Little Moments Big Memories...

Elena is drawing and her first scary movie

2011-12-28T09:10:00.001-08:00

We wanted to watch the Jim Carey A Christmas Carol and had no idea it would be so terrifying. Elena wanted to keep watching but she watched it like this.

She has also started drawing a lot. She is drawing people which Patrick didn't really do until right before he turned 5. He doesn't like drawing all that much but thats ok because he loves tons of other things.

Thanksgiving Family pictures

2011-12-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

We took family pictures while in St George with Sara's nice camera and her new tripod. Pretty good for no photographer right?

St George Thanksgiving

2011-12-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

We went to St. George for Thanksgiving. One last hoorah for the Randalls before we go to Texas. It was a lot of fun. We went to the park.

Sara enjoyed the slide

Jesús showed us how strong he is.

We visited the Cluffs

We are excited to see new baby boy Cluff as soon as he makes his arrival.

We enjoyed the beautiful sunsets

We went to the rec center and enjoyed the water area. The kids actually loved it and were pooped afterwards.

We had so much fun except for Elena throwing up randomly throughout the week and on the drive home in the IHOP. I'll miss so many Randall holidays but I look forward to Moreno ones and will appreciate the times I do see my family even more.

First Hair cut

2011-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

The other day while combing Elena's hair, I found a huge rats nest underneath. I decided it was finally time to cut her hair after 3 years. It was so sad and I wish I had done some research first because I just took her to the Fantastic Sams that we used to go to when we were little. The lady was very short with us and didn't wash her hair or style it when she was done. She trimmed her hair for maybe 3 minutes then charged us 12$ and expected a tip. Yeah, that did not happen.

She did look super cute afterwards though.

A Neville Thanksgiving

2011-12-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Nevilles had a little Thanksgiving get together and I was so happy that we got to see our friends before we left for Texas. I made sure to get pictures with who I could.

The lovely Larissa,I'm so glad I got to know her!!! She is the kindest sweetest person ever!!! No joke. And I can't wait to meet the most gorgeous baby ever!

Happy Pregnant ladies

Elena and Aston sharing the tricycle

Desi is one of my new favorite people. I have heard everyone talk about what a great realtor she is but I had no clue how awesome and funny she is. I'm totally gonna miss her.

I call this shot the Ghirardelli picture because as we were taking the picture, Jesús tossed a Ghirardelli square into the frame and it was caught in mid air. Its awesome. Plus Marci is also in this picture which makes even more awesome. I am really going to miss her, I'm so glad I got to know her while serving with her in the Primary.

And Tyler. I have known Tyler my entire life. Funny story; when my Mom was pregnant with me and actually having me, my Dad was in a play called, Dont Count Your Chickens Before They Cry Wolf. My Dad was in the play with Tylers mom who was actually pregnant with him. Funny huh? Any way, I'm going to miss Tyler too, I'm glad we got to grow up together and get married at the same time and have kids at the same time. Maybe he and Katy should move to Texas??;)

November 16th, I turned 30. Yikes.

2011-12-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Yes I turned 30, not much different than 29 except my body feels old. It makes me want to exercise more. I went to lunch with my Mom and Elena and then my Mom surprised me and told me that Stephanie had scheduled an appointment with my hairdresser and I was getting my hair cut! yay! It had been a year and a hair cut was just what I needed. It was a good day.

This was my favorite part about breakfast, a pumpkin muffin.

Jesus made me this wonderful cake, I love him.

Catching up: A day at the park in October

2011-12-27T11:59:00.001-08:00

We decided that we all needed to get out and enjoy some time outdoors even though it was chilly. We made some sandwiches and went to heartpark and had a picnic and then played on the toys.

Elena loves to go high on the swings, so high she almost flips upside down.

Patrick likes to go low on the swings

Then we went over to watch the peacocks

We walked a little down by the river then we drove over to see the ducks and the geese

It was a fun day and everyone loved getting out and walking around.

I have to post this before I finsish updating

2011-12-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

WE'RE IN TEXAS!!!!!!! I know! Crazy right?! Jesús got a job and we had less than 30 days to pack it up and haul it all to Texas! We found a great apartment in Carrollton which is close to his family and close enough to his work without living in the city. So far we have spent everyday with his family except for today. I will post more after I get caught up but I wanted to get this on here. Tomorrow I will register Patrick for school, I hope he does ok.

Dressed in their best

2011-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

The Sunday the kids wore their new/old clothes from Small change, I decided to take pictures of them.

I hope they call me on a mission

2011-12-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

I went looking for a dress for Elena and sweater for Patrick at the Small Change store and I found this Van Huessen pinstriped suit for Patrick for 8$!!!! I was in total shock and couldn't pass it up. I found him some black shoes for 5 dollars and he was so excited that they were lace up shoes. He had to try it on when I brought it home. He said he looked like a missionary.

Kitchen helpers

2011-12-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered that Elena loves to wash dishes. Who knew? It keeps her busy and happy while I do other things and it teaches her to love washing dishes. Maybe I will never have to wash them again.

The kids wanted to make cookies with me so we could take them to the missionaries and Gabbitas family. They were very helpful and it was a lot of fun. I need to have them help me more.

Cory's birthday

2011-12-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

For Cory's birthday we all met at Woolgrowers for dinner. I got to sit across this crazy kids. I tried the tongue for the first time and almost threw up tongue for the first time. It was nasty but Cory and I were brave and tried it at the same time.

The Pledge of Allegiance

2011-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

For Preschool Elena had to learn the Pledge of Allegiance and be able to say it all by herself. Well she did and got her very own flag. She was so excited. Doesn't she look like she's glowing?

Trick or Treating

2011-12-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

Since we moved on Halloween we felt the kids needed some sort of normal fun thing to do. They really wanted to go trick or treating since they hadn't done it out side of the church or church parking lot. We drove back to our old neighborhood and walked a few streets. I have never seen so many trick or treaters. The only picture I got was this terrible blurry one because I was the caboose of our trick or treating train. I think the kids really loved it.

Move 1

2011-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

We moved on Oct 31st because we needed to downsize before moving to Texas. This is how our apartment was of course smaller than the house so there much room for all our stuff and us. This is how it looked after we moved in.

I went back the next day to clean and I wanted to get a picture of the kids growth chart we had drawn on the wall.

It looked so empty when we left. We sure are going to miss Old House on Renegade and the memories we made there, but we are excited for our new adventures.

Murray Family Farms

2011-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

Patrick got to have a field trip before Halloween at Murray Family Farms. We have never been so I pulled Elena out of preschool so she could go too. We got a little lost on the way so we missed the hay ride to the Pumpkin patch so Elena and I explored a little. We found the Gord maze which was so cool!! They were actually growing on the vines all around us.

We found some little activities to do while we waited for Patrick to get back

This was the pumpkin Patrick picked in the pumpkin patch

After the hayride

The kids wanted to jump on the giant jumping pillow. It was total chaos! Elena actually got pretty deep into the crowd but we left with no injuries. Patricks teacher Ms. Flanagan said that usually no one gets hurt which is surprising.

Running through the hay maze

I couldn't get him to look at me, he was too excited.

Elena got stuck up on the top of the bug area

Playing in the corn

King of the mountain

Watching the pig races

After Patrick got back on the bus Elena and I went to buy some fresh fruit and take pictures on the Pumpkins. I'm sad we wont be able to have Murray Family Farms so close to us anymore.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

For Halloween Elena wanted to be a scary witch so I started making her a witch costume and I didn't know how to make sleeves so I called Abby Taylor and ten minutes later she had sleeves attached. Awesome.

We had a fun time at our ward party. Patrick wanted to be Spiderman. Again.

The primary was in charge of the party so I made cupcakes which I loved making and decorating them and now I want to do it all the time.

Pumpkin rice crispies

2011-11-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

Grandma had the best idea to make pumpkin rice crispy treats. They were fun and super cute.

Talented friends

2011-11-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Maribel made Elena this adorable headband, so I made her hair all cute for church with it. I love having such amazing talented friends.

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

2011-11-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

While Jesús was gone we when to a few birthday parties. One was for Lucy Nichols who turned 5!! She had face painting which was probably the highlight of the night. Lucy got Justin Beiber painted on her forehead.

I painted a spiderman on Patricks face

And Jennifer painted a Hello Kitty on Elena. Who knew face painting could make kids so happy.

When Dads away, we crash into poles

2011-11-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Jesús went to Texas to interview for a few jobs and look for places to live. He was gone for General conference weekend so we got to spend some time with the Cory Randalls and Patrick got to go to the park with Cory and Caleb. He was running and slipped on the sand and ran right into a pole. I took him to urgent care to make sure he was going to be ok and they did an x-ray of his head and there was no crack to his skull. It looked so horrible when I saw him I was speechless. He was very serious trying to make me feel better. I love this sweet boy even when he looks like some one on Star trek.

Preschool days

2011-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

This year I wasn't sure if I was going to go to preschool days at the fair because Patrick wasn't able to come since he was in school and since we had already been I didn't see the point. I decided that it would be good for Elena to go with her friends from preschool. Mom came too so it made it even more fun.

The most recent baby cow

Petting the sheep

Juan the Rabbit whisperer

Checking out the stinky pigs

Sarah's smile, SO CUTE!!!!! (sorry Lindsey I should have sent this to you)

Turkey!!!!

Cold swim

2011-11-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

Everybody came to visit so we could all go to the fair together. Sara and Ben decided that they needed to go for a swim in the September chill. We all just watched in awe.....or disbelief.

The Great Kern County Fair

2011-11-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

One thing that always brings my family together is the fair.

Even Ben gets a little crazy.

Checking out the Chickens

"You lookin at me?"

Love the bad hair day rabbit

Cory and Stephanie rode the Ferris Wheel.

Of course the Cinnamon rolls were a must. I hadn't had sugar for 2 weeks at this point and I got a stomach ache from all the sugar. Then we went on the Tilt a Whirl. Fun, and it was worth it.

Hannahs Birthday Party in Pink

2011-10-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

We went to the Randalls house for Hannahs Pink birthday party. I love going there and I always take a gazillion pictures. This was also Jesús' first time being there and I think he really liked it.

The first thing to do was hang the tire swing which was probably the most entertaining.

Look up in the tree. Yes thats Cory. I was pretty sure he was going to walk away from this situation as a paraplegic. Luckily he was fine and the swing got hung.

Patrick got his birthday present from the Randalls while we were there which were walkie Talkies. He and Caleb played with them the rest of the day. They even used them while sitting right next to each other.

The girls really enjoyed the swing

Patrick wanted to try out the bow and arrow. I did too but of course I got hurt.

Aren't they cute?

Jesús wanted a turn also.

Hannah opened presents. This was my favorite picture.

Susie made her this awesome dress. I hope someday I can be as good a seamstress as she is.

After trying on the dress she got a tinkerbell dress which she also needed to wear that second.

Elena enjoyed Hannahs new book with Grandma

Stephanie read the kids a very cute story about a girl and the color pink while the kids ate their cupcakes.

Then the boys all made their way to the pond for a little fishing.

I think Jesús enjoyed that time the most. I think he caught 7 or 8 fish.

Daddy teaching son to fish. Have you heard the saying if you teach a man to fish? Well here it is in the making.

We walked around the property for a while and checked out the barn.

Then Grandma played ring around the rosie with the girls

Then the boys tried the other side of the pond for fishing. I took the girls back to the house for a movie and books.

It really was so fun. Jesús wants to go back and do more fishing. There was a huge fish he wants to try and catch. Happy Birthday Hannah. Thanks for the great party!

New Homework Schedule

2011-10-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Since Patrick started Kindergarten he has had to do homework. At first he cried and complained the whole time that it wasn't fun. It took 2 hours to finish. Then he worked a little more and it only took 1 hour. After a while it only 30 minutes and now we are down to 15 minutes. Its great. He actually says YAY when I say its homework time. It has helped me also so get on a schedule a little bit. He has become more creative and more interested in writing and drawing. He is even reading a little. I'm so glad that he is doing well.

My little flapper

2011-10-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Elena has been dressing up like crazy lately. I find her dress up dresses all over the house because she is changing them so often. She is such a girly girl.

Ice Cream at Grandmas

2011-10-07T16:35:00.001-07:00

Went to Grandmas after church on Sunday and had dinner and ice cream. We played outside on the grass until it was time to go.

The kids found butterfly wings but no whole butterflies.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

2011-10-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Elena started pre-school on September 7th. She was super excited and not scared at all. She didn't even look back which is very much like her. She has been waiting to use her new princess lunchbox and she is loving every second of it.

Patrick is 5!!!

2011-10-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a 5 year old. Its just strange. Patrick turned 5 on September 5th. I took some pictures of him the Sunday before.

The morning of his birthday I got up early and bought him some balloons and they were waiting outside his door. For breakfast I made him cinnamon roll pancakes which were really good but I probably won't make them again because there was soooo much sugar in them.

Patrick found Birthday hats in the cupboard and wanted to wear one all day.

I told him that he could do what he wanted to and he wanted to go to Grandmas house and go to her park. I let him drive the golf cart (while he sat in my lap).

There are two playgrounds at the park and each one has a age range. We never follow it but he was actually part of the 5-12 playground crowd.

I asked Patrick what he wanted for lunch and he said Jack in the Box which is weird because we haven't eaten there for a while. I'm surprised he didn't ask for iHop which seems to be his favorite restaurant right now.

When we got home Jesús was waiting at the door and told Patrick he couldn't come in until he got all his 5 year old protective gear on. He said that when you turn 5 you get hurt a lot and you need to wear knee pads and elbow pads to protect yourself. He asked if Caleb had to do this too when he turned 5.

However it was all really because we got him a scooter. He was super happy. This was the only present he got his actual birthday because he was going to have a birthday party later.

Patrick wasn't sure where he wanted to eat dinner so Jesús told him about a place where you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. Still I'm surprised he didn't pick iHop.

He got sung to and got all this goofy stuff put on him. He loved it.

We stopped at Target on the way home and told him that he could pick out one present so he picked out the Optimus Prime mask and let Elena wear his spiderman mask.

I'm so happy we have this sweet boy in our lives. He has made our lives magical since he was born and I am grateful everyday that I'm his mom.

See you later Friend

2011-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I don't use the term BFF much, or at all because it makes me sound like an immature teenager however I use it now. My BFF is gone. I'm sad. They left Sunday morning for the airport to move to Florida. I went over Sunday morning for a final goodbye and to give them their house keys back. I'm glad I went and I was so good and didn't even cry, unlike their good bye party where I sobbed like a infant. Not very pretty. We promised to text everyday and so far so good. But I miss my friend and I can't wait to meet up with them when they get to Texas in a year.

Always a silly picture

I'm even going to miss those rugrats! Patrick cried in school because Roegan wasn't there with him.

BC Football

2011-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

When we were younger Mom and Dad would take us to the BC football games. It was fun to sit and chat and watch the game. Well they asked if we wanted to go last Saturday and we were very excited, especially Patrick. Jesús has never been so I was excited for him to see it. We had a really good time.Checking out the competition
Elena was all over the place, I was afraid she was going to roll down the bleachers.

Elenas party

2011-09-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

For Elena's birthday we decided we would make it super easy since we're moving. So we decided that we would go to Rosemary's for some ice cream. We had our family there and the Colas. Elena wanted to celebrate princess style so I made some princess cupcakes. I think they turned out kinda cute but I definitely want to work on learning to decorate cupcakes because it was fun.

Of course we all enjoyed the ice cream. Like mother like daughter!

Elena and a mouth full of sundae with Reese

Probably the only 5 seconds that the boys were sitting down long enough to take a picture

Elena got her very own dollhouse

Grandma and Grandpa with the birthday girl

One thing I didn't consider was whether or not Rosemary's would let us bring in the cupcakes and of course they didn't. But they did let me put them in the freezer until we left. After we finished unwrapping presents we went outside to let Elena blow out the candles and sing to her.

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Elena

2011-08-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today our sweet little girl turns 3. Its hard to believe that 3 years ago was an amazing yet scary day. We are so blessed to have her in our family and that she is healthy and happy. Sometimes I look at her and think she is the cutest little girl I have ever seen and I can't believe she's mine. She wanted to celebrate princess style so I got her a crown which she wore all day. She wanted to wear her tutu which made her look even more like a princess. We got her birthday balloons and set them outside her door before she woke up. The first thing she said when she opened her door was "What the heck is that??!!!!

Some things about this darling girl are:
She loves anything girly. When ever we pass anything pink in the store she says "I see girl stuff!"
She talks like crazy. Some times, especially at bedtime, I can't even get her to stop talking.
She loves to cuddle. Whenever I lay down on the couch she runs up to lay down with me.
She eats completely different from her brother. She doesn't like Macaroni and cheese and loves beans.
She loves/tortures our cat. Whenever I hear the cat meowing I'm almost positive its her torturing the cat.
She will not potty train! Its making me crazy but I finally decided she is not ready.
She loves her brother, she loves playing with him whenever he will let her.
She says the funniest things for a 3 year old. Hence her first statement on her birthday.

We love her so much and are blessed to have her in our family.

Our first sleep over attempt

2011-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have been entertaining Roegan Cola while his house is packed and his Mom is busy with the movers. We decided to try a sleepover since the boys only have one more week together. They played cars and played outside. After dinner they ate popcorn and watched part of Iron Man and the Bee movie. At 10:30 Roegan got sad and missed his mom. He said he changed his mind and didn't want to sleep over. I took him home but Patrick cried because he thought no one would ever want to sleep at his house. I explained its a little scary sleeping away from home without Mom or Dad. I told him we can try a sleep over again when he's older.

Patricks first day of school

2011-08-22T14:15:00.001-07:00

Patrick started Kindergarten yesterday. He was excited to wear his new backpack and use his new lunch box. He even got new shoes. Before he went to bed the night before he picked out his favorite shirt(s) and shorts to wear.

Elena wanted to be in the picture too.

He's a very cool kid.

We met the Colas at the donut shop extra early so we could pick out our favorites and head to school to eat them.

We all piled into the Cola van to eat our yummy not so healthy breakfast.

We waited outside for the gate to open. Patrick and Roegan were really excited.

Once in the classroom the boys checked out the classroom and had all smiles. Once it was time to sit down, Patrick got nervous and Roegan started crying. When I picked Patrick up he was much happier and he had a great first day. Since this morning was his second morning I was told that the kids are taken into the cafeteria and then when its time to go to class the teacher comes to get them. I figured I could drop him off and someone would be there waiting to usher him into the cafeteria. Nope. Everyone was waiting outside because now the gate doesn't open till 8:00. There was no parking and I had no idea what to do, then I saw Amber Cola waiting with her kids. I left Patrick waiting with them. I feel bad because he was nervous about being just dropped off and I was so unsure of what to do that I didn't take the time to reassure him. I should have just driven off to find somewhere to park to wait with him. I will be sure to tomorrow. I hope he's ok.

Listen to the spirit-

2011-08-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

Even though you're scared of what he's telling you.
The other morning I woke up and had the feeling, sort of at the back of my mind, to tell Jesús to look for a job in Texas. I thought about it for a sec then decided not to say anything because even though I love his family and Texas was really fun, I have never lived anywhere else but Bakersfield by entire life. I have never lived away from my mom other than the other side of town. I was scared to even think about it. So I ignored it for maybe a week or so. However, it was still there. That soft voice at the back of my head telling me that we needed to look for a job in Texas.
While on a play date at a friends house, I was told that her husband was interviewing for a job in Mississippi. That was crazy to me! Thats so far away from here and from their family! We started talking about it and she had some really good advice about moving. I started to feel a little bit better. All of a sudden I got a text from Jesús' dad saying "If Jesús found a job in Texas would you think about moving here?" Then not long after I got a text from Jesús asking me if he were to find a good job in Texas would I consider moving there. Well obviously there was something that I needed to accept. We could possibly be moving to Texas. I talked to my friend a little bit and she reminded me that even though I would be moving away from family, I would also be moving to family. Another positive about moving to Texas is my best friend Amber is moving to Florida in just over two weeks to live there for a year and after she and her family will be moving to Texas. Hello!!! It was a scary thought but now its a likely possibility in my mind. Jesús has applied to many jobs in Texas and we are just waiting to hear back. I think the hardest part about it all now is not knowing when. It will still be difficult to move so far away but I'm mentally preparing myself. Also the house we would buy would be big enough for Mom to come visit as often as she likes.

Big Meadow 2011

2011-08-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yes we went to Girls Camp again this year. Jesús was asked to be in the kitchen again and I was asked to be the 3rd year hike leader. Believe me that struck fear into my heart. It was so difficult to finish that hike last year and I was terrified to do it again. Jesús and I packed our bandannas for camp and of course the kids wanted to wear them too. I found Elena like this as I was pulling out our camping gear.

The cows were daring this year. I heard the were even close enough to sniff one of the tents. I had to do an activity in the meadow and I was nervous that they would charge me. Luckily Jill Galyan saved my life. Isn't the meadow beautiful though? My favorite part of the day was going out before the girls were awake and before the sun came up over the mountain and sit on the meadow and think. That and of course the partaking of Carls cobbler.

Our hike group. Jami Larsen was the hike assistant but she saved me in preparing for the hike and working with the girls. Jesús did go on the hike this year and I was glad to have him with me. He really pushed me to keep going when it got difficult. I love that guy.

I can't leave them alone for a second

2011-08-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

The other day I was getting some stuff ready for girls camp and I noticed it was dangerously quiet. That scares me. I started the routine check of the house to see where the kids were. Patrick was playing quietly and watching cartoons and I found Elena hiding under my bed. Why was she hiding under my bed?
Well let me show you whySomewhere she found a highlighter and decided our sheets would make the perfect canvas. She had also found a spot of mattress that wasn't covered by sheets and wrote on that too. I guess its my fault for not making the bed that morning.

Is he really old enough?

2011-08-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

Patrick will be starting Kindergarten in almost 2 weeks. I can't stand it. No way is my child going to be attending elementary school. I have a child old enough for that? Well he really proved it the other day when he decided to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. All he need help with was getting the lids open. He likes to do it a lot now, even put his own waffles in the toaster. Can you believe it?

My sweet date

2011-08-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours and her husband were being baptized and Patrick is good friends with their little boy so we decided we needed to support them. It was such a spiritual experience and I'm glad we were there to witness it. Afterward I took Patrick to Daddy O's for some frozen yogurt and we got to talk, just the two of us. I need more dates with this sweet kid.

I felt the strong urge to post this

2011-08-01T14:33:00.001-07:00

My friend Janiece has a friend from nursing school who's little boy was diagnosed with the worst kind of e.coli. I don't know them but I have been reading the blog and feeling so much love towards this family and trying to imagine all that they are going through. I can't even imagine how I would endure such a trial. I felt very strongly that I should pass this information along to all that might read it.

Here is a link to their blog http://www.williamantoniotodd.blogspot.com/
so you can read about this sweet boy and if you can please make a donation to help them. If prayers are all you can offer then please keep this family in your prayers, I'm sure they are greatly appreciated.

Out with the old in with the older

2011-08-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

When Grandpa Gene died we all started wandering through the house looking at all the stuff that would need to be split between the families. We got to make a list of things we wanted and cross our fingers and hope we get it. I think we all had Grandmas piano on our list. Well I thought about the table and chairs that my Grandma and Grandpa have had since they lived in that house. I thought it would be nice to have that but how would we get it back to Bakersfield. Well I kept hoping there would be a way and luckily for me my cousin Ryan and his wife were headed to Las Vegas soon after we left Utah and they dropped the table and chairs off in St. George. My mom had to take a trip up to St. George and picked it up and brought it home. I was so happy to get it, and not just because we have never had a good sturdy table but because of the memories it brought back. I thought about all the times we sat around that table eating pancakes that Grandma forced us to eat or sandwiches with Miracle Whip or stale cereal that Grandma kept in the cupboard for when we would come to visit. Those were all good memories because we were always laughing and having a good time. I can't help but get sentimental thinking that we will make no more of those memories but I am excited to make new ones with my family.

Kristin Chenoweth

2011-07-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

I heard that Kristin Chenoweth was coming to Bakersfield to perform at the Crystal Palace and I wanted to see her so bad!! A friend on Facebook said that she had reserved her table and that it was free!! I called immediately and got a table reserved for four. Jesús and I and my parents were able to go and see her. She was so funny and cute and I'm so glad we went.

People brought her flowers and some girl made her a necklace. Some one else brought her Dewars chews. Her favorite drink is a grape slushie so she got two of those. It was funny to see her carry all of it off stage. I read on Twitter later that she loved the Dewars chews.

My cute parents

Me and my hot date!

My best friend from Highschool works at the Crystal Palace and we never see each other anymore. Well guess who our waitress was??!! Yep! Stephanie was. We got a picture for old times sake.

Meet Cheddar

2011-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

We were very sad when we went outside the morning after we got home from Utah to find our duck Louie missing from the back yard and a hole under the fence. We're not sure if the dogs behind us ate him or what. We figured we were done with pets (besides our hamsters which are mysteriously still alive even though we don't give them much attention anymore.) Trish Neville told us that her sister had found a cat and her kittens and they were looking for good homes to go to. Jesús and I don't have a good track record with cats. We've had two since we were engaged and both of them didn't work out. I figured of all people, we should not get a cat. Well we decided that the kids would love a cat and it would be fun so we said yes. That afternoon Trish and her sister Melissa and her two kids delivered the kitten along with all the things a kitten would need.

She made herself at home rather quickly. She sleeps on my pillow above my head and occasionally under the sheets by my feet. She is constantly tortured by the kids especially Elena but we keep saving her. I hope she survives Elena.

She is of course a kitten and rather playful and so we all have lots of scratches and scabs from her sharp kitten claws but we only have to endure that till November when she gets declawed.

Even though they are leaving

2011-07-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

We were excited to get some of the things the Cola's were getting rid of to make their move easier. Elena got probably ten dress up dresses and other things. This is how she dressed up when we got them. Patrick grabbed a couple of small things out the bag but he was mostly excited about these sunglasses.

The 4th of July

2011-07-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

This year we were sort of undecided on how we wanted to celebrate the 4th. My family always does a BBQ and swims and then Rio Bravo does a good firework show up the street so we walk onto the golf course and watch it. But we wanted to spend time with the Colas since they aren't going to be here for much longer. So we went to our ward breakfast and then Jesús went rafting. I took the kids over to my Moms to swim and the Randalls came from Porterville. Then guess who showed up? The Colas! Stephanie had talked them into coming and swimming at Moms house. We swam and talked and then had a little lunch BBQ. Jesús finished up rafting and came over. Then we went over to Randy's sister's house for more food and swimming and fireworks. I was sad that I didn't get to see a big firework show this year, I can't believe BC doesn't do it anymore. Not cool.Yeah they put fireworks in the mailbox
I bought somewhere around 100 sparklers or so it seemed. They were never ending.
At first Elena was scared of the fireworks and didn't like the sound but her fear was short lived.
Most of the pictures I took of Patrick were blurry because he was constantly moving but I did get these two of him with a sparkler and drinking his Cowboy Kaboom Soda(thats what he calls cactus cooler, we're not sure why or where he got that name) while making friends with Ashlynn.
Elena wanted sparkler after sparkler
Amber and I got bored of watching fireworks and started taking pictures of ourselves
Then she did a cartwheel with sparklers in each hand. Isn't she talented?

Our Scaredy Fish

2011-07-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

I signed Patrick up for swimming lessons this summer because I want to feel safe when he's around the pool. He was really scared to start the lessons but as soon as he was in the pool he wasn't scare anymore. These pictures are of his last day and this wasn't his teacher. The teacher he had wasnt as good as this one was. The other girl rarely smiled and she didn't seem to concerned with what all the kids were doing. The teacher he had on his last day was so nice and she kept giving the kids high fives to let them know they were doing a good job.

Even though he had the lessons he is still scared to swim without floaties or a swim noodle. He can do it though, even though he panics occasionally.

Yes Elena is wearing a beanie. I got her dressed and then she wanted to wear this beanie and I decided to pick my battles.

A Noble and Great One

2011-06-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Gene passed away on Fathers Day. It was strange because I had seen him exactly two weeks earlier. He had been asking to go home and now he is there with his wife and family. I was determined to go to the funeral even though Jesús couldn't go. I decided that I would drive myself and the kids to Utah on my own. My mom used to do it every summer with 4 kids so I figured I could do it too. I am a very scared driver though so this was a very nerve racking thing to prepare fore. I left June 23 at 5pm after Patricks swim lesson and drove to St. George. I had only two problems. One was in Vegas, where I was extremely scared to drive any way, where I was almost in a huge accident due to someone going 30 mph in the fast lane and the truck coming up behind him not noticing and rear ending him and shoving him right into me. The other problem was at 10:15 when both kids were asleep and I needed to go to the bathroom. I had to pull over at a gas station and get both kids out of the car and take them in with me. It actually ended up going rather smoothly(them waking up and going back to sleep after getting back in the car) so I was glad I stopped. I made it the rest of the way to St. George and we spent the night. We drove safely the rest of the way with out stopping the next day.

The viewing was that night. Ann and Sarah came and it was so good to see them. They were also at my Grandma's funeral 6 months ago.

Patrick was so happy to see Max he could hardly contain himself

And I got to snuggle on little Sara Marie

I decided that Grandpa's flag should be at half mast. It seemed right.

The next morning was the funeral which was so beautiful. Afterwards we drove to Orem Cemetery for the graveside. The American Legion was there to salute Grandpa's casket. It was such an amazing experience. They even played Taps.

They presented the flag to my Uncle Doug

These are the Matt Ortons, my cousin Sam had just got off his mission a few days before.

Sar and I

We took a family picture before Dad had to head home

We went back to the church for lunch and Patrick didn't even want to sit with us, he wanted to sit with Max. I did take a picture of the whole Matt Orton family plus Patrick but it didn't come out. Boo. I did get this picture of him sitting by himself eating alone after they were done.

After the funeral we met up with our cousins to see Cars 2. Afterwards we headed to the Matt Ortons house so they could take us up American Fork canyon. Here are the Matt Ortons minus Sam, and the Randalls

Once we got up to the camp fire, we found all the Standifirds there. Patrick was on the go the moment we got there, mostly begging to play with Max.

Here's my cousin Tyler and his cute wife Ashley being twinsies. We actually saw them walking when we pulled in and I didn't know it was them and I laughed that they were dressed the same, then they turned around and....oops. Its ok, I think they like me still.

Sara, Ben and Mom went to get the stuff for smores and Sara grabbed Yoohoos. Patrick really liked them.

We roasted hot dogs and s'mores on the fire

Patrick acquired a nickname on this trip from my cousin Brandon, unfortunately Patty Wack might stick.

Here are the all of the cousins that came that night, a good looking bunch right?

It was pretty chilly when the sun went down but we sat around the fire to keep warm. Elena was perfectly happy sitting with Sara until I wanted to take a picture.

And then she went and cuddled with McKay

Patrick and Caleb put on a little show for us

Then Patrick passed out chips

The next day was Sunday so we attended Matt and Ravoe's ward to listen to Sam speak. Then we headed over to Patty's house for a yummy lunch

And on way back from Patty's you drive by the Timpanogos Temple so we stopped by to take some pictures

We went back to Grandpas house and packed the car and headed to St. George where we spent the night and we headed home the next morning so we could be back in time for Patricks swimming lesson. We were only 5 minutes late.

Date night

2011-06-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

My best friend Amber is moving. I'm devastated but I'm trying not to think about it because I think I might lose it. We have decided to spend as much time together as we can so we had a double date at California pizza kitchen and we went to the movies. I'm going to miss our nights out and girls nights but hopefully we can get as much time in as we can.

Oh yeah, we also took our weird husbands

Gardening

2011-06-27T21:11:00.001-07:00

My gardening is not very good this year. I want to have a large vegetable garden but I want to make above ground garden boxes. However I know that someday we will move and I don't want to have to start all over again. So someday, when we have our own house I will create my masterpiece garden. My cousin was telling me this weekend that he planted 10 pumpkin plants so his childrens friends could come over and pick their very own pumpkins for Halloween. How fun is that??!!! My Uncle Ron also has an awesome above ground garden. I strive to be like him. Don't tell him though.

So I have planted some flowers this year and they have finally started blooming. I get so excited when they do. The garden I created in the backyard isn't very appealing to the eye because I wasn't able to create the garden I pictured but once again, it the house we buy, I will go all out because I know I will have the time to create it slowly. However the flowers I planted are blooming.

My lilies are about to bloom

I have a few gardenias blooming but some of the bottom leaves have turned yellow, I'll need to research that

I cut back my hydrangea last year and it came back even bigger this year and I love the color

My Ranunculus bloomed but not for very long, I think they had too much sun. I will plant them again but they will need a bit more shade.

I love love love my big purple Dahlia. But the pigeons are knocking off my blossoms and sitting in the yellow violas that I have surrounding it. Stupid birds!!!!! I want to take a pellet gun in the back and shoot them.

Utah=Fail (crazy long post)

2011-06-13T14:32:00.001-07:00

Well it wasn't all bad but it certainly wasn't the trip we were planning on. My mom and dad and sister were going to attend my brother Ben's concert in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake. I really wanted to go but Jesús wasn't able because of work and rafting. I really wanted to go and for my kids to experience the summers that I used to enjoy as a kid so I decided I would go with my mom. We drove to St. George on Sunday after church. Patrick had been telling me that he didn't want to go to Utah and I'm sure its because he didn't want to be in a car for so long. They did alright and they were both asleep by the time we got there at 10:30. Of course they both woke up when we got there so they could play with Ben who had waited up for us. Ben and Janae drove from Long Beach with Janae's grandma.
They left the next morning but we hung out in St. George for the day because we heard that the Memorial Day traffic would be a little stressful and we didn't want to force the kids to ride in the car for another 4 and a half to 5 hours. We planned out the day with fun stuff, like chocolate pudding.

We wanted to take the kids to do stuff they would enjoy so we went to Dinosaur Discovery at Johnson Farm. It was really cool to see all the dinosaur tracks but I think the kids got bored quickly.

This was my favorite part, they had this really long path of tracks that you could see where the dinosaur had walked.

Outside they had a large sandbox where the kids could dig to find their own dinosaur tracks.

Patrick wasn't able to focus on one spot long enough to find a track so I got in there and found one myself.

We had some Del Taco and the kids played on the toys

We went back to Moms for naps and Patrick and Elena got to play with their new dinosaurs

Then when it was dinner time we fed the kids at the house then Mom and I got Cafe Rio and we went to a park near the St. George temple and waited for it to get dark so we could see it all lit up.

We ended up swinging at the park until around 10pm! I felt like a bad mom keeping my kids up so late but it was so fun.

Tuesday we drove up to Provo and when we got there my cousin McKay and Uncle Matt were there to be with Grandpa so the kids got to play with McKay and her friend outside while they ate McDonalds. Then McKay left and Sara came by.We decided to go for a walk, the same walk that Sara and I used to take as kids when we would stay at Grandma and Grandpas house for a week. We would walk through "The maze" as we called it, which is just a little path along the back of Days Market along a few houses. Then we walked past Days where we used to buy fruit pies.

Then we walked to the park where used to play all the time. I remember it had 3 playgrounds and we would play at one then move on to the next one. There are only two now and they are extremely boring but the kids seemed to have fun.

On the walk home we passed my cousin Kims house and her son Connor was playing catch in the front yard with a friend so we sat and talked and the kids played with the football. I tried to get a picture of Patrick and Elena holding hands as we walked home but they let go as soon as I snapped the picture.

Later Whitney came and we walked to Days market with the kids to get some groceries and we ran into Aunt Helen. Then when we got back to Grandpas McKay was there so we got sit and chat and she tried to teach Patrick the old school clapping game.

That night Elena got really sick and couldnt keep anything down, not even water or juice. We barely got any sleep and she was so tired. Grandpa had gotten worse over the last few weeks so he was in a wheel chair and needed help getting up and down. Mom and I were pretty tired and I felt really bad for Patrick because we needed to stay with Grandpa and Elena but I wanted him to have fun.

He played with the old toys in the toy drawer that we used to play with all the time, but eventually that got really old.

My cousin Jessica came from Jackson Hole (I think thats where she lives) and Patrick had popcicles with her little girl Daisy and then they went next door and played and he was there all day having a blast. When I told him it was time to come home for dinner he cried and the rest of the time there he wanted to go over to Uncle Dougs house to play with Daisy and Cortland and Connor.

Elena just wanted to sleep in this chair the whole time wrapped up in a towel.

I did get this picture of she and Grandpa having a nap together. Its on my phone because I didn't want the flash of my camera to wake either of them up.

Wednesday night she slept much better after my Uncle Doug came over to give her a blessing.

And Thursday morning she was so much better, she got up before me and was running around and talking and laughing. So we decided to get out and we went with Ben and Janae and Sara to BYU campus to walk around and check out Sara's old haunts.
She took us to a science building with fish in it.

Ben took a turn pushing the stroller so he could get some practice for when they finally get the baby they have been waiting for. If you know of anyone putting a baby up for adoption, please think of them.

Patrick and Janae and Patricks red balloon. Patrick walked right into BYU and found balloons for sale and tried to blow one up so I ended up having to buy it. Both kids got a balloon and both lost their balloon the same way. Even though they cried it was still funny.

We found two pairs of Mallard ducks walking on campus, each pair had a male and a female. I told Patrick that our duck would someday look like one them depending on what ours was.

We spent a lot of time in this science building with all these cool experiments.

I of course had to get a picture of the "Y"

Elena was up sick again that night so I decided to take her to urgent care and while I waited for them to open I got this picture of Patrick and Grandpa having breakfast together.

The doctor at the urgent care said it was probably some type of food poisoning or stomach irritation and that it was most likely not contagious. I was worried about that because that night was Bens concert and I really wanted to go but I was afraid to leave her with anyone if she was going to get them sick. My awesome amazing beautiful stupendous cousin McKay offered to watch her even though she was sick and I was so relieved. So we drove the kids over to Uncle Matts so the kids, especially Patrick, could have the most amazing night of their lives.
We drove to get Sara and by the time we got to her apartment Mom was too sick to go. We had no choice but to leave her there and go get Dad in Salt lake.

We walked from Dads hotel up to temple square and met up with the Standifirds to watch the conference. We had amazing seats for watching the performance but they were wooden and tough on the bum for such a long concert. It was worth it though. Walking into the Tabernacle was an amazing experience. The sound in that room was amazing and during the performance we would hear a solo and it sounded like it was coming from someone right behind us.

The incredible Salt Lake temple

We went and picked up Mom and then went to pick up the kids. Patrick and an amazing time throwing water balloons out of the second story window and roasting marshmallows and going to get an Icee? He told me he and Max went but I'm not sure if he made that part up. And all the toys they had were old toys and Patrick was in heaven.

The next morning we got up and Dad and I made biscuits and gravy for everyone and then we played a dice game for all of Grandmas old things. It was hilarious.

Patrick got help from Max and scored this awesome hammer

I grabbed some jewelry for Elena

McKay got this Kimono and the package had a small one in it so she gave it to Patrick. He calls it his Ninja costume.

There were these weird stand things that we couldn't figure out what they were for but it turns out Grandma used to use them in church because her legs were short and she could put her feet on them so McKay and I tried them out.

Saturday night Mom was feeling a little better so we went over to Aunt Patty's to have a BBQ and for the kids to play with their second cousins. I used so love these chairs in Patty's kitchen, we would swing back and forth in them while we ate.

Sunday Mom and I decided it was time to go because we were so tired and it had been a long week. The kids loved playing on Grandmas organ which we used to love to do also. Patrick loved pushing all the knobs and buttons and he said it was his jet and he was getting ready to blast off.

We drove to St. George and the kids slept all the way so we didn't need to stop. Ben, Janae and Grandma Lynn had gotten there right before us so we played with them for a while. Ben and Patrick had a contest to see who could put the puzzle together fastest and Ben had to do it with his eyes closed.

Then we went to the store and back to Cafe Rio for some yummy food. And we watched Tangled because Grandma Lynn had never seen it. I caught a picture of the St. George sunset from Moms backyard.

The next morning we packed up and stopped a few places like downeast and the distribution center and we had a quick lunch at Jack in the box then we were on our way. The kids slept a while but when they woke up they were ready to be home. Even though it wasn't the week we expected, we did have fun but we missed Daddy and it was great to be home in our own beds.

The Bug Lore Museum

2011-05-28T13:01:00.001-07:00

Patricks preschool class went to the Bug Lore Museum for a field trip. Looking at the bugs was fun but it was kind of a joke too with one big room filled with bugs and toys so of course the kids wanted the toys more. Well at least mine did.

The field trip started out well, with kids sitting down listening to the lady talk about bugs.

Petting a Millipede

Then they started to get distracted, of course Elena was distracted the whole time.

The bugs were pretty cool but also creepy

These grasshoppers were giving each other piggy back rides, nice huh?

The ants

creepy scorpion

Even creepier scorpion

Creepy Tarantula

Another creepy spider

The kids checked out the ants

I hate cockroaches but I was able to go look at the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, except I found a dead one, the lady said it was old so she took him out for us to look at.

I did get up the nerve to let the stick bug crawl on my arm but only for a few seconds because it was freaky.

Afterward we met at a park and played and ate lunch. There was a dog wandering around that didn't have a collar and it was trying to eat every ones food.

The Annual Neville party

2011-05-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Once again we got to attend the Neville's annual summer party. I always feel so excited when every year when the time rolls around because we never know what surprises there will be.

This year they had a baby giraffe

And a zebra

A Baboon

A baby Leopard

A porcupine

A palm Cockatoo

A Toucan

A sloth

They also had a wolf but I didn't get a picture of it but it was huge!

Elena wanted to get her face painted so she waited patiently in line with Daddy.

And got a butterfly

I only saw Patrick maybe 3 times the whole night. He was running around with Stevie Gabbitas all night. He did stop by our blanket for a few minutes with a blue mouth from his blue icee.

The Randalls came so we got to sit and visit with them. Even Dad came this year which was fun.

I cant wait till next year!

Dragon Swimming

2011-05-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

While the duck enjoyed swimming in his bucket, the kids enjoyed swimming in their new pool.

Their pool last year got a hole in it so we upgraded.

The took turns spraying each other

Patrick walked around pretending to be mean and shooting people with his water gun.

Elena was not a fan of being sprayed but she got used to it and ended up having a good time.

They kept jumping on the slide and now it has a hole in it but they enjoyed it while it lasted.

Soooo the duck

2011-05-26T15:57:00.001-07:00

Yeah we got a duck. Why? Well let me tell you.

I have no idea. One of the kids in Patricks preschool found this baby duckling near her home so they searched for its family and couldnt find them. So they brought the duckling to school and let the kids see it. Patricks teacher said who wants a duck? And I couldnt think of any reason why I would want another pet or any other responsibilities seeing how I can't even accomplish the ones I have now. Well she said they eat bugs and lay eggs, if its a girl of course. Well I thought why not?!! So I went to the pet store and got a little reptile house and some food dishes then I went and got some food for him. So we kept the duck in there for a few days and let him get stronger.

Then we let him outside one day and he loved it! He ran around and ate bugs and followed the kids everywhere. Unfortunately the kids were very unaware of him and sat on him twice. Poor guy(or girl). We filled a shallow bucket with water so he could swim around and he did such a good job, he apparently loves water.

Elena loves holding him and even holds him when she's not supposed to. Patrick does not like to hold him and basically just runs around him. I do have some video of the duck following Patrick but no pictures. Ones of these days I'll get him to hold him.

He/she loves to be around us and likes to sit in our laps and on our shoulders. Its very sweet.

Hopefully we'll find out soon whether this duck is a boy or girl.

Enjoying popcicles and the garden

2011-05-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

So the only thing I've planted this year are flowers and tomatoes. I have other vegetable seeds but I keep putting off planting them for some reason. However this what my flower garden looked like this spring after I first planted everything.

And this is what it looks like now

My strawberries were my only bust so I ripped them out and planted these. I would like to plant a bougainvillea in the back middle part of this flower bed but I'll wait.

My gerber Daisies survived and whatever that purple and pink flower is. And finally my Rununculus came through and are looking great circling everything else.

My favorite so far is the Dhalia. Its huge! I can't wait for it to bloom, I think it will be spectacular.

And my gladiolas are really tall but there aren't any blooms yet, soon hopefully.

And to enjoy the beauty of the earth and the lovely flowers blooming we sit outside and enjoy popsicles.

Hopefully I can fill in the dirt area with mulch and bushes and rocks but first we need to find rocks. Someday it will look like a real garden.

Boys Campout Girls invited

2011-05-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Our wards father and sons camp out was going to involve paint ball which sort of excludes the the younger kids, and Jesús had to work the day after so he planned for him and Patrick to have a little camp out in the backyard. Luckily Elena and I were invited to the eating portion of it. We cooked hot dogs and hot links and had chips and cream soda and then we cooked s'mores.

Jesús and Patrick set up a tent in the backyard and slept in it all night.We've been trying to get rid of this stump so Jesús lit it on fire so we could cook the s'mores on it but soon a helicopter flew over the house and circled around us for a while so we put the stump out. It did make chopping it up a little easier.

Disneyland 2011

2011-05-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Disneyland again this year! Jesús and I were actually talking about it on our way there that our kids have gone more in their short years then we got to in 20 years. We are so grateful that we have been able to go since Patrick was born.

We got a good early start so we could be there when it opened and we beat the rest of the family there. So we decided to just get right to it. We headed to California Adventures first so we get on the Bugs Life rides. Patrick is extremely afraid of heights so while he and Dad waited in line for the bumper cars, Elena rode the flick balloon ride. When we were done they were just getting on so we got to watch them.

Then onto Heimlichs train ride which made us crave churros because of the cookie part and it smelled so sweet in there!

Afterwards we went to Turtle talk with Crush the turtle and Crush actually talked to Jesús and was asking him about the "moss" on his chin. It was pretty funny. But we had never been in that building before and there was lots to do in there and we were able to learn a little bit about animation and walk through Belle's library and Patrick wanted to sit in the Prince Throne.

And we played with Belle's books

Then we met up with everyone and walked over to the wharf. I loved that the boys held hands while we walked over there.

We rode the fishy merry go round

Hannah wasn't liking it so much

Cory and Caleb went on the white water rafting ride. Jesús tried to take Patrick but he was just a little too short. We had kind of built him up about the ride and he was so sad when he couldn't go. So instead Jesús took him on the trail across the way.

He was however tall enough for soaring over California which is my favorite ride. He was nervous because it looks like you are so high. He gripped onto Jesús arm pretty tight for most of it but I kept watching his face and he loved it. Watching the jets fly by us was my favorite reaction to watch. I'm glad he got to enjoy it.

When we got off the ride Minnie mouse was outside so we got our family picture with her.

Then we went over to Disneyland and had lunch and watched the Jedi training which I had never seen before. It was really cool and funny. Then we rode our favorite rides like Buzz lightyear, Pirates(which Patrick was scared of but then later wanted to go on again), The Haunted Mansion( which scared Elena, next year maybe we'll sit that one out) and the Jungle Cruise. I think after those we were done and we headed for the gates. We ate at IHOP because Patrick wanted pancakes. It was so yummy and really hit the spot, and the fact that the kids ate free was awesome. Then we went to the hotel and checked in and Jesús and the kids went right to bed. I headed over to Mom and Sara's room to watch the end of modern family and chat a bit. Then went back for some much needed sleep. Then next morning we decided to start with Disneyland and ride the little kid rides. We rode Peter Pan first which I have never been on, and it was amazing!! After we all rode the merry go round we met up with Mom and the Randalls and Stephanie and I took the girls to go meet the Princesses, while the boys rode pirates again and a bunch of other rides. We waited for over an our but it was worth the wait. In the line in front of us was this little girl Sophia and she and Elena became good friends in just an hour.

The girls got to meet with three princesses and they were so sweet with them. Hannah was most excited to see Ariel and kept touching her face softly, almost to see if she was real.

Here is Hannah touching Belles face

And the only one of Elena smiling at the camera

We met up with the boys in Toon Town and found some lunch then we headed to the Tiki room but got distracted on the way because Elena needed thisAnd Patrick found a sword he loved and we eventually ended up getting the rest of his pirate stuff
By the end Elena was very tired and passed out in the stroller, she even slept through the Muppets 3D movie

Jesús and I rode tower of Terror and I was little scared. But check out the guy right behind me. He told me later it took skill.We finished off with a little shopping and then headed back to IHOP for another yummy breakfast dinner while we waited for rush hour to be over. Elena loved Jesús' potato cheese soup. She finished it off by sucking it out of the bowl.

Then we headed home, but first stopped at Lyons for my mothers Day gift. I got to do a little shopping at Old Navy. We had so much fun but we were all so tired by the end. The next day we did absolutely nothing to make up for it, except Jesús had to work. He is so awesome, he definitely needs a day off to do nothing too.

Mothers Day Weekend

2011-05-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

So Friday night we went over to my Parents house because Jesus was at a NRA dinner. We hung out and played and the kids tried on Grandpas hat.

Then the next day we all got together to surprise Mom. Cory and Stephanie said that Stephanies parents would be coming to town so they wouldnt be able to come over on Saturday, and they were both speaking in their ward on Sunday so they wouldnt be able to come on Sunday. Sara was working so she wasn't going to be able to come at all. Ben had to work Sunday so he and Janae weren't going to be able to be there either. Well behind the scenes we were all talking and Sara had got time off and was flying in Saturday afternoon and Ben and Janae were going to pick her up and head to Bakersfield. Stephanie's parents were coming but only for the morning and we were all going to meet at the park at 4 and go surprise Mom. Dad was also in on it and had told Mom that they were going to go to dinner at 4. He stalled for us too while we waited for everyone to get there. Jesús had to raft all day so he couldn't be there. So as soon as we were all together, we all headed to Mom and Dads and snuck up to the door. We all stood quietly and rang the doorbell. Then when Mom answered the door this was the face we got:

It was an awesome surprise and she cried and cried. Best reaction ever. We went to dinner then hung out together for the rest of the evening.
The girls were being very sweet together

Ben did have to work the next day so he and Janae left early the next morning. Sunday I got to sing in Sacrament meeting with another woman and her sweet daughters. Patrick was supposed to sing with the primary but he was too scared. Then we went to Mom and Dads for some yummy lettuce wraps and a trip to the park.

We keep Patricks kite in the back of the car so we took it with us and flew it for a while.

Sara and Elena tried to touch it

I wanted a picture with the kids for Mothers Day and it took a while and a little chocolate bribery to finally get a great picture.

It was such a wonderful Mothers Day.

Summer time!

2011-05-13T14:43:00.001-07:00

We have been loving the summer weather. Patrick has really wanted to play in the sprinklers. So I let him and he loved it.

Elena thought it sounded fun but when it came time to do it, she decided she didn't want to get sprayed with water.

I love her new swimsuit, its so cute.

Then we went to Ambers to jump on the trampoline with a sprinkler under it.

And we enjoyed some yummy Popsicles.

It was perfect fun for the hot weather.

Going to the Randalls

2011-05-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

Amber and have been trying to go to see Stephanie for a few weeks so we finally decided last Tuesday to go. Mom wanted to go with us and we had such a great time. Cory was home for lunch so we got to see as well. Caleb, Patrick and Roegan had a fun time playing and the girls loved playing with Hannahs doll house.

We got to sit and chat while the kids played

It was beautiful weather and the kids loved running around the yard. I love this picture because it looks like everything is glowing.

Patrick loved playing guns with the boys, the were killing all the monsters.

Hannah and Elena wanted to play in the sprinkler, but when it comes to getting sprayed by cold water Elena hates it. So she stood there and watched Hannah have a good time.

Then she wanted to get dressed and get a towel on

Hannah eventually joined her.

We had a great time and we will definitely be back

Road Trip!

2011-05-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we were really bummed that we weren't able to participate in the Bakersfield Cystic Fibrosis walk, so we were really excited that our friends the Cluffs were going to be walking in St. George for their daughter who was diagnosed last fall. We have been wanting to have a little vacation at Mom and Dads new house. So we left Friday morning and we drove to St George. Mom was there when we got there and she said she would watch the kids so we could go on a little date. We went over to see Ben and Jill Cluff and catch up then the two of us went to Out Back for a yummy dinner.
Mom got this fun game to play with the kids, its called whats on my head. Patrick loved it but Elena was a little confused by the rules, she basically just yelled out the object and that persons turn was over.

I got pictures of moms great view from her backyard.

Saturday morning we headed to the elementary school the walk was at and Elena wanted to go right to the toys.

Patrick and Holdyn were a little nervous around each other at first but warmed up to each other quickly.

Holdyn wanted to hold hands with Patrick and her cousin. Then she took off and we didn't see her again till the we finished the walk. She was fast!

The walk path was so pretty!! I could totally run on this.

The very cool tunnels we walked through.

We all wore t-shirts saying I'm Kimber Anne's Fan fighting Cystic Fibrosis, hers said I'm Kimber Anne. She was so changed from when we saw her last. So happy and energetic and healthier.

Jill and I

We bought some tickets for the raffle and ended up winning tons of stuff. Whoops.

We said good bye to the Cluffs and went back to Moms for naps. Then we got dressed and went to the temple. It was so pretty and I loved driving over the hill and seeing the temple stand out from everything else.

We had a lovely gentleman from the visitors center take our picture. Its a little crooked but thats ok because he was so very nice.

Then we went to.........drum roll.........Cafe Rio!!!!! here is the before of my steak burrito.

Here's the after. Yep I ate the whole dang thing!! I had waited long enough.

Elena was a little upset that her quesadilla was hot

Patrick was having a grand ol time

Then we stopped at a Red box and rented a movie which I fell asleep watching. Then we got up in the morning and packed up, had lunch at Cracker Barrel and then hit the road. We hit traffic before Primm so we stopped and walked around the outlets for a while. Then we headed for Carls Jr. for dinner and the kids got to play on the play place but Patrick was so terrified of heights that he was basically shaking when he got to the top and came down the slide. Poor kid. We had so much fun and I look forward to seeing the Cluffs again, we always have such a good time with them!!

Easter Weekend

2011-05-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Cory and Stephanie weren't able to come for Easter Sunday so we celebrated the day before. We went to Grandmas house to color eggs and goof around. Oh and there was some yummy food too.

Cory was very excited to color eggs.

The finished eggs

Elena was the Easter Monster. Thats real right?

The boys played swords with Grandpa

On the egg hunt

She did NOT want to reach in there

So Daddy helped her.

The group picture with no smiles

I got some of Elena by the roses

I told Patrick to smile, I guess I asked for it.

Much better

The Randalls were heading to Stephanie's parents house so we took a ride in the golf cart to the park and Patrick got to drive.

I tried to get a normal picture of us. Oh well.

The kids found their Easter baskets on Sunday morning.

Patrick went right for the toys.

Elena went right for the chocolate. Thats my girl!!! Great morning hair huh?

I got a few pictures of the kids in their Sunday clothes for Easter

Happy Easter

Ah Summer

2011-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is really self explanatory. It reminds me of my summers as a kid. Chowing down on watermelon.

Look at that happy face.

Some gardening

2011-05-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have started planting, but the dirt in my backyard is so hard this year that its been much more of a struggle. Here is a picture of Elena dancing in front of the vegetable garden before I planted extra tomato plants.

Since we got a new fence last fall I have been planning on planting flowers over in the area by it. I wasn't able to plant them in raised stone planters as I had planned due to funds for larger stones so instead I just made circles with river stones. I planted Ranunculus and gerber daisies and I can't remember the other flower in this circle. I planted the Ranunculus by bulb and they are finally popping through the ground!

This are little yellow Violas or something like that and in the middle is my dinner plate size purple Dhalia. This is when it just popped from the ground but now the plant is huge! I ended up adding some gladiolas which just came through the ground this week.

And these are all gladiolas with a big pink flower in the middle that I can't remember the name of. These are right after they popped up and are all now about 2 or 3 feet tall.

I also planted a type of strawberries that didn't do anything so I'm going to rip them out and plant more big pretty flowers. I also planted some ground cover so the kids don't dig in this planter anymore. It will be so nice when its all green.And while I'm at it, this is the door that PG&E installed and weather proofed. I feel bad because of all the hard work Marc Hansen and his dad put in to cover up the doggie door but its nice not to have the wind blowing dirt under the door. Plus it has a dead bolt. I love safety!

Going on a train

2011-04-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

For Patricks pre-school field trip we got to ride the train to Hanford and have a picnic. It was a little tough by myself but it was still fun for the kids

I forgot my camera (of course) so all my pictures are with my phone and a little blurry on the train.

When we got there we walked to this park where the Court house is and behind it was this really cool building called the Bastille. All the windows were boarded up but it was awesome.

The kids had a picnic on the back steps of the court house then played for a while. Then we all walked over to the Ice cream shop and walked back to the park to enjoy it. There was an empty fountain, so the kids got in it to eat their ice cream.

It was a really long day but the kids had fun. Patrick loved playing with Walter and they even sat by each other on the way home. Elena was so tired but she couldnt fall asleep on the train because it was so exciting!

Enjoying the weather

2011-04-18T15:13:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday after our work out at the church, and after Patrick got all registered for Kindergarten I decided to take advantage of this great weather and take the kids to the park. The tunnel slide was their favorite and it did some silly things to their hair.

An all girls lunch

2011-04-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

While Patrick was at school last Monday I decided Elena and I need some good ol' girl time. I took her to Jack in the Box for some lunch. She was funny to listen to with her goofy little stories and crazy hair.

She liked watching the cars drive by in the drive through, I'm sure it freaked them out.

Going to the Dentist

2011-04-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

So part of Patrick registering for Kindergarten was going to the Dentist. I had been meaning to take him for a while but I was worried that our friend Kurt, who is a great pediatric dentist and everyone we know recommends him, and practice wouldnt have take our insurance. Well I called them and of course they didn't. So until we can switch our insurance over I had to find a good dentist to take him to. Well Laura Pollock recommended Dr. Beemer so I called him and luckily they had a cancellation for the next morning. Patrick was very scared and nervous. When we got there they told him he could play video games while he waited which was great because he forgot why he was there and calmed down. We were called back and he got nervous and shy again but the dental assistant was great and very friendly and she made him feel comfortable. They took x-rays and then the dentist came in and checked his teeth and flossed his teeth. He only panicked once while being flossed. He did a great job. But he had to go back the next week for a cleaning.

He was most excited about playing the video games when we went back but he did a great job getting his teeth cleaned but he was much more scared and he needed much more reassurance. He did a great job and I'm glad we don't have to go back till October. But I'm also glad that we got him to the dentist early and hopefully we can keep this up so he realizes the importance of dental health.

He was cold so he got a blanket and he got to wear sunglasses to keep the bright light out of his eyes.

They're leaving

2011-03-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm so sad that my brother and his family are moving out of Bakersfield. Cory got a job a few months ago working on an Indian Reservation as the CFO and we were so excited except for the fact that it meant that the Randalls were going to have to move to Porterville to be closer to the Reservation. Well they found a great place in Success Valley and Mom and I took the kids up to see the house yesterday and meet Stephanie and her mom and the kids.
We started our day getting ready for St. Patricks Day and putting on all our green gear. I even made sure that Patrick was wearing green undies. When Grandma opened the door we made her laugh.

We drove to Porterville and up towards Springville and to Success Valley. Here is the front view from Cory and Stephanie's house. It is so green and beautiful. I tell you, I was in heaven. It was the perfect setting.

Here is the back of their house. Isn't it gorgeous!!!! They will be so happy here. The owner has acres of olive trees and he harvests them to make money.

He has tons of fruit trees and he said that Cory and Stephanie could have as much as they want as soon as they are ready to pick. He couldn't even remember all of them there were too many.

There is a beautiful pond that he says he swims in when it gets hot and he takes his little boat out and fishes. There is also this little pond house and a deck to sit on.

There is a barn too that he keeps his horses in sometimes. It was so cool to walk around in and look at the stalls and horse stuff.

The boys loved pretending to drive the tractor.

The beautiful green hills and the blooming fruit trees

I found a lucky horseshoe on St Pattys day.

I wanted to get a picture of Elena all cute by the pond but she was begging to go play.

I tried a little photo editing in iPhoto for some of these pics. Sorry, it was just for fun.

If we sat really still we could watch the fish swim under the deck.

Easy access to go swimming.

Beautiful blooms

We were picking oranges like crazy. Hannah played by this tree forever.

More scenic photo editing.

Here is a view of the olive trees from their backyard.

Here's the view from their back patio.

And the backyard

Hannah playing with the stone table which gives the yard some character. Not that it needs it.

And a view of the frond of the house. Isn't it great??
I'm really going to miss having them so close but at least its not an island and they're only an hour away instead of a 6 hour plane ride. We love you guys and we are going to miss playing with you at Grandmas all the time.

Jesús is out of town for business so I thought it would be fun me and the kids to have a fun St Patricks day dinner. We bought Smiths green thumbprint cookies and green Kool-aid. I made gold mac and cheese and we ate green jello and green yogurt on green dishes and in green cups.

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!!

Like the Fair without funnel cakes

2011-03-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to go and see some baby pigs last Sunday. Sinjin Hayes has a pig that was about to have babies but it was in a room with two other pigs and one had given birth the day before. We were invited to come see and hold them.

Patrick was great and brave and held one of the baby pigs. Elena just buried her face in Jesús' shoulder and cried, she was so scared. He took her out while we held and loved the baby piglets.

They were so cute!!!!!

This was the runt. I wanted to take him home.

This site almost made me question eating bacon. But its too yummy to give up.

There were baby sheep, Elena was still scared but not as much.

And we got to meet Ellie the Pygmy goat. She was the only one we learned the name of because she was the most friendly. Elena was afraid at first but then she loved her!

And meet Peanut. I honestly thought someone had painted her. I have never seen a crazier looking pig.

She was also very sweet and liked nibbling on my shoes. When I walked out of her pen she tried to follow me and my shoes out. Patrick loved petting her and asking Sinjin questions about everything.

Writing all over the windows!

2011-03-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Patrick hasn't really had the desire to practice writing his letters at home and a goal that I have for him by the time he starts Kindergarten this fall (I know, I can't believe it either) is to write his name. I bought some books for him to work out of but he just was not interested. So I pulled out the dry erase markers and told him to write his letters on the sliding glass doors. Well he loved the idea and any letter I told him to write he would write very well and practice until he got it write. He also drew his first picture that represented a human being. He usually just scribbles and makes circles but he started drawing something and said that it looked like a head so he kept on going. He was so very proud of his drawing, I hate that I had to wipe it off.

Elena wanted to join in the fun too.

Don't look at the messy patio and backyard. I hadn't cleaned up out there yet. Its tidy now.

Dessert or Mess

2011-03-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

I really wanted some White Chocolate dipped strawberries so I bought strawberries and some White Chocolate melties. We used our fondue pot which he haven't really had any success with yet, we just need practice I'm sure. However the chocolate turned into a lumpy mess and didn't stick to the strawberries so we ended up just dumping them onto wax paper and pouring the chocolate over them. It looked gross but it tasted ok. The chocolate flavor changed in the fondue pot. I guess I should try a double boiler next time, what a mess!

FHE on Accident

2011-02-22T14:53:00.001-08:00

Since Monday was a Holiday, Jesús went with Randy Cola to play games at a friends house which they do often for some MAN time. But Randy was taking his kids with him so Jesús took Patrick so he could play with Roegan and I took Elena to the Cola's house to work out with Amber and have a yummy lunch at starbucks. I headed home to put Elena down for a nap and Amber went to a dentist appointment and then she dropped by afterwards. While we were hanging out the boys finished playing games and came by to see what was going on and we all ended up watching an old episode of the bachelor and Red Dawn. Maribel, Jason and Mia stopped by for a few minutes to drop off an invitation so we got to chat for a little while. Randy's niece Nikki and her husband Michael decided to hang out with us too. All of a sudden it was a party. We got a bunch of taco bell for dinner and ice cream for shakes.

Amber's enjoying her taco bell a little too much!!! And Nikki I guess didn't want her picture taken.

We all finished our dinner and had a little family home evening lesson on the Holy Ghost then we played Heads up Seven up which I think I played in the 5th grade. It was fun once the kids figured it out though.

The kids played a little while we made milk shakes

Then we all enjoyed them. Yummy!!!!

We ended the night with the new episode of the bachelor while the kids played.
It might have been a FHE party on accident but it was dang fun and I'm glad we all got to hang out.

Sunday girl time

2011-02-22T14:40:00.001-08:00

One of the things that I have on my mind a lot since we won't be having any more babies, is that Elena will never have a sister and Patrick will never have a brother. Sometimes it makes my heart hurt. I love my sister and we spent our childhood playing almost non-stop. There was fighting of course but there was more imagination and playing together than anything else. We would set up a whole Barbie house made up of buckets and whatever else we could find. We would pull out every toy we owned until you couldnt see the floor of our bedroom and even though we were confined to our room until it was clean we still had fun making it even more messy, like pulling the mattress off the bed and sliding down it. I'm sad that Elena won't have that sort of relationship with a sister. However she was blessed to have two cousins close to her age. Lucia, Jesús' sisters oldest is about 6 weeks older. And Hannah, Cory and Stephanie's daughter is only 18 days younger than Elena. We watched the girls hold hands and play around the house Sunday evening. It was so sweet and I started to feel a little misty eyed knowing she will have close relationships with these cousins.

Hockey Game and Spidey

2011-02-22T14:16:00.001-08:00

We got invited to go to the hockey game by the Nichols this last weekend and we were excited because we haven't been since Elena was just a few months old. I think. Well we got bad news that the Nichols weren't going to be able to go but they were going to give us their tickets so we could go anyway. Well I called up Amber Cola and she and Roegan came along with us. The boys had so much fun and were laughing hysterically 80% of the time. The seats are amazing and right behind the players and right next to the entrance to the locker rooms, and even though you get an occasional whiff of stinky socks you also get to see Colonel Claw'd when he comes to stand by the team. The boys shook his hand through the gate and kept screaming at him until I told them to stop.

One of the biggest reasons we were so excited to go was because we heard Spiderman would be there! During the national anthem, I tried to show Patrick where Spiderman was on the other side of the ice and I guess while we were listening to the girl sing he was looking for him. While it was so quiet he yelled "There's Spiderman!!!" we had a couple people look at us but he was too excited to care. After the first period we went to find Spiderman and get a picture with him. We waited in a ridiculously long line for a whole other period and part of the half time show. But we got pictures with Spiderman which made Patrick and Roegan some pretty happy campers.

While we were waiting for the Zamboni worked its magic on the ice I snapped a picture of the boys. Patrick loves Zambonis and loved watching it.

Elena was there also but could care less about the hockey game and was terrified of anyone in a costume. Soooooo the only picture I got of her smiling was this one with her eyes closed.

Random Pictures

2011-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason I was taking pictures of the kids the other day. Probably because they are cute and funny. Patrick wanted to be silly and Elena wanted to eat lunch in her diaper.

Won't you be my neighbor?

2011-02-10T09:44:00.001-08:00

Our neighbor has a little girl about Patricks age and whenever they decide she doesn't play with something or they run out of room for all her stuff, they donate it to us. Elena has loved the stuff they have given us so far. Yesterday they brought over this cute princess castle tent and Elena immediately loved it and moved in her blankets and pillow. She even ate breakfast in it this morning.

She really enjoys being undressed or changing her clothes, hence the shirtless picture.

Once in a blue moon

2011-02-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

The whole family was together last weekend! Sara came on Wednesday and Ben and Janae came Saturday morning. We all went to the movies to see Tangled, which was even good a second time.Then the Jesús took our kids home for naps and Ben took Caleb home and the girls went and got pedicures.
On Sunday after Stake Conference we went to Mom and Dads to eat and play.
Mom bought a fun game the kids could play.
Patrick was getting bored when it wasn't his turn so he got to go every other turn
Sara won, you can see why
Then Patrick got tickle tortured
When the Cory Randalls came over we played a card game and then the kids decorated cupcakes
I don't seem to get many pictures of Elena with her eyes open these days.
The kids loved the candy, especially Cory
Sara found her sunglasses, thank goodness.
Elena was a little sick but she was feeling better by that night.
Aren't they cute?
Hannah got a little chocolate frosting on her
And so did Ben
It got a little crazy
Isn't she hot??
Then we played Charades again
Even Dad played, he's good at it too!
Good thing Mom had Dad to help her with the sit ups card!