365 Day In My Life...

Okay, so I started another blog for the 365 Day Project I am doing with some friends. A group of us decided to take a picture a day for the entire year. This is really a blog about me and then random pictures I take and thoughts to go with them. I hope to grow as a photographer and see what I really do in a year. I always photograph the big events, birthdays, soccer games, outings, but tend to forget "my little things in life", like where I work, how many miles are on my car, or what was important to me that day. Yes, it may be a little random, but that's who I am! You can see it here http://www.nkblogging365.blogspot.com/.

Why's The Sky Blue...

I picked up M from religion class (yes, don't faint)and on the way home she saw a shooting star (I think it was plane). She started asking a whole bunch of questions about shooting stars and I tried my best to come up with some answer, I do remember a little bit of 8th grade science. Well one question lead to another and before I knew it the ultimate kid question flew out of her mouth, "Mommy, why is the sky blue?" Well, I tried my best to answer, but once I saw her confused little face in the rear view mirror I said "Hey, lets look it up on the Internet when we get home" She smiled! Thank God for the Internet, really! Remember how we researched things when we were little, do ya? We had to go to the library and figure out that damn Dewey Decimal System, and then hunt for the book hoping it was in the right place! Moral of the story is INTERNET = LIFE IS GOOD!

Happy New Years...

Wow, never would have thought the kids would have made it to midnight after the busy day we had yesterday, but they both surprised us and went to bed at 12:30 a.m.. Luckily the kids are not on a schedule so M slept in till 11:15 a.m. and C slept till 12:00pm! Guess who they take after, hmmmm? :) It pretty much was a lazy day, still playing with all the new Christmas toys and then played outside with their friends. Esie surprised us by stopping over and we ended up going out for Mexican food. So far 2010 seems to be going pretty good, only 364 more days to go!

Happy New Years Eve 2009...

Happy New Year's Eve! Mike and I decided that it would be a lot of fun to spend the last day of the year up in the snow with the kids. So we tagged along with some friends and headed up to Payson to look for snow. We ended up at a turn off a little past Christopher Creek with fresh powder snow.



Unfortunately on the way up Mike's crazy driving made C car sick, UGH! I thought we were going to have to go back home. We meet up with the Gritten Family at Walmart and let C rest for a while and bought him some medicine. We found some awesome deals on snow gear there. Mike and I bought snow bibs, C got new boots and gloves, and M new snow bibs and gloves. I never ever thought I would own snow bibs again! Luckily C started to feel better and so we headed off to find snow, and boy did we find it!

C was very exited to get out and play in the snow, but he is definitely an Arizona baby because he didn't like being cold! COLD.. COLD.. COLD..!


M on the other hand could have played in the snow all day. She never even mentioned the word COLD once. The entire day she kept begging to building a snowman, but unfortunately the snow was to fresh and would not stick. So she did the next best thing (or so she thought) and ate the snow!


All of the adults were big kids too and had a fun sledding. It took us big kids several rides down the hill to pack the snow down. Thank goodness it was a small hill because by the time we got to the top we were huffing and puffing.




We had such a great time and now that we know it only takes about an 1 1/2 to get there, as long has Mike doesn't make C car sick, we are going to have to go more often.



When we packed up to leave this is what we found. The truck said it was 31 degrees out and only an hour and a 1/2 later we were in 65 degree weather. We made it home by 7:15pm and joined the Michon's for their New Years Eve get together.

Elfis - A Rockin' Holiday Musical

That was the name of M's holiday program at school. It was really early this year as the performance teacher was starting her maternity leave the next day! As usual M was a little nervous to be up on stage, but she did great. However, due to all the elf hats it was hard to see her during most of the performance. Pa and Grammy were unable to join us as they had just gotten back from their Hawaii cruise and Pa was had a bad cold. Esie and Nell also had to miss it due to work and school. A lot has changed in a year.



Of couse C had to be in a picture! It never fails, when you don't want them in the picture that's when they want their picture taken.



Boy, doesn't she look like shes having fun!

HOWLOWEEN at the Zoo...

We went with some of our friends and their family on Halloween Eve to Howloween at the Zoo and it was a blast! The kids did some trick or treating, rode the spooky train and escaped from some mummys, monsters, Frankenstein, and Dracula, walked the zoo looking at all the festive lights, ate some kettle corn, and rode the merry-go-round. The weather was great too! We actually had to wear warm jackets, that's rare for this time of the year.

I love this picture, just has a spooky feeling to me. C loved the merry-go-round.


Here he is again my smiling little boy, I just love those checks!


Here are the girls hanging out waiting in line for the spooky train.


Here is the rest of the gang taking a break from trick or treating at the Zoo.

The Greatest Birthday Carinval...

Our little girl turned 6 and we thought what's a better way to celebrate than a Birthday Carnival with all the works! We literally threw this party together in a matter of weeks and none of it would have been possible without the help from our wonderful family and friends.

We rented a snow cone machine, cotton candy machine, and a spin art machine. We made all the games that included a bean bag toss, ping pong toss, penny toss, fishing game, bowling game, and duck game. The kids earned tickets when playing the games which could then be exchanged for prizes (a.k.a. goody bag stuff). To top off the party we had our big bounce house out, had a huge pinata, face painting, and a great birthday cake! I don't think any child left with out a sugar high, and some parents too!



The Birthday Girl trying out the spin art machine.


Here is the game zone with all our wonderful Carnies! Mike did a great job putting up the pop ups and stringing lights all around. It looked beautiful at night.


Aren't we a happy group! Seriously, are they embarrassed of us already?


Guess who really liked the snow cones, oh and the tiaras too! One day his girlfriends will like this picture too!


This is one of my favorite pictures of the night, Pa and his little buddy in the bounce house! I can't say Pa was really bouncing, but he made it though the tiny hole to play with C and put a huge smile on C's face.


And all the kids enjoyed attacking the pinata! You go M!


I think all 18 kids and 20 adults had a blast and so did I.

Birthday Round Up...

M's best friends had a Cowgirl Birthday Round Up to celebrate their 6th birthday. There were two ponies and a petting zoo. The petting zoo had bunnies, chickens, a baby pig, a baby cow, a lama, and goats. All the kids had a blast, parents too!

As ususal M was loving the animals. When she wasn't getting a pony ride, she had an animal in her hands.





Last time we went to a petting zoo C wanted nothing to do with holding the animals. He was being very brave today!





Yeehaw! That's what C calls horses.

Signs Your Kids Have The H1N1 Flu...

They sleep a lot and anywhere!









M fell asleep in the chair outside while Mike was putting up our Halloween decorations.

My Poor Babies...

Well the kids are really sick. Both of them were tested for the flu, and M's came back positive for Influenza A. C's did not, but the doctor said it had to be a false negative as he got if from M. Influenza A = N1H1 Swine Flu! UGH!!! I also caught the kids bug, so this means I have it too! DOUBLE UGH!!!

M has been sick since Saturday, battling 100 plus temperatures, sleeping most of the days, barely eating and drinking. From our doctors appointment on Monday to today (Thursday) she lost three pounds, 50.6 lbs to 48.6 lbs. The doctor said there is not much that can be done now other than treat the systems. The flu can last 7 to 10days. Getting her to stay hydrated has been a battle, and I hate to confess I had to threaten to take her to the ER to get her to drink. Tomorrow will be the 7th day and I sure hope it is a turning point for her. Nothing breaks my heart more to see my little girl crying cause her tummy hurts and there's nothing I can do. It's days like this I never realized being a mom can be so heart wrenching. But it's all better when she grabs my arm when were are sleeping and says "Love you mama" and then falls right back to sleep.

Mikey Jr. on the other had seems to be rebounding much better. He has been eating and drinking less than usual, but not enough to reduce his energy. He is sleeping a lot more, taking random naps on our laps and the sofa, and is definitely cranky and letting us know it. As long has is fever does not spike again tomorrow, I think he will be on the road to recovery. Although I can't complain cause he's been such a mama's boy this week since I have been home, wanting hugs, cuddles and kisses (then the little stinker wipes them away and giggles!).

Here's wishing a healthier and happier Friday!

What A Weekend...

We are officially in soccer and birthday season, and WHEW, it is going to be a busy one. We have been officially invited to 8 birthday parties not including M's 6th birthday party and M is playing on two different soccer leagues. Busy, busy, busy! To be honest, at times I like it. I tend to get more done when time is limited. Remind me I said this when you catch me complaining in a future post :)

This week in general was very busy. M stared religious education classes (stop laughing), in addition to gymnastics on Wednesdays, and soccer practice on Thursdays. Friday night, our niece H spent the night and M, H and our neighbors went to open gym from 7pm - 9pm. Saturday morning M had soccer pictures at 9:30am and then we had to skip the 10:30am game to go to a birthday party at Girly Girlz.

The girls had a blast at the birthday party, but M just seemed off, probably just tired from a busy week. At Girly Girlz they had their hair and nails done, played games, ate pizza, walked the read carpet and won awards. It was a super cute party!

Here are pictures of M's up-do.



I thought she looked so cute, so I stopped to take pictures of her. As you can tell she was not all that excited about it!



When we got home it was nap time for C and M. M normally does not nap, but she was pretty tired from the busy week. I had plans to go scrap booking that night and our neighbors were coming over to play at our house. Well when M woke up she did not look to good. She had a 99.5 temperature. We went ahead and kept our plans and as the night progressed her fever got worse and by 8:30pm she was at 103.1, UGH! Well, the next 48 hours have been horrible. M's fever hit 105 Sunday night and never really went much below 103.5 and that was with Motrin. My poor baby slept over 18 hours on Sunday. I took her to the doctor today, and of course her fever broke before we got there and she was normal at 98.8. The doctor did put M back on her asthma medication for the winter, to protect her from the bad viruses going around. Well, guess who spiked a fever tonight, yes my little guy. Poor C had a fever of 101.5, so far. He was so wiped out he fell asleep on the sofa, which he never does. I sure hope his fever does not get really high like M's. In addition,the doctor said to call if M's fever reaches 101 again as that would not be normal. Well of course I took her temperature before bed and she was 101.5 again!!! UGH!!! So, we will see how she does in the morning, if not we will be going back. It could be a vey long night tonight.

Pump It Up...

M and C were invited to M's classmates birthday party at Pump It Up. So we made it a family event. M was very exited to get in there and bounce, but C on the other hand was not to happy. We were able to bounce for 1 1/2 hours and then had pizza and cake.

Here's Mike and M racing down the slide.



C finally warmed up to the idea of bouncing when Mike took him down one of the big slides. Look at that smile and dimple!



Say CHEESE!



M had a blast and could not get enough of the slides.



She was nice enough to stop for a picture.



After the party we ran some errands and got M her Halloween costume from the Disney Store. You will have to wait and see what she picked :)

Summer Blowout...

In honor of Labor Day, we had a barbecue and pool party with 40 of our closest family and friends. We provided the burgers, dogs and drinks and everyone else was wonderful to bring appetizers, sides, and dessert.



Here's the "Furs" group! Yes every party Joey, Joyce, Teresa, Mom, and Dad sit in the same spot (near the food) watching everyone come and go while they chat about the "old times". There is something to be said for the good old days.



Pa and his little buddy. C was sportin' a fresh haircut for the party!



The pool really didn't start hoppin' until the night. It's awesome that with so many different ages, all the kids get along so well.



Sometimes I wish the big kids could play so nice! ;P



A few rounds of parent/kid volleyball were played before the big kids took over the net.



Yes, this is a special appearance made by me on the blog, normally I prefer to be behind the camera. I couldn't pass up to post a picture of me and my favorite guy (jealous Daddy?) Ain't he just the cutest thing you ever seen! I just love him to pieces.



Don't they look like 3 proud men! You would think they conquered Mount Everest; but no, sadly they just pulled the cooler in the pool so they did not have to go as far to get a beer! To end the night they should have sang "100 cans of beer on the wall" because that is about how many cans we went through, in addition to 3 bottles of pre-made Margarita mix, and 3 big bottles of wine! You can bet those boys were moving slow the next day, or like Mike who did not move at all!



Overall, I think the party was a success and everyone had a fun time. We are very lucky to have such great friends and family that mix so well.

You know your a redneck when.... your daughter improves her math skills by counting the empty beer cans laying around the backyard the next morning. Nice! Parents of the year award here we come :)

Post Kindgergarten Graduation Fun...

So what does a kindergartner do after graduation you might ask??? They go swimming! Yeah, probably should have taken the paint off her face before she went in the pool. Here she looks more like a seal than a cat! Gotta love her!



C was very excited that M, N, and I came home. He had fun in the pool with us girls. Yes, Esie was there to!



Nice, N!



This was after the pool and after baths. Isn't he a keeper! C has his 3 "B's" with him: binky, baba, and blankie.



Don't they look like a lively group! You would think they had a busy day or something. Tomorrow starts the offical first day of summer break!

Kindergarten Graduate...

Today was M's kindergarten graduation party. I had decided to go for the morning and help out and Esie volunteered Nell to come help. What I thought would be a couple hours, turned out to be the whole day and I was so happy I was there for the Big Day. The graduation party was a luau, so they kids were given lays and some wore grass skirts. I think they all had a blast. All 3 kindergarten classes rotated between classrooms, our room was the craft room, then there was a game room, and the last room was a story of a luau.



While the kids were finishing their crafts and waiting for the next room, Miss Nellie read them stories to keep their attention.





This is M's class and her teacher Mrs. Adams. We were very lucky to have Mrs. Adams for kindergarten, she was an amazing teacher with incredible patience!



R, M, and M were lucky to be in the same class for kindergarten.



Mrs. Diane and Aunt Tracy came to the party and painted all 50 plus kindergartner's faces. All the kids looked amazing, until they smeared their faces after recess (so not pretty).



Mrs. Adams handed out their kindergarten diploma's and gave them big hugs.



I can't believe my little girl has graduated from kindergarten. M we are so proud of you. You learned you ABC's, count past 100, write your name, and started reading. Daddy and I learned that you really do not like homework :). We love you baby!