Young Family!

Movin' on up!!!

2008-09-07T21:04:00.001-07:00

My sister Keli recently started a new blog!
And she did her research...she decided on wordpress...

So of course I had to go check it out...AND!

I LOVE IT!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

Change you bookmarks and such because I am movin' out of blogger!

http://froggz1098.wordpress.com/

~Thanks!

See you on the other side! hehe!

Day Camp! August 23, 2008

2008-09-07T14:22:00.001-07:00

This is a cross post from the cub scouts blog I do for our ward.

Last Saturday the boys got to go to Day Camp. They were unable to attend the district day camp earlier this year. So the Prescott Valley Wards decided to hold their own!

They had a long day with many activities and lots of belt loops earned.
They earned their Football, Baseball, Chess, Art, Maps and Compasses loops. And at the end of the day they had a water balloon fight and Bishop Dalton and Bishop Lau soaked the boys with super soakers.

At the Art table the boys learned about lines and shapes, perspective and size.
They used play dough to show how colors mix and make different colors. And they each painted a water color picture.

*Just a note...you can click on the pics to see them a little bigger...

At the Maps and Compass table they were shown how to locate places on a map and a globe, how to draw maps, and how to use a compass.

They learned the rules of baseball, how to run the bases, how to catch and throw a ball, how to stop a ground ball, how to hit the ball off a T and played each other in a short game.

They learned the rules of chess, what each piece is called and what moves they make and basic strategy. Then they paired up and played each other.

They learned the rules of football and how to pass and catch. Followed by a game of tag football!

After all the activities the boys gathered for instructions on what was next and a short skit and song. Sister Ellis read a story while some of the men and all the boys added the sound effects. The boys got a kick out of it and everyone enjoyed it!

Following the skit everyone got up and danced and sang to "Mother Gooneybird"! Definitely a crowd pleaser! Everyone gets into the fun when they sing that!

Then it was a mad dash to the soccer field for some good soaking and splashing in the water balloon fight/capture the flag! They broke up into teams and it was on!

Although I think the bishops had the most fun!

Thank you to everyone who helped out and made this day a great one for all the Cub Scouts! :)

playin' in the rain!

2008-09-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

I never let the kids go play in the rain...I don't know why. I guess mainly because there's really nowhere to play in the rain and our front door is too close to the floor to have an entry rug. So it is all about the mess I guess.

Lately the kids have been asking me to park in the gravel and not on the concrete so they can ride their bikes there. So it started raining so I went out to take some pics and Sage followed me out. And of course the rain is fun so she started playing in it and then Ashlyn followed her. And soon the boys came out too. The concrete pad we park on is perfect for playing in the rain! :)

They had lots of fun! And got lots of wet! LOL! The boys were wimpy and didn't want to get too wet. Corbin said he was cold after a couple minutes. But the girls ran around in circles and played in the gutter spout.

Since Corbin didn't stay out long I didn't get any pic of him.

I LOVE YOU INFINITY 29!!

2008-09-06T19:52:00.001-07:00

It's always been a game when we tell the kids we love them.

"I love you!"

"I love you too!"

"I love you more!"

"I love you most!"

"I love you INFINITY!"

And so the game went until Seth was about 3 or 4. We were explaining to them that infinity was the highest possible number...cuz numbers just go on forever!

So Seth being the clever little guy that he is decided to one up us!
Or 29 up us!

"I LOVE YOU INFINITY 29!" He called out one day while we were telling them how much we loved them!

You can't beat that! :)

They still say it n0w...but of course they have grown smarter and infinity has become all sorts of numbers!

Soooooooooooooo...........

2008-09-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

I was just informed by my sis, that my blog was set to not accept comments. OOPS! Thanks Keli! I was beginning to think no one liked me! Or maybe no one does anyway HAHA!

So that is fixed and with this public announcement that I am now accepting comments...there are no excuses for not leaving my poor lonely blog some love. :) heh...

Well I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Now back to the school schedule!

Until next time!

Quote of the day:
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

A Labor Day Meme...

2008-09-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

I saw this meme on Keli's and I thought it was fun. Happy Labor Day everyone! :)

How long were your labors?

Corbin - I was scheduled for an induction at 7AM on October 20th, for some reason the midwife had moved my date back to the 16th my original was the 21st. So they figured I was a week over. I knew better. LOL! I ended up not going in until around 4PM so my cervix was gelled and they hoped that would do it. I was given pitocin around 8PM and I went into labor. I had stadol sometime during the night but I don't remember it helping at all. Corbin was born @ 9:07 the next morning.

Seth – I developed slightly elevated blood pressure 3 weeks before he was due. So I was scheduled to be induced @ 8AM, November 8th. There were several other women in labor and my doctor had C-Sections to do so I wasn't actually induced until around 4PM.
The drug they used was a small pill placed on the cervix. The first dose didn't do much so I was given a 2nd dose around 6 or 6:30. It immediately did it's job and everyone in the hospital thought I was just being a wimp because minutes later I was in full blown PAIN! I begged for an epi...and I have always been against them. I was in so much pain it felt like my uterus was going to burst! (Which later I found out is one of the possible "Side-effects" of the drug!) After waiting around for an hour or so they had finally tracked down the anesthesiologist and I was given an epi. It never fully felt like I had one, and I complained to the nurses that I had extreme pressure in my pelvic floor. She looked at me like I was nuts and told me to sit up. to let gravity move the epi down to my pelvis. (Just a side note...I was not checked at all before given the epi.) So......After again telling them that there was EXTREME pressure in my pelvic floor and that the epi was not getting rid of that they decide to check me. For the last hour I had been sitting on my poor baby's head because the staff was so incompetent. I was fully dilated and he was crowning. I pushed twice and he was out. The doctor was running in throwing her booties and gown on as he was coming out! He was born at 8:52PM.

Ashlyn – We tried the natural at home induction...(won't say anymore, LOL!) I started having contractions around 10PM but nothing big. So I went to bed. Woke up around 12AM with more contractions so I decided to take a warm shower. I got out of the shower and sat down and had the most uncomfortable pain I have ever felt. She had dropped, I had never felt it with such force...after that my contractions steadily became stronger and closer together. So we called up Keli around 2AM and took the boys over to her and headed to the hospital, about a 15 minute drive. At the hospital I was doign great things were going smoothly. But not on the hospital's scheduled so they talked me into pitocin...ugh! I was so mad. It instantly became unbearable and I asked for stadol. Hello loopyville! I just don't like that stuff. It made me "happy", but didn't do much for the pain. Would have rather not had anything. LOL. Ashlyn was born at 6:30AM.

Sage – She was my 100% Natural or "completely organic, no hormones, steroids, or artificial flavoring. :)", as Keli put it, Baby! We decided on having a home birth and I will never have another baby in a hospital! It was the most awesome experience and so calm(well as calm as a screaming mommy can be while in labor). I woke up in the middle of the night thinking I needed to pee. I got up to go and fluid ran down my legs. I immediately thought my water broke because it was not like peeing. So in the morning I called my midwife and she came and tested the fluid from the pad I had been wearing and sure enough it was amniotic fluid. So began the castor oil and a couple really nasty herbal things that made me want to puke! After hours of that stuff I was finally in labor and the reality that I wouldn't be able to get any pain relief what so ever also hit me! I was SCARED! But after giving me a good chewing out(in a loving way) my midwife made me realize duh...that baby is coming whether I wanted it to or not! And I could fight it all I wanted but that would only make it worse. Sage was born at 5:20PM in our guest room!
After she was born the midwives left the room for a couple hours and just let us bond. It was so nice not to have nurses and doctors around testing and prodding and taking my baby away!

Sorry I got so long winded... :)

How did you know you were in labor?

#1 – Induced

#2 – Induced

#3 – Baby dropped and I knew, "WE HAVE TO GO NOW!!!" (Yeah kinda like that!) LOL!

#4 – Well when my water broke that night I knew it was going to be that day regardless of if it started on it's own or not. I have Group B Strep and am required to take antibiotics before labor.

Where did you deliver?

#1 - White Mountain Regional Medical Center - Springerville, AZ

#2 - Payson Regional Medicak Center - Payson, AZ

#3 - Yavapai Regional Medical Center - Prescott, AZ

#4 - Home - Prescott Valley, AZ

Drugs?

#1 – Stadol

#2 – Epidural

#3 – Stadol

#4 – Zip, zilch, nada...

C-Section?

No, thank goodness! (I'll second that!) It was a possibility with Ashlyn because she was breach late in the pregnancy. But she turned.

Who delivered?

#1 - Debbie Martin (midwife)

#2 - I will have to look for this one...I can not remember her name.

#3 - Jeanette Pilotte

#4 - Charlie w/ Paula Matthew and Tracy Madler close by.

How long were you pregnant?

#1 - 40 Weeks

#2 - 37 Weeks

#3 - hmmm...38 weeks I think.

#4 - 3 Days shy of 40 Weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Corbin

Seth

Ashlyn

Sage

Friday morning...

2008-08-31T22:34:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn woke up and said she had a loose tooth! Sure enough it was wiggly! I figured it would be awhile before it fell out. The boy's always took awhile. Saturday morning Ashlyn wanted a nectarine so she went on her way eating it. We were having a yard sale that morning so Chaz and I were in and out of the house. She comes back a few minutes later and says to me, "Mom, I knew I shouldn't eat on this side of my mouth! I took a bite and now my tooth is really loose!" So I took a look at it and it was pretty loose! So she went back to eating her nectarine. And I went back to yard sale-ing. She comes running out a few minutes later..."MOM! I took another bite and it was almost out so I yanked it out!" LOL! It was too funny! I told her, "You are so brave! I can't believe you pulled that out!" She was so happy! And so excited the tooth fairy would finally be coming to visit her!

End of Summer Primary Activity...

2008-08-31T22:27:00.001-07:00

I completely forgot to blog about this...
Our ward had a Primary Get Wet Activity for the end of the summer. The kids had a lot of fun! They had water balloon fights, sponge relays and water gun games.

But the most exciting part of the day...they brought in a Fire Truck! The kids LOVED it! They sprayed the kids down! It was such a blast!

First day of school!

2008-08-12T10:47:00.001-07:00

"All right, we're excited! First day of school, and here we go. We're ready to learn to get some knowledge." Marlin ~ Finding Nemo

Yesterday was the first day of school...I was dreading this day all summer! LOL! I love the break...although I wish the long break was in the fall or spring, when it is cool enough to get out and enjoy yourself without dying of heat exhaustion! Never the less I love being able to sleep in and not worry about homework and trips to and from school and lunches to be packed and kids to get ready...I like a laid back life! :)

Then school starts and I realize...I really don't like that laid back life. LOL! I like that we get up early and have some order in the day!I like that the kids our out of the house and not here at home...bored out their minds, mad because he won't play with me and she hit me and she made a mess in my room! :/

This year was Ashlyn's first year of school! She started Kindergarten and was so excited to go! It is definitely different having a girl to get ready in the morning! She wants her hair curled and wants to look pretty! :)

Sage had a hard time today...yesterday we went with Ashlyn to the playground...they all played and had a great time. Then we went into the classroom for a little bit. I guess Sage thought that was the way every day would go. So when we just dropped everyone off this morning she was NOT happy that she didn't get to go too. I'm sure she will get used to it pretty quick though.

Here they are on their first day of school! Even Sage had her backpacked filled up with all her favorite toys! One of the parents at school said to me...She's not going to school is she?! I said no...they said Ok! I thought she looked way to small! The same thing happened when Seth went into Kindergarten with Ashlyn.

Ashlyn has waited so long to get to go to school and see her friend Morgan everyday!
Morgan is in 1st grade.

All of Seth's friends were so excited to see him!

Bunny ears for everyone!

Sage loves the teeter-totter!

Waiting for her friend...

Ready to go in!

Hugs and Bubbles...

Ashlyn complained of a tummy ache, I think it was just nerves because she stayed the whole time.

Corbin is now on the "Big Kid" side of the school... :O
So he ran off and I didn't get any pics of him with his friends.

Catching up...post 3 of many...

2008-08-07T11:11:00.001-07:00

Ooops...I forgot to add in the Movie under the Stars!
On June 19th I took the kids to the Civic Center grounds where all summer they played movies out on a big screen! It was good fun! The movie was Horton Hears a Who!
Before the movie they had activities and fun for the kids. It was nice cool evening and the weather was perfect! Sorry for the picture overload...I have a hard time not posting all of them! LOL! And this is not all of them HAHA!

Meeting Freedom Freddy! And getting hugs!

Catching up...Post 2 of many...

2008-08-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

My brother Alan and his wife Terri came to visit in June! We love having them over!
The kids love having them here also! We didn't end up doing much, it was too hot to get out and do anything. But we went out for breakfast and came home and Terri played board games with the kids. I wish I had taken some pics...but Sage was super grouchy so I took her in my room to lay down and crashed with her. Chaz and Alan spent the afternoon playing golf on Wii! They had a good time! I wish we could visit with Alan and Terri more often! They fun to be with!

Alan with his shiny new 40D! Very nice camera!!
Seems to be a growing epidemic in our family...cameras attached to the face! :)

Terri looking at the crazy Grinch pop-up book with Sage!

Catching up...Post 1 of many...

2008-08-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

We did all kinds of fun stuff this summer. We didn't go anywhere like we normally do. We took one trip to Round Valley to visit family at the beginning of the summer and that was it.

So we found some things to do here. I have mentioned it before, the town parks and rec. put on Fun Fabulous Fridays every week all summer. We made it to several of them! They were lots of fun for the kids! Lots of running around and games! I posted about the first one HERE! It was still somewhat cool that day. The next week it was sooooooooo hot, just standing around make me feel sick. They keep the kids good and hydrated though.

So the 2nd week we went the theme was Boot Camp! So they played drill style games. Corbin was the only one to join in that week. I don't know how he kept up with it being so hot! But he played along and kept up and had a good time for the most part!
My other 3 decided playing on the playground was a better way to spend the morning!
Corbin played several different kinds of tag games...
Ashlyn takin' it easy in the grass!
Hot and sweaty!

Crab Soccer!

A much needed drink!!

Ball hoppin'!

Obstacle course through the jungle gym!

Ay ay! Captain! Hit the DECK!

The zoo man came again...He brought the same animals. So the kids were a bit disappointed. But he also brought and Hissing Cockroach and brought out the Leopard Gecko so the kids could see. My kids and another girl were the only kids there.

So you think you can dance!

2008-08-06T23:28:00.001-07:00

This was from the top 20 show...I loved the dance and the song is so great!

It is finished! YAY!

2008-08-02T23:48:00.001-07:00

Our bathroom project is finally done!
We started a long time ago...and Chaz got busy and finished it up today!
It looks so great! I keep telling him I don't want the kids using it. hehe

Behind, behind, behind...

2008-07-30T01:19:00.001-07:00

Wow...I am really behind in updating here...so for now I will just have to post about what's going on right now. :)

Today Corbin's Cub Scout Pack had pack meeting. They had a Raingutter Regatta!
The boys made their boats from an official cub scout kit. And then they raced their boats down a gutter! Powered only by their breathe!

A quick shot of Corbin with his boat!

Corbin finally got his Progress Towards Ranks emblem...somehow it was missed for almost two years! He almost has his Bear Badge earned! Then he can work on Arrow Points!

Sage with her friend Amelia! I tried to get around and take a picture of them but they got up and left before I could! Darn it!

Seth took up residence in a tree right above the action!

Soon he was joined by his friend Aaron and they did a little bit of monkeying around!

On your mark! Get set! BLOW!!!

High five! Good job Corbin!

Corbin finished in 3rd place! It was a lot of fun and the boys were all good sports and had a great time!!

Time for Banana Splits! Yummay! :)

Somehow I managed to not get a single picture of Ashlyn! :O
She was there...somewhere! LOL!

Physical fitness...

2008-06-30T23:58:00.001-07:00

So...last Tuesday...Seth comes to me after going to bed...he says...my stomach hurts...not like a stomach ache...but when I move like this or this and he kind of moves like a tummy crunch...I laughed...that day at Corbin's pack meeting they did physical fitness and he did sit ups. LOL So I told him that and he said yeah I did 29!! :)

Procrastinate...

2008-06-30T22:58:00.001-07:00

pr-krst-nt, pr-
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates
v.intr.
To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
v.tr.
To postpone or delay needlessly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have tons of pictures and what we've been up to stories...but I have been slackin' off!
I have taken the kids to two more Fabulous Fun Fridays, we went to Movies Under the Stars and watched Dr. Seuess' Horton Hears a Who!, we went to our ward camp out....Alan and Terri came to visit, I never posted pics from our trip to RV...Corbin's pack meeting this month was about physical fitness and I have lot of pics from that. We've been to a couple of Chaz's softball games. And we took the kid's to see Kung Fu Panda...So...I have opted on getting them all up on the family site and not really saying much about them. :/ It is so much easier to just blog as things happen...I will keep that in mind from now on.

Our family sticker!

2008-06-25T11:17:00.002-07:00

Thanks Keli and Skeezie for this! Fun!

Busy busy...

2008-06-23T22:31:00.001-07:00

Or so it would seem...I meant to come update this blog much sooner...but settling into a new computer, well a new hard drive, is a pain and takes forever.

The kids aren't quite halfway through their summer and they are so stir crazy. It has gotten so hot so it is hard to get out and do anything. But I have been trying to get them out to the city activities. We started going to Fabulous Fun Fridays on the 12th. Each Friday the parks and rec. here organize games for kids to come play. the first week was a Super Hero theme so they played games with teams being heroes against villains. It was nice out and the kids had a good time. Afterward the zoo brings some animals for the kids to see and educate them about them. The first week they brought reptiles. There was a boa constrictor, a corn snake, a blue-tongue skink, a leopard gecko and a desert tortoise.
The boys head to head in a race! Seth may be younger but he does a good job of keeping up with his brother!

My kids cracked me up with the JELL-O eating contest. They were too neat and careful.
But that was their favorite part of the day.

A much needed drink break!

Corbin jumps in and gets involved with everything! He loves all the activities they have for them.

Seth was super excited to be put on his brother's team and be a Super Hero!

The girls love to play with the Hula Hoops!

Seeing and petting the animals was a real treat!

And of course...MANY MORE PICS HERE!

Kids say...

2008-06-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

I remember when my nieces were little they always said the funniest things.
We referred to them as Kurynisms...LOL! She seemed to be the one that was pretty clever! I wish I could remember some of the things she said, she was hilarious.

Well, I want to make a point to remember things my kids say...I have written some of them down over the years. I will start blogging them now.

Just now Ashlyn asked me why I needed a hair tie...the conversation went like this...

Ashlyn: Mom, why do you need the hair tie?
Me: My hair bugs me.
Ashlyn: You don't have bugs in your hair.
Me: It bothers me.
Ashlyn: Oh ok...

ROFL! Kids are so funny! Everything is so literal with them!

Here are the girls with some girls from our ward.
They had a great time at Charlie's softball game last night.

2008-06-18T10:47:00.008-07:00

Sorry for the absence...I have had computer issues...AGAIN!
I get my laptop back today...so I will be updating soon...
For now enjoy a funny video! LOL!

Headed to Round Valley...

2008-05-29T00:51:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we are going home to visit. We haven't been to RV since Thanksgiving...the kids are excited! I will be excited when we get there! LOL! The packing and traveling are such a pain...

I am hoping to go around and get pics of some places around RV...Greer, South Fork, Alpine, Big Lake, Nelson's, Saffle Canyon...We will be up for 4 days so it's a lot to cram in. But it's so pretty up there too! We'll see what really end up doing...we have lots of family to visit with too...

Here's a pic of each of the kids from today at the park...and MORE HERE TOO!

Happy Birthday, Chaz!

2008-05-21T21:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Charlie's birthday! He asked me to make him a Red Velvet Cake. I ruined the frosting so we waited til today to have cake.

The kids and I got him a Wii game...Wii Play, National Treasure 2, a Wii Nunchuck and a Wii sports set. The girls and I picked out a card for him that said "A long long time ago..." and inside..."You were born!" and it played the Star Wars theme! haha! The kids loved it!

2008-05-19T11:38:00.002-07:00

We've been wanting to go to the Highland games for a few years but we always seem to miss them. Whether we forget or are out of town. But this time we made a point to go. Charlie knows the man who has been organizing it and they have been trying to keep it going so they need all the support they can get.

Well I don't think they will have a problem with that. There were plenty of people there!

It was really neat to see everyone all dressed in their kilts and dresses. I hadn't ever been to a period type event before, so it was fun!

On the way in I stopped and asked a man if I could take a pics of him and he said, "Sure, I don't know why in the world for though." haha! Cuz I am a big nerd like that and I want to take pics of everything! haha!

So here he is! LOL! Too bad I can't find him again and tell him, I took your pic so I could put you on the net and make you famous! HAHA!

We didn't end up watching the actual games very much.

There were lots of booths and the kids loved "the Pautorium". It had lots of cool weapons. It had swords, daggers, knives, wands, scepters and jewelry.

And the shop keeper was dressed pretty cool!

The boys got to tryout this jumping contraption...lol...I can't remember what it was called. Seth got some good air and tried a back flip but said he couldn't get it. I think Corbin was a little nervous about it. He had a good time though!

After we spent most of the morning at the "games", we headed down the path to Watson Lake. It is such a pretty place! A great place for photos! The scenery is beautiful!

LOTS AND LOTS MORE PICS!

2008-05-19T10:30:00.003-07:00

The April Pack Meeting was moved to the first week of May. Which was probably a good thing for all. The end of April seemed pretty crazy.

The theme of the Pack Meeting was Magic! Each of the boys got to learn and perfect a magic trick to perform for everyone. Corbin had told me that he needed 7 tricks for it and I couldn't understand how they were going to pull that off. LOL! But like I said before, they only needed 1. Corbin did a bag trick where he showed you, by shaking the bag upside down, that the bag was empty and then waved his wand over the bag and magically pulled out tissues. All the boys did a great job and every one had a good time!

Corbin also finally got his Bobcat badge...he earned it months ago. But somehow they only had the Mother's pin and card. But they also ended up giving him another pin and card. So he has 2 cards and pins now. LOL! I need to get one of the pins back to them. So he got turned upside down again...and made sure he warned them not to let his pants fall off again...LOL! Which is what happened last time.

Lots more pics HERE!

Blog, blog, blog all day long...

2008-05-19T10:24:00.001-07:00

Blog, blog, blog while I sing this song!

LOL!

We have had a busy few weeks! Busy for us anyway! And I have been slackin' off on the blogging.

Charlie had his first softball game on the 6th. He hadn't played since 2006 so it was fun to get out to a game again!

The kids had a great time running around and playing on the playground. They have never paid much attention to the games.

I had a good time taking pics! Of course!

Charlie's team did great...but it was one of those games where you just feel bad for the opponents...They won something like 26-6. The other team just wasn't having a good day. We weren't able to make it to his 2nd game. It was on a school night at 8, but this time their team got a good game and had to work for their runs. In the end they lost by two but Charlie said it was good fun!

As always! More pics HERE!

Baby birdies!

2008-05-09T00:03:00.001-07:00

Charlie noticed the other day that the birds, who took up lodging in our back porch, had babies.
They must have hatched over last weekend. He was in the dining room watching them and came to tell me that one had fallen out of the nest, and what did I think about putting it back in the nest. So I told him go google it. haha! My answer for anything I can't figure out on my own. He found out that the old wives tale that picking them up will make the parents abandon the nest is just that, a tale. Birds actually have a poor sense of smell, according to that site. So by the time he had looked that up and went back to the backyard to look for it, he couldn't find it. So he carefully looked around and found it not far from where he last saw it nestled in the weeds next to the sidewalk being very silent and still. Survival skills kicking in even at such a young age of 6-10 days old.

We called the kids out at this point...didn't want to say anything before, for the safety of the bird. And they were all so excited to see this little bird in the grass.

So Charlie picked it up with gloved hands and it promptly pooped on the gloves. LOL!
On a side note...baby birds sure are ugly haha!

So today I was really hoping to get good pics of the babies in the nest. They are big enough now that you can see them over the edge. And when the daddy birds comes in to feed them you can see them really good! Reaching up to be fed, their beaks open and heads bobbing, the kids love to see it! And we all know when they are being fed because they chirp up a storm!

Well as luck would have it, I was standing holding my camera ready to take pics and talking to Chaz...and I hear the chirping babies! So I quickly turned and fired off a few shots! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! HAHA! There are four of them in there but it's hard to see all of them at once.

A little bit of info on the birds...

They are House Finches.
The male's are red and the females are brown.
These are the mom and dad.

The daddy bird always feeds them...he flies in and sits below the nest and waits a little while. He seems to be making sure all is clear and safe and sings to the babies to let them know he is coming.

Before the daddy comes to feed them they are barely visible in the nest. When they hear him come they stick their heads up...

And their beak open wide and they stick their heads up more.
I just noticed you can barely see the 4th baby in there...to the right you can see it's beak and eye.

Then it's a frenzy of heads bobbing, daddy feeding and chirping!

Their living quarters sure are gross. LOL!
Here is what I read about that...sorry if you don't care to know...lol.
But it explains the mess. :)

*When nestling House Finches defecate, the feces are contained in a membranous sac, as in most birds. The parents eat the fecal sacs of the nestlings for about the first five days. In most songbird species, when the parents stop eating the sacs, they carry the sacs away and dispose of them. But House Finch parents do not remove them, and the sacs accumulate around the rim of the nest.

While writing this, I was listening to "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis

Tagged...it only took me a month to do it... :/

2008-05-03T23:26:00.001-07:00

10 Years Ago:

* I was 3.5 months pregnant with Corbin. Living in Springerville in my Aunt Fay's little shack. LOL! But a little shack with a lot of history that I think 95% of my relatives have lived in. haha! Charlie and I had been married 6.5 months. We both worked for R&R Pizza.

5 Things On My To Do List:

* MOVE! We wonder if it will ever become a reality but that is the plan!

* Dishes...I can never keep up with them...

* Laundry...enough said about that...

* Read the Book club book...Bellwether.

* Start exercising again...because this is getting ridiculous!

5 Snacks That I Enjoy:

* Carrots w/ranch

* Craisins

* Wheat Thins

* Granola Bars

* Candy of most any kind... :/

5 Places I have Lived:

* Eagar, AZ

* Springerville, AZ (Because there's such a big difference!)

* Cedar City, UT

* Payson, AZ

* Prescott Valley, AZ

What I Would Do If I Suddenly Became A Billionaire:

* Charity

* Help family members with their needs

* Invest for ours and our kids' futures.

* Pay off our debt!!!!!

* Buy or build a house.

Well...that is exactly what we would do too...lol...

5 Jobs I Have Had:

* Wendy's

* Daycare

* R&R Pizza

* Land Survey thing...LOL!

* Domestic Engineer :) Yeah that too! hehe

5 Things You May Not Know About Me:

* I love to sing...I was in Choir from 7th grade until I graduated from High School. I always wanted to try out for Show Choir but I could never build up the nerve to do it. I've never been able to work up the nerve to sing a solo either.

* I love to draw...well used to. I haven't drawn for years. I would love to take some art classes.

* I have always wanted to write a book about my life in a fictional way. I don't think I am good at writing at all. But I still think it would be fun!

* I love to design web sites. I would also like to take classes in graphic design and web design. I would love to be able to create my own flash templates.

* Going along with Keli's alcohol story... :/
I resisted the peer pressure to try any kind of alcohol until I was 18. You can blame it all on my husband, he was a party boy. haha! just kidding. We were all hanging out at his brother's house and they were all trying to get me to have a drink and I kept refusing. They finally gave up and it was then that I decided I wanted to try it. Vodka...you would have thought that one drink of straight vodka would have been enough to turn me off to it. But then I decided to try it with Mountain Dew and then with Kool-Aid. I drank 3/4 of that bottle. It's a wonder I didn't kill myself. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done. But I never drank again! I was offered a wine cooler after that and the taste almost made me throw up! And it took YEARS to be able to drink Mountain Dew again with out tasting alcohol and feeling nauseous!!

At the library... 04.29.08

2008-04-30T09:20:00.001-07:00

We don't get to the library...ever...but last night Corbin's Cub Scout Pack Meeting was canceled and we were already out and about so we decided to go.

Contemplation...
Corbin and Seth got their own library cards. Corbin was having far too much fun finding books and getting to check them out on his own!
Seth was off perusing the books so I didn't get any pics of him...darn it.

The girls found the puzzles and that was all they were interested in...LOL...
Ashlyn got done and whispered...this place is boring...haha! I will have to take the girls back so we I can find books with them. We checked out some Angelina Ballerina dvd's for the girls...they are watching as I type this...and they LOVE them!

While writing this, I was listening to "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

District Pinewood Derby ~ 04.26.08

2008-04-27T00:06:00.001-07:00

Today was District Pinewood Derby. It was a long day...we lost Sage at least a thousand times...and every one was bored silly by the time it was over. LOL!
Corbin won against all but one of the boys in his first group of 9.
Then he moved on to the finals. It was a great experience for him. He only won a couple in this group. It was definitely hard for him to take losing, but it was good for him.
He placed 6th over all. With a little bit of praise he decided that was good. lol

A whole bunch of pictures HERE!

Agua Fria Ward Pinewood Derby ~ 04.19.08

2008-04-21T19:09:00.002-07:00

Corbin participated in the Ward Pinewood Derby this last weekend. This was the 2nd year he was able to do it! It was a lot of fun for everyone!

Corbin picked the design and colors and helped with buffing the wheels and polishing the axles. Even Seth and the girls got to help with that part!

Corbin's first race of the night!

One of the final races...you can barely see the nose of Corbin's car under the finish line arch.

Hi five! Corbin won 1st Place!

Everyone had a great time. Corbin had to learn a lesson in humility and sportsmanship...but it was good fun!

Twinkie Derby Car!

More pics HERE!

While writing this, I was listening to "Billie Jean (American Idol Studio Version)" by David Cook

Sage ~ KidZaam Dentistry

2008-04-21T18:44:00.001-07:00

We discovered Sage had a small cavity on her tooth so we took her to the dentist. We have the coolest dentist office in the world! HAHA! The kids LOVE going to the dentist!

April 4, 2008

She did really good at the check up. They were really surprised how well she did since her last visit.

April 18, 2008

The second visit didn't go so well at first. As soon as she got a taste of the "medicine"...she was having nothing to do with it. :/ We tried giving her water in between drinks of medicine. But that wasn't working. Then we tried giving her a straw...as soon as she tasted it she was done! We had to hold her down and give it to her with a syringe. She was so mad at us...but as soon as we were done she was ok.

Next we went to a room to "relax". Yeah right! She would lay down for a few seconds once in awhile but not much. She was stumbling around the room like a drunkin' fool, but she would not lay down. It was funny watching her but at the same time scary...she's just too independent for her own good!

All went well and it was "so easy", they said. When she came walking out she looked horrible...and was very out of it. I didn't get a pic of her coming out but this is one in the car afterwards. She's looking a little better here than when she first came out.

As always...more pics...HERE!

While writing this, I was listening to "Tied Down" by Colbie Caillat

The Kool Bus!

2008-04-12T18:09:00.001-07:00

We happened to drive by KMART on the way home from WalMart and I saw this from this "Kool Bus" in the parking lot so I had to stop and let the boys teka a look at it! When we got closer we saw that they were also giving rides! So I let the boys take a ride! As soon as it took off I knew exactly how each of the boys was going to like it...or not. LOL!

Corbin got off and just as I suspected he looked sick and said "Ugh, I don't feel so good!" He wasn't even interested in getting back in to let me take pics of them in it. ROFL! But is was ok once he knew they weren't going anywhere.

Seth of course loved it! He is our little dare devil! He will try anything out once! He loves "the big rides"! Loves anything that makes him feel tough! :)

After they were done riding we had to stay and watch as the next group went. Corbin wanted to see what the ride was like from that point of view! Watching it was just as cool as riding for them!

Come see the rest of the pics HERE!

While writing this, I was listening to "Shine" by Keith Urban

SLACKER!

2008-04-11T14:39:00.003-07:00

Wow...I have been so caught up in taking pics of "things" around me. I have not been taking many pics of the kids. :/

*New goal! Make it a point to take at least one pic of each kid...a week. Seems kinda minimal, but it is a start!

I have some newer pics (from the last couple weeks) posted to my family gallery. HERE! I tend to get way more pics of the girls, obviously because they are home all day. So I guess my goal will be to get pics of the boys. :)

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-04-11T14:39:00.001-07:00

The kids did Easter eggs Sunday morning.
We had the Easter party last week so we didn't do much of anything for Easter.
Here are some pics of them coloring eggs.

Easter Eggstravaganza! 03/15/08

2008-04-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

March 15, 2008
Saturday was the town's Easter Eggstravaganza. The kids had a great time, despite the windy cold! They had lots of stuff for everyone to do.
Petting zoo, bouncy houses, "fishing" pond, ring tosses, egg hunt...more of an egg race...LOL! The Easter Bunny was around...and there was a hay ride.

She's 3!

2008-04-11T14:37:00.001-07:00

Sage turns 3 tomorrow!
But Charlie's parent's are here this weekend so we celebrated today.
We sang happy birthday, opened presents and ate cake and ice cream!
She had a nice little birthday!

Seth and Ashlyn decorated her cake for her!
Ashlyn picked out the cake mix, frosting and candles for it.

All her presents!

I love the glow of candles!

Blow the candles out my dear and make your wish come true!

Paper flying!

Rip into it!!

She got a few Littlest Pet Shop sets, a few Barbies...and a Little Mermaid hair and make up play set.

YUMMY!

.the mikado.

2008-04-11T14:36:00.003-07:00

Corbin drama class put on their version of the mikado, tonight.
It was fun! And they did a great job!

.sage.

2008-04-11T14:36:00.001-07:00

Around Christmas I took a pic of Sage...I noticed her eye is crossed.

So I have been looking at past pics of her and it has always been that way.
So we will be taking her in to see what can/will be done.
So here are more pics of my beautiful little Sage. =)
You might think well...you are pretty close to her and it's just a natural turning in to focus on close objects. Well she does it from a distance too.

.seth.

2008-04-11T14:34:00.001-07:00

He's been missed in my pics lately.
So here are a couple of him.
We got the kids webkinz for v-day...
And it seems our kids have disappeared since then. LOL!
They enjoy the website a little too much I think. ;)

On our way to the dump...the kids were not happy they couldn't get out and help throw everything out of the truck. LOL! So funny that a garbage heap is interesting to kids.

I love his eyes! They are so neat. They used to be a deep blue but they have changed quite a bit. I love the color change from the middle to the outside!

.trampoline play.

2008-04-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Our trampoline has seen it's last days...
It has fallen apart and is unusable now.
But here was their last day to play on it, before it goes to the dump.
Seth didn't join in...and Sage was out there with me the whole time so it is mostly her. But she was having a blast!

.home improvements.

2008-04-11T14:32:00.001-07:00

Sooo...we want to move...in a bad way.
But this house needs so much done to it.
And we have already done tons to it.
So now we are doing the bathrooms.
THREE! Count 'em 3!
It will be a long..long road ahead of us.
So here is the beginning of bathroom #1...in the works and hopefully being finished quickly! =)

.more park fun.

2008-04-11T14:31:00.003-07:00

A few days after the previous post. And the day after this it snowed...

.fun at the park.

2008-04-11T14:31:00.001-07:00

We had a few days of really nice warm weather...so we had to get out and go to the park! Then it snowed the next couple days...this weather is so weird!

Big 5 Year Old!

2008-04-11T14:30:00.001-07:00

Her party is tomorrow...so this morning she told me it couldn't be her bday yet! LOL!
She is having a Littlest Pet Shop theme! And anything that isn't LPS...is PINK!
It will be lots of fun! She invited 3 friends...this is her first "friend" party!
Will have pics tomorrow.

Their first game of flag football...

2008-04-11T14:24:00.001-07:00

Seth went to his first birthday party today!
He was so excited! Corbin gets invited to parties all the time...
So it was HIS turn!
When we went to drop him off, they practically made Ashlyn stay to play. LOL!
So she joined in all he fun and had a great time too!

It was so cute watching them.
Ashlyn got the ball and then handed it to the other team ROFL!

That's Seth jumping! They must have scored...LOL!
And that's Ashlyn in the pink coat...she wasn't the only girl...but she was the smallest there.

I decided to start...

2008-04-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

a family blog...
everyone else is doing it...so why can't I?
hehehe!

Since my moment a day blog is used for daily pics...anything I post about us is buried right away!

So here we go! :)