You're Ugly and Your Mama Dresses You Funny!

I guess that title isn't really true because Amelia is not ugly, and her mama did not dress her today...she put together this little ensemble all by herself! Notice the sweater poncho without a shirt underneath...the too small pants that are inside out, with the underware poking through the top...and my favorite: the mis-matched footwear (one boot, one shoe)! Gotta love it! :)

Where The Wild Things Are!

Zachary had a field trip to NW Trek last week, and we had a really good time. Getting pictures on the tram was a bit tricky, especially since I didn't have a window seat, and we were moving, but I managed to get a couple :)

Concentrating on a game that requires matching textures by touch...that really captured his attention...of course he has always been a "texture boy".

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband and father of my children! He is a great dad, who really tries to have fun with them. This is a picture of Amelia and Brian making pancakes for his Father's Day dinner (that's what he really wanted, and he really wanted to make them too). Brian considers pancakes, food for the Gods! :)

Yesterday we had a family dinner at my dad's house to celebrate Father's Day! My dad was opening up gifts from the family in this first picture, and the second is a picture of him playing BBQ Chef...one of his favorite things to do. My dad has always enjoyed cooking, and we've always enjoyed eating his creations (as long as he doesn't go too crazy with the experimenting ;) We are very blessed to have such a wonderful father in our lives! He tries to be funny, and we laugh at him (I meant with him ;) He also loves his children very much, and we love him!

We were able to enjoy some time with Brian's dad, Grandpa Kayner, at his house yesterday. Grandpa Kayner has a big heart, and he is always willing to help Brian with different household projects. He is an amazing mechanic, and takes care of all our automotive needs! :) With Grandma (and sometimes without) he has time and time again taken care of our children whenever Brian and I go out of town! We are so grateful for sure a loving father! :)

"My Family" Mystery...TAKE a GUESS! :)

My dear sweet, Anna drew this picture in church a couple weeks ago, and I was mortified when I first saw it! Is that mad, angry woman waving a broom...me? Is that a child in the background, sad with tears because he is scared of his screaming, lunatic mother? Or perhaps an equally, mad, frustrated father, teaming up to dish out wrath upon innocent children?? I instantly realized that my role as mother was being portrayed very accurately by a 5 year old child, and I was so ashamed. Unfortunately, I do raise my voice (something that I have really been working on, for the last 10 years!) ...something that has obviously been ingrained into my daughter's mind!

I realized that I needed to find my daughter and ask her exactly what her picture was telling me! I asked her to "tell me about your picture". What do you think she said?? This is your chance to guess, before you scroll down to finish the story. Go ahead take a guess! :)

Did you guess yet what this picture is trying to tell us about her family??

I was surprised and thankful to learn that her drawing illustrated me receiving flowers (yes, that is a smile, with flowers, not screaming with a broom!), and Brian is behind me, jealous that he didn't get any flowers! I was so glad that she wasn't airing dirty laundry to all her friends at church!! :) However, I am still a little disturbed about the bra type shirt...what's up with that??

Missing the Sun!

Last weekend Brian and I went to Arizona for a wedding, and some time together! We were able to witness the sealing of Valerie and Daniel in the Mesa, AZ temple. When we lived in FL, I served as a YW leader for 4 years, and Valerie is one of "my girls". Valerie is a wonderful lady, and she is so very strong! She is an example to me, and we loved being there with her :)

When we weren't doing wedding stuff, we had time to hang out together, which was really nice. We ending up spending a day just sight seeing...we went to Montezuma Castle and it was truly amazing!

There was a lizard in a tree, and Brian had so much fun taking pictures of that lizard! He took almost 20 pictures! Here are two of my favorite! He was a pretty thing, but please, lets move on... :)

The Many Faces of Anna!

My friend Angie took some pictures of our children a few weeks ago, and I'm now just getting them posted! I think they turned out really good! I posted my favorites on the side bar under Spring Photos.

I do have to share some of Anna's Many Faces....she was quite a ham that day!

What Happened in Vegas....

My good friend, Dyan and I went to Vegas this last weekend and we really had a good time! I had never been to Vegas and I loved seeing all the amazing hotels and shows (KÀ by Cirque du Soleil was AWESOME!!) The weather was warm and we tried to make it a relaxing couple of days! :) Here are some of my favorite pictures from our hotel tours...

Caesars Palace front gardens with a hint of the Bellagio in the background...

The pool area at Caesars Palace...I love the columns and greenery...

I loved the hot air balloons at the Bellagio...

The "Eiffel Tower" at the Paris Hotel...

This was my favorite thing to see...the Fountain at the Bellagio...this was the view from the "Eiffel Tower" while the song "Time to Say Goodbye" (Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli) was playing!!

View of the strip from the "Eiffel Tower".

Putting Around

We took the children miniature golfing today, and they had a really good time. This was Amelia's first time, and after a few quick lessons, she loved it!

I was surprised that Anna stayed interested the entire game! Since we took the Water Course we had many water traps, that the children loved!

This is Megan telling us how pathetic she is :)

This is the only shot we got of Zachary...

Super Heroes to the Rescue!!

Today was Super Hero Day at school, and the children had so much fun creating their costumes and Hero Profiles!

"Lightning Boy!" is known for his Super Speed! He is never without his deadly lightning bolts, which when thrown sends bolts of electricity into the air! This hero is well liked and his charming ways allow him to negotiate with the most stubborn villain!

"Girly Girl" is known for her girly ways and instincts! She has a shopping bag full of secret weapons...including: Lipstick, which looks innocent, but can produce deadly darts; a Hair Dryer, which has a super wind feature, that can blow you onto another planet; Ribbon, which is as strong as steel and can whip any Super Villain into place; Perfume, easily disguised as a powerful poison spray; Hair Brush, which shoots out laser beams and fries you to a crisp; Nail Polish, when applied can tickle out the darkest evil secret! This hero may look cute and dainty, but bad guys beware!

"Super Girl" aka: "Girly Girl's Sidekick" (she couldn't make up her mind!) is known for her super strength and beauty! This hero has the ability to stare you down with her ice cold eyes and freeze you instantly! She is also sneaky and quiet, and if you aren't watching closely than your valuables might disappear, never to be seen again!! :)

HOT Weekend at Disney!

Last weekend we went to CA for Brian's cousin's wedding, and since we were so close to Disney, we of course took a full day and played! We took Megan and Zachary and left the little girls home with Grandpa. Next year we plan on taking the whole crew, but for one day from 9AM to 11PM, we knew the girls would never last! It proved to be a very good choice! :) The weather was extremely HOT...in the 100's!! We loaded up on sunscreen and had a great time! :)

This is a group shot...In the front: Brian's older sister, one of Brian's younger sisters with her son, and me. In the back: Megan, older sister's daughter, Zachary and Brian. This was in the evening when the day started cooling down.

Happy Mother's Day!

I've been very blessed to have 2 wonderful mothers! My mother Lorrie, was called home to our Father in Heaven when I was 11, and in that same year the Lord blessed our family with my mother Judie, who has cared for us and loved us as if we were her own :) I will always be grateful for such elect ladies in my life!

I have many happy childhood memories with my Lorrie-mom. I look forward to the day when we will see each other again and share our happy experiences together. I know that she watches over us now, just as any mother would. Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom!

This photo was taken on the day that my parents, George and Judie were married. My sister, Amber wasn't in the photo, and obviously Damon wasn't born yet. This was the beginning of my Judie-mom's courageous journey to blend two families....they did a wonderful job and for that, I am eternally grateful to my mom! Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom!

Mother's Day Luncheon :)

Anna has been talking about the Mother's Day Luncheon for weeks! She was so excited to have me come to her school today. She made a beautiful hat (that I wasn't currently wearing), a placemat, a beautiful vase with flowers and a card. They served us lunch and cake and we both had a great time. (Tomorrow will be repeated with Zachary)

Just in case things don't work out with Brian...

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Happy Cinco De Mayo!

We hope you are having a wonderful Cinco De Mayo! This picture was taken years ago when I was little. I'm the one trying to hit the pinata (you can see the back of my head). My Uncle Steve is holding the pinata; next to him is a family friend; next to him is my Aunt Jill; next to her is my Aunt Suzy; and next to her is another family friend. I have a better picture of us children dressed in our beautiful clothes, but I can't find it, so this will have to do for now :)