High School Musical On Tour

Thursday night, we had a fun mother-daughter night with some of our friends. Sonya and her daughters, Kynlee and Alli, and Claire, and her daughter Mia, and Sierra and I went out for some girl time. We went out to dinner at Charleston's first. It was yummy....I had my fav...Walt's Champange Salad and Sierra ordered chicken strips but switched meals with Kynlee and ate a steak instead (Sierra must be her daddy's girl). We ran into my parents and Sean and Mary there. What a fun coincidence. After dinner, we went to see High School Musical on Tour at Grady Gammage at ASU. It was a lot of fun. It's great to have such good friends. And, it's even better to have such a beautiful daughter. We had a wonderful time!
Kynlee is one of Sierra's best friends. They have known each other since they were born...because Sonya and I have been best friends since we met a month after getting married...16 years (we both moved into the same apartments as newleyweds). Yea, Sonya has put up with me for a very long time. And, Claire has to -- for almost as long....eleven years. Both Sierra and I are blessed with great friends.

Sierra and Zane in California

Sierra and Zane came home last Thursday from a fun-filled trip to California. Above, Zane is checking out the view from Grandpa and Grandma's balcony. The kids had a great time. They went to Legoland one day with Grandma Cake. There were lots of fun rides and amazing things made out of legos. The next day, they spent some time at the beach. Grandma even took them to see the movie Kung Fu Panda.

One of their favorite memories was (of course?) finding snails in the yard. The kids were upset to find out that Grandpa kills the snails, so they saved the snails by putting them in the neighbor's yard. OOPS.

Here they are, riding the boogey boards in the ocean. What fun! Thanks to Grandma Cake and Papa for spoiling them rotten. Papa and Grandma are always great about spending quality time with the kids. Our kids adore them.

We're glad to have Sierra and Zane home now. It was wierd to have half of our kids gone at once!...but strangely peaceful:). Maybe I shouldn't admit that?! Hopefully, there wasn't too much arguing over in California.

Gotta Love Irrigation

The kids LOVE irrigation. Lance and his friend, Brock, had some fun today skimboarding in our irrigation. No normal kid can resist the temptation of playing in stagnant, dirty water right?!

Well, I have to admit, it looked like fun.

Of course, there is a downside to irrigation. Wes can sneak outside and get into it before I even notice he's gone. Yea, somedays he can do it multiple times. Today, I got him all washed up after he played with the big boys and brought him inside to play his computer. I started watching TV and then realized he was gone. Whew...only playing catch with Cash in the backyard. So, I bring him in again and go back to my TV show (I know...what a good mom I am). Next thing I know, he's out in the back lot running around, giggling, chasing Cash in the irrigation. They were having a blast. It was cute. They were filthy. Time for baths AGAIN! (sorry, didn't get a pic of that one....just imagine....filthy boy....filthy dog)

I'm sure there will be a next time. I'll get a picture then.

While they were gone....

Those of us left home, went swimming. First, Lance found a baby red racer in our pool. What excitement! I think that was the first one this year. We love our snakes (at least the non-biting ones)!

And then, I was right. Yes, we have to make a point of it:). Wes has been horrible about swimming this year. "I can't swim" he would whine. He endured swim lessons for two weeks. He did improve some....went from all out crying to his whimpering whine by the end of two weeks. Well, as we were swimming yesterday, I decided to review our skills. Boy, was Wes upset. And, to top it all off, Lance and Todd were siding with him. So, I let him rest....which means he went and sat in the waterfall and played in his "baby pool" up at the top... all the while giving me this poor picked on kid look. After a few minutes, I went and grabbed him again. Todd and Lance couldn't believe how mean I was. Then, all of a sudden, it clicked. And Wes was off and swimming and loving it. SMILING and SWIMMING....and JUMPING off the diving board! Yea, I was right. Moms are always right:) It's not like I have taught three other kids to swim or anything!

Sierra and Zane are off...

....off to California to visit Grandma Cake and Papa (Kay and Bob), that is. They were so excited to go. Here they are ready to board their plane! I'm actually a couple days late blogging. They will be home tomorrow and we'll be sure to write all about their adventure in San Clemente, CA!

Happy 16th Anniversary!

Friday was our 16th anniversary! Since we were out as a family with our friends that night, we celebrated Saturday night instead. We went out to McGrath's Fish House and had king crab legs! Yum.

Here are 16 reasons why I love Todd (one for each of the 16 years).

16. The silliest/worldliest reason- he bought me my horse:) (I guess I should say the diamond, but that's just not me....although, don't get me wrong. I love my ring for what it stands for...he's mine and I'm his!)

15. Makes the best biscuits n gravy almost every Sunday morning for our family

14. He lets me beat him at games....sometimes...well, most of the time at "sets" :) but that's the only game I have a higher chance at winning.

13. He so fun to hang out with....just good company....always ready to go out and play.

12. He's a hard worker - does a great job supporting our family

11. He calls me from work to share good/bad news - makes me think he cares about my opinion

10. He still likes to hold my hands after 16 years of marriage and even more of dating.

9. He takes me out for date nights and trips together....just he and I

8. He looks HOT in a suit

7. He looks even HOTTER in his cycle riding gear

6. Which leads me to....I love him for his shoulders and arms....that I love to be wrapped up in

5. And, his eyes that tell me how much they love me when he looks at me

4. If I have a "honey-do" list, it's done that week. (thanks, Todd)

3. He's a good man with a good heart

2. He gave me four children that I love so dearly and that he fathers so well.

1. He still makes my hear flutter....just like he did for the first time when I saw him in the old church parking lot....wearing that yellow polo and plaid shorts with all the guys playing around with the go-cart...yea, he was cute! Hard to believe that was about 24 years ago!

I look forward to many more years with my man! I love you Todd!

Hilton Squaw Peak

We had a mini-vacation this weekend. Our friends invited us to join them for a night at a local hotel for some fun at the water park. We lazed around in the Lazy River, after first jogging through it for our daily workout? (thanks, Kelly)....well, truth be told, we were trying to get some tubes. The kids went down the slide, played in the waterfall and did a lot of swimming. Lance even played some volleyball in the pool. We ate in the restaurant. They put us in a room called the "Corral"....I think trying to corral in the 15 kids that were with us:). The best part - the virgin strawberry daquiris at the poolside. Yummy!

If you're wondering about Sierra's lip, think Chihuahua. She was standing up and said hi to the dog. He jumped up and bit her! Poor girl. Bad dog! We'll have to tell them about labs:) Best family dog out there....not that we're biased or anything.

Who's the Better Jumper?

You decide..... Cash or Pepper??

Sierra went out Friday morning to jump Pepper. Of course, Cash followed. Next thing she new, he was following along behind her and jumping! Quite a dog!

(Yes, we are trying to only write the positive. We won't focus on the 20+ sprinklers he chewed up while we were at Lake Powell or how he escaped this weekend or how incessantly he barks when he wants inside or how he likes to greet our friends that come over with a lick(gag). Ummm....maybe I shouldn't have written that last one. No one will be accepting our invitations to come over anymore:(. Sierra says that I am making it sound like we have a horrible dog. We don't. We love him. He's part of our family. One has to take the bad with the good....even with each other, right?!)

Summer Fun!

There's nothing like cooling off in the pool. Here, Lance is planning out his next attack with his homemade knife that he carved out. Hmmmm....always a boy!
Trying to see how quick I could be with the camera.... The kids would quickly jump up and out of the water and then go back under the water to avoid their picture being taken.

Yea, I'm quick:)

Zane, being a boy and a goofball at the same time. Kamikaze style! When Zane saw his picture, he had the cheesiest, proudest grin. He thinks he's cool! Well, so do we.
Wes is finally getting more comfortable in the water! He had two weeks of mom n tot swim lessons. The first week he cried and cried. The second week, he improved some....only whining off and on. But, he still let me know, "I can't swim." Then, all of a sudden, he's going under the water on his own and loving it! Blowing bubbles and not afraid to get wet! He still needs to work on the actual swimming, but at least he is getting some confidence in the water.

And, what might you ask is this a picture of??? Yea, it's CASH, the DIVING DOG! We couldn't believe it-- even after seeing it with our own eyes! His tennis ball had been chewed enough that it was cracked. And so it sank to the bottom of the pool. What does he do? He DIVES! Cash actually goes to the bottom of the deep end of the pool to retrieve his ball. What a dog!!!

Unfortunately, Cash "hacks" a little after diving so we weren't sure if we should let him do that. I mean, are dogs made to dive eight feet under the water? Are they able to close their nostrils like a hippo? So, we tell the kids not to throw the sinking ball in anymore. But, then Cash decides to go after the kids' sinking toys. He won't give up! Here he is following Zane around trying to get the sinking toys. He was RELENTLESS! It was pretty funny, to say the least.

Father's Day '08

We were blessed to have Todd's mom and stepdad, Kay and Bob, in town this past weekend. So, for the first time, we got to actually spend some time with them on Father's Day. Even though Bob came late into Todd's life (about age 14?), he is a very important part of all our lives. He is a great man....fun to just hang out with and shoot the breeze with. The kids love it when they get to see Grandma Cake and Papa Niles. It's not often enough since they live in San Clemente, CA. Lance especially enjoys hanging out with Bob. He usually gets to go "run errands" with Bob. I think that makes him feel like the big man on campus. He was a little disgruntled this trip when Sierra got to come along once. We had a great time visiting and swimming with them all weekend.

We were able to go see Catherine's Dad, Steven, for dinner later that evening. All of her siblings and their families were there except Danielle since they live in Utah. (Yes, they were sorely missed as always....we are counting down the days till they move here). That clan fills the house with noise, chaos, kids running amuck, debating, laughter, and love. Dad did a wonderful job raising seven children. I still remember him coming out to the curb to comfort me when my cat was run over. It was so nice to just have him come out and put his arms around me. It's kind of funny that the son-in-laws like to tease about how intimidating Dad was when they first met him, but he really is just one big teddy bear. He is so generous and caring towards his family. He would do ANYTHING for any of us ANYTIME. I know that without a doubt. I love my Dad!

For dessert, homemade grape ice cream, we headed over to Todd's Dad and stepmom's house. Wayne, Todd's dad, likes to give the grandkids rides in his "VW Thing". But, this time, he took Lance out for his first driving lesson in a Dunebuggy. Wayne was impressed at how well Lance did. I'd like to say it was from my side of the family, but I know deep down in my heart, that's from his Dad's side:). Those men are naturals at cycles, quads, buggies, or whatever they choose to drive and go crazy on. It's always fun and adventurous with them.

Hats off to our three dads/grandpas - Bob, Steven, and Wayne. We love them all! We are so grateful for our extended family and for the love and support that they give to us. We couldn't do it without them! We hope that they all had a Happy Father's Day!

And, I couldn't end this post without thanking my own hubby for the kind of father he is! His family has always been a priority to him. He loves to spend time with the kids - one on one and all together. He likes to go out as a family and to have fun together. The kids love and adore him. One can see it on their faces when Todd comes home from work!

You know you have a teenager when....

... he can sleep in till 11:40 in the morning! In his defense, he had a week long boy scout camp and then Lake Powell back to back. I am sure he was short on sleep, but I thought it was pretty funny that he slept soooo late. I had to keep checking on him to make sure he was still alive. In fact, he might have even slept longer. At my 11:40 check, I thought I saw him stirring so I started talking to him, but he ended up being still kind-of asleep. So, I might have been the one to have woken him up. When I told him how late it was, he seriously would not even believe me that it was 11:40am. "Nu- uh" (said in that teenage tone of voice:)...."No, it's not".... I had to SHOW him his clock!

Lake Powell with Sam and Lani's family

We had a great time at Lake Powell this week. We went up for three days on a houseboat with our friends - Sam, Lani, Hannah, Kelly, and Beau. We spent three days cliff jumping, wakeboarding or water skiing, sliding off the houseboat, seashell hunting, riding the jetski, fishing, playing games, watching movies, burning anthills, sitting around a campfire, and pigging out on ice cream at the Marina. What a fun memory!

One of the saddest parts was Zane's dissappointment in not catching a fish. Todd said he had never seen his boy sit still for soooo long. Zane really tried. Once, when Zane thought he'd caught a fish, he reeled his line in only to find his bait had been snatched! What a mean fish! Poor Zane was in tears when Sam showed up and quickly caught a fish. Life can be so unfair. Zane's highlight of the day was to "captain" the boat. He got to steer!!!

Wes was fearful of the water, as seems to be the thing this summer. (We really tried to get over it in swim lessons though. He has improved but is still very reluctant). Todd had to make him ride the jetski with him. But, the next day, Weston asked Todd to take him. Yea!

Sierra had a great trip playing with Hannah and Kelly. They liked to ride the hotdog inflatable in the lake and climb up and down the sandstone hill behind our beach. Lani introduced Sierra to cucumbers on the eyes for a nice, soothing treatment on tired eyes. Her favorite part was going off the slide on the back of the houseboat.

Lance brought along his friend, Aspen. They had a great time catching lizards, riding the jetski, and much, much more. Lance gave Wes a piggyback all around that sandstone hill. Lance always takes good care of his little buddy. The boys were also a terrific help to Todd and Sam whenever some muscles were needed:). What a couple of great young men.

Lovin' the Water

The kids are lovin' Cash and he is lovin' the water! He can't get enough water play....whether it's swimming, playing with (and breaking) the sprinklers, or chasing after water that is coming out of the hose. He even goes after the water in the waterfall. It's pretty cute. We have already taught him to jump off the diving board to fetch his ball. He loves to swim!!! Kota was too scared to ever get up on the diving board. Cash definitely still has a lot of puppy energy. He calms down nicely in the home. We are working on less barking and no licking. Sierra spends a lot of time "training" him and walking him up and down our road. He's laying on the floor right next to me now. Gotta love him!

Meet Cash

We adopted Astro...now Cash.... from the Desert Labrador Retriever Rescue. He is two years old. He was found as a stray and was about to be euthanized at the pound for fear because he huddled in the corner. We can't blame him there. We wouldn't like that place either. Luckily, the rescue foundation saved him so that he could become part of our family. Our family is already sooooo attached to him. He's a great dog. He is showing off his "binky" here, as we like to call it. He is rather attached to it. He's got a few things to learn, but he's a smart dog and as loving as one can get. But, of course, we expect that cause he's a lab! :) He's even brought a little bit more life into Kota (our twelve year old lab). Unfortunately, he's also brought a little bit of something different to our cat, Cali. I'm sure that they'll get used to each other soon though.

Mr. Roboto

We just had to share Zane's famous and favorite dance moves....for future blackmail?? :)

(excuse the younger brother who was trying to weasle into the action).

Watch out "Dancing with the Stars"!

Our Zaner's Front Tooth

FINALLY.....Zane lost a front top tooth. It's about time! He lost his bottom teeth a long time ago....although still later than everyone else in his kindergarten class:) He has been waiting for the top ones to come out, now that he has finished first grade. Well, finally, one came loose. He wiggled it for a few days. Then, it was hanging on by a thread. While playing with it yesterday, he accidently twisted the tooth. So, I hear him screaming, "Help, Somebody help me!" crying at the same time. He was in pain! I go up there to help, to save my son from the pain from the twisted tooth. So, what do I do? I yank it out. Not even one drop of blood, but you should have heard him scream bloody murder. He was so mad at me for like five minutes for pulling it out. ...crying on and on about it. I reminded him that he was the one that asked for help:).