Fossil Springs, AZ

This is one of Scott's favorite 'hidden treasures' in Arizona.  It's a long bumpy ride in the car, but well worth it!  We woke up on a Saturday morning in May and for the first time in a million years didn't have anything on the go.  So we threw some sunscreen and swimsuits in a bag and headed down the dusty trail.  Being a person that doesn't possess a great love for the outdoors, I'm so grateful I married a guy who does.  My kids ADORE all the outdoorsy things he does.  I'm happy to stand on the sidelines and capture these great moments.  I love watching my little family play together.  I hold a constant prayer in my heart that they are creating memories that will solidify relationships with each other that will last forever.

The man that makes this all possible.  Yes, I'm crazy about him.

My eldest son freaking me out royally

I love how this captures everything about her personality

Scott talking Walker into jumping in...he was successful;)

trying to catch baby fish...all afternoon unsuccessfully:(

Sweet baby Ray helping her sis find fish

               This was such a great day for our little crew.  One I hope they cherish like I will.

New YEAR, New ME!



It is my new year's resolution to keep better records and this blog I'm hoping will be one venue!  My kids love to peruse old posts every once in a while and I feel sick it's taken so long for me to get my act together!  Having said that....it's my birthday and what a better day to start than TODAY???

This week has been NUTS!  We got home from Christmas in Canada last Friday.  We bar
ely got our whits about us and were off to our Goodyear house (which we will be putting up for sale soon..sob sob sob!)  to live the week with family coming to town.  First mom and dad came in Sunday night, then Suzy and Nate (Parker and Grant too) Monday afternoon.  We had the whole clan here for a great New Years Eve bash that night!







Blessed SIL Jodi lit every solitary sparkler for all 10 children...pregnant and ready to pop!  Selfless.

Sweet Sister Suzy and her sweet sweet Parker.


Never tardy for the party;)

Thank you Pinterest!  The girls and I made (yes you read that right) it!

Kate and Ava...cousins and BFF's

A picture says a thousand words.....

Precious time with uncle Nate in town from KY who rarely is at any family event because he's busy becoming the family doctor.....LOVE HIM!

My darling, kind, wonderful, amazing SIL Joanna and Jack-O.  I heart them.

It literally could NOT be a party with this brother of mine.

If anything happens to either one of these women in 2013...ok, ever, throw me off a cliff

My brothers sharing the flame.  I'm vaclempt....(sp?)

Not sure about the snake around Greg's neck...but fun!

 

Harry and baby Grant...who is only the baby for another month before Jodi is due!  Happiest child on planet EARTH!





Life is so full and feels so secure when family is around.  Here's to a happy and healthy (fingers are crossed) NEW YEAR!!!!

Best. Christmas. EVER.

If there was anything I wish I could bottle up in a jar it would be the wonderful feelings I get sharing a Canadian Christmas with the ones I love most!  Childhood memories of my own that my kids now do somehow makes Christmas that much more magical.  This year was no exception.  In fact...I kept saying to Scott, 'I think this is the best Christmas ever!'.  Somehow everything went as planned.  No one got sick (miracle), we fit in tons of activities, and ofcourse the food in Canada is AMAZING!  I always gain 10 lbs.  But it is so worth it!


I had to laugh because all these sledding pics look like they could be from the past 3 years.  I bought snow suits big so they would last each kid for a few years...they did;)

My baby turned 3 on Dec. 17th.  Blessed lady in my parent's ward baked our family a cake.  Me...mother of the year thanked her profusely, and promptly called the family to gather round the kitchen table to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Walker.  Yup...he didn't even suspect it was a gift from the Lord himself that he got a birthday party!

Ray Ray and Walkie in their warm jammies admiring the tree one beautiful white Canadian morning

He didn't care about the houses....

We like to teach them young about good food and portion control

Getting ready for the long anticipated (actually...I think mostly for me;) Christmas Nativity Pageant

Hallelujah! This year we made it early and got awesome seats!

I could bawl thinking about how much I love this pageant and how it warms my heart every time I see it.  True meaning of Christmas!  I pray it leaves the same imprint on my children's hearts.



My Birthday Boys!!!

I am so behind in about every area of my life right now! I feel like I'm always saying that, but just coming off the holidays, my brother's wedding, and back into the swing of life, I just got around to posting about Walker and Harry's birthdays! Walker's birthday was actually December 17th, and Harry's January 7th. Hey, at least I got around to it....more than I can say for most of the other years:)

Harrison is 10! Come again?????

Totally aware this looks like an engagement pic, but I started taking a picture of just Harry, then Ava swept in and just hugged him like this! So appropriate because they are inseparable, and this is a great shot of Harry...do you not agree?

I was looking for Harry's birth certificate in a box of stuff I've kept for him through the years yesterday. It was a melancholy experience. I don't like at all how time is just flying at the speed of light. I know I shouldn't be so negative because there are so many wonderful things about kids getting older, but when I came across pictures of him at 1,2,3,4,5 etc. I just longed to be able to pick him up, and hold him so close like I used to. I had Harrison all to myself for 4 years. He was my little side kick. Some of my favorite memories when it was just he and I (okay, Scott too but you get my drift) were of snuggling in EVERYDAY for 3 hour naps. He could only fall asleep if our noses touched. It might as well have been heaven, as far as I was concerned, every single day holding that little boy. Also, on a not-so-heavenly note, Harrison has been a great source of worry for me over the years. Not worry for myself but worry for him, for his life and worry that he can remain confident through the challenges that he has been given. He really struggles with Dyslexia. School has been a challenge to say the least. We've done so many different things with him. Every new year brings new challenges and new adventures. And with all of the changes he has been through he is always so upbeat and teachable! Which brings me so appropriately to the TOP 10 reasons I just adore HARRY!

1) He is an eternal optimist. If he says even one negative comment about anything...you know it had to be so so bad!

2) He doesn't see differences in one single human. He literally would be friends with ANYONE. NO ONE freaks him out, is unapproachable, too dirty, disabled, ugly, you name it. I know without any doubt that I could introduce him to some freak from the 'Ripley's Believe It or Not book' and he'd be like...'Hey, what's up? I'm Harrison!"

3)He has never once been willfully disobedient. Has he done stupid things?...uh...YA! But when I've told him not to do something, I'm 98% sure he'll never do it again. (notice I'll leave a margin of error?)

4) He is SO funny! Especially to the younger kids. I'll hear Ava in the back seat say...Harry, make me laugh!

5)He is a pro at delayed gratification. If given an option that is immediate but not as good as the long term option, he has no qualms with waiting.

6) He rarely complains about anything...which has proven to be my sanity at times. While I'll have other children convulsing on the floor for myriads of reasons...I'll be on the brink of an explosion and I'll look off into the distance and see my one shining example of a go with the flow, easy going child off in the distance kindly smiling at me amidst the chaos and I can keep it together for 3 more minutes.

7) He is a peacemaker. He will give up almost anything to make a younger sibling stop crying. Which is HUGE for me! There are others (who will remain nameless) that delight hearing the sobs of siblings that want what they are playing with. THANK YOU BUD!

8) He is a pro at perseverance! He has an incredible ability to keep at something that is difficult for him...which happens to be most everything:( Sad but true. I always tell him that even though things are tough for him now, he'll be able to out work anyone because not much has come easy to him.

9) He is the earliest riser you know, and has the energy of I don't know what! He can function on a minimum amount of sleep and still be cheerful all day. He gets that from his dad...not me by a long shot!

10) Harrison is just plain happy all the time. My big line for him is:

LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES FOR HARRY!

So you can clearly see how incredibly awful our lives would be if we did not have his kind, happy, good natured kid in our home. Thank you for making these last 10 years of our lives the best ones! We love you Harrison!!!!

Walkie is ONE...is this gonna be fun!?!?!?!

This little boy has brought so much joy and fun into our crazy home. Although, I swear since he turned 9 months it has taken a dramatic turn to even crazier. It literally scares me what this child could be capable of in the coming year. He has the highest pitch scream that he tends to use for everything from 'I'm tired' to 'I'm super excited' to 'I need a drink' to 'I pooped!'. Help me Rhonda! He is my only kid who posseses a sixth sense to know when someone accidentally left the toilet lid open. He is my only kid that I've even had to worry about shutting the stupid lids for! He opens, touches, licks, crawls into, walks on top of...EVERYTHING! Okay, but all that said, now I have roughly 20 hilarious little scenarios that are coming to mind that he's done that make him so irresistable, it has allowed him to not be shipped off to Siberia yet. Seriously...look at this face...

THE #1 REASON I LOVE WALKER IS......

(and yes, this is just me...hello, I'm his mom and I'm writing the post so I get to choose the best thing about him)

Whenever I enter a room, no matter the occasion, tTime of day, if I've just been in the other room, or away running errands and haven't seen him in hours, he shreiks with joy, then does this whole body crazy dance thing and high tails it from wherever he is in my direction. I think I might just be his fave! How great is that?

We all love you Walkie Talkie...even if you're wild and uncontrollable:)

Dashing Through the Snow!

Harrison was PETRIFIED of going down the first day...now he goes down backwards!

Story of his life!

Regan insists on going down herself, but always needs help coming up..Ava to the rescue!
So sweet!

Ava was nuts from day one! Now it is not uncommon for me to look over and see that she has recruited a new friend to sit on the back of this contraption to slide down with her! I think she got discouraged after Regan and Harry had turned her down time and again. This girl will get her way somehow!

Notice this is a toboggan built for 3? The kids went down together the 1st couple of days, then it became a fight as to who's turn it was to 'go alone'. Thank you costco for having cheap sleds!

Our cheeks are nice and rosey and comfy cozy are we...yes he's gone down too...with me...I'm an idiot! About half way down I think to myself...What am I doing? I'm hauling down this hill at light speed with a 1yr. old in his pj's. Hopefully no one from CPS was looking!