Randomness

I was looking through the pictures on my phone and thought I should add them to our blog. Just some minor things that happened here and there, but did not want to forget about.

DADDY DAY: Ryan had some random day off during the week so we headed out to a play area inside one of the local malls. It was sooo hot out. We did not stay long. Just long enough where the girls could play around for a bit.

AUDREY: She loves to draw. I might have posted this pic before. Any who, she really concentrates on her drawings which are pretty intricate for her age. Here she is drawing on a pathway with some chalk.

 

 Random picture of Audrey in a cow boy hat.

MESSES: They pop up everywhere! I was cleaning somewhere in the house while Audrey was creating this masterpiece. Most days it feels like I get nothing done because once I clean one area, another place becomes trashed.

 

 

  AFTERMATH: The day after our first trip to Cali, the girls spent the morning playing with the new American Girl furniture while I unpacked. Audrey quickly became attached to it once she figured out it was perfect for her to sit in.

 

 

 LOVE THIS PHOTO!: During one of our frequent trips to Target, we let Audrey try on a few hats. She was trying to look at the hat while it was on her head, hence the crossed eyes. Fabulous!

Leia's school had a book fair a few weeks back. I promised her we could check it out. We headed down the hallway after school, I turned around to find the girlies holding hands, walking down to the fair. It was soooo adorable I had to snap a quick pic.

GIFTS: Leia received a very special b-day present... bacon! All of us crack up at this gift. When you press the button, the toy's mouth moves and says, "I'm bacon!"

 

 

Some of the projects Leia brought home from preschool.

 She loves her beach.

 This one is an astronaut with arms and planets.

 Her artwork of shapes.


SWIMMING: The two older girls go swimming here and there. They have fun but also get frustrated with each other.

 

STILL HOT BUT COOLER: It has finally cooled down enough where I can take the kiddos to the park across the street... finally. Just in time for school break.

Children's Science Museum

The kids had a Monday off a few weeks ago so we decided to head out to the Science Museum with the Huntingtons. The kids had a blast. It was pretty crowded getting in but luckily since we ordered tickets online, we could forgoe the HUGE line and pretty much walk right in.

Everything was great up until I had to put the entrance bracelet on Audrey's ankle. She proceeded to throw a huge fit for probably about 30 minutes. I was FINALLY able to calm her down with some water chimes.

We spent a couple hours there where the kids just did this and that and learned some new things. Jonathan was very much in his element and would have spent all day there if he could. It was health day so a Jamba Juice banana group was there which the girls enjoyed watching. Jonathan did some pedal thing in the air while the girls watched the performance. It was a nice family outing.

Leia throwing balls into the tornado swirly water thingy.

Jonathan, along with Cody and Reuben, building a pipe structure where the water could not escape. Of course it did, when it found the weakest point in their pipe structure, and Jonathan did a fantastic job at becoming completely soaked... but had a lot of fun.

 Ella riding some bicycle contraption. I think the soccer ball was suppose to move up when a person pedaled fast enough. Unfortunately I think something was wrong because the ball never moved.

Jonathan on a bed of nails. Of course Ryan HAD to tease Jonathan by tickling him. Jonathan did not appreciate that one bit.

Leia and some other kiddos having a tug of war race. In the middle was a pulley system which made it very easy for one side, which usually had little kids on it, to beat the other side, which usually had a bunch of dads determined to beat the kiddos. It was quite entertaining to watch.

No Longer a Cub Scout

Jonathan has officially graduated into being a Boy Scout. At his last pack meeting, he received his Webelos patch along with his Arrow of Light and a whole bunch of badges. He went the extra mile and completed all 20 badges! Since his pack meetings are during Jui Jitsu, he hasn't been able to attend many so this night was super special.

For his Webelos' ceremony Ryan and I painted Jonathan's face. As we did that, the leader explained what the colors and symbols on his face meant... very symbolic but Jonathan could not wait until he could wash the paint off. After that ceremony he went through his Arrow of Light ceremony. It was very nice and the meaning behind the Arrow of Light, to me, fits Jonathan. As Jonathan crossed the bridge, Reuben was there to welcome him. Auntie Crystal put a lot of work into making the ceremony special and we greatly appreciate it. Jonathan also received a special plaque which is now hanging above his door. He worked soooo hard to get everything done. Yes there were times he did not want to do the work but after reminding him about his goal, he would refocus on his stuff and got it done. We are very proud of him.

Since he received the Arrow of Light he does not have to wait until he turns 11 to start Boy Scouts. He went to his first meeting and loved it. His new goal is to get all of the merit badges, which I think there are 130. We'll see what happens! If he puts his mind to it and works hard, he can accomplish anything.

He pinned two pins, upside down, on me. Once he did a good turn, he could turn the pins to their correct position. It was so cute because when the little girls realized he was being helpful, they became super excited and told Jonathan, "Now you can turn your pins around."

 

I love this picture! I was rubbing Jonathan's head with my fingers, basically telling him that he is awesome. I just love the look on his face.

Celebration In Utah

A few weeks ago we headed out to Utah for Alysha's graduation. We left rather early in the morning hoping the kids would fall back asleep for a couple hours but no luck. We did see a breathtaking sunrise though. The drive was long but the views were beautiful and the company fantastic. The kids did well considering we were in the car for about 10 hours.

Once at our destination, we settled down for a little bit in our hotel room and then took off to see almost everyone at Alysha's place. The kids had a great time playing outside with their cousins. The sand box was a huge hit. It reminded me of our Davis days, which are beginning to feel a bit distant and faded. Sad. Anyway, it was a nice evening.

Saturday morning we headed out to go on a mini hike with almost everyone. It was a nice walk and the kids had a blast playing near the waterfall. I didn't realize how many fish were in the water until looking at the pictures I took. There were tons and the kids enjoyed feeding them. Ryan and Jonathan decided to see how far they could climb up the waterfall. Ella, wanting to impress Daddy, was not too far behind them. She climbed pretty high on her own, getting back down seemed to be the tricky part. After all the fun, we ate lunch picnic style. While Ryan and I relaxed and enjoyed the scenery, Leia decided to get muddy along with a couple other kiddos. That was a sign we needed to pack up and head out to our hotel so we could clean up and get ready for the graduation ceremony.'

On the way to Alysha's graduation, we got a little lost on campus trying to find the building but eventually found it with Blake's help. It was interesting seeing a graduation at BYU simply because it had a spiritual side to it. All of the other graduations I have been to did not have that so it made everything a little more special. So special that Ryan is now okay with the prospects of one of our kids going there someday.

To be honest, I had to step out of the graduation early because of crazy Audrey but we were able to slip back in once we heard names called. Luckily, everything was broadcast outside the room over a speaker system so I did not miss much. Once Alysha's name was called Audrey and I screamed and clapped. I became a little emotional which surprised me. I first met her when she was three so maybe that was the reason? Any way, it was nice we could be there, especially since I was not able to go to her wedding.

After the ceremony, kids were dropped off with babysitters and the adults, plus Jonathan, took off for dinner... a fabulous idea I tell ya. The food was delicious mixed with great company made it a fun time out. After dinner we still wanted to stay out but had no idea what to do so we ended up picking up the kids. I put them to bed while Ryan and Jonathan stayed up to play games with who else, Uncle Todd.

On Saturday almost everyone was leaving for home, except for us. After goodbyes we headed out to Salt Lake City to visit Temple Square, since Ryan was the only one in our little family who has ever been there. I have heard the temple is smaller than you think it is and I must say, I completely agree with that statement. It was beautiful though. We walked around for awhile, I took the girlies on a little adventure to see all the different brides getting their pictures taken and then we took a few pictures of our own. We met up with Alysha and her little family where we headed out to the Visitor's center. After that we went over to the mall where Leia became completely soaked but extremely happy, Ella was spoiled way too much by her daddy, and Audrey and Leia consumed a delicious strawberry cheesecake candy apple. The kids also had a blast playing in the kiddo play area at the food court. We then decided to leave but Jonathan had to use the restroom so we stopped by the Conference center. I think that's the name of it but not sure. We were asked if we wanted a tour and even though kids were crazy tired we said yes. I secretly wanted to see it but thought we would not be able to. Boy did I luck out. There was amazing, inspiring original artwork everywhere. The actual seating area was HUGE. I know personally because I ended up chasing Leia down it. Our guide gave us a special treat where we were able to go to the rooftop and see the sun set. Amazing. It was another great day. We got back late to our hotel but eventually fell asleep to wake up super early and head back home.

The drive was once again beautiful. A funny thing happened on the ride home though. Ryan was pulled over for speeding and when the Sheriff walked up, looked into our car, realized four kids were in the back, he hesitated on giving Ryan a ticket. He let Ryan go with a warning. Actually a warning and he told Ella she was now a deputy and had the job of keeping track of Ryan and making sure he did not speed again. That. Was. Awesome. The Sheriff was also the Mayor so he talked a few minutes to Ryan about Arizona before letting us go. He was such a nice man. The rest of the trip was hilarious because Ryan did watch he speed and Ella kept him in check. Every time she saw a speed limit sign she would tell him the speed limit. He seriously would slow down. It was entertaining beyond measure because if you know Ryan, this is quite different from his normal behavior. He respectfully listened to Deputy Ella. Classic. I will never forget this trip!

 

 Leia enjoying her delicious apple.

 The girls feeding tons of fish. Picture below is Ryan helping Audrey feed fish.

 Jonathan and the girls all posed for a picture of them touching the temple.

 Inside the Convention center, which was beautiful but the kiddos were a bit rowdy.

Leia is about to take off and get near the pulpit.

Leia turns 4!

Holy Moly Guacamole, Leia is now four!

After the long drive home from Cali and kiddos were put to bed, I got to work decorating the house for Leia's big day. I think I was up until about 1am. Any who... Leia loves butterflies so I made about two dozen of them and decorated our dining area, her bedroom and put a few ribbons going down her doorway filled with butterflies. I was excited about that idea. She would open her door and then BAM, she would walk through butterflies. I also did the traditional balloons on the floor and a b-day note. Since she was going to preschool in the morning, I also put together a little gift she could past out to the students. It was super simple but cute. A box of crayons with a butterfly on top made out of tissue paper and a Smartie. It was also inexpensive which is awesome.

It was fun to help Leia pass out gifts to the students. At that time she had only been in school for a couple weeks so the kiddos still did not know each other that well. The first few kids did not know what was going on, but the other kids quickly realized what was happening and gladly accepted the gift before heading home.

At home, Leia ate lunch, which I completely forget what she  had. I think she went out with Ryan for a little bit and then later in the day decorated her cake. I asked Ryan to get some candy and he came back with a ton! Way more than she needed. However, she sure enjoyed covering every inch of the cake with it along with snagging a few when she thought no one was looking.

That evening, she opened presents and we ate cake. Since we were still recovering from the quick trip, it was just our small family, but an incredibly nice evening.

 

( Leia & Ella chowing down some of the delicious candy)

 

I still can't believe Leia is 4! She no longer looks like a toddler but a super cute little girl. She is full of love and generosity. Within minutes of getting a gift, she then wants to give the gift to Ella because she loves her so much. She is also quick to share food and dish out hugs and kisses. She always tell Ryan and I how much she loves us and that we are the best parents ever. She loves to sing, dance and draw. She is so good at playing with Audrey, even though Audrey has frequently ripped out chunks of Leia's hair. Leia is quick to forgive and forget. She does have streaks where she doesn't listen and misbehaves but it's usually when she's super tired. She definitely is sneaky and keeps the older kiddos on their toes. I am so glad Leia is a part of our family. We love our little Firefly! Happy Birthday!!!!!!

( Girls playing with Leia's new Tinkerbell tea set)

PS- The following Friday Ryan took her to the movies to see planes. She loved the movie and enjoyed her daddy- daughter date.


 

Quick Trip to Cali

At the beginning of August my dad had a party to celebrate turning 70. Extended family was invited and I was able to see many relatives that I have not seen in about 5 years or longer. Before the event, I asked my brother and then dad a few times, months before and then weeks, if they needed any help. At first I got a "I'll let you know" and then a "we have it covered" so it ended up that all I had to do was get down there and show up.

Since the kids were already in school, it was literally a super quick trip. We left after school on Friday and ended up getting there close to midnight due to hitting a few wrong turn trying to get to Uncle Todd's house... but we did make it to Simi!

On Saturday the girls spent the morning in Beanie Baby heaven. Nana got out a few plastic tubs full of every Beanie Baby you could imagine. They had to narrow it down to only taking home three, per mommy request, so it took awhile for Ella to narrow it down. I think it was after that my dad called and wondered when I was coming over. Since no one informed me I was suppose to arrive early, and plans were already made to have a little party for Leia before my dad's party, I felt bad telling him I would not be able to make it until the party actually began.

 

The little shin dig for Leia was really nice. Lynnie made Leia's favorites for lunch, we ate some yummy cake and Leia opened her presents. She received a really cute La La Loopsy doll house which Leia ended up taking part of it with her to my dad's party. That worked out perfectly because her cousin also brought her LaLa Loopsy stuff  and it looked like they had a blast playing together.

My brother and sister did a fabulous job at putting the party together for my dad. Unfortunately I had to leave Audrey behind, which ended up being a good thing because she slept for about 2 hours at Nana's house. Her cold mixed in with staying up late and waking up early finally caught up with her and she zonked out.


The other kiddos had fun at my dad's party. Jonathan spent most of the time playing rock band, Ella hung out with Emily and Leia played with Lilah. I need to somehow visit my sister more so the girls can have more fun together. I mostly talked to a few of my aunts. It was nice to catch up on what was happening in their lives and also reminisce about the past. I also saw some of my cousins and met a couple of their kiddos that I have never seen before. It was a nice evening.

The next day we tried to leave early but did not get out as early as I wanted too. Before entirely leaving the city, I took the kids on a little drive, the drive I use to make as a teenager that was between Ryan's house and mine. I pointed out the high school I went to, the park I use to play at, the path I walked to my elementary school and then the actual elementary school. Things looked pretty different to me. The outside of the house looked great and the brick mailbox is still there. After the brief memory lane moment we took off for Arizona so we could get back in enough time where the kids could get out some energy and then wind down and go to sleep so they would be ready for school the next day.. which was also Leia's "real" birthday.

What my childhood house looks like now.

First Day of School 2013-2014

School started on July 22nd! Who starts school that early? Apparently the kids' school district, not sure if anyone else is crazy enough to start THAT early. Any who, I am writing this a little late, especially since parent conferences start THIS Wednesday... in August! Again. Crazy.

Three kids are now heading out to school. Jonathan goes to a special sixth-grade-only building at his elementary school. Ella, also at the same school, is now a first grader and has moved up to the big kid playground which creates a newness to school. Leia started preschool but at a different school since the other kids' school does not offer it. Since we now have two schools to go to, that start at the same time, our schedule has changed a bit, except for the first day. Luckily Ryan was able to take the big kids to their school and I took Leia to her first day of school.

Leia's first day of school was madness in the parking lot. It seemed like every parent parked and went up to the school with their kid/ kids. I was a bit worried we would not find a place to park and be horribly late. Luckily we did find a spot, were not late, waited in a long, slow moving line in the hallway next to Leia's class before I could drop her off, finally hugged and kissed her goodbye where she was also greeted by her teacher and then walked into a new world called preschool.

Since we have been in school for about five weeks already, I can say some things have surprised  me about the kiddos and some remain the same. Ella is going through her normal meltdowns AFTER school. I guess she needs to release all the stress and emotions she holds in at school so she is able to follow what is expected of her. Then she gets home, in some cases in the car, and just has a projectile vomit of emotions. I typically ask her to go to her room, mostly to give her some space to calm down, and usually she is okay for the rest of the evening. Just to clarify, she is usually only like this the first month or two, until she gets adjusted to her new surroundings and routines. It happened in preschool and Kindergarten. Right now I am just waiting for the transition time to be over and then everything will be awesome.

 

Leia is kind of doing what I thought she would do... hesitant to go to school. It's still hard to tell if she likes it or not. She has many days where she does not want to go, last week the teacher had to pull her off my leg. Leia was crying hysterically while I was eyeing Audrey getting too close to the parking lot, wanting to get her but waiting to be freed from Leia's death grip. Then I leave, Leia is fine and has a great day at school. She doesn't want to be there, yet has fun, sings the songs she learned at school random times during the day but yet doesn't like it. I am left a little puzzled with this one. I'll just pretend she loves being at home with momma, that nothing compares to momma snuggles mixed with TV watching, and the thought of leaving the best. time. ever. at home makes her sad.

 

Jonathan has been the biggest surprise. Classic Jonathan is organization and getting work completed in a timely manner could be improved. This year he has always been ready in the morning, not the one keeping us waiting anymore. His homework is always done on time, most of the time early. I think he enjoys having six different teachers because it mixes things up but he still does not care for school. Even though he feels that way, he has truly stepped up to the plate and is making the best out of his situation, which makes me one proud momma. There are few adults able to do that.

In a nut shell the first day went pretty well. Jonathan enjoyed it, Ella had withdrawals of not being in Chamberlain's class and Leia probably thought, "What did I just get myself into?" Sounds like an interesting beginning of a new school year.

Our Last Summer Hoorah

Unfortunately Ryan had quite a bit of military training during the summer but I did not want that to spoil the kiddos summer so we did a little road trip to Cali without him. I did not want the kids to spend the last two weeks of summer moping around, wishing dad was there. Instead I packed a huge suitcase, loaded kids into the car and took off for our little road trip adventure.

We actually made great time. So great in fact, when we arrived, only Nana was there to greet us. That's okay because once we said our hellos, the little ones took off for the backyard to play in the tree house. The kids had a lot of fun playing outside.

I think it was the next day when we left for the Santa Barbara zoo. It was nice to walk around and see the different animals, eat lunch while Audrey chased all the birds away, watch a dinosaur show and just spend time with family. It's great to have moments where the kids can play and interact with their cousins.

The day started off pretty hazy but by the time we were done with the zoo, all the haze burned off and we were left with blue, beautiful skies. The kids were itching to go to the beach so we took the soooo long journey of driving across the street to the beach.  Audrey played most of the time going down a slide while the other kids made a sand castle with Papa and got a little wet in the cold ocean. I love the beach. I never realized how relaxing it can be. I'll love it more when my kids are a little older and I don't have to watch them like a hawk. It was a great day.

On Saturday afternoon we had lunch with G'PA and Grammie, then they took us on a tour of their new home after which we left for John's house. The kids had a lot of fun swimming and then playing rock band. I was rather stressed out making sure Audrey did not get too close to the pool. I ended up keeping her captive in the house for the last half we were there. Of course kids would not be kids without raiding the candy jar before leaving. There were a few sugar highs going on during the ride back to Simi.

 





















We spent Sunday going to church in Ryan's old family ward. I hardly knew anyone there. It has changed so much! I knew only a handful of people. After church we packed up and headed out to San Diego. We hit "traffic" which was really four lanes dropping down to two FOR NO REASON! No construction or accident, just a bunch of cones and a news van probably covering the no reason traffic jam.

 I realized during this trip I do not miss LA traffic at all. I will take a wide open road and drive for hours but the LA traffic is not for me. I am not an aggressive driver, which you need to be in LA.  My white knuckle driving could take only so much of it.

I was trying to be good and not go out to dinner on Sunday so I let each kid choose something from a vending machine and then made honey/ peanut butter sandwiches for the kids. They were super uber excited to stay in a hotel. So excited it took quite some time for everyone to fall asleep. With all the beds we had, the sleeping arrangements ended up as; Ella having her own queen bed, Jonathan had the sofa bed to himself and I was sandwiched between Leia and Audrey on our own bed.

The next morning we ate breakfast in the crazy filled dining area of the hotel and then packed up and took a five minute drive to Sea World. It was so easy to walk in since I prebought the tickets. Overall we had a lot of fun. We saw three amazing shows, walked through some of the aquariums, watched sharks swim above us, the kids touched sting rays and star fish and we went on a few rides. Rides were rather limiting for us since most rides do not allow three small kids with one adult.

The shows we did see were fabulous. I forget the name of the first show, but it actually had a story line with dolphins, whales and live birds, along with divers and acrobats. It was amazing to see it all together and have birds literally fly right over our heads. Jonathan and Leia decided to sit in the splash zone but actually did not get wet! They were a little bummed about that. We also saw a Circus de Soleil show which was amazing and quite funny. I think that was Jonathan's favorite because he wanted to go back and see another showing of it. The last show we saw was Madagascar. We missed one showing of it due to it already being full, probably because it was the only air conditioned show. However, we happened to be close by for another showing and were able to get seats. It was not at all what I expected but quite fun. It was mostly a live band singing different songs with some of the Madagascar characters. Leia had a blast. She loved the music and danced in her seat. I can still picture the look of glee on her face.

For the most part the kiddos were good. During lunch time Jonathan took off to go on a big boy ride by himself. I about had a heart attach when he was still not back about an hour later, but as we started to head out, we saw each other and I could breathe again. He had fun going by himself. He is growing up fast and needs those opportunities to be responsible.

After a fun filled day, we headed back home. My secret mommy plan was to tire the kiddos out at Sea World and then drive home with a nice quiet five hour ride. Instead the two little ones took a "nap" and then stayed up until about 9 or 10pm. Ella never fell asleep even though we were on the road until midnight. Jonathan stayed up to help with directions, which we still got lost but eventually found our way back.

With all of that going on, it was a nice drive. It was fun to see the lightening in the pitch black sky. At one point we needed to stop since part of the road was flooded but our car was able to make it through. I think we were super close to Mexico at one point but luckily no wrong turns were made yet and we stayed inside the good 'ol US of A.

It was a great trip. Overall the kids were fantastic. My OCD packing skills made getting dressed in the morning and ready for bed easy. The little ones actually went to bed quite well at Nana's house. The only night time issue was Leia fell out of her bed both nights. I guess if next summer we are looking for a place to go, Sea World is it! After all, we were not able to see Shamu so we HAVE to go back some day. Jonathan even said he kind of likes it better than Disneyland. CrAZy.

Audrey touching a star fish... Leia is right next to her. WE have a picture of Jonathan doing the same thing when he was about two or three years old.

We saw a bunch of hot air balloons on our drive down to San Diego.