Lil' Farmers

Due to my ever growing need to find new, exciting things for my kids to do, I  signed them up for a farm class at Superstition Farm.  It turned out to be really fun!  It was one day a week for two weeks.  The kids had a great teacher named Melrose that Justin affectionately called "Miss Rose."  They learned about all sorts of animals and how a dairy farm works.  It was very hands on with lots of animals to feed, pet and groom. 

 

The Cowboy

The Cowgirl

The Patient Observor

The animals:

Justin was overjoyed to hold "Roger the Rooster"

Feeding "Lover"

Feeding the calf

Petting "Dustybuns"

Feeding "Clementine"

"Driving" the tractor

Making new friends

We just barely missed a calf being born but we were there for its first steps!  See it in the middle?

Enjoying the most delicious ice cream made from their cow's milk

Heart Day

I had the best Valentine's Day this year.  Dave and I went out Friday night to celebrate but we didn't get our babysitter until Thursday night.  I was calling around trying to find a steakhouse with an open reservation and they were all booked!  I was a little stressed about where we were going to eat until Dave called me Friday afternoon and said we had a reservation at 6 but wouldn't tell me where!    He did say though that it would be one for the record books and he was right!  We went to a restaurant called Mastro's and if you are a lover of steak and potatoes like me you have to go there!  It was hands down the best filet I have ever had and it's a good thing because it was also the most expensive!  It literally melted in my mouth!  Dave got the NY strip and we shared sauteed shrimp, lobster garlic mashed potatoes, and gorgonzola macaroni and cheese.  For dessert we got the creme brulee which was so good and also included an overflowing plate of whip cream  that was to die for!  It was all amazing!  The restaurant is kind of a dungeon though.  It is very nice but very dark and you even have to walk down to get to it, making me feel even more like I was in a dungeon.  Everyone was using their cell phones to read the menu and the servers carry flashlights with them.  Dave was definitely right though when he said it was one for the record books, it was definitely the best steak ever and also the most expensive dinner we've ever had!  I even saved the receipt to remember it!

Sunday was also a fun day with the kids and I tried to make it extra special for them.  Here are a few pictures from the day 

Pink heart pancakes for breakfast

Layered heart jello as part of dinner.  We also had spaghetti and a fruit salad made with red fruits to keep with the red theme.

I wish this was a better picture but you get the idea!

And for dessert we had pink heart shaped Rice Krispie treats.  Yum!

Too bad I didn't get any pictures of the kids from that day!  I guess I was having too much fun with the food!

My blog is under construction.  Please be patient while I try to figure out how to expand the margins so there isn't so much blank space!  And if you know how please help me!

Justin is Four Years Old!

Justin got this crown at preschool.  We brought Krispy Kremes donuts so that he could celebrate with all his school friends.

We had a Batman party and Justin of course dressed up as Batman and Isabelle was Supergirl.  I got these reversible capes off of Etsy and they are so cute!

I love cupcake cakes!  They make serving everyone so easy!

Justin loves the cake too!

All of the cousins and siblings. 

 Most of them were dressed up as superheroes earlier but I wasn't fast enough in getting a picture.

Do you think Isabelle enjoyed her cupcake!?

My Brothers

Next time I'll tell them i'm taking a picture of them so they can be ready! :)

Justin had so much fun opening and playing with his presents.  That night when I was tucking him in bed I asked him what his favorite one was.  He said, "All of them!"

Poor Isabelle!  She just didn't get that only Justin was getting presents.  This is the sad look she had after I told her AGAIN that none of the presents were for her.  I even gave her the cape early in the day so that she wouldn't be so sad but I guess it didn't work!

Justin is such a sweet boy!  I love watching him with his sisters and how sweet he can be with them, at least most of the time!  He is a great helper and is very smart.  He is even starting to read!  He loves to wrestle with his dad, he is a pro at video games (I know, not the best thing for him but it's the only thing that makes him sit still for a little while!), he loves superheroes, riding his bike, playing sports, and doing anything that makes him a "big boy."

He was like an old pro at the doctor for his check up.  He was so proud to show the doctor how big he is getting.  We're hoping for a growth spurt though. He was almost 39 inches tall which is only the 20% and weighed 33 lbs which is the 25%!

I can't wait to see what the future holds for Justin!

We love you Justin!

Get Us Out of Here!!!!!!

Most people when they hear the name of the neighborhood we live in automatically think it is a nice neighborhood. When we first lived here there were many great families from our ward that lived in here too. The Merrills, the Taylors, the Stogdills and the Wisers just to name a few. Sadly they have all moved on and now we are pretty much the only family from the ward in this neighborhood. When we moved to Annecy from here we were leaving because we had definitely outgrown this house. Isabelle was a month old when we moved. Now we have one more child (Ruby) then last time and we are bursting at the seams! Ruby sleeps in the loft, which is surrounded by everyone else's rooms, so if she cries in the middle of the night I can't really let her cry it out because I don't want the other kids to be woken up too. So I have been very sleep deprived because of this! Also, when we moved back we lost 1600 square feet of living space. It's all now packed into our garage and a storage room that we are renting. I could probably deal with all of these problems but the one thing that I can't handle is that I don't feel safe in this neighborhood! The Mesa police have been putting bait cars in here to try to scare away car thieves and they tried to get a neighborhood watch program going but there wasn't enough interest. Plus we have had a few strange, weird, or scary things happen to us since we moved back. First of all, I can't believe some of the people that live in here now. I'm not trying to judge but some of them are definitely not people I would ever want to be friends with. I think when the housing bubble burst it must have allowed more of a variety to buy in here because they definitely wouldn't have been able to afford it before. I could deal with this too but I can't deal with these next few things. One day when Dave and I came home from church we found the back door wide open. When Dave went to look out back there was a black crate (not ours) pushed against the wall like someone had used it to jump over the wall. Luckily, nothing was missing, perhaps we interrupted something?! Another time when I came home with the kids the back door was wide open again and I swear that I heard somebody upstairs and then I could hear someone running in the rocks, like they must have jumped from the second story down. One time we found an old frying pan in our backyard that got there who knows how? But finally today something else happened. When I was coming back from QT a neighbor two doors down who looks like he is part of a Mexican gang was standing in our front yard. I only know who he is because many times when I come home he is standing outside with his girlfriend making out and they don't bother to stop. Anyways, he was in my yard holding a semi-large rock and then when he saw me he dropped it and started walking away. He didn't bother to acknowledge me at all. You know a nice, "Hi i'm standing in your yard for some strange reason" smile or nod would have made me feel a little better but no, nothing. So I roll down my window and say very nicely, "Are you looking for something?" and he very nicely without stopping says, "No, I just dropped something" and keeps on going. Excuse me! You're looking for something in my front yard with a rock in your hand! We don't even live next door and you don't take walks to give you the opportunity to drop something, all you do is make out. And if you are REALLY looking for something in my front yard, why don't you ask me if I've seen it. Needless to say I didn't believe him but i'm still not quite sure what he was doing. All I know is I need out of this neighborhood! I personally think feeling safe is a necessity in life! Unfortunately we aren't able to buy a house at this time and renting a house when you already own one doesn't quite seem right but that's what i'm leaning towards. In the meantime I think I am going to become G.I. Jane and learn to protect myself, especially with how much Dave is out of town and it's just me and the kids. So next time you see me, I might be packin' some heat!

Christmas 2010

What more could you ask for, matching jammies, matching chairs, red cowgirl boots and wolverine claws, they had a great Christmas and so did I. Thanks Dave for being so thoughtful! I love you!

Christmas Activities

This Christmas season I was determined not to be stressed and surprisingly, it worked! I love December and all the fun things that go along with it. I think the best part is watching my kids have so much fun and be excited for Christmas and Santa! We were able to do a lot of fun things this year too. If you want to try not to be stressed next year, I recommend doing all your shopping on Amazon. You can't beat great prices and free shipping! It definitely made things a lot easier for me this year!

We had a blast making "gingerbread houses" at my friends house! Isabelle definitely ate her share of candy that day!
Temple lights

Robyn was in The Nutcracker this year as a soldier. She did a great job and we had a lot of fun watching her!

Santa picture at Bass Pro Shop