Road Trip!

We had a great 2 and 1/2 days in Arizona. We saw Hartungs, Garvins, Hurtados, and Frandsens. We spent hours and hours and hours and hours in the car. We played Ms. Pac-man, drove bumper cars, climbed walls, enjoyed time at the temple, tried to hide & seek, ate at Crackerbarrel (yum), played Wii, laughed at kids, shot laser guns, watched fish and turtles swim, slept a little, found more friends who got laid off (it's every where) and enjoyed every minute we spent there.

Nearly 3 year-olds Nash & Calleya partying like toddlers do.

Emma, Dedan & Caits climbing walls. Took a few tries but they all got to the top to ring the bell.

Fun with the Frandsens! I love all the fruit punch smiles.

Emma took these during our hours in the car.

Saturday at the Mesa Temple.

Lunch with the Hurtados.

L-O-V-E

Since Harland isn't working we've been enjoying the freedom of weekends like never before (we're making lemonade). For the weekend of Valentine's Day/President's Day we went to the Knowlton's. That is always fun! We even had a Valentine date night. Dinner, movie, frozen yogurt, talk about our husband's celebrity crushes....ah, the romance! In the pic: No, we're not making laminated lists Har and JP are trying to figure out the name of one of said crushes. I've got to learn to take pictures of more mundane things like eating seafood in front of a fish tank.

Go ahead...Be jealous

Recently, on Facebook I listed 25 random things about me and one of them was how much I HATE laundry. Maybe he's paying attention or maybe he, too, was sick of looking at the overflowing laundry basket, but yesterday....yesterday was the best thing he has ever done for me - EVER (husbands pay attention). The man did all of the laundry. I don't mean he washed a couple of loads. My man spotted and washed the mountain of clothing my family of five produced this past week. All day my outstanding husband was running back and forth from the garage to our room where he folded laundry as soon as it came out of the dryer until the hamper was totally empty - totally empty. I didn't ask him to do it. He never complained or asked for help. He just did. Close your mouth. You're going to catch flys.

Deadline: Four Months

I signed up to do the Mud Run on Camp Pendleton with a couple of friends on my birthday, June 6th. Today I realized just how close that is and I got a little nervous. Below is a map of the course...just looking at it scares me and makes me think I need to step up my training. Heaven help me. I don't want to be the last one to finish!

Little Drummer Boy

I've been comparing Nash to Animal from the Muppets lately. Now he's mimicing Animal's talent too. Here's 11 seconds of what I've been listening to over and over and over...and over.

Harland's Happenings

I uploaded pictures from my camera and realized most of them are about something Har was involved in. A nice change from my pictures revolving around the kids! So I'm giving him a whole post...mostly to himself.

We watched a friend's kids the other day for an hour or so and this sweetie took a shine to Har. She brought him toys and bossed him and around and made him stay in this chair with her most of the time. Trust me, he likes the attention more than he's letting on in this photo.

We had a nice little rainstorm the other day. Nash wanted to go for a walk in "da wain" with an "umblella" (which surprising sounds a lot like gorilla in Nashanese "galilla")...Nash decided it would be best if Dad held the umbrella. The picture makes me think of a movie with a mysterious person of royalty too important to hold their own umbrella and being followed by their entourage.

The rain didn't stop my boys from the City's Saturday morning bike ride they'd been planning on for a month. Har and Dedan took the longest of the three routes used to end up at the park with booths of prizes, food and fun. It was all very wet, but they had a great time.

Bye-bye ni-night!

Nash has gone to bed the last three nights without a pacifier (his "ni-night")! Of course, the first night was REALLY hard, but he didn't even ask Harland or me for it last night. Hooooo-ray! My baby is turing into a little boy. Next step is getting the boy interested in using the toilet, so I can be finished with diapers. Hard to imagine having 3 big kids. Although, Emma is quickly growing up and out of the "kid" stage. I don't like that my little girl turns 12 this year. The next few years are going to fly by, and then I'll be stuck with boys...lots of boys. Potty training...that's all I need to worry about. Why do I let myself get carried away?!

Super Heroes

Before school was back in session my funny kids and our sweet neighbor, Taylor, had fun with their secret identities.

We had Miss Cloudy Underwear and Monkey Sock Face Girl.

(The girls gave everyone their Super names)

Super Ni-Night Man

and Mighty Magic Man

Bloody Nose

Scary for a mom to see this face...
I was relieved when we figured out he'd had a bloody nose and nothing more serious. (Gosh! I love those brown eyes!)

Carpenter Zoo

Dedan and Emma were playing ZOO last week with every toy animal (stuffed or otherwise) in one room. Areas were roped off. There were tickets and zoo money. It was fantastic, and my favorite was the placement of the lion at the base of the orchid plant. I love seeing my kids creativity.

Jack Black's double?

The other day I came downstairs after showering and Dedan took one look at me and said, "Mom, you look like that guy!" as he laughed and pointed at School of Rock playing on the TV. Thanks, son, thanks a lot.

Best of Christmas

I have nothing to blog for New Year's (yes, we were that dull), so I shouldn't feel guilty about just now blogging Christmas. The problem has been that I have more than 130 pictures from the week of Christmas. I finally had to go through and pick my favorite captured moments of fun to share with you...

When we stay with the Knowltons we have to separate our dogs at night or they will wake the kids with their playing and barking. First thing in the morning the dogs take turns sticking their heads through the cat door in Rachel's room trying to get to each other. It's even funnier than it looks.

My dad is Santa. Every year my dad humors his grandkids and grows his beard out so that he can live up to his nickname: Grandpa Santa.

Christmas Eve has been our designated family holiday my whole life. Most of which it's been here at the condo. This was the first year in a long while we had me, my sis (Tressa), my bro (James) and our families all here...in addition to many cousins. We were still a brother or two short, but it was wonderful to have so many of us together. Below is Har and the happiest baby ever, my niece, Riley.
Dedan shares his reindeer food to sprinkle on the grass...one better than carrots!
Emma's "candy cane" hair as Uncle Matt called it.

Christmas morning I was brushing my teeth & wondering how long before the kids were going to wake up when Dedan came in to tell me that he, Garrick and Tristen all had to go to the bathroom. When I said, "Ok," I didn't expect this...3 impatient boys peeing behind me all at the same time.
Always one of my favorite pictures...the kids waiting at the top of the stairs for all the parents/grandparents to get downstairs.

My MOST favorite picture from Christmas, because you can see the joy on Emma's face as she stares at her "new" guitar.

It isn't right that my sister can look so adorable first thing in the morning in her PJs.

Har and the boys all got custom designed, handmade t-shirts from Emma with their favorite candy on it. One of our traditions is going to the movies on Christmas day, so they all wore their shirts to see Bedtime Stories (we rate it 4 of 5 stars).