Arizona Algers

Smarty Pants

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Quite a day for my smart kids :) Rachel was student of the month. Both girls made Dean's List and Blake mad Principal's Honor Roll...getting better grades than his sisters. I sure hope I can say that a few years down the line. And all 3 got perfect attendance (although I swear Rachel was absent one day) Rachel also had a great day with Battle of the Books - her partner actually read this time and they are 4th overall - just one point behind 3rd place. Once more battle to go and then it's on to district competition. Sure do love these kids and their school. Fantastic teachers. Blake's reading level went up again on his Star Testing - I can only imagine how he'd be doing if I read with him more. Usually when it is story time - I'm so done with Caleb and Blake and the craziness that I just want them in bed and don't read much to them. Maybe that should be my new year's resolution.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T22:41:00.001-08:00

Here we are Christmas Eve. Since Christmas was on Sunday, the kids wanted to get a picture in their jammies on Christmas Eve since they'd be all dressed up in the morning.
So we have had morning church only twice in the last 7 years. Both times it was 8:00 am and both times Christmas was on Sunday. We got the kids dressed upstairs, gave them some yogurt and made them head out the back door and around the side of the house. We even hung up a sheet blocking the view to the living room.Coming home from church and finally getting to see their presents.
Emily's new bike - blue of course.
Santa really did eat the cookies!!Caleb's number one request was Hot Wheels Sky Jump - and since my friend said it was the best toy ever, and that her boys play with it for hours, I was sure glad Santa brought one for Caleb. It is pretty cool.
Blake was really surprised to get a cool remote control monster truck. "I didn't even ask for this!!" The best part is the rechargeable battery.

The girls got tickets to Wicked. I hid them inside a piano book. They were so excited over just the piano music for Wicked, and then they about died when I asked them to look inside the front cover. Too fun! And since they can't go alone, Jon and I got tickets too. Merry Christmas to us :) If you look really close you'll notice my other Christmas present - that's right...the ugly blue and white striped sofas are gone and in their place are some lovely, neutral couches. I've been stashing money aside - here a little, there a little and then we had a garage sale at one of the houses we look after and finally we were able to purchase new couches. I love them :) Once I recover the polka dot pillows, I will love them too. We also headed out to San Diego for a few days after Christmas and enjoyed family, food and fantastic weather. Left my camera at home though.

Proud Mom!

2012-01-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

On Friday Rachel brought home a letter saying she'd been chosen to be in the Combs District Elementary School Honor Band. Out of the 6 percussionists, she was the only one chosen. The top kids from each school were picked and they get to work on more advanced stuff at the high school every week and will get coaching from the nationally recognized high school band teacher. Way to go RACHEL!!!

Weird Weather

2011-12-15T08:11:00.001-08:00

We have had some really COLD weather for December - freezing temps at night and frost. The last storm that passed brought 2 inches of rain. The rain provided an excellent way of finding out that Blake's tennis shoes had a small hole in the bottom. He had to wear his church shoes to school the next 2 days beofre we could get to the store. I promised him no one would even notice as they are a little bit more on the sporty side for a Sunday shoe. Thanks Connor for making me a liar :)ABOVE: The view from my bedroom yesterday morning. BELOW: The view this morning. Fog?? In AZ?? Cool!!

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-15T07:43:00.001-08:00

Figured I better get something on here in December. It has been a crazy month!. This year each kid got to make their own gingerbread house. Usually we do just 1 or 2, but I got these last year on clearance for $2/each. I actually bought 6 but was too tired to do my own. And there is still one sitting on my counter in its box. It was the best activity. Since they each had their own, they had a blast and there was no fighting. And because I thought (at the beginning of the night) that I would be making my own, I didn't worry about trying to make them look pretty.Jon tried to crash Emily's picture, but she wanted a solo shot.
Caleb is so funny. Whenever he plays he always has to have stuff symmetrical or matching. It was the same thing with he house. He had a complex design, but both sides matched exactly. And when he eats the candy off, he has to take one from both side so that they will still be the same.

Other October Happenings

2011-11-14T09:05:00.001-08:00

Over fall break we went camping with a few families in our ward. It was so much fun to get away and hang out with some friends. Rachel was very excited that a certain young man would be there, even if he did play more football than hanging out with her :) The only downside was that it was COLD at night - 37 degrees! Everyone else had RV's to stay in, and the other family that had a tent like us, crowded into an RV the 2nd night. That first night had to be one of the longest nights ever! Emily was moaning in her sleep from the cold. You could feel the cold seeping in from underneath. I was climbing around at 2:00 in the morning putting on their hoodies. Jon and I scrambled for towels and extra blankets. And the whole time I was thinking about the pioneers in 17 Miracles thinking, They would have killed to be in the situation I was in. The next night was much better - more layers for sleeping and extra blankets and sleeping bags borrowed from others.Emily and her buddy KierstenCaleb's preschool class had a party at our house for Halloween. The kids were really excited and had a great time. We played hot pumpkin, plinko, pin the tie on dracula. They also made a spooky smile with apples and marshmallow teeth and a skeleton out of Q-tips Caleb's favorite activity was trying to eat the donut off the string. He started out so excited and then started to giggle once he realized it was a bit of a trick.Carving the pumpkin - no picture of the finished product though!
Eyeball on a fork treats fro Rachel's class. The other kids were both having parties, but not Rachel's class. Since I was teaching art that day, I decided to bring some spooky treats along.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

Last year after Halloween, I picked up about 6-7 costumes on clearance for about $3 bucks each. I thought I was good to go this year. The boys have been wearing their costumes all year - Captain America, Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee and more. Jon laughs as there is a new superhero each day to greet him. I got a Wonder Woman, witch and a flapper costume for the girls. As you can see none of those costume appeared during the 4 day Halloween celebration. The boys decided to be Zombies - which worked well with some old stained or ripped clothes. I even took Caleb's pants out of the trash - they didn't survive our camping trip well and I decided to toss them. Emily decided she had to be a vampire and agreed to pay for most of her costume. They all looked great and had a great time at the school's Book or Treat, the neighborhood HOA party, the ward Trunk or Treat and then again on Halloween. I love trick or treating in AZ with the gorgeous weather. No coats, not even a long sleeve shirt underneath to keep warm. The kids are glad that I"m doing a healthy habits challenge this year and I won't be raiding their stash!

I loved our door this year. I made a giant monster out of butcher paper and the haunted house picture was from an art lesson I did with Rachel's class. I always did the lesson with my 5th graders so it was fun to go in with her class.
Rachel with Keaton at the ward Trunk or treat - the little kids kept chasing them both trying to eat them.

Honesty

2011-10-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had parent teacher conferences. All the kids are doing so great! Rachel is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to 5th grade (emotionally - her grades a rs still good!) It's nice to hear good things about your kids! Blake's teacher was showing me some sample of his work and when she pulled out his writing, she got all excited. I read it and we both had a good laugh. "

It reads, "My mom and dad went to Montana to get away from us. They had fun and they went hiking. I don't remember specifically telling the kids that was the reason we were going on a vacation was to get away from them, but I guess that was the message we sent. :) I wonder what other family secrets have been revealed?? He actually wrote 3 pages about all the stuff Jon and I did on vacation - 3 pages! I'm just glad he finally wrote about something other than the Wii

Emily's Baptism and Birthday

2011-10-11T21:01:00.001-07:00

Emily with her dad

Our whole family on Emily's special day! Since there were 4 other baptisms, our family was assigned the prayers. Emily chose Aunt Kathy and Rachel, who gave the sweetest closing prayer and touched our hearts.

Emily and our neighbor and friend Jordyn. They have been looking forward to this day for a while. We had 2 other boys from our ward get baptized today as well.

Since we had a lot of family in town, we also celebrated my dad's 81st b-day. I made a 2 sided cake, chocolate for dad and blue with purple flowers on the other. It was a bit of a rush job, but Emily was happy to celebrate with grandpa.

Happy to finally have her own scriptures!

Emily wanted a luau themed party. She had a few friends over for pizza and rainbow fruit kabobs and then swimming at the pool. We didn't reserve a table - so it was $1/kid. Since it was the end of September the place was almost empty - no lines for the water slides or lazy river. The kids had a blast and all got along so well, not leaving anyone out. It was really quite perfect!

Super Long Vacation Post - but worth it :)

2011-09-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Jon and I went away on vacation...Just the two of us. The only other time we've done so was a trip up to Utah for his Grandma's funeral. We went to Glacier National Park in Montana. We flew to Missoula form the little Mesa/Gateway airport for about $120 round trip. Not bad!! We then drove to Kalispell where Jon served 9 months of his mission. It was beautiful county and the weather was gorgeous.

GLACIER: How much gorgeous scenery can there be in one place? We drove the Going to the Sun Road - best way to see everything. Lots of turn outs with amazing views, rivers, waterfalls, sheer drop offs. We did three different hikes (about 12 miles over 2 days and I was dead - my legs were jell-o!) Logan's Pass to Hidden Lake.

Amazing scenery with the mountains.

There are some serious hikers up here with all their fancy gear and me - 20 years younger trying to keep up! St Mary's Falls - beautiful trail and amazing turquoise waterfall.

Avalanche Gorge and Lake -

My favorite hike, even though it was the longest. Because we were there later in the summer, the water levels were low and you could see all of the rocks under the falls and how they've been carved out for hundreds of years.

ANIMALS: We saw 3 black bears (one was in town and like the tourists we were, we pulled into the passing lane with others to stop and take pictures as it headed up toward some houses), ROUS's - They are called Marmots - GIANT gopher like things - ugly!!, Mountain goats, and a deer about 10 feet away that just crossed right in front of our path! Couldn't have cared at all that we were there.

FOOD: One word...Huckleberries!! Like blueberries, but better. We had huckleberry shakes, and pie,and cobbler YUM!!!! We also tried elk burgers- because we were in MT and Jon had talked about having it on his mission. Not too bad. We also had fantastic lunch in Big Fork, MT

Other HAPPENINGS: I read a book - uninterrupted!! In Whitefish we went up a ski lift and had amazing views of the whole valley and then went down an Alpine Slide - very cool. We went to a 9:00 movie on a Wednesday night - Cowboys -vs-Aliens. Toured Jon's mission stomping grounds - like the tiniest house ever that Jon and his comp lived in. So small they had to break mission rules and sleep in separate bedrooms because 2 beds couldn't fit in 1 room. Explored art galleries and got a crusty look from one of the proprietor when her glassware rattled as we walked by. I swear we weren't stomping! Wore sweatshirts and long pants!

The worst part of the trip was the stupid TSA that threw away my souvenirs. That's right - I was going to take down the plane with my huckleberry jam, but they thwarted my evil plan. What is annoying is just past the check point they sell the exact same stuff that I had thrown in to the garbage. Obviously I was tired at the end of the trip because it made me cry. It was like I was post-partum - crying over jam. Silly I know. Guess we should have purchased the small jars.

I was surprised at how shocked some people are when they hear we haven't gone away - like they can't believe our marriage hasn't crumbled to dust. I have several friends who are like us, maybe gone away one or twice. Now that kids are getting older it seem like it is something we'll be able to do a little more often than once every 11 years. :) Truth is though - if I'm going to be spending $700 (or more) I like going on vacations with the kids too. I want them to see and experience new things. Or I may want new furniture instead of a week away. And we can't do it all. Glad Jon and I can have fun together just about anywhere, even if we don't have to take a plane to get there!

Political Aspirations

2011-09-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Both of my girls wanted to run for student council this year. Rachel wanted to run for historian...again and Emily decided on Treasurer. Next year we will do Secretary as no one ran for that! Rachel went against like 12 other kids. Emily said going in... I know I probably won't win since I'm a 3rd grader, but it will still be fun. I kind of hope Chesley wins (a friend of Rachel's) since he's a 5th grader and it's his last chance. Well... Emily got her wish. Now both are hoping to be room reps. I am proud of both of them for getting up in front of the school to deliver a speech! Much braver than their mama. And.. they did have cute posters!

Eight is Great

2011-09-17T00:31:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this little one is eight!! Emily is such a sweetheart but has a lot of spunk. Tomorrow is her birthday and she gets to be baptized on the same day. She is beyond excited. She has a sweet testimony and I love when she explains the gospel to Blake or Caleb. She cracks me up and has a quick sense of humor. She and Blake were sitting on my bed tonight and I said , "Well Emily - only a few more hours before you're accountable. What do you want to do?" she turned and punched Blake (not too hard) but she quite enjoyed it! She has a stubborn streak in her, but is tender hearted. When Jon and I went out of town last week, she was the one that cried - which surprised us all. I am so proud of her for getting up in front of the whole school to give her campaign speech (even if she didn't win). Can't wait for your special day tomorrow. LOVE YOU Emily!!An old favorite - Emily at 2 1/2

First Day of School

2011-08-17T14:32:00.001-07:00

Emily, 3rd Grade, Rachel, 5th grade, and Blake in 1stSchool has started again (well a week and a half ago.) Most of all I can't believe I have a 5th grader. I taught 5th grade and I can't believe my girl is the same age. I LOVE the first day of school. I love seeing all the kids decked out in their favorite new outfit. I LOVE all the kids walking to school. And I love the teachers we have this year. And I LOVE our school. Are there some things I would change? Of course. That's my nature - I'd want to "fix" things no matter what school or class my kids were in. But it is a fantastic school. The teachers work hard and my kids are challenged. They are constantly in touch with me about how my kids are doing in class. Rachel got "exceeds the standards" in all the areas on the AIMS testing (and that really was her teachers, not me!) She's been in public school for 6 years and still thinks the "s" word is stupid. The school has a great band/orchestra program, better than any school I've taught at. You'll have to excuse my soapbox, and this wasn't meant to offend those that choose to go elsewhere, but the lack of any respect gets a little old.
Caleb's first day of pre-school. That first week of school was the longest ever! "Mom, what I can do?" was something I heard all day. I also get lots of random questions like...What would happen if there was hot lava on cookies? He was so excited to go to school like the big kids. We are swapping with 7 of his other friends in the neighborhood. My turn is coming soon - Letter C, here we come.

San Diego Part 2 Other Stuff

2011-08-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

I love our trips to San Diego. I feel so lucky to have grown up there. It is such a fun place with so much to do and fabulous weather. Of course my kids just love being at Aunt Kathy's. Caleb tells me all the time that he wants to live there forever. This time they had 3 baby chicks hatch, and they had just purchased 2 baby ducks and 2 baby geese. So cute!! (Sadly one was killed by a wild cat after we came home - Rachel is still getting over it!)Presido Park with the Mormon Battalion statue.
One of the things we did this trip was the Mormon Battalion Visitor's center. I was so impressed. It sure is a LOT better than when I went as a kids. It's very interactive. The boys jumped when the framed pictures on the wall started talking. They got to pan for gold and Emily and Blake got to dress up as members of the Battalion.Another fun family event - that expanded my family. This is a picture of my Aunt Lass - my bio-dad's sister. I knew that she was a temple worker, and that she lived in my brother's stake. He got her address for me and I wasn't sure if I should contact her or not. Kind of got the impression from my bio-dad that he wouldn't want me to. But then my sister saw her in the temple and knew immediately who it was. She called me from the parking lot and said, "You've got to contact her." So I did, and I'm so glad! It was a bit of a shock to get my letter, but she and her cousin were so sweet. They were great with the kids and it was fun to learn a little more about my family tree.We went to Cruisin Grand with my sister and brother. It's in an old part of town and everyone brings out their old cars. The boys thought it was awesome!! The oldest car we found was a 1929 truck (I'm sure the guy would be sad that that's all I can say about it...a truck.) The kids thought it was cool that the truck was 1 year older than grandpa. The owner even let the kids sit in the back. Most cars you weren't even allowed to breath on. We stopped in to a little French cafe and got dessert. Such a fun night.

San Diego Part 1 Legoland

2011-08-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we heard that Legoland was free the last hour of the day. We went and found out it was true!! WE went on a couple of rides and then when the park closed, we had about an hour left to walk around and see the miniature stuff made of Legos. So while camping down the road at the beach, we decided to go again...telling the kids that we'd see if we could get in. Well - they've changed their policies. (And I've changed my old blog post so no one else will go expecting to get in) So almost taking our kids to Legoland gave Jon and I the meanest parents ever award. "Hey kids, let's go to Legoland." "We're almost there...doesn't it look fun." "OK, everyone back in the car." There was weeping and wailing and some teeth gnashed as well.Several days later, back at my sister's and finding some 'kids get in free w/adult' we redeemed ourselves and went. Best thing about Legoland: It is pretty much teen-ager free!! Other best thing: Our kids were the perfect age to go, well if Caleb had been 2 inches taller, it would have been perfect. But the kids are all really into Legos the last 6 months and Lego Star Wars (Blake is obsessed!) They just opened a mini-village of all the Star Wars movies and he LOVED it. Most Embarrassing Part: When Blake dropped his flip-flop into a fenced in area while waiting in line for the dinosaur roller coaster. Jon decided to quickly jump over the 5 foot high fence (you know to keep people from being under the roller coaster). He was over and back in line in about 15 seconds. Right after he jumped over, the ride stopped. The worker kept looking at us as everyone waited. After about 10 minutes, we decided to leave the line and go elsewhere.
Me with Harrison Ford. It really did look just like him! So we've been to Legoland - don't know that we ever need to go again. Feel like we pretty much saw or did everything we needed to do...unless they make it free again :)

Blast to my past

2011-08-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Our first Sunday in San Diego I went to visit my old home ward. I don't think I've been back for about 20 years. I almost expected Al and Francis Clark to be there in their jet-black dyed hair to greet me. There were old when I was a kid, so they've been gone for a long time. I thought their job was to guard the door. I was told that they would only let me go out once during church. I was just as pleased to see some parents of kids that I grew up with, now older themselves, taking the place of the Clarks. Grossmont ward was a great place to grow up. Back before ward building funds (and building codes???),the ward members built much of that building. I remember going down and sanding the benches and doing jobs to buy a brick - $1.00. It bonded our ward like no other I've seen. It seemed strange to me that the inside was no longer green, bright green!
My kids got to go to Primary in my old (back then Jr. Sunday School) room. Clear memories of having the sacrament in there during Sunday School and being picked to hold the "velvet rose" when learning Heavenly Father Loves Me. This time it was Caleb's birthday and his turn to be up in front. Memories of our Always the Best in the Stake Roadshows as I peeked into the cultural hall. After church we drove by the 2 houses that I lived in growing up in that ward. I was hoping the people inside (that I could see walking around) wouldn't think I was weird, but secretly hoping they'd come out and ask me to take a tour. (Is the one kitchen still orange and brown?) Lots more memories...too many... flooded me as I stood there with my kids.
Both homes looked nice, especially the older one - in fact, it looked better. But my mom's ferns from the 1970's in the brick planter (now HUGE) and her roses at the other home are still there, and that makes me happy.

Caleb turns 4!!

2011-08-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Can't believe this sweet boy is already 4 years old. He has been such a joy to our family. He has the best sense of humor and loves the attention he gets from his brothers and sisters. He will do almost anything for a laugh. People always comment about his wonderful deep and raspy voice. I love his dark brown chocolate eyes with the longest of lashes! Every night as I tuck him in he asks, "Where are we going tonight?" meaning what are we doing tomorrow. One of his favorite expressions is "I can't know how." usually said when he doesn't want to clean up.
Edible Lego men! YUM!
He's a smart little booger - thanks to the temperature gauge in our car, he can recognize numbers up to 118! He once knew almost all the states (but has forgotten a lot). He loves to keep up with Blake and his sisters and gets sad when he can't. "Mom, what I can do?" Getting a big cheesy grin and a hug from that boy is the best way to start off my day!

Old fashioned good time

2011-07-31T22:07:00.001-07:00

Today the kids got to experience one of Jon's favorite childhood memories - playing in the irrigation. We timed our arrival perfectly for Grandpa's turn for irrigation. Then we set them free in a 2 acre playland of water fun. They had a blast! It was the first time they've been able to go out and play in it. They were running and splashing , doing belly flops, having races. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and played games with Grandma and Grandpa. I think it was my favorite visit we've had out there!Flip flop races

Happy Birthday Rachel!!!

2011-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my oldest is 10!! Where has the time gone?? It is a really fun age - still young at heart but really starting to grow up. So here's 10 things I love about my sweet Rachel.
1. Her enthusiasm - she is always excited to try new things and plan a party
2. Her testimony - she has always, always loved the gospel and scripture stories. She has a strong moral compass which makes me not worry as much.
3. Her willingness to help - she can always help me out
4. Her love of animals - we are not a "green" family but this girl loves animals and nature
5. Her ability to see the good in others - even when her friend stole several items from her and wore ALL of them to school the next day she still didn't want to believe it was true.
6. Her optimism - she is sure we will win every contest, that she is really a good singer, that there will be something in the mail for her
7. Her innocence - she doesn't care what she is wearing and isn't into fashion, she doesn't know how to text (and doesn't really want to) - she enjoys being a kid
8. Her determination - She was dead set on reaching her AR goal at school all 4 quarters. One quarter she stayed up past 11:00 and got up at 6:00 in order to do so. The last quarter she got nailed with the stomach flu. Even though she was absent, she went in to the library on the last day to take her test.
9. Her courage - I couldn't believe how brave she was giving her Student council speech last year, getting the whole crowd to cheer her name. I would have died as a kid, but not her!
10. That she's mine!Rachel helped decorate her own cake this year - as you can see we went with a 4th of July theme which was really fun! I had thought of doing a surprise party but she kept trying to plan a patriotic party, so I let her in on the plans and she had way more fun planning than she would have being surprised. The invitations were delivered in a bundle and then had to be put together like a puzzle to get the party info. She had a great time helping me make these
We did red, white and blue broken glass Jell-O and white chocolate covered strawberries. YUM!
Other party food...Rocket Dogs, star shaped watermelon and Sprite with red and blue gatorade ice cubes. Each of the girls got a cute hat, and we decorated flip flops with ribbon and patriotic fabric and painted their toes to look like flags. So cute. Thanks Family Fun for all the ideas!Don't think it would be a birthday picture without Mayley!
On her actual birthday she went out to lunch with Grandma Capelo. Then we went out to Grandma and Grandpa Alger's house - more pictures to come of that fun day. We had a great time playing games, she opened her presents and got to blow out one more candle on her cupcakes.

Cake Stress

2011-06-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

I love making my kids fancy birthday cakes, even though I am usually running around a little crazy the day of trying to finish. A few weeks ago Emily's teacher put out a call on Facebook for someone to do her daughter's b-day cake. Someone suggested our friend Chantel. I suggested 2 talented ladies in my ward. When I was at school the next day, Mrs. Nelson came up to me and said, "Um, Chantel said YOU make cakes." True, but I've not done one for someone that I didn't give birth too. When finding out that all three of the other options were unavailable, I decided to take on the challenge. My rules...No pink, preferably jewel tones and incorporate a clownfish somewhere.
And so I went to work - shopping and baking. A slight change of plans came 2 days before when she e-mailed to say that unknown to her , her daughter's favorite color was red. And I did a little more shopping. My 2 friends helped coach me through the whole thing and lent me supplies, like more red fondant. Couldn't have done it without them. We had a few challenges along the way. Cutting out those letters took me forever! We had some cracking - strategically covered by stripes and polka dots. The bow on top gave me fits. It looks ok from the front, but it is a mess if you are looking down at it. My royal icing didn't dry fast enough and I had tissue balls propping it up until we rang the doorbell. The clownfish...Her nickname is Nemo. I tried sculpting a 3-D version to hang on some swirly wires coming out the top. I can't sculpt, plus it looked like Nemo had been hooked. A flat version seemed to work best. Also - it turned out a little circus-y, not by intention, but when you add the red in, well...
Mrs. Nelson LOVED it and was clapping - I think she may have even jumped up and down a little. Nicole - well hard to read, but I've never seen much emotion from her when we've been at the school. She said she loved it too.
Rachel thinks I should start a business. I'm thinking our family can't handle the crazy woman that I was this week. Perhaps 4 b-day cakes a year for the cutest kids I know will have to cut it for now.

School's Out for Summer

2011-05-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

He did it!! Can't believe he's getting so big. He really has done well this year. I was a little worried about behavior because he can be a little wild at times, but he did great!
Rachel dressed up as John McCain for 4th grades Famous Arizonans Museum. She did a great job, even if my wig making skills aren't that great. It brought back lots of memories from when my own students dressed up. There were some great costumes among the class!!
Rachel and Ms. Dallago - couldn't have been more pleased with her this year - such a quiet demeanor. The last day of school the kids played 4th Grade Survivor. They were divided into teams and had different challenges that tested what they had learned this year. They even had team buffs and the kids got to sign them. Such a fun last day idea. Mrs. Nelson and Emily. Emily cried before school and after at the thought of leaving Mrs. Nelson and her friends. It has been a great year for her. I'll be seeing Mrs. Nelson soon as I agreed to take my first cake paying job for her daughter's 16th b-day. Wish me luck! Blake and Ms Lin - Can't believe she's not coming back next year - a fantastic teacher!!! To finish off the last week of school, we had AR parties, Volunteer appreciation lunch, field day, Famous AZ Museum, Survivor and Kinder graduation. The teachers invited me to attend their end of the year pot luck and showered me with several gift cards for helping them this year. I love our school. BUT, the best part of the week had to be attending the baptism of Chris Lineberry who left Harmon this last year after being the principal for 3 years. It was such an amazing experience to see him get baptized. So happy for him and his family!
Really the icing on the cake for a wonderful last week of school. Happy Summer!

Piano and Birthday

2011-05-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

The girls with their piano teacher Charai. They had their recital and they did a fantastic job. Have to say I'm glad that I won't have to hear Spanish Moss or Turkish March for a while. Emily has only been playing for 5 months and really worked hard to learn her songs. What talented young ladies I have!!
Happy Birthday Jon!!! He looks happy now, but 24 hours later he was SICK!!! It has hopped through our famiy and so far - I've been spared. I'm so glad I got through this week. For his b-day/anniversary we are going to take a trip to Montana. It isn't until September, but I am SO excited to go away with my hubby!

A Brilliant Solution

2011-05-13T13:18:00.001-07:00

We finally have swings on our swing set again. I love it. The kids go out and play in the early evening, usually while I'm making dinner :) Problem is, since we haven't had swings in forever, Caleb does not know how to swing himself. He constantly whines for someone to push him. Rachel came up with a fantastic solution. She hooked Duchess's leashes to his swing and them pulls him back and forth while she swings. No more standing around pushing her little brother while he gets all the fun. Her fancy contraption allows 2 kids to swing successfully at the same time. Way to go Rachel!

Baseball 2011

2011-05-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

My kids all wanted to do sports this spring - that's about $300. Yikes!! You hate to pay that kind of money and find out they don't like the sport that's been chosen. Then my friend told me that they were doing a neighborhood league and it was only $24/kid. YEAH!!! It is in a less competitive format, which is perfect since Blake and Emily had never played baseball before. Rachel really wanted to do softball again ($100!) plus the league she was in before would be challenging at this point. The girls would have 4-5 years experience and it's team pitch, not coach pitch. This has been the perfect solution for us. Jon has coached the girls team and Blake has 2 friends on his. Today is the last game and Jon and Blake are somewhere in a tent...that means I'll be "coaching" today. I hope one of the other dad's feels like pitching. Wish me luck!

Bargain!!

2011-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

The company we use for our book fairs is great. She even remembered my name when I showed up. So they were having their end of the school year clearance. I took the girls (and Caleb, who was supposed to be on the Fathers and Sons campout, but had an ear infection) and we picked up a little summer reading. I almost didn't make it. I didn't realize it would take me as long to get there, and almost turned back 2 or 3 times. I arrived at 4:58 pm! All the books were 50%. In addition they sent me a 20% off coupon. The best part was that after she saw me with a few books in hand, she told me about the free book room, where I was able to choose $25 worth. We got $112 worth of books for $40 ...Not too bad!!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful day - Jon had no meetings, which was a nice bonus. The kids played nicely, we had church music on and Easter videos. It really helped set the tone in our house. The did get up early to see what the Easter bunny had brought, but not too early. Church was lovely and I loved hearing the kids sing about the Savior. I think I enjoy the spirit more in Primary now that I get to sit and enjoy it rather than having to be in charge. We finished up the day with yummy food with my 2 cousins and their families. Their oldest daughters had created a jeopardy game all about the atonement, and I even learned some things. The cousins all had an egg hunt and a talent show. So much fun!

Easter eggs dyed with Kool-aid.

Grandpa Turned 70

2011-04-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

Jon's dad turned 70 on April 2nd, which was conference weekend, so the family got together on April Fool's day. It was really fun to get together. Everyone in the family sent in a memory or two of dad which we shared with the whole group. It was so wonderful to listen to some of the stories - some made us laugh and some brought tears. The common theme through out it all was Dad's love of his family, the gospel and hard work. He has given his children and grandchildren a wonderful legacy.Sharing stories about Dad
Rachel and her cousin Sarah.
My spaghetti and meatball cupcakes for April Fools.

Blake turns SIX

2011-03-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

SIX - already??? Almost done with Kinder. As tall as his sisters were at seven. Starting to read. Growing up SO fast. He is such a fun boy. His current obsession...STAR WARS. Anything to do with Star Wars, especially Lego Star Wars. I love watching him fighting the dark side out in the back yard with multiple light "savers" (one day we'll get the 'B' sound in there). I would love to know what's going on in his mind as he's out there defending us from 'Dark' Vader. Second obsession... Mario Brothers. We went back and forth, almost daily as to make a STar Wars themed cake of a Mario cake. (I compromised and did a Mario cake with a Star Wars table cloth.) Favorite TV show ...Wipeout, often reenacted on my couches. Glad that he still likes to snuggle and needs his mom...

Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes - his favorite place. No giant cookie like last year, but they did give him his own bag of chocolate chip cookies.

Wipeout - the Wii version. Quite a motivator for getting homework done and cleaning his room!New red light saber - now he can battle for the dark side.Blake on his Kinder fieldtrip. So much fun to go with him. He loved the T-REx.

Spring Break 2011

2011-03-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

This was probably the most layed back (boring) Spring Break we've ever had. The kids kept asking, "What are we doing for Spring Break?" The answer, "This is pretty much it." Jon and I got the garage organized and our front yard looks great, and the back looks better. Don't know why the kids didn't think that was fun. We did go out to Jon's parents one day. The kids have a great time there playing outside and going on the big tree swing. Our one big activity was swimming at my parents. You can tell we are spoiled because the boys kept getting out saying they were cold. The air temperature....86. The water... only 80. Amazing they didn't freeze :) A few days later the temp in the afternoon was 48 - so it was nice to have a little bit of summer during our vacation.Caleb has not lost any of his love for the water. He jumped back in literally like he'd been swimming last week rather than last September. And yes, we do feed him!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss and Rachel

2011-03-03T07:42:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss's birthday. And it's being celebrated all week at school. So much fun. Rachel has a summer birthday and feels bad that she never gets to bring in treats to share with her class. So I decided to ask her teacher if we could bring in treats for Dr. Seuss's b-day instead.The kids were pretty excited when I walked in with the giant Green Eggs and Ham cake. Ms. Dallago (who is fantastic and I'm stealing several of her ideas if I ever go back to teaching) had Rachel come up and the class sang to her. She was a little shy as she said she's just not used to having that happen.

It was really fun to be able to do that for Rachel's class, except for Ethan who I wanted to staple to his chair - really kiddo - sit down and keep your comments to yourself.

Random February

2011-02-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Of course the big event was Valentine's Day. We did homemade Valentine's this year for the class party and they turned out so cute. The kids were so excited to take them to school!
The kids were also beyond excited the moment Jon pulled out the heart shaped candy filled boxes.
Blake made a special valentine just for Emily at school. She was thrilled that he made it just for her. It said "I like playing Lego Wii with Emily."This is me freezing at 11 Year old Scout Camp. It was about 35 that morning. I was so cold I even borrowed and was willing to wear an ASU beanie. Fun day with my Primary friends! Even better when the sun came up and took a little of the chill off.Big project of the last week was organizing the pantry - it was such a mess and now it is so nice. I redid our food storage closet in the other room and finally have everything put away. It just makes me happy.

Father Daughter Dance 2011

2011-02-09T11:37:00.001-08:00

This is the one event at school that my girls look forward to the most. They have such a fun time dressing up and getting all that attention from dad. And Jon is always a great sport! Since I'm PTSO pres. this year, I went to the dance and helped decorate and manned the refreshment table. Rachel was a little worried about me crashing her night with dad. I promised to stay out of the way :) I was so glad I got to go (despite the fact that my offer to help got me accused of taking over the event). It was so fun to see, not only my girls, but all these cute girls in their fancy dresses feeling so grown up.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-02-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

There is a reason that I live in the desert. I really don't like the cold. But I have to admit it's kind of fun when it only lasts for a few days - We'll be back in the 70's this weekend. My kids walked out the door to go to school,triple layered in jackets for the 5 minute walk, when I heard shouts of "AWESOME!!!!" I poked my head out to see what would cause such excitement and saw this... Yes, due to a broken dripper, we indeed had icicles in AZ! And even though I warned him not to walk on the wet driveway, Blake slipped and fell on the ice patch. The dog's water dish was frozen over as well. Now that is something you don't see everyday.

They say it's my birthday

2011-01-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here's what happens when 4 kids have had fevers and been confined upstairs for 4 days!Puzzles, books, Barbies, blankets, pillows, drinks, games and lots of TV - Not exactly they way I thought I'd spend my birthday! On the plus side, my downstairs looks fantastic!

Sunbeam!!

2011-01-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Caleb is a Sunbeam!! Wow, my baby is no longer in nursery, much to his chagrin. He has protested for several weeks, going back and forth between excitement and refusal. His determination to remain in nursery got even stronger when we sat across the aisle from his beloved nursery teacher. Most of his buddies are in the other Primary class which makes it even harder to go, but Bro Fair gave him high fives, and Sis Fair scooped him up and he sat on her lap. When I picked him up from class he was as happy as could be and very proud of his new hat he'd colored.
When I picked up Blake from his class, his teacher said that upon entering the classroom, he announced, "Hey, it looks like Utah." As I looked around, I realized he was right. His classroom is 108 - highlighted in green. Clearly it is the state of Utah - I just can't believe he saw that from his perspective walking into the room. Can we say smart??? Not to be out done, Caleb was eating a cracker the other day and held it up and told me, "Look mom, it's Oklahoma." Yes my boys are a little obsessed with the states.

A MeWii Christmas

2011-01-02T07:14:00.003-08:00

Santa was super cool this year and the kids (and Jon)finally got a Wii. He was also super smart and brought 4 controllers. The kids have had a ton of fun and not to many fights over it, so so far so good! The best is watching them all dance and if mom or dad want to play, we just give Caleb a nunchuck and he thinks he's playing. The dancing is seriously a workout, and I still giggle when I picture dancing to Selena Gomez Christmas morning with my 25 year old nephew. Who knew Jakob had such great moves. :)

December happenings

2010-12-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great time at the ward Christmas party - decorating cookies and a frame, and of course visiting the big guy himself. Jon had the kids prepped to all ask for the same thing...a Wii. Emily was the only one that remembered. I hope she shares!
Have you ever seen anyone so excited to see Santa - I LOVE his smile!

Wouldn't be Christmas without gingerbread houses :) This year we divided into a boys and a girls team. My niece found Christmas light candies that I'm going to have to track down for next year. It's a year away and I'm already planning!
Blake all dressed up for his kinder program. His class sang Frosty the Snowman, but Jon liked the Rudolph song better. All the kids noses kept flying off and they were running around the stage to get them :)
Gorgeous AZ sunset looiing down our street.
Duchess has got to be the most patient dog in the world. Just sitting there while Blake tied her up and Caleb stripped down and decorated her with his pants. We are still adjusting a bit to having a pet, but she is a good dog! I sent this photo to my brother in law, who gave us Duchess and said that she was so lonely and would love all the attention the kids would give her.

A Duchess for Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

This year my kids are most grateful for a new dog. A few weeks ago my BIL Jay suggested we take their dog. All their kids are out of the house, the dog is sad and lonely and would love to have 4 little kids climb all over her. Duchess doesn't bark or dig, she'd be the perfect starter dog. Or so the sales pitch went. I bought it, Jon not so much. We wanted it to be a surprise. They showed up the night before T-giving (from Kansas) with Duchess, who had a big bow around her neck. The kids were screaming, just thinking they had brought her to visit, never imagining that she was staying. When they heard that news, they went crazy. They must have asked 20 times, "So we are really keeping her? She's really ours?" So we have ventured into the world of dog ownership. Rachel said she doesn't need anything else for Christmas, but I'm guessing she'll change her mind. Welcome to the family Duchess.

We went to my in-laws in Peoria for dinner. We laugh when people say they have a big crowd for Thanksgiving - we had 45! It was a little bit cool outside, but so much fun. The kids love the bouncer each year and getting to run around with all their many cousins.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween has turned into a 4 day event!!! A little crazy. Halloween night #1 was the Book-or-Treat at the school. The kids had to dress up like a book character and each grade level had a teacher dressed up who read to the kids. They then had a small project or craft for them to do. After they got to go trick-or-treating around the school. Really fun but a bit crazy as it was just me with 4 kids.
Blake as Spiderman, Rachel was a pirate from one of her favorite series - Pirate School. Emily was Fancy Nancy and Caleb was Lightning McQueen.
Halloween night #2 was the ward Trunk or Treat. The kids had a blast and there were tons of people. I made a Plinko board that turned out pretty cute. Jon got to be a chili judge and there were 20 to choose from!!
Night 3 was supposed to be the HOA Spooktacular, but we got a last minute reservation at the only house we didn't clean this week - so I had to run and do that. Jon was OK with not going to another Halloween event.
Halloween night 4 - The kids carved pumpkins that morning and then passed out candy that night. Rachel dressed up and declared that passing out candy was just as much fun as going and getting candy. Then overnight some rotten teenagers took our uncarved, decorative blue, white, and the striped pumpkins and tossed them in the street :(

A First

2010-10-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day all school year that my kids wore long pants - jackets still optional. That's right my Utah friends - October 21st. Feel free to make me feel bad in July next summer.

Say CHEESE!!

2010-10-21T08:35:00.001-07:00

School pictures - like mug shots for kids. I almost get a kick out of how bad they can be :) Actually Blake's is really cute - the girls a little on the forced smile side. But that's part of it, I even love the bright blue awful background. Rachel has had a hard time looking at the camera in the past. She proudly stated, "Mom, they only had to take 2 pictures of me this year!" When I asked how many they usually have to take she said, "At least 3 or 4." Say CHEESE! Rachel - 4th Grade

Emily - 2nd Grade
Blake - Kinder

Sisters Got Talent

2010-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Our school held a talent show and the girls did the cutest number!! They danced to "Sisters" from the old Bing Crosby movie "White Christmas" Have to say they were adorable! They were joined by the Mower twins from our ward, who provided all of the girls with matching dresses. I wasn't supposed to have to much to do with the talent show, but the music teacher had a death in the family, and I have a hard time saying no, so I got to help with auditions and back stage stuff. I wrote a goofy script for our MC's, (Hey Cade - what's the difference between a piano and a fish?" "I don't know" "You can tune a piano, but you can't tun-a fish." "Speaking of piano, here's Haley playing..." They did a great job keeping the show moving while the acts switched behind the curtains. For an elementary school talent show it was pretty pain free. A big thanks to my friend Janae who helped not only helped my girls, but also stepped in to help run the show and coach the kids on their performances.

Happy 7th Birthday Emily

2010-09-19T12:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Emily. She keeps us laughing and has a great sense of humor. She LOVES zucchini almost as much as pizza. She is a top notch reader. Most days she can't put stuff away to save her life, but then will totally surprise me and clean and organize her entire room. Favorite color: Blue Least favorite food: Rice (Makes her twitch) Favorite Books: Ivy and Bean series and Magic tree House. Still my early bird. Thanks for making it so much fun to be a mom!
The diamonds on this cake gave me FITS!!! They are still crooked and I couldn't begin to figure out how to make it come out mathematically so as to not have to use a flower to fill in the gap. She loved it and that's all that counts. Swimming with Jordyn and Emily N

A bunch of Magic Tree House Books!!!

So I don't forget...

2010-09-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Rachel has been BEGGING for a dog. I feel bad - I always had dogs growing up and know that she would really love having one as well. It would be good for her soul, just like our dogs were for mine. Tonight she was asking about different breeds, so we looked some up. Of course an AZ rescue shelter came up in my Google search, and I was dumb enough to look at it. Dumb not that it convinced me that now is the time to get a dog (because it isn't), but dumb because my 9 year old fell in love with a beagle and is in tears. She sobbed and gulped, "It's like I'm starving....and there's a plate of food in front of me...And you won't let me eat!!!" Now, that's the kind of line I don't want to forget!!! And I even managed not to laugh!

Grandparents Day

2010-09-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had 2 really excited kids this morning and one that was heartbroken. It was Grandparents' Day at school and Emily woke up sick. My mom and dad showed up early and walked the kids to school. My kids were thrilled to have donuts for breakfast (the part I think Emily was most heartbroken about)and really proud to have grandma and grandpa there. My mom even got to read a story to Blake's kindergarten class. How fun! Poster I made for the school breezeway.Blake and Grandma
Rachel and grandpa

Dad's Pre 80th birthday

2010-08-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

While everyone was in Utah for the wedding - we decided to throw my dad a surprise birthday party. He won't turn 80 until Sept 22, but we figured we couldn't get that many people together again in a month, and being so early, he wouldn't suspect a thing.We had a task getting him over to the Little America, as the hotel we were in had a very nice FREE breakfast. He begrudgingly agreed to come with us, but said he wasn't hungry and probably wouldn't eat. After arriving, he said, "Guess I'm glad I came." A little chocolate cake from the Lion House - YUM!!!
Even the bride and groom showed up. They happened to stay the night at the same hotel. They could her my brother-in-law's laugh, so the stopped in to say high on the way to their honeymoon. My dad was thrilled.
We're glad my dad came too. We had a trivia game about him that had everyone laughing. Favorite category had to be "Ray Says..." Everyone knew the answers to things such as "Shadrac, Meshac and....? " "To bed we go!" The kids learned some new things about grandpa like he was arrested in Provo right after his mission for staging a fight and that grandpa, well known for his amazing tenor voice, was actually a bass in high school. My uncle JD then "roasted" my dad and had everyone cracking up. Everyone also sent me little memories which we cut into strips, put in an Oreo tin and shared with everyone. We didn't get to all of them, but he said he had my mom read them to him on the drive home.
So glad I was able to go and help celebrate my wonderful dad and his wonder life! Love you dad!!!

About Time

2010-08-19T23:26:00.001-07:00

For the past 2 years, this picture of Caleb has been on the wall....He has identified it as himself. When asked who it is, he proudly tells us, "Caleb!" Jon has been worried that he will have an identity crisis.
Well I finally got an actual picture of him. You should have seen the smile when he came down stairs and saw this on the wall....
Like the post title...it's about time!!! Hopefully it won't take me another 2 years to update Blake's (who now looks like he's the youngest in the family)

Back to School

2010-08-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

School has begun. Yeah! The kids really needed something to look forward to each day. I am THRILLED with the teachers my kids have. Got my 1st choice on all 3 kids.
First day of school I had flowers waiting for me in the office - a thank you for doing some projects over there this summer. Very thoughtful!
Rachel in a shirt she wanted to wear the 1st day of 2nd grade - it was way to big. So we tried last year - still too big. And finally this year it fit. Her response, "I'm so glad I waited to wear it. This outfit just screams 4th grade" Indeed it does!
Blake going into Kinder. He is loving it. Ms Lin is getting a different experience than she had with Emily, who didn't speak the 1st 2 weeks of school for fear she'd have to change her card. Blake hasn't had to change his card yet, but she did have to change his seat on the 3rd day of school. And below is my Cat in the Hat mural in the library- lots of fun. I wish I could say I did it free hand, but it was projected on the wall and I just colored it in.

Week 11

2010-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

San Diego and home - We finished out our vacation with a little old fashioned hard work. Dave always saves recyclable materials from his job sites. He lets the kids sort it, then they go turn it in, get some ice cream and he lets them keep the money. It is a pretty good deal, seeing as how Dave does most of the work. This time the kids earned it a little more by cleaning out the chicken coop. They thought it was SO much fun. I'm sure if we had our own, it would be a different story!

We also hit the San Diego Zoo - talk about a work out. Up and down hills - my calves were throbbing by the end of the day. We had perfect weather and all the animals were out since it wasn't screaming hot. The kids loved the panda and the Sky Ride. Rachel's favorite part was the Feline Frenzy show - we thought it was going to be a cat show - maybe show us a baby tiger or at least a bobcat. NO - people dressed up like tigers and cheetahs doing acrobats. Pretty cheesy! And as always the Zoo is educational... right down to the frisky antelopes to the daddy giraffe that just had to inspect (and by that I mean drink)his offspring's urine. Thank goodness Uncle Dave had provided the kids with souvenir money - since there were almost as many gift shops as there were animal exhibits.

Summer - Weeks 9 and 10

2010-08-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Week 9 - Getting ready to go camping. I think we might have gone swimming, but that was about it. Jon had a class everyday that week from 8 - 5 (Thankfully the teacher thought that anything after 2:00 was good, and let him out early)

Week 10 - SAN DIEGO!!!! We went camping at the beach. I love going. It was a little cold this year with highs in the 60's. One day we hit 71 and the sun peeked out for about an hour or two. The kids had a blast walking on the beach (in our jackets, making sand castles, looking for sand crabs, chasing waves. There were NO shells this year. Strange - wonder what happened. We had tons of time to play games, blow bubbles, do puzzles, paint, play ladder golf and take numerous trips to the campground store - kids wanted to go all the time. We also enjoyed yummy food - VG's donuts for breakfast, + eggs and pancakes. Grilled, bacon wrapped corn on the cob, s'mores and Dave's special wolf-ems. Take some biscuit dough, put it on Dave's custom built wolf-em sticks, bake over the coals and filled with pudding and fruit and whipped cream. YUM!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Caleb

2010-07-18T22:51:00.001-07:00

Caleb is three!!! Where did the time go? He is such a fun kid. He gets such a thrill out of being goofy and making his brother and sisters laugh. Major accomplishments this past year... potty training (mostly by himself)and swimming (can't take your eyes off of him because he'll jump in and start swimming - he just can't get very far). He LOVES nursery (he would like Sacrament meeting to be about 15 minutes long so he could go right to nursery). Always has to kiss me once on each cheek and once on the lips, in that order. LOVES chocolate (wonder where he gets that from??) He goes to the freezer and begs, "I need chocolate chips!" LOVES to play cars! First thing he says in the morning, "How 'bout eggs?" Last thing he says at night, "Sweet Dreams!" So glad this sweet little boy is part of our family!

He loved his cake and when I asked him what it said he said, "Toy Story 3", which is what I was going for. The logo was actually pretty easy to make (frozen buttercream transfer - idea on YouTube) - but it cracked as I was peeling it off. And then the whole thing slid off the cake and the "3" was on it's way down too. Just glad I got a picture before it all went south.
Caleb had the best time with this little computer my mom got for him. Just giggled and giggled.

Summer - Week 8

2010-07-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

This week 's big outing was to the water park in Chandler. You can't beat $.75/kid. The kids had a blast and the 3 olders all went off the diving board for the first time and were quite proud of themselves. It took Blake a while, but then of course we couldn't get him off. My niece Jessica was in town and came with us, and we also got to go to the temple with her as well. We also made homemade chewy granola bars - YUMMY!!!! We did half with chocolate chips and sprinkles and the other half with chocolate chips and dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries. The recipe can be found here. Enjoy!!

Summer - Week 7

2010-07-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Week 7 was pretty much getting ready for and then camping with Jon's brothers and sister. We had a great time up at Big Lake, about 5 hours away - up in the cool of the mountains. Rachel even asked "How come we change clothes 5 times a day?" Because the weather changed that often - cold then hot, then stormy, then hot again, then night time. The kids had a great time sleeping in a tent, and Caleb managed to get the air mattress that leaked, but he's little enough he didn't know it. There was a beautiful lake and the kids had a blast learning how to skip rocks and paddling canoes. The big cousins caught crawdads, which they ate. The little kids decorated t-shirts. Jon's sister and bro-in-law, Joanna and Grant, and their son and his wife did all the food and we ate like kings! They even did homemade doughnuts one night... from scratch, while camping! We had a skit/talent show one night and my kids are still singing the songs from Uncle Richard's family (Thanks!) Rachel felt very grown up hanging with James and Laura's teenage daughters. And I feel very lucky and blessed to be a part of the Alger family.

Summer - Week 6

2010-07-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

The big event of the week of course was Rachel's birthday. The rest of the week was not so much fun - she wasn't really better until Friday, and I kept thinking someone else was going to get sick, but I think we've made it. We did some swimming and managed to get in a fun craft! My sister Laurie made holiday pillowcases for all of her kids, something I'm trying to do. So this week we made 4th of July pillowcases. I didn't get any pictures of the actual sewing, but even the boys helped a little.
Caleb has turned into a FISH! He loves to go under and sit on the bottom of the pool, jump in and dive for rings on the shallow step. We have to watch because he'll just start swimming toward you. Unfortunately since he's still 2, he doesn't really have the leg power to kick and get himself moving. He loves it. Blake has also learned to dive (better than his big sisters!)

Project of the week: Laundry room finally got finished and everything put away!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

2010-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Can't believe my oldest is 9! Next year she'll be in double digits. I taught 4th grade forever and can't believe that she's the same age as those kids I taught. She is such a wonderful girl - she loves her family and she loves to do what is right. Rachel was the perfect child to come first - responsible and such a good example. We had a fantastic day celebrating yesterday. I started off the day taking the kids to Denny's (4 kids by myself - never thought that day would come)Rachel enjoyed her free Grand Slam b-fast! Then we went to the bookstore and the kids each chose a book (even the non birthday kids) and hit the Disney store.
In the evening we went to my parents (who are in San Diego). We had our good friends the Johnson's over so that Rachel and Mayley could celebrate their June birthdays. They were born just 8 days apart and have been buddies ever since. We swam and had a bar-b-q. Finished the night with cake and ice cream and some presents. Thanks to my niece Jessica for sending the piano cake pans - My mom made one for her mom, probably 35 years ago. the pans were passed down to Jessica and she kindly sent them out (after I lost my bidding war on e-bay. If Jessica ever needs money she can sell it - apparently they are worth a lot!)I cropped this picture of Emily admiring Porter from the one where Rachel is blowing out the candles. Obviously Emmy didn't care too much about the cake! Rachel really wanted a watch - pink with the ability to set a timer. She also wanted books. We added some clothes (since I just handed down 80% of her old stuff to Emily) and a Phinneus and Ferb CD. The kids put on quite a show, dancing and singing along with all their favorite songs from the show.

Sadly the flu caught up with Rachel and she woke up VERY early this morning and has been sick - and I just got off the phone from breaking the bad news to the Johnsons.

Bargain!

2010-06-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

Love a good deal at Kohl's - These made my day!

Resemblance?

2010-06-28T00:23:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Cooper's for pointing out that I'm married to the US soccer team coach!!

Summer - Week 5

2010-06-27T20:28:00.002-07:00

Another crazy week down. My friends in CA are all Facebooking about the last day of school and how excited they are for summer. The newness of summer vacation seems long gone! I've even thought about school starting again, with a little smile - until I actually saw them putting out school supplies at Wal-mart the other day. Highlights of the week: The girls finished their sewing projects. Don't they look cute.
Art day was an adventure in tie-dye. The kids had a BLAST, and I think I've wisely decided against doing the same activity with 20 or so Alger cousins...while camping.

The girls finished dance camp with a little performance - SO cute!!! They did ballet, jazz, musical theater and some ballroom.

Rachel had her 1st experience "baby-sitting" I went over to the school to help paint the front office, took my cell phone, and made sure my neighbor was home as well. This is the scene that greeted me an hour and a half later.
Cooking Day - Rachel and a friend made cookies by themselves.
Friday Field Trip - Jon took Rachel and Blake to Wal-mart and Best Buy while I stayed home with a very sick Emily - Stomach Flu - I hate you!!!
Even when stuck at home - the boys know how to have a lot of fun.

Cake Wreck Fun

2010-06-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday I went with my friend Stacey to see the blogger/author/creator of Cake Wrecks at a bookstore in Tempe. So funny. She and her husband have the best job. People send her pictures of professional cakes that have turned out badly, and they write sarcastic comments, and make money. They go on tour together and have a book out. Must be nice. They get 50,000 hits a day on their website (Nice to know I'm one of 50,000) They brought a slide show of some of their favorites. See, that's the back of Stacey and me in the lower left hand corner.
They had a cupcake contest where people created some of their favorite cakes from her site. Then they served the fabulous cake above. YUM!!! What a fun night out. And if you need a good laugh check out Cake Wrecks.

Summer - Week 4

2010-06-20T20:39:00.001-07:00

My energy is fading - I haven't been on the kids as much to earn their "points", they've had more down time, I've been more lazy, and so they've gotten on each others nerves a bit more. Here's hoping I get my energy back! Dance camp continued this week. So fun to watch them. Art project of the week was a papersack scrapbook. The original was much cuter and can be found here. The kids can also stick momentos from our vacation in the pockets. We will add photos as we go this summer. The kids had a great time making them.
My project this week was to go through my cookbook/recipe file mess. I threw out tons of stuff that I've saved and never made. I figure if I haven't made it, I can find something on line just like it. But I did want to try and make this: The kids thought making chocolate leaves was pretty cool, and it was surprisingly easy. Sadly it really didn't taste that great, just ok.
The main event this week was our Friday Field Trip to see Toy Story 3 (and I forgot my camera - so Blake kindly posed with all his Toy Story stuff - his idea). Blake could hardly stand the wait. I loved the movie - very funny and sweet. I cried and Jon teased me about being such a dork. We did a little more swimming, I cleaned some houses, took 6 classes at the gym (yes, I'm in pain)
And today was Father's Day. So blessed to have a wonderful husband who is a fantastic father. Ans just as blessed to have a wonderful dad. Through the years we've given my dad all sorts of Oreo items for Father's Day - puzzle, cookie jar, things made with Oreos - this year I did a giant Oreo made of cake. Happy Father's Day dad. Love you!!

Summer - Week 3

2010-06-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

We didn't quite get to an art project this week, but we did go swimming. The biggest news of swim day was the Grandpa got in the pool - a rare occurrence indeed!! My kids squealed when he came out in his swimsuit.

Monday the girls started dance camp and they are really excited. They are very excited to be going together. Cooking day... I tried to replicate something I say on a magazine cover while waiting in line. It turned out ok, a little pale for a watermelon, but the kids had a great time decorating their own slice. For our Friday Family Field trip we wanted to go to Mesa - One of the 10 things to do in Mesa according to Google is to go to the Bass Pro Shop. Rachel was very disturbed by the dead stuffed animals. The others loved it - the live fish, the bears and dear, the indoor waterfall. They thought it was great! The reason for our Mesa trip was that the teachers gave some of the PTSO thank you baskets and mine included a gift certificate to the Little Mesa Cafe. Come to find out, the owner's daughter is a teacher at Harmon. It's not someplace I would EVER stop into on my own, but Rachel is wanting to go back for her birthday dinner. The kids got a drink and dessert included with their meal and were amazed that they were the only kids in the whole place. I think every customer in there had to be in their 70's or older.
Project of the week: Linen/Game closet - It is so nice now!!!

Summer - Week 1 and 2

2010-06-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Week 1 - This is my attempt to have something to show for our summer. A little diary of our happenings so we can look back and see what we've done. Nothing too exciting this first week of summer vacation. Just enjoying the freedoms of time off. We have a point system going on this summer - they get all kinds of points for reading, doing chores, practicing piano, etc. We have a list posted on the fridge - So far it is working great. The aren't spending all their time in front of the TV or computer. I even see them going over to the list to find something to do. Got to love when your 6 year old reads the list and exclaims, "Oh, I'll go pick 10 weeds!"

My project: Kitchen cupboards and drawers - the ones the get stuffed with all kinds of random things!!!

Week 2 - Started off with our Misc. Monday. The girls got a sewing lesson from my mom. They were so cute and excited. We will finish this week with their cute dresses.

Monday night ended with Blake throwing up. Always fun! It was a very long night! Of course during dinner he'd been complaining that his tummy hurt, but my kids always say that to get out of eating their dinner. Jon, who'd had a hamburger, encouraged Blake to finish his hot dog by trading bites with him. Not good. Tuesday was art day and I let the kids use water colors (minus Blake who was up in the loft doing paint with water). They even got to finish, after some experimentation, by painting on real ($) water color paper. Wed we headed to the library. Thursday Caleb got the flu - long day! He had 3 naps. But since it was cooking day - the girls and a recovered Blake decided to make Hershey Bar Pie - YUM!!!HERSHEY BAR PIE

6 Reg Hershey bars
20. lg marshmallows
1/2 C milk
Melt over double boiler
Whip
1 C heavy cream
1 t vanillaFold into cooled mixture and pour into graham cracker crust. Chill.

Friday Jon had to go in to set up his classroom for summer school. My mom bravely came to the house of germs and watched the kids so I could go help him. Good thing too - the first classroom he was assigned had nothing in it but science equipment - no chairs, no desks. So they moved him to a new room which doubled as the community/family center. We had to move tons of toys, blocks, play kitchens, etc. Friday is our field trip day so when Jon got home he took the kids to Bahama Bucks. Caleb and I stayed home because this happened:
So instead of a picture of our outing, you get one of a very sleepy boy. Jon came home and decided that it was his turn to get the flu. Good news is that it seems to only last for about 12 hours - bad news, I feel like a ticking time bomb. Today was full of errands - gym, soccer game (not to play but to cheer on Blake's team in their final game), store, check-in, library (again), and fantastic ward party. They were supposed to go down together for a picture, and then my battery died. You can see how much a broken arm is slowing down Blake! My project: Clean up the computer room/den!

A Decade

2010-05-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a decade since this picture was taken. It really doesn't seem that long - 10 years! Some of the highlights: 4 beautiful children, moving to Queen Creek, trips to Utah, San Diego, and Kansas, birthdays and Christmas, the beach and Disneyland trips.

My cute niece has been doing birthday tributes all year so I'm going to steal her format and do my own Happy 10th anniversary post. Thanks Whitney

On any given day Jon makes me laugh. He can be found catching up on a little Glenn Beck, ESPN or The Office. He also plays with the kids, which is really hard to do since he's around kids all day and would probably like a break. I feel like I direct the kids to do different things. Jon gets down and wrestles, plays hide and seek , superheroes or even board games.

Favorite Food: Chips and Salsa

One word to describe him is hardworking. I'll thank his parents for that - they raised him right. Whether its his calling or a job around the house, he gives his all. He has worked hard at his job and getting additional schooling to provide better for our family. He often does my job (the cleaning rental houses thing) on the way home from his job.

Why I love him - Because he loves me no matter what. He likes me when I'm being silly or grumpy and always sees the good in me, even if I don't see it. He can make me laugh, even when I'm in a bad mood. He uses his Priesthood to bless our family and helps keep us on track. He loves the Lord. He plays/helps with the kids (see above!) and helps out around the house (sometimes better than me - the man can make the bathtub shine) He will rub my feet, back or neck anytime I ask, which is often. I think in 10 years there has only been 2 or 3 times that he didn't like what I made for dinner. I'd like to say that it's because I'm a great cook, but it's because he's not picky and is just grateful I made something.

I love you Jon. Here's to the next 10 years!

Jon's Birthday

2010-05-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Jon had a great birthday. We went to the temple dedication for the Gila Valley Arizona Temple and Rachel was old enough to come with us. She was so excited. It was such a wonderful experience. I love President Monson. And it reminded me of the San Diego Temple dedication. I actually got to be in the temple for that dedication - that's just how it was done back then - something like 26 sessions over 6 days. There were life long members of the church in their 60's and 70's who'd never been to a temple dedication. "This is a once in a lifetime experience." we were told. I am amazed and honored that I have been able to attend 5 temple dedications. We will have 2 more temples here in AZ over the next few years. What a blessing the temple is, and how exciting that there are so many.
After the dedication we went out to Jon's parents to be with family and celebrate his birthday. No picture of Jon, but the highlight of the trip out there for the boys was Uncle James. He had to go to work that evening and came in full uniform. The boys couldn't stop staring! It was about the coolest thing they had ever seen.

How can she...

2010-05-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

EAT???? This girl has 4 missing teeth! She lost one last night and one today, and has the cutest smile going on. I better go to bed so the tooth fairy can come.

Piano Recital

2010-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight Rachel had her first piano recital. She did really well and wasn't even too nervous. She started of with her hands in the wrong position, so her minor key song started off quite cheerful and happy. She quickly switched and sailed through the rest. My sister, who was my piano teacher, was here too. It brought back a flood of memories of my own recital days and my dear friend Becky who passed away about 12 years ago. We were the big finale one year. We decided to out-do our older sisters by memorizing the piece they had played years earlier. We had it down, but...in our over confidence, messed up. And without the music we had no way of quickly finding a starting point. My friend said "Oh No!" and buried her head. In the process she BANGED it on the piano. We giggled and stumbled our way through the rest of the piece. At the end we were both supposed to play 8 notes each in a big chord. Laughing so hard we could hardly see, we ended horribly. It was a wonderful night as I took a stroll down my own memory lane and watched my own daughter start down hers.

Treats we took to share. Thanks for the royal icing idea Amy. It worked great!
One happy little boy who finally got a cupcake that he'd been trying not to touch all day!

OUCH!

2010-05-13T20:38:00.001-07:00

Let's just say that when you and your friend decide to be mean to his sister by throwing balls at her - you get taught a lesson. Blake chose to learn his lesson the hard way instead of stopping when asked. Hopefully he won't make a habit of learning things the hard way. So for now, soccer season is done. (Sniff... Go Blue Dragons!) And here's hoping we get a waterproof cast so he can go swimming at Grandma's. Keeping in mind that Rachel broke her arm last summer, Emily pronounced this very unfair and declared that she wanted a cast!!! Maybe we'll send her next door to play :) Just kidding Kim!

Here Comes Summer

2010-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Blake had his last day of preschool and we celebrated with a water party at our house. He and his 4 little friends had a blast. We had 2 blow up pools and a slip-n-slide, and the grass was a bit swampy by the end of the day. It was fun to see how much they all learned this year.
Caleb was a bit freaked out by all the big 5 year old boys running and splashing, but he finally decided to calm down and have some fun. We are working so hard on staying dry for potty training that he was a little sad at first that his swimsuit got wet.
The girls had to join in when they got home from school. I think Blake was outside for about 5 hours. Poor kid got a bit sunburned since his mom forgot to reapply the sunscreen. His head hit the pillow and he was OUT!
I'd have to say Emmy is the most creative slider. Always trying something new and with no fear!
This was actually the photo Rachel selected (She was making funny faces in the others)

Soccer Star

2010-04-22T13:17:00.001-07:00

Blake has started soccer. This his his first time to play any sport and he is loving it. He is trying so hard and having a good time with his friends.Our team is a little on the novice side, and the ball spends most of the time at our end of the field. After 2 weeks we have yet to score. Blake told me, "Mom, we lose. But it's ok because we had snacks."

Here we see Blake getting in an awesome kick as he steals the ball away from another player - too bad she is on his own team.
Blake taking his turn at goalie - he managed to stop the ball and was pretty excited! It's pretty fun to watch! Go Blue Dragons!!

Dancing Queen

2010-04-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, Emily had her first (and probably last) dance recital. She looked so cute in her "Crocodile Rock" costume. We loved watching her perform. Her shoe did not come off like it did in dress rehearsal so crisis avoided. The little tiny dancers were adorable. We agreed it was like watching America's Funniest Home Videos - the live version. But can I just say for a minute what a racket they've got going?? $44/month for lessons. $60 for costume. I don't know how much $$$ for way too tan tights that I had to buy at the dance studio, because I didn't have any and it was picture day. And then...$52 for tickets, and we only stayed for 1/2 the show (which is ok - cuz it was getting long and besides dad and Caleb were already outside). So Emily, I am sorry that we did not buy studio pictures of you ($40) or the DVD of you actually performing ($25) or 5 images of you on stage ($20) and I'm sorry that we did not buy you roses for your 2 minutes on stage, but we are broke!

Happy Easter

2010-04-15T08:23:00.001-07:00

Friday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Alger's and had an egg hunt and celebrated Grandpa's 69th birthday. We had 2 egg hunts. a 2nd family of cousins showed up so we rehid all the eggs and went for it again. Of course my battery died, so I didn't get any pictures during round 2 or of Grandpa's birthday.
Ready to race out the door and start searching the enormous back yard full of great hiding spots- I bet they are still finding some!

Blake and cutie pie Taylor - They are a month apart in age

I hope that Emily is not picking up Rachel's habit of being unable to look at the camera. Jon was to the left in this picture - so not quite sure what they are looking at.
When I was buying the egg die at the store one of Rachel's school friends was there. She was trying to convince her mom to also get a box of PAAS - She put it back on the shelf and told me, "We've never done this before." It made me sooo sad. Next year, maybe we'll have to have her come over.
Easter morning - excited to get their Easter baskets. No fancy clothes this year, since we had conference I felt no pressure to get anything. I won some awesome ties for the boys on a blog give away, and will eventually get some dresses for the girls that will match.

Big Things are Happening!!

2010-04-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Someone has decided to be a big boy!! YEAH!!!!!

Blake is 5

2010-04-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes with Grandma and Grandpa. We asked if we could light a candle and sing happy b-day to him, and they brought out a giant chocolate chip cookie for him. He thought that was pretty cool!!! So did I! He got a brand new bike!!!! And less the 2 days later, the training wheels were off. We'll have to get a picture of him actually riding - I got video, but not a still shot. I can't believe how grown up he's gotten. Still such a snuggly boy - who goes from being super caring and sensitive to destructive in about 2.3 seconds. He's growing up too fast!
The cake - Oh, this cake!!!That is something I look forward to doing for each birthday. I had visions in my head of just how this was going to turn out. I browsed Cake Central looking for Superhero themed inspiration, and the thing below looks like nothing I was thinking about in my head. I was going to make all the different superhero logos out of fondant, then I thought stars and stripes would work (since I had no time) One cake stuck in the pan, so I had time to make a box mix to replace it. Couldn't carve it into the smaller square - it just kept getting more and more crooked, it crumbled beyond belief... and guess what? Blake still loved it.

Blake's friends came in their Super hero costumes. We played Bingo, Pin the logo on Batman, Hot Potato with green kryptonite rocks, and followed a Spiderweb to their treat bags in the back yard. Blake had a great time.

Spring Break 3 - Kathy's house

2010-03-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

My sister's orchard was in full bloom. It was so pretty!!! I don't know how I turned on the date stamp, but I am annoyed that it is on all my pictures!
Blake soaring high - I am scared of this thing!!! Mostly because you have to stand on a rock ledge and jump onto the swing as it is falling. The kids love it, although they don't have to jump and hope they can get on to the swing. Jon just pulls them up to the launch pad and let's them go. Maybe I should try that!
We have to have at least one bonfire while there. Here's Uncle Dave's version of a hot dog. Add in the ear piercing squeals of the girls at his attempts, make a s'more and it's almost like being there. Now if only my camera battery had not died, I'd have some fantastic pictures of the duck pond and my cutie grand niece's 4th birthday. So you'll have to take my word that ducks were fed and Ashley had a birthday:)

Spring Break 2 - Point Loma

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day in San Diego. We went down to Point Loma to the Cabrillo National Monement, where the 1st European, Juan Cabrillo, set foot on the west coast of America. (I went here on a 4th grade field trip) Amazing views of the city and ocean. Then we went up to the light house. The kids got to climb the spiral stair case up to the top, where you can peek, but not actually go around the light. It's all set up to show how the family lived there in the 1800's - Kind of fun, and brought back lots of memories of growing up in San Diego. After we went down to the tide pools below. The boys enjoyed throwing big rocks into the waves. Emily enjoyed finding treasures (which we weren't allowed to keep as it's a state park). Rachel enjoyed making sure every creature she found was put back into water. Uncle Dave got us all out and exploring. We crossed over to another beach, and our timing wasn't very good. A bunch of waves come in as we were making our way across and Rachel got soaked. We saw some amazing things though - crabs, lobster and crab head, sea urchin (dead) but still with all of its purple spikes, really cool shells and tons of sea anemones (no Nemo).

Spring Break 1 - Wild Animal Park

2010-03-23T22:57:00.001-07:00

During Spring Break we went to the Wild Animal Park. Last time Jon and I went, we (he) were trying to decide if we (he) wanted to get married. I remember it as a stressful day because we (he) couldn't decide. This time was much more enjoyable, no heavy decision making in the air, just four very busy and happy kids. My nephew told us we had to go in and see the Lorakeets. I'm so glad we did. Emily was a bit freaked out, but the others couldn't get enough. Just look at the grin on Caleb's face. Of course the mangy molting bird liked us best. The kids were obsessed with their maps. Same thing at Disneyland. Have to say the map here could be better. I felt like we went in circles and backtracked to get to things. The weather, although a little windy, was fantastic. I had to go to Wal-mart and get some short sleeved T's since it got warm and I had only brought 1 short sleeved shirt for each kid. Caleb cried when he first saw Jakob, my super talented violin playing nephew. But the kids had a blast with him - We did too!!

We had the best timing - we got there right as they were feeding the Cheetahs. This was Rachel's favorite animal and we have a magnet on the fridge to prove it. We also got to the elephants just as they were getting fed. Cutest little 4 week old baby. Kids also got a male elephant anatomy course while there!

Here's Emily...

2010-03-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

This favorite picture of Emily has been on the wall forever - we finally took some new ones. I was under the gun. Her top tooth is beginning to hang by a thread and I wanted one more of those little girl days. I'm thinking I like the 2nd photo below the best and I still need to adjust the sepia tone a bit. What do you think? Of course Caleb still has no photo at all - that's next. Jon's getting worried that Caleb may have serious self esteem issues if he doesn't get his own photo soon. Problem is he's at the age where his face always seems to be marked up with childhood. But for now, here's Emily...

Father Daughter Dance

2010-03-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last night Jon took the girls on a date to the school's annual Father/Daughter Dance. They were so excited and always look forward to it each year. Rachel said her dad was the goofiest dancer out of all the dads. He sure loves his girls!

Things at home

2010-03-06T13:14:00.001-08:00

Our school had a Health and Wellness Fair - One of the events was a Rock Wall. Emily wouldn't try, Rachel didn't get too far, but Blake almost got to the top. I think since he was barely at the weight requirement, he would almost get pulled up as he reached. He was mighty pleased.
Caleb, my car loving boy, is always lining up cars which you've seen before if you've read this blog before. This is the first time he has matched them. He was SO excited. He came running in to find me, "MOM, I DID IT!!!"
For my mom's birthday we got tickets for her and the girls to go see Mary Poppins. Emily got sick the day before and we were lucky to have Rachel's friend Mayley join us. My mom is there... she's just gripping her seat for dear life as we were in the upper balcony. Great show with really cool special effects. The girls loved it and Rachel got to sleep in the next morning and go to school a bit late - we didn't get home until 11:30. Poor Emily was sooo disappointed. I told her Jon would take her to see the Princess and the Frog, just the two of them on a special date. That cheered her up a bit. When Jon got home, she ran and got dressed to go to the movies, not realizing if she was too sick to go to the play, she was too sick to go to a movie. She was disappointed all over again. I felt so bad for her.

Finally

2010-02-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that we manage some vacation rentals. Most of you have probably heard me complain about what an idiot my boss is. He doesn't pay his bills on time and the tenants call and yell at me because the electricity (or cable or gas or water) has been shut off. After sending a letter of resignation last December - things have gotten a little better. He actually returns calls and has even spoken to tenants. And at least he put the utilities on auto pay. He still owes us a ton of $$$. For almost 2 years I have been begging the owners to replace these:

They are awful! Tenants have put sheets over them rather than sit on them. (Don't tell the people who are coming to purchase them tomorrow off of Craig's List for $60 for 3 couches) I finally convinced the owners to buy some new ones. I got to go shopping with someone else's money & buy some new stuff. Thank you Stacey for helping me choose. I will no longer be embarrassed when tenants show up. Now if I could get him to spring for some new tables and art work . Funny side story - One of the tenants was actually mad at me because she had told me not to inconvenience her party if the couches must be delivered while they were staying there. She was not there but, silly me, I asked her brother (50-ish) and his teenage son to carry 1 love seat into the garage so it would be out of their way. She was LIVID and wrote to my boss and tattled on me. Another guy at a different house didn't have to be asked, just offered to help. Some people...

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Nothing quite like a heart shaped box of chocolates (unless it's a 1 lb box of SEES chocolates - but that was just for me). The kids were so excited. Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Ward Party

Happenings at home

2010-01-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Blake mixed up his preschool lesson (left hand -vs- right hand) with his Primary lesson. "Mom, Jesus wants us to choose the right. But Satan, he wants us to choose the left." Of course my sister thinks it is a political statement of truth :)

100th Day of School project - again, can I keep this one for Blake too so I don't have to make another one. I would if I thought for a second he'd take in 100 flowers!
Hanging out watching movies - together and getting along -- JOY!!!

Belated

2010-01-20T09:46:00.001-08:00

That's how I've felt lately - beLATEd. Like there is no time to do the things I want to do because of so many things I have to do. Like I can't even get to some of the things I should do. Like I'm running behind. So I'm taking a moment to do something I want to do (post some photos) so I can go do some things I need to do (mop my kitchen floor, oh and get dressed) and maybe I'll get to some of the things I should do (use my treadmill and hem Rachel's pants so she has something to wear - wouldn't it be easier if she just grew an inch or so???) Here are some belated New years and b-day pictures.
New Year's Day riding scooters at Grandma's house. Blake has really gotten the hang of it quickly, and Caleb is trying :)

Rachel and Emily used her Christmas present cake pan to make my cake. Grandma picked them up from school, and went to her house to decorate the cake and put up decorations. My mom had asked what I wanted for my b-day dinner, and I answered "Something the kids will eat." We went to Sweet Tomatoes. Thanks mom and dad! I love a b-day picture each year with all four of these kiddos. It reminds me of how truly blessed I am!!!

Our Kitchen Challenge

2010-01-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

My neighbor Kim and I tried a huge experiment ...32 meals in 1 day. Man, what a lot of work. But also a lot of fun. We now each have 16 meals frozen and ready to go. Broccoli and Beef, Chili, Pulled Polynesian Pork, Cranberry Chicken, Taco Soup, Baked Pasta, Hawaiian Chicken and Navajo Taco Casserole. We had 4 crockpots going and walked back and forth between each others stoves for several hours. The kids had a blast playing so that worked out well. Our plan is to do another 8-10 recipes next month. Wish us luck!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

Such happy faces - Of course Blake is about to take out his sisters, but I love their expressions!
Christmas eve at my cousin's house - All the kids put together a Nativity. Tallest girl played Mary and the shortest boy played Joseph. Rachel was a wise man, Emily and Angel, and Blake, a shepherd, who took his part most seriously. Caleb was a wanderer.
Piano student of 3 1/2 months played a rousing version of Jingle Bells.
Merry Christmaaaaaaas - That's exactly what Emily and Blake are saying, and that's why their mouths are open. This picture is so much better than last year's, which I wasn't even in, where we all had stomach flu.
Cheesy grin - this was his reaction to every present. He was equally thrilled with his scooter and geotrax stuff. Jon was thrilled with Caleb's light saber so that he and Blake can have battles.

Rachel - the baker, saw this in a catalog and begged. It makes a giant cupcake, and the way she is holding it, it makes for big boobs. And yes she did it on purpose.Emily's Barbie house - she is in love - it is filled with some of my old Barbie furniture.Jon finally gets something that says ASU not BYUCaleb's favorite - They had something similar in nursery and it was the only reason he'd go in. I knew this would be a hit.
Mom got me a pressure cooker/canner. I was way surprised and excited.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

We didn't go to the mall last year to see Santa, and now I know why....$$$ I couldn't believe what they were charging. And they used to let you use your own camera, which they said I could... if I stood behind that gated area - so all of my pictures were a little dark since I had to be back so far.
We have had the same fake tree for years - I had it before we were married and my parents had it before that. It was a BEAST to put together, each branch had to be put in separately, and there were almost more needles on the floor than on the tree. Last year I was at Target and saw a tree on clearance (after Christmas) and it was $40 - a lady standing near by testified to it's beauty and that she had one and had come to get one for her sister. She told me of the ease with which it went together - 3 pieces instead of 50 or 60. She told of the lights I wouldn't have to string. I was sold. What she didn't tell me (or maybe she didn't catch on my particular box) was that it was a 'slim'. It is a beautiful tree, but it is SKINNY!! Jon says I have to get at least 3 years use out of it. It is growing on me, and at least I can see the tree skirt now really well!
Golfing with Andy and Ashely at Thanksgiving time.
All the kids dancing to the Grinch song. Has to be one of my favorite Christmas shows ever!Gingerbread houses. Kids had a blast, but I think next year I'd like to have 4 small ones so they don't fight. You can see that Caleb has a mouthful of candy.The end results!
I had to make my own this year - one that was pretty and matching and not overloaded with every candy that wasn't eaten.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving out at Jon's brother's house. I just have to say that I married into a great family. I know a lot of people dread spending time with their in-laws, but we had such a great time. Richard and Stephanie had perfect weather for the day and we had a fantastic time in their HUGE backyard. Since they have 9 kids, the have lots of space, a huge swing set, a tramp and a bouncer was rented as well. The kids had a blast hanging out with all their cousins. We had 49 people there for dinner!
Blake, Heath and CalebJared gave all of his cousins wagon rides. He kept adding kids to see how many he could pull. This load did not budge!

Dinner with 49 people - that was just Mom and Dad Alger and their kids, spouses and grandchildren - no extended family other than our hosts Mom and Dad and brother. That is quite a family they have!
Having fun on the bouncer - Emily is attacking one of her cousins in the back
Girls enjoying their dinner!
Blake and his cousin Taylor - They are 1 month apart (although she speaks years ahead of him)
Caleb finally happy - Jon was joking with him on the hour plus drive out to dinner and Caleb thought he was getting a lollipop, which we didn't have. It took him about an hour to get over it - ah, 2 year olds!
This is why Caleb said, "I like the park Mom"

November Happenings

2009-11-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

November has flown by - and I figured I better post something before it's gone. First my brother is our her right now. We were getting ready to shell out $800 or more to replace our oven and possibly computer, and my brother fixed them both!!! THANK YOU! OK, I kind of wanted the new oven, but not something we wanted to do with all the Christmas expenses.Caleb helping me make orange rolls for Thanksgiving.
I teach art in both the girls' classes. This lesson turned out really good for a change. This month we did a monochromatic painting. Each kid was given one color and black and white (to make tints and shades of their original color) The turkeys were really cute. Rachel picked orange.When I got home from art I walked in on this cute scene - my dad reading stories to the kids. Emily had stayed home with a cold (and was playing dress ups - post Halloween $4.00 go-go girl dress!) Of course Blake is wandering around - not listening.
Rachel lost another tooth! She has 3 missing and none of them are showing
any signs of coming in. Emily's family Turkey project - we covered him in everything edible - paprika, curry, cinnamon, poppy seeds, lentils, thyme and redhots. He smelled great. I'm wondering if he'll keep for 2 years so Blake can turn it in when it's his turn??? Killing two birds with one stone -Rachel has to read every night for 20 minutes, and Emily needs to be read to. Love when they get along so well, and Rachel feels so important and Emily loves getting attention from her big sister.Caleb has really taken to having a bedtime story. Since he is now off his sippy cup, he really needs a routine to go to bed, and stories are his favorite part.

Extended Family

2009-11-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

A big family event, 8 1/2 years in the making was having baby Elijah sealed to Jon's brother and sister-in-law, Steven and Natalie. Many prayers have been answered and this kid was worth the wait. He is as cute as can be. I don't think Natalie and Steven could be any happier. Adoption has been such a blessing not only to me, but to my sister and now Jon's brother's family. It was such a neat day to be able to go to the temple with them!

I also got to take some fun pictures of my cousin's family. His wife is one of the sweetest people I know, and taking family photos for her is right up there with getting a cavity filled. They look great!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

This was a busy Halloween! Friday night we had the school carnival as well as the ward chili cook off/Trunk-or-Treat. I made my friend Amy's Creamy Chicken White Chili. She won best Chili last year, and since she just had a baby and I figured she wouldn't be making a big bath of chili, I used her recipe, with permission, and took home Best White Chili. Guess I don't have Amy's magic touch, but at least I got an award. Friday night Blake was Spiderman. That had to switch on Halloween since he couldn't find where he had taken it off the night before. Thanks to Aunt Kathy, who gave all the kids skeleton t-shirts a few years ago, Halloween was saved. Caleb wore Blake's old shirt, and Blake wore Rachel's old one. They actually looked cute as matching skeletons. Emily is a rock star, because in her words, "I am a really good singer." Rachel was brave and let me come up with a cupcake costume. Got most of our ideas from www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com. She loves all things cupcakes and wants to own her own bakery some day. She got tons of compliments, even if she was a bit uncomfortable. Poor girl couldn't put her arms down. Jon teased that I was passing along the curse of this costume from the past... At least Rachel could see.

This is why...

2009-10-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

This is why we put up with days over 110. It is called October and it is beautiful. Warm days and cool mornings. We can open the windows and air out the house from being shut all summer. The sun not getting up so early and my kids starting to sleep in a little (well, for my kids it's sleeping in). Not having to wear a big winter coat over your Halloween costume. Kids still wearing their shorts to school. Laughing at your swimming kids when they say they are freezing, and it's 88 degrees outside. Thanks mom and dad for one last summer swim for a fun
Family Home Evening!

Disneyland 2009

2009-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone at the Magic Kingdom
1st up... Tea Cups. You can see all the other cups are empty. We walked on to several rides. September was a fantastic time to go!
The kids finally get to meet Mickey!
Pixie Hollow heaven for one 6 year old girl who LOVES fairies.
The classic shot.
Three very tired kids at the end of the 3rd day. Thank goodness Kathy and Dave made it up that day since they "couldn't take another step."
Dave and Emmy take on the Evil Zurg
New 3-D Toy Story ride was a blast, even though it had the longest line of all.
The best way to spot other Mormons at Disneyland...wear something that says BYU. We got all sorts of shout outs and Go Cougars!
Rachel, Blake, and Emily dancing in the parade. Rachel said, "Mom I just wasn't feeling any of that Disney magic until the parade, and then I thought, 'There's the magic!!"
California Adventure - Emily was bummed there was no E in California
Girls meet Belle - Jon took the boys to Toon Town

Blake meets Mater and Lightning McQueen. I had a hard time getting Caleb to leave the area!
Caleb meets Jessie - Then everyone got to meet Woody!

Happy Birthday to Emily

2009-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th birthday to our sweet Emily. Emily makes me smile and has a great sense of humor. I think Emily is a bit of a sneak but a horrible liar so I think we're ok. She'll try to pull stuff, but won't get away with it. She is a smarty and loves her siblings (when she's not in a fight with them). I love to her her explain things to Blake that she has learned in school or Primary. Emily is in love with all things Pixie Hollow, and having just met several of her fairy friends, it seemed perfect for her b-day cake.

Emily making a grand arrival at 10 pounds!!2 years old

Lucky girl got to go to Disneyland for her b-day. (We were planning on going anyway, just made sure it was during her b-day) Since Disney is having a get in free on your b-day special, and we already had our passes, she got the equivalent of the price of a one day admission in the form of a gift card - $62!!! She got a pass to get our entire family to the front of any line - Thank you! And she wore her big badge all day, so EVERYONE wished her happy birthday.

With Emily turning 6 our family is now officially 2, 4, 6, 8 - The girls think that is way cool.

We celebrated at Aunt Kathy's and her cousins Andy and Ashley came. She took her new scooter out for a spin.

September

2009-09-08T22:06:00.001-07:00

I am loving the girls being in school and having time to hang with just the boys. So nice to go somewhere with just 2 kids. Here we are waiting for the music store to open. Rachel just started piano (which she loves) so we were out getting her books.
Amazing clouds in our back yard tonight - nothing came of it, but what an incredible sunset!
This storm was last Saturday morning - we got 1.25 inches in 2 hours. There was a lightning and thunder show to go along with it. I think the kids sat outside for 30 minutes straight. They had to have towels on because it was cold - 69 degrees! The best was that when I took the picture they all got excited because they thought the flash was more lightning!
Blake's 1st day of pre-school...finally. He has been putting on his back pack and asking everyday if it was time for school.
Here's Blake with his classmates - all boys. This is going to be fun!
Blake really needs pre-school as he hates to color so he never does it. Here is his first picture ever (besides scribbling). It is a jungle and the big yellow things are bananas. He is so very proud of it and made a 2nd jungle picture again today (with even bigger bananas)
Rise and shout the Cougars are out!!! We had a great time at my mom's watching BYU beat 3rd ranked Oklahoma! We donned our shirts again on Monday for free chicken sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A
I took some time to take the 3rd Wilton Cake class. I wasn't about to do the final cake in the book that had 30 hand made roses, but I didn't want to do the other one either as it seemed like something I could do on my own without help. I wanted to get some help while I had an instructor available, so I did everything else from the class. It's a little busy, but I knew the kids would love it.
Never give a 2 year old a fudge-cicle in the AZ heat, unsupervised ...unless you go swimming after to wash up. (The shirt is ruined)Caleb with 2 of his favorite things - cars and his dad. Who knew they went so well together.

Rachel's Baptism

2009-08-20T06:37:00.001-07:00

Can't believe my baby girl is eight and was baptized. She is such a great girl and a good example to Emily, Blake and Caleb. She always tries to do what is right, and worries so much about doing something wrong. And because of that, and understanding the importance of what baptism is, she was a little nervous. It was a fantastic day with lots of family and friends. She was the only kid in our ward this month so she got to have the whole program all to her self, which made it very personal. She had lots of family participate in the program. That afternoon I had her write down her feelings in her new journal. She said, "I felt good in side and I felt I was doing the rite thing. I flet happy, importan, and that Hemenly Father loves me."

My mom and sister made Rachel's dress with left over fabric from when they made my weeding dress. She looked so beautiful and grown up!

Rachel and her dad

We had everyone over for lunch afterwards. There's a place in Mesa that make "8" sub sandwiches. Very cool!!

1st Day of School - 2009

2009-08-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

School started last Monday, when it was 114. (Doesn't sound like summer is over, does it?) I'm really pleased with the teachers and classes that the girls have (other than the size of Rachel's class). With Rachel's 2 best friends gone, I was really hoping for a lot of friends to be in her class. She has a TON! - Four or five girls from the ward, and several from her class last year. What a blessing. She also got her cast off just before school started, but no PE or playground until September. Emily will have 2 teachers this year. They both just had babies and are sharing a contract. They are both fantastic teachers and I think Emmy will do ok with the switching. All the ward kids she knows are in other classes and not very many kids from her class last year are in her class this year - but who wouldn't want to be friends with Emily :) And I am really enjoying have just the boys home ALL day!!!

Other Vacation Photos

2009-07-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Since school starts on Monday, I figured I'd better post at lease a few more vacation pictures (before I have to post the 1st day of school photos)Crossing Hoover Dam - Last time it took us 2 hours to cross and it was 126 on the car dash read out. This time... not so bad, only 112 and we were actually moving.
Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. So beautiful and such a neat experience. They had a sweet couple in the sealing room share their testimonies of the temple. I was so touched to be able to be in the sealing room and witness the results of the covenants Jon and I made there 9 years ago. Temples are such a blessing!

Caleb was most impressed with the oxen in the font. Kept repeating in his booming bass voice, "COW, COW, COW!" Lots of giggles from others.
One day kids...one day!
All decked out in our 4th of July gear
At the Willardson reunion playing in the ice cold stream.
Just a part of the Willardson Family. 4 out of 6 siblings, 9 out of 31 grandkids, 39 out of 89 Great-grandkids, and 0 of the 8 great great grandkids. Can you imagine if we'd all been there?? How cool would that have been.
Before and after. Rachel fell off the monkey bars and landed on her elbow. All happy 2 days later with her hot pink and purple stipred water proof cast!

Sunday lunch in the park with my 1/2 brother David and my birthmom Kay. The kids had a fantastic time!

Temple grounds with beautiful flowers. We also did the conference center.
They have since seen pictures of the SLC Temple at church and were so excited -"Hey that's the one we saw"

Bridal Veil Falls
Provo River
Finally in San Diego at the beach!
Mermaid Emily - I swear she sat there for 30 minutes playing Mermaid. Thanks Dad!

Fish Lake

2009-07-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Fish Lake has been a family tradition since my grandpa was a boy - 100 years ago!! I have lots of memories of going as a kid. Jon and I went the summer we were married and this is our first year back. It was fun to share that tradition with my kids. We had 26 in our group, and my aunt and uncle were there too with some of their kids. Emily loved fishing. She went out early in the cold. She caught 3 fish, including one of the biggest of the trip. She said, "Mom, maybe I should move to Fish Lake, because I am a fisherwoman, and then I could fish every day." Emily and her cousin Jessica - the other true fisherwoman!Rachel loved being in nature and hated fishing because the fish die, but did enjoy driving the boat. She had a blast playing cards with all of her cousins.Caleb not too sure of the boat, or the straight...I mean LIFE jacket.

Blake and Caleb sitting on the steps of the cabin eating apples from Aunt Kathy's orchard.Driving Uncle Dave's boat! Smiled the whole time.Blake and his 2nd cousin, and long lost soul mate, Zach. Talk about 2 peas in a pod!

Terrible Twos Here We Come

2009-07-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well my baby is two, but not terrible. I think he knows he's a year older. The morning of his birthday he refused to sit in his high chair anymore, and insists on being at the big table. This boy loves his Cars, and knows them all by name - so we saved all the party goods from Blake's B-day and we were set for Cars birthday #2. When he came down after his nap and saw wrapped presents he got very excited and yelled, "Birthday!!!" Rachel had no clue when it was her 2nd birthday, but being the youngest of 4, Caleb knew exactly what was up!Make a wish (or at least try not to spit on the cake when you try and blow)

He loved the puzzle so much we could hardly get him to open any other presents.Vacation pictures coming soon - man we've been busy!