The Klingler Klan

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T23:48:00.001-07:00

For Halloween we went with the Alice in Wonderland theme. We loved dressing up in our costumes with all our makeup and going to the church Trunk or Treat. Since Halloween is on Sunday this year we had our Trunk or Treat tonight. We had so much fun and everyone LOVED our costumes. They thought they looked really authentic. Daelyn was Alice in Wonderland. She looked so beautiful in her costume. She made the perfect Alice.

Reese was the Red Queen. She looked so cool with her costume and makeup. I love the picture of her with her Daddy...her assistant Stayne.

Bailey was the Madd Hatter. He looked so good. I loved his makeup and costume. I really liked his crazy look.

Here are all three kids dressed in their costumes. They looked so cute!!!

I was dressed up as the White Queen and Jake was dressed as the Red Queen's assitant Stayne.

The whole family at the Trunk or Treat. Except Mom and Dad, they were in Vegas visiting family.

First Day of School!

2010-08-25T10:44:00.001-07:00

After such a great fun filled summer school is finally here. The kids were more excited than I was believe it or not. This summer has been really fun. I loved having the kids home. We didn't have a lot of money so we did a lot of things together at home or at the park. Overall it was the best summer we've had and the kids all got along really really well. So I'm a little sad to see it end but excited to see what this school year brings for each one of my kids.Bailey is the ruler of the school because he is in the fifth grade. Can hardly believe he is so big! He is really excited for school this year because after 5 years of being in the bilingual program he is now in English only. He is also excited because his teacher is Mrs.Thompson who is also our Primary President at church, so he knows her really well.

Daelyn is in the second grade and in the bilingual program. She is really excited because all of her friends are in her class. She has Mrs. Aguilar this year and she loves her. Her daugther is Daelyn's age and they are friends so she knows her teacher really well already which makes it more fun.

My little baby Reese is in the first grade and in the bilingual program. She did not want to get up for school this morning but after we got her dressed in her cute outfit then she was a little more excited to go. She has a hard time leaving my side so she really wanted to stay home with me. Once we got to school she did a lot better because so many of her friends were in her class. She has Mrs. Richardson which she already knows because Bailey and Daelyn had her for a teacher. She kissed me goodbye and walked to class all on her own so we will see how it goes.

I am so proud of my kids. They are so special to me and I am so grateful every day that they are ours and that I get to be their mom. They are great kids and I am excited to see what they accomplish this year and how much they grow.

Happy 6th Birthday Reese!!!

2010-08-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

For Reese's 6th birthday we spent it with all our family and friends at Oceanside Beach. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a really great time. We can't believe she is getting so big!!

Reese didn't want cake for her birthday. She wanted Donuts. So we went to Petersons Donut shop in Escondido and got her the biggest chocolate bar donut. She loved it!!!

We love you Reese and we hope you had a wonderful birthday!!

Camping at La Jolla Indian Reservation

2010-08-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went on our second annual camping trip to La Jolla Indian Reservation. Our group was smaller compared to last year but we still had a great time with our friends. The kids loved the river and we loved being able to relax and enjoy the great outdoors.

Charles, Hailey, Benjamin, and SofiaErin, Kaleo and Keawe

We all had a great time playing in the water. The kids especially loved getting their tubes and floating down the river. It wasn't very deep so they were able to do it all by themselves.

Reese was scared at first but after a few times going down with Daelyn she was ready to go by herself.

We had so much fun and are already looking forward to next year!!

A Work of Art

2010-08-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

The girls kept asking for me to paint their nails and I was to busy preparing a talk for church so Jake did it instead. It was so cute to watch him paint their nails. Reese was so excited to have glittery purple nails and Daelyn was so excited to have alternating pink and silver glitter nails. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take pictures. Daddy loves his girls!

Summer Beach Day

2010-07-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

We've had crazy weather this summer but despite the lack of sun we headed to the beach to play. It was our first trip of the summer. We went to Moonlight beach in Carlsbad which I hadn't been to since I was in High School. It was really nice and eventhough the water was cold the kids still had a great time and we all got a little too much sun.Karry came with us with her cute little kiddos Rylan and Kamryn

The Mormon Battalion

2010-07-26T16:43:00.001-07:00

After being closed for a year and a half for remodeling we went to the Mormon Battalion in Old Town in San Diego. It was super cool!!! Everything was interactive with talking picture frames just like on Harry Potter. The kids loved following the trail of the Battalion as we went room to room.

Bailey had the opportunity to dress up like one of the soldiers in the Mormon Battalion. He looked so cute.

At the end of the tour was a small museum with artifacts as well as a huge touch screen that the kids could play a Gold Rush game on. They loved it!

Then we were able to pan for gold. The kids really enjoyed that. They each found a lot of pieces but were able to keep two each.

We even got a family photo.

On our way back to the car Reese found a fire hydrant and was pretending that it was a jack hammer. What a goof ball!!

4th of July at the San Diego County Fair

2010-07-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Things have really been a little tight around here so this year we were not going to be able to go the fair like we usually do. So we were so excited when we found out that we could go for FREE. My Dad's business sponsered the Motor Sports event just like last year so Jonathan had to work at the fair all week and he was staying in our motorhome. He even raced his off road truck and a mini monster truck. Because of him we were able to get in for free with free parking. Since the 4th this year was on a Sunday it gave us the perfect excuse to not spend money on food or rides. We brought food and barbequed near the motorhome. We walked around some exhibits and then watched the amazing fireworks near the motorhome so we were crowd free. It turned out to be an incredible Independence Day with our family and friends and we were still able to go to the fair.

Because we had so many kids in our group we had to use the buddy system. This is the buddy system at work....which was great!

While Jonathan was doing donuts in the mini monster truck he tipped it. Super Cool!!! That's him in the blue shirt.Goofy kiddos!!!

Bethany and Cedric joined the FREE festivites this year. It was really nice to have them in our group and to hang out with them for the day. Wish Junior could of come but he had to work. :(

Happy Father's Day

2010-07-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

We headed home from Sacramento the Saturday before Father's Day so we would be back in time for Father's Day. We got in super late, went to church and then had a steak barbeque at my parents house. All the guys opened presents and then we came home and the kids gave Jake their special gifts they made from school. Bailey was really upset because his class didn't make a gift so instead he gave Jake his change collection. What a sweet boy! Jake is such a great Dad and I am so proud to say he is my husband. I hope he knows how much I love him!!!

Trip to Sacramento

2010-07-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

The day school got out we headed up north to Sacramento to visit Jake's Grandma and Grandpa. The kids were so excited to see their Great-Grandparents. While we were there we also got to visit with soooo many other family members, especially a lot of cousins!! We spent one day at the park and there were a total of 22 kids. We all stopped playing to pose for a picture and the park was empty except for one little girl. Too funny!

These are Jake's cousin Rod's kids..Hailey, Annika, and Ivan. They really had a great time playing with my kids. They played for hours in the backyard without fighting. Can you believe it?

I love this four generation picture of Bailey, Jake, Greg and Great Grandpa. Bailey had such a great time hanging out with Great Grandpa. He loved listening to his WWII stories and stories of him growing up. We stayed up until the early morning just talking. Bailey felt so lucky that before we left to head home that Great Grandpa gave him his stripes from his WWII uniform. What an honor!!I was sooo excited to finally meet Natalie and Vinnie's twins. They were just so sweet and adorable. I just couldn't get enough of Teo and Enzo. I miss my kids being so little!This is Aunt Jeanie and me. Vic and Aunt Jeanie drove out to the house to see us along with Uncle Brian and Aunt Ronda. It was fun to see everyone. Wish we could of stayed longer!

Family Fun at Lake Elsinore

2010-07-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and Lisa go to the river every summer and in preparation they take the boat out to make sure everything works properly. The whole family got together and went to the lake with them to play and have fun. We had tons of fun knee boarding, swimming, digging in the sand and just relaxing in the sun.

Jake was exhausted from the week and sleep deprived so he spent a few hours catching up in the shade. Jonathan and I won the paddle ball competition with 100. We rule!!!

Total Relaxation...Happy Mother's Day

2010-07-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day my mom took us girls out to get manicures, pedicures and lunch. It was soooo much fun to be pampered for the day.

My favorite part of Mother's Day is unwrapping all of the little handmade gifts that my adorable kids make for me at school. They are so sweet and they get so excited about their presents. I just love them to pieces.

Go Daelyn Go!

2010-07-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Daelyn has finally learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. She hasn't mastered it quite yet because she is a little hesitant but her Uncle Jonathan worked with her until she got it down. She would get so excited that she would fall so we were not allowed to watch for very long so I only got a few pictures.

Hoppy Easter!

2010-07-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

For Easter we went to church and then to my parents house for dinner and an egg hunt. The kids always look forward to it every year. We had family and friends over and they had a lot of fun. My mom always stuffs the eggs with candy and coins. The kids made a lot of money! Overall it was a really fun day and the kids looked super cute in their Easter outfits.

Vail Lake Camping

2010-07-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

We were soooo excited for our first camping trip of the year. We went to Vail Lake campground in Temecula for the first time. It was beautiful and we LOVED it!! Unfortunately it was very overcast and windy so we froze at night while trying to roast marshmellows for smores but we still had a ton of fun. We spent our second day on a 3 mile hike to Vail Lake where the kids had fun fishing. Bailey caught a pretty good size Bass and he was super excited. We are looking forward to camping here again in August with our big group of family and friends.

Sledding Time!

2010-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well living in California has its advantages....we get to visit the snow and the rest of the time enjoy the sunshine. After a random week of rain, Palomar Mountain was covered in snow. Its only about 40 minutes away from us. The sun came out on Saturday and so we dressed in our version of "winter" clothes which includes jeans, heavy jackets, tennis shoes and mittens and headed up the hill to play in the snow. We had so much fun sledding, and like always Jake made a snowman with the help of the girls. Bailey had a snowball fight with his cousins and after about an hour or so of freezing our butts off we headed home. We had a ton of fun and we are excited to hopefully go back in a couple of weeks. We are supposed to get some more rain, which is suprisingly enjoyable and much needed here. So no complaints!

Daelyn went down the hill once and then spent the rest of the day building a snowman or eating the snow....that's her favorite thing to do. Fine with me as long as it isn't yellow!

Bailey ate it quite often on the burm that was at the bottom of the hill. It was supposed to stop us but instead we jumped it....a lot!!

Here's Jake eating it on the same burm. Where's the sled???

Down the hill I go...catching speed. I actually jumped the burm and ended up in the street. Good thing no one caught that picture.

Here's Reese flying off the burm. When she landed she smiled and said, "That was totally awesome!"
Here's Josh, Aragon, Fulton, Kiefer and Nuria.

We brought Austin along for the fun... his parents couldn't come so he came and played with us.

Happy Birthday Bailey!

2010-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

We can hardly believe that Bailey is 10!!! For Bailey's birthday we took him and five of his friends bowling. He didn't want a big party just something fun with a group of friends. They had a great time bowling with the bumpers up the first game and the bumpers down the second game. It was a really fun time. The next day we had a family party at out house where we did brownies and presents. Happy Birthday Bailey! We love you!

Happy New Year 2010!!!

2010-01-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve this year we went to Jonathan and Lisa's house for a party. We had a lot of fun with carne asada, jumpies, roasting marshmallows, fireworks and games

Shelley and Trevor (lisa's brother) came as well as our friends Dee and Chris.

Josh and Nuria came with the family...This is Rylie at midnight ready to party!!!

Julie (lisa's sister) and her boyfriend Brett joined in the fun...

All the kids were able to stay awake until midnight, except Austin but he ended up waking up due to all of our poppers.

Merry Christmas

2010-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning is always so much fun especially for the kids. They all sleep upstairs in Daelyn's room and then wait at the bottom of the stairs for the go ahead to see what Santa brought.

Santa brought Daelyn a hair salon. She was so excited and couldn't wait to do Reese's hair.
Bailey was excited to find that Santa brought him Devastator...six transformers in one. How cool is that?!

Santa brough Reese a Polly Pocket Cruise ship but her excitement came later when she got Alvin and the Chipmonks from Build a Bear. It was a very nice Christmas and we feel so blessed.

Baking Fun

2010-01-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

For those who really know me you are in total shock that I actually baked!! I'm just as shocked. Bethany came over and we had soooo much fun making holiday goodies. The girls were a big help and even Jake helped.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Halloween is always so fun at our house; however, with all the chaos of our house flood, Jake and I didn't dress up this year. Which was a huge disappointment to everyone at our trunk or treat. So we had fun dressing just the kids up this year. They all looked so cute in their costumes. Reese was a cheerleader, Daelyn was a genie, and Bailey was Wolverine. It was a really nice night, not cold at all, so the kids were able to trunk or treat until their bags couldn't fit any more candy....so they gave it out to other kids going by. Gotta love that...way less candy to bring home. Here are some pictures of the kids. Enjoy.

Bates Nut Farm

2009-10-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Every year we head to Bates Nut Farm which is a local farm full of animals, crafts, a candy & nut store as well as pumpkins. Its a really fun place to go for your pumpkin pickin' and people come from all over San Diego. Since its so busy every weekend we always go during the week. So we went today. The pumpkin selection was wearing thin but we still managed to find a keeper! The kids had a great time riding in the wheelbarrow, picking out their pumpkin, and feeding the animals.

Tamara & Paul Wedding

2009-10-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I had the priviledge of photographing my mom's best friends wedding. I must admit it was a very difficult wedding to photograph. They had a backyard wedding complete with lots of dirt and haybales. They wanted all their pictures on their property because their house is going to be torn down by the city to widen the street they live on so this made it difficult to find beautiful backgrounds full of trees and such. Not to mention the groom, Paul, HATES to have his picture taken!!! So every great pose I thought of was completely out of the question. My mom was the matron of honor and my dad married them. Soooooo that being said, here are a few favorites from the day. This is one of the many flower arrangements. They were just simple vases with rocks in the bottom with beautiful flowers. Her colors were burnt orange and dark brown. Very fall.

This is the arbor that Paul built. They were married under it and this will be the only thing they will take with them as a memory of their home when they move.

All the guys, including my dad were dressed in Harley attire. Loved the boots!

Saying their vows...

Some fun pictures...

Happy 12th Anniversary

2009-09-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that 12 years ago today Jake and I were married. We were so young but knew that we were meant for each other and after only three months of dating we got engaged and married three months later. Words cannot express my love for him. He is my best friend and I feel so blessed that he is my eternal companion. I am grateful for his unconditional love for me and for his dedication to me and our family. He can always make me laugh and he brings joy into my life. I love him more today than I did on our wedding day, which I didn't even know was possible. I hope he knows how much I love him and I how much I look forward to many more years and many more anniversaries.

(Enjoy the trip down memory lane with me....)
Our wedding day at the San Diego Temple.

Our First Anniversary was spent tent camping at La Jolla Indian Reservation. We really enjoy camping so we loved it!
For our Second Anniversary we took a Trolly Tour around San Diego. I was 6 months pregnant with Bailey so our activities were limited but we loved learning more about where we lived as well as visiting so many different landmarks.

For our Third Anniversary we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was our first time at an amusement park together and we LOVED it! It was sooooo much fun.

Our Fourth Anniversary we went away for the weekend on Coronado Island at a hotel that Jake had worked at. It was shortly after 9/11 and our local radio station was making a human flag in honor of those that died. It was nearby our hotel so we got up at 3am and stood in line to be part of the flag. We were part of one of the red stripes. It was an awesome experience.

On our Fifth Anniversary I was pregnant with Daelyn. Jake and I each planned a special night to spend together without the other one knowing. We went on a harbor dinner cruise one night and out to a very fancy restaurant with the world's BEST dessert the next night. It was very romantic.
For our Sixth Anniversary we spent the weekend at the Disneyland Hotel. We had passed this year to Disneyland so we went to both Disneyland and California Adventures. We even enjoyed a meal at Goofy's Kitchen. What a Magical Time!

For our Seventh Annivesary we were not able to do much. I had just given birth to Reese, 2 months early and she was our main priority. So we went to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack down by the beach in Oceanside.

For our Eigth Annivesary we went to Catalina Island for the weekend. Neither of us had ever been there and it was absolutely beautiful. We even went snorkeling.

Well its weird but we can't remember what we did for our Ninth Annivesary. Whatever it was we didn't take pictures. So this is a picture of us around the time of our anniversary. I guess as you get older you forget.

For our Tenth Anniversary we went to dinner at Bennihannas and spent the weekend at a hotel in Carlsbad that Jake had worked on. It was quite the time. We had a gift card for dinner and the hotel was free. After being married for ten years and three kids we couldn't afford much else. :)

Our Eleventh Annivesary was similar to our tenth only instead of no money we were overly exhausted. So we spent our anniversary at a hotel in Carlsbad. We never left the hotel. We slept a lot and ordered room service. It was very relaxing! This is a picture of us around the time of our anniversary. I didn't take pictures at the hotel....I was too busy relaxing!

As for this year....we haven't celebrated yet. We are going to spend this Tuesday at Magic Mountain. We haven't been since our third anniversary so we are excited to go. Look back for more pictures. I love you honey!!!! Thanks for so many amazing years!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Reese!

2009-08-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe our baby is 5! I remember how she used to be so small and came into the world two months early. She was very strong willed and still is. Now she is just too big!We celebrated her fifth birthday at Build a Bear with all of her cousins and close friends. Afterwards we had cake and presents at the nearby park, Kit Carson. The kids all had a great time. Some got new friends made and other just got clothes for their friends. It was a really fun day.
Reese dressing her bear that she already had and then her Unicorn Sparkles that she got today.

All the kids with their furry friends (and some moms)

Reese loved all of her presents.

Another awesome cake creation by Jake

Bailey on the Big Screen!

2009-08-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

Well Jake and I went to the Midnight showing of "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" movie that Bailey was supposed to be in. Guess What??? He wasn't cut out of this one :) Not the best movie in the world but you can save yourself the cost of a movie ticket and click on the video and see his part in the film. He's the kid on the big wheel that trades his bike for the Hoppity Hip and still gets the girl. Just a heads up that the "F" word is in the clip so make sure no little kiddos are around. Enjoy!

Lets Get Campy!

2009-08-12T18:37:00.001-07:00

So this past weekend we went camping at La Jolla Indian Reservation. We had quite the group. Josh, Nuria and their kids Fulton, Kiefer and Aragon, Karry, Randy, and their kids Rylan and Kamryn, Travis, Erin and their kids Kaleo, and Kavai. It was too much fun. I took a ton of pictures but we have slow internet so you only get a few. The reservation is absolutely beautiful, full of oak trees and then there is a river that rushes by. You camp right on the river so you get to hear it all day and all night. Very relaxing. During the day everyone took turns innertubing down the river. The kids LOVED it. Especially Bailey. Jake and him innertubed the furthest but quit when Bailey ate crap and whacked his head on a rock. He has a knarly bump to prove it. We did all the things you do camping....got dirty, roasted marshmellows and ate smores, got dirty, talked with friends, told stories, got dirty, cooked on a propane stove, got dirty, played in the water, got dirty again, slept in a tent, and of course relaxed. It was a great two days and I'm glad to have such great family and friends. Reese and Daelyn LOVED the water. It was chilly at first but we camped at this cool area that had a little wading pool due to the position of the rocks in the water. It was perfect for the younger kids and then we didn't have to worry about them floating down the river.Reese really like tubing. Daelyn went once and that was enough for her. Reese just giggled the whole time.

Going somewhere???

Yummy Yummy Marshmellows.

Cindy & Ian's Wedding

2009-08-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

So the last weekend of July I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding. I've done a lot of family photos but this was only my second time photographing a wedding so I was extremely nervous. Back when I worked for Bethany in her flower shop, Cindy would come in and visit every day. She used to work there too. We became aquainted and when she picked her wedding date she thought of me to do the pictures. She has a beautiful family of six kids so some of the pictures are of her children. All of the flowers were done by Bethany and her team. They are gorgeous!!! It was aboslutely exhausting work and I know now why photographers get paid so much. The following pictures are some of my favorites. You can also view some of my pictures on Bethany's flower shop bog http://www.mysplendidplace.com/ Well, I think they turned out pretty well. Some of them look a little grainy because of how they uploaded. Sorry. See what you think......

It was a beautiful wedding and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to photograph it. I'm excited because I have another wedding in October.

Pool Time

2009-08-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

We spend a lot of the summer at my mom's pool. The only downside is that her pool is surrounded by ice plant which attracts a lot of bees. Bailey is deathly allergic to bees and the week before this trip he got stung and I had to use his epi-pen. He's fine but it makes swimming difficult sometimes. We usually go swimming by ourselves but this time Karry came with her kids Rylan and Kamryn. Luckily no one got stung on this day, however it was really close because I took a drink of my soda and spit out a bee. YUCK!

The Beach

2009-08-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of our trip to the beach. We only live about 45 minutes away depending on traffic and for a lot of people they think we are sooooo lucky, but unfortunately the only one in our family that LOVES the beach is Daelyn. So we make special trips just for her. Its very hard to keep her out of the water...

This is me with one of my best friends, Bethany. She owns the flower shop I used to work at.

Reese loves to dig and dig and dig in the sand....then sit in her hole. Here she is with her cousin Aragon.

This is Bethany's son Cedric with Bailey. Hard to believe they are only 11 months apart!

Waiting

2009-08-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well its been officially a month since our flood and our house still sits and sits and sits. That's right, nothing is happening. I finally cried for the first time because it seems like its never going to be done. I miss little things, like the smell of my own house and my own bed. Don't get me wrong I am very grateful to have a place to live but its just not the same. School will be starting in a few weeks and I'm feeeling so overwhelmed with not being in my own house. I don't have all their clothes and school supplies because we tried to move as little as possible. Now I feel like we will be taking too much over to our current place. Not to mention the place where we are living goes up for Auction on the 10th of this month. The owners haven't been able to make the house payment for months. So we might have to move again......Just feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. We are contemplating packing up the house as much as possible because the kids rooms are filled with stuff, so that we can still sleep in our house and use our motorhome for cooking and bathrooms. Seems to be the only option because we don't want to have to move our furniture. Well had to share in hopes of making myself feel better.

Slip N Slidding!

2009-07-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

We are now living at a friends house while we wait to get ours fixed. They have a two bedroom mobile home on their property. Its been soooo hot this past week and we are sooooo bored in our new home. Not much to do. So we find things to do. We went to Karry's house and went swimming in her kiddie pool and had super fun on the slip n slide. The funnest part of the day was getting treats from the ice cream truck. My kids didn't even know that existed. Living in the country you miss out on those kinds of things, like a pizza man, and as weird as it sounds they really didn't know what an Ice Cream Truck was. They really enjoyed though! GO Bailey GO! Try to stay on the Slip n slide!

Reese finally made it down the slip n slide on her tummy instead of her kneesEveryone who knows Daelyn also knows she screamed the whole way down the slideKamryn looked so cute in her zebra print bathing suit and matching sunglasses!Rylan just makes you want to laugh when you look at this picture.

Uh Oh............I hear the Ice Cream Man!

Fourth of July

2009-07-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

Since our house flooded and we were stuck in a hotel for three days we decided to stick with our original plans and go to the San Diego County Fair for the Fourth of July like we do every year. We didn't want to sit around and watch our house dry. Over the years we have picked up some other families to join us and only a couple have ever endured it and still want to go the following year. That includes my younger brother Jonathan and his family as well as my best friend Karry and her family. We always go to watch the Monster Truck show, which my dads business sponsered this year, so we got in for free and Bailey got to ride in the Monster Truck and throw shirts to the crowd. We enjoyed funnel cake, corn on the cob and deep fried smores. We played all day and then stayed late to watch the awesome fireworks show. We had a lot of fun and these are some pics of the highlights of the day...........(Randy, Karry, Kamryn, Alicia, Reese, Jake, Rylie, Lisa, Jonathan, Rylan, Daelyn, Bailey, & Austin)

As you can see we had a super fun time and we look forward to next year!

The Great Flood

2009-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

So on Wednesday we came home after being gone for an hour and a half at Chuck E Cheese with the kids to find our house in two inches of water. The braided tubing for our hot water in our upstairs bathroom shredded apart and well that was all it took. Words cannot explain the damage. The bathroom was the only room affected upstairs however the downstairs is a whole other story. It ruined the office, the kitchen, the dining room, half of the living room, down the hall, the downstairs bathroom, hall closet, and part of Baileys room. So our house is FILLED with dehumidifiers and fans and is cooking hot!! to help dry everything out. Our drywall has been cut in every room and our baseboards have been ripped up. Part of our ceiling has been torn down and the worst part is that Jake kept all of our Home Theater equipment on a rack in a closet under the stairs...alllllll of it is toast! My parents, our friends the Turners all came to help.

You can see the paint and drywall just peeling away. You can also see the reflection of the water on the floors. I also put in a pic of the shredded tube that started this whole mess.

This has been a very trying time for us. We couldn't stay at home so we went to a hole in the wall hotel for Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night. Very hard to find a hotel on Fourth of July weekend! Well lucky for us the Turner's have a two bedroom mobile home on their property and so they offered to let us stay there until our house is finished. What a blessing they are to us!!!! Dinner was brought it to us tonight by our Home Teacher whose wife is also my Visiting Teacher. Some other friends train dogs for a living so they offered to take Sadie until we found a place to go so we wouldn't have to pay extra at the hotel. We have truely been blessed through this experience with great friends and family.

GO METS!!!!

2009-06-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

This has been a really exciting baseball season! In our Baseball league the kids have to try out to see if they are good enough to be in the Minor A division. Bailey played in the Minor A division on the Mets. His team was incredible. We came in second place in Valley Center Little League but even more exciting was that they won the City Tournament. They all look so cute with their huge smiles and trophies. Congratulations Bailey! (He's in the bottom right)

Our Little Graduate! Class of 2009

2009-06-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my baby graduated this past week......from Pre-School. Reese is going to be a kindergartener! I can hardly believe how fast the time goes by. She looked so cute at her graduation. She was sooooo excited for all of her friends. At the ceremony they call each kid up at a time and give them there yearbook with a graduation certificate and an award. Reese received the award for "The Most Caring, Loving, and Sweet Personality." Her teachers just love her to pieces.

These are her teachers, Mrs. Diana and Mrs. Regan.
My mom came to watch the ceremony...
Bonita, Greg, Trudy and Jeremiah....
and all of us!

The really exciting part of the night was that at the end of the ceremony they have a few other awards including the "Citizenship Award" There is one awarded to a student from each class. Reese won the award because of all the good choices that she made, her compassion, her sweet personality, and her willingness to try everything and for never complaining. We are so proud of her and know that she will do awesome in kindergarten!! Congratulations Reese!!!

And The Award Goes To......

2009-06-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

This past week was a busy one with it being the last week of school. It was filled with lots of activities and Jake's parents, his sister Trudy and her baby Jeremiah came down to visit for a couple of days. On Tuesday we all headed down to the San Diego Civic Theater for the iVIE awards (innovation video in education). Each school in San Diego County was given the opportunity to make a video based on a theme. Our school choose the "Govenors Challenge", which is to stay active for 30 minutes to one hour, three times a week. Our Primary President is also a teacher at Bailey's school and she was put in charge of creating the video, so she selected Bailey and a little girl, name Avery, to help her and be her actors. The video turned out really cute. To make a loooonnng story short, more that 50 videos were submitted and they were in the top 6 and had the chance to win the iVIE award. So we all went to the ceremony, however, Bailey didn't win. The cool part was he got to be interviewed by Ruben Galvan from Channel 6 News!!!

It was a really fun night. Even our Principal Mrs. Hargrave came along with our Superintendent. Too bad he didn't win but it was a great experience.

Happy Easter

2009-04-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

Easter Morning was very early for us. We have church at 9am and we live far enough away that we have to leave at 8:30am. So we got up really early so the kids could see what the Easter Bunny brought. Don't they look so cute!!!

Bailey really liked his Transformers, Daelyn loved her clothes, and Reese loved her Build a Bear clothes. After church we went to my parents house for fun with our cousins and for an easter egg hunt. The kids looked so cute in their Easter clothes.

They had a lot of fun and they each got to find 18 eggs. They were filled with candy and coins. The kids love that!!!

How Egg-citing!

2009-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we sat down together and dyed our eggs. In the past we have dyed about 2 dozen eggs but this year we decided to make hiding the eggs easier on the Easter Bunny and only did one dozen. I did make one extra egg for Jake because he always likes to get in on the action. The kids had a lot of fun and we got some really cool looking eggs.
We had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves. They couldn't wait to see where the Easter Bunny was going to hide the eggs.

Girls Night Out!

2009-04-20T13:48:00.001-07:00

I am playing Blogger catch up....During Spring Break Daelyn and I had a girls night out and went to the movies. What did we see???? The Hannah Montana Movie. We went on opening night with some free tickets I had. We even earned a free small popcorn with our Regal Rewards points...how cool! Daelyn was so excited. She talked about it all week. She LOVED the movie and just smiled through the whole thing. Too cute! At the end of the movie she asked me if I wanted to know what her favorite part was. She replied "The whole thing!" Once we were home she had Jake download the soundtrack so she could listen to it on her ipod. Now you can find her dancing and singing in her own little world. It was super fun for the both of us and it was nice to spend some one on one time together. She is a really sweet girl that just needs a little extra attention sometimes. It was a great girls night out!

Super Cool

2009-03-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

So today Bailey and I went to Los Angeles for an audition. It was an audition rescheduled from last week. It was for a new tv pilot called "Ace in the Hole." We had to go on the Warner Brothers Studio lot for the audition. Well its typically not appropriate in "LA terms" to approach celebrities and ask for their autograph or picture. They are supposed to be just every day normal people and you are supposed to treat them that way. Whatever!!!!! Well we have seen a few different people and kept our cool but when your 9 years old and Disney Channel is your life its a little hard to keep your cool and unless you watch Disney you probably will have no clue who is in the following picture with Bailey.Bailey was excited to meet Cody Linley from Hannah Montana. He's been in a lot of other things but kids know him as Jake Ryan, love interest of Miley Stewart. He was really nice and didn't mind having his picture taken at all. There are some plus sides to driving so far and it made Bailey's day. (By the way Bailey is in his baseball uniform because it went with the role he was auditioning for)

Congratulations Bailey!

2009-03-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the quarterly award ceremony at the kids school. I was notified that Bailey was receiving an award and to be at the school by 1pm. No one tells you what kind of award your child will be receiving so its always exciting to go to the ceremony and see what they get. The last award ceremony Bailey received a Lilac Lizard Best award for Responsibility from the principal. This time we were excited to see that he earned TWO AWARDS!!

His first award was for Excellence in Reading Comprehension. This was really exciting because Bailey had been reading 5th grade level books and taking comprehension tests on them, and scoring really high. He's addicted to the Captain Underpants books. He won't stop reading even when its bed time. Never thought that would happen.

His other award was from the Principal Mrs. Hargrave. It was a Lilac Lizard Best award for being Safe. Earlier this month Bailey noticed that one of his very close friends had brought a pocket knife to school. He didn't want to say anything to his teachers because it was his friend but in the end he did the right thing and told his teacher in confidence. His friend was suspended from school for a day and doesn't know that Bailey was the one that told....so in the end he did the right thing and still has a good friend. His teachers and principal were so proud of him and so were we!! What a great kid. We are so proud of you Bailey!!!

Where is that Pot of Gold?

2009-03-17T22:58:00.001-07:00

Ok so this just happened literally seconds ago. Bailey has this tendency to sleep walk. Luckily we have been up every time he has done it so nothing serious has ever happened. It is quite entertaining and this time was no different. He came wandering out of his bedroom and walked all wide eyed into our office and then into the kitchen. Jake jumped up to see what he was doing because its 11:00pm and he should be in bed.

Jake: "What are you doing?"
Bailey: "Looking for the pot of gold"
Jake: "Well lets go look for the gold in your bed."
Bailey: "Ok"

Apparently he had an even better time at the party than I thought!!! I can't wait to see if he remembers it in the morning.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

(Kavai, Erin, Kaleo, and Travis)

For St. Patty's day we went to our friends Erin and Travis Browne's house for a very green celebration. They had a party last year so they decided to do it again this year. Everyone that comes brings something to share. We had a potato bar, salad, fruit salad and lets not forget the cornbeef and cabbage. It was really yummy. The kids loved it!!!

Our kids had a great time playing with everyone else's kids. They played baseball in the backyard, dug in the sandbox and even looked for the pot of gold that those crazy leprechauns left behind.

The kids ran all over the backyard, in the trees and even scaled some rocks and the whole time the bucket was sitting under a bench by the sliding glass door. The kids were so cute! The boys had to pose with their gold as a sign of victory. (Kiefer, Bailey, Kobe, Cade, Fulton, and Ethan)

This is our little family all dressed up in green, somewhere on our bodies, so we didn't get pinched!

Josh, Nuria, Kiefer, Aragon and Fulton came for the celebration too. The boys look so cute and they had a lot of fun.

These are our friends from church. Joshua, Nolan and Melanie Snapp. Melanie works with me in Young Women's and is pregnant with their second child....a little girl :) Jake is also their home teacher. They are a lot of fun and I carpool a lot with her to different things because they live about 5 minutes away which is VERY close in Valley Center terms.

These are some more friends of ours. The Chapman bunch...minus Kyle who was at Temple Baptisms tonight. Amy came with her wild bunch of boys, Ethan, Cade, Lucas and Kobe. Amy lives on our side of Valley Center too. She is my visiting teacher and Jake is also their home teacher.

These are some new friends we met tonight. They are close friends of the Browne's. Their little girl Rylie was just too cute and all dressed up for the party. She had her sunglasses, bracelets and dress up shoes on. Totally decked out!!
This is Josh and his son Gavin. His wife Dianna wasn't able to make it because she had a YW meeting. This is Travis's best friend that we met last year. They are super nice and we enjoy hanging out with them.

Overall it was a really fun evening of socializing, eating, laughing and just enjoying each others company. Thanks Erin & Travis...we look forward to next year!!

Team Dynamite

2009-02-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

So today was opening day for Valley Center Softball. This was the first year that the league offered T-Ball for the girls. In the past the girls had to play with the boys. Daelyn was really excited to sign up, and I on the other hand was very hesitant since she didn't like ballet and she didn't like soccer. She has been practicing with her team for about 3 weeks now and she suprised me by being a naturally good hitter. As for the catching, she is afraid of the ball which will come with time; however, once she learned how to throw she could make it from third base to first base with the occasional grunt to help it get there. :) Since today was Opening Day, things were a little hectic but once it was game time it was just too cute. The girls on her team are ages 4 1/2 to 6. They all did a great job and even got one out at home plate which meant we won by one whole point, not that they keep score.

This is Daelyn's team right before they were announced for the opening ceremonies. Don't they look so cute!
Daelyn loves to bat. Its a great way to get her aggresion out. She looked too cute in her helmet (the mask and chin strap are regulation for the girls, I guess they don't want to mess up their pretty faces) She loves the pink bat the most, of course!
She did such a great job hitting and running.

Look at her leap through the air on her way to second base.

She played multiple positions and was always ready for the play......
but after awhile it was just too hot and too boring so she had to entertain herself by chewing on her glove.
Overall it was a fun day and we are excited to see how much her team improves the more they play.

GO TEAM DYNAMITE!!!!!

Blue and Gold

2009-02-26T21:32:00.001-08:00

So tonight was our Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner. The challenge was for each Cub Scout to create with a parent a "Scout Themed" cake. It wasn't a competition and everyone would receive a certificate and recognition for their cake. So I'm sure from previous blogs you have seen some of Jake's cake decorating. Well this assignment only inspired him. Jake wanted to make a scout neckerchief and then I suggested a Cub Scout shirt. Well the boys worked on it together and this is what they got.

There were a lot of cool and very unique cakes...(if you click on the picture you can see them better)

but needless to say our cake was the talk of the night. Not to brag or anything. We were asked if it was made of cheese or playdough. Weird....who would put either of those on a cake? Anyway, everyone at the dinner kept telling Jake that he should do cakes on the side for money. I think he just likes having an artistic outlet since he doesn't have time to paint anymore. Well Bailey won the award for the "Most Authentic" cake.

I was very proud of my boys. Bailey did a great job by frosting the cake all over and Jake did a great job using Fondant for the first time.

Our next scout project is the Pine Wood Derby.....heaven help us! Let's just say Jake gets a little too carried away creating his car for the Unlimited category. Stay tuned for that one!!!!

Another One.....

2009-02-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I don't normally post things without pictures but I am feeling so overwhelmed. Its Pilot season in the world of acting and things have just been chaotic around here. We went to Los Angeles twice last week, once for a McDonalds commercial and the next day for a role on "Lost". This week I went to L.A. on Wednesday for a Sempra Energy commercial and an audition for a new tv pilot called the "Sons of Tuscon". Then today we went alllllllll the way back to audition for a new movie with Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman called "The Bastor". Once again we will be heading up there tomorrow for an audition for a new tv series called "The American Family." So after last February without any auditions because of the writers strike, I should feel blessed this year; however, I am soooo sick of driving to LA and since Natalie and Vinnie moved I have no where to stay....I'm blaming you both :) Just feeling like my butt has become a permanant part of my drivers seat and that the gas station attendant is starting to wonder why I need gas every day. Luckily Bailey is a good sport about all of it and does his best at each audition. He works at memorizing his lines on the drive and does a great job. Hoping and praying that something will come out of all of this......sooner than later. Just wanted to share my frustrations hoping that someone would care to hear them.

Music To Our Ears

2009-01-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

Bailey has been taking piano lessons, from my mom, for a little over a year with my nephew Fulton. My mom decided that they needed to have their first piano recital. She made us all dress up and even made a program outlining what each of them were going to play. Bailey played four songs: Santa's Sleigh, Persian Market, The Animal Band, and I Love to See the Temple. He did a great job and I was so proud of him. I used to get so nervous when I had to play in front of people....actually I still do, and that's why a lot of you reading this are just now finding out that I know how to play the piano!Our close family and friends came. My Grandma and Grandpa from Massachusetts, (they live here 6 months out of the year), our old neighbor Tamara Dixon and friends from our ward Rob and Annie Turner. Everyone had a really great time. Jake will have to put up video of Bailey playing...but I'm not holding my breath.

Happy 9th Birthday Bailey!

2009-01-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

Bailey really wanted an Indiana Jones party this year. We celebrated with family and friends at our house and to make the party really fun, I planned an adventure for all the kids. The best part was that Bailey didn't know anything about it so it was just as exciting for him. I made a stachel for each kid with their name on it with a cool tarantula. I encouraged all the kids to dress like Indiana Jones, and they all looked super cute in their khaki and brown attire. Some even came with hats and whips.

My mom dressed up too so she could be there adventure guide so that we could video tape and take pictures. The kids started in the backyard where they had to jump from stone to stone to spell out "BAILEY" They thought it was super cool.

After they succeeded they had to brave the the snake pit!!!

After the snake pit they had to hike through the wilderness until they reached the desert. They had to dig in the sand for precious gems, gold coins, and other burried treasures.

Each explorer had to find five or more treasures before the group could continue. There next clue was found near the mummy.

After almost being attacked by the mummy the kids had to find their way through the dark tunnels with their torches to find the Holy Grail.

After such a long journey they were in need of supplies. Each child had to reach into the bowl of monkey brains to find out when it was their turn to try and get the supplies. They all took their turn at trying to get them...but in the end their guide had to step in and help.

After receiving the supplies the kids were ready for the Arc of the Covenant which was filled with all of Bailey's presents. He had a lot of fun opening his gifts. Thank you to everyone!

After presents we all enjoyed cake. Yet another incredible creation by Jake.

We can hardly believe that Bailey is 9 already. Hope you had a very happy birthday. We love you!!!

Alphabet Tag

2009-01-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jen for thinking of me...(that is said with much sarcasm)

A--Attached or Single: Happily attached to Jake for 11 years
B--Best Friend: Karry and Bethany
C--Cake or Pie: Niether - unless its ice cream cake!
D--Day of Choice: Sunday - everyones home
E--Essential Item: bra
F--Favorite Color: blue
G--Greatest Accomplishment: finishing the laundry - its very rewarding
H--Hometown: Valley Center, CA
I--Indulgences: chocolate covered cherries - just at Christmas time
J--January or July: July - no birthday to worry about
K--Kids: 3
L--Life is incomplete without: My husband and kids
M--Marriage Date: September 20, 1997
N--Number of Siblings: 2 brothers, one older and one younger
O--Oranges or Apples: apples, they are easier to eat
P--Phobias or fears: claustrophobic, drowning
Q--Quotes: "Whatever!"
R--Reason to Smile: Date Nights, my family, scrapbooking with friends
S--Season: Fall - not too cold, not too hot, just right
T--Tag 5 Friends: Lisa, Natalie, Polly, Emily, Bethany, Christy
U--Unknown facts about me: Hello...they are unknown for a reason
V--Very favorite store: Target - they have everything
W--Worst habit: sleeping
X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultra sound - you don't have to be naked for that one
Y--Your favorite food: Itallian
Z--Zodiac: Libra

HAPPY FONDUE YEAR!

2009-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve we stayed local, about 5 mintues from our house. A new family in our ward that just moved here from Utah invited us over to play. They have three kids that are our kids ages, so it was a great match. They also had a cousin and his family over that live in Temecula. For dinner we grilled up different meats, like steak, chicken, hot dogs, ham and then there was a huge spread of finger foods...YUMMY! After dinner we had too much fun Fonduing in the chocolate fountain.

Bailey tried making a snow man with his toothpicks,

marshmallows and chocolate.

Daelyn spent her time dipping EVERYTHING into her bowl of chocolate and then proceeded to lick her bowl clean...too bad she couldn't lick her own face clean.

Reese was keeping herself pretty clean until she thought that maybe her fingers dipped in chocolate would taste just as good as those strawberries.

Xander was just about the mess...the more the merrier.

After fonduing the kids colored and watched movies and the grown ups played Apple to Apples. Well about 20 till midnight the girls just couldn't stay up any longer.

The rest of us rang in the New Year....a few minutes late...or game wasn't over yet. The boys decided to start off the celebration!

Even Bailey said,"Why is the Rum always gone?" He loves Pirates of the Caribbean.

Olivia, Bailey, and Jyllian rang in the New Year together with a big CHEERS! They are soooo cute!

This is Ellen & Archie Gardener and their cousins Damion and Tandy. We had a lot of fun laughing and goofing off. It was a really fun way to ring in the New Year, thanks to our new friends!!!

Christmas Morning Fun

2009-01-02T19:03:00.001-08:00

This is the kiddos on Christmas morning. Every year I make them sit at the bottom of the stairs before bolting out into the living room to see what Santa brought...its torture for them! My mom used to do this when I was little and torture all of us too....ahhh traditions!

Bailey was super excited to see that Santa brought him exactly what he asked for...the Ironman game for his Playstation 2. He coordinated well with his new Ironman Christmas jammies.

Daelyn wanted the new and improved Pixos design center. She loves everything crafty.

Reese loved her Build a Bear closet that Santa brought. She instantly ran upstairs and brought down all her outfits so she could organize her closet. She did a dang good job!

These pictures are of the kids during Christmas morning at our house and then later that day and Grandma and Papa's house. They all received such fun things and these were just a few of the favs.

The kids had a very good Christmas and we all feel so blessed to be so loved!

Snow Much Fun!!

2008-12-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

So after a full week of pouring rain we had a weekend full of sunshine so we decided to head up to Palomar Mountain to play in the snow. Its only about 35 minutes from our house. Karry, Randy and their little ones Rylan and Kamryn joined us along with Jonathan, Lisa and their little ones Austin and Rylie.Jake had a really fun time making a snowman with the girls. Daelyn made sure that we brought a carrot for a nose and then she used her gloves and snow hat to complete Frosty. Jake made him looking toward the street so everyone kept honking as they drove by.

The kids had so much fun sledding down the hill. We found the perfect area to go sledding but if you weren't careful you could sled right into the street. So Jake and Randy built a burm of snow at the bottom of the hill to keep everyone from going to far. Then they decided to build a jump in the middle of the hill. That made sledding that much more entertaining!!

Jonathan was the first to go down the hill on the super fast sled that Randy bought. He hit the jumps going sooooo fast that he just flew into the air and then hit the snow burm and went under a van parked on the edge of the street. It was sooooo funny. So then Jake had to try it....

It didn't seem to go quite like he planned. We couldn't stop laughing at this one. This picture is just priceless. You can feel the pain. Way to go honey!!

Well with two crash landings, third times the charm....
Well Randy proved otherwise. He went flying just like the other boys. They were having sooooo much fun that I had to give it a try...At least I managed to stay on the sled, despite the fact that I screamed the whole way down. It was super fun. We had a great time and we can't wait to go back!!

Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-12T23:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our ward Christmas Party. It was a great party like it is every year but this year was extra special for our family. My mom took on the job of creating the Nativity with all of the Primary kids. She figured since she was given the last minute task that she was allowed to pick and choose from her grandkids. Bailey was Joseph and Daelyn was Mary. Reese was an angel.

They all looked so cute, and Daelyn did a great job taking care of baby Jesus.

Once the story of Christ's birth was over, Reese sang a solo. She came up to the front of the stage and sang "Away in a Manger" all by herself while my mom played the piano. She did such a great job. We just couldn't believe that she was so brave and sang in front of the whole ward. She looked so cute and sounded so good. Way to go Reese!! (We will add a video clip soon!) Look how proud Bailey and Daelyn are of their little sister.

Here are some other photos from tonight of our family all dressed up and ready to "Jingle All the Way" Grandma Lou and Papa Jack were at the party too. They got here Sunday from Massachusetts and will be staying here until April, like they do every year. We are so happy your here!

Lizard Luncheon

2008-12-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

Today was a special day for Daelyn. She received an award for good citizenship for the month and got to have a special lunch with the principal, Mrs. Hargrave. They do the Lizard Luncheon once a month and last month Daelyn was really upset that she didn't get it. I explained to her that you had to be a good citizen every day and that she needed to do better and stop talking so much in class. In Kindergarten they discipline using a color card system. It goes green, blue, yellow, red. Well last month she received 4-5 yellows, which meant the teacher phones the parents, and she also received a red, which means having to go the principal. Well she didn't get sent to the principal because she only got in trouble for talking...I know its a huge shocker that a child of mine would get in trouble for that sort of thing. So she made it her goal to only get green and blue cards. Well last week she got a green every day!! We were so excited and so proud of her for setting a goal and accomplishing it. She told us in all sassiness, "It wasn't that hard, all I had to do was follow the rules." Go figure! So she was really proud of herself when she found out that because of her efforts she was going to reach her goal and was able to have pizza and big stick popsicles with the principal. Great Job Daelyn. We are so proud of you!!

Are You Like Santa??

2008-12-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

At this time of year we should all stop to think about the true meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a glorious season filled with love, gratitude, and its the season of giving. No matter how much we teach our children the importance of this holiday and what the "true" meaning of Christmas is, they still look forward to Christmas Eve and the long awaited visit from Santa Claus. For many years I have heard numerous people complain about the commercialization of Christmas and for many years it has bothered me. Christmas can be a joyous time in which we give thanks for the birth of our Savior as well as a time to indulge ourselves in the gift of giving and the merriment of Santa Claus. So with that in mind, the following is a quote from a talk given by one of our beloved General Authorities, President James E. Faust...

"Christmas is such a wonderful time. No doubt it is all Christendom's favorite season. Children and adults alike look forward to this time — a time when our best self shines through. What makes it so special? Certainly it is our love for family and friends. But at the heart of it all is remembering the birth of the Savior.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

No one but Jesus could have such a profound effect upon the world. His teachings were so novel and enlightened that they would change the hearts and minds of millions, transforming them by the power of love. The love of Christ, which we are to emulate, is the distinguishing characteristic of Christmas. Particularly at Christmastime, hearts are filled with love. The feeling is contagious. People reach out in kindness even to strangers.

No one can measure the effect of an unselfish act of kindness. By small, simple things great things do indeed come to pass. Of course gifts given and gifts received make Christmas special. For many children Christmas Eve is a very long night as they look forward with eager anticipation to the gifts Santa brings, which is why children love Santa Claus. Let me share what someone once said about Santa Claus: First of all, he's a joyous individual. People are attracted to joyous individuals as filings are attracted to a magnet. Next, Santa Claus is interested in making others happy. He increases the happy moments in the life of everyone he meets. He loves his work; he gets fun out of his job. He is childlike, simple, humble, sincere, and forgiving. Finally, he is a giver. His philosophy is to give himself away in service. He is a friend to everyone. He smiles.

Perhaps you and I could attain greater happiness if we emulated Santa Claus a little more, for his way is the way of the Infant Jesus also."

I hope that as we enter this Holiday Season that you DO remember the birth of Jesus Christ and that you take the opportunity to share it with others, but that you also allow yourself and your children to enjoy the spirit of Christmas and the fun of Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy 6th Birthday Daelyn

2008-12-06T19:20:00.001-08:00

Today was Daelyn's 6th birthday party. Jake did an awesome job on the Hello Kitty cake...did anyone expect anything less?? Daelyn LOVED her cake and was super excited for her birthday. We had awesome weather today and so we were able to have her party outside in our backyard. Where else can you have 76 degree weather in December? All of our family and close friends were there to share in the celebration. My best friend Karry came with baby Kamryn and Rylan and was so nice to let us borrow her jumpie. Charles and Hailey also came with Benjamin and Sofia. Everyone had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the pull string pinata, that I filled with our Halloween candy.

Daelyn was really excited to open her presents. She was most excited about her Build a Bear Hello Kitty that Aunt Nuria got her. It just came out yesterday. Talk about perfect timing. She was also thrilled to receive money...typical girl! It was fun to watch her because she didn't need help in any way. Jake was able to video tape it and I was able to take photos at the same time. I can hardly believe she is so big. You will notice in all her photos that she has a huge carpet burn on her forehead....self-inflicted from yesterday. She cried because she was worried she would look stupid for her party....so don't say anything!

Daelyn was really excited when it was time for CAKE!! She was so proud of her cake because her daddy made it, just how she wanted it. She had to take so many breaths to blow out her 6 candles, but she finally succeeded. She really wanted to eat the bow, soooo I gave her the whole thing. What a sugar junkie! All in all it was a really fun day and Daelyn enjoyed her party. Who doesn't love a day that revolves around them.

Sadies Haircut

2008-12-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well Sadie's hair was getting waaaay to long, so long that she couldn't see. She kept running into things and couldn't see the ball when we would throw it. It was really funny but we felt bad for her so we got her groomed. Sadie has so much hair that it gets matted really easy so they had to cut her hair super super short. We were very shocked when we saw her but at the same time she looked so dang cute with her Christmas bows. She has had so much hair that we didn't realize just how tiny she really was...look at those legs.

Filming "The Goods: The Don Ready Story"

2008-11-30T20:52:00.001-08:00

In October, Bailey went to an audition for a movie to play a younger version of the main character, played by Jeremy Piven. The people he auditioned in front of didn't think he looked enough like Jeremy Piven but they liked him so much that they gave him a different role in the movie. The basic story line is that Don Ready, played by Jeremy Piven, has the ability to sell anything and he helps a car dealership out of bankruptcy. Bailey plays a popular neighborhood kid that just got a totally tricked out big wheel. All the neighborhood kids are totally jealous and in comes Don Ready to make a deal. He convinces Bailey to trade his new big wheel for a large riding bouncy ball. In the scene Bailey has a girlfriend who kisses him on the head and he kisses her hand three times. He thought that was really cool. He said to me with a sigh "I love acting!" A few days later we went to LA for costume fitting, which was really cool because we ran into Dillon McDermott....who is very good looking in person! The next day we had a very early call time and headed up way into North Hollywood. Bailey filmed on a street that literally looked like time had stopped in 1970. The houses were so outdated and to our surprise the cars were not props. We spent a very long day in the heat filming. Bailey enjoyed every minute of it, especially being kissed. They filmed that scene quite a few times. Bailey told me "I wish this day would never end." What a goof!! These pictures are of Bailey's scene with the big wheel. There is also a picture of him with his "girlfriend" who is so much taller than he is, which is so funny. There is also a picture of Bailey with the director Neal Brennan. All in all it was a fun day, but to our discovery the movie is Rated R, due to nudity. So when it comes out in April 2009 we are going to go to the theater to watch the very beginning so we can see Bailey on the big screen, and then leave. We were bummed to find out the rating, but there's not much you can do about it. Nevertheless, enjoy the photos of our future little star!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween we went to our ward's trunk or treat. Our kids always choose what they want to be for Halloween right after the previous Halloween...and suprisingly enough they don't change their minds. Reese worked really hard all year to get a fat tummy so she could be the "fat chipmunk". She is so tiny that no matter how much she ate, she never got any fatter. So we had to stuff a leotard with cloth diapers to make her appear fat. To help complete her costume, Jake dressed up as Simon and I dressed up as Alvin. She looked so cute! Bailey was Indiana Jones. He loved his whip and gun. Daelyn was sooooo excited to dress up as Hannah Montana. She looked so beautiful and she thought so too. After getting all ready to go trick or treating she looked at herself in the mirror and while tossing her hair back said "Well hello Hannah." Boy are we going to have our hands full.

Pumpkin Pickin

2008-11-29T23:47:00.000-08:00

Every year we like to go to the famous Bates Nut Farm (otherwise known to locals as Nates But Farm) to get our pumpkin. People come from all over to get their pumpkins here, but we only have to travel into our hometown. We love going to the store to get specialty treats and the kids always get a kick out of feeding all the different animals.

Calico Ghost Town

2008-11-29T23:31:00.000-08:00

Since we didn't get to go camping here in the summer, we rescheduled for September. It was SUPER SUPER hot the entire time but still fun. The kids really liked the old buildings, the train ride around the ghost town, touring the mine and dressing up like cowboys and indians.

Happy 4th Birthday Reese

2008-11-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

For Reese's fourth birthday she had a Finding Nemo pool party at my mom's house. She had a special made t-shirt by a friend and a special cake made by her daddy.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

2008-11-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited for the first day of school, but no one was more excited than Mom. I was going to have 3 kids in school...woooohoooo!!! Bailey started 3rd grade, Daelyn started Kindergarten, and Reese started Pre-School. They each looked so cute and couldn't wait to leave.

Lake Peris

2008-11-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before school started we went to Lake Peris with Jonathan and Lisa for one last hoorah. We hadn't been water skiing in about 3 years, so it was so exciting to get out on the water again. We all had fun knee boarding and wake boarding. Bailey did so awesome! After a few tries he was able to do a 360 on the knee board. It was super cool. I also learned to drive the boat so Jonathan could wake board. It was a great day and we can't wait to go out on their boat again.

Sea World

2008-11-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Mike, Polly and Lauren came to visit us in August for a week. We were so excited to have vistors and they were so excited to visit. Lauren LOVES animals, so for one of the days we went to Sea World. It was a lot of fun. Lauren loved the flamingos and really enjoyed the Shamu show.

CHARGERS!!

2008-11-29T22:59:00.000-08:00

Mike is a HUGE Charger fan, so of course he had to go a game while he was here. He bought tickets for Jake and him to go the preseason game. Jake had never been to a professional football game before and was really excited to go. As you can see from the pictures, they had incredible seats!!

Family FUN

2008-11-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Since Mike & Polly were here visiting, Natalie & Vinnie came down to our house from LA. It was our last chance to see them before they moved to Northern California. After having them here for 3 years it was hard to see them go. We really miss them, especially Italo.

Family Home Evening

2008-11-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun going to Oceanside Pier for Family Night. The kids were really excited to play in the water and sand. Lauren LOVED it!! She just couldn't stop giggling. My mom and dad even rode their Harley's down and we had a barbecue.

Camping at Lake Cuyamaca

2008-11-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to go camping. We were not able to go the previous summer. We were suppposed to go to Calico Ghost Town but they happened to have a flood the week before and their entire campground was washed out. So we made a quick change of plans and were able to go the Lake Cuyamaca up in the Julian Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. The kids really enjoyed playing with rocks, sticks, and dirt. Guess what your getting this year from Santa?!

2008-11-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hiking was a lot of fun even though it was so far. The kids really enjoyed the trees and the serenity of it all. Reese was a little worried when we started hiking through grass that was taller than her, but none of them complained about the heat or how far it was.

2008-11-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

Once we made it to the lake after hiking 3.5 miles, we were ready for the canoe. Jake was really excited to row around and so were the kids. They each took turns trying to row but after a few seconds decided that they would rather feed the ducks and enjoy the ride.

2008-11-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

Our first stop on the way home was at the Julian Mining Company. They were closed and so they opened up just for us. The kids each received a bag of goodies and were able to use the sift boxes to find their hidden treasures. They found all kinds of things...including fools gold. We all had a lot of fun.

2008-11-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

We also stopped at the Beadworks store. They opened up just for us. The kids had so much fun picking out their own beads and creating their own necklaces. Bailey really like the glow in the dark beads. It was a lot of fun.