Dave, Jenny and the monsters

Surprise! Surprise!

2010-10-09T00:42:00.000-07:00

So, no pictures here, but a great story. One that shows how amazing and thoughtful my husband is:

It all started on Friday May 28th at 7:30 am. I woke up to find my husband gone and a note on my bed. It read:

Good Morning Beautiful!!! You are headed out of town. I will pick you up at the house today at about 11:40 am. Please be ready.

You need to have a carry on piece of luggage packed with stuff for 3 1/2 days. Keep it pretty casual, you might throw in a skirt and a book. You don't need much. Maybe take your running shoes.

No need to ask me too many questions.

I love you

I was very excited to be heading out of town with my hubby...until I read the note again and realized that is said "you are headed out of town". Ugh...this ment I was going by myself.  I don't like being by myself:( Trying to keep a positive attitude (after all, my husband was giving me a vacation), I packed my bag.

He picked me up and comforted me of my concerns and dropped me off at the airport. As he was leaving, he handed me a stack of envelopes numbered 1-6 and the GPS.  He then told me that when he drove away, that I was to open envelope #1. It read:

Hey Wonderful Wife.  Sorry to just leave you at the airport by yourself. I would love to go with you, but you know somebody has to take care of the kiddos.

You are headed on a trip to Salt Lake City. Boarding pass included. You don't need to check in. The majority of your trip has been planned. Please follow directions and everything will go smoothly.

So what are you waiting for?

Enjoy your flight!

Love Dave

Once on the plane and in the air you can read card 2.

So, I was okay. I was going to Salt Lake where I had plenty of family and friends. I guess I would be able to survive:) And my sister had just had a baby, so I could meet him. This could be fun:) I boarded the plane, got into the air and opened envelope #2. It included a cute picture of Kiya and another of the 3 boys...so thoughful (however, I began crying...which is not unusual for me. In fact I had been crying the whole morning). It read:

Hey Sexy Lady,

So now that you are on the plane I hope you can sit back and relax.  I have everything under control or at least I hope. I figure you can go see Liam although Tia does not know you are coming. I gave John a heads up that you may show up but I did not say much to him. Just barge in the door with a black mask and say surprise. You will have their address text'd to you. The GPS will help.

I wanted to let you know I love you and all the the work you do. You are a wonderful woman. I am a lucky guy and would like to be sitting next to you but but right about now I am probably carting McKay with me to work and will pick up Lincoln at 2pm.

I know I didn't help out much this week. Things got a bit crazy. So I hope you have fun! Sitting on the plane is a great woman that deserves a getaway. We will miss you and when you come back things will still be crazy.

You are loved dearly. The kids have the greatest Mom. You are beautiful.

Love your Husband
BTW..I realize Lincoln gets out at 1pm.

When you get off the plane you can read card 3.

So, guess what, more tears:) However, that letter made me want him with me even more. But, I was getting excited to surprise Tia and meet Liam so I quickly shook the tears and began reading and doing logic puzzles ( I think logic puzzles are really fun!). So, the plane landed and after leaving the terminal, I opened envelope #3. It read:

You are going to need some WHEELS.

Head to Enterprise. Your car waits with no car seats.

Reservation is under Jenny Smith.

Once in the car you can read card 4

So, I head to Enterprise. Without kids tagging along, I was able to manuever very quickly through the airport.  I was heading to the front desk to claim my reserved car when I heard someone say "Hey". Not necessarily knowing they were talking to me, I turned their way and thought.."that sure looks like Mom". After a second look, I realized that it was my mom and, yes, I began to cry again.She was also crying. To surprise me even more, Dave and flown Mom down to Salt Lake to hang out with me and to meet little Liam as well. Wow! I still had 3 more envelopes to open. How could he surprise me any more? AMAZING!!

So, Mom and I got our car, without carseats, and called John to get their address. Tia still had no clue we were coming. Mom and I were Giddy with excitement and splotchy from crying:) So, we were in the car and we opened envelope #4. It read:

Hey Babe!

By now you should have a traveler with you. If you don't have one we have a problem.  But where are you going to stay? Oh, don't worry I have taken care of it. I realize you may first go see Liam that is okay the Hotel will still be there. You will have to pay $5/day for parking.

Please enter on the GPS the address below to find your Hotel

Sleeping alone kinda sucks but I think you will find this a nice enough place.

Love Ya
Dave

After breakfast Saturday morning read card 5.

So we did...we went to meet Liam.  Finding Tia's was easy. In 40 minutes, we were pulling up in front of her house. We could see her sitting, feeding the baby in front of their big front windows. When she saw us guess what she did...yep...cried.  The tears fell again. Daughters who become Mothers know how special it is to have your own mother around. Something about it is very comforting, especially right after having a baby. And what a cutie that babe is. We spent a few hours holding the baby, playing with the other kids and talking up a storm. It was fantastic!! It was getting late, so Mom and I typed in the address of the hotel and headed back to Salt Lake for the night.

Once again, we got to where we needed to, easily. We checked into our room, parked the car (the $5/day will be on the bill I'm sure), and headed to our room. And SURPRISE...there were roses waiting for us. Dave sent us each a single rose with a little note. Mine read:

I'm glad you made it to your hotel. You are a super-duper awesome woman! We will miss you! Sleep well!

Love
Dave

This man of mine thinks of everything.  Mom and I felt so special!!

We got a good nights sleep and even slept in a bit in the morning. We grabbed breakfast by the hotel and then went back to the room to open envelope #5. Inside was a coupon to Yogurt Stop, $ and a letter it read:

Hey Hot Lady--Cool down with some yogurt. After lunch take everybody here! Everything is 50% off so you can take everybody and load up on as many toppings as you want. The included cash should take care of everybody. There is some small print on the coupon so be careful.

GPS the below address....

Jenny, After you eat yogurt you can read card 6. You need to be done with yogurt no later than 4:30pm. Otherwise...well lets just not go there. You have plans that only involve you and a place you need to go solo.

Holy Cow! When will the surprises end. I loved how he was so thoughtful to even include the money to pay for the yogurt.

Well, Mom and I headed to Tia's house for some more baby love!! Then we all went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. It was great to chat and enjoy each others company. And we did take advantage of the coupon Dave sent with me. It ended up being for customer appreciation day. Plenty of yogurt was eaten and lots of speculation was made as to who I was meeting up with and Tia ended up treating with a gift card she had, so I was able to pocket the money Dave sent:) It was a great time!

It was getting close to 4:30 and so we decided to read envelope #6.  It read:

Hungry? You have a 6pm dinner date! With who? Go find out.

Head the below address....
PAGO

You need to be here 6pm sharp. You have dinner company. This is only for you. Reservation is booked.

I sent Mom with Tia and John and I headed off on my own back to
Salt Lake. Hummm..Once again by myself? By now, I knew Dave was taking good care of me, but I had no clue who I would be meeting up with. Kind of an odd feeling. A very large portion of me wanted it to be Dave:) The ultimate surprise!!

When I get back to the hotel, I got changed and headed out using the GPS as my guide. I arrived at PAGO just before 6. I went to check in and they don't have my name on the reservation. I also try Dave's name. It wasn't there either. So, the reservation was made under the name of the person I was meeting...though I had no idea who that was going to be. I decided to wait outside for the unnameable and that's when I saw Alice! She is my friend from Seattle, who then moved to Utah but went to Guatemala with me. Yeah!! I was so excited. She also did not know who she was meeting, so we were both surprised to see each other. It was so much fun hanging out together!

It was getting late and I still had to go back to get Mom from Tia and John's, so we called it a night...a very good night!

I picked up Mom and then we headed back to the hotel. We were in much need of a good night sleep, and once again slept in.

We headed to Tia's in the morning to go to church with her family. We just went to sacrament with the much appropriate excuse of Tia just having a baby. Then Mom and I pampered Tia a little with gifts for Liam and goodies for all.

After lunch, Mom and I started talking about how early we had to get up to catch our flights the next morning and how it would be so nice to be able to catch a later flight. I hated to do it, but I did it anyway. I asked Dave to change our flights to a later time. Even after all that he had already done for us, he found us later flights! What an amazing husband and son-in-law and brother-in-law ( and much, much more)!

This flight change gave Mom and I the freedom to say our goodbyes to Tia, John and the kiddos and then head back to Salt Lake for a late movie (after all, we didn't need to wake up early in the morning any more).

The next morning, instead of making an early departure, we were able to roam Temple Square. Mom hadn't been back to Temple Square since Dave and I got married 13 years ago, so it was really nice to spend time with her there. We also took a tour of the Beehive House and saw the Joseph Smith movie (more crying).

And then...it was time to head home. We headed off to the airport, dropped off our rental car and said our "see ya soon"s and "love you"s then boarded separate planes. Both of us feeling refreshed and special!

I cannot express my gratitude for my amazing husband. He is wonderful and thoughtful and knows how much my family means to me and how much I enjoy spending time with them. He planned this trip especially with my interests in mind. I love him so much! I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for bringing him into my life! Love you Dave!!

A fun visit to Tia!

2010-10-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

AAAWWWWWW!

2010-10-08T23:00:00.001-07:00

Mother, Daughter Tea!

2010-10-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is our table before the girls got hold of it. So much fun, delicious food and wonderful teas!

The invitees:)

And the eating begins!

Moms with daughters. It was a great time for all. It was fun to hang out with just girls!

And so....the tradition begins!

A super hero is born...4 years ago! Happy Birthday Lincoln!

2010-10-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

This is our extravagant family party!

Bring on the friends:) Each of the kids was given a super hero cape to wear for the party. They turned out really cute...even had their names on them;)

Easter in Endicott

2010-10-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Boys will be boys!!

2010-10-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

What you see: my 3 cute boys, a salt shaker, and a shoe
What you don't see: an unexpecting slug

My goofy McKay turns 2!!

2010-10-08T22:40:00.001-07:00

Belize!!

2010-10-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

We headed to Belize from Guatemala in a puddle jumper airplane and landed in the center of San Pedro on their dirt runway. Tiny one building airport with a sign on the dirt runway for bagage claim:)

This was our friend on the beach!

This was our friend come dinner time:)

Went on an all day scuba trip...ok that isn't me. I had to snorkel because I wasn't scuba certified. But it was still amazing. We went to the blue hole where my friend saw sharks and I saw...nothing. Luckily we saw cooler fish at other stops.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and jumping dolphins. An ideal way to end the day!

Of course, we had to fill our hungry bellies with some hearty pirate pizza:)

After being away from the kids and Dave for 2 weeks, it was time for me to go home:) What a warm welcome back...I love my family!

The Girls make it to Guatemala!

2010-10-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Our first day and already making tortillas:)

We'll keep our day jobs!

Our quaint room at our 1st hotel...we were the only ones staying here;)

Lock on the outside of the door...should we worry?

View from our room..make you appreciate home!

View from our bathroom...lol! Has a pass through in the door!!

To market...

To buy....

Cow hooves?

Didn't miss picking up clothes...

or doing the laundry!

Did miss the kids...ALOT!!

Saw one Catholic church...

after another...

after another....

after another!!

Tons of Ruins!!!

Thank you Samuel for a great tour!!

Tikal

I could totally picture people gathered here to hear Christ teach. An amazing feeling!

We went to a "zoo" while in Tikal area...these monkeys were very friendly!

Still looking beautiful after hiking a huge pyramid (still covered in dirt, grass and trees). But they swear it was a real pyramid and not just a ploy to make us get in shape:)

The following are really old artifacts that we saw in a "museum". Can you believe they told us to take pictures of them and that we could even touch them!! This would never have happend in the US:)

This piece was hundreds of pieces that they glued together. They didn't even have it in a case! Amazing that they could find all the pieces!

Thank you for a wonderful tour!
(I COULD NEVER REMEMBER THE NAME OF OUR TOUR GUIDE...SORRY)

Long Beach here we come!

2008-11-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

The kids riding the "walkelator" at the Seattle airport

The day after Halloween, we headed to California for a little fun. We arrived at the Long Beach airport on Saturday only to be welcomed by Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover. Ok, so he didn't welcome us, but we did see him and I think he smiled at us.

After we got our car, we headed to find our hotel and BEACHES!! We ended stopping at Huntington Beach for some splashing in the waves. It was beautiful. Lots of surfing and a ton of dolphins. After watching the sun set we headed back to Long Beach to meet up with the Titeras for dinner. Dinner with 6 kids is, needless to say, not that relaxing, but the kids had fun. After dinner, the kids boogied to a street performer on our walk back to the hotel. We all were exhausted and ready for bed.

The next morning, we headed to Universal Studios while the Titeras headed to church (way to make us look bad). We rode rides and saw a lot of famous characters from TV, and saw some very entertaining shows. Most of the shows were considered "scary" by Kiya who cried at any explosion or ghost/monster. We chose a good day to go because it was raining in the mornig and then cleared up to be a really beautiful day, but not crowded at all. No crowds ment none of those dreaded lines:) We stayed until the park closed then headed straight to the hotel to put the very tired kids to bed.

Jaws!

Coopers favorite! Scooby Dooby Do, Shaggy (and the Mystery Machine)

Dave's new girlfriend

At one of the shows, Kiya volunteered. This is a video of her experience. Very exciting!!

Monday ment Beach day!! We met up with the Titeras for breakfast (once again chaotic with all of the kids). Then followed them to Balboa. We found a really nice beach with waves that were too big for the kids to play in. But, they were still able to have a ton of fun and get really sandy and wet. Good weather and good friends...what more could you ask for. After a long day on the beach, we headed to a little local mexican restaurant. Not quite as chaotic this time. I think the kids were so tired. After dinner, we headed back to Long Beach and the Titeras headed back to San Fransisco...hitting LA traffic! Yuck!!

The Daddys playing in the waves the kids couldn't play in!

Tuesday we decided to do the "Walk of Fame" in LA. It really wasn't that exciting. Most of the stars were of people I have never heard of. But, it was kind of fun to see people dressed up like characters from movies. We were a huge target (with 4 kids and all). So, Jack Sparrow made the kids swords and gave each one and then asked me to pay him....nice! I couldn't take them away. After a huge banana split, we headed on the road again. Next stop..Malibu. Once again not too exciting. I always imagined it as being a quaint beach town with a lot of character. Not at all. Just a bunch of not that nice houses blocking the view of the water. When we finally found a beach the kids were itching to get out and play. It wasn't that great of a beach to play in the water, but the kids took a walk with Dave and chased hundreds of pelicans. The day was pretty much done. It was time to head to the airport. On the way to the airport, we drove through Santa Monica and wished we had stopped there to play instead of Malibu. We'll know better next time:)

Very elaborate costumes!

And maybe a bit uncomfortable!!

All in all, a good trip.

Halloween!

2008-11-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! Halloween was really fun this year! Kiya was going to dress up as Hannah Montana then decided to to be a twin butterfly with her friend Louise. Cooper was Anikan Skywalker, Lincoln was a darling pirate, and McKay was a sweet lion. Halloween started a week before the actual day. The Stake had their normal Trunk-or-Treat. Kiya and Cooper were very independent and make the rounds on their own, I took Lincoln around, McKay slept through the whole thing in the car, and Dave dressed up as a gorilla with a Laffy Taffy tongue.

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The next night, we carved pumpkins. Dave worked with Kiya on her own design and I worked with Cooper on one from a book. We cooked up some pumpkin seeds and enjoyed the benefits of fall.

Lincoln's American Flag pumpkin

Kiya and Dave's original jack-o-lantern

Cooper and my spider pumpkin

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Halloween day finally arrived. It began with a breakfast potluck in Coopers class. Kiya had a party in her class also at the end of the day. Both came home with really cute Halloween crafts...masks, cheese cloth ghosts, and other decorations. Right after school, I picked up the kids from school and headed straight for Queen Anne Avenue. All of the businesses hand out candy. Lets just say that with 3 kids trick-or-treating, we brought home A LOT of candy! The evening ended off with a really fun party with our ward; pictures, homemade root beer, and chili. Fun was had by all!

Soccer time!

2008-11-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

This was Cooper's first year playing soccer. He was really good. He was fast, scrappy, competitive.

Dave decided to be one of the coaches. I think the boys really enjoyed having him as a coach. Apparently some of the parents started calling him "Super Dave" because of a certain shirt he wore to practice.

The league really wasn't competitive. The only games the kids played were scrimmages the coaches put together. It was really fun to see Cooper making new friends and learning more about soccer. This is him with the trophy he earned. He was so proud!

Here is Cooper and Dave's really cute team. Oh yeah...I mean really competitive, focused, capable team.

You've got to move it! Move it!

2008-11-23T23:22:00.001-08:00

Don't worry, our children are not going to school at a prison. These are just their Move-A-Thon shirts. John Hay Elementary has a move-a-thon every year as a fund raiser. They take pledges from neighbors, friends, and family and then they run their little hearts out.

Here is Cooper...I don't know if he ever took a break. He was very dedicated and focused and ran 7 laps in 1/2 hour. I think it equals out to be about 1 3/4 mile.

This is such a fun day for everybody. Lincoln loved hanging out with Kiya, even ran a little with her. All in all, I think Kiya ran 6 laps which is about 1 1/2 miles.

But...the favorite part is always the Top Pot Donoughts and Jamba Juice at the end.

Bring on the Tooth Fairy!

2008-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

We are so excited because this is Kiya's first tooth that she has lost. I think the last person to loose a tooth in her 2nd grade class. Who would've known the Tooth Fairy toted around $2 bills. Man kids these days are so lucky!

Sweet baby growing too fast!

2008-11-23T23:10:00.000-08:00

McKay 7 mos.

Oh the 4th child:)

2008-10-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

So, by the time you have the 4th child, you give them just about anything to play with. I had given McKay markers to play with before. In fact, he loved gnawing on them. But this time, he somehow got the lid off. It just made me laugh!

Do The Puyallup!

2008-10-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, we did it. It took 2 hours to get down there, but we had a lot of fun. My favorite part is unknown to me. Dave's favorite part...the pygmy goats, and the kids favorite part...well, I'll give you one guess!!

Visiting Cousins

2008-10-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

The kids were really excited when their cousins Ryan, Avery and Sophie came to visit. We all went to the zoo and the kids played and played. Then, of course, what is a visit without a shared bubble bath?!?!? So fun!

First Day of School!

2008-10-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

My babies continue to grow and get older and progress in school. Kiya is now in 2nd grade and Cooper started Kindergarten. Amazing!! I miss having them around all the time, as it was during the summer. Lincoln, McKay and I get to have some quality time doing younger kid things now though. I think Lincoln is starting to really enjoy that part, although he almost looks forward to his naps knowing that when he wakes up we get to go pick up Kiya and Cooper from school.

Mohawkin'

2008-10-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

Dave Finally Did It!!! He had been threatening to give Lincoln a mohawk and finally followed through. Lincoln actually likes it much to the demise of myself. He gets looks from everbody. Mostly people smile at him.
This was almost as bad as when Dave gave Cooper a mullet however I have to admit it was pretty cute. I gave it a week and buzzed it off.

See What I mean!

2008-10-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

Prince McKay

2008-10-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Kiya is always making things for McKay. One time she put a sticker right in the middle of his forehead and made me keep it there all day. This picture shows a crown she made for him, making him wear it as long as possible. He didn't seem to mind...but had no idea what would follow later.

Summer days at the park

2008-10-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Seattle in the Summer!

Fun in Africa!

2008-10-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

We got really lucky seeing the lions up so close this day at the zoo. Lincoln didn't care so much about the animals as he did about playing though!

To the beach with a broken leg.

2008-10-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

So, we had a play date at the beach just after Lincoln broke his leg. I wasn't sure how to keep his cast dry and clean. So, I tried to cover it up with a sock. He scooted around the whole time with a track in the sand following him. At the end of the day, the cast survived with very little moisture or sand. I felt successful.

I love these boys!!

2008-10-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Look at how cute, sweet, ,and innocent these two look....looks can be deceiving!

First Haircut!

2008-10-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of McKay's 1st haircut. I didn't really want Dave to cut it, but Dave insisted. Not much was taken off, but I have to admit that it looks better. It's just always so sad to see your baby grow up:(

McKay eats real food!

2008-09-01T22:36:00.001-07:00

McKay wasn't too excited about me putting something strange in his mouth!

His next reaction...then he actully seemed to enjoy the rice cereal.

Kiya feeding McKay.

Cooper feeding McKay.

And yes, Lincoln feeding McKay. They all wanted a chance, but I think McKay had had enough by this time.
July 22, 2008

Local Kiddie Parade

2008-09-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

July 17, 2008

A Broken Leg!!

2008-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

The night we got back from my mom's, we went to swim lessons and came home. The kids were so excited to see Dave!! In the midst of the excitement, they all started jumping off our retaining wall in our back yard. Dave was lifting them up into the air as they jumped and then would set them down on the ground. On one of Lincoln's turns, Dave wasn't quite ready and ended up setting him down on the ground too hard (and also fell a little bit on top of him). Lincoln fell forward and hit his head on the ground. I thought he had just hurt his head and told him to come over to me for a kiss. But...he wouldn't walk. When I went and got him, I asked where he was hurt and he pointed to his leg. I had a bad feeling about it. This was at about 7:15 in the evening. I knew that if I took him to the ER, that we would be there all night. So, we decided if he wasn't walking on it in the morning, that we would take him to the doctor. Sure enough, he wouldn't walk on it in the morning. We took him to the doctor and they took x-rays and reaffirmed that it was broken. They started him off by having him wear a splint for 2 days. Then he went in again and got the cast on. He has to have it on for 3 weeks. Not to long thank heavens. It's like having twins. I have to carry both him and McKay around since Lincoln won't walk on his cast yet. Hopefully he will start soon.

Awwww!

2008-08-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is my Aunt Barb. She has a great knack with babies. We were at her sons wedding (which was beautiful, fun, and entertaining). It didn't take long after she took McKay for him to fall asleep in her arms. Thanks for your help Aunt Barb!!

Slip-N-Slide

2008-08-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of family in Endicott. On this particular day, we went to my Aunt Becky's house. Ian had been wanting us to come over and play all week. So, we finally made it over. They had this really fun Slip-N-Slide. The kids had a great time, but it wasn't long before they were cold and wanted to do something else (like ride in Ian's cool car)!

Beauty of Endicott*

2008-08-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, I have to say that Endicott is not where I would want to live at this point in my life, but there are some really beautiful things about it. Where in Seattle could I have got these pictures?

Thank You Jocelyn!!

2008-08-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Playing in the MUD!!!

2008-08-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

After the family reunion, the kids and I headed back to Endicott to spend some more time with Grandma and Papa Larry and Tia and her boys and Nancy and her boys. One of the evenings we were there, Papa Larry had the sprinklers on in the garden and the kids saw an opportunity in the works. It didn't take long for every one of them to be COVERED with MUD!

I think Kiya loved it the most. This is one place where shoes and shirts are not required...perfect for Kiya!

Teagan normally is very hesitant about things like this, but he had a great time!

Cooper must have laid down in the mud. This is actually pretty minor compared to a couple of minutes later!

Cooper just making sure Lincoln felt a part of the group. Maybe by throwing mud at him, he will be covered quicker.

Hunting for bugs!

2008-08-12T11:09:00.001-07:00

Papa is the best to go hunting for bugs with. He and Dave took all the kids searching for bugs. The Mommy's were watching a "chick flick" at the time they went, but from what I hear, many grasshoppers were caught. Noah caught a "big, huge, huge, bee" that scared all the kids away when he put it in their faces. Kiya was also really scared of the grasshoppers...Cooper and Lincoln loved them.

Kiya and Annalee getting ready to search for creepy crawlers.

I can barely see you Kiya. The tree hides you so well!

What am I about to step on?

This is the place!! For grasshoppers anyway!

Family Reunion Time

2008-07-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to begin by saying I am very disappointed in myself. I didn't take very many pictures of the family reunion. So, I may have some pictures that have been stolen from others who were there (off their blogs probably). Everyone was able to attend. All 8 siblings, their spouses and their children (as well as a boyfriend) totalling in at 28 people. Wow!! The 5 days were full of fun, food, and lots of visiting.

Day one:

Arrival--When we got there, everyone was there except Steve's family and Brady and Jocelyn.

Dinner--Pizza, soda, and salad

Didiers--a frozen yogurt joint in Spokane. Delicious...when the whole family is around it is a tradition for us all to invade Didiers with our small group of perfect behaving people.

Evening--playing, games, snacking, movies, bedtime

Day 2:

Mosaic Stepping Stones--This morning we went to Merryglen to help the residence put together mosaic stepping stones to display in the yard. This kids were really helpful and patient. Each stone was to represent the resident decorating it. I think they really enjoyed getting their hands a little messy and being able to be creative.

Silverwood--So, I don't have many pictures of us at Silverwood. We were having too much fun to take any I guess. We started off at the water park. They have a kid area with slides, fountains, water guns and a pool area. This is where we spent our entire time. Well, we also did the Lazy River a couple of times too. The weather was great...kind of hot (90 degrees), but very bearable considering the previous days were around 100 degrees. Next, we headed over to the rides. The kids loved them. Lincoln especially liked the rides that make you dizzy...Dave did not. Kiya and Cooper loved the roller coasters and rode everyone they were tall enough for. They all did a great job considering how long of a day it was. I don't remember any major breakdowns...amazing!

Day 3:

Lake Day--We traveled to Sandpoint Idaho to a really great park. It was on the lake, so we brought the Jet Skis, sand toys, swimsuits, towels, longboards, sack lunches, and lots and lots of sunscreen. The kids had a great time on the beach playing in the water and the sand. The adults enjoyed Jet Skiing, innertubeing, longboarding and visiting.

When the sun was about to set we went to a local pizza place. Fun was had by all!

The Ram--On the way home, we stopped at a place for ice cream. Several kids were so worn out, they were sleeping on the table or chairs of the restaurant.

Bed Time--When we got home the kids were sent to bed and the adults played games and watched movies.

Day 4:

Today is the 4th of July. We began celebrating by having family pictures...theme: Red, White, and Blue. I think we were able to get a few usable shots.

This one however may need to be edited a bit. These are all of Dave's siblings. Sometimes I will claim them as family and then moments like these make me hesitant. Actually I really enjoy being around each one of them. As Kiya says "They're a crazy family!".

Chelsea did a great job with the family Olympics. We were divided into teams and had several different activities and relays. My team took the Silver medal however the Gold medal team cheated! :)

The day was ended with a fireworks show Dave provided. The kids loved watching the Roman candles being shot through the air. They also enjoyed the really long sparklers that changed colors.

God Bless America!!

Day 5: The Final Day

Today, we spent the day playing at the house and visiting Riverfront Park.

We fed the ducks, rode the carousel, had snow cones, longboarded, fed the garbage goat, and slid down the giant red wagon. People began leaving this day. 1st Brady and Jocelyn then Lindsay, Kyle and Cougar. When we got back home, there was always food to enjoy as well as good company. The evening was enjoyed by the women watching a "chick flick". A good bonding experience when we appreciate our husbands taking the children for a while.

The Wrap Up: Overall, the reunion was wonderful. Thank you Debbie and Steve. We had a wonderful time. You did a great job preparing everything for total enjoyment. We love you!! And, we love this chance we had to make some wonderful memories. Also, thank you to those who I stole the pictures from. It is because of you that my progenitors will have pictures from this reunion. I will try to do better next time.

She really is 7 now!

2008-07-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well today is Kiyas true birthday. We spent the time at my moms because she promised Kiya that she would make her a Barbie Doll cake. Kiya had no intentions on missing out on that. She even got to help decorate it. So pretty! We found out that Teagan (a cousin) was going to be there too and he had a birthday at the beginning of the month, so we had a combined party. Cooper helped Grandma make a caterpillar cake for Teagan out of Twinkies. It also turned out really cute.

Kiya pretending to blow out the candles...I forgot them:(

This is the rowdy crew. Lots of cousins means for lots of fun for a birthday party!

Kiya got a Webkinz for her birthday. It has been long awaited. I think she's been asking for one for over a year....well she finally got one and she loves it. She named her little dog Coppertone.

Sitting up already!

2008-07-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well, this is McKays 4 month birthday and he decided to sit up for the first time. Only for short periods of time, hence the somewhat blurry picture. I'm not sure if I want him to grow up as fast as he is...can't they stay babies forever?

Kiya turns 7 (almost)!

2008-07-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

My baby is turning 7! Kiya decided for her birthday party, with friends, that she wanted to go to the Seattle Center and do the rides and miniature golf. She was able to invite 2 friends (Lousie and Mia) along with our family. We did a deal where we paid one amount for 1hour of unlimited rides and golf. Unfortunately, the kids were to short for the big rides and had to stay mainly with the kiddie rides, but they still had a lot of fun.

You can barely see Kiya, but her arms are wrapped tightly around her daddy.

Here are the kids on the Frog Hop. They went on this ride 3 times in a row.

Kiya and her friend Louise on the animal ride.

Kiya did the rock climbing. She never made it all the way to the top, but she tried hard:)

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Dear Kiya! Happy Birthday to you!

After a long day of rides, golf, presents, dinner, and cupcakes, the party was just starting.....with an art project. They each painted a sign with their names on them.

Next came the manicures and pedicures. Beautiful nails ladies!! At this point, it was well after midnight. Kiya then wanted to do makeup and hair..."Aren't you tired?" Even though they said they weren't, I talked them out of the hair and makeup and finally put them to bed.

10 Minutes later: Not tired? Yeah right!!
Still looking beautiful in the morning...even with only 6 hours of sleep:0

Dave turns 33!!

2008-07-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dave!! I am so glad you were born. Who ever said that aging isn't becoming, hasn't seen Dave. I think he is way cuter now then he was almost 12 years ago when I met him. Just look at him! Isn't he the hottest 33 year old you've ever seen!! I'm so lucky! Oh yeah...and he's nice, smart, fun, blah, blah, blah and very, very handsome!

Catch up time!!

2008-07-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Summer has been in full swing. So, now it is time to catch you all up on our life. I just wish I could sleep anywhere like Lincoln so I could catch up on my sleep:)

Our little "Spittlebug" :)

2008-06-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Luckily, Fathers Day is an easy day to celebrate in our house because Dave is the best Dad in the world. The whole day was spent doing "Daddy" things. The kids and I made him breakfast (not in bed although I gave him that option). Then, we headed off to church. After church, I packed up a picnic lunch and before we left, he opened the kids' gifts. They gave him games to play at the park...ring toss and scoop and score. Then he wasn't patient enough to wait until after the picnic for my gift, so we lead him to the garage where he found a swing for our front porch. We can't wait to put it up. I think it will look so cute. We finally left for the park. We ate our lunch and played and played. The weather was wonderful and Dave was wonderful. I am so lucky to have met a man who cares so much for our children and sets such a great example for them. I love you Dave!!

Ward Camp out!!

2008-06-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Friday night after Kiyas ballet recital, we dashed off to our annual ward camp out. We always have so much fun! We arrived around 8:00 pm and had dinner. The kids then had a great time playing in the dark with their friends. Soon after, the ward gathered for the talent show. Kiya performed with a group that called themselves "The Girl Scouts". The did somersaults and cartwheels and hand stands. Amazing!! Then Cooper and his friend Owen named themselves the "Sonics" and showed their talent of wrestling each other. Very entertaining!! Midnight brought about bedtime. Dave had set the ( 4 person) tent up earlier and jammed all 5 sleeping bags plus clothes and baby car seat into it. We were warm and snug throughout the night. When I woke up in the morning, I had to move a bit because my babies were crowding me. The pictures show our tight quarters. I was sleeping between McKay and Lincoln. Wow!

The next morning was welcomed with pancakes for breakfast. But it didn't take us long to move onto the activities. We had some "Silly Olympics" which included balloon stomp, a scavenger hunt, a relay race, and a Twinkie eating contest. Next came the water activities. Dave and the boys hit the canoes for a little fishing. They loved doing it for the Fathers and Sons camp out and had to do it again.

What followed next is always the favorite. A giant SLIP-N-SLIDE. The kids love this thing. We probably spent over 3 hours in the sun playing in the water and going down the huge slide. It's an activity that is talked about all year. We were so lucky to have gotten beautiful weather for this occasion and took full advantage of it (all of us went home tired and sun burnt)!

Our little ballerina!

2008-06-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Friday, Kiya had her first ever ballet recital. She danced beautifully. Very poise and elegant. She even had a little solo at the beginning of her classes performance (1 of only 2 solos). We were so proud.

Sleepy McKay :)

2008-06-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

This 4th child has been a delight. The other day, I was doing laundry...again, and after putting it away, I preceded to do a couple other chores. I began to think to myself "Wow, Mckay is doing great." I went and checked on him only to find he had fallen asleep. One minute he was playing with Lincoln, the next he was out...no crying or fussing even. Amazing!!

T-Ball Fun!!

2008-06-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of our kids during their T-Ball season. They had a great time playing with only a couple of rainy games. Saturday was their last game. They each received thier very first trophy. The 1st of many I'm sure!

3 months already!?!?

2008-05-27T17:52:00.001-07:00

Fun at Folklife!

2008-05-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Folklife. It is a fesival every year at the Seattle Center. We enjoyed good food, good music, good weather, and excellent people watching (these things bring out a lot of wierdos)!

Need I say more?!?!

2008-05-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

Best Dad in the WORLD!

2008-05-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

We have been doing an incentive program for the kids so they can earn stickers for jobs. They then save up these stickers to turn in for prizes. Kiya earned 20 stickers which she decided to turn in for a 1-on-1 date with her dad. Her choice for a date...Chuck-E-Cheese. The complicated part was going to be when they would be able to go. We wanted to do something together as a family last night, so Dave tried to talk Kiya into inviting the family on their "date". After some hesitation (and bribing with all of the tickets at the end of the night), she gladly extended the invite to Cooper, Lincoln, McKay and I. I thought that was really sweet of her. So, the Chuck-E-Cheese excursion happened, pizza was eaten, and the tickets were turned in for prizes, which Kiya even splurged and got Cooper a couple of prizes with the tickets we all had earned. Also very sweet. On our way home, Dave decided he needed to make their "date" more special, so he had me drop them off at Cold Stone Creamery where they shared a cinnamon ice cream with butterfinger on top. I'm not sure what to think of the combo, but Kiya said she liked it. As I was putting the boys to bed...a little too late, Kiya and Daddy came home smelling of cologne and perfume; they had gone to the mall and each chose a scent. Then Kiya approached me with flowers in her hand and quite frankly said "These aren't for you." Dave had bought Kiya flowers on their "date". They are beautiful! I was so touched. He is definitely setting a high bar for those young men who someday will want to date our little girl. I'm so glad.

McKay doing laundry with mom

2008-05-24T14:34:00.001-07:00

McKay

2008-05-19T21:24:00.001-07:00

Then there is our precious McKay. He really is the best baby in the world. He sleeps really well and eats really well and has a beautiful smile with a really cute dimple. He is loved by his siblings and serves as a surrogate grand baby to many of the women in our ward. We are so blessed to have this healthy wonderful baby added to our family. He has truly blessed us.

Lincoln

2008-05-18T23:56:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is a very funny 2 year old. His favorite color is blue...or so we think since that is the only color he ever says. He likes to copy his big brother and sister and feeds on their laughter. He loves to be outside and loves any kind of ball. He is very sweet and gentle with the baby but can turn when it is time to wrestle with daddy. He can definitely hold his own with Kiya and Cooper. He has a smile that is contagious and brings so much joy to our family.

Cooper

2008-05-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Cooper is an amazing 5 year old. Green is one of his favorite colors. He is so caring of his siblings and is one of the best sharers I know. He is very sensitive to other peoples feelings and therefore has a lot of friends. He is really interested in doing science experiments and collecting bug pets. But, he also really enjoys playing video games and watching TV (what 5 year old boy doesn't). He brings a lot of laughter into our family.

Kiya

2008-05-18T23:17:00.001-07:00

This is our Kiya. Her favorite color is turquoise. She is almost 7 which is kind of sad. She has grown up too fast. She is the best big sister and is always willing to help out. She loves the Monkey Bars and has blisters and callouses all over her hands to prove it. She is an awesome student and is a top reader in her class. Kiya loves to dance and sing and especially loves to watch American Idol. She loves to have fun and is great at befriending most anyone. We love having her sweet personality in our family.

Meet the Smiths

2008-05-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. Making our first blog posting. I can't guarantee continual updates, but this is a start. Here is our beautiful family. We currently live in Seattle and love it. Dave works as a Commercial Real Estate Broker and I get the pleasure of staying home and trying to keep control of our house and children. I hope you all enjoy a small glimpse into our wonderful life.