Thats my girl! Dave told me for my birthday he wanted to take me on a shopping spree. We went over to San Tan Mall, and started there. We shopped around for 5 hours! The 4 kids were with us, and were actually really good the whole time..well, except for the last store, but they were so tired! I was just grateful for their patience with me. I ended up with a ton of new clothes, and some new sandals. The kids took a ride on the little rides while waiting.. Jakob the underwear model! Showing the world his underwear! Natalie wanted to hold all the bags! On Thursday, (my actual bday) we woke up and made breakfast. I went to lunch at El Rico's with Cherish, Meili, and Hunter and Kenli, Strider, Jana, and Grayson. It was a lot of fun to sit and talk with them.

After that, I went home to find my house sparkling clean! The boys pulled together and cleaned like crazy, I'm talkin' floors mopped, shelves dusted, the whole works! That evening, they took me out to a birthday dinner to Joe's Crab Shack. It was a lot of fun. We had a great time. I am thankful nobody told the waiter it was my birthday, I so didnt want to dance around and make a fool of myself. But believe me, I made sure their mouths were shut before we even got there! Friday, Dave and the boys put together a surprise get together with my family. My mom, grandma, grandpa, and aunt Roxanne, and her two kids came over for a BBQ, and just hung out, played air hockey, and joked around. I wish I got a picture of the house. They decorated like crazy! They even got a helium tank and filled a ton of balloons. It was so cool. I love my boys! Saturday the party continued! I had a 4 day birthday celebration! Dave and I took the kids to the Pinal County Fair! We were there for 6 hours. It was small enough where the 2 older boys could run around themselves and ride all the crazy rides they wanted to. We got them wristbands so they can go on whatever unlimited amount of rides...but..there was a catch. They HAD to ride the Super Loop. We are mean parents! Jakob didnt want to at all, but went knowing that the wristband was promised if he did he got on it. I got a video of them on it, and a few pictures. Isaak loved it and was laughing the whole time, everytime we saw the kids at the bottom Jakob was sinking further and further down in his seat, not looking up at all. He was terrified! Okay, so I felt a little bad, but I couldnt stop laughing either. When they got off, they were okay, and smiling. So I didnt feel too guilty for too long.
Dave and I even went on a few rides, and so did Colin and Natalie! I thought the cutest ride of all was them riding real ponies! They loved every second. Natalie's pony was named "Dr. Pepper" perfect for her because that is her favorite pop. Here are some pics of the rest of the time there. It was a nice week over all, and not too shabby of a birthday celebration either!

So aparantly I am old...

2009-03-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

A FUN BIRTHDAY QUIZ:

1. What fantastic day in 1980 were you born on?

March 26th

2. When you were 18, where did you picture yourself in 11 years?

I have no idea! I probably was just happy to be almost done with highschool! Living a day at a time!

3. If you were to tell your 18-year-old self about your life today, what do you think would surprise you the most?

That I have 4 kids...where did they all come from?

4. What would your 18-year-old self be disappointed to hear about?

That I didnt finish college.

5. You’re 29. So, where are you?

Sitting at home with my kids and husband waiting for me to finish this and read to them. (I am reading them New Moon)

6. What kind of job do you have? Is it what you thought?

I am a mother. I didnt think it would be this hard, when your 18 and still have a sharp mind, you think it will be a piece of cake! I believe after every kid you squeeze out, you lose some brain power too.

7. Are you still “friends forever” with your high school friends?

I have managed to keep in touch with a lot of high school friends. Even some junior high ones too! Internet is great!

8. How do you feel about being 29?

This is actually the first birthday that I am horrified by turning older...it is my last year in my twenties, I still feel like a teenager, who wouldnt freak out?

9. What's the most reckless/irresponsible/spontaneous thing you’ve done in your life so far?

Obviously this survey doesnt know me that well! I am not very reckless, maybe a tad irresponsible, and spontaneous...well...I have to PLAN things. Lets just say, that the craziest thing I have ever done is tattoo my husband's name on my inner wrist. I think that fits into the reckless catagory, and still today a gape in horror at my wrist every time I get a glimpse of it, and still cant believe I did that. Dont get me wrong, I like my husband, but geez, I must have been de-vot-ed when I did this one!

10. Did you have a high school sweetheart, and are you still with them? If not, what happened to them?

Hehe..I had a few. One even donated a couple childen to my crowd! I am not with any of them though...

11. How many actual boyfriends/girlfriends have you had since you were 18?:

I dont like this question...because I dont wanna count! Lets just say over 5 and move on..

12. If the theory that you only get two great loves in your life is true… Are you already
Screwed?

I don't think that is true. I've had 3 and a half.

13. How many serious relationships (over 6 months) have you had since you were 18? Once again....over 5.

14. Has your “type” changed from then until now? Describe:
Not much, I always had a thing for tall scrawny talented guys...wierd...I know.

15. Have you gotten engaged, married, had children, divorced?

All of the above. Thanks.

16. Have you purchased any real estate?
Once.

17. How have your looks changed since high school?
I am aparantly more puffier. Comes with having kids I suppose...and a new chocolate problem.

18. What has been your greatest achievement to date?

That all my kids are still alive, and they like me.

19. What is one thing that you used to do (interest/hobby/etc) when you were 18 that you no longer do?

Play the piano, and hang out at friends houses til wee hours in the morning..

20. Out of your high school friends, who do you think ended up exactly where you expected?

That would be Teresa, you totally stayed on course ;)

21. Out of your high school friends, who do you think ended up the furthest from where you expected?

I dont think I have anyone that really surprised me.

22. How are you celebrating the big 2-9?

I think Dave is taking me out shopping. Clothes...hair..make up. That is all I know.

23. Where do you see yourself in 7 more years? (36):
On vacation? Hahaha...Lets just say, Jake will be 17, Isaak, 15, Colin 12, and Natalie 11. They would be old enough to stay home right??

24. What do you plan to accomplish during your 29th year?
I now realize that I am truely done having babies, and should probably do something about this belly of mine. So work out and eat good really is all my goal of the year.

25. And lastly, (Hopefully this isn’t too tricky.) Include “before and after” photos of yourself! Let’s see the 18-year-old you VS the 29-year-old you of today! Yikes. Okay...
Here I am being 18.

Here I am being old.

Easy Hair Clips

2009-03-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today I got a wild hair and decided to do something crafty. I have seen these little girls with huge flowers in their hair, and I completely adore it. So I got some flowers at Michaels, and some clippies from Target, with a little ribbon and some hot glue I had some precious hair clips! Natalie is amused, I just hope the bees dont attack now..but she is flaunting the newest fad at least!

A Fun Day at the Park

2009-03-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today the boys had half day at school, so we decided to take a walk to the park. I brought my camera since I havent taken picture of them in awhile. We spent a good 3 hours there. It was fun! The boys brought their bikes and rode around, and Colin and Natalie met some friends that they played with. Here are a few pictures that turned out adorable.

Hurray for good grades!

2009-03-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

I had parent teacher conferences yesterday for both the boys at school. First we went to Jake's class. His teacher said he is an awesome writer. She even submitted an essay he wrote for a contest. Jakob got the best grades he has ever had before. I am so proud of him. He is working on a science fair project, which I will do a post for each of the boys and their projects. They are both going to be very interesting. Then we went over to Isaaks class. He showed us a powerpoint project he put together about earthworms. So cute. Isaak also did awesome, and as usual, got the best grades he can possibly get. His teacher is going to start challenging him more on his homework, since Isaak whips out his homework in 30 seconds everyday. I am happy they both are doing so well in their new school.

Four Eyes

2009-03-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

Isaak is so handsome in his new glasses! It has been hard getting used to them for him, but he looks so cute! He has a pretty good prescription, so he can definately see clearer! He had a girl in his class tell him he was cute now in his glasses!

Secret Agent Man

2009-03-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

My cousin turned 18 this past weekend, and for her birthday her mom and I put together a big day for her. She wanted to do something different since you only turn 18 once, and she just wanted to make it super fun for her. We came up with a top secret mission for her to carry out. While she was getting a pedicure, I delivered an envelope to her all dressed up like a spy. In the envelope was a letter and a guide for her mission of the day. She had to go to the mall and go from store to store to get a giftcard and go shopping, and then get a clue as to where she goes next. At the end we all ended up at The Monastery for a big party with all of my family. Christine had a lot of fun, and everything went very smooth. I hope it was a birthday she can remember!

I'm a nerd, I know, but it was fun for her!

A Little Entertainment

2009-03-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

We got the kids this air hockey table! They totally love it, and cant wait for their friends to come over and play with them. I suppose my formal living room is now turning into a game room. What can I say, I am out numbered here, the boys rule my house. I would have to say at least the room is getting use. Dave and I had a little tournament, I won the first game, but after that, it was all over with, My arms were so sore after the first night, I couldn't figure out what it was from until the next morning Dave and I played again, I knew exactly what the deal was! Holy cow! One would never think that would be a good work out for your arms, but it is! Either that, or I am getting old and crackley!

Doggy Sitters

2009-03-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

No, we don't sit upon dogs. We are just watching my brother Jon's doggy for him until he gets his new house in California! His dog is a boxer named Kya. She is so good. I don't think I have ever run into such a well behaved pup. She does sleep with Dave and I, which is a tad annoying, but okay. She loves the kids, and follows them around everywhere. She has grown especially fond of Natalie. Natalie sometimes wakes up at night crying, and the dog will run to her bed and check on her. She will sniff her and pace back and forth by her bed, like she is wondering what is wrong with her. I have to say, "Kya, leave the baby alone." And she turns and goes back to bed. She mothers Natalie, it is so cute. Natalie isnt especially fond of her, but she'll get there. In the middle of the night, if she hears a noise, she will jump out of bed and run downstairs to check everything out, and then come back up. Dave and I call this making her runs. She seems very protective of us. When we leave she doesnt tear anything up, or get into any sort of mischief. She loves going on walks, She walks YOU actually, well, she RUNS you...we'll work on that. If Jon doesn't come get her, I think I will have no problem keeping her. We are sure going to miss her when she leaves though.

Ye Fair Wench

2009-03-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went to the Rennaissance Festival with some friends from her work. While they were already there, she called me and asked if I wanted to go there and walk around with them. Dave dropped me off, and when I was walking up, I saw my mother dressed in this lovely garb. I asked her what in the heck was she wearing, and she informed me that my festive clothing was waiting for me. Oh my...so here we are looking all so ridiculous. It was a lot of fun though.

We walked around and tried on hats, and watched shows. We laughed our rears off.

I wanna be Gramma Sam!

2009-03-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Natalie is so funny every morning after her bath, when I do her hair, she says, "I wanna be Gramma Sam!" So I do her hair, and she askes, "Do I look like Gramma?" "Ohhh yes" I have to say. "Gramma Sam so beautiful mommy!" Then she tells Colin that she is NOT Natalie, she is Grandma Sam! She is obsessed, but I think it is cute. Nattie loves her "Gramma".

Colin on 2 wheels!

2009-03-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Dave and I took the kids to the park this past weekend to teach Colin how to ride his bike without his training wheels. We took Colin in this huge field of grass and put him on his bike, and showed him how to keep pedaling. Dave ran with him and let him go, and he went a good 50 yards by himself! He didnt fall, but put his foot down when he came close to a tree. He turned around and took off again! He rode around on 2 wheels like it was no change for him. He wanted to go on the sidewalk, so he did and rode all over the park. We were all stunned! He is a natural! He has yet to fall, he knows to just put his feet down. Now all he wants to do is ride his bike with the older boys. I took some pictures of his first time riding. So cute! I am loving the baseball helmet!

Just A Silly Virus.

2009-02-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

Poor Natalie got sick a couple days ago. She was running a fever and had this awful cough that kept her up all night. This is strange for us because she is never ever sick! I remember her being sick only once out of her whole little life. So she slept a lot and never complained really other than saying she was cold. I took her to the doctor yesterday just to make sure she didnt have an infection anywhere, but she was fine. Just a silly virus. I came home yesterday evening from the grocery store to find her like this.
(I took this from my phone so it is blurry, I know.)

Poor thing was exausted!
She fell asleep in my arms the night before several times. It was like as soon as I held her she was out. I loved snuggling with her, but now I feel like I am getting whatever she had. It was totally worth it though. Today her fever is gone, and she is not as snuggly with me, but I am glad she feels better.
I also wanted to write when we were at the doctors they weighed her and took her height. She is in the 95th percentile for her height, and 25th percentile for her weight. So she is a lil string bean I suppose.

A Furry Friend

2009-02-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Jakob celebrated his 10th birthday this last Sunday. For his birthday, we surprised him with a hampster. He got a cage, and all the stuff he needs to take care of it. He was so surprised, and loves her so much. He named her "Lola". Jakob bought a little addition to her cage already that is like a tall condo for her to crawl up in. He takes really good care of her, and plans to upgrade her cage with more cool attachments later.

Another Colin-ism

2009-02-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

I dont know where he gets this stuff from, but I couldnt stop giggling to myself all morning.
I had just got Natalie out of the bath tub, when Colin came in the bathroom and started playing with my cell phone. As I was drying her off, and combing her hair out, he pretended to make a call..this is what I heard him say:
"Hello? Is this the cops? Come get my sister! I am tired of her...oh, and she's naked, so bring a towel!" Natalie looked at him and dropped her mouth open and yelled, "Hey!"
Colin said, "Sorry, the police are coming to get you. I can't call them back."

Get Ready To Be "Washed" Away!

2009-01-21T12:43:00.001-08:00

I have the COOLEST grandmother on earth! She found this recipe for homemade laundry soap and made some, which my brother (yes, Tony, believe it or not!) fought over. It is THAT good. You can thank me later! This stuff works great, and smells awesome! You can make powdered or liquid. I prefer the powder, it is easier to make, but I have to make the liquid for my type of washer. The best part is that this is so INEXPENSIVE. They figured 3-5 cents a load! YEAH! Way better than paying .56 a load with store bought laundry soap!

The recipe:

Powdered Laundry Detergent
2 cups grated Fels Naptha Soap- you usually find this on the top shelf somewhere in the laundry detergent aisle. They go for around $1.75 a bar. It just looks like a bar of soap. 1 bar I think equals 2 cups.

1 cup Washing Soda- you can also find this in the laundry detergent aisle, the brand name is most likely Arm and Hammer.

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax-usually found right next to the washing soda.

Mix and store in an airtight container or bag. For light loads use
1 tablespoon. For normal loads use 2 tablespoons, and for heavy loads use 3 tablespoons.

**If you have a big family like me, I would buy more than one bar of the Fels Naptha soap, because you can get more than 3 batches out of the washing soda and borax boxes.

Liquid Laundry Detergent-

5 gallon bucket
1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
4.5 gallons HOT water

Put grated Fels Naptha in saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill 5 gal. bucket with 4.5 gallons of HOT water, and add the dissolved soap. Stir to combine.Add 1 cup Washing Soda, and 1 cup Borax and mix as well. As it cools, it will thicken, if it becomes too thick you can add more hot water to desired consistancy. Mix well before each use. Use 1/2 cup for a normal load, and 1 cup for a heavy load.

**The above recipes will NOT make suds in your washer so dont be alarmed. Fels Naptha soap is poure soap and typically makes little or no suds in the water. This makes it perfect for use in the new HE washers as well as traditional washers. You will also notice the need to either redulce your laundry softener or in most cases even eliminate the use of your softener completely.

My friends in town!

2009-01-19T15:03:00.001-08:00

My friend Michelle and her husband from Texas came into town for her dads 50th birthday party. We had a lot of fun while she was here. I haven't seen Michelle since highschool! But we keep in touch through emails..
Dave and I went to her dad's 50th birthday party. It was a total blast, we sang karaoke and everything! The next morning we went to Sycamore Creek and went quading.

It's been 8 years...

2009-01-19T13:30:00.001-08:00

this month since I met Dave at Freestone Park. We met online, (hahaha..it's a long story) and found out that we both lived less than a mile away from each other. We decided after exchanging emails for awhile to meet up at the park. When I was a single mom with two boys, ages 3, and 18 months. I decided that they were going to be my most important thing in my life. When I met Dave I brought them with me, because I didn't want him to get the impression that they were in the back seat. I figured if he wasnt alright with me being a mom, and the boys at their most difficult age(terrible twos...ugh!) Then he wasn't going to make the cut. But he did. We chased those two around the park, and had a lot of fun. I can't say that there are too many guys out there that would take on such a heap of mischief, and responsibility. I appreciate him for that everyday. We then decided that since it was dinner time to go somewhere to eat. He asked them where they wanted to go, and Jakob of course chose McDonalds. So we met at McDonalds where we let the kids eat and play, and we got to talk. Afterwards we were walking to the cars, Jakob decided that he had to go to the bathroom real bad. He just stopped, unzipped, and went right there in the parking lot! I was horrified, and Dave couldnt stop laughing. I think about how far we have come, and how grateful I am for everything that we have. We've gone from having absolutely nothing..walking in a rainstorm to the hospital when Isaak was sick because we didnt have a car, to now, where we are all a tad spoiled. I am sure that there are many years ahead of us, but so far so good! I put together a collage with a frame of pictures of all of us since the beginning to remind us of where we have been. It is at the top of the stairs so that we pass by it everyday.

Our house.

2009-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Don't get too excited. I've only taken two pictures of our new house.

This is the front entry way of our house by the front door.

Grayson's Blessing

2009-01-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

My brother Strider and his wife Jana had their baby blessed this month. I was happy to be there. He is a really cute baby!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everybody! We hope you had some fun festivities! We were pretty low key this year. We hung out at home. Brought in the new year playing Rockband 2, and watching Spongebob Who Pants with the kids! Nothing could be better than that!

Christmas

2009-01-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great Christmas, I got some pictures of them opening their presents...

Just a quick update here!

2009-01-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

I have been seriously SICK of my camera lately, and havent touched it unless I absolutely had to! I don't know what has come over me...maybe it's because my laptop with my photo editing software is currently out of commission, meaning it is shut off, and packed up. Me being lazy lately, (haha) doesnt really feel like dragging it out and turning it on! Oh the ridiculousness. So in other words, I have no interesting pictures of my new house, and all the work I have done in here. I will get to it eventually, but right now, I don't want to deal with what comes with taking these pictures on my huge camera. Blahhh.
Anyhoo- I did manage to pretty much re-paint my entire inside of this house. I didnt change the colors, because what it came with was already pretty, it was just beat up, and some genious decided to paint it with a flat based paint, and as you pretty much all know, having kids who have to touch everything, flat paint just doesn't stay clean, nor can you wipe it clean. So that was a treat, climbing up and down a ladder all day... I woke up this morning and about fell down the stairs after I realized my calves were beyond sore, and not working! But, knowing that it is now freshly painted, and DONE...I like it, and now feel better about hanging our decorations up.
I happen to LOVE Queen Creek. The best part is that I have put only 3 miles on my car during the first two weeks of being here. I dont want to leave my house! How wierd is that? I love it, and love fixing it up. I love the fresh(er) air here, and how quiet it is. And really, I have a grocery store just a mile or 2 away, and 2 walmarts, walgreens...gas stations, food places...pretty much everything I had living in Mesa within reasonable driving distance here, minus all the ruckus.
What else...oh, the boys started school today at their new school. I am happy to say that they LOVED it. I am so thankful for that.
I really will bust out the camera soon, I have to get my nephews blessing pictures off of it, so eventually I will give in, and take some pictures of the house, and stuff...oh, and Dave managed to score a great deal on a set of fancy schmancy 20" wheels for his truck. Never really cared about riding in style, but hey, whatever makes the guy smile! Hahaha...I am sure he will takes some pictures of those too that I will post later.
Hope the new year is treating you all well.

New House

2008-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is an awful blurry picture, I will take another when I get two seconds...
I can finally write on here about finally finding a house! After 2 houses falling through, we finally got one, and will be moving in asap! I love this house, it is a 6 bedroom, 2700 square feet, huge backyard, and a very nice quiet neighborhood. So I will be busy over the next month unpacking, decorating, etc. I will post pictures as I go!

Natalie loves Santa!

2008-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that this guy would have such a place in Natalies heart! I thought for sure she wouldn't go anywhere near him! I was wrong, she not only sat on his lap, but snuggled with him, and even got tangled up in his beard!

Colin's Catastrophe

2008-12-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

Colin had luck on his side last Tuesday night. Like a curious boy he didn't listen to his daddy when he told him to stay away from the moving trailer. He somehow got the pins out of the back ramp that folds up, and it came crashing down on him. Luckily, I was walking out into the garage right when this happened, and saw him pinned under the ramp, bent completely in half backwards. His legs were bent back under his shoulders, and his face caught the metal grates of the ramp. I lifted it up off of him, and he rolled over onto his side and started screaming that he hurt his back. I've never seen anyone bent that way before, and was worried he broke it by the way he was pinned under there. I didn't know how to keep him from not moving, because he was shaking and screaming. So long story short, we took him to the Urgent Care who then sent him to Banner Desert, where he got x-rays, that all turned out negative. By the time he left the hospital he was walking again, but with a limp. They said he probably pulled some muscles. I am just grateful that it turned out how it did, he missed a metal slat sticking out by an inch that could have went right through his head. He got a good bruise on his face from the grates, but thats it. I think he realizes that it is important to listen now.

Natalie's 3rd Birthday

2008-11-30T20:41:00.000-08:00

Natalie had herself a fabulous princess party for her 3rd birthday. She got spoiled rotten with all the gifts, and had a lot of fun with our family that came over even though our house was half empty from getting ready to move. She is way into anything that is princess related. I think everything she got was mostly princess stuff! Dave and I got her a baby(she is a mother of 12 now)that came with a highchair, and a playpen, and a stroller. She has been a busy girl since her party with plenty to play with, and her Nana bought her a huge golden princess dress that she wears dang near every day. So cute. I love having a girl, and am so happy I get to experience what it's like to have a daughter. For awhile there I thought it was all frogs and trucks for me, so I will take the random haircutting, getting into my make up, and dragging her to the store with her huge princess dress on that she refuses to take off. So Happy Birthday to my Nattie girl!

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving, we got up and went to breakfast at Denny's with Kaitlyn since we only had her there with us for that morning. After we dropped her off with her mom, We then went over to my Aunt Roxanne's house in Queen Creek to have a tasty Thanksgiving "lunch", Then we then went over to Dave's moms house to eat a delicious Thanksgiving "dinner". Needless to say, we ate entirely way too much that day. I did snap a couple pictures at Roxannes house, and then got tired of my camera after that and didn't touch it for the rest of the day.

This is my Aunt Roxanne, she did an awesome job hosting Thanksgiving!

We gave my aunt her dog back, we are bad dog owners, so she deserved better. Colin is a big dog lover, so he was in heaven over at her house visiting his Shelby. I love this picture. They might as well have been 20 feet in the air bouncing through the clouds!

Look Who's A Big Girl!

2008-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Miss. Nattie Noodle is mastering her toilet skills. I admit, I procrastinated this lil milestone. She turns 3 tomorrow, and most girls I know are trained before that. She's been ready for awhile now, and the other night when she was yelling at me in the car that she had to go to the bathroom, I took the hint. She is doing great. She has only had two accidents in two days, so that makes me happy. Someday she is going to smack me for putting these on here, but she is so dang cute, I can't help it!
Oh, and one last thing...This house is officially BABY FREE! No diapers, no bottles, no binkies, no cribs, no sippy cups..thats right folks. I am a free woman! Well...not quite yet, but we are definately getting there.

Holiday Photography Special!

2008-11-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when you need to be thinking about sending holiday cards or giving gifts of photos of your growing family! I always include a disc of all your digital edited photos
So please take a moment to email me and set up a place and time for your photo session!
Minder63@yahoo.com

A Whole Lotta Nothing

2008-11-16T23:55:00.000-08:00

Not much excitement going on in our lives lately..So I thought out of sheer boredness I would just post random surveys.

This is an easy one - I tag everyone!

(Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.)
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland ... and Disneyworld!
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

1. Where is your cell phone? On the floor by my bed

2. Where is your significant other? Alseep in bed..gee..i wish i could be there!

3. Your hair color? blonde

4. Your mother? She's practically my best friend

5. Your father? Is the best dad ever!

6. Your favorite thing? Watching my kids being silly

7. Your dream last night? Kinda disturbing.

8. Your dream/goal? Finish school.

9. The room your in? Is empty..getting ready to move.

10. Your hobby? Photography

11. Your fear? deep water

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Working, and enjoying life..Yikes..Jakob would be 16!

13. Where were you last night? At home dying of this hideous cold I have.

14. What you’re not? sleeping

15. wish list items? I need some scrubs, and..a lens, and..stuff for the house.

16. Where you grew up? AZ and NE and CO.

17. The last thing you did? the dishes.

18. What are you wearing? underwear

19. Your T.V.? Is not on.

20. Your pet? Nooo thanks!

21. Your computer? Borrowing Daves laptop for the time being

22. Your mood? irritated

23. Missing someone? Yep..

24. Your car? Clean on the outside, messy on the inside.

25. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

26. Favorite store? target

27. Your Summer? Toasty and full of vacations!

28. Love someone? Of course

29. Your favorite color? aqua

30. When is the last time you laughed? This evening secretly watching Natalie dance to Jakobs music.

31. Last time you cried? I dont even remember.

Each player answers 5 questions about themselves, then tags 5 people to play along. Post the names of the bloggers you tag, then go to their blogs and leave a comment, letting them know they have been tagged. Here are the questions:

1. Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
~Being very pregnant with Jakob.
~Planning a big Christmas celebration with my mom.
~Finishing up beauty school.
~Planning my wedding.
-Living with my mom and Alex.

2. Five things I was doing 5 years ago:
-Just found out I was pregnant with Colin.
-Working at Phoenix Childrens Hospital.
-Freshly married to Dave.
-Living in Chandler.
-Dyed my hair dark brown.

3. Five things on my to do list for today:
~Clean Colins disaster of a bedroom
~finish laundry
~Clean out and pack the garage with Dave.
~Spread winter grass seed in the backyard.
~Finish packing my bedroom

3. Five snacks I enjoy:
~popcorn
~my moms trail mix
~apples
~cheese and crackers
~pretzels

4. Five things I would do if I was a billionaire:
~Travel like crazy
~buy houses for my family
~adopt a few kids
~donate money to other foster kids
~have a house in San Diego, and Cape Cod, and Hawaii.

5. Five places I have lived:
~Gilbert, AZ
~Greely, CO
~Mesa, AZ
~Sidney, NE
~Chandler, AZ

Share six non-important habits/quirks about yourself.
1. I loathe Christmas time. For two reasons..I have had 2 out of my 4 children in July, meaning I associate Christmas time for spending hours upon hours bent over the toilet heaving out every last drop of that wicked bile. I was a terrible pregnant person. I know it has nothing to do with Christmas, but there seems to be the same smells about, and same things that go on that triggers that nausea, and it is just plain ruined. Secondly, It has just gotten way to commercialized. I try my best to stay out of it.

2. Like at this moment now, I dont sleep. I do, eventually, but I seriously live on about 3 hours of sleep most nights, because my brain does not ever shut up. I believe I got this bless-ed problem from my dad.

3. I am very concerned with how the boys look going to school. They have to have their hair gelled, or combed, and their clothes have to be next to perfect. They get irritated with me when I snag them back as they are going out the door and either make them change, or fix a hair that is out of place. I don't care what they look like hanging around home, but for school, they gotta look fabulous. Oh, and a big fat thanks a lot to my ex husband who shaved all of Isaak's beautiful hair off. Not amused!

4. I read medical books, and watch online surgeries all the time. I missed my calling.

5. I love to write. Someday I would like to write a novel.

6. I dont care about my toes. Well, I guess I do, but what I mean is, I hate getting pedicures, I rather them be natural looking, and not all done up with ridiculous colors.

Alright..I am done with the survey things..you see, it is way late, and I am wide awake and don't have anything to do that doesnt make a lot of noise. Not too much is going on over here...we are moving again. Not that I totally hate moving but I am starting to feel like a gypsy. We move a lot. This time for the reason that we need to be closer to Dave's mom because she is watching the kids for me while I am going to school. Oh yeah..thats another thing I guess. I enrolled at MCC for January. I am going to work on getting my RN. But back to the moving bit..Daves mom lives in Queen Creek. So all you fellow Queen Creekers..we will be joining you. I am sure it is way better than living in the hood and hearing gunshots on a daily basis. Haha...
What else..
Football is over for the boys. They both played their last game yesterday and both won. It is going to be wierd without having practice during the week anymore, but I might survive. ;)
Miss. Natalie Gracious Allimagooshious (thats her princess name) is turning 3 next Saturday. I am sure I will post then, we are having an all out Princess Party. She is certainly a mommy's girl,(get over it dad!) and I am so grateful for her. She makes me laugh on a daily basis, and she is incredibly smart. Although she is into mischief like no other, and she changes her clothes 50 times a day, we will keep her.
Nothing else to report. So I am going to bed!

My Goulish Halloween Creatures

2008-11-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

The kids had a lot of fun last night dressing up in their costumes.
Here are the kids together all dressed up.

Jake and Isaak

Colin has been bugging me all month to dress up in his costume, so last night he was just bursting at the seams to get dressed and put some army man make up on. This is the first Halloween that he has wanted to dress up.

Natalie was a cheerleader. A pretty cute one I might add!

Jakob was a skeleton man.

Isaak was Dracula! (and he played the part all night)

The boys off to go trick-or treating.

We went over to my dads house for a carport bbq, it was a lot of fun.

When the kids were done trick-or treating, they handed out the candy. Kaitlyn was able to come join us. So that is her and Jakob handing out the candy.

And this one is just for my dad. Since he claims I dont have any pictures of him on here...I love the smile. :)

Pumpkin Picking and Carving Festivities

2008-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we took the kids to the pumpkin patch, to pick out a pumpkin to take it home to carve it. This is the first year that Jakob cleaned and carved his own pumpkin. Isaak cleaned his out, but I had to help him carve it. Of course, Colin and Natalie "helped" carve their pumpkins too. They all did a great job and were very proud of their pumpkins!

Here comes the end of Football season!

2008-10-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

The boys have this coming weekend off of football games, and the following weekend (Nov. 8th) Jakob's team gets to go to playoffs, and Isaak's team gets to go to a bowl game. It has been a great season. It seemed to go too fast. I will miss watching them when it is over. This is the first year that the boys had to play on separate teams. At the beginning of the season that thought sent me wanting to breathe into the nearest paper bag. If any of you have experience with the Pop Warner football, you know how involved it is. Especially the first month where practice is every night and of course the boys didnt have practice even remotely close to eachother.
So this past weekend, they both had games at 2pm. One on one side of town, and the other on the other. Dave went to Isaak's game, and I went to Jakobs. Dave took the camera with him to take some pictures of Isaaks team in action.
I know all the kids look alike in their pads, remember, Isaak is number 60.

Its Halloween, so time for some good scares!

2008-10-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Dave and I saw this today on the Ellen show, and about died laughing at this lady's reaction. I just had to share.
Guy Scares His Aunt

This is my ultimate favorite Scare Tactics show, I love it!

Watch Scare Tactics - zombie.AVI in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Me and the Princess

2008-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dave took some cute pictures of me and Natalie the other night at the boys' football practice. Sure wish her hair would grow back faster though, she always has this homeless look about her now. Not much we can do about it though. It does go in a ponytail, but it doesnt stay long. Pretty soon she has spikes sticking up..*sigh* Anyway, Dave did a good job being the photographer this time!

Binky-free?

2008-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

So last night was Natalie's first night to sleep all night without a binky. I thought for sure she'd wake up 100 times and cry for it. But it didnt happen. It is wierd because she wakes up when she does have it, and loses it somewhere in her bed, she'll cry for it until I fish around for it and put it back in her mouth. My kids were all big pacifier lovers. But surprisingly she did fine, and hasn't asked for it yet today at all. I am really hoping I can end this phase as easy as it was for Colin.

**UPDATE**10-18-08
Natalie is STILL binky free! I am SO HAPPY!!! What a big girl! Next comes the potty training...

Snap Happy

2008-10-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

I started out taking pictures of Isaak in his game gear, and saw that the lighting was perfect, and all my kids were running about the front yard..I started just snapping some of them doing what they do best...being goofy. I love these kinds of sessions, because I dont care how they are positioned, or what they do, it is fun to see what they come up with. You can definately see their little personalities!
**you can click on the pictures to make them bigger too.

He is going to melt some girls heart one day...

Oh look..Colin found some "eggles".

Lets document the last days with this darn binky!

Poor kid is as white as me.

"I need a nice smile with teeth Sis..."

Jakob

Pretending to be nice to eachother for once...

Some handosme boys I have here!

Cute kids! Nice pirate face Colin!

Can you tell Natalie knows she is beautiful?

Jake and Natalie

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

2008-10-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have no words...Because I am still so upset!!!

Isaak gets baptized

2008-09-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday Isaak Ray got baptized. I can hardly believe he is already 8 years old. Where did the time go? To make the day even more special, his Grandpa Clonts got to baptize him, and Grandpa Pittam got to confirm him. Here are a couple pictures on his big day.

Since this post is about Isaak, I will write a little bit about him, so those who don't know him can get to know him a little better.
First off, I am the luckiest mom in the world to have Isaak for a son. He is such a good boy, and is always trying to make everyone happy. I compare him to my dad a lot, because those two have the same exact personality. Also, I am very proud that Isaak is so smart. He gets straight A's in school, and hardly has to study. (Lucky Duck!) He started reading in Kindergarten, if that tells ya something! He is very layed back, and will do whatever you ask of him without complaining. He is by far the easiest kid I have ever known to raise. He wakes up early in the morning before my alarm even goes off to get them up for school, and is always already dressed and ready, either reading on his bed, or playing is gameboy.

Some things he enjoys are music, this boy can dance! He has rhythm like no other, and he likes to sing too. Isaak this year has enjoyed playing football, he is the team spirit, always chering the others on and of course has to do a little dance when they make a touchdown. He plays both center, and defense, so he is in the game the whole time. I think he knows he is good! ;) Isaak is so funny too. He knows just what to say at the right moments, that usually has us in tears laughing. He is definately a special kid, I am so grateful to have him around.

Here is my little guy just a couple days old. Can't believe he is already so big.

No One Needs A Vacation More Than The Person Who Just Had One!

2008-09-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is ME!! How awesome to get a weekend away all expensises paid?! We had a really fun time in San Diego this weekend. My mom watched to two babies, and the boys went with their dad. Dave and I took a bus with 46 other people from his work to San Diego for a fun-filled weekend. We stayed at the Westin Emerald Plaza again.

The company split into groups depending on who wanted to go where. Last year we went to SeaWorld, so this year we decied to do a trolley tour all around San Diego. There were about 10 stops the trolly made, where you could get off and look around, and then catch the next trolley that stopped by.

We first stopped off at Coronado Island. I was a little nervous to go over that bridge on that trolly, but really it made for a good time to take pictures of the bay while we went over!

As we rode along, we learned a lot about the different houses, and the history of San Diego. It was a lot of information, but I love learning about that stuff. The houses were beautiful. And most of them were taken from San Diego on a barge to Coronado. And most of these houses were going for right around 3 to 4 million dollars.

We got off by the ferry boats, and took some pictures of the battleships nearby, and stood on the dock for a little bit while others fished.

After that we hopped back on the trolley, and rode on over to Old Town. This was kinda like Mexico. Lots of old houses, and then a museum inside a house that showed the furniture and stuff.

After that we got back on the trolley and went down by the harbor and saw a bunch of ships. One of the biggest was a Cruise Liner. It was huge. Something about looking at those is nothing natural about it, because you have to wonder just how much work went into building these things, and actually making them float.

Next we went over to the USS Midway for a tour there. We spent 4 hours on that tour, and also got to eat lunch on the edge of the hanger deck. That was the most informative tour I have ever been on. It was cool to see all the stuff and actually think about people living on that and working on it. They had a bunch of displays that were really neat, we had the best time there. Oh, and Dave and I did a flight simulator for a fighter jet. That was fun except for going upside down..that was harsh!
Here are some pictures of the tour around the air craft carrier.

Dave standing by the beds. How did they sleep on those things??

In the Brig

Me teaching a flight lesson..haha..sure!

Dave making an important call!

Me sitting in an ejection seat.

Then we went up to the flight deck for a little while. I think that was my favorite part. I would LOVE to go for a ride in one of these things!

Me sitting in a fighter jet. Cool!

I would NOT however, fly in one of these! No way!

I thought this was too cool, there was EVERYTHING on this ship. Even a room for surgeries. I love all the dummies set up. Anything you can think of, it was on this. Thats maybe why it took 4 hours to go through.

I think that is about it for the pictures, unless Dave gets some more from his friends at work. I took the big camera and didnt want to lug it around the rest of the day. After we got done at the Midway, we went back to the hotel and got dressed up for dinner. We split off into 4 groups depending on where you wanted to go. We went to Anthony's again. Same place we went last year. It was so good, I had king crab legs, and a small lobster tail! I almost had to roll myself back to the hotel! After dinner, we all went out dancing. Glad I didnt have my camera for that! It was fun though, and the next morning we got on the bus to go home.