The Brock Family

First Bus ride!

2011-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

So as a result of our car drama, the boys have to ride the bus for the last 7 days of preschool (a little annoying)! Travis and I are not huge fans of our kiddos riding the bus, but we had no choice.

The boys LOVE riding the bus! This was their first day and they were so excited!

Is it just me, or does Chase look WAY to small to be going to school? HIs backpack is the size of him!! But OH SO CUTE!!!

Hello, 5 point harness! I think their safe!!

Its such a bittersweet thing watching your kids grow up! They're getting so big!

Trials

2011-05-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start! I'm writing this post more as a journal entry, and since the only "journal" I keep, is this blog, I don't have many options. So BE WARNED!! haha! What I'm thinking about today and going through is very personal and I hope I don't regret making these feelings public!!! EEEK!!

Today, as I was pulling into my driveway, I opened my car door and heard the wierdest sound. It took me a minute to realize it was the air out of my front tire, pretty much BLOWING out!!! It was crazy! To some, thats no big deal! To me, it is very frustrating! Here comes the back story! First, a couple weeks ago, my other front tire blew out and my spare is currently being used, awesome! Second, our car is a piece of DOODOO and we dont want to pour any more money into. Theres more to that story as well, but thats a little too personal to share! So, long story short, our car will be towed away and we are once again car less! We get asked all the time "Why don't you just go buy a new car?" or "There are a lot of cheap ones on craigslist". Well, let me answer those........We don't have enough money saved to buy a car for cash and we can't get a loan for a car. SO we are up a creek!

I've been without a car MANY times, but this time is very different! The other times, we have had a second car and I could run errands when Travis got home or have a car on the weekends, This time, our second car is Travis's work truck! Which thankfully fits all 6 of us, but I am not allowed to drive! This is why I feel soooo trapped! I know I am surrounded by amazing friends, who will let me borrow their cars if needed, and not to sound ungrateful for that, because I AM so grateful. I'm just not looking forward to having to rely on others AGAIN!!

My challenge this go around, is too not feel sorry for myself, get depressed or get angry! I just need to remember there is a purpose we keep having this trial and somehow, some way it will all work out. Phew, this could be hard! I am so grateful for the many things my family and I have been blessed with and I need to focus on that.

Maybe there is a positive thing happening here. I GET to ride my bike more (in the heat) so maybe I will lose some more weight! HA!!!!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to be a Mother! Its hard at times, stressful, fun and incredibly rewarding! I am so thankful to have been blessed with 4 beautiful, healthy and sweet little spirits.

I am also very grateful for the women in my life who have and continue to be, great examples to me of what a good mother is. I have a wonderful mom, who has been there for me, loved and supported me through anything. I am so thankful for her! I am thankful for Travis's mom, for raising him and blessing me with my best friend and eternal companion. I am so thankful for my friends who surround me everyday, strengthening me, rooting me on and loving me! I can't forget the WONDERFUL man in my life, who without, I wouldn't be a mom! haha! I was so spoiled this Mothers Day and he and the kids made me feel so appreciated! I am so blessed!

A couple days before Mothers Day, I made 6 batches of strawberry freezer jam. I kept some for our family (yum, yum) and delivered the rest to just a few of the wonderful women I look up to and love! What a blessing it is, to serve others and thank them for the wonderful service they have given our family!

I am so blessed to be called "MOM", and pray I will strive to be the best mom I can be!

Mother's Day crafts!

2011-05-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day this year, I got these cute print outs for free from an awesome website and decided I needed to dress up the frames I was putting them in. The one on the left is for mom and the white frame is for Travis's mom. I sure hope they like them, because I LOVE the way they turned out!

This is my "Spring" wreath, that looks more "Fall"! What can I say, I'm drawn to these colors! Anyway, Its hard to tell in the picture, but its actually 2 wreaths layered, which is why the B looks to small, but I promise it "works" in person!

I've had so much fun crafting lately and I have a few more projects in the works!

Spring Break 2011 (long post)!

2011-04-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun on spring break this year! (except for maybe Monday, cause that was the cleaning day, before the fun!) In the past, I have dreaded school breaks, because for many, I was car less, but this week was so different! I really enjoyed playing and sleeping in (sort of), no schedules and spending a lot of time with my kiddos! I didn't want to send them back to school!

On Tuesday, we went to one of the may parks in our neighborhood and played in this giant ball! Its not ours, but true to form, my kids made friends with this family and let us play in this giant ball! It was awesome!
On Wednesday, I took the kids to the dollar theater to see Tangled! They did pretty good, minus the 1 spilled drink and cup of candy! oops!

Thursday, was St. Patrick's Day! We got all decked out in green and headed to the park for a party with a bunch of our friends! My friend Brooke planned games and treats and we had a blast!

On Friday, we met up at our 3rd park of the week with our only AZ cousins and had a blast! We packed a lunch and played for a long time! Its nice to have some family in town, even though we don't see them very often!

COUSINS!

Some brotherly love!

On Saturday morning, we worked hard in the yard and the kids were so helpful we treated them to ice cream!

All the kids dressed up for Church! I couldn't resist posting these pics!

Our last Monday of Spring Break, was also Travis birthday and we spent the day at the zoo and went out to dinner to celebrate! Sadly, I didn't have my camera that day! Maybe that's a good thing, or this might have been the worlds LONGEST post! I love my kiddos and truly enjoy spending time with them!

"4" is Great!

2011-03-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Last month, my sweet boy turned 4! Every time birthdays roll around, it amazes me how fast the past year has gone by and this time wasn't any different. Kade is such a blessing to our family. It has truly been so much fun watching him learn and grow. He is hilarious, energetic, loving, sweet and a trouble maker at times. Some of his favorite things right now are Lego's, helicopters and airplanes, singing, cuddling ( yay for me), and dressing up in his sisters dress ups (not Daddy's favorite)!

This past September, he started attending preschool 4 days a week. He was able to get into the school districts free program because he is a little behind in speech. It has been amazing watching him progress and really learn to love school, which I know was a huge help in his transition to being a Sunbeam this year. He is an amazing little boy, with a very tender heart and we are so blessed to be his parents!

We kept it simple this year for his birthday and took him to Red robin for dinner and then home for presents and cake.

His first attempt at saying "4" with his fingers! He did end up getting it right after this picture though!

His first shirt and tie! It looks like Emma is picking her nose, but she promises she was just itching her upper lip! haha!!!

He is just a LITTLE bit excited about his pillow pet he got from Grandma and Grandpa Newbold! Love it!

Chase really wanted to open this game! Notice the huge crocodile tears running down his cheeks?? Poor little guy!

I Love birthdays, but they also remind me that my babies are growing up! Next up...... Chase turns 3! Yikes!

Vulnerable

2011-02-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is why journaling/blogging is hard for me.................I am horrible at putting my thoughts into words and having them make sense, at least to anyone but me! I struggle with allowing myself to be vulnerable and letting others know my insecurities. Today, I can not get a few thoughts out of my head though, so here I am, attempting to make my thoughts, make sense in words.
About the middle of last year, my ward was split into 3, to reorganize 3 wards and turn them into 4. Before this happened, I had such an awesome group of friends! We did park days, girls night out, couple date nights etc. It was fabulous! So when the split happened and I was no longer in the same ward as about 80% of my close friends, I was so sad. I've gone through ups and downs adjusting to the new ward. Right now, I LOVE my new ward and am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to meet some amazing new friends! The sad thing I have come to realize, is that no matter how close you live to your friends, not seeing them every Sunday can really change your friendship! Its weird that we can live so close, but I rarely see or talk to any of my friends from my previous ward. Today, a bunch of us met up at the park, the first time, in a long time, I have hung out with these friends. It was kind of awkward and I don't know why! I felt like an outsider. Like if I disappeared, none of these "friends" would even notice! I hated the way I was feeling. I tried to act fine, to talk and interact as much as I could, but it was just weird! Why do we as women, tend to over think everything???? Read into things???? and drive ourselves crazy with our insecurities??? I have great friends, new and old! SO why am I letting this get to me? I am a extremely positive person, which is a blessing. But I am coming to find out, that it can also make things harder. Meaning, people don't seem to "check" in on me, call to say "How are you? I haven't seen you in a while". I think people always assume that I'm happy all the time and they don't need to put in the extra effort. I shouldn't make this sound like no one cares about me, most of these feelings are directed at the friendships that have recently changed. Maybe I just need to try harder or maybe its just time to let go. I don't know!
Tonight, I came home from work, just before writing this and read an article in the Ensign. Its from the February 2011 issue and is titled "His Grace is Sufficient". The part that stuck out to me and pulled me out of my "Pity party" was a line that said "When I have unresolved sin (no matter how small) in my life, I give Satan power to influence me. He knows my weaknesses and he knows what words will stir me up and lead me to destruction."
I'm allowing Satan to have power over my thoughts, allowing him to make me feel weak and insecure. Well, no more! I have vented and I am moving on. I'm going to surround myself with only people who love me, support me and genuinely care about me and my family. I am choosing to be friendly with everyone, but choosing my friends more wisely.
Did I mention that I hate feeling vulnerable and sharing these thoughts was very hard for me but very therapeutic as well!

where to start?

2011-02-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

Where do I start? How do you jump back into the world of blogging after being a slacker for so long? Do I try or do I stop? What to do, what to do.................................!

First Day of School

2010-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

So another year of school has started and its CRAZY that I have a 2nd grader and a 1st grader! Its amazing and very sad that time goes by so fast! This year will be over before we know it, so we will enjoy every second of it. The good, the bad and even the ugly. Hopefully there isn't much ugly!

Here is my sweet Paige on her 1st day of school!

Emma was soooooo ready for school this year!!

Our awesome next door neighbors, who are also in our ward, held a pancake breakfast for all the neighbor kids. What a great way to enjoy breakfast on the first day!! This is Matt manning the griddle!

His wife Jessica is in the black shirt and that's my friend Brittany and her little man Quinn!

This picture cracks me up! Paige's backpack is almost as big as her!!!

The girls at the school waiting for the bell to ring!

We were so very lucky and both my girls have amazing teachers and many friends in their classes. We live in an awesome area and the girls have so many GREAT LDS friends at school. What a blessing!

We are praying for a safe and fun school year!

Crafts!

2010-08-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Every year for our Family reunion, they hold a sale. The sale is to raise money for the family mission fund! You can bring items from home, make crafts, buy stuff, really anything! This year I chose to make memo/hair bow boards. I think they turned out really cute and they were a big hit!

My camera stinks, so the pictures don't do the fabrics justice!

Its hard to see in these pictures, but I used buttons for the center of the ribbons and on most of the boards they are a mix of buttons.

The red, black and ivory board was for my long time friend Lori. She saw the boards and decided she wanted one, so off we went to the Craft store to pick out her fabric!

I love they way these turned and had so much fun making them!!

Colorado Part 2

2010-08-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

On our next Saturday there, we went to my nephew Keegans last baseball game. If you don't know this already, all my kids and Travis REALLY want a dog! I don't, so guess who is winning? That's right, ME!!!

Anyway, at the baseball game, there was a family with 3 dogs and I swear my girls wouldn't leave those poor dogs alone. The people were so nice, and many times I found Emma sitting in between the peoples chair, petting the dogs! Its called Stranger Danger kids! I guess we really need to work on that! After the game we took all the kids to go see The 4th Shrek movie. Chase fell asleep for the first half and when he woke up, we ended up in the hall! I still haven't seen the ending! At least it was cheap!

The whole gang (minus my sister Kellie, she was there though) at the movie!

The following Monday, the girls and I went to Chuck E Cheese with Travis' brother Mike and his family and my Mother and Father In law! It was so much fun! The picture above is of the girls in a dance contest and at the end, they would throw tickets to the kids and they scrambled around like CRAZY people picking them up!

A random picture of Chase had to be thrown in! We went to a friend of ours, sons 3rd birthday party and came home with these balloons! It was hilarious watching Chase try to pick up and carry around all 3 of them!

I'm not sure what Kade was doing in this picture, but he needed to have a random picture of himself too!!! We just had so much fun in Colorado and I have at least 3 more posts to make!!!

STAY TUNED!!!!

Colorado Part 1

2010-08-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

This summer we were able to spend almost 3 weeks in Colorado! We had so much fun spending time with family and friends! The kids had a lot of cousin play dates, sleepovers and birthday parties, they loved every minute of it!Our first week there we saw "Despicable Me". Such a cute movie and my boys did great,(surprise)! We took 3 of nieces to that, making it a grand total of 7 kids! Friday night, our friends Josh and Rebecca flew Travis into CO to spend Saturday with us and then go on a 2 day fishing trip with Josh, for his birthday surprise. It was such a treat to have Travis there on Saturday. We went to our nieces 6th birthday party in the morning, then we headed out to Josh and Rebecca house. When we got there, we dropped our kids off with a sitter and we went out to the lake to spend some time on their boat!! It was so fun!!! Someday, I may even try to do water sports with them, but this time, it was fun just watching Josh and Rebecca tear it up! Then we went back and had a BBQ with them and Travis's brother, his wife and their 3 girls!! Then we had to say BYE to Daddy and we headed back to my moms and he stayed their to leave to go fishing in the morning! The kids were so sad!

The next day, we were naughty and went to a festival instead of church! We were on "vacation" so its ok! The pics below are from the festival. It was put on by the local businesses, so everything was FREE!!! Snow cones, cotton candy, face painting, ballon etc. ALL FREE!!!

Chase hanging out with his cousin Kelton! Kelton is so good with his cousins, they LOVE him!!!

The entire group!

They had a hair braiding station and both my girls got their hair done and colored. Its hard to tell, but Emma's hair is purple on top!

Taelyn, Emma, Kenna, Addison and Paige all waiting in line to get balloon animals!

They had a Home Depot craft project and all the kids made mini Foosball tables and received aprons. It was such a fun day!! We loved spending so much time with our cousins!!! We miss them already!

Stay tuned for even MORE pictures from Colorado!!!

7th Birthday!!!

2010-06-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

WOW! My little girl is 7! Its crazy, only 1 more year until she is able to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was so excited to turn 7, but I think she might be more excited that shes that much closer to 8! How GREAT is that?? Oh how I LOVE and ADORE this kid! She amazes me everyday with how grown up she is becoming. It also make me a bit sad (and scared a little)! Here a few wonderful things about Emma!

1. She is a GREAT helper!

2. She loves to be "in Charge" of her brothers and takes great care of them!

3. She is a fabulous reader! She reads well above her grade level!

4. She loves to read scriptures as a family, and is often the one reminding us.

5. She love love loves jewelry!! You will often see her fully decked out!

6. Her sister is her best friend (most days)

7. She is amazing, beautiful, sweet and such a good friend to others!

This year we invited 4 of her friends and Paige to a small but special party! I took all the girls to get their nails done and then to Cold Stone! It was so much fun! The girls were so well behaved at the salon and all the women their kept complimenting them on how good they were, beautiful they are and what a fun party idea it was! We had a blast!

On the actual day of her birthday we had our good friends the Bruce's over for cupcakes and presents! I didn't want to post too many pictures, but I wanted to show a picture of the necklace I made special for Emma! She LOVED it!! I am so blessed to have such a sweet daughter and I am eternally grateful that she is mine to raise, to teach and to LOVE!!

Happy Birthday Emma!!

Last day of School

2010-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another year of school done! Wow! I can't believe how fast this year went by! Both Emma and Paige did GREAT in school! They excelled in academics, made a lot of good friends and truly enjoyed going to school! The girls both had FABULOUS teachers this year. They were wonderful women who truly love to teach and love their kids. Paige's teacher is absolutely in love with her, and on many occasions I caught her holding Paige ( she only weighs 36 lbs) She even came to one of her T-ball games! You can't get much better then that! We were so lucky to attend a brand new school, with amazing technology. Next year though, we will go back to the school Emma attended for kindergarten! The best part, our recent move put us within walking distance! YAY!! It was a great year and I still can't believe that I now have a 1st and 2nd grader!

Emma and Mrs. Ross

Paige and Miss Long

Paige had a kindergarten performance on the last day! It was so cute watching her sing with such great enthusiasm and she even got to play the xylophone! Notice the picture of Paige with all the boys, that's a pretty normal thing too see! She was pretty popular with the boys, SCARY!!! One of them kept hugging her and tried to kiss her when we were leaving! I'm freaked out!

My kindergarten graduate and my sweet Emma with some of her close friends! I love having kids school age, it brings challenges, with more to come, but its such a joy watching them learn and grow! Bring on the next year!

Chase turns "2"

2010-05-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that my "baby" is 2!! First of all, I have a 2 year old and I am neither pregnant or have a baby! That is a first for me! Second, I am not sure where these last two years have gone. Chase was very much a surprise pregnancy, but has absolutely completed our little (big) family! He is such an energetic, spunky, chatty, hilarious and LOVING little boy! He is a true blessing to have in our home and I feel privileged to be his mom! Some days, I sit back, look at my 4 beautiful, healthy children and am amazed that my Heavenly Father in trusted me to be their mother. What a blessing!

Both the girls just had to be in a picture with the birthday boy!

On the day of his birthday, a huge group of our friends went to the Zoo! It was so much fun!

A sweet moment with my "Big Boy"!

I know he had no real understanding that it was his birthday, but we tried to make it special! I still can't believe he is 2! I Love you Chase!

Blog Giveaway!

2010-04-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

My awesomely talented friend is having a giveaway on her brand new craft blog! She is giving away 2 $50 Visa Gift cards! She is so talented and does her crafting on a budget! Check out her site and become a fan!

http://simpsonizedcraftsandthensome.blogspot.com/

Catching Up!!!

2010-04-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

WOW! I am the worst blogger ever!!! I have major catching up to do! A lot has happened since my last post and I'm not sure where to start! I guess we will start with Kades 3rd birthday! We had a great party the week after his birthday because my parents were in town. Living out of state from family is hard, so it was nice to have my parents here for his party. My friend made an awesome Lighting McQueen cake and we played at the park and spent time with great friends! Low key, but so nice! We also did a Zoo trip while my parents were here, the train park and lots of hang out time! We also had Travis's brother Mike and his family here the same weekend! It was so much fun to have visitors!

He was in a realy good mood, but didn't want to wait to eat it!!! Thiswas after I told him NO for the millionth time!

For Easter this year, I am embarasses to admit, it was our 1st year EVER coloring eggs! I really am a fun mom, but I hate combining messy things and kids! haha! Anyway, we colored eggs with our good friends the Bruce's and had so much fun! I was surprised how well Kade did!

Chase was there too, but wasnt allowed at the table! Maybe next year buddy! Mommy can only let go a little bit at a time!

Baskets!!! SO fun!

We had a great Easter! Very low key and relaxing! Enjoyed family time and watching general conference (and the inside of our eyelids a little) SSHHHH!!!

We also moved into a new house in Mid-March! We were very lucky to find a house in our ward boundaries! I will post pics of the house soon and promise to do a better job at blogging!

Crazy!

2010-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

So things have been pretty crazy around here, and thats putting it mildly! I will try and catch up the best I can. Just before Christmas, we were forced to take both boys out of their cribs! A day I dreaded! Chase was our only kid to climb out of his crib, and he would do it up to 10 times a night. (crazy little man)! So, down came the cribs. Luckily, the boys adjusted really well, except we still have to lock them in their room. (haha)

Four days after Christmas, Emma was jumping on the couch and broke her left arm (both bones)! It was a crazy day spent in the ER! A week later, when we did follow up Xrays, we were told the bones had slipped and that she would have to have surgery the next day to fix it and cast it. She was so incredibly brave through it all and every nurse just fell in love with her! She now has a pretty purple cast and has had most of her friends sign it!

The day before Emmas Dr. apt, Travis got pulled over for speeding. No big deal, right? Except when you have an unpaid ticket (we completely had forgotten about) and driving on a suspended license. So our 1 working car was towed away to the impound lot! It was a rough couple of days and week with out any car at all. We were blessed with a friends car to drive for a couple days, to pay tickets, get Emma to the Dr, me to work and to the hospital the next day for surgery! We have amazing friends, who we are continually blessed by! We have our car back, $1000 later! Just a tip, NEVER forget to pay a ticket!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, we decided to take the boys pacifiers away for good!!!! We decided to float them away with balloons. Kade said "Bye. Bye paci" and Chase could have cared less! They never asked for their paci's all day and cryed for a bit at bed time. The crying started again at 10pm until 11pm for Kade, which was very sad for mommy! Then it was Chases turn to scream at 4am until 5:30 am. It was a long night! They woke up in great moods and we ran errands with no problem and as we speak, they are both napping with never any mention of a pacifier! YAY!!!! So, I can only hope that tonight goes smother!

Oh ya, in the midst of all the craziness already mentioned, we also learned in December, that our current house (landlord) is in forecloser!! So now we are looking to move. We have been here for almost 2 years and have loved it! There are things we would change with the house, but for the most part it has felt like home! Our friends and ward, are what make it soooooo wonderful! We hope to stick around this area for a lot longer! Wish us luck in finding a home!!

I have been lucky enough, through our trials, to see how truly blessed we are. It has been hard at times, but I know the Lord is looking out for our family and blessing our lives. I am so grateful to all of you who have prayed for us, sent us funds to help out our family (some of who, I dont know who you are! Sneaky) and who have just been GREAT friends to our family. I am so blessed and I only pray that I can serve others, the way my family has been served!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

This was one of our BEST Christmas's ever!!! It seems like every year I am stressed about providing a nice Christmas for our kids and this year was no different! We have had our struggles and some big decisions to make, but we were so blessed this year! Of course I am grateful that we found a way to buy our kids presents, but that is not the reason why this was such a GREAT Christmas! We had so many oppurtunity's to serve and enjoyed every minute of it! It was a great way to teach our girls that it is better to give than to receive! We focused almost all of our FHE's this month on the birth of our Savior, service and loving our friends and family! What a blessing! We were also a small part in helping provide Christmas for a family in our ward! It still amazes me how generous people can be. We have so many great family members and friends, who we love so much and are so grateful for all you!

Temple Lights! The boys were just a little crabby (haha)

My sweet girls!!

Our best attempt at a picture of our kids at the Mesa Temple Lights! The boys do not like to stop, even for a minute!

We hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas! and remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior ALL YEAR LONG!!

29th Birthday!

2009-11-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

This was one of the BEST birthdays I have ever had! The Tuesday before the BIG day, some of my awesome friends and I went out to dinner to The Olive Garden (YUM)!

The funniest part of the entire night was when they brought out my cake! If you cant tell, its a picture of Zac Efron (who I have a LITTLE crush on) with his real life girlfriend Vanessa, with my head on her body! My friends know me so well!

If only I really looked that good in a bikini!

My friends are beautiful, awesome, FUN, supportive, amazing woman! Thank you for such a wonderdul birthday!

Only 1 more year in my 20's! sniff, sniff!

2009-11-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a really great friend, we signed the girls up for a FREE hockey clinic. The Phoenix Coyote sponsor it to try and get more people into Hockey in the valley!! It has been so much fun so far and the girls are doing great!

Don't they look so cute, I mean tough, in their gear?

The girls with their friend Ella!

We have just completed week 2, these pictures are from week 1 and the girls are learning so much and already getting so much better at skating! The head coach even told Travis last week that they might move Emma up to the next level because she is picking it up so fast! Thats my girl!

The second week they skated around pushing these buckets and Emma was flying! They kept trying to get the buckets away from her, but as soon as she would get close to one she would grab right on! Well, there will be no more buckets next week, so she is on her own! Its been so nice having something for the girls to do, that doesn't cost a dime! What a great program this is!

Trunk or Treat!!

2009-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was our wards Trunk or Treat! I am usually not a huge Halloween fan but I decided to do a theme this year for the kids costumes, I am thrilled with how well it turned out!! I had a good friend Brooke who sewed Paiges Bonnet and Kades vest, Thank you Brooke, you are the best!!

Some of my awesome friends. Me, Lacey, Michelle, Taylor and Brittany!

The whole gang!!

They had so much fun getting candy and seeing friends. They love Halloween!!! and I am getting better at loving Halloween :)

Trouble!!!

2009-09-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows my Paige, knows that she is not a shy girl! She is immediately friends with anyone she meets, she is almost always laughing, she is a caring, loving little girl! I love her so much! Yesterday, as I was picking the girls up from school, Paige walked out holding hands with a sweet little boy named Landon. Then as she was getting in the car, about 8 other kids are screaming "BYE PAIGE, BYE PAIGE", a few were even trying to reach her through the open passenger side window. It was hilarious! It was like she was a movie star, and boy, was she eating it up!! When we pulled away, I asked her if she had a lot of friends? She replied "Lot's of boys and a little bit of girls!" AAAAGHH!! I think I am in trouble with this one!

Paige's Birthday and the first day of school! (another post below!)

2009-08-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Paiges 5th birthday was on August 10th, which also happened to be the first day of school!! We had a friend party for her the saturday before and she had so much fun! Thank you to everyone who came, on such short notice! That day, she was able to bring cookies for her class and get sung to, which made her first day of kindergarten extra special!! After school, I made Pasta with white sauce (alfredo) per Paiges request. Then as a family we went to a nearby mall, got ice cream and played! It was a very good Day!!!

The kids all playing at the mall!!

Makeup! Every girls dream!

Friends!

Pizza, swimming and friends! Doesn't get much better than that!

My sweet Paige! All ready for kindergarten! Where has the time gone?

Emma on her first day of 1st grade!

Its hard to believe that my girls are both in school all day! Now its just the boys and I! They love school and they love making new friends and honestly I am really enjoying my time with my boys during the day!

Catch up time!!!!

2009-08-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

So its been a long time since I have posted anything and I have way to much that has happened to post it all, so here are a few pics from our almost 6 week trip to Colorado. We had so much fun spending time with family and friends and to not have to squeeze it all in, in a short period of time. We did a lot of great things while we were there. We visited the Denver Zoo and the Colorado Springs Zoo, baseball games, lots of playing, Softball (for me), sleepovers for the girls and lots of play time!!
Addison, Taelyn, Emma, Paige and Kenna at the Cheyenne Moutain Zoo!

Chase and the gorilla checking eachother out! and cousin Joslyn at the Cheyenne Moutain Zoo!

The Zoo has amazing views!!!

The best part is feeding the Giraffes! All my kids did it except Emma!

A few weeks into our trip, Chase and I took a tumble down the stairs, which resulted in a buckle fracture in his foot! He was walking on it a day later. He is so tough!

Paige, cousin Tyler and Emma at the Denver Zoo!

Emma, Paige and Bella at their cousin Keegans baseball game! I'm not sure who the other girls next to Paige is.

I made a bunch of flower barrettes and sandals with flowers for my mom to take to our family reunion. Emma and Paige had both of their heads covered in them at one point! I can't remember why Paige is mad in this picture, but if you know my Paige, this is a classic face!

Making pizza at Grandma Newbolds house!

We had so much fun!!!! Emma wants to move to Colorado so bad, I wouldn't mind it either, someday!! I don't know if I will ever go that long again on a trip, especially with 4 small kids, but it was such a great way to spend a summer and escape the brutal heat of Arizona!!

What does your 2 year old do when you're not looking? Mine........................

2009-05-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

pushes out the window screen and jumps out the window!! One minute I see him looking out the open window and touching the screen. The next minute I see he pushed out the screen, and I hear him playing in the rocks! Little booger!!!

I guess I should be grateful we were downstairs and not upstairs! No more open windows for us!

Dance recital

2009-05-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a really busy month! The girls had their end of the year dance recital last week and it was so much fun! They were so excited all week and they both did such a great job! Their teacher did such a great job with the recital and the the was The Little Mermaid!

Paige was a mermaid!

Emma was Ursula, I think!

The girls striking a pose just before the recital!

This is Paige's class. She had a couple of her friends in there, and of course we made some new ones!

Emma's class! She is the one that used to be so scared at the thought of performing in front of people, but she did so good! All the costumes were amazing, it was such a fun night! I am so proud of my girls for trying something new and doing so well at it! We can't wait for next year!

The Graduate

2009-05-22T21:42:00.001-07:00

Paige graduated from preschool!! She is officially on her way to kindergarten! Where does the time go? Her teacher put on an adorable graduation ceremony. The kids performed a couple songs, one being "Brown Bear, what do you see?" in sign language. She did so good!

I think in this picture she was retelling Brown Bear for the camera, but who really knows! Doesn't she look so cute in her cap and gown!!!

They got diplomas and everything! It was such a fun night, especially since we got to leave the boys with a babysitter and actually enjoy our evening! Congrats Paige, you are so ready for kindergarten. Hopefully, your teacher is ready for you! We love you!

My Baby is "1"!!!!

2009-04-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

One year ago, my sweet baby boy Chase joined our family! He was quite a surprise, but a very welcomed one ( atleast after a bit)! Kade was only around 6 months old when I found out I was expecting again! He joined our family on April 21, 2008 after another long labor. He was induced a week early and was our biggest baby, yet he is only 19lbs at age 1! He is a true angel baby and the joy of our home! We love all our kids of course, but he has such a sweet spirit and truly brings us closer together. I am absolutely in love with him!

He is a busy little boy, but still enjoys just to hang out in Mommy's arms, a true momma's boy! He has been walking since he was 9 1/2 months and is living up to his name! He LOVES to play peek a boo, loves his older siblings and is always smiling! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet angel baby! I love you and am so blessed to have you in my life. You will always be my baby!

Easter

2009-04-14T08:39:00.001-07:00

This year we had a fantastic Easter. I still can't seem to get my pics in the order I want, so I will just have to make do! A little bit after the kids woke up and got their baskets, we went out and did our own little egg hunt. The kids had so much fun, even little man Chase got into it!

The girls and myself our the only ones that made it to church that day, so I have no pictures of the boys all dressed up.

Kade woke up a lot later than the rest of the kids, but he was so excited to get a Lightening McQueen car, or Queen as he calls it!

I love that Chase is carrying around his Monkey basket!

We had such a great Day! After church we went over to our friends house for dinner! Unfortunately I have no pics, but it was so much fun and so yummy! Its such a blessing to have such great friends when you have no family around! THe most important thing of the entire day, was reading a book to the girls about the true meaning of Easter and seeing them understand that its not all about the Easter Bunny. Its so fun to watch them learn and grow! I feel so blessed to have my little family and to have the love of our Savior in our home and in our lives!

BYE BYE!!!

2009-03-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

After 2 1/2 years, I bid farewell to the Great Target! I no longer have to work there, and I am so thrilled to have more time to spend with my family in the evenings. Its been a great place to find awesome deals, help provide for the family and have some adult time. I guess now I will just have to work harder to find the deals and do a few more girls nights, to get away! A sacrifice I am more then happy to do!!!

Pay it Forward!

2009-02-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

"The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade (or possibly store-bought) gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!"

ITS A MIRACLE!!

2009-02-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here we are, at the end of our lease and I am happy to report..........................................We are NOT moving! YEAH! For anyone that knows Travis and mine's moving history, truly knows what a miracle that is! We have never been happier and felt more settled in an area! Our house is a little tight for a family of 6 (that sounds weird!) but it is very nice. Our neighborhood is filled with GREAT friends and our ward is wonderful! Travis has a long commute to work from where we are, but we've decided (or I've decided) we don't care, its just too great living here! So no address updates for all your records, its staying the same, at least until next year! HA HA!

Crazy Boy!

2009-02-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

So my crazy baby Chase is now 9 1/2 months old and he is everywhere! He is full on walking, which I was soooo not ready for. But he is right on target with when my other kids walked. He is such a peanut, so it almost doesn't look right when he walks, let alone climb! Thats right! He is climbing. The first pic is him climbing up our buffet, then he gets stuck and screams until you help him down!

This is the best picture I could get of him walking! Thats a hard thing to catch on camera!This is our make shift barricade on our stairs, other wise we are constantly chasing him up the stairs all day long. But he is trying hard to fiure out how to get over it. Its only a matter of time!

Ignore the mess in the background, and only focus on the crazy boy in the pic!

So with the combination of Chase and Kade keepin me busy, its only a matter of time until they send me to the looney bin! Wish us Luck!

Movin on up!

2009-01-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

WOO HOO! We have successfully finished week 1, for the second time!! I am still shocked at how much fun I am having and how much easier it is already getting. So on Monday, we are moving on to week 2 baby!! I am on my way to being one hot mama!!

Another thing we are doing, is starting a healthy lunch swap. Once a week one of us will host a healthy lunch for the others and has to find new recipes to try and share. Exercising is one thing, but I need to make better choices with my food. This is where it is a challenge, because if you know me at all, you would know that I am horribly picky eater. If it is green (except lettuce) I probably won't eat it! So now my challenge is to come up with new and healthy food choices, that are easy to prepare. Becoming a "grown up" and eating those nasty veggies. ugh!!! But if I want to be a HOT and HEALTHY mama, and I do, then I guess I will do what I have to do! If you have good ideas, please send them my way! Thanks for all your support and encouragement!

Couch to 5K!!

2009-01-20T07:37:00.000-08:00

So some friends and I are starting this new running program called couch to 5K. Its a 9 week program that slowly gets you into running. By the end of week 9, you are supposed to be able to run a 5K, no problem! I have gained a few extra pounds since being married and having kids and have really struggled finding a workout program that truly motivated me. So when my friend Caroline told me about this last week, I basically invited myself to join her! Thanks Caroline! Then our friend Jamie joined us, its a lot more fun doing this with friends, then by yourself!

We are doing awesome so far, so I thought I would tell everyone I know, that I am doing this, so you can all hold me accountable! Anytime you see me, please ask me how I am doing, drop a note, anything!!!! I want to stay strong and motivated and the more people I tell, the better! I just might even be brave enough to post a skinny picture of me and a current (AAHHH!!) picture of me! I will be using my blog to track my progress week by week!

This is our 2ND week, but we had an injury in the group last week, so we are continuing with week 1, for one more week! We went last night and I am already feeling it get easier! So Cheer me on, because I need to get healthy!!!! Thanks!

Simplify

2009-01-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

So Travis and I are trying to simplify and cut back on bills! So that means no more cable, internet, or a home phone! I thought that it would be hard to give these things up, really hard, but after a week of cutting back, I have found it isn't all that bad.

I am one of those "horrible moms" who uses the TV as a babysitter at times, to gain a little sanity, or just to get something done without a child at my feet. Well, when our kids were starting to zone out a little too much and started to be bad listeners, we thought what better way to get back in touch as a family then to turn off the TV. We really aren't that bad, but when you want to watch a show rather than play with your child, then that is not good. So we started to turn off the TV more. My first saturday of being home with the kids after making the decision, we went a full 12 hours of no TV and at first I thought it would be a long day, but it was so fun! I had a blast with my kids, they were so well behaved and we just had a good day! WOW! I found that I have more patience with out the caos of TV, I am a better mom and a better wife. What a blessing!

I am so truly grateful for my wonderful husband and 4 beautiful children and for my new found appreciation for them. I love spending time with my family and finding new things to do together. We have already seen such changes and I know that as we go forward and continue to do the things we are asked to do, that we will be blessed even more.

So if you want my cell phone #, in place of my home phone, leave me a message with your email address and I will send it to you!

2009-01-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

So here are some pictures from Christmas morning. I still can not ever figure out how to get them in the order I want though.

Chase only got a few things this year and each thing immediately went into his mouth! He had a lot of fun with the paper too! What a cutie!

The ONLY thing the girls wanted was scooters this year. They are trying to play it cool in the pics! Or maybe they are just advertising for their own scooter gang, any takers????????

Kade got a basketball hoop but as usual, I think had more fun with the box at first. Now he loves it though. It is so fun watching him grow up and the differences between boys and girls! I love it!

The girls, just showing off some of their loot!!

They really had such a good time opening presents this year, the girls really enjoyed helping the boys open theirs too.

I love these robes and I got such a GREAT deal on them! Which makes them even better!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, but I have to say the best part, is that the girls really started to understand the true meaning of Christmas and the story of Christs birth. I loved when they would try and tell me the story, what a blessing! What sweet girls. I am glad it is over though, if only I could get them to stop singing Rudolph and Jingle Bells!

A Part of Christmas!

2008-12-24T21:02:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I recieved a lot of grief about my lack of Posting, so I will try to do better! I need to do better. The month of December was so crazy. It seemed like I had something going on every night of the week! Plus, I have a really bad memory, so recapping is kind of hard for me, but I will try! Which I guess is a good reason to not have an entire month go by between posts! I am also pretty bad at figuring out how to upload photos in order. So bare with me.

We started off the beginning of the month by going to the Temple Lights with a bunch of friends and that was a lot of fun. It is so beautifully decorated and they had concerts every night. It is such a peaceful feeling to walk around the Temple grounds. It never fails, you always see someone you know when you go to the Temple. We ran into a couple families from our ward and than later again when we went for frozen custard. The mormon hot spot, close to the Temple!

Both of the girls had very fun Christmas parties at school. Paige even had Santa at her preschool party, her teacher is so great! We even had 3 birthday parties this month, me working, mutual every week, parties with friends, needless to say it was very busy. I missed Travis' company party do to sick kids, so that was a bummer. But one of the biggest highlights of the Christmas Season for me is performing in "The Forgotten Carols" for the 3rd year in a row! If you haven't ever seen it or heard the story and music, I HIGHLY recommend it! It is such a great oppurtunity to be a part of something at Christmas that truly focusus on the Savior and brings such a sweet spirit into my home this time of year! Here is a picture of my friend Jamie and I with Micheal McLean.

This post is long enough, so I will post again later about Christmas Eve and morning!

My Baby!

2008-11-25T12:24:00.000-08:00

So it's been a long time since I have posted and yet my life is boring enough that I don't have a lot to post about! How sad!

My Mom came down for a visit about a week ago and the kids always love when she comes. Except the first thing Paige asks as soon as Grandma got in the car was, "Where is Grandpa"? She is such a Grandpa's girl, but who wouldn't be, he is awesome! She got over it pretty quickly and the kids had a blast with Grandma. They got more attention and spoiling than ever, so when it was time for her to leave they were pretty sad. Emma always asks if she can do 1st grade in Colorado, if only it were that easy! Good thing kids move on pretty quick and by the next day they were good.

On another note, my baby is 7 months old! AAGGHHHHH! It has got by so quickly and as much fun as it is to watch them learn, he is moving way to o quickly. He is crawling everywhere, pulling himself to a stand and starting to walk along furniture. I can not even believe it! I was hoping to enjoy my last baby for a bit longer then the rest, but he is moving even sooner than the others did! I guess I just have to remember to appreciate every second, because time flies!!!!

Trunk or Treat!

2008-10-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our wards Trunk or Treat and we had so much fun! Getting there was a bit crazy though! Travis is on the Activities committe, so he was there setting up while I was trying to get the kids ready! But we made it, obviously! Not only is it fun to get the kids dressed up, get candy and see friends, but we love a night off from cooking dinner! After dinner the fun started and the kids had a blast running from car to car with their friends.
My sweet baby wearing the costume that my mom made when my older brother was a baby! So it is about 35 years old or so! I even wore this as a baby! Neat huh!
The original plan was to do the whole family as the wizard of Oz, but if you know me, you will know that I am too cheap to spend that kind of money for one night of fun. So Emma is the Wicked Witch, but with style!
My adorable Paige made a perfect Dorothy! Love it! And someday when I take her pic, she will actually be looking at the camera!
Kade really should have been a monkey, because he basically is one, but this is one that I had already! So yeah for saving money!

We all had so much fun and can't wait to do it again in a week!!

Colorado!

2008-10-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

So we spent all last week in Colorado visiting family and some friends and we had the best week ever! We left on Friday the 3rd at 12:30 am, in hopes that the kids would sleep a lot of our 14 hour drive! They did pretty good, we didn't have to stop til Santa Fe, NM. But the last hour before we got to Santa Fe, we could not get Kade happy and it was so frustrating. Then when we pulled him out of his car seat at McDonalds, we noticed he was covered in pee all the way up his back, poor guy. So after I got him all cleaned up and changed, I grabbed Chase out of his seat to change him and found he had a explosive poopy diaper. So I spent a total of 20 minutes in the bathroom cleaning up my kids poop and pee! Oh Yeah! Bring on the food after that!

We made it to my Moms house at about 3 in the afternoon, and we had to wait outside her house for her to get there from work and let us in! Well.....Paige Had to pee, so Travis (first mistake) ran her into the back yard to pee, and came back with her pants and underwear. He was laughing because she peed all over herself. I then asked him if helped her squat, and he of course said no and was quick to point out he didn't know how to help "girls" pee. So poor thing was cold and wet while waiting for her clothes!

On Saturday we started the day by going up to our friends Josh and Rebeccas to see their new house and new little baby girl! It was so fun to visit and catch up! Later we went to Travis' parents house and got to see everyone and let the kids play! It was so fun for the girls to see Hunter and Lincoln again and our niece Mei! Thay all had a blast together, you would have never known it had been such a long time since they had seen eachother!

On Sunday, we hung out at my parents house and Travis flew home for the work week! I know, it stinks he never gets to stay! Someday! All of my siblings came over for dinner and we got in some good cousin time and lots of pics! This is the day when the boys started to both show signs of colds, got to love being out of town with sick kids! Anyway, I will not drag on about our everyday events for the rest of the week, just some highlights!

Monday- My mom took the day off and we played and later that day my long time friend Lori came over, love her!!! That night we went to Jason and Courtneys for dinner!!

Tuesday- We stayed home all day and rested and let the boys get their naps in and that night I was able to leave the boys with my parents (They are the best) and Take the girls to Chuck E Cheese with Mike and Jalene and their 2 girls!

Wed- I had a big play date with some friends form my old ward in Golden!!!!! Loads of fun!

Thursday- Met up with some friends from the highschool days and their kids and played!

Friday - My sisters and I went to lunch and shopping ( with 11 kids) and then later went to my inlaws for another visit.

Sat- Went to my cousin Ali's baby shower, Travis flew back, went to dinner with Mike and Jalene and then to Red Robin for dessert for Taelyns birthday!

Sunday- The long drive home!!!!!!!!

We had a blast and it was so nice to see everyone! There were many I didn't get to see, so I am so sorry!! It is so hard to fit everything into just a week! Until our next trip!!!!

Below is a slide show of some pics!

2008-10-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

What Does your name mean

2008-09-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

What Kassie Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.
You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.
People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Coming To Colorado!

2008-09-22T09:16:00.001-07:00

So, obviously I was able to figure out how to change my background! Thank you all for your help.
I chose a Fall one because I love Fall, but boy do I miss it! So I will just have to enjoy looking at my blog, in order to see "Fall".

The kids and I are going to be in Colorado for about a week at the beginning of October, so I will get to actually enjoy a different season, rather than just the blistering heat! Plus there is the perk of getting to see everyone, or atleast as many as I can! We are just hoping that it is not freakishly cold while we are there, or we will freeze! We are so excited to come and see all of you!!!

HELP!!!!

2008-09-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

I want a new, custom template but I have no idea how to do it! If you know how, please tell me, so I can make my blog more custom! Thanks

Chuck E Cheese

2008-09-13T07:44:00.001-07:00

Thursday night we went tour friend Nile's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. This was the first time my kids have been there, even though Emma always tells me its her favorite place. When I would remind her that she had never been, she was quick to tell me that she has seen commercials for it and that's where her the love for Chuck E Cheese began. Darn T.V.

This is the adorable birthday boy, Nile. After the party was mostly over, his mom let him go at it in the left over cake (Because she didn't want to take any home LOL!!!) Look fun!
Here is what the cake looked like after Nile got a hold of it! Hilarious!

Obviously, this is not Chuck E cheese, but Kade didn't get to go (because he is crazy) so this is a pic of him and a little boy I was babysitting the other day. They both look so grown up, it was too cute not to post.
Paige loved the big Mouse, she was following him around while he was out for another kids party!
The rest of the gang, enjoying the show!
Emma and Paige being so goofy! Whats new!
Mr. Chase was so good and just hung out the whole time, what a sweet baby he is! We had so much fun! Thanks Nile for having a birthday! and Thanks Jamie for inviting us to such a great shindig!!! We had a blast!

Hair cut

2008-09-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is Kade at almost 19 months, and Daddy thought it would be funny to put Chases shirt on him. So he is wearing a size 6 month shirt. He is such a peanut. This photo is also our before shot, tonight we decided he looks better with a fresh buzz cut. We love when he has spikes and Mohawk's, but he kind of has a big melon with a small body, so we decided to shave him!!!!
He was doing really well at first, just sitting and playing in his chair...............
And then, he was just done!!!!! He doesn't like when Daddy shaves the bottom of his head in the back, and when he does that its just over from there. I haven't taken an after shot yet, so I will have to do that soon! But he looks so handsome!!!!

8 YEARS!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it has already been 8 years that we have been happily married! It has been such an exciting ride so far and I can only imagine how much better its going to get from here on! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful loving husband and father to my kids. You are so supportive, loving, funny and you are my best friend. I love you so much Travis, you are the love of my life and so much more!

2008-08-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Lately, Kade has started to enjoy looking at books in his crib every night before he goes to sleep, so the other night when Travis went in to turn off his light and say good night, this is what he found! Thank goodness he wasn't poopy or anything! Kids are such great entertainment!!!!

Paige

2008-08-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

So this week, the day after Emma started kindergarten, Paige finally got to start preschool! After a year of watching Emma get to go to school, it is finally Miss Paige's turn! She is so excited to be a "BIG GIRL" now and she loves school! This was her first week and she did great! Now if I could only get her to actually look at the camera when I take her pic!!!!! She has her first field trip in a week, so I am going to try and get pictures of that!

Kindergarten

2008-08-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Its official, I have a Kindergartner!!!!!!!! Today was Emma's first day of school, and it was so surreal! She was so excited, that it made it surprisingly easy for me to drop her off! She doesn't look very excited in the pics, but she was begging to be taken to her classroom almost as soon as we got to the school!
Emma in the kindergarten playground before school starts.
This is Emma's sweet little friend Delaynee! Unfortunately, they are not in the same class, but we get to walk to school with them!
Paige was so sad to see Emma go when she realized that she didn't get to go to school with her! She cried big elephant tears most of the way home!!! SAD :(
I hurried and caught a pic of her at her desk, so it is a little blurry!
Its hard to believe that the world of school has come our way already, and I am so sad to send my first one to school. She loved it though and had so much fun. Let the world of mom taxi begin!

Twilight!

2008-07-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

OK.......... So I am a little behind the rest of the world on this whole Twilight thing, but I have given in. For the longest time, I heard such great things about these books, but I always made the excuse that I don't have the time to read. A friend of fine was telling me about the movie coming out, so I decided to go ahead and TRY to read this book. It sat on my counter for a few days, until I took it to the gym with me on Monday. I have to say that was the fastest hour of cardio I have ever done, yet it seemed like it wasn't long enough because soon I would have to go back to the reality that I have 4 kids and it is CHALLENGING to find the time to read. I found myself reading a chapter whenever the kids would allow me to, I even to it to work that night and squeezed a chapter on my short break and by Wednesday I had finished book 1! I am officially a huge fan and can not wait til we get back into town so I can continue with the series. Woohoo! What a fun series! I do recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it yet! Enjoy!

Memories!

2008-07-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun tag. Here are the rules:
1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. I can't wait to see what people remember.

Chase Brock

2008-07-01T22:37:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Chase is already 10 weeks old! Where does the time go? He is my last baby, and its very real that I have to enjoy every minute of him because he is going to be my "baby" always! He is such a joy to have in our family! We feel truly blessed to have been given such a wonderful, yet unexpected, gift! I of course love all of my children and I am very content with being done having kids and as ready as I am to move past the baby stages of life, it is still hard to believe he will be my last!

Frustration!

2008-06-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I feel like I shouldn't have to repeat myself to my 5 year old and almost 4 year old on what NOT to do while in a store. On Monday night I had to go return some shirts to Ross and I decided to take the girls. The whole time we were shopping I kept telling them to stop hanging on the side of the cart (mostly to Paige). Then they had to keep taking turns sitting in the top of the cart, so when it was finally Emma turn we were beginning to check out. When I was starting to pay, I heard a huge crash and looked over to see the cart on top of Paige, ( of course she didn't listen and was hanging on the bar) so Emma was in the cart on top of Paige. Paige smacked her head and neck on the tile floor and Emma hurt her leg. It took every thing in me not to scream and yell at them for not listening to me, but I figured since we were in public I should make sure they were ok first. Can you sense my frustration? So once I calmed Paige down, I finished paying and made our way out to the car where they received THE TALK. Who knows how long that lesson will stick, I am sure it won't be the last time I have to tell them not to hang on the cart! Oh the joys of Motherhood!

Zoo Trip

2008-06-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

So today, because we are crazy people, decided to go to the zoo! I say we are crazy because the highs all this week have been around 110 degrees. Of course, that is not until around 4pm, but it was still very hot. So we decided to go as early as the kids got up. When we all got ready and got in the car it was only 6:50 am, that must be a record or something, we can never pull that off. Anyway, by the time we got to the zoo it was about 7:20 am and it was already hot but doable. We learned it really pays off to be there that early, because this was our first visit ever, that the tigers and lions were up and walking around.

The phoenix zoo is so much fun, and after walking around and seeing most of the animals, we made our way over to the kids area. I think its rated in the top 5 in the country for kids, so it offers a lot of things to do! Here are a few things we did.

The Wallabies come within inches, one actually jumped over the rope to get to the other area while we were there. That was cool!

First Kade was riding the Tractor with Emma's help and loving every minute of it, then

We found one just his size and he did not want to get off! He looks so sweet and innocent, looks are definitely deceiving, only joking.

We had such a fun day as a family and as hard as it is sometimes taking 4 small children places, it is totally worth the memories we make!

2008-06-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog... List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 JOYS:

1. My family
2. The Gospel
3. Making people happy

3 FEARS:

1. Losing my husband or any of my children
2. water
3. Birds ( seriously, even geese and ducks)

3 GOALS:

1.To lose some serious weight
2. To raise my children with strong testimonies
3. To be the best mom I can be for my kids

3 CURRENT OBSESSION/COLLECTIONS:

1. Greys Anatomy
2. I am working on excercising becoming an obsession
3. ????

3 RANDON FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I really enjoy working part time at Target
2. I am actually looking forward to going to my HS reunion next year!
3. I truly feel like I have lost myself and my own interests since becoming a mom, something I am trying to work on.

I would like to tag: Selena, Heather Hunt, Candace, Tausha, Natalie K

2008-06-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's Official!

2008-06-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

So after visiting so many peoples blog, I finally decided to jump on the band wagon and join the blogging world! I am not the greatest at writing journals and things of that nature, so be patient with me I get things started. This is actually very intimidating and I am not sure where to start!

I guess I will start with a quick recap of my family. Travis and I have been married for 8 years this August. We have 4 beautiful children, (Crazy huh!) Emma is 5, Paige will be 4 in August, Kade is 16 months, and Chase is almost 2 months old. We have been living in Gilbert, AZ for almost 2 years and we are loving it. Except during the summer, I could go back to CO for the summer and be just fine. Travis is working as an estimator and project manager ( a new promotion) for the commercial plumbing company that actually brought us to AZ in the first place. I guess we made a smart decision, as I am able to stay at home with the kids, which is a huge blessing.

Emma is gearing up for kindergarten and I can not believe we are on the Verge of entering of having school aged kids. She is the greatest big sister you could ever want for your kids, she actually gets mad when I ask Paige to do things for me. She is so nurturing and sweet to everybody, she is very smart (doesn't everybody think that about their kids) and is so excited to go to school. She loves playing with her friends, which thankfully includes Paige and she is usually leading the pack.

Paige is my little spit fire. She is such a sweetheart and really looks up to her big sister. She is not as enthusiastic about helping with the boys as Emma is, but we are working on that. She is starting preschool this year and can't hardly wait. She is sooooo funny, she comes up the most creative sayings. All you have to do is just sit back and laugh when Paige is around. She loves to dance and play with her friends. I am truly blessed to have my girls be such good friends, hopefully that will stick!

Kade is very temperamental. One minute he is loving on you, giving you kisses, and the next he is screaming and throwing a fit. He is finally figuring out that screaming gets him nothing he wants, a lesson hard learned for a 16 month old. He is truly a boy, he loved to play with balls and his favorite toy is an old Woody doll that was given to us. He is a joy and so much fun to play with.

Chase, well what can I say.... he eats, poops, and spits up! No, he really is a good baby and couldn't imagine him not being here. He is smiling and cooing and loves the attention he gets from his big sisters.

It is funny the path life takes, I never could have imagined that I would have 4 kids, and so close together in age. But I feel so blessed to have 4 healthy, wonderful kids and a husband who is loving and supportive. I look forward to doing this whole blog thing and hope I can keep up on it!