Fun at Christmas

We had a busy and fun Christmas break. The girls had three weeks off and Chris took off two weeks from work. For the first time, we actually stayed home while Chris took vacation time.

We spent our time enjoying Christmas festivities like baking yummy treats, looking at lights, watching movies, etc. But, we also enjoyed some day trips unique to Southern California. We went to the San Diego Zoo 4 times and went to Disneyland 3 times. These kids are spoiled! Really, Chris and I enoy it as much as they do. The girls always seem to get along well and the day is just truly enjoyable.






The girls really wanted a santa hat, so on our way to the zoo one morning we stopped off at Walgreens and let them buy themselves a hat. We bought one for Jenna too. Don't they look cute! We have a picture of them on this same polar bear statue from one year ago. They have grown up so much! It is a tradition we have whenever we buy annual passes to take a picture at the beginning and end of the year at the same spot.




Jenna is a really good fake sleeper. You tell her to go to sleep and she closes her eyes just like this. Unfortunately, she doesn't usually fall asleep. She starts to smile and giggle.


Jenna discovered a LOVE for tigger! We were waiting for the rest of the family while they went on Splash Mountain and Tigger was actually standing around (without a line) and she got to see him. We DON'T wait in lines to see characters. The kids just aren't into that. While we waited, though, Tigger was right there and Jenna couldn't get enough of him. We started walking away and she turned around with her arms stretched out and while waving her fingers said, "TIGGA! TIGGA! TIGGA!" The only character she has really connected with! The great thing about being the fourth is that when we got home I dug out 3 Tigger toys I had stored in a cupboard. She was in heaven!





Another part of being #4 is getting to wear a leash. I never thought I'd actually get one. But, this girl will NOT stay put for anything. She actually loves to wear her "backpack" and begs for us to "walk" her. Hilarious. She didn't take the thing off all day. Though, sometimes she wanted to "walk" herself (hold her own tail/leash), which kinda defeats the purpose, but generally she let us hold it and she was happy as could be.

Did anyone else have one of these dolls as a kid? This one is called "My Child." I just looked online and found out they are "highly collectable!" Hmm, maybe I should take it back? nah!

I finally opened up a box of my old dolls. I had a bunch of "my friend" fisher price dolls with tons of outfits and shoes to match. The amazing part was that I had a blond, a red head, and a brunette! I didn't give them to any particular child, rather I just gave the whole box out to them all. They all gravitated towards the one that matches them and asked if it could be "theirs." I said, "Sure, if you all agree." They totally did. For several days they brought theirs dolls wherever we went. I loved it! Totally took me back. I wish I would have gotten them out sooner!

Note to self: I need to get a picture of the girls with their "My Friend" dolls!

Playing with Photoshop

I got a new version of photoshop for Christmas. I was playing with it while I waited for some pictures to upload to the yearbook website I am working on for the school. It isn't perfected, but a quick trial. These are some pictures the girls had taken at our family photo shoot that I cut and layered. Jenna was holding our hands while we helped her jump, so I had to take Chris and I out of the picture. But, it still left her hands messed up. My girls looked at the photo and suggested I make her hanging from the ceiling (like the monkey that she is). Perfect!

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

I love this simple video. Take a moment to reflect on the true spirit of Christmas.

Family Pictures

We were really overdue on getting some new family pictures taken. But, we finally did it and they turned out great! The kids personalities were captured so well!

Courtney Turns 5!

Courtney turned 5 in November! We celebrated by heading to Disneyland. The kids all got to go on a date with mom or dad to a theme park this year for their birthday. Well, we were thinking of getting Disney passes anyway, so we all went as a family. Courtney and I spent most of the day on our own, but we met up with the rest of the group as well. She was SO HAPPY to finally be 5 years old.

We stayed for the Christmas Fireworks show and the snow made from soap bubbles, which the kids always love. Courtney got to pick out a souvenir for her birthday and she chose a baby aristocat wrapped in a blanket and a giant lollipop. She was VERY tired and fell asleep before we even left the parking lot!

A Lot of Catching Up to Do

I know that somehow I've managed to totally neglect my blog. All I can say is, I've had other things keeping me busy. I really don't have a moment to sit and work on it until about 10:00 at night and by then all I want to do is sleep!

Anyway, here is a recap at the major events of September and October:

For Labor Day weekend we decided to spend some time in San Diego. We stayed on Coronado Island at the Marriott Resort there. The view was magnificent and we really enjoyed the boardwalk. We also spent a day at La Jolla Cove snorkeling. The kids loved it, though the water wasn't exactly tropical and McKayla came out a little blue!

The kids were really excited to rent a surrey one morning. It was fun, but mostly because we went "off-road" a bit and almost a tipped it a few times!

For Halloween we got REALLY into the spirit of things. The kids just LOVE the spooky stuff. So, we turned our front yard into a graveyard. We made gravestones, dancing ghosts, spiderwebs, and even had a green spotlight, fog machine, and scary noises playing through a stereo to add to the ambiance. The girls picked out a really scary mask for Chris and they all had a blast scaring trick-or-treaters. Chris hid and jumped out at people, McKayla crawled around the lawn near the caution tape and growled, even Jenna wandered around the yard growling! We had some kids who were too scared to come! We had over 150 pieces of candy and only gave one to each person and still ran out!

Our scary costume choices: Brianna-vampire, McKayla-werewolf, Courtney-witch, Jenna-Jack-0-Lantern.

August Update! Back to School

We headed back to school on August 18th. (I think! It was a Tuesday.) It was a great first day. The kids were up early and excited about their new year. Courtney was a bit nervous about starting Kindergarten, but despite many questions about why I couldn't stay and concerns about the new routine, she did great. I was totally prepared for tears, because that's just the way she is. Even a substitute in primary class can cause an outburst. But, she did amazing! No crying at all! Just a happy excited kid. What a relief!





Brianna started 4th grade this year. She is going to be very busy. She is now involved in Soccer, band, GATE, piano lessons, gymnastics, and activity days. I swore I would never over-schedule my kids, but that's just the way it is for the time being. Thankfully, soccer is seasonal!



McKayla started 2nd grade. She loves school and her friends. I think she is friends with everyone. She isn't as busy as Brianna, but still has soccer, gymnastics, and piano.





Oh boy, my baby is in Kindergarten! OK, so she's not really my baby, but it feels that way. She is so ready intellectually. We'll have to see how she handles it emotionally. She doesn't turn 5 until November. The first three weeks were great, but lately we've been having a hard time saying goodbye. She still insists that she LOVES Kindergarten, however.




Soccer started a few weeks before school. Brianna and McKayla have shown a lot of improvement over last year. Courtney is just beginning and her little team is so cute!

McKayla never stops running during her game. She plays so hard. The coach calls her "the enforcer." She is a defender.

Jenna is so busy! Like all kids, she loves to try on big shoes. With all her big sisters, there is no shortage of those! Also, she finally learned to smile on cue! I'm sure I had the other girls trained long before this, but we are a lot busier these days...

I just happened to think of grabbing my camera during one of my girls' dress-up moments. They are all about imaginative play, but Brianna doesn't participate in dressing up as much anymore.

Chris and I finally made it to see Wicked! Loved it! So nice to go on a nice date with my hubby! We're thinking we need to take the kids to see a broadway musical soon. Maybe the Lion King...

We took a quick trip to the Wild Animal Park after school on a Friday to see Dino Mountain. It was a lot of fun. The girls just loved the sounds of the dinosaurs and getting their little passports stamped at each stop. Jenna learned to ROAR just like a dinosaur!

Another fun and busy month. I love spending time with my family. They are so much fun!

Fun in July

I realize that it has been a really long time since I've updated this blog. So, for starters, here is a quick recap of our main activities for July.


Brent and Peggy and their kids came for a quick visit. We were able to give them a short introduction to the Southern CA beaches and San Diego. The girls love having their cousins come to visit. Hopefully next time they'll get to stay longer.




McKayla turned 7! Her birthday was celebrated by a special date with Chris to Knott's Soak City. Her favorite gift was the Sansa Clip she bought wiith her birthday money. It is a really great little mp3 player.

I love this picture of McKayla because it totally captures her fun, bubbly, and LOUD personality!




Courtney lost her first tooth!!!!!!! (Soon followed by a second!)





I did actually finish those dresses that were leading my blog for so many months. The wedding was beautiful and my girls, of course, looked adorable. Unfortunately, they weren't so keen on posing for pictures. We actually ended up having to leave early too because Brianna really wasn't feeling good. Turned out she had a very high fever. Poor kid!







Here's a picture of my family with my parents and my grandparents.




My girls standing outside the Fresno Temple gates.




We had originally planned to go camping in Yosemite after the wedding, but things were so busy we decided to cut it down to a day trip. Brianna, even though she didn't feel good, was a good sport and didn't want everyone to miss Yosemite. So, we headed up there and enjoyed the BIG TREES!








I love this picture of Courtney and Jenna walking hand-in-hand!





The next week we headed to Utah for a 10 day vacation from home! Chris still had to leave to Arizona for work, but us girls got to stay and relax. I love going to John and Karen's house because it is actually a relaxing vacation for me. They are such wonderful hosts! The kids have a blast too!



This trip they got to see their cousins Brooke and Holly. They were finishing up a nice week with Grandma and Grandpa.

Jenna just loves the hot tub!! Unfortunately she has no fear when it comes to going under!

The older girls got to go on an all day 4-wheeler trip in the mountains with Chris and John. They loved it!






Overall, a very fun and busy month! August will be posted soon!