Flagstaff  2013

 

We went to Flagstaff to let the kids play in the snow again this past January.  Little did we know when we booked our trip that the daily high in Flagstaff would not get above 20 degrees the entire weekend we would be there.  Needless to say, our time in the snow was short, but the kids still had fun.  I have never been in such biting cold weather before.  Emma loved the snow, but her little hands and cheeks would turn red within minutes.  The boys love to sled down the hills but it was 15 degrees the day we were there!  I love cold weather and snow but not when it hurts!  We still got some pretty good pictures, though. 

At the Ostrich Farm

 

We went to the Ostrich Farm with my mom over Christmas break.  The donkeys were really cute and Emma loved the deer.  Caden wasn't too sure about getting too close to any of the animals but Cooper loved feeding them all.  Especially the Lorakeets.  They were beautiful rainbow colored birds that would land on us if we had nectar for them.  They also had baby goats in a penthouse way up high in the air that we could feed.  It was a lot of fun. Of course, the boys talked Grandma into buying them a hollowed ostrich egg to bring home.  It lasted about 2 days...

Christmas 2012

 Emma having "tea"

 

 

Emma's new kitchenette 

(love her pose)

 

 Emma's new doll stroller

 

 

 Fixing her doll's hair

 

 

Cooper, Caden, and Emma

 

 

So...Santa went a little overboard with our 19 month old little girl, but I think he had a very good time finally getting a chance to bring little girl toys to our house.  Her brothers of course wanted Legos, (what else?)  and each year they seem to be getting more elaborate and take Daddy longer to put together.  I tried to get pictures of them with their completed Lego sets but they were too busy playing with them at that point.  Now to figure out where all of this stuff is going to go in the house!  Emma is recognizing Mickey Mouse characters now and also Disney princesses so that has been fun.  Alexis entered the MTC December 14th, so this was our first family Christmas without her.  It's been fun writing to her, though.

 

On another note, I guess Google completely changed how I can add pictures now to my blog and it's not making me happy.  I guess I don't get on here frequently enough to know what is going on.  I'm not really sure that anyone ever reads my blog anymore now that Mike is gone.  He told me he used to check it out every couple of weeks to see how the kids were doing.  So, if anyone IS passing by, please leave a comment.  I 'd love to see who is reading this.  I started this prior to Facebook, but now it seems like there is not much need when everyone is on Facebook.  Oh, well though.  Maybe I'll just keep it up for awhile for myself and for the kids to read down the road... who knows?

 

 

Disneyland!

 Emma at the Plaza Inn

 



 Emma with the Little Mermaid

 

 Cooper and Caden with a giant Lego Gandalf

 

 The kids with Grandma at the Disneyland Hotel

 

 Emma with Sleeping Beauty

 

 

the boys with Goofy at Goofy's Kitchen

 

We went to Disneyland for fall break this year.  Grandma went with us this time and we ended up staying at the Disneyland Hotel.  It was so much fun.  We were able to take so many good pictures of the kids with different characters.  It was Emma's first time there, and I loved having a little of princess of my own to take.  She was so cute with all of the princess shopping we did together.  We ended up getting her a Snow White dress for Halloween and she is adorable in it.   Of course the boys loved the rides again, and we saw Cars Land which was really cute.  The restaurants we went to were spectacular and  I can't wait to go again in a few years!

 

5 years...

 

 

We visited the cemetery recently on the 5th anniversary of my dad's death.  I can't believe it's been 5 years.  He remains so much alive in my thoughts and memories.  I never would have anticipated that regular visits to the cemetery would be so much a part of my children's lives. 

First Day of School

 

Caden started Kindergarten this year, and Cooper started 3rd Grade.  Somehow I only ended up with a picture of Caden's first day of school.  I need to get one of Cooper and add it. Caden loves going to school with Hannah and has a couple of other friends from church in his class.  He is doing well and really likes going to his "specials" (music, PE, and library).  He is in the afternoon class which means I am driving back and forth to the school 3 times every day for the rest of the year!



Emma's First Birthday

Everything in pink

Happy Birthday Baby!

What a doll!

Homemade raspberry cupcakes

Emma turned one year old on May 18th!  I can't believe she is a year old already.  We had a little family birthday party for her to celebrate.  She loved being sung Happy Birthday to, and loved being the center of attention. (which she usually is, anyway) It was so fun to finally be able to decorate a birthday party with pink!  Since she loves raspberries, I decided to make and decorate her cupcakes myself.  It's been such a change to have little girl toys around here for once.  I've waited eight years for this, and am loving every moment.  Her brothers were very excited for her birthday, as well.  Caden helped her blow out her candle, of course.  They were both very attentive when it came time to open her gifts.  Lots of darling little outfits and her very first doll house.  She has been such a blessing for all of us this past year.  I don't know what I would have done without her.  She is standing on her own, now, but still prefers to crawl everywhere.  Daddy is very happy she is off of formula, and Mommy is very happy she gets to ride in the car facing forward now, in a new car seat.  She is definitely our little princess. 

Spring Break

                         We went to Mexico for Spring Break this year.  The kids had a wonderful time at the beach and couldn't get enough of it.  Even  Emma loved playing in the sand and the tide pools.   She kept crawling towards the ocean and reminded me of a little sea turtle.  She was so happy and it was so cute how she tried to bounce on the sand.    Cooper was so proud of the big trigger fish he caught out on the Sea of Cortez.  And I just love watching Caden run so freely on the beach, without a  care in the world.   It was the first time Emma wore her new swimsuit and it was so fun to pick out a little girl swimsuit with ruffles!   I loved seeing the children so happy and carefree.   We had a wonderful time!

Our Christmas card included our newest addition this year:  Emma!

Cooper was baptized last Saturday.  I could hardly believe my baby is old enough to be baptized!  Where did the past 8 years go?  His cousins and grandparents participated in the program and it was really nice.  He wore his suit coat for the first time and looked so handsome in it.  We were so proud of him! 

Baby Blues

Those blue eyes...

Halloween 2011

The Pirate, Obi Wan Kenobi, and the Fairy Princess

Emma's first Halloween!

Brothers and best friends

Mike

My brother, Mike, passed away 2 weeks ago on October 6, 2011. He was 47 years old. Mike fought a very couragious fight against brain cancer. He survived 21 months from the date of his diagnosis in January 2010. He leaves behind his wife and 5 children. It's still very hard for me to believe. He came to the hospital on his way home from work the day I had my baby girl in May. He came into the room with a big, pink teddy bear. We thought many times that he was actually going to win this fight. So many blessings given, so may prayers. He suffered through debilitating pain from the tumors and the chemo and never complained. He was a warrior, fighting until the very end. I've looked up to him my entire life. He was the only sibling I ever really had a relationship with, and he taught me so much about life. It was an honor to be his younger sister and I will miss him immensely.

Mike and I were the last surviving children of my parents, and now it's just me. I have lost my dad and all three siblings within the past six years.

Emma at 3 months

Here is a picture of Emma I took a couple of months ago. She is such a little lady and is so fun to dress up. She loves to giggle at her silly brothers!

Emma's first tutu

Emma Elizabeth

A few hours old...

Our little girl


Heaven...


Emma Elizabeth arrived May 18th at 12:03 p.m. at Chandler Regional Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is our smallest baby and was born with the most hair. She is so precious and so beautiful - I'm so happy to finally have my baby girl! It's been such a change to have everything in pink and purple, and so much fun. Her brothers came to see her a few hours after she was born and they each had a chance to hold her. The look on Cooper's face was priceless as he held his little sister for the first time. They adore their baby sister and we are having so much fun with her. She is such a sweetheart and hardly ever cries. (but her brothers are very concerned if she does) She was named after my grandmother, Mary Elizabeth, after whom I was named as well. I wish so much that I could see my dad hold her, but I know he has already had a presence in her life. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives!

Spring Break 2011

Cooper at the water park

Caden at the water park

Cooper still wearing his Indiana Jones hat


Sno cones!

We took the boys to the Phoenix Zoo during spring break this year. It was pretty warm the day we went and I think they had more fun at the water parks than they did seeing the animals. Of course, it was another opportunity for Manti to practice his mad photography skills, lol. He is pretty good, though. We found out the lions were brother and sister who were rescued from illegal ownership here in AZ. They were found in a baby crib when they were cubs. That was pretty interesting. I had forgotten how hilly the Phoenix Zoo is and what a workout it can be, since we've been going to the Tucson zoo for the past few years. It was fun to go back, though. We drove past ASU and I loved showing the boys where I went to college, and the buildings I spent many hours in.

We also took the boys to Golfland this past week to go mini golfing. I think they enjoyed it, but it was more fun for us to watch them!