Smith Family Blog

New Year's Eve

2012-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

We hosted our annual New Year's Eve party this year. We had so much fun. I am so thankful for fun and laid back friends! We had a Just Dance party, ate seriously yummy food, and played lots of cards. Oh, I just have to mention that Jake was scum most of the night and I was PRESIDENT!! That never happens, I'm usually scum. So thank you Jake!!

Jodi and Delayne totally worked it!

The Carrs took lots of pictures.

These two Elizas are just as cute as they can be.

Shelby was probably the Just Dance winner. She was so good! It was really fun to watch her.

Some of the boys were less enthusiastic about all of the dancing. They went into the back room and watched Kung Fu Panda.

Sonny and Jodi, so cute...

Thank goodness Doug wore camo!

Brett did not dance...

John played so much and fell asleep very late. He was one cranky dude the next day.

Here is my attempt at a photo of us playing cards. It makes me really happy to have a full table. Thanks to everyone that came a played.

Uncle Steve and Kayla

2012-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

My brother and his fiance came from Texas by way of Minnesota to come and visit us for the holidays. We had so much fun that I took hardly any pictures! They were very kind to the kids and they all played and had a great time. Uncle Steve even gave us girls the morning off and took all the boys to the movies by himself! The boys thought that was terrific!!
Spencer, Steve, Travis, Kayla, Janel, and I all got together and went to the movies. It was a super fun date night. I think the real high point was when Travis fell asleep during the movie and started snoring! We were laughing so hard that we cried. Good times.
We also took Mac to walk from Grandma's house to Bidwell Jr. He will get to do that walk alot this year once he starts seventh grade. John rode his little bike the whole way. I'm so glad Steve and Kayla could come for a visit.

Smith Family 2011

2011-12-29T21:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Maddie's First Solo Flight

2011-12-29T21:37:00.002-08:00

For Christmas this year, Maddie got to fly to visit her Grandma and Grandpa Smith in Utah. She flew from Reno all by herself to Salt Lake City. She was so super excited, and then she got really nervous.

She had her iPod to listen to and a book to read. She had all sorts of warm clothes and fun plans!

Here is her plane loading up.

Here it is pulling away.

This is her flying in the air. The plane is just a speck. FYI, it is much cheaper to fly out of Reno than Sacramento.

Christmas Day

2011-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

The kids were up early Christmas morning. We could hear them laughing and whispering excitedly. Spencer had to drag me up and out of bed. He was very excited too! I like to sleep in. We went in a woke up Wang Lu and out we went to open presents. I think it was about 6:30 a.m. The kids all enjoyed themselves. Then we left the mess, ate a quick breakfast, got ready and went to Church. We were only a few minutes late. It was really fun to go to Church on Christmas Day. The children were so excited and it was so nice to sing Christmas carols on Christmas Day all together as a ward.

After Church, we went home and the kids were surprised by their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.

Needless to say, Ryan was excited.

Maddie got this neat chair and is the envy of her siblings. Who knew it would be such a hit? Oh yea, Grandma...

Spencer is all ready for some serious fishing. He's already gone once, and will go again tomorrow!

Ryan was able to do this lego set all by himself. He is really growing up! Man alive that kid loves legos!
For dinner we went to eat at my Uncle Jim's home. Everything was yummy. It's too bad that I didn't take a single picture!! Then we drove to Greenville to visit with Aunt Delayne. It was a long, but very wonderful day.

Christmas Eve Dinner

2011-12-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve dinner we had the Guadagnins and my Grandma over. This is the only photo I took. I was busy cooking and the like. I snapped a shot of this one, however, because it was so cute. When Grandma comes to eat, after dinner, John grabs a book and hops up on her lap (whether she's ready or not!) while we clean up. It's really sweet to see them have such a nice time together.

Christmas Eve with Grampie

2011-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we went over to Grampie Bob's to celebrate together. I think all of my pictures of Wyatt are blurry, that kid moves fast!!

The kids enjoyed opening some gifts early. Uncle Dick sent some nice presents to the kids, too. Mac is opening a Boy Scout book here.

John needed help opening it. He figured out if Daddy did it, he got to the present faster!

Wyatt was very interested in John's fire truck.

The two were fast buddies on their fire trucks. It was so cute to watch them ride around putting out "fires."

Ryan got an airplane, which promptly broke. Grampie is going to try to get parts to fix it.

Mac got this neat remote control truck with a helicopter. Thankfully that one came with replacement parts.

Here Maddie is giving the rip stick a shot. Pretty good!

John's Getting Ready for the Day

2011-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

John decided he would get himself ready for school. He put on his backpack and did his hair. He put gel in it and everything. Then he shaved. He put on the shaving cream and was using a comb to "shave" his face. He was so proud of himself!!

The Galleria

2011-12-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas I took my grandma, mom, and cousin Emily down to the Galleria in Roseville. My grandma was a trooper. I thought it was hilarious when I found her here sitting down. What a chair! We had a nice day together.

Family

2011-12-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

John at 2 years, 9 months

Ryan at 6 years

Here are my favorite pictures that did not make it on our Christmas card this year. Our friend Jake took our family photos again and he did such a fantastic job! Thank you Jake! He's been recording our family for years and we appreciate it so much!!

Maddie at 9 years

Malcolm at 11 years

The Guys at Dealey Plaza

2011-12-19T06:54:00.001-08:00

My Dad and Uncle Dick went to Dallas this year for Thanksgiving to be with Stephen. Uncle Dick loves history, so they had to go to Dealey Plaza. This is where Kennedy was assassinated. I think they all had a nice time together.

Ryan's Shelves

2011-12-19T06:49:00.001-08:00

Ryan has been asking for shelves for a couple of months. He even saved up money so that he could buy them himself. He wanted a special place to put his lego creations where John could not then destroy them. Spencer took Ryan on a Saturday to go and get the shelves and then they installed them. Ryan is very happy!

Nutcracker in San Francisco

2011-12-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

I love to see the Nutcracker. I try to go every year. Now, I try to go every year with Maddie. We have had the tradition of going to San Francisco Nutcracker with Uncle Stephen, but he and Kayla moved. So, this year we went with our dear friends the Bairds. We had so much fun!! Maddie and her friend Shelby love ballerinas. Jodi and I do too, but we also love to watch our girls watch ballerinas!!

We woke the girls up with the news that they were skipping school and heading to San Francisco. Maddie was so excited! Poor Ryan cried, but he got over it pretty quickly when he remembered he was going to Cal Skate with his friend after school.
The girls watched movies and chatted all the way down to the city. It was a great drive. Once we arrived, we hoped to see the ballerinas all dressed up and up close, but the line was so long that the girls just wanted to hit the shop. Maddie and Shelby each got a nice souvenir.

Since we were one of the first ones there, both girls got to have a free teddy bear! The performance was spectacular! We were up very high, but had a nice perspective of the movements of the dancers. I loved watching the faces of the girls. They were so surprised and excited to see the magic of the show. There is just nothing like the Nutcracker in SF.

After the ballet, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. The girls loved it. Jodi is quite knowledgeable about the Factory and helped us to make good choices for dessert!

The weather was so perfect that we got to eat out on the balcony. This was our view:

The girls were giggling and playing the whole time, so Jodi an I were able to have a great time chatting and eating too.

Afterward, we shopped around in Macy's a bit. The girls especially loved the cosmetics section. It was quite possibly the best day of 2011 for me. I had a terrific time and I look forward to doing it again! Maddie is so fun, I feel really lucky that we both love to enjoy the Nutcracker.

Winter Programs

2011-12-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

I was able to go to two winter programs. The first was Aidan's at Blue Oak Charter School. It was spectacular!! The kids sang, played recorders, and played string instruments. Aidan was all dressed up and did very well. All of the children had everything memorized and the school had awesome support. It was super fun!

The next night we went to see Maddie's winter performance. She sang a couple of songs. Her class was pretty cute. The program overall was pretty shabby, but Maddie's class did well. The whole show was a bit better this year as they had risers. That is a big improvement from having the kids line up on the stage. I love going to these kids' programs. It makes me happy. Merry Christmas!

Free Time

2011-12-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

I've banned TV on the week days. Suddenly, the kids have some free time. Mac has taken to building this huge towers of wooden blocks.

Maddie has tried out making her own instruments.

John has gotten into more trouble. Here he is showing off his make up skills. He also made a gigantic mess with lotion. That wasn't cute at all, so I didn't take a photo.

Uncle Brett's Birthday

2011-12-08T09:54:00.001-08:00

We got to go and visit Greenville for Uncle Brett's birthday. Delayne and I planned it as a surprise for Brett! The kids had so much fun hanging out together. Eliza was "reading" to John. Saying that John loves Eliza is a major understatement! He followed her around all weekend.

We missed Ethan's birthday at the end of November, so we took him a present too. That kid loves to read. I can't believe that he is 11!!

On Saturday we went to the school Book Fair and the little Christmas party that they had in the cafeteria. Ryan LOVED the crafts. He tried them all out.

John stuck to the cookies. He had his own container of frosting, which was good as he ate from the knife and then stuck the knife back into the frosting. No one wanted to share with him after that.

Lily enjoyed the candy cane that she got from Santa. She did not enjoy Santa, however.

Eliza put tons of frosting and candy on her cookie. I wish I had gotten a photo of it after she had finished.

While I was away with the little ones at the school, the men cut and stacked wood. This was the idea for Brett's "party." They need so much wood stacked and chopped for the winter and they moved up rather late in the season. So, we hope that they are all set now!

Is Spencer a stud or what?!?

Zane helped Delayne to make the birthday pie!! (Brett prefers pie to cake. Delayne also made cake and cookies, being the overachiever that she is!!)

The blur in the photo above is Lily. She thought it was great to swing with Uncle Spencer. He would hold the back of her zip up pjs. It was a crack up!! I'm still sad that Delayne and Brett moved away, but it is super fun to visit them!!

Preparing for Christmas

2011-12-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

On Sunday we got to have a nice visit with Nana and Papa who came out from Utah for a visit. The kids wanted to decorate the Christmas tree with them, so we did.

Mac just wanted to play games. So, Grandpa beat him twice at Sequence.

Ryan and Maddie went nuts with the ornaments. Our tree is well decorated thanks to them!

John just takes ornaments off of the tree. It didn't take long for him to get cozy with Nana.

We also built our gingerbread house. I almost didn't want to do it. It is the first time in 10 years that we didn't do it with Uncle Steve. I wish he could have been with us. John and Spencer were playing a game where John was Uncle Steve and he wanted Spencer to be Kayla. Spencer wouldn't be Kayla though, so it kind of killed the game.

Here is our work in progress. Maddie and Ryan put the candy on this one. Macky was in charge of the gingerbread men and the trees.

Here is our finished product!!

This is our Christmas tree. It's all wonky and I love it!

Uncle Jeff and Weston came over to try and get the Christmas train working, but it's a no go. After many, many years of service, the train is no more.
We're ready for the holidays!

Ryan and Santa

2011-12-01T12:03:00.001-08:00

Ryan is SUPER excited about Christmas. He has been very serious about his Christmas list. He made a several page long list where he cut pictures out of a catalog and pasted them on to paper. He put his papers in a folder and wrote on the front, "To: Santa, From: Ryan." It was awesome. He worked hard for hours. He used alot of glue and tape. Then he had to go and show it to Santa. Now, he understand that the Santa in the mall is just a helper, so he insisted that the helper Santa kept the list to take to the North Pole. Santa took his time and really looked over the list. Then Ryan added that he also wanted a reindeer, but he didn't find a picture of one. Santa suggested that maybe he couldn't fit all of that in his sleigh and could he tell him his favorite things. But, Ryan insisted that since Santa is magic, he could handle the load. I whispered in Ryan's ear that he should say that he would be thankful for whatever Santa brought. Ryan pushed me away and looked at me like I was crazy. I was messing up his bargaining with Santa! I laughed so hard. That poor kid.

Here are Maddie and Ryan after their visit with Santa. John would not go anywhere near Santa. He ran straight to Grandma. Macky took off for Game Stop immediately upon hitting the mall...

Christmas Tree Hunt

2011-12-01T11:49:00.001-08:00

For our Christmas Tree this year, we decided to go and get a permit and cut it down. The kids had a BLAST. John had so much fun in the snow. He told his friend Jodi all about our trip to the "mountain forest" where "we wear coats and gloves."

Ryan did not bring gloves, but that did not slow him down. He was determined to hit everyone with at least one snowball.

The kids enjoyed making snow angels and sledding a bit too!

Spencer actually picked out the tree and hiked up to get it and chop it down. We all love it

Here are some photos thanks to Wang Lu!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T11:41:00.001-08:00

Man I am kicking myself for not taking more pictures!! This year we cooked dinner at our house. My parents came, my brother Jeff, my grandma, and my Aunt Patti. Emily came a bit later, but didn't eat dinner. Spencer was in charge of the turkey. It was DELICIOUS!! Oh, man it was good. He brined it and then barrel roasted it. I made sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and carrot cake. We bought pies from Costco, which got moldy. Stupid. My grandma brought rolls from Great Harvest, which weren't very good. But, she also brought a cherry pie from Marie Callander's that saved the day! My aunt brought yummy Trader Joe's gravy. My mom made the cranberry sauce and jello salad. We had quite the spread!

Here is the turkey. It had to be cut in half in order to cook it in the smoker.

We laid everything out on my counter. Looking at this picture makes me hungry! I really wish I had gotten a group shot. Maybe next time...

Run for Food

2011-12-01T11:24:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving we did the Run for Food. It was my first 5K. It was the last item on my Resolution list. Yeah! I didn't run the whole time. It was tricky. When we first started, I couldn't run because there were so many people. Then, I had to run faster than my normal pace to get around people. So, it was frustrating. But, I had a great time. It was a really nice way to spend the morning. Spencer stayed with me the whole time, even though he's much faster. It was raining, so we got drenched.

Here we are at the end. Jaycee did the race too! She is AWESOME!! I hope we do it again next year, only with our kids.

Monsters!

2011-12-01T11:17:00.001-08:00

Aidan had a performance at the Chico Theater Company. He was in Monsters. His dad, Jake, was a producer. He grew out his hair for his part as a werewolf. So, I've been waiting and waiting to see how he looked in the part. He was AWESOME! I laughed and had so much fun watching the show. Good work Aidan!!

Turkey Trot 2011

2011-12-01T11:07:00.001-08:00

This year I was able to go to the Turkey Trot at Maddie's school. The kids do it every year before Thanksgiving. They make these adorable hats and then go and run through the park nearby.

It was a beautiful day! We even saw turkeys in the park.

This is Maddie and her best friend Madeleine. They are super cute together!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mac & John

2011-12-01T11:06:00.001-08:00

This is a post just to show what a nice big brother Macky is. It's really important to him that John likes to play with him, so Macky works hard at it. Here he's a horse and John is a cowboy. John loves it.

John's Hair-do

2011-12-01T11:02:00.001-08:00

John decided to comb his own hair. That strip of white down his head is gel.

Grampie's Leaves

2011-12-01T09:49:00.001-08:00

We don't have very many leaves at our house. What we do have seems to end up in the pool! So, we like to go to Grampie's house to help rake his yard. He has plenty of leaves for us to work with! Mac really liked using the outdoor vacuum to suck up some of those leaves. The kids all wanted to use it. Mac also mowed Grampie's lawn for the first time. It was fun to watch him do it, it reminded me of Stephen.

John loved playing in the leaves. Grampie had a special small rake for him to use.

Maddie loves to throw the leaves which is a bit counterproductive, but fun.

Grampie is teaching Ryan to wet down the pile of leaves so that the pile won't blow away.

Macky & Rope & Camera

2011-12-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

One afternoon, when banned from screens, Mac decided to get out a rope and fool around. He and Maddie had a blast using the rope in the backyard. They also figured out how to use the camera to take pictures and make videos. It was really nice to see them having fun together for such a long period of time!

Book Family Farm Field Trip

2011-11-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

I was able to help Ryan's class go on a field trip to Book Family Farm. I have been visiting out there my whole life, so I was super excited to go with Ryan's class. They've changed quite a few things out there and the kids had a terrific field trip. Ryan's big buddy helped Ryan to have a great time. He was always there to encourage and support Ryan. What a neat idea!!

Ryan was a bit hesitant to pet the chicken. But, he finally did.

He loved to help collect the eggs!

John came along and had great fun. He was not interested in touching any animals. He did love climbing on the equipment, though. He was super tired by the time we were done!

Ryan loved feeding the sheep!

The pumpkins were a bit small, but the kids had a great time picking the perfect one to take home. It was a fabulous trip. We even got to see Aidan on this trip! Love that kid!

Shasta's Harvest Festival

2011-10-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took the kids to the Harvest Festival at Shasta. John dressed up like a train conductor. It took some effort to get him to dress up, so I'm really glad we went with simple!

Mac and Maddie are wearing their costumes too, but they are hidden!

Wang Lu came along and had lots of fun. She said that this type of event doesn't happen in China and that she really enjoyed the community event.

Mac's First Salmon!

2011-10-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Kelly Carr took Mac and Spencer fishing last weekend. I couldn't believe my eyes when I got this photo!! Holy smokes! His first time fishing and he snags this! He fought with it for over 20 minutes and then Spencer jumped on it and got it onto the land. Mac was so happy. He now LOVES fishing. I think I would love fishing too if I caught a fish like this even once! They have plans to go again this weekend. Hopefully they'll have just as much fun.

Ryan's Pumpkin

2011-10-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ryan entered the pumpkin decorating contest in his school again this year. He decided to do an alien pumpkin. He worked very hard and came up with quite the creation!

The pipe cleaners are arms. The fluff on top is its hair.

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but this pumpkin glows in the dark and is covered with sparkles.

He got one vote from a nice sixth grader. He was very disappointed not to win, but he had so much fun creating!

Field Trip to Gateway Museum

2011-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

One very cool thing about homeschooling is the field trips. We took one to the Gateway Museum. The exhibits were not that great, honestly. The kids had the most fun in the hands on lab. Katie and Macky looked all around, while John stayed in the same spot watching Emily. He adores Emily. Thankfully, Emily is starting to like John.

Catch Up on Ryan

2011-10-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ryan cut his own hair at school. I guess it's a a rite of passage...

When Maddie was able to ride her bike, she wanted to go to the taco truck to eat dinner. Well, Ryan wanted to do the same. He made it!!

General Conference

2011-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

We had a crazy weekend. I had a class on Saturday and John had the flu. But, we still managed to watch Conference. Okay, not all, but much. A tradition around here is for Spencer to make sticky buns. Oh my are they yummy!

We watched Conference on the computer in the office this time. Emma helped the kids set up a "nest' the night before. The room was filled with pillows and comfy blankets. And legos, lots of legos. We are pulling together some fun traditions for conference. If you're interested in watching any of the talks, go here: http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2011/10?lang=eng

Stapfs Visit

2011-10-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

I think this is my first post about Delayne coming to visit. Boo. Well, she did come - yeah! - and the little girls got to stay for a bit while she shopped. While Delayne was out, I witnessed a miracle. Eliza sat on the couch with a book. John got up next to her and asked her to read him a book. (Notice: no screaming or biting involved, he was just nice to her!!) Eliza said that she doesn't know how to read. John said that was okay and they started to look at the pictures. Next thing you know, Lily climbs up and wants in on the action. So, Eliza goes to the book shelf and picks out a stack of books. She piled them up next to John and told him he was in charge of handing her books when she asked. He took his job very seriously. They sat there for over an hour. Incredible!! Love those kids. :)

Laps for Learning at Parkview

2011-10-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Maddie's school had their big fundraiser! The kids run laps around the field to earn money. Maddie had so much fun with her friends. It was a great day for a run!

Ty did a fantastic job of jogging at a good pace.

Maddie would run and then walk and then run. She had lots of fun talking with everyone around the track.

The girl in purple is Maddie's buddy Madeline. She worked very hard to beat her record last year. I think she went around 34 times. Most kids went about 20. She was a rock star!

This is Maddie's friend Kiran. She worked hard and reached her goal. Yeah!

After we finished running, we went over to see Shelby. She showed us a spider. John was very interested. He just loves bugs and Shelby!!

The Backpack

2011-10-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

John loves his backpack. He now carries it with him everywhere. It has his "job" in it. Sometimes his job is building a new house for me and Daddy. Last week, I took him to the park. He had to wear his backpack, that is until I had to carry it for him. When we got to the park, he busted out his "glass." He used the magnifying glass to inspect everything. It was so funny and cute. He inspected the park cat, even. He tried to catch some birds, but they would not cooperate. Here he's looking at a leaf. We collected leaves on the way home.

Blue Oak Harvest Festival

2011-10-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Every year Blue Oak Charter School has a Harvest Festival to bring their community together and raise some money. We were lucky enough to go this year. Ryan LOVED bobbing for apples. We got to see Aidan and Eliza's classrooms. We also got to see Aidan's class put on a play. He was a dragon. It was a seriously awesome dragon. Someone put some time into making it. Ryan was so impressed! The kids all liked the treats from the bake sale. Where else could you buy homemade fruit popsicles? - not juice, fruit!

Grandpa Retires!

2011-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of September, Grandpa retired. The guys down at his office threw him quite a party! They invited us to go to the yard and eat lunch with everyone. It was awesome to meet all the people that Gary has been working with all these years.

The kids really liked getting into the big trucks that are parked at the yard.

This is Grandpa's office.

This is John standing next to a scoop. He isn't even as tall as a tire!

For lunch they had a nice buffet. There was chicken, rice, and a whole bunch of other goodies. I can't believe all the food!!

So far Gary hasn't been relaxing on a chair for his retirement, it's just not his style. But, we appreciate the thought!!

John enjoyed the chocolate cake!!

Uncle Jeff helped John work up the courage to sit inside one of the big trucks. It was a great day! After the party, I took the kids to Rick's, which is now called Jeff's, in Colusa. I used to love going there when I was a kid. We showed them where Grandpa went to high school. Colusa is a lovely town.

Wood for Stapfs

2011-09-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Spencer took the kids up to Greenville to help Brett collect some more wood. Mac and Ethan were big helpers. Mac even used a hatchet!!

Brett used a chain saw - check out that awesome helmet!

The boys worked hard and collected lots of wood. Hopefully the Stapfs will have a warm winter!

Mac Earns Tenderfoot

2011-09-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Mac earned his Tenderfoot Scout rank and his Boy Scout badge. He is receiving it from his leader, Brian Miller, above. He worked very hard to earn this rank and we are so proud of him. I missed this special night because I was in school, so I'm sad I didn't get to witness it myself. But, Spencer was there with Grandma and Grandpa.

John's Rainbow Fish

2011-09-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

John loves going to the gym. He did his first art project this week. He did not like getting his fingers dirty. He was very pleased with his finished project which now holds a place of honor on our fridge.

Ryan's New Smile

2011-09-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ryan lost another tooth! He lost the second top front one. He was VERY excited!!

Thirteen Years!

2011-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Spencer and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. We went up to the cabin again this year. I spent most of the time studying, but we did manage to head over the Westwood to see Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. We ate out a couple of times and Spencer cooked a nice steak dinner for me. We even went for a run. It was really nice to have some alone time.

John Loves Baseball

2011-09-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Little John loves to play baseball. He does not want to play catch. He wants to be the pitcher. He throws the ball reasonably well, so I am able to occasionally hit it. He always says, "Good job, Mommy!"

John Swims!

2011-08-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what happened, but John has moved from playing around on the steps of the pool to jumping in and swimming around. It's awesome! He'll yell 1-2-3 Cannonball!! Then jump in. He'll swim to the steps, get out and do it all over again. It is so fun to watch!

Happy First Birthday Saydee!

2011-08-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

I got to hold sweet baby Callie during the party. She was so darling.

Little Saydee is growing up! I can't believe that she's already turned one. Kacee planned a great party out at the park for her and all of her friends and family - and boy oh boy does she have a lot!!

Ice Cream Man

2011-08-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

We were just heading outside to swim when Ryan's little ears picked out the sound of the ice cream man. Oh man did he start running! He ran down the street to find the truck, then he ran up the street, then he ran back down and around the corner. Eventually he found the source of the music and led the man to our house. The kids had so much fun!!

Homeschooling

2011-08-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that I will post many entries here about my adventures homeschooling Mac in sixth grade. I just wanted to post this picture now to remind me about why homeschooling can be so great. Mac loves to ripstik. He has lots of fun doing it. What better way to spend some recess time?

End of Summer

2011-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, as we were finishing up summer we made a couple of videos. We tried to squeeze as much fun into this summer as we could. It's over too soon.

John swimming!

Maddie jumping in without holding her nose!

Ryan loves Rumikub.

Glam Shot

2011-08-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

We went to play with the Bairds the other day. John had Shelby and Maddie doing whatever he wanted. They would scratch his back, bring him snacks, and play with him. Then they took him upstairs and he came back down like this. He was so happy to be in their games! What a crack up!

Trip to Alligator Hole

2011-08-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

We made another trip to the Alligator Hole. We had the place to ourselves. I love that place.

Off to Dallas

2011-08-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

My brother Steve is off to Dallas. He and Kayla have moved! He had a horrific time moving, but he is there now and working on getting settled. They have a lovely view of the pool from their balcony. I can't wait to go and visit them!!

First Day of School

2011-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I started law school. It is tradition around here to have your photo taken in front of our home on the first day of school. Turns out I was the only dork with a backpack on the first day...

Here are the kids on their first day of school. Mac is staying home for school for sixth grade. Maddie is off to Mrs. Sloan's class. I had her as a kid and Mac has had her, so Maddie is really looking forward to it. Ryan is in Mrs. Stuenkle's class. He said his day was too long. He is going to struggle for a bit, but I think he'll really enjoy it by the end. Poor old John has to just stay home. We went to the park to help make up for no school. He really wants to be in first grade with Ryan.

I got to go and pick up Chandler from Junior High also! He was wearing all Giants of course. He had a great first day. His schedule still needs to be tweaked, but he was happy to be the big man on campus.

Party Time!

2011-08-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have a couple of parties this weekend. I love parties! Ryan, loves music. We got the Eliza Carr soundtrack going and Ryan couldn't keep still. He was rockin' all over the back patio! He even got John in on the action!!

Eliza Stapf sure likes purple salt water taffy!

Julie went above and beyond with these cake pops. They are super yummy and really easy to pass out to the kids. They didn't even make a mess! YUM!

This is a picture to show off Maddie and Bonnie's best friends necklaces. They wear them everyday to remember each other!

We rented a sno cone machine for the parties. It was so fun! A little ice sure went a long way.

This is a shot of some of the boys who came to swim on Saturday. Dallin is now 11. Yipee!!

Family Farewell

2011-08-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Stapfs moved away. But before they left, we had a little family party for them. I loved watching the kids eat drumsticks. It was a race to see who could get the most messy - I think Chandler won!

It used to be so cute when Ethan would stick his tongue up his nose. Now that he's getting older, I'm still impressed, but it's less cute... :)

Delayne and I went dumpster diving for boxes for all of her stuff. That's a first for me.

The Stapfs stayed with us once their house was packed. I love cousins!!

Lake Almanor

2011-08-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

We got to go again to visit Lake Almanor. I love that place! We saw this bird in the water, trying to swim like a fish with wings instead of fins. It was crazy. We watched this bird all afternoon. It got it's head stuck in the rocks. My cousin called animal control for help, but they never came. The bird eventually worked itself over to the stairs and snuck away. I never saw it fly.

My uncle got this huge blow up thing for the kids to play on. It was really cool!

You have to go really far out in the water to get some place where you can't touch. It is shallow forever!

Mac is now into the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Thanks Uncle Rich!

The kids played for hours together on the small strip of beach. It really doesn't take much to have fun.

This is my favorite shot from the trip. John was following my grandma all around. I remember my G. Grandma well. She loved me and I had a good time with her. But, I don't think she ever got down on the ground and played with me. John has had great fun with his G. Grandma and is always asking if we can go and play at her house. :)

This is something new at the cabin. The kids rigged the hose to shoot water out at them and they ran through the sprinklers. I couldn't believe they thought of that when they are so close to a lake. They had great fun doing it though!

CARD Party at Peterson Park

2011-07-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky! CARD throws a party in our neighborhood park each summer. This time we were ready! We arrived and headed straight for the bouncy house. After waiting in line for a LONG time, we had the chance to jump. John wasn't so sure at first, but he ended up really enjoying himself. Then we got some pizza and soda for dinner. I was just beginning to dread waiting in line some more, when they turned on the sprinklers. BEST IDEA EVER! The kids had a blast running through the sprinklers.

After they were completely soaked, they decided to try the slip and slide.

John chickened out at the last moment. Too scary.

The last thing we did was the crafts. Maddie and Ryan made pinwheels, John put stickers on a piece of paper. Then he played in the bubbles. I think that was his favorite.

We got some Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the end and then walked home. A very nice summer night.

Uncle Steve's Last Visit

2011-07-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Uncle Steve is moving to Dallas. We are so excited for him, but sad to see him leave California. He came and spent the day with the kids for one last fun time before the big move.

The kids had a great time. Steve flung them all over the pool, talked with them, and played with them. We are sure going to miss Uncle Steve.

A Little Bit of This and That

2011-07-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

The kids wanted to make some water balloons. After they flooded the bathroom, I sent them outside. I found them here, in their "secret" hide out. They had gotten into my canning supplies and were putting them to good use.

For family home evening last week, I promised brownies only to discover that I didn't have the stuff to make them. I only had pudding. I was worried how the kids would take pudding. It turns out they were ecstatic! Why don't I make pudding more often?? Ryan loved it especially.

My good friend Mary came for a visit with her kiddies. We were so busy I only managed one picture. These are her twin girls and John being pulled in our red wagon by Maddie. It was HOT!!

Cousins in a bath. Great summer moment.

Zane will sleep anywhere. He doesn't sleep for long - but when he does it cracks me up. We went to the church to clean and here he is asleep on the Relief Society room floor.

Ryan went to his first skating party last weekend. He had never gone skating before and was very brave. He fell on him bum really hard one time, but kept going. I was really proud of his effort. I wish I had worn sneakers instead of sandals. I'll have to remember that for next time.

Kayla helped out with my kids alot this last weekend. I bet she read 50 books. Scratch that, she read one book 50f times. Here she is in the back yard with John.

Out On a Walk

2011-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take my boys on a nice walk. We found a pathway behind Kohl's that leads around this pond. It was great fun until John fell and scraped his knee. It was a really beautiful spot that I've always wanted to explore, but couldn't quite figure out how to get to. Thanks to the awesome new purple lights on the path, I found my way. Okay, really, I hate the new purple lights...

Tie Dye

2011-07-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Carrs and Stapfs came over to make camp shirts. We tie-dyed them together. It was awesome. Spencer went above and beyond with his. My favorites are probably the ones that did the swirls, the polka dots didn't turn out nearly as well as the pictures. I should have used much more dye than I did...

Oldies But Goodies

2011-07-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

I found these rocking awesome pictures of my little brother, Stephen. Isn't he adorable?

This is me with my mom and Stephen in my Grandma's backyard.

This is me and Stephen.

Bike Riding

2011-07-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

Ryan learned to ride his bike while I was away at Women's Conference in Utah. He is now a super rider and we have lots of fun riding around the park. So glad!!

Backlog

2011-07-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

This year has really been something, to say the least. I was going through my email and realized that there were all sorts of photos that I haven't posted to my blog yet. I wasn't going to post any of the sad things that have happened, but decided that years from now, I'll want to remember - so here are some happy and sad photos. The above is my step-dad Gary, who had a stroke on April 4, 2011. He had a second one before his stint in the hospital was over. I spent my birthday in the hospital this year. He had to be flown from Chico to SF for special tests. One was some kind of test that measured his brain waves - hence the awesome headdress you see above.

These are the Ellingson ladies. From left to right, Kieu, Kayla, Me, Anna, Aimee, and Marsha. We were all together for my Nana's funeral in April.

This is a great shot of Ryan with his buddy Joshua - who got perfect attendance!!

Mac did a special Colonies project for school. He learned about the 13 original colonies and even got to dress up like a colonist!

This is Mrs. Henry. She is my favorite. This is Maddie with her 3rd grade teacher on the last day of school.

On the last day of school, Spencer went and ate lunch with Maddie and her friends. Maddie was so happy!!

Mac is working hard as a Boy Scout. He is hoping to earn his Tenderfoot this month! He had to go camping and make breakfast for everyone as part of his recognition. Yum!

This is the Ellingson side of my family. I got to meet my dad's cousin Marsha at this time. She is awesome! It was like having a piece of my Nana with me for a bit. She came all the way from Massachusetts. I'm so glad that she did. I hope to be able to go and visit her one day.

I had to miss Ryan's kindergarten play. He was a big bad wolf in the Three Piggy Opera. I heard that he did a fantastic job. He loved the songs and all of the practicing! These pictures are from Sheila - thanks a bunch!!

Fourth of July

2011-07-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

This fourth of July we hit 5 Mile for the day. Amy brought some awesome pudding pops! Yum!!

It was hot, but the water was COLD. We still spent most of the time in the water.

I think this was Wang Lu's first swim in a creek!!

Grandpa even came by for a visit with John.

After 5 Mile, we swam some more in our pool. Spencer tried to get a huge totem pole going. They almost had it!!

In the evening we went to the Costco parking lot again to watch the fireworks. We enjoyed the show and we got out of their lickety split. It was a great day!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2011-07-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

My grandma turned 79! We had a BBQ for her at our home. We had a very good turn out. Spencer barrel roasted the chicken for dinner and I made a special cake. I think she had a very nice evening.

Robby and Jen Halford

2011-07-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Married July 2, 2011. Congratulations.

Summer Day and Wang Lu Turns 25!

2011-07-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

We love to swim. Lily loves to hold stuff. She had her hands so full the other day that she had to start putting toys in her mouth. She did not want John to get any of this!

We set up the tent in the backyard that worked as a great club house for the kids.

Delayne is the funnest aunt I know.

Wang Lu had a birthday this week. We made her dinner and took her to the Farmer's Market downtown. She had a good time. We taught her the American tradition to blow out candles and make a wish! It was so nice to have a special day with her.

Just John

2011-07-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

John is just so funny. We took the kids to see Cars 2 in 3-D last week. John was so good, as long as he had that box of M&Ms.

Each week John gets a visit from Jodi, his speech therapist. He loves playing with her. He talks into his microphone while she shows him flash cards. He is really improving his vocabulary. He is still having trouble with certain sounds, but he is doing so much better. He works so very hard. It is really fun to watch him with her.

Fun

2011-07-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that we are eating ALOT of popsicles?

Lake Almanor for Steve's 30th Birthday!

2011-07-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

We drove up for a long weekend at the Lake. Grandma Vonnie came along and was a great help. First on our agenda was ice cream! We went into Chester to eat at the ice cream counter. We went early and were the only customers. It felt to early to have ice cream, but we made ourselves since it was just so good!

My grandma always gets a strawberry soda. She says that this place in Chester is the only place that makes it properly.

Mac got a 3D puzzle while we were at the ice cream shop and he spent the rest of the afternoon working on it. It turned out awesome!

We made it to the park in the afternoon. It wasn't super hot, so the kids didn't really want to swim.

The lake was the highest it's ever been. Crazy high!! There was no beach to play on. We were especially happy this year to have the grass out back of the cabin.

I love this log. I was hoping to go and sit on it, but at least I got this picture.

The kids really had fun playing baseball with Spencer.

Spencer was so happy to have a boat on his truck. I tried to capture his happy face, but he moment had passed by the time I took this picture. He was in absolutely heaven.

We got to go tubing on Saturday afternoon. Ryan was terrified, but everyone else had a great time. Even John!!

We made smores twice. I love those things. Plus, I only caught the BBQ on fire once.

Kayla brought a delicious cake for Steve's birthday. The kids said it had fudge on top!

Steve helped the kids lay crawdad traps. The had lots of fun rowing over there and laying the traps. It was harder to get it up. They did not catch any crawdads. :(

Uncle Stephen at his best!

Maddie's 9th Birthday

2011-07-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Little Zane came to swim and that kid fell asleep in the pool. I've never had that happen before. It was the sweetest thing.

We have gone through alot of popsicles. ALOT!

This is one tired kid. Wow!

Maddie had a nice small birthday this year. She got some fun new games and some gift cards to go and shop with. Super fun!

Maddie wanted a chocolate cake with pink frosting - not strawberry frosting, but white frosting dyed pink. Then she wanted marshmallows on top and her name written in yellow. With all of those directions, I decided she needed some trick candles.

She was so happy to have a party. She was a bit frustrated by the candles. He, he, he.

Smith Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I must start with the portable potty because it's just so dang funny. This thing was parked out front of Delayne's house for the reunion weekend. One bathroom just isn't enough for this crowd.

This is Zack. He's John's favorite. John bossed him around all weekend and LOVED it. He really misses Zack now that he's gone. Zack is just the nicest kid ever. He was so patient and loving with John.

Spencer made his famous crepes for breakfast one morning. We all loved to eat them. Then we headed out to the park.

We spent the day swimming, playing, and eating. I did lose Ryan for a bit on this day - that was stressful. Again, thanks to Zack for helping me find him!! Aunt Christie brought pixie sticks, John loved them.

Delayne threw a mini-baby shower for Sabra. We even had cupcakes. Poor Sabra looked so uncomfortable! She was a trooper.

Spencer and Zack taught Maddie and Ryan how to play chicken. Maddie was so nice, she'd work hard to knock Ryan off but then pull him up at the last second so that he wouldn't actually fall off.

Uncle Dan came to the rescue and fixed my ailing sound system. We can now listen to music in the backyard while we swim. Wahoo!! John loved watching him work.

This is Spencer with his brothers, sisters, and parents.

This is little Joseph. He's great-grandbaby number two for the Smiths. He is just adorable!

Spencer with his brothers.

Tyler has what I call a "Macky face" on in this photo. I knew it didn't come from my side!!

Delayne is so happy with her family. It was really nice to watch.

Delayne and company made chicken salad for lunch one afternoon. It took alot of fingers shredding several chickens to make enough. It was crazy.

Here's the group shot. Thanks to Julie for making this happen!

The last thing that we all did together was celebrate Bonnie's baptism. We ate dinner together in the Church before hand and then all went to the baptism. I was lucky enough to be able to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. I was really thankful to be able to do that. I just love, love, love Bonnie Rita.

By the last day, John and Elsie really bonded. It made me wish that she could have stayed just a couple of more days... We did get to keep Andrew and Miriam for a bit extra and enjoyed the time that we had with them.

Gateway Museum

2011-07-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Gateway Museum to see the new exhibit on being self-sustaining. It was pretty lame. I'm sorry to say. I really love supporting the Chico things, but this was a bit of a dud. They need to get back to the fun exhibits like the one on the bugs... We did have a good time together, though.

Alligator Hole

2011-07-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

A day at Alligator Hole is my favorite way to spend time. I LOVE that place. We made it up early this year and I hope to go again a few times before the summer is through. It was a bit cold and the water was high, so it may be better to visit in August.

John was adventurous this time. He loved looking at the tadpoles and just getting in and out and in and out of the water.

Eliza managed to catch a dragonfly and keep it for quite a while.

Dear Anna

2011-07-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Anna got to come back with us from Utah and visit for a bit before the family reunion. I learned that she really enjoys playing the piano. I turned her on to the Hourglass series and we played some cards, although not enough! She is so good with children, John just loves her. She was a great joy to have around.

Ryan's Art

2011-07-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Each month of Kindergarten Ryan made a nice work of art for the top of a calendar. I photographed them and am saving them here.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

2011-07-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my grandparent's wedding anniversary all together. My Grandpa has not been feeling well, but he was able to make it to dinner. He really wanted to make Grandma happy.

Here's the whole crew at one dinner table. Good times!

Utah Trip - The Road Home

2011-07-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

We got to bring back my niece Anna with us. She is so awesome. It really just made our trip home great. The kids had comfy spots and lots of treats and entertainment. I wish I could sit in the back seat!!

For the first time ever we stopped in the Salt Flats. It was so weird. The ground tasted salty - yep, we tasted it. The kids had fun wandering around on all of that salt. The ground crunched under our feet. I think we'll stop again and again now, it was really a treat.

Utah Trip - Tyler Smith Family

2011-07-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are at our last stop on our Utah trip. This is my niece Courtney with her little Ava in Uncle Tyler's swimming pool. The kids were all dying to go swimming, even though it wasn't too hot.

John never got in the whole way, but he did like splashing his feet in the pool.

Mac enjoyed the water slide!

Aunt Delayne is the most fun!

Mac and Ethan got their first taste of a rip stick and they both loved it!!

We ate some popsicles. Lily was so funny - she hates the grass on her bare skin, so she would sit with her legs raised to eat the treat. The abs on that girl!! Meanwhile, some of the kids got to go and see Katie's horse, Sam.

Bonnie worked like a maniac to lose a tooth. It was totally disgusting. She has three missing teeth now!!

Utah Trip - Grandma and Grandpa

2011-07-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa had a nice big dinner for us and all of the Utah Smiths when we visited with them. It was awesome. Ethan had a great time juggling. John really loved his grandparents' home. He finally settled down and was much happier. Maddie, however, was extremely sick. We found out that her spleen was enlarged and that she probably had mono at this point in the trip. She was able to get a blessing from her grandpa, which was very special for her. Ryan really wanted a blessing too. I asked him why, and he said, "For all of my aches and pains." I had to try really hard not to laugh out loud at that one. But, he was so good and reverent for the blessing.

Utah Trip - Whiteheads and Hills

2011-07-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Sandy. This is Jeff Hill with his little Bryant, and our little John. John was not a very happy camper and Jeff was AWESOME with the distraction techniques. I was able to help with dinner a bit...

This is Maddie and her buddy Ellie. At this point Maddie was entering in to the beginning of mono. We didn't know it then, but I sure feel badly for her. She was pretty miserable for this visit.

Our favorite thing to do with the Whiteheads is play cards. The kids had a great time with all sorts of games.

The Hill have a fun swing in their backyard. Maddie had a great time on it.

Here we are playing Wackee Six - a crowd favorite. One of the kids got the camera here and started taking photos.

This is cute Garrett. This kid played so hard, I found him asleep on the couch twice! He is Ryan's birthday buddy.

Brian loves electronics. We figured out how to connect with each other via Skype.

Here's a nice photo of Macky blowing a bubble. I think he's also wearing a Darth Vader mask as well. I didn't get too many photos this time as we were just too busy having fun. Matt Whitehead graduated from high school just after our visit with them. He's already started at the U. He is just so awesome it's fun to see him grow up!! Brandon and Brian had singing performances. We also got to visit with the Wises and catch up with that fun family. Alicia has really grown up and is starting to wear make up. Samantha was as fun as ever - wearing her trademark pony tail. Matthew has started to play soccer and is on Garrett's team. They are both very good. Steve is their coach. Man they are all very busy!!

Utah Trip - Wright Family

2011-06-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning we got up and drove up to Temple Square to meet Krysti-Ann, Delayne, and kids. We walked through the visitor's center first and had a look around. Ryan was pleased as punch to learn about Moroni.

The Church has all sorts of interactive displays that the children loved to look at.

Mac is a great big brother!

Mac enjoyed doing a state report on Utah for fifth grade. He told the story of why the seagull is the state bird. I wish I had had a picture of this monument for his report.

Above is a photo of all of the children with us, from oldest (left) to youngest.

In another building they have a beautiful display of Jerusalem during the time of Christ. John rested there. The rest of us had a good look!

Downstairs they had a life sized diarama to look at and copies of the Book of Mormon in every language available. John and Eliza read a bit...

The children love to look at this statue.

Here are the kiddos lined up at Aunt Krysti's kitchen bar.

On Thursday we got to go and see my niece Anna graduate from Pleasant Grove High School. I attempted to take a couple of photos of her.

Her graduating class was HUGE!

Here is Grandpa and Anna. Isn't she lovely?

FAJ, Anna, and FAD!

Here is the group of supporters at Anna's graduation. Where's John? Oh, he's in the one below.

It was time to go! Lily wasn't much better...

My kids LOVE to play in the Wright's backyard. The tramp was a big hit. Maddie was really worried about John falling off of the tramp, but other than that, it was all grins and giggles!

I love this photo of Maddie and Miriam. This is how they were together. Miriam helping Maddie to be crazy happy!!

Utah Trip - Rich Smith Family

2011-06-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on the Utah trip was to Uncle Rich and Aunt Teresa's home. The kids had so much fun. Unfortunately, John had an asthma attack the first morning. So, we had to medicate him and he was a stinker to put it lightly.

The Smith home is filled with puzzles and games. My kids had a great time doing both. Ryan loved this ball puzzle and was able to do it all by himself.

The kids also had a great time with the boxing gloves. Don't get any ideas Spencer.

One day I took the kids over to BYU. I took them into the library. They really thought it was fantastic! Ryan couldn't believe that there was natural light so far underground. He thought it was really fun to walk over the top of the library.

For dinner one night we made our own pizzas. It was really fun!

Andy worked hard and got John to be his buddy.

Ryan was very, very happy to have sugary cereal. He ate two gigantic bowls each morning. Yum!

Utah Trip - The Road There

2011-06-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Utah came a bit early this year. Delayne's family and ours drove together. We stopped at a hotel in Elko for the night. These pictures are from the indoor swimming pool.

Lily and Macky have become nice friends. Mac works so hard for it, so he is so happy that Lily likes him. John slept well.

Ryan had a great time in the water!!

Silver Dollar Fair

2011-06-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

My favorite summer activity is going to the Silver Dollar Fair!! I took the kids the first full day off of school. Grandma and Grandpa came along and Daddy met us later. We started with the pig races. Can't miss those! Ryan was picked twice as a special cheerleader for a pig. The second time, his pig WON!

He got a pig nose and did the special victory dance. He was hilarious!!

Below are the kids. I can't remember the last time we had sweaters as the fair, but we needed them this year!

After the races, we looked at the farm animals. Then the kids wanted to try the power jump. They all enjoyed bouncing on their own, but were unhappy with the workers helped them.

The kids really love the carnival game. Ryan won the water gun race twice. They also popped balloons with darts.

Mac loves to go on rides with me. We went on the Gravitron together first. We went on several other rides together and had a great time. Next year I need to remember not to bring such a big purse!!

John stayed close with Grandpa, of course!!

The last ride we all did together - bumper cars. We waited in a long line in the mud, but it was worth it. It was great that we all got to do it together.

The Last Day of School

2011-06-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

After Maddie was off to school, it was time to wash John's blanket. He loves his blanket. It is hard for him when it is in the washer. So, this time, he stood and watched. Then it was off to school for Ryan's end of the year party. Wang Lu and I went to face paint with Sheila. We had a blast!!

Ryan's party was more like a luau. There was pizza and sno cones to eat and lots of fun games and activities.

Above is a picture of Ryan's good buddy Gabriel. Below is Ryan with his teacher, Mr. K.

After school we met some friends at the movies to watch Kung Fu Panda 2. It was a fun way to celebrate after a long afternoon outside!

Ryan Graduate's From Kindergarten

2011-06-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

On the day before the last day of school, Ryan had kindergarten graduation. We all enjoyed the singing and fun presented to us. Ryan has really enjoyed this year and he was very serious about his graduation.

John did not enjoy sitting for very long - thank goodness for Grandpa!

The kids all sat on stage with their special hats. This took place in the cafeteria.

Below is Ryan receiving his "diploma" from the principal.

Below is Ryan in his classroom.

This is a picture of Ryan with his best friend Joshua. Joshua had perfect attendance this year!!

Old Blue

2011-06-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

I found this beauty in a parking lot. This is my Dad's old van. This was his second car and the one that he had while I was growing up. We drove in this van ALOT! I couldn't believe it was still running. I just love this van.

Maddie & Horses

2011-06-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Maddie loves to ride. She would ride everyday if I let her. She is now able to trot and canter. She accidentally galloped once, and would prefer not to do that again for a while - although she did very well during the incident and did not panic at all. :) Below is a picture of her riding double with Emily (Maddie's favorite thing to do) and next to them is Maddie's awesome teacher, Teresa. They are seriously awesome ladies who are helping Maddie to become a confident rider.

Maddie's Award

2011-06-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Maddie won a special award from her teacher at the end of the year assembly for her school. I got to go and see her awarded. My favorite part was when her teacher talked about how Maddie would set goals for things that are hard for her and then work to achieve them. She is a super friend and had great citizenship. Way to go Maddie!!

Piano Recital 2011

2011-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Mac and Maddie had a lovely piano recital yesterday. Both kids practiced much and it really showed. Maddie was really nervous, but performed well. Mac read the whole time like last year. I just patted him when it was his turn and he went up and performed. Then he sat back down and read again. No big deal... The kids had lots of support and saw a few of their friends perform as well.

This is Mac (11) and Maddie (8) with their piano teacher Roxanne. We sure love her!

Birthday Bash!

2011-05-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I arrived home in time for another birthday - Grandpa Gary's! We decided to throw one big bash for the birthday boys and mother's day. My Grandpa J.B. even felt well enough to come, so it was a great day!

Sightseeing in LA

2011-05-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

These are some crazy beautiful flowers on Olvera Street, the birth place of LA.

On Friday we had a day to site see. We pretty much just wanted to go and get french dip sandwiches from the original sandwich shop, so we had to kill some time in between breakfast and lunch. We hit the old train station in LA. It's huge and just beautiful. It houses the subway now, so it is still in use.

This is my family in the subway. I wish I was a better photographer, but at least it's proof that we were there!

Wayfarers Chapel

2011-05-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is the Wayfarers Chapel. It is a special place for my family. My Mom and Dad were married here. My Uncle Dick and Aunt Sandee were married here. My Grampie's funeral service took place here. My Nana's service just took place here. I love this chapel. It feels like your sitting, protected, outside. It is right on the ocean. The views and gardens are incredible. It is small and just perfect.

Happy Birthday Ryan

2011-05-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had to be out of town for Ryan's birthday this year. So, I had things ready for him to have fun while I was away. We got him a new Spiderman costume for his birthday this year. He's worn out two others. He really likes to play pretend and dress up as super heroes. He is very excited about this costume!!

Happy Birthday Spencer

2011-05-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Spencer's birthday fell between trips for me, so it was a rushed affair. I tried my best to make sure he had a special day despite the stress. He wanted a nice hunting coat for Christmas... Well, he got it for his birthday. Better late than never! He is all excited to take Macky hunting again.

Trip to Utah

2011-05-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to go to Women's Conference in Utah. I drove out with two wonderful ladies - the drive may have been the best part! I got to visit with my ol' friend Megan and play with her cutie little Evan (in the bath above). It was a nice restful visit. Then I had time to myself, which was AWESOME.

While in Utah I was able to go to my niece's graduation at UVU. She is going on to get her Master's. Way to go Courtney!! Below is her cute little Ava, who luckily loves the iPhone.

Friday evening at the end of Conference I went up to visit our friends in Sandy. It was snowing. !! I went to the pinewood derby where Parker was the kid to beat. Sam is above on the left and Parker is on the right.

This is Garrett. He's so wonderful. His birthday is just the day after Ryan's. They are actually only hours apart.

This is Matt (left), Brandon (right), and Ellie (the blur). I just love these Whitehead kids and was so happy to visit with them. They even gave me candy for breakfast!!

These are my nephews, Ben (left) and Zach (right). This is the first chance I've had to see Ben since he's been back from his mission. He is so great and so very, very tall. He took me to see his place - it is an awesome bachelor pad!

One more Whitehead - this is Brian. He's in a singing/dancing group in Utah. He was dressed for his performance. He's so great! I'm so thankful that I got to go and visit everyone. I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but I was too busy having fun!

Field Trip to Chico State

2011-05-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

We thought we were going on a field trip to the hands on science lab at Chico State, but it was actually another type of deal. It was science, but it was more a practice for teachers who were going to eventually be in the hands on lab. Mac had a good time learning some astronomy.