Our Days on Daisy Drive

2011-11-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

My best costume to date...I went as my very own Facebook Page!! Soo fun to make...

Allyson Randle Photography!!!

2009-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

I know....I know....You haven't seen me or my family forever....Right??? However, I just felt that this exciting news was VERY Blog Worthy and takes top priority over anything and everyone right now!! (Wow that sure says alot Ally!)

So my BFF Allyson Randle started her photography business only a year ago today!! And as many of you know she is the most AMAZING, CREATIVE, FABULOUS Photographers out there and I am in such AWE of her and her success!! She has such a great eye for this and she has definately found her calling in life!!

So becuz this is her 1 year anniversary, she is having a contest to kind of get the "word" out so that people will start to know Allyson Randle Photography as your typical household name!!

Soooo PUHLEASE....Go to allysonrandlephotography.com and check her out!! You can also view her blog from there. And then once you see her work, it's a NO-BRAINER...you then BOOK HER IMMEDIATELY cuz she is FABULOSITY!!!

Just check out this RAD family picture that she recently took of us...I mean so cool, RIGHT???

So I can't say enough about her and how great she is, you just need to experience it yourself!!

SOOOO.....GOOOOO....What are you waiting for????

Love you Allyson....:)

Crazy Hair Day!

2009-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today was "Crazy Hair Day" at school...

So after I sprayed my kids down with all of the colors of the rainbow, I got a hold of the kids in my carpool....

And then I made them CRAZY!!!! heehee

Fischer's "Pride of the Lion's" Award

2009-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

At Fischer's school they give out "secret awards" to the kids who they feel are really making an effort and doing good in school! It is called the "Pride of the Lion's" award, as their school symbol is a Lion. So it all started when I recieved a note from his teacher Mrs. Furhman that he would be getting this award at the friday flag ceremony, but not to tell him as it would be a surprise!!

So Kristian and I snuck up on him as he was sitting there with his class not knowing we were there or that his name was about to be called out!! hee hee I almost got caught taking this one....

And then....click here for his "big moment"....

Here he his posing with the other kids who recieved awards that day!

We are sooo PROUD of you Fish....Great Job Buddy!!!!

HEART DAY is here!!!

2009-02-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

Every holiday is a special day, So I try to make it just as special for the kids! So this is what "cupid" brought them this year...or should I say "candy cupid"? Awwwwwe....The LOVE....

Here is Cami in her Valentine "get up"! She wanted to wear my shoes to school soo badly!! What a little "poser".

A Diamond Castle Princess Party!

2009-02-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

This year Campbell wanted to have a Barbie birthday party and her favorite barbie and movie these days have been the Diamond Castle barbies. So that is what my "little princess" got... She was even telling me exactly what kind of cupcakes she wanted...."white with pink icing please!"

So she had all of her cute little friends over and they danced while they watched the Diamond Castle movie....

Opened presents...

And ate yummy cupcakes....

Happy 4th B-Day Cami!!!

2009-02-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Today Campbell turned 4 years old!! And this is what she woke up to find...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE "MONKEY"....I just LOVE this girl....A special B-day card and a hug from her big sissy Merrick... Her cousins came up to help celebrate her big day! We went to her favorite place to eat, Wendy's and went to the movies, then came home and ate lots of cake!!! We Love you Campbell Reese...Hope you had a GREAT B-DAY!!!

Campbell's traumatic haircut...

2009-01-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I decided that I didn't want to deal with Campbell's long hair and all of the aweful "snaggle monsters" that I had to encounter everytime I brushed it!!! So I told Cami that we were going to cut her hair like her friend Lauren did, real short and in a "bob". So I got her all ready...hair wet and full of smiles... And this is what happened half way thru....It really was sooo sad...she kept looking at herself in the mirror and saying "I look ugly!"

I had to keep reassuring her that I was not done yet and that after I styled it and blew dry it, it would be beautiful!!!

This was just one of those nasty snaggles that I took such "delight" in chopping out of her hair!! BUH BYE....This is the big ol' snaggle hair pile that was left after I was finished...

And even after I blew it out and styled it she still was not happy with me...If I knew it was going to be this "traumatic" I would have taken her to supercuts and payed them to deal with it!!! haha

P.S. The next day was a much better day, as she said to me while we were driving in the car "Mommy, I love my haircut! I look soo cute!!"

Girls.....SO DRAMA!!!!!!

Our Park City Christmas...

2008-12-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Surprise!!! I'm BACK.....and it's STILL Christmas time in my little "blog world"!!! That's what I get for taking such a LONG HIATUS!!!! Wow...I have sooo much to blog now, so I thought I would start off with our christmas trip to Park City since this really has been the post that I have been dreading doing as it was sooo overwhelming for me to just pick a few pix...(hence the long procrastination). But thank goodness for PICASA!!!! It really has saved mine and your life, cuz if you saw how many pix I was just about to individually post you would've written me off for good, never to return to visit....Enjoy.... (p.s. you can click on each collage to enlarge it if you care to.)

This Christmas we were all invited up to my Sister Meghans' beautiful home in Jeremy Ranch, which is in Park City. We were so excited to finally all be together, although a little crazy...with 12 adults and 14 kids in one house YIKES!!!

We had soo much fun driving up to Utah knowing we would soon see the long awaited snow!! It was a beautiful drive and the kids loved having their own little "slumber party" in the back with all their junk food and movies of course!!

The first thing we all did was get our snow gear on and Merrick made snowballs with the snowball maker that grandma had got them, Kristian did what he does best and started shoveling the pile of snow that they had on their back deck, Fischer was dodging Merricks perfectly made snowballs and Campbell made a big fat snowman with Uncle Rob and her cousins Taylor & Bailey.

I absolutely love it when my sisters and I are all together, it is so rare these days that we totally take advantage of it when it happens!! We sit around and laugh, play games, eat lots of baked goodies that we've all made, go shopping, go to dinner, go sledding, go to the movies and we even got to do a "Spa Day" with my Mom while the boys stayed home with the kids! Soo Fun...

The cousins also LOVE being together in one big house!! They made snowmen, went tubing, had snowball fights, watched 3D movies, made forts, took "tubbies" together, reinacted the Christmas Story and dressed up as the live nativity, danced, played Ethan's coveted x-mas gift-The Wii a ton, decorated gingerbread men and houses, played x-mas bingo etc.

Continued below.....

Park City Christmas cont....

2008-12-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

And of course, none of this would be happening if it weren't for my AWESOME MOM & DAD!!!! Thanks again sooo much for making this Christmas sooo very special!! We all LOVE you soo much and appreciate all the fun dinners, kids activities and I should say adult activities, planned events, gifts and endless generosity that you gave us!!!!

We will always Cherish and Remember Our Park City Christmas 2008!!!

Bust Out Your Most Ugliest...

2008-12-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

This year we were invited to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, which we were so excited to attend!! So of course I ask my Mom (who used to be your "typical" Teacher's Aid) to raid her closet...and these are only a few of the uglies that I "dug" out!! But hey Thanks to my Mom, she pretty much outfitted 1/2 the party!! Here we are striking up our best "Olan Mills" pose in her cute sweaters!! Even the guys benefited from them...You gotta love the "80's maroon" mock turtle neck with 3/4 sleeves 1/2 shirt that I made Kristian wear...Thanks again Mom!!

Here is Pete and Missi Waldron...I love the sewn in x-mas adornment Pete...Oh yeah...I mean newly appointed Bishop!! How crazy is that??? Krissy and Brent Lowe...

Justin and Julie Draeger...

Jared and Erin Munoa...

Todd and Hillary Crump....

Teri and Cheri Phippen.... Heather and Jake Muir...

Derrick and Leslie Scott....

Me and my "Crazy Elf" who I think drank way tooo much NOG that night!! haha (wink wink)

Ally and Nate Randle....Are you serious with that pose Nate?? Remember, your wearing my Mom's "puffy paint" Santa t-shirt and ugly x-mas sweater vest!!!

And who can forget cute Mandy Newbold, who we had to stand in for her MIA husband Dan!! We totally missed you man...BTW Allyson totally took the prize home for "Ugliest Christmas Sweater" (again thanks to my mom) Who would've thought that hearts, cows and sheep walking across that french blue sweater would take 1st place!! Next year that one is mine!!! Thanks again Krissy and Missi for a Great Time that we all will unfortunately (for that crazy "elf") remember forever!! haha

Santa Came EARLY!!!

2008-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

This year we were heading up to Park City for Christmas to be with my whole entire family...(An event that I still have yet to post, so stay tuned). So I wrote Santa a note to tell him where we would be and to just deliver their stockings and wait to deliver the rest of their presents to my sister Meghans house in Park City...BTW I love this guy...And I just had to take a picture of my new 9 foot Christmas tree that I waited till after Christmas last year to get and was practically the first in line at 5 in the morning waiting to get "the best deal" around!!

Cami with one of her favorite gifts from Grandma Diane...Yes this thing really sucks out of a sippie cup and pees in her diapers which Campbell loves to change!! Thanks Mom!!

Another winner from Granma Diane and Granpa Bob. Merrick thought she was straight out of "Teen Beat" mag with this stylin' purse!!
Sorry Fish, I don't know what happened here, but this is the only good one I got of you showing off your "loot".And this is one of my most favorite christmas gift of all time!! I finally got the Willow Tree style Nativity Set from My Mom and Dad!! I love it soo much!!My cute Christmas decor which makes my house look soo cozy, I love Christmas time!!

Christmas with "Amee"...

2008-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

Before my Mother-in-law Judy left to go back to Boston we decided to have Christmas with her since she wouldn't be with us....

So Santa came a little early this year in the form of an awesome Grandma who my kids call "Amee"...

Campbell was sooo excited about her new Barbie Diamond Castle princess dress that she ran over and gave her Amee the biggest hug!! It was soo cute.Then of course, not another minute was wasted before she had it on and was modeling it all over the house!! She wants to wear that dress everyday now...Thanks Judy!!
We Love you Judy (Amee)!! Thanks for all the fun Christmas presents and spending the last 2 months with us!! We can't wait till you move here!! (wink wink)

Santa's Village!!!

2008-12-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Every year we take our family down to San Diego to see the Christmas lights and a few years ago my Mom discovered this amazing house in Poway which they call Santa's Village! It's this couple who owns the Family Fun Centers in San Diego, and they totally transform their whole house and front & back yard into a winter wonderland!! We LOVE going, it's now become a tradition for us.They have all kinds of huge blow up christmas characters that are lit up in their front yard...I know, I know, that last phrase actually sounded like we were going to a white trash house but it was done with class, I promise.Here we all are trying to get everyone in this group pix, which can be very hard when you have 10 kids who want to all run wild!!This is another one of their amazing decorations that is about as big as a 2 story house!! This pix doesn't do it justice, seriously. They also provide hot cocoa, apple cider and cookies and people who donate their time to work there! Merrick with her cousins Maddie and Catelyn.One of the rooms that were transformed.My cute Mom and Dad.This is basically their living room.Another amazing perk they do here is let each child pick out a toy!! And they have about 20 different bins that are set up with all kinds of toys to choose from!! Seriously..who are these people?? Soo generous!!We know what Cami went for...Cute Little Princess!!

This is what their backyard looks like...you can't see from the pix, but they have a snow machine out there so the snow will fall when you walk through the cute little village.

Me with my sister's Liz and Heather.

And of course Santa and Mrs Clause were there waiting to take the traditional "santa" pix with all of the kids!! Thanks you Santa's Village for a Great time!! See you next year!!

What kids are asking for these days...

2008-12-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

Okay so here is your "normal" Christmas list from a typical 3 year old!! Her big sissy Merrick helped her write this one!! And then....

Here is Merrick's which is actually pretty "normal" also, except for part where it says Backyard Done! haha Obviously she doesn't know who Santa is and how he works...cuz if it was that easy, I would be writing their Christmas Lists for them of all the unrealistic things that I would like too!! Poor girl doesn't even "Believe" anymore either which makes me so sad..(hence her list is addressed "Dear People" ) WHAT?? Is that about??Then here is my sweet Fischer's "Crismis List"...which I am in love with!! So let me do a little interpretation for some of you who can't read his writing. He want's a Wii, a star wars ship, a video game, a dog, a webkins, a t.v., my room changed, and here is the best one yet....

A Disco Ball!!! Why??? I maybe should start to take him serious about that one as this is his 2nd time asking for one!! Maybe we will see him on Dancing with the Stars someday!! Who knows...haha

Our 2008 Christmas Card

2008-12-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

And so after our long Family Photo shoot...This is what our Christmas cards looked like!! I will warn you they are seriously over the top!! Allyson did an amazing job!! But how will I ever top these for next year?? I couldn't even do just one style of course...So this one is set up as a tri-fold style that folds in 4 places...Here is the back of the tri-fold card....

Then this is the simple 5x7 postcard style that I did also...Front...

Back...

I can't wait to see what she will do for 2009!!! Thanks Ally for the Best Christmas Cards Ever!! We have gotten soo many comments about them!!

Light, Camera, Action!!!

2008-12-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

So one of my Best Friends Allyson Randle just started her own photography business back in August, so I enlisted her to take our family pictures for our christmas cards this year, and just by looking at these you would've thought she had been doing it all of her life!! She has such an artistic and amazing eye!! So I was finally able to get my hands on them and thought I would share...I love this one, she put an "old school" polaroid effect on it!!

Just me and my guy...

My Beautiful Merrick...
Sweet Boy Fischer...

In Love with her...
My girls...

Crazy Crew...

This is my absolute FAV and made it as the front of my Christmas cards...

"Amee" (grandma) with the kiddies..._

I heart my boys...

These guys "rule" the house...

Thanks again to Allyson Randle Photography!! We Love you...

We HEART Laguna Beach!!!

2008-11-29T21:54:00.000-08:00

Before my Mother-in-law Judy left to go back to Boston we decided to take her and the kids to the beach and enjoy the beautiful sunny weather we were having!! Well you wouldn't have known by looking at these pictures that it was blue skys and sunny days back in Temecula, cuz the minute we got near the coast it looked like this...very foggy!!However we made the best of the situation and still had soo much fun!! It started off with us eating our picnic lunch that we had brought and watching all of the crazy seagulls fly over us waiting for any little crumb to drop!!! So Fischer and Campbell couldn't resist, they took their leftover crusts and started feeding those dirty birds!!

Still soo gorgeous...fog and all!!Daddy walking the kids over to the tide pools...
Fischer was soo excited to have found this beautiful shell until I told him that we were actually on state park grounds and weren't aloud to take anything from the tide pool area. Sorry Bud.

I love this...

Daddy's girl!

Judy & I...
The water was actually not that cold!!!

Me and my Cami girl...

This picture turned out to be soo funny because you see the wave that is behind them?? Well it was coming with full-force right at them and I took this pix just in time and prevented them from getting totally soaked!! However I secretly keep thinking to myself how hillarious that would've been!! hee hee

We found this cool sort of cave...

How cute is that???

ME & JULIE'S 24 HOUR BLACK FRIDAY ADVENTURE!!!!!

2008-11-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

Yes you heard it right...We were literally out shoppin' it up and finding all "the Black Friday" deals for 24 Hours Straight!!! We thought we were smart when we made a plan to sleep in Julie's car after we were done shopping at the outlets, which opened at 11pm to kick off their big Midnight Madness Sales...However...when we arrived at Kohl's and saw that there were only a few people in line (this is at 1:45am BTW) we knew that all the crazies would just keep coming with their camp chairs and we did not want to miss a beat!!!

So...As tired as we already were by then, we knew we had to brave the freezing Cold and sit on the hard cement with our Diet Cokes & Blankets and wait for a couple hours until they opened at 4am!! We only look happy cuz we were 10th in line!! Yeah for us!! We had to take a piture of this random guy's make-shift tent that he had set up in front of Best Buy...we drove along the sea of tents and honestly could not believe our eyes!! It was so crazy. The people that were waiting behind him told us that he had been there for The Last 3 Days!!! I mean really...I know we were out all night, but I don't think there is a deal good enough in this years Best Buy Ad that you would've seen me camping out for!! Psycho!!
Here we are...with a car full of our"Black Friday Deals"... after standing in many lines, waiting, waiting, and more waiting, store hopping, getting in fights with store managers, getting dirty looks from random people for taking the "last one" of something, running on No Sleep & Diet Cokes, feeling like we had just been to Tijuana and back, wanting to brush our teeth so badly, Our feet hurting and basically just sick of each other and this whole experience!! What is that you ask??? Was it worth it???

Well...judging from our appearance and sad faces, at the time we probably would have just Bit Your Freaking Head Off if you had asked us that!!! But now looking back, I would totally do it over again, only with Julie being my "partner in crime" (She doesn't know this yet) but most likely will make her do "Black Friday" with me next year...Okay maybe not an all nighter!! That really was Brutal...but we definately made some fun memories that we will always remember and laugh about!!! HAHAHAHA Thanks Draeger, for the Good Times!!!

Cousin Time!!! YEAH!!

2008-11-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

So for the last few years it has kind of been a tradition that the cousins spend the night on Thanksgiving night since they are already here and don't have school the next day!! Here is Merrick with her cousins and my twin sisters' daughters'...Caitlyn and Madison.So I being the "cool Aunt" that I am wanted to do something fun with them while they were here and so I tried to play "Martha" for the day and recreate her fun little gum drop creations that I found in her mag.Here is the gang along with some neighborhood kids that decided to join in on the fun!!I think Cami ate more gum drops than actually made it on her skewers!!Here are Merricks cute gum drop flowers... Here is what Fischer called his "gum drop Alien"... Nice job on your gum drop Santa Maddie....

How cute is Caitlyns' gum drop person....

Happy Turkey Day...

2008-11-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving time and all of the great fall decor that I get to place around my house!! I always get the opportunity to host our Thanksgiving dinners and this year we had to celebrate it the Sunday before so that my sisters who had to spend the actual day with their in-laws were able to be here with our grandpa who was visiting from Ohio.

Here are Kristian, Rob and my cute Dad getting impatient!!Me with my most favorite Grandpa ever!!! Our make-shift dining area set for 10....
Kristian set up shop for the kids to eat out in the garage with their new Pottery Barn Turkey plates that their Grandma Diane presented to them that day. Thanks Grandma!

Cami playing "dress up" with her cousins...twins Grace abd Olivia and their big sissy Taylor.

Merrick's Craft Fair

2008-11-16T16:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of the 3 Craft Fairs Merrick has done!! I am soo proud of her becoming a little business woman at the age of 10!! Wow!! She is truly amazing and very talented!! She has named her business Flower Power notebooks & journals...Her booth looked so awesome!!Here is Merrick with her "Amee" Judy (My great mother-in-law) who has helped out tremendously with her craft fairs!! They even did one together while I was away in Ohio at my Grandpa's house!! Thanks again Judy for all of you participation and help on Merrick behalf!!The tables were set up so cute...Here are the smaller ones that she does and sells for $3. They are adorable!!

Here are some of her Christmas creations....

She also does smaller ones to coordinate with the bigger ones...Good Thinking Mer-Mer!!!

She will actually be selling them now on Etsy.com and I will post when that is up and running in case you want to order any from her!! Great Job Merrick...Mommy is so very proud of you!!

Treasures from Grandma & Grandma's House....

2008-11-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

I missed my kids soo much while I was away at my Grandpa's house and the night that I got home and showed them all of the fun "finds" I had brought home, they were soo excited to model them for us!! It was so funny. My Grandma Patton would have loved to see that!!

Here is Cami modeling my Grandma's old Christian Dior leopard print vintage hat!!

Here is one of her awesome 70's dress that I had to have and the green shoes to match which are actually in right now!! I can't wait to reveal this one at a 70's party!!
Here is another vintage beauty that Merrick modeled for all of us...

Off to Grandpa's house!!!!

2008-11-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to go to my Grandpa's house in Ohio while my good Mother-in-law held down the "my fort" in Cali for 12 days!! Thanks again Judy...You are the BEST!!! My sister Liz and I flew there and met my mom at his house to basically do a total "sweep through" and try to go through the things that he did not need anymore so that we could move him out here to be with us!! Here is one of my favorite pix of my grandparents that I found while I was there...My Beautiful Sweet Grandmother Eve sadly died a few years ago of Alzheimers. She really was like a second Mom to me as I was growing up and I love her dearly!!This is their house that my mom and her brother grew up in!! It is in Mansfield, OH, and I loved being here, as it brought back soo many memories for me. My twin and I basically spent a good part of our childhood here.My grandparents even had this playhouse made for Heather and I in there backyard where we would play for hours with all of the neighborhood kids. Again...Sooo many great memories!!Here is Liz and I with my Grandpa Patton. We were on our way to church and this is seriously the only times we would get dressed up while we were there, because the rest of the time we had our "working gear" on and were ready to get dirty!!I wish that I would have taken a pix of this huge basement right when we first started...honestly you would not believe how full it was all of those shelves in the back were packed with stuff!!! It was seriously crazy all of the stuff we wnt through and found!!Here is Lizzy and I trying to make my Grandpa go through all of his old papers and clothes etc. He really wasn't too hip on this whole "cleaning out and getting rid of stuff". But he was a trooper and actually "let go" of a lot!!! This was what the basement looked like after we were done with it!! What a "PROJECT"!! All of the stuff on the left is his "taking to San Diego" pile!!

Liz and I would soon find out that this old Cadillac Deville was going to be our BFF for the next week as we filled that car to the brim...Soo Ugly!!! haha

Then we would haul it off to the Salvation Army trucks and get a reciept for everything we had donated!!! Liz was practically sitting on my lap every trip!!! I wish I had a picture of everything that we threw away and donated!! It would Blow Your Mind!!!

This is one of the great many treasures that I found in the basement...My Grandma's old doll!! I love it so much...how cute is she?

I also got to visit with one of my dear childhood friends Bonnie Parr!! She is so awesome and we have had soo many great memorable times together!!! It was sooo fun to see her and her family!

We were also lucky enough to be there to "ring in" my Grandpa's 85th Birthday!!! He looks so good for 85!! Bonnie's sweet Mom Sheri had this birthday cake made for him with one of his old pictures on it. What a fun surprise that was for him!!

Happy 85th Birthday Grandpa Patton...

We LOVE YOU!!!!

Here we are at one of the many B-day celebrations! L-R Jay Parr, Sheri Parr My sister Jill (who flew in from Maryland to celebrate with us), me, Liz, my Mom, Grandpa Patton and my Uncle David.

Thanks again Grandpa for all of the Wonderful Memories and Great Times we have shared and I look forward to many more!! Love you...

Happy Halloweenie!!!!!

2008-10-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!! This year the kids went trick or treating with our neighborhood friends as we do every year!!

Fischer and Campbell with Lauren VanNyhuis.

Cami and "Lo-Lo".

Merrick and her BFF Natalie!!

They hate this part...all of the mom's are always holding them up from going to the first door because we are taking soo many pictures before they all go crazy!! They actually look good for being the 50th pix taken!! haha

Our Spooky Nights...in 2008!

2008-10-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

This year we had The Hula Dancer, a crazy Alien who's rockin the 70's afro (random) and the sweet angel who is dressed up as Tinkerbell's friend... Then there is their SPOOKY Parents...Who are we again????

Campbell was soo funny at our ward parties, she wanted to take pix with all of the other Tinkerbells in the house!!

Here if Fischer (Alien Boy) with his friend Caden.

Merrick and Ella

Fischer with Owen Draeger.

Julie and I at the ward party.

Ally and I with her sweet little Lion...Zach!! We love him.

Here him ROAR!!!! It's what he does best!! haha

Pumkin Carving Party!!!

2008-10-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Every year my good friend Julie Draeger and I have hosted a "Pumpkin Carving in the Park" party. We always have it on the Monday before Halloween so that all of the families can make that their FHE and carve their pumpkins all in one night!! We are SO good...haha. This year was our 4th year doing it and it always ends up being such a hit!! People are starting to ask us now in September if and when we will be hosting it again!! Thanks for the love!!

Here is Kristian who always pulls through for our family by carving the cutest pumpkins ever!! (Notice he threw out his carving utencils and went straight for the "drummel"!!) Is that "cheating"??I mean who actually makes ears???? How cute is he??? (Oh...and Kristian is pretty cute also!)My friend Erica was turning the big 30 also, so this was a perfect time for me to make a cute Halloween cake and surprise her with it at the party where we all sang and wished her Happy Days...Love you Erica!!By the way...just in case you wanted to get a closer look at my most awesome cake that I probably have ever made, here it is!!! I had so much fun doing this for her!! Love it!!

Thanks to everyone again for coming and making this year another great one!!

Merrick's "5 Minutes" of fame....

2008-10-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Merrick was asked by our good friends cute daughter, Ally Scott, to participate in a "kiddie cheer camp" fundraiser, where she would go to a few practices and then perform a cheer and dance at the Half Time show at the Chaparral High football game!! Merrick was very reluctant at first to do this in front of soo many people, but ended up doing such a great job!!!

Ally Scott with Merrick....Thanks for asking her to take part in this fun night Ally!!
Kristian and I watched from the stands of hundreds of people and were soo proud of her!! Great Job Mer-Mer!! I see a future "Head Cheerleader" here!! Maybe you will take after your Grandma Diane!!

Sorry this video is a little shaky....(stupid camera). haha

"Workin' The Corner"...

2008-10-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

I was seriously soo nervous to stand on one of the major intersections of Temecula to help promote this very serious proposition that we need to pass here in the state of California!! But after the first 5 minutes of standing there waving my sign in front of everyone that drove by, I didn't want to leave!! It was honestly the best feeling, knowing that I was sticking up for what I believe in...which is protecting our families and marriage!! I can't wait to do it all over again next week!! We got soo many more honks and thumbs up than the "finger" it was great!!
VOTE YES ON PROP 8!!!

VOTE YES on PROP 8!!!!

2008-10-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

You've been tagged. PLEASE READ THIS no matter what state you live in.Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children. If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches. The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs. Including adoption agencies.

A YES vote will not hurt gays. In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.For your information:On Friday, October 10th, 2008 a first-grade class took a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding in California.

Click Here for the article from the San Francisco Chronicle.A father in Massachusetts was frustrated when his kindergartner was taught about homosexuality at school by the teachers. He insisted he be notified in the future before such things were discussed so he could pull his boy out of school.He was taken to jail.

Click Here for the story.A Catholic adoption agency In the UK closed their doors because of the Government's new homosexual equality laws. The Equality Act forbids discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation. The law was forced through Parliament last year despite past Prime Minister Tony Blair's recommendation that Catholic adoption agencies be exempted from the rules.

Click Here for more info.Earlier this month judges in Conneticut overturned the state law (just as the judges in California did) to legalized gay marriage. This is not just an issue in California. We voted years ago to keep traditional marriage as the only marriage recognized in the state of California, 4 judges overturned our vote…and we need to fight back. That is what this Proposition is about.

This is happening everywhere and the leaders of the church and others have warned that the outcome of California’s vote will affect the way the other states vote.

So PLEASE…even if you don’t live in California, put this on your blog or email this on. The internet knows no state line. You know contacts in California that I don’t…and so do your friends.

Please pass this on as it could eventually have an effect on everyone!"Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, "You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven't time to be concerned for others." Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service andour hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord." --Thomas S. Monson

Click Here for excerpts from the Broadcast given by Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton.A good resource mentioned in the broadcast: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/October 20th: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot if voting out of state.

Click Here to get one.October 27th: Last day to apply for “Vote by Mail”

Click Here for info.November 4th: Election day. Polls close at 8:00pm. Vote by mail must be received by this time and can be hand delivered if necessary.

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED...Here's what you do:In the broadcast we were asked to "go viral on our blogs, etc" by Elder Ballard. This is my way of going viral. If you feel this is an important issue I ask that you copy and paste this post...and post it on your blog. PLEASE keep it at the top of your blog through November 4th. which you can adjust each time you post under the "edit post" option. The internet knows NO STATE LINE. You know contacts in California that I do not...as do your friends and their friends...and so on. Please do this. If not for your own children and the effect it could have on them some day...for mine! After you have posted this...email this to your contacts and TAG all your blogging buddies to do the same. THANK YOU!

WE HEART PUMPKIN PATCHES!!!

2008-10-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

WARNING: You are about to view a gazillion Pumpkin Patch Pics!!....Sorry, I couldn't choose just one.

We love the fall becuz it brings with it all the great holidays and cool weather!! But we especially love exploring new Pumkin Patches every year and picking out the perfect pumkins to adorn our front porch! So this year we went out to Valley Center to visit Bates Nut Farm! It was amazing and so beautiful, they had hundreds of very large and small pumkins to choose from...

We could not get over how huge these pumkins were...The pictures don't really do it justice, but these suckers were almost all over 100 pounds!!

We let them run through the straw maze where they kinda "lost" for a bit...heehee, so we were able to sit down and take a break!! Maybe I could have Kristian make one of these in our backyard, so I can send them out back every once in awhile!! hahaMe and my handsome "scarecrow" just chillin' in the hay...

Daddy taking them for a wheel barrel ride as we go to the patches to pick our pumpkins...

They each ran and sat on the pumkins they wanted to bring home....too bad they were about $100 each....sorry guys.So then they decided to settle for these...

But actually by the end of the day we let them pick out those small pumkins, so that mommy could get her favorite "Fairytale" and "White Princess" pumpkins...I mean, I am "The Queen Bee" around here...So what are you gonna do??

Surprise...Amee's Here!!

2008-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

So today Merrick woke up to a few surprises for her Birthday!! After she opened her gifts, I gave her the last one which was the start of her B-Day Treasure Hunt (which BTW she had actually requested I do) and after I had all of them running up and down the stairs following all of her clues they ended up on the last one which was our guest room.... And Surprise!!! "Amee" (their grandma & my Mother-in-law) was there with birthday bows and all!!! She flew in all the way from Boston the night before to surprise Merrick for her Birthday!! What an awesome gift she was for Mer-Mer, she was literally speechless, well actually they all were!!

We are soo lucky to have her staying with us for 6 weeks!!! They just love it when Amee is here!! Thanks so much Judy for being Merrick's Great Birthday Surprise!! WE LOVE YOU!! Merrick's other Grandma (G-diane), also showed up today and brought many B-day and Halloween goodies for the kids and then we all went Bowling which Merrick killed all of us with her high score!! Great Job Mer!! We ended our fun B-day day by going to one of her favorite restaraunts; Soup Plantation!! She had such a GREAT DAY with both of her Grandma's...

Happy DOUBLE DIGITS Merrick!!!

2008-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday
My Sweet Mer-Mer!!

I really can NOT believe that my first born has just turned 10 Years Old!!! I am so sad at how fast the time is flying by us, it really is crazy to think that I have a 10 year old!! But I couldn't be more proud of her and all that she has become in her short little life...She is the BEST DAUGHTER, always has been soo sweet and caring. She is funny and bright and has the greatest smile that is so contagious!! She is a great friend to many and has always been very sensitive towards others. She loves music, White Lime frozen yogurt, white chocolate, milk duds, coloring amazing pictures, playing with her BFF Natalie, (who conveniently lives right across the street), shopping, pedicures, "date nights" with her Good Ol' Dad, baking with her Mom and being a great Older "Sissy" to her brother and sister! She is also very creative and has actually started her own business this year called Flower Power Notebooks & Journals, she started selling them on Ebay and was very successful, Now she has her very own storefront where she sells them on Etsy!! She is an amazing, beautiful girl whom we love so much!!

We hope you have an Awesome Birthday Mer-Mer...

Movie Night for FHE!!!

2008-09-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

For our Family Home Evening a few weeks ago when Halee my neice was still here, Merrick was in charge and she put together a (Home) "Movie Night"... It was soo fun! She made movie signs and tickets...Then she had everyone line up...To give her their movie tickets... Greeted us with popcorn...And then showed us to our "comfy" seats...(this sure beats any movie theater seating!!)We then started our lovely show with a surprise to Halee...Here she is at her Kindergarten graduation...How cute is she...And she was followed by my handsome hubby in his skiing days up at Sundance...love the "racoon eyes" Babe!Here is me in the MTC with all of my cute elders that I loved (even though they were all dorks!)And then the rest of the show consisted of Merrick...Sorry Fischer and Campbell, that's what happens when you are the "firstborn". Seriously though we aren't that rutheless...we did take video of the "Fish" and "little Belle", but they are all on our computer!! So that will have to be another night!! However, Campbell kept thinking that everytime she saw Merrick on the screen that it was her. She would say "That's ME Mommy?" It really is amazing how much they look alike when they were younger!! So we will just let Cami think that that night was all about her!!

ROCKS FOR SALE???!!!???

2008-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

So you know how the saying goes..."He/She could sell ice to the eskimos!"...
Well the other day Fischer and Campbell collected a bunch of rocks around our yard (and I'm talking just your average looking rock-nothing at all special about them) and cleaned them off in the sink and then actually went door to door around our neighborhood trying to sell them!! (this is all without me knowing of course...How embarassing!!)

And this is the "Loot" they came home with...All I can say about this one is...SORRY BUT I THINK A FEW OF YOU GOT SUCKER PUNCHED!!! BUT HEY...THANKS FOR MAKING THEIR DAY!!!

I'm soo proud of my 3 little "Entrepreneuers" starting out so young!!

Merrick starts her own business!!!

2008-08-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

My cute little "crafty" daughter Merrick has just started her own business making these great notebooks and journals! She has named her business "FLOWER POWER" Notebooks & Journals. I am soo very proud of her. I am in "awe" at each creation she comes up with...all by herself!! So please check her notebooks out http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjpkipper1. She has started selling them on Ebay. Go Mer-Mer!!

Back To School...WHAT????

2008-08-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it is that time again????? Where did our summer go??? Actually it is still summer to me and I swear I get on my "soapbox" every year about how it makes me so mad that they can't just start school like almost everyone else does...after Labor Day!!! DUH....Oooo that totally drives me crazy...Needless to say my poor kids still smiled for the camera with their new backpacks!! Notice backpacks aren't so cool anymore for my big 5th grader Merrick, who convinced me to get her this groovy looking tote bag!! Thank goodness they both like their teachers this year!! Too bad Merrick judges whether her teachers are going to be good or bad by the way they look....if they are "nice and pretty" then we will be having a Great year!! A very BIG THANKS goes out to all of her past & present teachers who come to school looking like they had just come from "Hair & Makeup". Somehow that has made my life that much easier!! haha
Then there is my cute little "Fish" who really could care less about appearance, except his own of course...He has loved all of the great teachers he has had so far and they adore him!! Seriously...who doesn't love this kid???
Campbell also went back to school this week...She is attending the 123 Learn Preschool where she was last year just 2 days a week! She LOVES it here and absolutely LOVES her great teachers Ms. Carol and Ms. Melissa!!! But this year is also kind of a sad time cuz her BFF Katelyn Wankier isn't here with her...and when I dropped her off on Tuesday and she asked me where Katelyn was I almost broke out into tears...It was soo heartbreaking!! She loves and misses Katelyn soo much!! However, her other good friend Victoria Newbold is now in her class, so hopefully she will not keep asking where Katelyn is everytime I take her to school...BooHoo.

Great Friends and Good Food!

2008-07-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

So the other night Kristian and I had the opportunity to go to our new favorite restaurant in Huntington Beach called Houston's Steak House with our good friends Ron and Linda Rock. They were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary and asked us to join them!! Here we are waiting for our table...

Ron talked me into having their famous ribs...and they seriously fell right off the bone like he said they would...YUMMY!! (But oh soo messy)

Linda with her delicious plate full of the best tasting salmon and sweet corn straight off the cob!! Awww...How cute are they!! They have been coming here every anniversary for the last 20 years!! And now we know why!! We LOVE Houston's!! Thank you for inviting us to share this special night with you....Kristian and I had such a blast!! We feel so fortunate to have you in our lives!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

A typical good ol' summer day....

2008-07-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

So my children like to remind me daily how "lucky" everyone else is that they get to go here and there and ask me what our itinerary will be for the day....and when I respond with "I have no idea, but all I know is right now I have to do a couple loads of laundry, unload the dishwasher and pay some bills before we go anywhere, so don't bug me!" So they tell me they are going to go make a "list" of all that they want to do when I am done. And I say "That's a great idea...thinking it would be things they wanted to do at home, and "shooed" them off hoping that that activity would take up at least a half hour or so...
And unfortunately 5 minutes later they are handing me these crazy lists...

Here is Fischer's List...(You gotta love the last one Wolmort "Wal Mart")
And then my cute little Merrick's List...Seriously guys, Why Wal Mart????

So this is what happens when we don't fulfill any thing on their lists and end up staying at home all day...GOOD TIMES!!! Poor "Fish"...he just might be seeing this picture again...(when his sisters try to blackmail him) haha

P.S. Click on the picture to enlarge it to get the full effect!

"Let me count the ways" I love BOSTON....

2008-07-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

So here are a few things that I absolutely LOVE about Boston...

#1 Kimball's Farm Ice Cream had to be the first on this list as most of you know...It's this great beautiful farm that they have basically turned into a homemade ice cream stand! This ice cream is soo yummy that people stand in line rain, snow or in the hot humid sun. We have been standing in these lines for years now. By the way, they are only open from April to the first part of October, and Kristian and I have been known to stock up and buy about 5 gallons of our favorite flavor (Kaluha crunch) for the winter months so that we would never go without!! How scarey is that? Check out this menu of all the flavors they offer...all homemade there.And what I especially love is that they aren't into "measuring", so this is what a small looks like...HELLO!! Love those high school "scoopers"....This is just one of my many trips that I took there that weekend...(YIKES) Here is my great mother-in-law Judy who came with me one time!!

#2 is my in-laws huge beautiful backyard, Seriously...look at how green it is and all of the trees they have! It even goes back alot farther than this!!Here is my Mother-in-laws gorgeous rock garden that she has had for years for everyone to enjoy! This picture does not even do it justice...sorry Judy.Then here is our family's new favorite thing about their backyard...This lovely swing that my handy hubby put up while we were all there in the fall of 2006! It hangs from so high up on the tree that when you swing it feels like you are just gliding....I even had to swing while I was there and it was a good half hour before I could get my butt off that thing, it just "sucks" you in. Thanks Kristian...#3 I seriously LOVE the Red Socks and the dedicated fans...sorry Padres!! You gotta love this t-shirt that was hanging in the window of a store!!

#4 LOVE IT....why can't they come to Cali??#5 Our old house...which was actually the first house that Kristian and I bought in 1998. It used to be a nasty colonial blue color and that was one of the many things we changed on our cute little home. Again look at all of the trees in our backyard!! We had THE BEST neighbors ever!! So many great memories were made here!!#6 Boston Harbor...My great friends Rich and Peggy at the harbor...#7 Seeing what became of the 22 Billion Dollar "Big Dig" that the city of Boston has been working on ever since I can remember. It was always such a mess and try driving in all of that mess for years!! Well now the 93 highway is basically underneath this city and I am just in AWE!!! These pictures above and below are showing where we used to drive on the 93, and now it has all dissapeared!! Amazing and yet soo needed for this city!! #8 Beautiful parks that line this city, my favorite is Boston Common but I didn't have a picture of that...so this one will have to do!#9 The Italian district which they call "The North End". Kristian and I used to come here and eat alot at all of the many awesome restaraunts...there's nothing like great authentic italian food!!#10 Regina's Pizza....The line is always out the door for this place! We seriously waited for about an hour to have the most delicious grease soaked pizza that I have ever tasted!! Definately worth the wait...I mean look at that....(Never in the land of California where everyone is so healthy and there are gyms on every corner would people be standing in lines this long for greasy pizza and pints of homemade ice cream like they do here!) Peg, Rich and I with big smiles on our faces after we were finally seated! They have been coming here since they were dating in high school...how cute is that?

#11 This one actually goes out to my hubby Kristian as this was one of his absolute favorite places to go to in the North End after dinner...he loves the cannolis which were made fresh there everyday and his fav Ricotta Cheese Pie!! Yummy...

#12 The Barking Crab...one of our many places to hang out at right by the harbor...

#13 Last but not least...I love and miss hearing the good old Boston accents, So I couldn't resist taking a picture of this "Corner Store"...haha

I'm Back from Bean Town!!!!

2008-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

And hopefully back from this crazy "RUTT" I have been in....Seriously!!! Thank you for being soo patient with me....even my cute niece Halee couldn't take it anymore!! Thanks again Halee for doing a couple "charity" posts for me and my friends out there!!! All I can say is...SNOOP DOGG will forever haunt me now as I'm sure he has for all of you!!! Sorry guys...

So....Boston was amazing!! I miss the East Coast and my great friends soo much!! I just happened to go the weekend our friend Cindy Barry was getting married so that I would be able to see as many people as I could in 3 days!!! I stayed with one of my dearest friends Peggy Burns!! She is one of my favorites, I just adore and love her soo much!! And then there was my other love...Sean Christoun who surprised me at the airport!! Love you both...

Cindy married Luis Rubenfeld on Saturday July 19th!! And right after they kissed each other and we all start walking over to the reception at the country club, a major thunder and lightning storm appeared...it was soo crazy and such good timing on their part, but I absolutely LOVED it!! That is another thing I soo miss about the east coast and in honor of me being there that weekend...there was a thunder storm every afternoon or evening that I was in Boston!! I was in LOVE!!!

This was the beautiful country club in Rye, New Hampshire where the reception took place. Look how beautiful and green it is...

Here is Peggy and I with the gorgeous bride...
My other great friend Heather Ryan looking beautiful posing with Peg and I!! Cute Margo Cascella...Love her too!!

I HEART THIS GUY....

Thanks for making me feel loved and welcome again...I love you all and had the BEST time!!

Jenn's still gone... so keep holding on.

2008-07-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

We still don't have any good photos... but I just wanted you to see what our Princess Campbell looks like when Jenn isn't here...

Normal cutie... but lets look at the daddy-did-my-hair/nap-time hair Do

Oh don't worry... that is her good side :)

Poor Cami.. she got hit the hardest without having Jenn here...

Can't wait for you to come home Jenn. <3

Meet the new Jenn!

2008-07-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm Jenn's niece, Halee. I have kicked Jenn out of the blogging world because she hasn't updated in forever! And I know it makes us all very sad. So I will try my best to keep you up to date on Our Days on Daisy Drive... well at least as long as I am here.

Also Jenn is in Boston for the weekend, which means she has her camera, and that has the most recent photos on it. So I have to back track a little bit, before we get to the good stuff.

But stick around everything will be here soon :)

"BEND IT"

2008-04-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Fischer's 1st Soccer game of the season...And we seriously thought that we were watching David Beckhams "mini-me" running around the field!! (He even kind of looks like him....don't ya think?haha.) Fischer managed to score THE ONLY 2 GOALS for his team that day and ended tying it up with the other team. 2-2!!! YEAH that's right...YOU GO...FISH!!!

Taking a break at half time to get some advice from his "good ol' Dad". The Victory Run....
TWO...FOUR...SIX...EIGHT! WHO DO WE APPRECIATE? THE SKYWALKERS!! GO TEAM!!

Unfortunately I started rolling my camera right after he made his very first goal!! But here is a little video of him running like a "mad-dog" to get that ball away from the other team! We are so proud of you Fischer!!!

Happy Birthday Fischer!!

2008-04-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet little "boyfriend" turned the big 7 years old!!! We started the day by surprising him in the morning with some gifts and a new bike!! He was soo excited!He has been a huge fan lately of Star Wars and especially the PS2 Lego Star Wars video games. So we got him the Star Wars II for his birthday since he has pretty much mastered all of the levels on the first one!
His Grandma Judy who my kids call "Amee" got him this killer Tony Hawk edition bike!! That was definately his favorite gift ever!! Thanks Amee...We love you.

We took him to Soup Plantation for dinner and then was going to go bowling but unfortunately when we got there they told us that it was "League Night" and we couldn't play!! Fischer was seriously soo heart broken over that! I was so bummed for him. I even made these cute and delicious cupcakes to take with us...So instead, we just came home, sang Happy Birthday, ate cupcakes and watched the movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks" that he got for his birthday. But even though he was dissapointed about not going bowling for his birthday, he still managed to give me this great birthday smile....
We Love you "Fish"....Hope you had a Great Birthday!!!

We Love You Amee!!!

2008-03-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

We were soo lucky to have Kristian's Mom from Boston stay with us for a few weeks while the kids were on spring break!! She is the greatest Grandma to my kids and they just adore her! She goes by "Amee" if you were wondering. We had soo much fun while she was here...

We spent the day walking around La Jolla Cove and even stopped to gaze at all of the cute seals that were just "kickin it" on the beach. They were soo cute..and fat and lazy. haha.

She was also able to be here to watch Fischer turn into a big 7 year old!! This is the cool Tony Hawk bike that she got him...He was soo excited as that is all he kept asking for!! Thanks Amee!We got to go to Old Town San Diego and have a great mexican lunch with musical sernades and all!! Then we took a tour of The Mormon Battalion and the Sister Missionaries dressed the kids up like Pioneers, it was so cute.
They would've never made it as pioneers...bless their hearts!! But they sure look cute dressed as one!Thanks again Judy for coming to spend time with our family!! We love you and can't wait to play with you again...xoxo

Easter Sunday...

2008-03-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

I LOVE EASTER TIME....I love the candy (you know the kind...haha), I love the colors, I love dying eggs with my kids, I love the time of year it falls on...Spring flowers etc...I love all of the Easter Egg hunts I get to take my kids to, I love that my kids still "BELIEVE", and I especially love teaching them the true meaning of Easter and that it's not all about how full your easter basket is!!I hosted Easter dinner this year and we all had sooo much fun! I got to make these cute little birds nest place settings for everyone and they were tasty too!Here is Grandma Diane baking her yummy orange rolls with Merrick and Taylor....And here are the boys eating those yummy orange rolls the second they got out of the oven....This is my most delicious Carrot Cake that everyone was dying over....It was my first time trying out this recipe and it definately won't be my last!! Yummy....OUR ANNUAL EASTER EGG ROLL....Kristian, Rob and Bart made this awesome egg roll course with PVC pipes and all. They did such a great job!!Dad passing out the Eggs to all the cousins...Fischer looking intense as he watches to see if his egg will beat the other...Maddie and Campbell ended up in the Final Round against each other and Maddie's egg took the prize of an easter egg filled with $MONEY$....Great Job Maddie....The last thing on our Easter Sunday agenda was of course our annual Easter Egg Hunt that my mom always puts on!! They had a blast this year!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Riding!!

The Easter Bunny Hopped to Our House....

2008-03-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

More Easter Pics....

2008-03-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

WANTED: HOUSEKEEPER....

2008-03-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok...So this is quite embarrassing to even be posting these type of pictures, because I'm really not that bad at keeping a tidy, clean house but leave it to my cute neighbor to point out that I was that day...however she was not trying to critisize me about my lack of dusting, but rather pointing out how cute she thought it was that I purpously was putting it off so that I could see how long I would be able to "showcase" this sweet little handprint that she saw imprinted in the 3 months worth of DUST!!! And I admit I obviously hadn't step foot into that room enough lately to even catch a glimpse of that table! But thanks to Teri she made me look at this old dusty table in a brand new light!!! So I had to take a picture of my Cami's little handprint, because she is growing up soo fast and this picture just reminds me at how I need to cherish this time with my kids!! Thanks Teri...Oh and by the way if you are wondering I have finally dusted that table....haha

Our Annual Easter Bunny Picture....

2008-03-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

So every year I follow in my Mother's footsteps and her crazy traditions of taking pictures with the Easter Bunny and Santa....and honestly I don't really know why I torture myself and my kids...but somehow I musture up the energy and get them dressed and do their hair for us to get to the mall and realize that we have to wait for a freaking hour and a half just to have them sit on this creepy looking Bunny's lap!! Seriously the things we do....

Caitlin's B-Day Pool Party!!

2008-03-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

My cute niece Caitlin had her birthday party at the YMCA and the kids had soo much fun swimming for the first time this year!! Caitlin is soo awesome and has such a sweet personality!! She is growing up way too fast!! We love living so close to them and the cousins always have soo much fun when they get together!! Thanks for a great time Caitlin!! We love you....

The 1st of many EGG HUNTS...

2008-03-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I can't even count how many Easter Egg Hunts my kids went to this year....but it was rediculous!! They got soooo much candy and at this particular egg hunt if you found a "golden ticket" in any of your collected eggs you get to turn them in for prizes!! They each had 2-3 tix, so they made out!! It was great!

Merrick's 1st Baby Shower!!

2008-03-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Merrick's cute teacher Mrs Miller is pregnant!! So the room mom's and I threw her a baby shower and she was pleasantly surprised! Merrick is so happy for her as this will be her first baby. Unfortunately you know what that means....She now has a new teacher for the rest of the school year which is a bummer. Merrick will miss her...

Thanks to my good friend Julie...I was able to recreate this great idea of the "Mommy Memos" jar that I had all of her kids write on strips of paper why they think Mrs Miller will be a great mommy, then she has that to keep at home and read when she is missing her students!! It turned out soo cute and she said she would "cherish that forever". Good Luck on your sweet baby girl Mrs Miller!!

My Man is in a whole new "Category"

2008-03-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

Okay...So I just had to share something with you all that Kristian will probably kill me for doing, but it was just too dang funny not to! Please forgive me babe...

Anyway-The other night we were watching one of those Worlds Most Amazing Video shows or it should actually be called "How Did I Survive" on the Spike channel and there was a segment that showed a horrific accident that happened between 2 jet skiiers where this one guy basically "T-bones" the other one going about 60 mph!! It was seriously one of the most crazy things I have seen, and of course they keep replaying it in slow motion a million times. But as they were talking about this crash on the show, this one Doctor came on and started talking about the reason why he survived and analyzing the crash etc. So as he was giving his reasons why we here him say...."Well it's amazing that he even survived, I mean someone in his 40's or 50's could've never survived that crash!"....And then I pause the show (thanks to my best friend and yours, TIVO) and look over at Kristian who still doesn't understand that the Doctor on T.V. had just "called him out"....and I just start laughing so hard that I can barely even get the words out of my mouth to tell him "Do you realize what they just said sweetie?" "They just said that someone between the age of 40-50 years old would not have survived that!! That's YOU!!" And then I start crying with laughter again...Needless to say he did NOT think that was funny at all!!

Trading Places and Spaces...

2008-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hello...I'm back!! For all of you that keep "stalking" my blog to see if I have posted something new!! haha Even I started stalking my own blog hoping that a little blog fairy had come and updated it for me!! Anyways...I have just been really busy these days that I haven't even talked to some of my friends in like 2 weeks and here is the reason why...My cute sissy Elizabeth who lives in Aliso Viejo (Orange County), just bought their first house and she wanted me to help her decorate it! So I have been putting all of my thoughts, time and energy into trying to make her house beautiful. So last week I spent 4 days of shopping, painting, decorating, moving, placing furniture where it needed to be and I even hung and installed my very first Chandelier, which was one of my favorite pieces that we picked out for her by the way! Kristian was very proud of me and I didn't even have to call him once for help!! And no...please do not ask me if I will come install your chandeleir or ceiling fan cuz I'm over it!! haha Anyways...I am very pleased at how everything turned out and so was Liz and Rob! Their new house is adorable! Here are a few pictures of my little makover on a budget...I seriously felt like I was on HGTV doing one of those designs for less or decorate in 24 hr shows!! It was crazy...We are still waiting for end tables dining table and chairs and the kitchen to be painted but other than that it's the downstairs is pretty much done!! YEAH!!! Keep in mind, she is kind of trying to go for an "anthropologie" look!

Her cute little liveing room...the chairs I found at Pier 1 and they look so much better in person!
Entry way foyer area...This was the chandelier that I got to install in her dining room...sorry for the blurry pic!

Her guest bathroom that I painted a chocolate brown. Love how this room turned out!Her kitchen area and family room which is directly across from each other.

Got SNOW????

2008-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

We decided to finally take the kids to go play in the snow, since they have been begging us to go up to Big Bear just about every weekend!! So instead of making the hour and 20 minute drive to Big Bear, we decided to stay closer to home and went up to Idylwild which took us only about 40 minutes! Our good neighbors had told us of the secret place that they always go to, to avoid the holiday weekend crowds and when we got there, it was awesome!! We had to share this big hill with only one other family who was there with there 2 girls from Palm Springs. So it was perfect for me to be able to actually get a family picture with me in it!! The kids had soo much fun but I think Kristian was actually having more fun than all of us as he kept sliding down the hill and climbing higher each time and going off jumps. I think he was pretending like he was actually in Utah skiing with his college buddies like he tries to do every Presidents Day Weekend except this one.:( And I was pretending like I was back at our old house in Massachusetts, stuck in waist high snow and filming the kids playing and sledding down our big hill that we had in our backyard with all of the neighborhood kids!! BooHoo...Miss those days soo much! So now that we are living in the greatest weather around, we never get to enjoy the snow as much as we used to, so this is how we make do around here....

Happy V-DAY!!!

2008-02-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

I love Valentines Day!! I think it's because I always know who "My Valentine" is now. It's not like it was back in the day when you would wonder "Does he like me, or He doesn't like me, He likes my twin!!" Yes that did happen quite a bit...Heather...:( But now I don't have to guess any longer...Kristian is and will always be my forever Valentine!! Love ya babe...

Now in honor of HEART DAY I just wanted to share one of my favorite pics with you of Kristian and yours truly.....This pic was taken when we had our engagement pictures done!! Ahh, those were the days....

I have one more "shout out" to Valentines Day and then I will stop before you all start regurgitating. My dear friend Cheri sent me and email that was soo dang cute, I had to share a bit of it with you. It was titled "What Love means to ages 4-8 year olds"

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy age 6

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, just to make sure that it tastes ok!" Danny age 7

"Love is what makes you smile when you are tired." Terri age 4

"Love is when you tell a guy that you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday!" Noelle age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well!" Tommy age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine age 5

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you have left him alone all day!"

Mary Ann age 4

"You really shouldn't say I love you unless you mean it. But if you mean it, then you should say it alot. People forget." Jessica age 8

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl age 5

And my most favorite one....

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's GROSS!"

Mark age 6

Cupid is in the HOUSE!!!

2008-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!! I was up playing "cupid" last night till about 12:30, and this is what they all woke up to!! They were soo excited!! I know it's a little over the top, but you can blame my Mother for this one. She always did stuff like this for us growing up. She always made us feel soo loved and special on every holiday!! Thanks Mom for passing that one onto me! :)

My Cookie Monsters!

2008-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today the kids had no school!! (Lucky Me) :) So we decided to make Valentines Cookies! We had lots of fun taking turns with the cutouts, although Cami kept putting hers right smack in the middle after I would roll a new batch of dough! Good Times! Then we went to Orange County to visit my sister Elizabeth. Her and Rob are moving around the corner in a cute house and she wanted me to see it so that I could help her start decorating and picking out paint colors! Congrats Rob and Liz on you first new home!! :)

Eight Little Dancing PRINCESSES!!!

2008-02-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today I had a little "Princess Birthday Party" for Campbell!! And now that it's over I'm so glad that I did, I was thinking about not doing one this year becuz she is only turning 3 and really doesn't get the whole b-day party thing yet. So I totally could've gotten away with not doing one this year, but seriously how cute is she!! She was soo excited to answer the door and see all of her friends dressed up in their princess dresses. They all started dancing and twirling around to the princess music that I had playing. Then they watched a short princess video, decorated princess crowns and we ate pizza and pretzels, opened presents and ate only the icing off the cupcakes!! Just the way the "Princesses" do it!! It was so great and she had soo much fun!! No regrets here!!

The Toothless Fish...

2008-02-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

We just had to show that Fischer lost his other tooth, and he is now talking with a lisp!! Soo Funny!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMPBELL!!

2008-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

What a sad day it is today for me, because my sweet (and very LAST) little baby is growing up!! She is the big 3 years old today!! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of her and some cute thoughts about her...
She was rarely seen without a flower or bow on her head...
Even her first Halloween, she was a Flower! How cute is she? She adores her Daddy so much!
I love this picture of her because it is soo real and it reminds me of how much I used to just attack those juicy cheeks with my kisses!! And I still do, which she now pulls away most of the time...:(
This is what she has become...All "Girly Girl"!! That is her famous pose that she learned from her big sissy Merrick! She is such a sweet little girl. Kristian and I feel soo grateful to have been blessed with such great kids! She was always such a happy baby, I mean how could she not when she was surrounded by big flowers and bows! She was my first little snuggler baby and since then I just am having a hard time with her growing up! I knew she was my last baby, even though Kristian is still haunting me about our son "Wyatt" that is still up in heaven waiting to come down to our family!! DANG HIM!!! I just can't seem to get her out of her "my baby" stage, and these are some of the ways that I am enabling her to stay there...

1) She still sleeps in her crib and has never tried to climb out yet! (which I love at nap time)
2) She still takes a nap for about 2 hours every day and she doesn't really even need one! (she has never been the grouchy type if she doesn't get a nap)
3) She is 3, goes to Pre-school and still wears diapers! Not Potty trained yet!! However, I did let her pick out her own "big girl panties" at the store! It's a Start!! But then that means I would have to get rid of my #1 reason! And I'm really not ready for her to be able to crawl out of a big girl bed anytime she feels like it!!
4) She still sucks her thumb, which Kristian is so desperately trying to stop! But I love it! I have never had a thumb sucker and I love watching her and how it soothes her the second she sticks it in her mouth! I am sick and wrong aren't I? :)
5) She still was drinking from a bottle in the morning, until we put a stop to that only 2 months ago!!
6) And lastly...she still loves her pink silky, which she calls her "meemee"! And she has had them and loved them ever since she was a baby! We have had to buy some "back ups" just in case and so she now has 4 "meemees". However, I have been soo proud of her lately, because at Pre-school they take it and put it away until I come to pick her up, so the other day in the car on the way to school...she says "No MeeMee" and drops it on the floor before she got out of the car! So she is getting old enough to know when to leave it behind! But I honestly think that crib or no crib, thumb or no thumb...that little girl will always have her pink "meemee" with her throughout her life. It really is a constant comfort to her. Seriously...whenever she is crying or sad, we give her the silky and she calms right down, well after putting her thumb in her mouth at the same time!! I GIVE UP!!! But I love my sweet little baby...

Seriously....After actually having to write up a list of all the things she still does, I am starting to think that there is something wrong here!! I think I need counseling...

Since were talking about MY CAMI GIRL...

2008-02-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be an appropriate time to share with you one of my favorite videos of her that we took when she was about 6 months old! We think it is hillarious and hope you do too!! We even just recently sent it into Americas Funniest Vidoes show which we watch as one of our family traditions every Sunday!! So you could see us all on that show one day hopefully being interviewed by Tom Bergeron because we just won $10,000!!

Before you click on the arrow, you might have to go up and click the pause button on my playlist...

Hannah Montana Mania!!!!

2008-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night My friends Ally, Mandy & I took our girls to go see the new Hannah Montana concert 3D at the movies down in San Diego. It was opening night, so we had to stand in line for a few hours, but luckily my twin sister, Heather, was there to save us a place about sixth in line!! It was crazy, I seriously can't believe how huge of an event it was going to be!! I even overheard some women talking about it earlier in the week that there husbands wanted them to sell there tix on ebay or craigslist becuz the tix were going for over 200 dollars a piece!! Merrick wouldn't even let me near the computer in fear that I would be "scalping" my tix on line!! I have to say it was very tempting!! Anyways-the girls had soo much fun! It really did feel like we were actually at her concert in the very front row!!

Camp Kick-Off....

2008-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

So another reason why you haven't heard from me in a while is because I have been soo busy trying to put together my refreshment table for our Stake Camp Kick Off. This is where we announce to all the leaders in Young Women's and the Youth Camp Leaders what our camp theme is for this year and where we will be going etc... I am in the Stake staff for camp and they asked me to make the refreshments and decorate the table for that night!! Our theme is "The Wizard of Oz" and our motto for camp is "There's No Place Like Home". So again I have to share my decor talents with you....Enjoy!

This was my centerpiece, which I am in love with!! Seriously...How cute is that?

My drink station that has one of my favorite sayings from the WofOz on it..."Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops!"

My "Wizard Of Oz" refreshment table...

Green, Blue, Purple and Pink Rainbow cupcakes!!

Red, Orange, Yellow and Green Rainbow cupcakes!!

The long lost tooth....

2008-02-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

So Finally, my poor little Fish has lost one of his front teeth!! We have been wiggling both of them for weeks, but they just wouldn't budge!! Now normally I wouldn't be in such a hurry to have my children loose there front teeth, cuz what an awkward stage that is. But unfortunately, Fischer's teeth are soo tiny in the front and on top of that because he has soft teeth like me he has already had to have a couple fillings in them and one fell out and has left a chip mark, etc....It's just all bad and does not look very attractive. So the "tooth fairy" came and left him a note and a dollar. (I know we are cheap around here) Anyways- it was soo funny, I was listening to him in the car talking to the other boys that I drive in my carpool and he was telling them that he was excited to get the dollar, but not the big old "PINK" (notice the picture) letter from the Tooth Fairy!! I felt so bad, but hey that was all I could find on the internet at 11:30 at night!!! hee hee Sorry Fischer!

My Sweet Little Child of God

2008-02-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I got in the car to come home from church, I look back to ask the kids how there day in church went and I see this big ol' crown on Campbell that she made in Nursery that says "I am a Child of God". She was soo proud to wear it that she would not let us take it off her head. So this is what she looked like for the rest of the day! I just love her soo much and am so grateful that she is learning about the gospel at such a young age! She even knows to say Joseph and Jesus when I point to there pictures!! So sweet.

MY HERO.....

2008-02-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Soooo....Do you want to know who my latest HERO is? YES, I've been sucked in with all of you other "groupies" out there!! I LOVE this game! I know it's 2008, and Guitar Hero is old news to you and I know I got this for Kristian for his birthday, but I have definatley taken over....and I'm actually pretty good!! Well not according to the kids in my Sunday school class!! But someday I will get to Expert level!!! The other night as Kristian and I were trying to fall asleep but couldn't, I asked him if he wanted to play GH with me! (This was at 10pm) And we played till 12:30am!! That is sick and wrong!! Anyways-this is the reason why I haven't had any extra time to post!! I have a bad addiction...Help me.

Happy Birthday Kristian!!

2008-01-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Kristian's birthday, so I thought I would share with you my most favorite picture of him that was probably taken about 38 years ago! That's right he is now 41 and pushin' the big 5..0!! HaHa just kidding babe...you've got a long ways to go!! So lastnight I surprised him and took him to one of the greatest restaurants around called The Fish House Vera Cruz!! So yummy. And then I brought him to Pole Position, this new place in town that is a big huge warehouse with an indoor racing track where you get to drive these little go-carts around!! He absolutely loved it, however I totally forgot my camera, so I can't upload any pictures right now, but my friend Julie Lundquist was there with her family and took pictures of us, so when I get those from her I will post it! Kristian...I still love you even though you're almost 50...Hope you had a great birthday!!

I've got my EYES on you....

2008-01-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

Kristian is always jesturing to the kids..."I've got my eyes on you" where he takes his fingers and points them at both his eyes and then points them at the kids. Well tonight we captured it on film and my silly little cammie tried to do it back to him with a serious skowl on her face, it was soo funny!

Daddy makes a FORT...

2008-01-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

Last night the kids were begging Kristian to make them a cool fort in Merrick's room. So what does my "handy hubbie" do? Go out to his garage and get a big bag of plastic clamps and all the blankets and random sheets he can find and built the "The Best Fort Ever" as Merrick says. Campbell was soo excited and came to find me and says "Mom...mere (come here) FORK" (fort) Merrick and Fischer got to sleep in their fort that night! Thanks Daddy!!

Desert Fun!!!

2008-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were invited by our great neighbors, The VanNyhuis family to join them at the desert! Now I have been soo reluctent to go out again after what happened last year when we went out with them, as many of you know he unfortunately broke his collar bone and cracked a few ribs the first hour we were there!! And I obviously did not want to relive that again....EVER!! But we went and actually had soo much fun this time! Kristian taught Fischer how to ride the four wheeler and he never wanted to get off that thing!! Kristian took it easy this time and only rode the Quads, Dune Buggy and their cousins Rhino!! Thanks babe. Campbell had fun just playing in the dirt and making angels in the sand, although she was priviledged to get a little ride from her big brother. Merrick loved just being with her sidekick and BFF Natalie. Thanks again Teri and John for an awesome weekend!

My "Blog Stalking" days are over...

2008-01-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

That's right, you heard me....I have joined this blogging maddness with you all, thanks to my sisters Meghan and Elizabeth! They have been bugging me about this since probably last September and I finally am now just getting to it! (Thanks Liz for setting up my blog!:) Now I just need to get my twin sister Heather and all of my other "peeps" out there to join me (Draeger....) and then we can all be connected and "stalk" each other!! How fun does that sound? I really am excited though to be doing this, because I never was good about keeping a journal or scrapbooking for my kids and now they can have something to look back on!

My January Decor....

2008-01-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

Alright....so those of you that know me, know that I am very passionate about decorating!! I can always find a reason or think of some occasion to "tie a bow" somewhere!! Well last year I started a new rubbermaid box of decor for Kristian to store up in the attic, which he was soo thrilled about...and I actually think it has now grown into 2 boxes this year! Sorry babe...But I was feeling soo depressed after taking down all of my Christmas decor down because my house was looking soo ugly and bare!! But then my sweet little Fish brought home this great picture that he had painted of a snowman with these huge brown sticks coming out of each side and glued a January calendar to it....And it was all over from that moment....My new January Theme was established, which meant that I could keep my snowflakes hanging over my island and my wreaths hanging from each window (replacing my red bows with blue ones). So yes you can throw up if you'd like, but I am actually throwing up "pure cuteness" in my mouth right now! DON'T HATE!! :)