Joe & Karen

Mark's 6th Birthday

2010-09-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

I made Mark's birthday cake. I can't believe he is six years old.

Sabrina and his cousins got him the book "How To Train Your Dragon" and some skittles.
My sweet little Brooklyn.

Birthday card from Nana.
And money from Nana.
Sabrina
Sabrina and Kimberly
I Spy books from Mom and Dad.

Bike helmet, I wonder what that could be for?

Nice wrapping!

Looking good!
Baseball cake and cupcakes.
Make a wish

The red icing made her look bloody.
The kiddos loved all the cupcakes.

Cousin Kimberly

2010-09-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

My niece Kimberly came to Arizona for a few weeks to have a nice relaxing vacation. We had so much fun!On the way to the pool.

My little swimmer. He loves the water!
We had lots of fun in the pool.

She didn't want her picture taken.
Oh well.
Freaky picture!
A bit better.
Goodbye pool!

Marky's first day of 1st grade, July 27th, 2010. His new teacher is Mrs. Olsen. He will be in her class for first and second grade.

Joe and Kimberly got up early to do what they enjoy the most, golfing!!!

Kimberly and I went out for some girl time and sushi. It was soooo good and I am glad I have found someone to eat sushi with. Now she just needs to move closer!
We took Kimberly and the kids to a Mercury game, WNBA. Mark got free tickets from his basketball league. We brought lots of candy and had lots of fun!

I wish I had longer arms so the pictures weren't so up close!
The girls!!!
Proof that Kimberly was at a professional basketball game!

My favs!

I kept taking pictures of Mark waiting for a good reaction.

We had to let Kimberly experience Arizona, so we took her to San Tan Flats. We love this place!!
Kimberly dancing with the kiddos.

They had some new quotes put up.

McKenzie loves her cousin!

Kimberly serenaded me and I was totally embarrassed.

We dropped Joe and Mark off at Mark's basketball game and then headed over to a huge garage sale. It started raining and McKenzie wouldn't get out of the car. Then it started down pouring and we ran to the car. We were soaking wet through Mark's whole game. When we got home we decided to play in the rain!The kids were so excited, it rarely rains here!

Oh Kimberly!!
Not a great picture, but we sure had fun! I got a lot of weeds pulled, they come out so easy when the ground is flooded.

She got stuck!!!
Mark going down the slide!

McKenzie wouldn't go down the slide without holding Kimberly's hand because she was afraid of getting stuck in the puddle.
Kimberly and Mark playing in the flooded parts of our backyard.

Mark and Z playing in the big puddle!
They loved playing in the water with their cousin Kimberly.
Kimberly loved my wedding dress and asked if she could wear it when she gets married. We decided to try it on and see how it fit her. She looks beautiful and it fit well!!! Now she just needs to find Mr. Right!!!

So, B E A utiful!!!

Mark-a-Mo

2010-09-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Our poor hamster has gotten sick. We are pretty sure it is a tumor, as you can see. He ended up passing way August 4th, 2010, just over 2 years after he joined our family. We had a little memorial service for him, with the kids and buried him in the backyard. McKenzie was so devastated.

Speech Class

2010-09-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last school year McKenzie was enrolled in speech class, a state preschool program. She has not met all her goals yet, so she will be continuing this year. She got a new teacher this year and goes for a three hours once a week. Her new teacher is Mrs. Bridgeford. July 21st was her first day back at speech class.

Job Loss

2010-09-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

June 28th was Joe's first day back to work after missing a few days to help out at scout camp. Unfortunately, his partner decided to dissolve the relationship and laid Joe off. Joe was a little relieved because he had become very unhappy working for Nielsen and Associates. I was a bit bummed.

Games

2010-08-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

One of our family's favorite things to do is play games. I can't tell you how many times a day we play Uno, Skip Bo, Settlers, Candy Land, Connect Four and Chutes and Ladders!

McKenzie Mae

2010-08-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

I just love my little girl so much. She is holding the tiger, Ariel, her grandma gave her. She doesn't go anywhere without that thing.

Trip 2 LA

2010-08-06T08:51:00.002-07:00

For Mother's day this year, Joe bought me plane tickets to visit my childhood friend, Barbara, in LA. I was there from July 8th to the 12th. I flew in late Thursday night and we stayed up talking for a couple hours.

Shopping in Santa Monica. She introduced me to a fabulous store, Lush. All bath items!!!

Stopping for cupcakes after a great lunch at Panera.

Vanilla Bakery

Entering Beverly Hills! I know my excitement is kinda dorky, but even though I grew up in SoCal, I never did any of the LA things.

Driving to the spa, off Sunset Blvd.

Eating watermelon on a stick and dripping juice onto the white robe.

Before our spa treatments.

After the spa treatments.

I dont look great, but I felt great!

Getting dolled up for dinner.

We drove down Rodeo Drive. The houses above all the shopping are amazing and beautiful!

Driving to dinner we stopped by the LA temple. This is where my parents were married and it was my first time there. It is a huge temple!

Dinner at Soliels. It was amazing food. I called the kids to tell them good night.

I managed to splash some steak/tiger shrimp juice on myself.

Barbara was also trying to avoid the splashage.

Licking the free chocolate bread pudding bowl. I didn't think I would like it quite so much.

Hanging out before going out for drinks.

Outside the hotel where the munchkins stayed while filming The Wizard of Oz.

With Barbara's roommate.

Barb complaining about chin fat!

Sucking in the chin fat.

This is the glass case at the front of the hotel.

We sat down and then decided to go somewhere else.

I was texting Joe while walking home and didn't see the wall. I ran right into it, and I was the only one to have a virgin drink, at least I think it was virgin!

It left a bruise.

The next day it was black and purple.

We were in the Banana Republic dressing room when Sabina showed up. Sabina went to Jr. High with us!

Barb wanted us to stop and smell the flowers.

Making suggestions on how to dress me, in Forever 21.

Ready for a night out on the town.

Barb got me a new pair of sunglasses, so I am throwing away my old pair.

Taking pictures while waiting for our Jr. High friend, Kylie, to show up.

We are at the Groves.

I didn't make a very good sexy look like Sabina did!

We found a nice lady to take pictures of the four of us.

Eating at the Farmers Market, Barb wouldn't put the camera down.

Playing with Kylie's phone while eating frozen yogurt.

We ordered a yummy funnel cake. The last time the four of us ate one of these, it was at Wild Rivers at the end of 8th grade. Luckily, we managed to get it all in our mouths this time, instead of all over eachother!

Shopping at Nordstoms.

Hollywood Blvd and Walk of Fame

The first star on our side of the street. The Dead End Kids

The Stars Wax Museam.

There was basically a line to take a picture of Michael Jackson's star.

Same size hands as Elizabeth Taylor.

We have one of his paintings in our house.

Graumans Chinese Theater.

Umm, I think she likes Johnny Depp!

Kissing a dragon.

Really kissing a dragon.

Barb is obsessed with the Munchkins!

Weird pic on the escalator.

The mall had four of these huge elephant statues, I had to take a picture.

The Hollywood sign.

Sabina doesn't like Kevin Costner.

Hollywood trip complete!!!

We ended the walk by finding a Gleason star!

We stopped for sushi before doing some grocery shopping, I was in heaven!

Cute Barb!!!

We made dinner Sunday night, my last night. We made yummy chicken parmesan, asparagus, chocolate covered fruit and brownies. Oh yeah, and we invited her guy over. Doesn't Barb look so demosticated?

Grandma & Ashley!!!

2010-07-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Joe is the Scout Master in our ward and had the opportunity to go to Scout Camp in June. He was gone from the 22nd to the 26th, so my mom and little sister Ashley were wonderful enough to come visit while he was gone.

Mom and Ashley drove down on the 21st, unfortunately delayed because of the Flagstaff fire. Joe left early Tuesday morning.

DAY 1: Tuesday we went and saw Alvin And the Chipmunks, the Squeakqual. Then we went to Olive Garden for a yummy lunch. After lunch we did some shopping at Ross (Grandma spoiled the kids with toys, and me with new sheets for our guest bedroom) and then we headed over to Aunt Terry's house for swimming and apple/banana salad. Z never ever ever lets us let go of her in the pool, but we found a life jacket and she absolutely loved it. That is the most she has ever played in the pool.

Marky playing with all the pool toys.

Mom and Ashley hanging out in the pool.

Yes, I was there!

DAY 2: Wednesday morning we hopped in the car and headed to Arizona Mills. It is a HUGE shopping mall with loads of outlet stores. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, Grandma had neve been, and then did some shopping.

The kids got spoiled by Grandma when she bought them each a little something at the restraunt gift shop!

Ashley with her favorite aunt!

What good looking girls!

He kept hiding under the table when we were taking pictures, so I had to take one while he was coloring.

Two of my most favorite girls in the world.

We got to eat with the gorrillas. Grandma had a yummy salad and I had tomato basil soup and a fabulous turkey wrap, the kids had pizza.

After lunch, we went to the new SeaLife aquarium. It was really impressive and the kids absolutely loved it.

Bubbles were the favorite part!

Standing above the sting ray tank.

The stingray tank is right behind her. She could climb all the way in and would be almost surrounded by water.

The kids loved the bubbles because they could watch the fish swim around their heads.

Digging for fossils. The kids refused to touch the starfish and urchins in the last area.

This huge tank had sharks and stingrays and tons of fish!

Mom behind a wall of fish.

Ashley, Mark and I are in a bubble!

Ashley in a bubble!

The ground reacted to whatever the kids touched.

Marky just chillin while waiting for the rest of the girls to come out of the gift shop.

DAY 3: Thursday morning, Mom, Mark and I decided to do 9 holes at the pitch n put down the street.

Mom on the first tee.

Marky getting ready to hit on the second tee.

Here he goes.

Opps, missed he ball and spun around.

Nice contact!

Marky and Grandma, their first golf outing together!

Mark took these pictures of Mom and me. It was so much golfing with my mom again, its been forever!

Marky at the last hole, he wanted me to take a picture that had the whole flag in it!

Aunt Ashley did McKenzie's hair so cute for dance. It was Ashley's first time doing french braids.

Waiting for dance to start, she counts down the minutes.

Mom reading scriptures while we wait for Z's dance class.

Waiting in the car while Mom ran into Burlington Coat factory looking for a stroller/carseat combo for Amber. This was the last stop of the the day. 1st we took Z to dance. Then we went and saw Toy Story 3. After the movie, we went to the mall and walked around and had lunch. Mom got a new phone while Ashley and the kids went on a Hurrican Similator thing.

Ashley is reading "Mr. Darcy's Diary" she reads it everytime she comes to visit. Mom and Ash left the next morning. It was so wonderful having them here!

Father's Day

2010-07-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Though I didn't take any pictures, Father's day ended up being a great day. I got up early and made Joe Triffle. Then the kids helped me make Joe belgium waffles with strawberrys and whipcream, with lots of bacon on the side. The kids each picked out cards and we got Joe some workout shorts, some jeans, a broncos shirt and 2 rounds of golf at the Johnson Ranch Golf Course. We had yummy roast for dinner and then Joe's favorite dessert, the Triffle. We are so grateful for the wonderful father Joe is, and also for both of our own fathers.

Sleepy Girl

2010-07-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

July 19th we went to Tanner Martins baptism. Z was so tired on the way home.

McKenzie's 1st Dance Class

2010-07-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to get McKenzie into dance for while now, and finally found the perfect place. Lindsay Waldrup, in our stake, built a small dance studio in her house and only charges $20 a month for a lesson a week. July 17th was her first class. We decided not to do the traditional skirt and leotard, and we let her pick her own tanks, shorts and tights.

Miss Lindsay helping Z put her tap shoes on.

Ready to make so noise!

She loved her first class doing ballet, tap and tumbling.

Mark's 1st Basketball Game

2010-07-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

He is a good looking basketball player!

He sticks his tongue out while he shoots!

Mark had a great first game. He had 2 steals and 1 block and his team lost 12-24. Game #2 he had 1 steal and 1 rebound and his team lost 14-24, they are getting better!!!

Mark-a-Mo Sipppy Sippy Hamster

2010-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is our beloved hamster. I took this picture to show, what we are assuming is, a tumor on his belly, that hangs out the side. You can't see it very well in this picture though. He is getting old and we have already explained to the kids that he probably wont live much longer.

Mark's 1st Basketball Practice

2010-07-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

We decided to get Mark into the YMCA's basketball program. It only has two teams and we thought it would be a great way to see if he really wants to play. They are the Jr. Suns!

Team huddle.

Playing in the bleachers while Mark practices.

He is so into it!

Mark is the 6th kid, he is mostly in grey.

Diamondbacks Game With Dad

2010-07-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Joe got some Dbacks tickets from an old mission companion and we decided it would lots of fun for him to take Marky. The Dbacks beat the Colorado Rockies. They had a lot of fun!

The boys!!!

It got kinda late!

Looks like Dad might have dozed too.

Fireworks after the game.

At The Mall

2010-07-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

We went to the Picture Show Theater to watch Alice In Wonderland. We got there a little early, the theater wasn't open yet, so the kids had fun running around while they waited.

My little model.

So tempted to play with the water.

He loves to dance.

Very blurry because I was zooming in frow way too far way.

Kids standing by the water.

Patiently waiting for the theater to open.

I love that Mark can tie his shoes now.

Playing on the big sea turtle outside the theater.

Mark's Kindergarten Graduation

2010-06-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

We got there early so we could get good seats.

McKenzie was very patient.

She kept herself entertained.

The principal of Eduprize, Ms. Fox.

Not the best picture of Mark's teacher, Mr. Mendoza.

Deciding whether he should do the actions.

He knew all the words to the 8 songs they sang!

They paused so we could all take pictures of our kids.

Walking to the microphone to say his part "Have you ever gone fishing?"

He was scared about being infront of people that he never did the full actions, but this was a big improvement from the beginning.

Getting up when his name was called for graduation!

They all got glow stick while they sang "This little light of mine".

Handsome graduate!!! Time is going so fast.

A very proud Dad!

Best friends. She was so happy for her big brother!

They sure do love eachother. They are eachother's biggest fans.

Our adorable graduate!!!

It wasn't the easiest year, but it sure was worth it!

We our so proud of our little boy.

How is the world did they get so big?

Mark insisted on taking a picture of us since Z got to take a picture.

Graduation dinner at McDonalds, Mark's most favorite place in the world!

Maybe I should have smiled.

Memorial Day

2010-06-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

We didn't have any plans for Memorial Day this year, so after Joe put flags out with the Young Men at 5:30am, we loaded up and headed into town. We took the kids to see Shrek the Final Chapter and then we walked around the mall and ate at Ruby Tuesdays. It was fun hanging out with our family!

She was a bit grumpy.

Stock Up Shopping

2010-06-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

Old Navy was having their additional 50% of clearance sale, so Z and I drove to the big Old Navy in Scottsdale and stocked up on clothes for next year. We averaged

$2.25 per item and now my kids and husband have clothes for next year!

Golf With My Girl

2010-06-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

One morning, after the guys had left for school and work, Z asked me if I wanted to go golfing with her. So, we packed up our clubs and headed out. She actually did quite well for having a cast on. We only made it 3 holes, but it was a lot of fun!

McKenzie's Broken Arm

2010-06-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

When we got home from Utah, we got Z into an pediatric orthopedic doctor, Michael Domer. He said she had all the signs of a broken arm, so he thought we should cast it. Billy was the name of the doctor who put the cast on. He was a lot of fun. Kenzie especially enjoyed when he put a sock on her hand and arm! Of course, as you can see, she choose a black cast with green sparkles. She has to keep it on for two weeks.

Driving Home

2010-05-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

To begin our drive home we stopped by Zupas for dinner. The kids love the banana and strawberry fondue!! Then we went to BYU for Darren's State track meet. It was really awesome to see him run. I am really proud of my litte brother.

We gased up and were on the road by 7:15pm MST. We stopped in Boulder City, Nevada to gas up and drove straight through the night. Joe was sweet enough to do most the driving. I did 100 miles so he could take a nap. The kids loved that they got to sleep through the long drive. We got home at 5am and went right to bed!! Other than Z's broken arm, and my dad's surgery, it was an alright trip.We took Z to the instacare and the said it "might" be broken. They told us to wrap it up and see an orthopedi surgeon when we get home. They were useless.Waiting to get back on the road.Walking out of the gas station in Boulder City, sorry so dark.

Nana and Pops

2010-05-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We sure do love Joe's parents and are so grateful they have lots of room so we can stay with them when we visit. The kids love their Nana and Pops!!

REAL Salt Lake

2010-05-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

We bought tickets for the REAL Salt Lake game for a fundraiser for one of Joe's nephews. We took a shuttle to the park. It was a stormy night but we drank plenty of hot chocolate and it didn't rain until the last three minutes and we were already winning by 2. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Nana and Pops! Mark and Joe waiting for the shuttle.

Z was a little grumpy.

Then she was happy!

Back of the bus with Nana and Pops!

Z fell off the trampoline at my parents house, onto cement. We put it in a makeshift sling until we could get her to an instacare the next day.

Mark being shy!

Rob, Ian, Max and Brandon Duffin. They sat right behind us.

Julie and Kate Duffin, soooo cute!

Nana and Pops. Z took this picture.

Mark took this picture. It sure was a fun night!

Kamden Gleason

2010-05-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is David's little boy. I can't get enough of his chubby cute face!!!

Ummm, Kesli is pretty dang cute too!!!

Just hanging out after the baby shower.

Kamden and his beautiful mom, Shalyn!

Dad's Surgery

2010-05-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 11th, Dad had surgery to remove his prostate, and all the cancer in it. I stopped by Starbucks, and got some papers at the gas station and headed up to Hunstman Cancer Center by 7am, in just enough time to see Dad before he went into surgery. I spent the morning with Mom in the waiting room. We talked a lot, did puzzle books and walked around the awesome gift shop. It was really small, but had so many little treasures.
Once Dad was out of surgery we talked with the doctor. He seemed concerned that the cancer might have spread, we are still waiting to find out if it did. It was going to take an hour before we could see him, so we ran an errand for Dad. He needed us to deliver a letter to the quorom of the 12 about a patriarch in his stake. We parked under the Joseph Smith Memorial building and ran to the Church office building, in the pouring rain. They told us we needed to go to the Administration Building. We were escorted underground to the other building. We got to go up the elevator and into the secretary's office of the 12!!! It was pretty exciting.
Debra came and we were able to see Dad. He was feeling pretty good. We went and got lunch and then headed back to his room to eat. It was so nice that I had the chance to be with them during all this.

Amber's Baby Shower

2010-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to throw Amber and surprise baby shower. She caught on to it, but it was fun hanging out with all the sisters. Mom came late because she was

Jazz Lakers Game 4

2010-05-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

For Darren's graduation present Joe and I decided I should take him to the Jazz Lakers playoff game. We met at the trax station and rode up.

The seats weren't amazing, but it wasn't too bad.

I have to admit, it was really cool seeing Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers, in person.

These are the cute tiny dancers they had. The little boy was break dancing.

This guy kept throwing his head back, inbetween Darren's legs, everytime the Jazz did something bad. I told him I would give him $50 if he touched his head!!!

The floor was really sticky and gross.

On the way home, after taking the wrong train!

Pictures with Nana and Cousins

2010-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

We stayed at Nana and Pops' house while on vacation. Joe's brother Rob and sister Becky came over for Mother's day brunch. The cousin's loved playing together!

Becky and Pat, Julie and Rob, Me and Joe

Saturday BBQ

2010-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

My parents rented a hug waterslide for our bbq a couple days before Dad's surgery. It was so much fun watching the kids go down and the older kids, and some adults, doing flips off the top. It was a fun family day. It was a little cold though, so when it got sunny we would run out and play and when the sun was covered we would turn off the hose and the kids would play on it dry. Thanks Mom and Dad for such a fun time.

David about to dive out the top.

Took the picture a little late.

He would tuck and do a flip before hitting the slide!

Marky going down.

Sliding all the way to the little pool at the bottom.

Comedy Sports

2010-05-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

My wonderful sisters, Debra and Michelle, found a wonderful comedy club in Provo and got us all tickets the day we got into town. It was so much fun!!! Darren, lower left, Michelle, middle left, Amber, upper left, Ryan, upper middle, Dad, upper right.

Darren and Ashley with their dates.

My wonderful parents!!

My big brother Ryan and his wife Jocelyn.

My little sister Amber and her husband Nathanial. The guy in the background, on the right, is a gymnast who really enjoys tumbling. It was soooooo funny!

There wasn't enough seats for all the couples to sit together, so Joe and I were separated for half of it.

My second oldest sister Debra, and her husband Jon.

My brother-in-law, Jason, laughing at his wife, Michelle, my third oldest sister.

Much better picture of the two of them.

Ryan wrapping a sweater around Michelle's face.

Darren and the girl he took to prom, I dont remember her name.

Mowing The Lawn With Grandpa

2010-05-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is the way Grandpa likes to mow his lawn!!!

We wanted a turn on the mower!

Opps!!! Guess we should watch where we're going!

I quickly let off the gas and Ashley slammed up against the streel wheel. It was sooooo funny!!

Ashley Dawn

2010-05-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Our family took a trip up to Utah on May 6th. We drove through Laughlin, a first for us, and stayed the night in St. George at the Sands Motel. We drove to my parents house the next day. Ashley is wearing Mark's jacket, it is size 4T. Its actually pretty cute!!!

Sports Clips

2010-05-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mark's favorite place to get his hair cut is Sports Clips. He gets to watch basketball and drink soda while they cut his hair. After watching them do it, I think I might take a shot at it.

ASU Night

2010-04-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

The ASU Sun Devils hosted Little League Night! Mark got to have a pep talk with a few of the players, and then stand on the field during the National Anthem. Unfortunately, we sat on the wrong side of the field to see him, so I had to use the zoom on my camera. It kinda turned into a bummer night: Z had a couple "runs" accidents, Mark found his coaches son and they had so much energy it was kinda irritating, and then for the first time in 4 years I was really really tempted to eat french fries. Joe ate 1lb of Garlic Fries. They looked and smelled amazing. We didn't hang around for the whole game and the Sun Devils, ranked #1 in the nation, ended up losing by five. Bummer.

Mark is standing on the right hand side of number 8, with his had up to his hat.

He is on the left, part of the three boys in the grey shirts and red hats.

He is wearing the grey pants inbetween the guys with jeans on.

Bathtub Fun!

2010-04-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

April 24th was my cousin, Sabrina's 26th birthday. So, for one of her birthday presents Joe and I took their three girls Friday night for a sleepover. The kids had a lot of fun! Saturday morning they all took baths, probably their favorit part of the weekend!!! I remember when my mom used to take pictures like this of me, hee hee!

Gleason~Mazzarelli~Whitehead Picnic

2010-04-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Paul, my dad's brother-in-law, was in town from Iraq, and his daughter Brittany just had a baby, so we decided to have a family picnic. Of course it ended up being one of the coldest, windiest days we have had in quite a while in Arizona! The park was really awesome, but it got so cold out that we moved the party to Aunt Terry's house, where it was nice and warm! It was a houseful and loads of fun! Everyone that was there: Aunt Terry, her daughters (and their families) Kristy, Heidi, Sabrina and Sandra. Then my Aunt Lorna, Uncle Paul and their kids, with families or boyfriend, Fressia, Bradley and Brittany. Then my cousin Brian was there with his new wife and their combined family of 6 kids. Joe and Mark couldn't make it, but Z had loads of fun with her cousins.This was just part of the park!

McKenzie holding the new baby Kanon.

Brookln holding the new baby Kanon.

My "not so little" Boy

2010-04-19T13:38:00.001-07:00

I had a sad experience with Mark this week. It was almost bedtime one night and I said "Come on Mark-o, its time for prayer." He covered his ears and ran away from me. After I calmed him down, he was rather upset, and asked what was going on, he told me, "I dont like having any letters after the "k" in my name." I said, "but you write your name "MARKY" on your school papers. "Not anymore, and I took the "Y" off my Wii player."

There you have it. My son is now officially Mark. It makes me so sad. I had to call my mom and tell her the bad news. She was really surprised that, at such a young age, he doesn't want kid names anymore. My dad said he will always be Marky to him, or an alternative name that I wont repeat on this blog!!! At least my dad made me laugh about it all. I really wish Mark wouldn't grow up so quickly, but what can you do???

Farm Field Trip

2010-04-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

McKenzie's preschool class took a field trip to Superstition Farms. There were soooo many cows. Within a mile there were like 20,000 cows! The kids got to go on a hay ride, feed rescued animals, drink flavored milk and ice cream! Z had banana milk and I had grape milk, both way yummy. Walking into the farm, hand and hand with her best friend Seth. They are ALWAYS together.

This bunny was so fuzzy and soft.

Feeding sheep, cows and goats! They freaked her out cause they were really hungry and their tongues tickeled her hands!

Feeding the donkey a slice of carrot.

Z and the baby cow. All the rescue animals had sweet food names, but I dont remember what they were.

She actually held the chicken all by herself, but my camera shut off so I didn't get a picture of it.

She was nervous about petting the rabbit, but once she did she wouldn't stop!

This is just part of McKenzie's preschool class.

McKenzie took this picture of Ms. Amy, and lots of other people.

My cute girl watching the presentation about the amount of food that cows eat.

Eating her strawberry icecream.

McKenzie and Seth at the end of the day!

Chicken Twist

2010-04-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

This was last Sunday's dinner. It actually tasted really good and we already started planing the other foods we can stuff into the twist! I forgot to take a picture before we cut into it.

Easter Clothes

2010-04-11T13:36:00.001-07:00

My very handsome little boy. I sure do love this kid!!

My sweet little girl!

The kids were so excited to get Book of Mormon's with their names on them.

This is Mark's sexy look. Totally reminds me of a look my big brother Mark might have given!!

Daddy's Girl

2010-04-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

McKenzie absolutely adores her father. For the most part I really love this, I am also a Daddy's girl, except when Joe is at work and Z gets hurt or upset, it's always "I want Daddy."

Mark's Hair Cut

2010-04-10T13:23:00.001-07:00

We have tried several times to grow Mark's hair out (mainly because Nana wants it long) but it gets so crazy that we end up shaving it all off. We refer to him as kemo kid right after shaving his head. Well, down the street from us a Sports Clips opened up and Mark has been begging to get his hair cut. So, Joe took him (I forgot to have him take pictures) and got a haircut. He loved it. He got to watch sports and get a massage. He actually looks really handsome and much more grown up now. Nana was right, totally cute with hair!!!

The Rest of April 3rd

2010-04-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

We finished out the day before Easter by going to the pool before Joe went to the Priesthood session of conference.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

We invited the Bollenbergs and the Austin's over for an Easter Egg Hunt. I was hoping you could see the eggs better then you can in this picture. It actually looked pretty cool having more than 100 eggs all over the backyard. Next year it was hopefully be all landscaped and then we can have lots of kids over for an egg hunt.

Ethan wanted nothing to do with taking pictures until we put the bike in there for him to sit on.

Aubs, Mark, Z, Hays, Ethan and Brooky

Brooklyn liked Ethan!

Eating the candy they found in their eggs.

Me and my wonderful cousin, Sabrina. The picture below was taken with her camera, much better!

Day Before Easter

2010-04-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

We celebrate the Easter Bunny part of Easter the day before the actual holiday. We like to spend Easter Sunday celebrating the ressurection of Christ. We had baskets for the kids, we had used them the week before, but when we found them to put the goodies in, they had been crushed. I'm thinking the kids probably had a fun time standing on them!

Coloring Eggs

2010-04-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

After the park, we decided to paint Easter Eggs. Sabrina put Brooklyn down for a nap, so we let the older kids go to town!

Play Time

2010-04-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

I love my cousin, Sabrina's kids. Her youngest, Brooklyn, is one of the cutest little girls ever. I could watch her run around for hours!!! We also share the same birthday, we are exactly 25 years apart.

Aubs is Sabrina's middle child, and this is her cute little bum crack. I couldn't resist

taking a picture!

Easter Pageant

2010-04-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last year was our first time going to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant. We got there two hours early and ended up way in the back. It was hard to see it all, but the kids still loved it so much. On the way home Mark told us he didn't want to die. We had a great discussion on the Plan of Salvation!!

This year we decided that we were going to have great seats. We showed up four hours early with pizza, snacks and games. We managed to get seats right in the middle of the stage and three rows back. It was perfect!!! The kids could see everything and we all loved it. We are all so grateful for our Savior and everything he has done and made possible for us.

I forgot the camera in the car so I walked back to get it. I couldn't help trying to take a picture in front of the temple.This is the beautiful stage that the birth, life, death and ressurection of Christ took place (in the pageant.)The Mesa Temple at night.I had fun taking pictures of the wonderful flowers on the temple grounds.

We taught the kids how to play Uno. Fun game, and it helps with their numbers and colors.

He is my shy little boy!!!

The kids took turns with the camera and here are the results.

Mark was upset that he kept closing his eyes because of the bright flash, so he is trying to keep his eyes open.

All Caught Up

2010-04-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am completely caught up with all my pictures!!! WOOHOO!!! The plan is to take time, at the very least, weekly to blog. I am so excited for this opportunity to journal my familys doings. My family is so important to me and I'm sure they will appreciate having something to look back on.

Mark's 1st Game

2010-04-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

March 27th wasn't just opening ceremonies, but Mark's first game. He played left field all four innings against the Kentucky Wildcats. I learned that they dont keep score, or have outs in Tball. I feel a little torn about that only because I was hoping Tball would teach Mark not to cry after losing, but at least it gives him time to develop his skills for a season or two before they keep score. I saw Mark run faster than he has ever run while being chased to 1st base. He had great hits but didn't see much action in left field. I didn't get any pictures of him batting, just video, I will try to load it some time. I am so pround of my little boy.

Johnson Ranch Easter

2010-04-01T19:54:00.001-07:00

We have the best HOA. Yeah sometimes they bug us about dumb things, but they do a really wonderful job with providing things for the community members to do. They put on a free Easter Egg hunt this year. They had face painting, crafts, egg hunt and really cool blow up toys, not just your normal bounce house. We hung out with Sabrina and her girls, who also live in JR.

If you couldn't tell, Z's is a princess crown and Mark's is a baseball. Can't complain, they were free!

McKenzie got fake tatoos in all five of her eggs. Fine by me, she will get plenty of candy next week for Easter.

TBall Opening Ceremonies

2010-04-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

March 27th was opening day for Tball. We started the day by taking team and individual pictures. Our team is considered the 'misfits' because very few of our boys had matching pants! After pictures I picked up our team banner and they did the parade (did I mention that I am the team mom?). It was a lot of fun to watch the cute little kids walking across the field. Joe is one of the coaches assistants.We have really enjoyed learning that our son is just as crazy of a 5 year old as all boys are. He actually isn't the most energetic one!

McKenzie's Haircut

2010-04-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is only the second time McKenzie has had a haircut. I have to admit that I did a much better job the first time. It's probably because I didn't cut it as short the first time and there seems to be more layers the higher I went. Z has been begging for weeks for me to cut her hair and I finally gave in. Before picture from the front.Before picture from the back.Before picture from the front again.After picture from the front.
After picture from behind. Since it has dried I can tell it is really uneven, but I dont dare try to fix it. One of the girl in Joe's office cuts hair and I am going to have her trim it up in a few weeks. Luckily, no one really checks out little girls haircuts!

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Spring Break this year. Mark and McKenzie both got two weeks off. We spent lots of time at parks and the pool. Both Thursdays we went to the Superstition Springs Mall for the day. At 10:00am we would go to the Dooper show. It is a person in prarie dog costume and his pal Persephanie. It is basically a lot of singing and dancing. Z loves going up and helping, but Mark has a bit of a fear of large fake animals. I was so proud of him for going up and helping with the instruments, though it was funny to watch him back up everytime Dooper walked by. After Dooper we had lunch at the food court and then got a free ride on the Merry-Go-Round. After this we would head to the theater for a free movie! The kids loved Thursdays this spring break!She was upset that she didn't get the pink pony she wanted.I told her she had to smile or we would not go see The Princesses and the Frog, or was it Alive and The Chipmunks 2.
I know I look funny, the animal was raising up and I was on my tip toes trying to stay in the picture frame.

Cooking

2010-04-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have started broadening my horizons when it comes to cooking. I have lots of Pampered Chef recipes and I like to look for new things on the internet. For this Sunday dinner I made Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Creamy Risotto. I had to make two pans of it because I dont own a 12" pan. I managed to burn some of the chicken, but the risotto turned out much better than I thought it would be. One thing I have learned about cooking....put garlic in everything!!!

April Fools Day

2010-04-01T07:25:00.001-07:00

I know I am not completely caught up, so this is a bit out of order, but I figured I might as well post my prank of the day.

Several days ago I mentioned to Joe that I was a day or two late. Not a huge deal because sometimes it happens. Yesterday, I gave my pregnant friend a pregnancy test to pee on for me. I also told Joe yesterday that I was going to take a test today to make my period come, it works for my sisters! I pretended to take the test this morning and then called him into the bathroom. I acted completely shocked and a bit freaked out. Then, my sweet amazing husband took a very faithful stance. "At least we know for sure that we are supposed to have another baby, there is no doubt of that. There is a reason for all this, I dont know what that reason is, but there is a reason." After this I was feeling so bad about deceiving him that I told him I knew exactly what the reason is, it April Fools Day.

He didn't laugh. The only thing he would say to me for the next half hour was "I'm going to take a shower." I think part of him was a little upset that I played such a not funny joke, and part of him didn't want to admit I did a good job!

Harlem Globe Trotters

2010-03-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aunt Barbara, we had four tickets to go see the Harlem Globe Trotters. I didn't take many pictures, but it was so much fun. Mark loved all the tricks and Z loved all the goodies we bought, so much for free tickets!!! It was such a great day out with the kids.

Mark's 1st TBall Practice

2010-03-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

We are all so excited for Mark to start Tball practice on Saturday the 6th of March. He is officially a Nebraska Corn Husker! I must warn you, I take lots of pictures of Mark playing ball! He is doing really well. He hits well, he isn't afraid of the ball and he throws pretty well. It is really fun to watch him try so hard.Dog pile to get the ball! Five year old boys are so funny!

Vegas Vacation!!!

2010-03-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Joe and I took a trip to Las Vegas to meet up with with my parents and Karen Fletcher. Karen is a member of the Church that my brother Mark knew in England. He was very close to them and Karen named her son, Joshua Gleason Fletcher, after my brother. I made Joshua a quilt when he was born, but had never met any of the Fletchers. Karen's husband Morton bought her plane tickets for a birthday/Christmas gift. She spent time with her friend Rebeccah, in CA, and then they drove out to Vegas. We had a fabulous lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then did a session in the Vegas temple. I absolutely love and adore Karen. She is such a wonderful women and I can see why she meant so much to my brother. I am so happy I got to finally meet her. We shared a hotel room with my parents and that was a lot of fun!!!Having a fun drive to Vegas with my boyfriend!Mom and Dad were itching to go out and do something the first night in Vegas. Mom had never really 'done' Vegas before. We did lots of walking. We realized that Mom and Dad walk really fast! There was so much more that I wanted to do, but we just didn't have the time. We ended up getting tickets to the V variety show in Planet Hollywood. We had dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse, super yummy, and then stood in line for awhile. The show was really funny and very entertaining, totally a good choice for the night!We did lots of shopping and looking! We went out to the outlets on the north end of the strip and found lots of good stuff.Such cute parents!!!I know this is a gross picture, but in my defence, I didn't know Joe was sticking his tongue out until he touched mine!Dad, Mom, Karen Fletch and me at the temple! It was so wonderful being in that amazing place.

The perfect end to the perfect trip! We did head over to Joe's sister's, MJ, house and watched sweet little Anna while the Stewarts put on their ward dinner.

The next morning we left to drive home. We got pulled over right before we crossed over Hoover Dam because Joe car had a headlight out. We couldn't find his cars registration or insurance but luckily we didn't get a ticket. Thanks so much to my cousin Sabrina for watching our kids and letting us have some time with my parents.

More Of My Man

2010-03-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday Joe offers to make me eggs for breakfast. Because I once did the Atkins diet, I am totally sick of eating eggs! I always say no because I feel strongly that breakfast should be sweet!
Not the best picture, give me a break, its Saturday morning!

The Girl Next Door

2010-03-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

We love the house we live in and we couldn't have bought this house without the help of the owner's son and family. They live two doors down and our kids love eachother. Mark has already told us that he is going to marry Eliza. Samual is a bit younger. With Z and Eliza it is a love/hate relationship. If Mark is there, they love eachother. If Mark is not there, they both want to be in charge and usually get in a fight!! Unfortunately the Eames are moving the first of April. We will miss our good friends.

when i grow up

2010-03-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

For show n tell at McKenzie's preschool they had "what i want to be when i grow up" day. McKenzie immediately said she wanted to be me. That made me feel warm inside. When I told her it would be hard to dress up as me, she said soccer player, without hesitation. We asked her cousin Hailey if we could borrow her soccer uniform. My little soccer player is adorable!

Playing at the Park

2010-03-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Z's favorite thing to do at the park is swing. On days I bring a book, we go to a park with no swings. On days I want to play around with the kids, we go to a park with swings!

McKenzie thinks I'm the coolest mom when I let her bring her scooter to the park. Now that we have a big enough car it happens more often!

2 Sisters 1 Heart

2010-03-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

There is a family in our stake that has twin girls joined at the heart. Every year they do a big event to raise money for their healthcare and to eventually have the surgery done to separate them. The kids liked the petting zoo and the bounce houses. At the end we got Z's hair done at one of the booths and she was so excited!Our sassy little girl!

PJ'S Party

2010-03-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

First our first primary activity of the year, I am the 2nd counslor, we did a PJ'S party. Prayer, Journals, Scriptures. Everyone showed up in their PJ's and we had yummy donuts and fruit for breakfast. Then the kids went to different stations, painting prayer rocks, decorating journals and sharing scriptures while coloring Scripture Power bookmarks. It was a blast!

My Man

2010-03-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

I randomly get bored and pull out the camera. Most of the time Joe is the subject that I use the camera on. I sure do love this man! Yes, that is laundry on the couch and on the floor. I fold it in front of the tv and then put it away!

Experimenting

2010-03-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

More climbing by my kids. They are always trying new things. Half the time Z ends up crying, but she is starting to get a lot tougher, thank heavens! Mark is a pretty strong kid!

McKenzie's 4th

2010-03-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

McKenzie wanted a princess party to celebrate her 4th birthday. We invited her friends from preschool, church, and cousins. The party was a lot of fun!

My little princess.

We put this banner up for Joe's birthday party, with blue balloons. We left it up for Z's and then for mine. Its the last day of March that I am posting this, and it is still on my wall!

Setting up decorations. Her Aunt Barbara (my best friend from school) bought her the beautiful princess birthday hat!

I let Z take a picture of the door poster and this is the end result!

Watching Sleeping Beauty while waiting for the rest of the princesses to show up.

Everyone made a princess crown.

1st present, here we go!

Z absolutely loved the pony she got from Trulie, her preschool teacher's daughter.

Probably her favorite gift was from Sabrina and Heidi's girls, a scooter!

Tinkerbell coloring set from one of her friends.

Barbie on a bike, present from Grandma Gleason. Nana send her a Barbie preschool set earlier in the week.

The other track suit I got the day after Thanksgiving and held onto for her birthday.

Old Navy flip flops! She loves wearing sandles and it is almost useless to buy her tennis shoes.

As you can tell, I did the writing on the cake. Walmart didn't have any of the cakes I wanted for her, so I had her pick out a plan cake and we put a princess on top.

All the girls, left to right: Aubrie, Mackenzie, Payton, Trulie, McKenzie, Sarah, Erin, and Hailey.

Eating birthday cake.

Eating only the frosting on the cake. I dont know if she has ever tasted cake before!

We bought this doll house for McKenzie back in November. It was at Costco and we knew she would love it, so we bought it early and hid it until her birthday. Dad missed most of the party because he was upstairs putting it together!

Joe's 29th

2010-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't take a single picture of this event and now I'm totally bummed. I threw Joe a suprise 29th birthday party. We had all my cousins and friends from the stake over for pizza and and cake. We had games set out, but everyone just sat around taking. I had some girls from the ward come over and watch everyone,s kids upstairs. It was a lot of fun and Joe was totally surprised. I sure do love my husband and I love celebrating the day he came to this world!

New Years Eve 09

2010-03-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

2009's New Years Eve was one of the funniest I have had. My cousin, Sabrina, and her family came over for the night. We made cookies, had candy, chips and dip, and the Wii. We played sports and Mario Bros. It was so much fun hanging out with them. I didn't even think about taking pictures. Blogging has helped me take a lot more pics, but sometimes I just totally forget about it, and then totally regret it.

The kids all stayed up until midnight and went outside and blew their horns. They had a blast and ate way too much junk food. It was a perfect end to a really wonderful year. Here's to another amazing year!!!

Christmas 09

2010-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

I was able to find some great "Day after Thankgiving" deals, so Christmas ended up being a little bigger than planned, but still within our budget! This is the first time we have not put all or part of our Christmas on credit cards. It feels so great to have everything paid for before they even open their gifts! Our big gift from Santa was the Wii and Fit.We keep a mini Christmas tree in each of the kids rooms. This year we decided to hang the Build-a-bear outfits from Nana and Pops and put their stockings under them.

Opening their new track suits, $3 at Walmart, what a deal!!!

This is the craziness that is our front room after opening gifts! We went for a family run, everyone in their new track suits and runnng shoes, and then we took down the tree and all the decorations. No more letting the tree stay up until July!!! (We only did that our first year!)

Christmas Eve 09

2010-03-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our family loves Christmas Eve! After dinner each one of the kids opened the present that always ends up being PJs and slippers. The kids get dressed up in their new PJs, we take pictures in front of the tree, and then we all get in the car and go look at Christmas lights. We splurged a little and went to QT and got Caffiene Free Diet Vanilla Coke and then went home. We brought both the kids mattresses in our room and we all watch the Madagascar Christmas movie. Once they fall asleep than Dad and I help Santa lay out the gifts.

Fun Time With Dad

2010-03-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

The kids love climbing on their dad. Once one starts, it usually turns into a whole family affair. Joe said NO when the kids told me told me to climb on next!!!
They all came tumbling down shortly after this picture was taken.

Ward Christmas Party

2010-03-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

The ward Christmas party was a lot of fun and the food was great. The kids got to write letters to missionaries and soldiers and sit on Santa's lap. Mark sang beautiful Christmas songs with the primary. It was a really nice night.

Family Christmas Card

2010-03-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

When my little sister Ashley was visiting we had her take some family pictures for our Christmas Card. We hadn't sent out a card since Mark was a baby and figured it was time to start a tradition. We wanted to do a card that told everyone just how much we love sunny Arizona. This fountain is at the entrance of my cousin's community. That and the surrounding landscape is so pretty. Thanks for your help Ashley Dawn!
Below is the one we used. Joe loved that Z and I were sitting in the same position.The standing up ones didn't work so well because of the shadows and the funky way I was standing!Above is my favorite one of me and the kiddos, but Joe was having issues with the sun

Hives

2010-03-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

When Mark was a toddler he would get hives the day before he got a fever, and they would stick around for several days after the fever was gone. It hadn't happened for awhile, probaby because he hasn't been sick in awhile, but November brought sickness and major hives. Poor kid. I had to send a note to school, after the fever was gone for 24 hrs, and still got phone calls from the nurse. Poor kids body really hates to be sick.

Halloween 09

2010-03-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Mark's class went on a field trip with his kindergarten class, to Schnepps Farm. It was a lot of fun!!

McKenzie got to dress up for preschool and chose a priate costume.

On the night of Halloween I discovered that she looked better with a bit of pirate makeup on.

The kids were so excited to go trick or treating. We didn't get too many kids come to our door, so after Joe took the kids around our neighborhood, I took them over to a different one that seemed to have more lights on. I was dissapointed at how few houses there were for the kids to trick or treat at.

Mark was BumbleBee the Transformer!

AMBER & NATHANIEL'S WEDDING 10/15/09

2010-03-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here are all the pictures I took at Amber's wedding reception. The ceremony was beautiful. She was married by President Packer, who married Ryan and Jocelyn, David and Sha, and Joe and myself. Pres. Packer's brother married Michelle and Jason and Debra and Jon. He is getting older and a little more long winded! The ceremony was a little long, but it is always so wonderful to be in the celestial room with most of my family. After a few pictures at the temple we headed back to Mom and Dad's. Unfortunately, while getting Grandma Freeman in the car we realized she had an accident. So I went shopping for an outfit for her while Debra cleaned her up.

We went to the luncheon at a church building in Alpine. I really like Nathaniel's family, especially his dad. They seem like really wonderful people and they really love Amber. After lunch, Joe and Jon went golfing while Debra and I ran to Walmart to get stain remover to get the grass and mud stains out of Amber's dress.

The reception was beautiful and the chocolate dipped strawberrys were to die for!!! Best wishes to Amber and Nathaniel!!!
Our beautiful KKK girls. Kristi (Debra's daughter), Kenzie and Kambri (David's daughter).

All the living siblings and our parents.

I dont know what I would do without such an amazing family.

This is a couple of Ashley's friends from work.

Jocelyn and her youngest daughter Ada.

Ryan being... Ryan!

Darren helping Ryan be Ryan!

My favorite Ashley Dawn in the whole world! and Levi.

Amber and her hubby, Nathaniel, dancing.

Like father like son.

This is Debra's youngest, Emma.

My most wonderful parents!

Saying goodbye to Aunt Amber.

Toy Story 1&2

2010-03-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D. It was a lot of fun, but a long time to stay in one seat. There was a bit of an intermission so we played at the arcade for awhile. The glasses were really big and looked so cute on the kids!

Hair Cut

2010-03-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

I hadn't gotten a hair cut in a long time and needed a change, so two days before Amber's wedding and called my sister-in-law's hair girl and had her chop it all off. I forgot to take and AFTER picture. It can be seen in the pictures of Amber's wedding.

A Day In Salt Lake City

2010-03-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Joe's dad started have really serious stomach pains and ended up in the hospital. They had planned a surgery for a couple weeks out, but had to do it immediately because of the pain. Joe spent the night at the hospital with his mom and didn't get home until 4 or 5am. The kids were awake by 6:30am, so I figured we should go out for the day so Joe and his mom could get some sleep.

We started with smiley face pancakes at Dennys. I was feeling really grateful that Joe's dad was doing well, and was in a really good mood, so the kids struck gold when they asked if they could bring their Build-a-Bear bears, that Nana had bought them the day before, into Dennys. It was a fun breakfast.

After breakfast, I thought it would be fun to take Trax into Salt Lake. The kids really enjoyed going on a train and Z flirted shamelessly with the man sitting across from us.

The wind was really cold, but the kids loved walking around the temple and tabernacle. One of my most favorite places on temple square is the Christus. The kids sat quitely as we listened to the audio and were very reverent when they when to stand by Christ. They both told me how much they love Jesus and can't wait until he comes again. It made my heart happy.

It looks like a postcard with two little angles at the bottom!

Hoggle Zoo

2010-03-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Because I took McKenzie to the Phoenix zoo, Joe decided to take Mark to the Hoggle Zoo in Salt Lake. It looks like it was a lot of fun. They didn't stay too long because it was kinda cold.

Vacation To Utah

2010-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

Amber, my little sister, got married on October 15th. We decided to make a two week vacation of our trip up to Utah. We split the drive up and stayed the night in Vegas. We were able to catch the first session of conference before dropping by Joe's sister's house, getting lunch at Pick Up Stix and then driving up to Utah.

Eating donuts after a day of swimming in Vegas.McKenzie holding her new cousin Anna Stewart.

Christmas Presents

2010-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

I started this cross-stitch planning on giving it as a gift, but I wasn't quite sure who I should give it to. I worked on it on and off for 6 months and we decided to give it to my parents for Christmas. We drew their name this year, and we really wanted to thank them for all the moral and financial help they had given us. I showed the finished cross-stitch to Joe's parents before hiding it at my parents house, it was only October and I didn't want to mail it, and I couldn't forget their reaction. Joe's dad was just amazed that I did it. I decided right then that I wanted to do another one for Joe's parents. I worked really hard for two months and sent it up to them! We ordered the frame from Walmart and they were able to pick it up. Both sets of parents really seemed to enjoy the gift. Now I need to make one to keep at home!!! I have never completed a cross-stitch near the magnitude of this one.