Another Trip to AZ

We love being able to spend time with our family - and especially when it involves sending off or welcoming home a missionary! We were able to head back to Arizona the end of May to send off another nephew on his mission. That makes 3 in 6 months time! We had soooo much fun!

On our way there we were able to stop in a city where one of our nephews is already serving his mission. We were not able to see him but we met a lady that he knows in the area and she was able to accept some yummy cupcakes to give to him! This is a picture of the area where he is at. It is right on top of the Grapevine headed to LA.


This is a picture of our nephew Josh helping at a yard sale.


Mikey, Connor, and Tyler going for a swim.


Tyler getting read to squirt someone.


Uncle Chris, Ashlie, and Tyler above water


Ashlie & Tyler


Sari & Ashlie


The gang watching the swimmers - L to R Glenn, Jeri, Gail, Alexandra


While we were there I "attempted" to teach my sil's a little about cookie decorating :) Not sure how much I taught them but we had a BlAsT!!! And the cookies were delicious!!!

Tyler Doesn't Nap Anymore

When I had my foot surgery I wasn't able to get up and down the stairs so many days I had to attempt to put Tyler down on the couch for his nap. That didn't work so well and he ended up pretty much not taking naps anymore. But some days he still really needs one! I guess this particular day he did because I found him on top of all of the couch cushions on the floor crashed out! He slept for nearly 1 1/2 hours like this!

Sari's Young Woman's Project

Sari is working very hard at doing her personal progress at church. It is a program designed specifically to help young girls as they mature to develop new talents and to learn how to rely on the Lord. There are several little items you have to complete under each value and then there is one large project. Sari decided she wanted to learn how to make a cake so she helped me with her cousins cake. She did a great job!!!

Manicure Time

Ashlie loves to treat us special! This particular day I got a manicure :)

Tyler Gets Cold

I found Tyler like this one day, funny thing is it was in the 80's outside lol! I guess his hands were still cold!

Family Night

Every week we have family night together. We sing songs, have a short lesson, have a fun activity, and it always includes a dessert! Everyone takes turns doing the lessons including Tyler although he always has a helper. This week Ashlie helped him. They drew pictures together that went with a story they read. She is helping him hold up the right picture! I think it is so fun to see them working together :)

Cupcakes

I brought cupcakes to my sisters house and all of the kids gathered around the table to eat up! I think they enjoyed them, don't you???

Tyler Goes To The Dentist

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Tyler is very concerned about the health of his teeth! He makes sure to brush every morning and every night, he uses mouth wash, and he flosses regularly! He loves to read books and watch tv programs about keeping your teeth clean! He went recently to the dentist for his 6 month check up and was happy the dentist told him he was doing a good job brushing. Craig was at work so we had to take pictures of all the stuff he got from the dentist and send to him so he could see!

Tyler Plays Baseball

Tyler is playing baseball for the 2nd year. This year he is on the Cubs! He loves to play and loves his practices!!! This is him before his first game! Isn't he handsome???

Ashlie needed pudding!!!

A couple of weeks ago my papa was rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night. We eventually found out he had colon cancer and needed to have surgery almost immediately. I had spent the entire day after church at the hospital with my grandparents and had left the kids home under Sari's care. Craig had worked that day and him and I both got home within about 5 minutes of each other. We were both mentally and physically exhausted and came home to this note.




How could we not let her have some pudding after that???

Foot Update

Here is the latest picture of "the foot"!!! Healing well I think! I returned my scooter this week - I am officially walking 100% of the time on my foot! I am still in physical therapy and am seeing great improvements - I also ditched "the boot" this week and graduated to an air cast. Which means that for the first time in over 3 months I am wearing a shoe on my left foot - hard part is not many shoes fit the left in the same size that fit the right foot - but we are managing!

Just thought I would update everyone on my foot! Much more family stuff to come soon!!!

Sari's Gymkhana

It is the beginning of a new Gymkhana year for Sari and we started out at a new location! Unfortunately, last year the association we were with started breaking some pretty major association rules and so we decided to not attend there anymore! We found a new association in Bakersfield and Sari was able to compete in one of their Gymkhanas! Instead of the normal 3 events they have 6 events at each of their meets! Wow!!! Sari has been working hard on her riding, most weeks she rides two times instead of just once. And her hard work definitely paid off!!! She placed 1st in 3 different events, and also received a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place score!!! She rocked her group!!! Way to go Sari!

Drywall Contractor Tyler

I have tried to arrange my physical therapy appointments around Craig's schedule, but there have been a couple of times that have just not worked. So Tyler got to go to work with Papa for about 5 hours! Tyler was so excited to ride in The Diesel! He doesn't think my mom's diesel truck is very good because it isn't loud lol! But Papa's truck, that is cool!!! We got his seat loaded in the back seat of the truck and off they went with Tyler beaming from ear to ear! They checked on a few jobs and had to deliver some material to another job! That required a stop off at the supply store so Tyler got to go in and meet all of Papa's friends! They gave him a new hat and a clip on tape measure! Papa and Tyler even stopped at the gas station for "snacks"! Those consisted of Spicy Fries and Root Beer!!! So, Tyler came home, eventually, very dirty, and extremely happy! He had so much fun with Papa! He didn't put his tape measure down for almost a week! He even slept with it, and he measured EvErYtHiNg in sight!!!

What a fun day and what a fun memory for Tyler and Papa!!!

Easter

Easter Morning was spent relaxing in bed, eating candy, and watching General Conference on tv! Could not have asked for a better way to start such a beautiful day! After conference we showered and headed over to my sisters for a family Easter dinner! We had a great time and the kids (especially Tyler) had a blast doing the Easter Egg Hunt!!!

Easter Egg Coloring

We decided to take it easy this year on Easter Egg coloring and dropped in at my sister's house for the actual coloring process! It was hard enough just to boil the eggs and transport! Sari is much to big for those kinds of activities now, but certainly not Tyler and Ashlie! They had about 3 dozen between the 2 of them to color and they had a blast!!!

I am Handicapped Legally!!!

So I've been driving (or being driven around) for 2 months and I have discovered that getting in and out of the car can be quite tricky if you don't have adequate room on the side of your car :) So, after prompting from friends I finally made it to the DMV (with Craig's assistance) and got myself a Handicap Plaque :) Of course its only temporary, until the end of June, but still! So, I've been using it for a couple of weeks and have discovered it comes in quite handy! However, now that I have one, all of those handicap spots that are always open when you can't use them, are now full when I can! Oh well, grass is always greener on the other side :)

Face painting!!!

We went to a birthday party for my cousins twins who were turning 2. She had hired a clown who did face painting. Tyler was so excited for the clown to show up. He was first in line and wanted her to make him Batman. He was so excited!



Of course he had to make the "Batman" face :)


Ashlie was a Pop Diva :)

Response Magazine

This is a local magazine that gets published and mailed to the community monthly. It features stories all medical related. This month the hospital got a new trauma designation so they put a group of ER nurses, techs, docs etc on the cover and then there was a write up in the magazine regarding the new trauma designation. Craig was featured in both pictures :)

Tyler The Artist

Tyler has discovered how to create his own designs now when coloring. He hasn't always enjoyed coloring. It has only been in the last few months that he has really even colored in coloring books. He has always been much more into building with trains and blocks and things.

So it is cute to see him design little things now and give them to people. I think he learns that from Ashlie. She loves to draw us pictures.

Here are a few of Tyler's recent pictures!

This is a pictures of a house and sun that Tyler made for his cousin Ezra.


This is a rocket ship Tyler made for Dad.


This is a square Tyler drew for his cousin Isaac (he is 19 years old).


This is a picture of a heart Tyler drew for his cousin Josh (he is also 19 years old).

Ashlie is a Millionaire!

Ashlie is a Millionaire!!!



Well, at least she had read a million words this year! At her school once they have reached the million mark they receive a new t-shirt and a gift card to Borders, to buy new books!

Sari's Birthday Cake/Cupcakes

Here are some pictures of Sari's birthday treats!



She is too big now to do just one party with friends and family so we had the "cool" friend party on Saturday with a Twilight theme! I did Ice Cream Cupcakes with Twilight fondant pieces for the tops.



Then Sunday after church we did a family party and so I made a cake in the shape of her favorite horse she rides named Chester.

Happy Birthday Sari!!!

Today is my Sari bo Bari's 13th birthday! My goodness, where has the time gone??? It seems like just yesterday she was toddling around with a little pony tail on the top and her chubby cheeks! Kind of scary to think that in just a split second she has become a teenager!!!

When Sari was born she was only 5lb 13oz! So tiny! The newborn clothes just swallowed her up, we went out and bought some preemie stuff - which lasted her about 2 weeks lol! Once Sari started growing she didn't stop :) Craig is a little concerned that she is going to pass him up! And she probably will!

Our Sari is the sweetest thing ever! We love going to meet her teachers because that is the first thing every one of them say, "Sari is so sweet!" Sari is a very kind person, she makes friends easily and everyone always wants to be her friend. She is a good example to everyone (including me) of what a good friend should be like. She is very considerate of other peoples feelings and thoughts. Although sometimes the teenage hormones kick in at home and we have our occasional moments :)

Sari is growing up to be a beautiful young lady. She is strong in her beliefs and not easily swayed. She has high standards and values and lives up to them. We love having Sari in our family! She is the best first child anyone could ever ask for! I find at times that I sit and reflect on all of the things that I've done wrong in parenting her, then I realize Heavenly Father must have known I would make those mistakes so he sent Sari first. She is so forgiving and loving! Always quick to help in anyway she can.

Sari is a great big sister to her brother and sister. They are lucky to have her!

Happy Birthday to my first teenage daughter! May Heavenly Father bless our home through the teenage years that we all come out in one piece :)

Registered For Kindergarten

I am really not sure where the last almost 5 years have gone!!! Somehow they have just disappeared out from under me and now my sweet baby is a big boy! We just registered him yesterday for kindergarten! He is very excited, of course he thought he was going to get to go there today! He found a dinosaur book he looked at while we were waiting in line to turn in our paperwork. He thought it was pretty cool they had so many books he had never seen before. He is also very excited that he will get to go to Ashlie's school with her! So now we start the countdown til August 19th :(