Graham Family Central

Time Flies

2011-06-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! I knew I had neglected my blog for awhile, but almost a WHOLE year?! I am going to try harder to keep up with it though, especially since Jon is getting ready to leave for a year. I'll have to post all of our adventures for him to see as well. There are so many things that are happening right now, I'll just have to post individually to catch up, otherwise this would end up being one huge long post. Hopefully, I'll be able to add pictures along with my posts too. We got a new computer and also moved some things around, so my camera software seems to be displaced at the moment. I just have horrible luck with cameras it seems. Oh well, it is what it is.

Hayley's Swim Meet - Butterfly

2010-07-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here is a video of Hayley doing the Butterfly stroke during her swim meet at the Cove. She is in the 11-12 year old age group and does a fantastic job. She may not be the fastest swimmer, but she pays close attention to her form. She is the only one here that has perfect form for the stroke. She loves to swim and looks forward to being on the summer swim team each year at The Cove. We are hopefully going to be starting a homeschool swim club soon, so she can swim year round. Jon will be one of the coaches. I hope it works out.

Great job Hayley! We're proud of you.

Getting Ready for School

2010-07-15T15:39:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile...again. My camera is not working that well, so I haven't been able to get my picture off of it. So I don't have any pictures to post for the moment.

The kids have had a great summer. We found a free pool to go to on the post and when we're not there, they enjoy swimming at our friend's the Schlessinger family's house. Andrew was in a play this summer called King Arthur's Quest. He was cast as a mini night. We ordered pictures, so when I get those I will post them. Colin and Jon went to scout camp last week and next week Hayley and I will fly to PA to visit my parents. We only have a week and it already jammed pack with fun activities. I will try to give a break down of activities as they occur.

After we get back, it will be time to start getting ready for school again. Connor and Colin will be doing on-line school again this year. Connor starts high school and seminary. Colin will be in 8th grade. I am still going to homeschool Hayley, Andrew and William, but will be doing my own curriculum with them, from things that I pulled from a variety of sources. This is my first year of doing it this way. I am a little nervous.

Hello...Anybody There?

2010-04-07T22:08:00.002-07:00

You all probably thought I fell off the face of the earth! I cannot believe that I have not posted anything since October! I am going to try ans do better. I have a ton of pictures to upload, I just can't get my camera to upload pictures on my laptop. It will work on Jon's computer, so next time I have a chance to get onto his computer, I will definitely get some photos up here.

We've just been busy with homeschooling lately. All of the kids have been in a virtual on-line program. It has been a little overwhelming, because I am trying to teach 5 kids 5 different curriculums all at the same time. Whew! So that is why for this up coming school year, I am going to be doing something different. Connor and Colin will still be doing a on-line virtual school next year. Just not the one we are currently doing. They will be switching to Connections Academy which has more of what they want and need. The rest of the kids will be homeschooled still, but I am going to do it myself and make my own curriculum for them! Wish me luck! My brain hurts from all of the researching but, I think I have finally narrowed it down to what I want to do! Yay! I'm thinking about starting my own homeschool blog, just so I can blab about my experiences.

Updates...

2009-10-06T00:56:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone. I know I have been horrible at keeping up with the blog. I will try to do better. We have been so busy with soccer and school lately. I have three kids playing soccer this year. Connor Colin and Hayley. Connor and Colin are on the same team this year, Desert Hawks, and Jon is the assistant coach for their team. Hayley's team name is Arctic Heat and for not playing in 5 years she is doing pretty good. I took pictures of her last game but, I have not be able to upload them yet. My laptop crashed and all my stuff is stored on there. Luckily, my computer savvy husband has been able to retrieve everything so far.

Connor had his 6 month scoliosis check last week, and unfortunately the digression in his spine is a little more than what we had hoped for...ok a lot more. He has had an 18 percent increase in his curvature within the past 6 months. The normal for scoliosis patients is 10% in one year. Connor is going to be starting physical therapy and he is also going to have an MRI done for his back. The doctor wants to make sure that there is no other underlying cause for the rapid digression in Connor's scoliosis.

Please keep Connor in your prayers, while he is having to go through this ordeal.

Building our Testimonies

2009-08-30T17:04:00.002-07:00

“Personal, sincere involvement in the scriptures produces faith, hope, and solutions to our daily challenges. Frequently reading, pondering, and applying the lessons of the scriptures, combined with prayer, become an irreplaceable part of gaining and sustaining a strong, vibrant testimony.”

Elder Donald L. Staheli, formerly of the Seventy, “Securing Our Testimonies,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 39.

Another Priesthood Holder

2009-08-30T09:40:00.005-07:00

Well, Colin has finally turned his 12. My parents came for a few days last week, to help celebrate his birthday and be there for his priesthood ordination. We have quite a large Deacons quorum and I was a little taken aback as they all stood up for my mom and I as we walked into the room. The leaders are really teaching these young men how to be polite and courteous. It was very sweet.

Jon was able to perform the ordination and my dad was able to be included in the circle. Connor was also present, since he will still be a deacon for two more months. The spirit was so strong there. It brought tears to my eyes. We now have three priesthood holders in our home. It is such a wonderful feeling. I hope that I can be the kind of mother to my sons that the Stripling Warriors mothers were to them.

I hope that Colin and Connor know how much I love them and am proud of the choices they have made this far in their lives to become worthy priesthood holders...and I look forward to seeing Colin passing the sacrament for the first time next week along side his brother. They are such good examples to their little brothers. I am very blessed to have them as part of our family.

I was trying to find a recent picture of Colin and stumbled across these, which were taken when we went to Tombstone this spring. I thought since after all the talking of Colin's good choices and example, these were a little humorous. I will post a picture soon of Colin in his new Sunday clothes he got for his birthday. :)

Homeschooling

2009-08-09T20:21:00.002-07:00

For those of you who don't know yet...I have decided to try homeschooling my kids this year. It's not that they were in horrible schools and the original plan was just to homeschool my two middle school age kids; but the other two decided that they wanted to be as well. I couldn't say no.

So, this past week was the first week of our new adventure. I wish I had pictures to share but, I/m sure all you would see is complete chaos. I think this will be a good thing for our family, it will just take a few weeks until we get a good schedule down that is best for our family.

I am using the k12 curriculum. It is available in several states. K12 is considered a home-based charter school, so the state pays for the materials and even a computer. You also have a teacher assigned to your children, so that should you need help, they are there. One of the best things that I like about it, is that since it is considered "public" school at home, Connor does not lose his special education services. That was a big hold up for me in deciding to take him out if school...he has wanted to be homeschooled for years and now I have found a way that he can without messing up his IEP.

The kids can also work at their own pace. They move move forward as fast as they want or take a little time on something and not feel so rushed. Whenever, they complete a subject early, the school will send next years materials and they can get started early.

Other than the initial craziness, we are all excited to have this opportunity. I'm looking forward to keeping everyone updated on our adventures in schooling.

Butterflies...

2009-07-31T19:52:00.002-07:00

I was working outside in the yard today and happened to see a beautiful butterfly fly by. I watched as it flew up to the top of one the trees in our yard. It was not alone...there were tons of butterflies flying and landing on the leaves of the tree. We have so many nasty little bugs here in AZ...it's nice to see some of the beautiful creatures that we have too.

Arizona Sunsets

2009-06-24T15:54:00.002-07:00

My friend took this picture a couple of weeks ago at a park in town that we frequently go to. Arizona sunsets are absolutely beautiful. I have never seen sunsets like theses anywhere else. Now imagine it's night-time, completely pitch black, no street likes except for the natural light of the moon. You stare up into the sky to see millions of stars as close to the earth as you have ever seen them. I wish I could show a picture of that. I love Arizona skies!

Tea Party

2009-06-07T20:35:00.003-07:00

Hayley's cute hat!

Our Tea Party Hats. Hayley's is on the left and mine is on the right.

Ready for a party!

The Activity Day Girls had a recognition night a couple of weeks ago. They invited all the moms and girls (ages 8-11) to a Tea Party (lemonade). The girls and moms were to wear tea party hats that they had decorated themselves. We really didn't have a tea party hats to decorate and didn't want to spend a lot of money on hats, so Hayley and I bought some paper plates and bowls and made our hats using them. It was a lot of fun and everyone thought that they were sooo cute and creative. Each mom and girl were to get up and share with the group what made them special. Hayley really wanted to do it, but was too shy, so I got up for her. It was a still a wonderful night for the both of us to spend together. Hayley is growing up so fast. I can't believe she is already 10 years old. She has sooo many gifts and talents and I hope that one day she will feel confident enough to share them with others. She is such a joy to have in our family.

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-06T22:16:00.003-07:00

I have not posted any pictures in awhile. I've gotten a little lazy I guess. But, we have had a lot of activities going on, so I will spend the next few days catching up. Our Andrew just had his Kindergarten graduation a couple of weeks ago. He was soooo excited and as soon as it was over informed us that he was now in the first grade. The class had a little program and he dutifully said his part. We all enjoyed pizza and cake afterwards.

MRI Update

2009-05-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

The MRI came back normal, which is good...but, it still does not explain the symptoms that I am having. So, they are going to be doing a spinal tap. I am not sure when that will be happening yet.

To All of My Wonderful Family and Friends...

2009-05-01T15:34:00.002-07:00

I haven't been keeping up on the blog very well lately. I apologize for that. This has been a crazy past couple of weeks and does not seem to be over yet. A couple of weeks ago, I went in for my yearly eye exam. Much to my surprise it came up abnormal. My eye doctor didn't think it was serious, but just wanted to be sure so he scheduled me to go up to a specialty clinic in Tucson.

I wasn't supposed to go up for a couple of weeks, but started having some abnormal symptoms in my right eye and a lot of pressure in my head on the right side. I called and they moved up my appointment immediately. They .did some tests and basically confirmed what the other eye doctor had said. Plus, they discovered that I am experiencing some peripheral vision loss in my right eye. They want to send me to get a brain scan next week. I don't know the exact date yet. They are supposed to call me. I already called them today to bug them about it. I do not want to waste time. This is a really scary thing for not just me, but my whole family.

I did get a blessing from Jon and it said that as long as I act on it and don't delay, I will be able to overcome whatever it is. I have been trying set my own anxieties aside and just go for it. I know Heavenly Father is helping me. Even though this is the biggest trial I have ever had to face in my life, I have faith that I can get through this. I hope you all will keep me and my family in your prayers.

I will keep everyone posted whenever I get more information.

Another William-ism

2009-04-13T10:51:00.002-07:00

Just thought I share this. This morning when William woke up I asked him if he would like some breakfast. He told me no, that he had dreamed of popsicles and that had made him full, so no he did not need breakfast. :)

What kids hear

2009-04-08T00:09:00.004-07:00

We were having family prayer tonight and my 4 year old William was asked to say it. We have been helping William think of things to say in his prayers, because otherwise his prayers pretty much consist of "Thank you for this day" and that's it. So, anyway...in helping him with the family prayer, I whispered to him, to say "Please help us to get out of debt" (something we are working on as a family). He then proceeded to say, "Please help us get to a bed." That did it for trying to keep the reverence. I think everyone just cracked up. It doesn't help either when your toddler gets up during the middle of the prayer and starts singing her ABC's at the top of her lungs and dances. Guess we need to keep working on the reverence.

Mary Had A Little Lamb...or somebody does

2009-04-01T17:52:00.003-07:00

This is kind of silly, but I thought I would share it anyway. I stopped at the movie store today to rent some movies for Hayley. (Poor thing, she has a fever, sore throat and ear infection) On my way out, I kept hearing a sound like a sheep bleating. I was like, what the heck is that? As I got closer to my car, I happened to notice that a lamb was sitting in the passenger side of someone's truck. They had the window rolled down slightly, just like you would a dog. Every time someone would walk by, the sheep would start bleating. I guess your pet doesn't have to be a dog to take it on a trip with you. It was the funniest thing.

Update

2009-03-11T10:13:00.002-07:00

We spent the day in Tucson yesterday because we finally got Connor in to Orthopedic's for his scoliosis consultation. It took weeks for us to get an appointment and when we did, they had to double book us, which means we were pretty much had to be treated like a walk in. It was such a loooonnnnnggggg wait.

The Dr. took a look at Connor's X-rays and told us that it wasn't severe right now. But because of the amount of progression Connor has already for his age, the Doctor said that he was pretty much sitting on the fence about whether or not to be concerned about it at this point. He said that Connor will still be growing for the next 4-5 years and scoliosis depends entirely on growth. It's a growth thing.

Connor's spine forms an S shape with a 35 degree curve on the top and a 24 degree curve on the bottom. The Doc said that they start to get concerned when the angles start to go over 3o degrees. At 45 degrees they start considering surgery and 50 degrees or more they will do surgery.

So, for now all they can do is monitor it. We have to go back every 6 months to determine the rate of progression. The Doc said the best thing to do to try and stop the progression was some kind of physical therapy. He said he could write a referral for it but, also said doing things like Yoga and Pilates would be just as good. Jon has an inversion table and the doc said that would be great for Connor too. Anything to increase his flexibility will help slow down progression and hopefully stop it altogether.

Fun at the Rodeo

2009-03-08T13:20:00.005-07:00

Friday night we went to Fort Huachuca with some friends
to see the Cochise College Rodeo. The kids had gotten
coupons for it at school ans were soooooo excited to go.
We had been having wonderful weather all week, we
thought that we could handle this adventure. A cold
front came in earlier that day bringing with it cold and
gusty canyon winds, but we braved it. The kids had a
great time. Connor was especially fastinated by the
bucking bronco's. We ended up leaving before it was over,
because it just got too cold for the kids. So, we missed the
goat tying and the bull riding. We made up for it by stopping
off to get some hot chocolate to thaw our bodies out piece by
piece. I did take some pictures. Some of them are not
so great because of the glare from the lights but,
I did the best I could.
I hope you enjoy them.

Hayley's Birthday

2009-03-07T19:15:00.004-07:00

We had a small family party for Hayley's 10th birthday this year. As you can probably tell from her pictures, she was very satisfied with all of the goodies she got this year. I let each child pick out what they want for their birthday dinner. Hayley chose to have shrimp and sushi for her birthday dinner. So, we decided to try grilling the shrimp. I think they turned out pretty well. Hayley also does not like birthday cake, so every year I bake a giant chocolate chip cookie and decorate it. She loves it and looks forward to it every year. Our Hayley is growing up. Kids sure don't stay little for very long. We are so happy to have Hayley in our family. We love you Hayley!

Jon's 40th Birthday

2009-03-01T15:50:00.007-07:00

Jon's 40th birthday was on February 19th,
so we decided to have a birthday BBQ to celebrate
this milestone in his life. We had a great turn out
and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially
Jon. Oh, and yes people are wearing shorts in February.
It's Arizona!

New Years Resolutions...in February!

2009-02-11T09:11:00.002-07:00

I know, I know it's a little late for New year's resolutions. But it is never too late to make a commitment to improve upon ourselves. I keep thinking about the scripture verse in D&C 109:8

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"

Every year that seems to be our family's motto. We are constantly striving to to these things and raise our kids in a righteous home. This year I want to make that scripture a little more personal and apply it specifically to me. This is the year that I want to work on myself. I want to organize myself more spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. If I can better myself, then I can be a better wife, mother, leader and teacher.

Now, finding a place to begin. That's a challenge! But I am willing to take it on!

The Mom Song

2009-02-06T22:54:00.002-07:00

My friend Becky sent this to me via email. I thought it was hilarious and just had to share it with all of you moms out there. Enjoy. I hope you get a good laugh out of it.

New Years Hiking

2009-02-04T09:49:00.005-07:00

Some friends of ours invited us to go hiking on New Years Day this year over at the Coronado National Park. It is about a twenty minute drive from our house. We hiked up to the Coronado cave and went exploring. http://www.nps.gov/coro/planyourvisit/caving.htm We had to climb down about 20 feet to get into the mouth of the cave. The kids had an absolute blast, even Alison. We thought she would be scared because the cave is quite dark, even with flashlights. But, she is our fearless one. Nothing scares her. She was so dirty from playing on the rocks and in the dirt, but she had fun. I think we will need to invest in a child back carrier for future hikes. Alison rode on Jon's shoulders most of the way up to the cave, but she almost jumped off. Scary! The kids want to go back again, so next time we go I will take the camera in the cave with me. I didn't take it inside this time, because I wasn't sure how the conditions were.

After the cave, we drove up to the overlook and Jon took some of the kids on a trail up to the top of the mountain. You can see the US/Mexican border from the overlook. There is a very distinct black line. We only live about 15 to 20 miles from the border.

To top the day off, we all went to the Diner, a fifties style restaurant, to have dinner and milkshakes.

There are so many places to explore here. This area has so much history. I'm hope that we can take advantage of that while we are here.

Family Night Fun

2009-01-29T21:13:00.003-07:00

Alison is such a ham. Whenever we tell her to "smile" she says "cheeeeeeeeese" and scrunches her face up. It's so funny.

For treats on Family Night Hayley had made homemade popsicles. The kids had so much fun eating them and laughing at Alison's reaction. Everytime someone would get ready to take a bite, she would run up with her tongue hanging out, hoping they would share with her. Most of the time they did.

Andrew's Birthday

2009-01-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew's Birthday

2009-01-09T19:21:00.003-07:00

Andrew turned 6 years old on January 6 but, we had a little family party for him tonight. We were babysitting, so those kids got in on the fun too. It made Andrew all the more excited. He wanted a Star Wars cake this year, so I made the attempt. I didn't do too bad. A few cake decorating lessons and who knows, maybe I'll actually learn how to make straight lines. I guess what really counts is that Andrew loved it and had a great time. It was perfect to him. Happy Birthday Andrew! And as Andrew now says, "Only two more years until I'm 8." (He can get baptized)

Miscellaneous Christmas Holiday Pictures

2008-12-30T09:49:00.002-07:00

Andrew and William "performing".

Connor and Colin

Alison's "cheese" face. She loves to pose for the camera.

I found you Oreo. Our cat's favorite spot during the holidays.

Our Christmas tree before Alison attakced it. Most of the ornaments within her reach are all shoved under the tree, since we got tired of constantly hanging them back up again everyday.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2008-12-29T22:01:00.002-07:00

...or rather our ward Christmas Party. The kids could not wait to see Santa (aka Bishop Barkdull) this year. They waited in a long line as patiently as they could so that they could tell Santa everything that they wanted for Christmas. They were really into the Santa thing this year. They even left a plate of cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. And were very excited when they found an empty plate and cup in the morning with a note from Santa. Santa sure had to be sneaky, since there were at least 4 kids camped out on the living room floor.

My Girls

2008-12-26T17:18:00.006-07:00

I have tons of pictures to upload from over the past few weeks. Here are a few of Alison and Hayley in their new Christmas pajamas. Hayley was determined to have footed pajamas this year, so after a lot of searching I finally found some in her size! Alison fell in love with her little plaid pajamas. She kept stroking them and saying "pitty". (pretty) Both my girls look absolutely adorable in their new pajamas and that's not coming from a biased mom. Alison turns 16 months old tomorrow and Hayley will be 10 in February. Wow, does time fly!

Gingerbread Bowls

2008-12-22T13:30:00.004-07:00

My mom told me about this fun and creative idea using gingerbread. You take your gingerbread dough and shape it to the outside of a oven safe bowl and bake it. Once it comes out of the oven and cools you have a cute gingerbread shaped bowl. You can then decorate and fill it with whatever you want. We are going to fill ours with cookies to give to our friends and neighbors. Check out this website for some more great ideas using these gingerbread bowls. http://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/gingerbread-bowl-recipe.htm l I will post pictures of our own bowls whenever we get them done.

Updates

2008-12-13T15:33:00.002-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. We have been so busy with church activities, school activities, sick kids, etc. You know all the things that go along with the Holiday season.

I took Andrew and Connor for routine Doctor checkups the other day and the doctor saw that Connor's back was a little curved . So, he sent us over to radiology for an x-ray on his back. The radiologist said that it is definitely curved and looks like scholiosis (sp?) He was going to send the results to the doctor and now we are waiting to hear from him.

I had scholiosis when I was little. I don't know if it is hereditary or not. I don't have it anymore. After a lot of fasting and prayer, Heavenly Father healed my spine. The doctor's were dumbfounded. They couldn't believe that it just straightened out by itself. So, maybe after a lot of fasting and prayers for Connor, maybe this will turn out to be a minor thing for him too.

Hayley's New Glasses

2008-11-26T20:29:00.005-07:00

We knew it would happen one day and it finally did. Hayley failed her eye exam at school this year. She had been complaining that some things looked blurry to her but, we didn't know whether she really was having a hard time or if she wanted glasses like her older brothers. She has had eye exams every year and no problems...until this year. So we took her to the eye doctor's and sure enough she needed glasses. She was so excited to get them, but after wearing them for a day...well..she's not so sure anymore. I told her she would get used to them and she is. I told her I wanted to take her picture in her new glasses. She didn't want to at first but, after a minute she was laughing. I think she looks adorable in her glasses.

More Mormon Battalion Pics

2008-11-21T23:13:00.004-07:00

Hiking up a steep area. There is fallen barbed wire along that fence. My jeans got caught in it. Luckily, I got tangled before it did any damaged. There is a lot of loose gravel, everyone had a hard time keeping their footing. On the other side where we are headed is an old railway track. The rails aren't there anymore, just the gravel. Once in awhile we would spot an old rusted piece of metal that was once probably part of the track.

This is around where the Mormon Battalion was involved in what was called the battle of the bulls. A herd of cattle attacked them and 2 men were wounded. I don't think that anyone really knows why the animals were provoked.

Some Indian pictoglyphs we saw along the way. There was a whole trail filled with them.

The trail went up a steep river bank. There wasn't really much to hold on to, but no one fell in. I think we were a good 10-15 feet up. We even saw some trees that beavers had gnawed on and some racoon tracks. The boys were thrilled.

Walking along the sandy river bank

Mormon Battalion Trail

2008-11-21T22:40:00.003-07:00

Cleaning Up the Marker

Working Hard

Look at it shine!

In our church, one of the things I get to do is work with the Cub Scouts, in particular the Bears (9 year olds) Well, we had the unique opportunity, at a regional level, to take all of the Cub Scouts on a 5 mile hike along the Mormon Battalion Trail, which runs close to the San Pedro River. If you are not familiar with the Mormon Battalion Trail, I will try to explain. Please forgive me, if I make a mistake.
In 1846 the Mormon church was in desperate need of money. They were beginning their famous trek west toward Salt Lake City but were lacking the funds that they needed to keep going. They sent representatives to DC to speak with President James K. Polk about assistance in helping them move forward. He agreed to give the church assistance if some of the members would volunteer to form a battalion to help in the American-Mexican war. 500 men volunteered to go, along with 33 women and 51 children. They marched over 2000 miles, from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego California. The salaries that they earned helped pay for the church's continued movement west. It is recorded as the longest march in history. The volunteers, cleared the pathway themselves, using shovels, axes and sometimes even their hands. Their service helped not only our church but was instrumental in helping secure new lands in the west and also opened up a new southern wagon route to California. In the end about 20 people died.

We are privileged to have part of the Mormon Trail about 15 minutes away from where we live. There is a trail marker there to commemorate and remember those who served. We were able to take the Scouts and hike 5 miles on the trail, picking up trash along the way as a service project. The Cub Scouts also cleared away overgrown brush and weeds from around the marker. And polished and shined the marker as well.

It was such as wonderful thing to be a part of. I took so many pictures, I won't be able to post them all. But I will put a few up.

Little Artist

2008-11-21T22:15:00.004-07:00

I call this one "Scribbles at the Crossroads"

I call this one "Temper Tantrum"

And this one "Sibling Rivalry" ( I am not sure but
it looks like there is another person at their feet)

You know, I openly let my kids explore their interests. I like to see their little personalities and gifts and talents develop. I encourage them to be creative. If I can channel all of that creative thinking towards something constructive, then I feel that I have accomplished something great for my children. Sometimes they like to think "out of the box" which is fine, but when it lands on my walls...well that's another matter. Behold, the artwork of William Thomas Graham, age 4. Maybe, in 400 years or so, his famous artwork will be hung in museums all over the world. And here on my blog, we have all seen his first few masterpieces. Well done, William, well done! I guess I need to channel that creativity a little bit better.

Calling All Twilight Fans

2008-11-21T21:23:00.006-07:00

Okay so I was able to go the early bird 12:01 am opening of Twilight last. At least half of our ward was there so there were plenty of people I knew. I drove with a friend there and back so that was kind of fun too. Anyway, after seeing the movie, I did think it was pretty good. I was a little upset that they didn't follow the book as closely as I had hoped but, it was still a good movie. I liked how the main characters were portrayed. Rob Pattinson made a good Edward. That being said...

I would have liked to have seen more of the rest of the Cullen family. I don't think they developed their characters enough in the movie. Also some characters were left completely out, like Lauren. And what is with Charlie and Bella eating in a cafe all the time. Wasn't their father daughter relationship developed with her cooking and taking care of him? Also Edward never said I love you to Bella in the movie. There was no you dazzle me, in the movie either, which I think was a big part of the book. The way Edward "dazzled" Bella all the time. But, I guess there is only so much that you can do to fit a 500 page book into a 2 hour movie.

I really did like the movie though. I will probably go see again before it's out of the theater and will deifinitely buy it on DVD. I have also heard rumors that they are going to have the "New Moon" sequal out by Dec of next year. I hope they do. The ending of Twilight the Movie definitley left the wide possiblity open for New Moon.

So, those of you who have seen Twilight, let me know your thoughts on it as well.

Blowin' in the Wind

2008-11-10T11:59:00.003-07:00

It was an extremely windy day yesterday. The forecast said that the winds would gust up to 35 miles an hour, but I think it was much stronger than that. Anyway we were about to walk out the door to go to church when someone just happened to glance in the backyard and saw our pool had flipped over and was trying to blow over the fence. We had emptied it earlier in the week, because we were going clean it and put it away while we re-landscaped our yard.

Well, we had to spend a good 45 minutes taking pool down before it blew away. Everyone was filthy and had to change clothes before we could finally head off to church. Needless to say we were late. Jon said he had never seen the kids more willing to help than they were yesterday. I think they were more fascinated by the wind than anything. They do like their pool too.

Crazy People Do Drugs

2008-11-07T10:53:00.011-07:00

Last week, Hayley's Elementary school participated in Red Ribbon Week. Guest speakers came in and the students did various activities to stress the importance of Saying No To Drugs. One of the activities was a poster contest. Each grade made posters to demonstrate "Saying ". The posters were judged per grade level and Hayley won for 4th grade! She did not know about it until she was called up to accept her award today. She got a certificate and a gift card to a very popular entertainment store. (I guess I know where we are going tonight) Yeah, Hayley! Good job!

Energetic Andrew

2008-11-06T13:22:00.003-07:00

This is my energetic 5 1/2 year old Andrew. He's just about as cute as they come and constantly has this light radiating out from all around him. He's quick to make you laugh and himself laugh for that matter.

He is very imaginative and comes up with all kinds of ideas and creations, most of them on a spur of the moment. He is very impulsive and tends to think before he acts at times, which does result in a few time outs...and some bumps and bruises. (he isn't even sure how he gets them)

He loves life. He loves his family. He loves his friends and is always ready to make more. He is not shy at all and will take on anything that comes his way.

He loves church and his Primary class. He just loves to participate in class and absolutely glows when he is called on.

Andrew loves to go to Kindergarten and learn. He is learning how to read and is constantly bringing us books to read with him.

We affectionately call him the "Drama King" because he takes everything he does to the extreme. We just love having Andrew in our family.

My Beautiful Hayley

2008-11-05T22:18:00.003-07:00

My beautiful 9 1/2 year old daughter, Hayley. She has grown so much this year. She was really hesitant about making a big move but has made a huge effort to come out of her shell and not be shy. She has been doing really well with that. She even likes Arizona, something that she was determined not to do.

She is so talented in so many things. She is very artistic. She is receiving an award this Friday for a poster that she created for Red Ribbon week (say no to drugs propaganda). Shhhh...don't tell her, it's a surprise.

Hayley is in the 4th Grade this year and so far has almost straight all A's. (she got her first B) She is learning Braille this year. There is a girl in her class who is blind, so the whole class has been learning to read and type Braille.

Hayley also is learning to play the trumpet this year and according to her band teacher is doing quite well. We look forward to hearing her play at the band concert next month.

Hayley loves to swim. She is thinking about joining a swim team next summer. She took a swim test for the lifeguards this year and they were very impressed with how fast a swimmer she was. She even beat her older brothers. It would be a fun thing to see Hayley develop this talent.

Hayley also enjoys dancing. She has been dancing since she was two years old. She has done mostly tap and ballet, with one year of Jazz. She had decided to take a break after her recital this past summer. But, she is really starting to miss it and has been asking to take lessons again. So, it looks like we will be signing her back up for dance next year.

Hayley is very involved with the Activity Day Girls at church as well. She loves to go to the planned activities with all the other girls her age.

I am so very proud of Hayley. I love watching her grow up and seeing her excitement as she discovers and learns to develop all of her talents.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T10:46:00.002-07:00

We went to our ward trunk-or-treat last night plus two haunted houses (at a church member's house and at a co-worker's house). We had thought about trick or treating around the neighborhood once we were done but, the kids bags were so filled up with candy from the trunk-or-treat that we just decided to go home and watch some Halloween movies together. The kids had a great time. Since our cut off age for trick or treating is 12 years old, our 13 year old Connor decided to stay at the house and hand out candy there. I think he enjoyed having some alone time without all of his siblings around.

Afro

2008-10-28T23:19:00.002-07:00

Every year for Halloween Jon buys some kind of outrageous wig and dresses accordingly. We pulled out our Halloween box and the kids found his huge Afro wig from last year. Of course, they all just had to try it on. This is William taking a turn wearing it.

2008-10-28T23:14:00.001-07:00

This is a typical Connor face. This is his "I am annoyed face." We see it quite often.

Pumpkin Fun

2008-10-28T23:02:00.002-07:00

Our church had a pumpkin carving activity this past Saturday. So we decided to take the kids and go. We all had a great time although it did start to get a little chilly after a while. We were treated to hotdogs, rootbeer floats and lots of yummy snacks. Plus, we got to carve our pumpkins. Connor kind of separated himself from the rest of us and later hung out with some of the teenage boys his age. (sigh) I guess he is at the age where he doesn't want to be seen with his family. We've all been through. I just hope he gets through this stage quickly. Can you believe he's 13?

All in all it was a blast.

My New Blog

2008-10-24T14:08:00.002-07:00

Check out my new blog, My Digi Pages. I will be posting my digital layouts on here as I complete them. For now, you can view my slide show of past projects that I have done. Just click on the link under My Favorite Links on the right. Enjoy!

Family Fun Fair

2008-10-21T12:33:00.003-07:00

Our new stake here in Arizona puts on a family fun fair once a year for all of the families in the stake. I took Hayley, Andrew, William and Alison to the fair while Jon and the older boys were on a Boy Scout camp out. There was so much to do and eat. Cotton candy, homemade donuts, nachos, snow cones, chili, pies etc. There were games with prizes and some fun inflatable play things. We got a little sunburned but still had a blast. I just love that 80 plus degree Arizona fall weather!

Alison Walking

2008-10-21T12:24:00.002-07:00

I have been trying to get a good picture of Alison walking. This as good as it is going to get for now, I guess. She started walking about a month ago at 13 months old. I guess she takes after her "mama" because that's how old I was when I started walking too. She is such a little cutie and is at that fun learning toddler stage. She is picking up new words all the time; kitty, thank you, bye, ba (bottle), NO, ouch, and very distinctly ddddaaadddyyyyy! How fun!

The Playground

2008-10-09T11:36:00.003-07:00

I took the younger two to the park yesterday for playgroup. We had all been cooped up inside for a while homeschooling, working on house projects, etc. We really needed to get some fresh air and exercise. Colin came too. He is being homeschooled now so, he decided to bring some work with him while the kids were playing. We are looking to get him involved in some extracurricular actvities so he still has that social interaction he needs. He already is involved in scouts at church. His band teacher said that he could still participate in band if he wanted to, because technically we are still a part of the school district. He is thinking he might like to do that. He also wants to join a chess club and a Legobot club. The Legobot Club is where kids get together in teams and are given an assignment to build a Lego Robot that has to complete different tasks. They then compete against each other.

Fashion Show

2008-10-08T22:12:00.002-07:00

Hayley begged to use my camera because she had convinced her two little to do a fashion show with her. She dressed them up in costumes and laid out some of my exercise equipment for a runway. Then they started snapping shots and posing. I had to laugh at Andrew because he really got that male model pose down really well.

Our Mesa Trip

2008-10-08T21:44:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago Jon, my husband, was in a car accident. No one was seriously injured, but his car was totaled. It was the other driver's fault so, we patiently waited until our insurance company finally deposited the money we needed for a replacement car. It was a very long couple of weeks with only car between the 8 members of our very busy family. Luckily, our friend Matt Steele, was nice enough to give Jon rides to and from work, so that I could have the car during the day. I was also watching his daughter, so that was helpful to him as well.

Well, after the money came in we headed up to Mesa to look at a car that Jon had his eye on. We did not end up getting that particular car though. In fact, we had almost given up that day but, fortunately stumbled across one last area to look. We ended up buying a Navy Blue, 2002 Ford Mustang convertible and was able to pay cash for it. So, no car payments! WoooHooo! I tell everyone that it is Jon's mid life crisis car. The kids think it's awesome and are constantly begging their dad if they can ride in it with the top down. Of course, it is perfect weather here for that.

To top off our day, we stopped in to visit with some old friends, that now live near Mesa, Tim and Heidi Steele and their daughter Maritza. I wish I had taken some pictures there. The kids had fun looking at their goats, jumping on the trampoline and playing with their dogs.

I am headed up to Mesa again next week to take Connor on a Youth Temple Trip. I have never been to the Mesa Temple so, I am excited to go.

Adventures in Babysitting

2008-09-14T21:07:00.004-07:00

I have been babysitting a friend's daughter (Breanna) for the past three weeks while her school was under construction. She and her brother finally get to start tomorrow. But, it was fun having her with us. She and William got along really well and came up with some pretty creative "projects". Here they are building a house in my living room for the stuffed animals. In the mean time Alison entertained herself with a box.

Family Update

2008-09-07T22:25:00.004-07:00

A lot of things have been happening in our little house hold lately. First of all, Jon and I both have church callings. I am the Bear Cub den leader in Cub Scouts and Jon has just been called as the 11 year old scout leader and Primary Teacher. These callings will keep us both busy during the week and on Sundays for Jon. Lucky for us my group meets on Tuesdays and Jon's on Wednesdays, so the issue of child care will not be a problem.

Secondly, we are looking for a new car. Jon was in a car accident last week and his car has been declared a total loss. It was the other driver's fault but, the appraisal on our car will not give us enough to get another one without payments, which is what we want. So we have to layout all of our options and make a decision.

We have also decided to pull Colin out of school. Arizona has a public school home schooling program and we are working to get Colin set up with that. He is in such a small school right now, that some of the teachers were unable to accommodate Colin and his 504 plan in a way that we thought they should. He has been miserable this year, so we decided to finally pull him. As soon as we get the final approval from Arizona Virtual Academy, Colin will be taught at home. Hope fully, by the end of this coming week. It will definitely be challenging, but worth it in the long run.

Miss Curiosity

2008-09-04T13:30:00.003-07:00

I probably take more pictures of Alison than anyone else in my family. She is at such a fun and cute stage right now. Her little personality is starting to shine through. She is such as joy to have in our family.

First Day of School

2008-09-01T08:39:00.002-07:00

School Started on August 6 here. We live out in more of a rural area, so the schools are kind of small. There were not enough spots for all of my 4 school aged children to go together so, they had to be split up between 2 different schools. Connor and Andrew go to Coronado School and Colin and Hayley go to Valley View. School goes from k-8 grade here. Here is Andrew walking to the bus stop with his big brother Connor one of the first days of school. Andrew likes school a lot, but it is a long day for him. He leaves for the bus at 7:10 am and doesn't get home until after 4. One Friday he came home and said "Finally, I don't have to go to school tomorrow."

Alison's and Colin's Birthdays

2008-08-31T21:55:00.007-07:00

My baby girl has turned 1 year old. She is growing up way too fast. We decided to have a double birthday party for her and Colin, since both of them were born in August. We don't know that many people yet, so we invited our friends the Richardson's over for a BBQ and to sing Happy Birthday. They have 5 kids with one due in October. It was definitely a full house. Alison got a new toddler car seat and a walker that is shaped like a little dolly stroller. She loves it!! Colin got a new Nintendo DS (in blue), some games and lots of legos.

We decided to play it simple and do cupcakes instead of a big birthday cake. It worked out well for everyone since, we had such a large group. Alison really enjoyed her cup cake. If you couldn't tell!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-08-22T16:35:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted any pictures lately and I am sorry about that. We have been extremely busy getting kids settled in school, trying to figure out extracurricular activities schedules, closing on our house, making an unexpected trip out east, and much much more! Tomorrow we are celebrating Colin's and Alison's birthdays together. That should be a lot of fun and I know I will have plenty of pictures to share. Now that the house is officially ours, I can really start making it into my home. There are so many things that I want to do, I am not sure where to start. I am just glad that is finally over!! It took FOREVER to close.

More Apple Annie's

2008-08-02T21:06:00.002-07:00

Mmmm! Peaches!!

Asian Pears

Apple Annie's Orhcard

2008-08-02T20:52:00.003-07:00

Here comes the tractor to take us into the orchard

Here we go!!

What a hot day!

Today we went to Apple Annie's Orchard in Willcox, AZ with our friends Amy and Devon Britton and their son Landon. Jon and Devon were deployed together in Iraq in 2003. They moved to Arizona a couple of years ago and I guess we have followed behind them. Anyway, it was Peach Mania this weekend so, we were able to go and pick our own peaches as well as some asian pears. It was very hot though and the kids let us know about it. They did have fun finding some ripe fruit to pick and using that picking tool to get the high ones.

Tarantula!!!!!

2008-07-30T12:18:00.004-07:00

This is not a picture of our guy. I just wanted you to have a visual image. I do not have pictures of our "little" invader and I am glad to say that I did not have a personal encounter with it either (although I am sure it is just a matter of time). Jon was getting ready for work the other day and told me that when he went out to the garage he found a tarantula. He said he must have stepped on it earlier by accident because it was oozing slightly. But it was still alive, so he kicked it out of the garage and closed the door. It must have crawled away because when he went outside later it was gone. What a tough spider!!!

The Inside of Our House

2008-07-29T20:24:00.014-07:00

The main hallway. On the left there are a set of double doors, that is where the laundry area is. Beyond that on the left is the door to Andrew and William's Room. At the end of the hall you can see the door to Hayley and Alison's room. On the right the first door is the bathroom. The second door is our bedroom.

One of the many extra storage areas in our house

The dining area off of the kitchen

The Kitchen

The Living Room

Hallway off of the kitchen. On the left there is lots of extra storage cabinets. Also on the left is a big storage room with shelves. At the end on the right is Connor and Colin's room. At the very end where the door is, is the garage.

The Game/ Toy Room

The Study

View of the Study Bookshelves from our room

Our Bedroom

Connor and Colin's Room

Andrew and William's Room

Hayley and Alison's Room

Now keep in mind this is a work in progress. We are still in the midst of unpacking and organizing. We plan on doing a bit of updating inside the house and out. It was built in 1984 and in many places looks that way still. There are also 2 1/2 baths in the house and the laundry is located in a large closet in the hallway the three main bedrooms are in. But now you know the main layout of our house.

ARRGGHHHH!!!

2008-07-29T13:46:00.003-07:00

As soon as we close on our house which will be very soon, hopefully, one of the first things that I want to do is change the floors. There is wall to wall berber carpet in the house, to include the dining room. And, while berber is durable, I cannot stand to have carpet in my eating area. It's just not practical. I have to vacuum after every meal and if something falls (which it will) I have to spot clean right away, before the stain sets in. I want to put in laminate flooring. I found the one that I want. It's called Old Boston. It's very rustic looking, which I absolutely love. The question is do I just do the living room, dining room and hallway or do I do the bedrooms too? Jon thinks that we should do the bedrooms, maybe even the kitchen. But, how durable would it be in the kitchen? Decisions. decisions!!

Views of the Mountains from our House

2008-07-27T20:42:00.003-07:00

Our street on a cloudy day

Our New Life In Arizona

2008-07-27T20:29:00.002-07:00

OK, I am finally online again. There are still a few things that need to be set up still, like my email but I at least have some communications through my blog and on facebook. Here are a couple of pictures of our new house in Hereford, AZ. It's bigger than our last house at 2200 sq ft and it has tons of storage space, something that I have been desperately needing. The backyard is smaller than the one in NC but is beautifully landscaped. It even has a hot tub. But, it is not very kid friendly right now. That is something that will be changing really soon.
For those of you that did not know we were moving, Jon got orders to go to Fort Huachuca, AZ. We will be spending the last three years of his Army career here until retirement. Yeah army!!!

Fun at the Park

2008-06-27T20:34:00.002-07:00

We took the younger four to the park one afternoon. I think you can tell that they had loads of fun.

Tending Grandma's Flowers

2008-06-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

Andrew's Tooth

2008-06-27T20:21:00.002-07:00

Andrew lost his first tooth! The night we arrived at my parents house Andrew showed us that his tooth was wiggly. We told him that it was definitely loose and should come out soon. Well, he goes to the fridge, gets an apple and bites it. The next thing we know he is holding his tooth in his hand. Lucky Andrew was visited by two tooth fairies during the night. He was so excited when he looked under his pillow the next morning. He says he wants more tooth fairies to come.

Vacation Pictures

2008-06-27T20:18:00.002-07:00

I finally was able to get Jon to install my camera's software program into my laptop. So, I can finally upload some pictures of our vacation so far. There are way too many pictures to post so, I will just upload my favorites.

Moving Update

2008-06-26T21:31:00.002-07:00

I know I haven't posted any pictures or anything in a while. We are still on our great moving adventure. We have had such a fun time visiting with family and friends before we head out west. We will really miss everyone while we have to be away for our 3 years. I will be sure to post pictures as soon as we get settled in Arizona. I got a great new digital camera from my hubby for my birthday and am having a blast with it.
I expect we will start our caravan out to AZ this coming Tuesday or Wednesday. Until then we will continue to have fun with all of our family and friends out here on the east coast.

Alison Learning to Crawl

2008-05-01T10:18:00.002-07:00

Isn't she just the cutest little thing? (8 months old)

Cutting the Grass

2008-05-01T10:15:00.002-07:00

Hayley and Jon cutting the grass in our backyard. As you can see from the expression on her face she was having a blast with her dad. I am really going to miss our big backyard.

Alison and Ethan

2008-03-31T12:07:00.002-07:00

We volunteered to babysit our friends three kids last Thursday night while Heather (their mom) was teaching her birthing class. Jonathan is Hayley's age. Brennan is Andrew's age (and Andrew's best friend) and Ethan is Alison's age. Believe it or not Ethan is about a week and a half younger than Alison. She's just my petite little girl. We also babysat a six year old little girl (Emma). Needless to say our house was hopping with 10 kids that night, plus Hayley's friend Morgan spent the night too.

Oreo

2008-03-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our cat Oreo lounging about.

2008-03-27T07:30:00.002-07:00

Alison has been kind of fussy for a couple of days, so I was feeling around in her mouth just to check. And sure enough, I felt a little bump in the bottom of her mouth. She has her first tooth! Although, I am thrilled, it still makes me kind of sad. She is growing so fast and before you know it her baby years will be gone. And since, she is our last child (planned one anyway) all these first moments seem even more sentimental. And you just want to hold on to them. Do you know what I mean? On the other hand it is so much fun, to watch her grow and do things that she couldn't do before.

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-23T09:54:00.004-07:00

We took some pictures of our Easter egg hunt yesterday. We invited two other families over to eat dinner and do the hunt with us. Thirteen kids total!!! And that doesn't even count the neighbor kids that came over to help!! We had a blast though.

Sisters

2008-03-19T06:47:00.003-07:00

Alison loves her big sister Hayley, just as much as Hayley loves her little sister. Can't you just see the joy that they have?

March 18, 2008

2008-03-19T06:38:00.003-07:00

We took the younger kids to the mall to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. My friend Monica is working at the mall as the Easter Bunny this year. After a lot of coaxing and a ton of tries we finally were able to get everyone looking at the camera. I think they look pretty darn cute!!