3C+K

Potty Training?

2011-07-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Jason went pee on the potty today - too bad it was after I thought he wouldn't do it so I left him to get a diaper ... he hasn't quite got the concept of AIM down just yet - still he's about a year ahead of my other kids if he decides to be potty trained now.

Adventures at Grandma's house

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

Jason had quite a few adventures at Grandma's house today...
It was a case of I-thought-mom-had-him-and-Mom-thought-I-had-him... until Collin found him asleep in the dog house (a favorite hangout of the orchard's rats - yuck!) I told Collin to take him straight to the bathtub (and told him you never move them until I get to take a picture!)
Then later, Collin was running on the treadmill. Jason was playing at the front of it, putting cars on that Collin had to jump over. Well, it happened so fast that I only caught a blur out the corner of my eye. I imagine it was like a cartoon, J reached too far over, got sucked onto the treadmill and shot out the other end - luckily Collin jumped over him as he flew by. He was scared and a little scraped up but not bad.
Then later still, I came outside and J was completely naked! Collin said he took off his diaper and said he needed to go, "Pee pee, potty." so I guess since they were outside Collin brought him over to a bush and was very impressed that J went pee all by himself...
Quite a day! I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

2011-05-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

Today, while Kelsey & Collin were at gymnastics, I had my first experience with Jason, throwing a fit in public, and someone asking what was wrong. I was able to give my favorite answer, "he's almost 2."

PS: You know you have it bad as a mom when you still think your kid is the cutest thing ever, even while they're having a tantrum.

2011-05-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Jason can open his door now from his crib ... Now he can stare at me while I'm trying to ignore him while I work on the computer.

Tonight I was afraid if I walked past he would start crying... He just looked up, gave me a little wave and said, "hi"

Time for Jason's Annual Haircut

2011-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

J had no problem with the clippers...

or the shop vac (you can't tell form the picture, but he's cracking up)

but he cried when we used the scissors... good thing we loaded up the iPod with his favorite movies (we're so smart!)

18 Mar 11

What happens when I shower...

2011-05-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

You'll notice these pictures are taken over time - really, this is only a 2 week sample of what happens when I disappear for a few minutes...

J loves climbing in my dishwasher (after he's pulled everything out of my drawers and pantry...

There is no way to keep markers away with Kesley around and the first thing J does when he gets one in his hand is color his other hand (or his legs).

They are also big into 'self-serve' (and pulling off his clothes)

... then there's Kelsey...

That girl can get into so much trouble so quick! She is truly astounding!

Dad, Come Watch Me!

2011-05-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Kelsey came inside and told us to come watch her ride her friend's bike (without training wheels)

I figured she could push herself along with her feet close to the ground

- but no - she just took off

So, once again Chad is denied the thrill of helping his kid learn to ride a bike - he will have to start with Jason next month - just in case.

5 Apr 11

Tramp Queen

2011-04-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Kelsey told me she wanted me to see her new trick on the trampoline - I was expecting a spin or something...

Not a complete flip!

OK, Not a complete flip - but 80% of one

and the ever favorite - jumping out of the tree

and a few cheerleader moves... quite the talented, fearless, little girl.

Yet Another Water Baby

2011-04-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't be surprised how much Jason loves the pool

He even jumps in - no fear!

Ahh - my crazy, water-lovin' kids

Collin wants to make sure he gets all the noogies in early

The next Micheal Phelps (with out the drug problem :)

Kelsey's 5!

2011-04-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is 5 years old now

Since it's her birthday I gave her a whole day worth of get-out-of-jail-free-cards. Looking at her you would think she was the perfect Daddy's-little-girl but mom knows differently...
1st thing this morning she was sitting around the corner while I was making breakfast. I was worried she was sad for some reason - until I looked closer and saw that she had gotten one of the bags of popcorn I save for Collin's lunch and sneaking it - "It's a good thing it's your birthday!"

Then later I found her outside obviously holding something. I thought she had rolly-polleys or something but when she opened her hand I saw it was filled with my mini-chocolate chips. "But Mom, it's my birthday, I'm supposed to eat chocolate all day!" (Not sure who taught her that one - she must have decided it on her own.)

We had dinner at her favorite place - the Volcano Restaurant (Japanese Steak House) She loved her salad and ate it all but only one or two of her shrimp - crazy girl.

Happy Birthday - too bad brother took a couple of swipes at your cake...

but it still tasted just fine!
(Collin is glad her birthday is over so she won't get special treatment tomorrow... he still hasn't quite got the hang of having a little princess in the house - maybe someday he'll learn that every day is special...)

Escape

2011-04-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Jason got out of his crib for the first time this morning - I found him going through his book shelf, of course. It's not so amazing that he climbed out - it's amazing that he hasn't tried before now.

Easter at the Beach House

2011-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank Matt and Beth for including us in their Easter Dinner at the Beach House

When we first got there the kids were able to play in the little tide pools (if you saw all my pictures you would see them all in about 4 different outfits...)

Kelsey in the Laura Ashley her dad bought her for her birthday

Jason fell asleep on the way so I only have a picture of my 2 - but they're still cute

I was trying to get Jason to smile - he finally - as soon as he saw his Daddy come outside.
Jason and Chad.
We had a great day. I always have fun when I have something (someone) to take pictures of and Chad was great to not complain when he was stuck with toddler wrestling.

ChuckE Cheeses

2011-04-24T01:03:00.000-07:00

Since this is the last day that my little Kelsey will be 4 years old I finally broke down and went to ChuckE Cheeses (my kids have gone with indulgent Aunties but I've always gotten out of it - whew!)

It really wasn't as bad as I remember from when I was a kid - and my kids all had a blast!

They all got along great and had fun

I was feeling really indulgent and let Kelsey have an ice cream (too bad I realized I only had change for one - good thing it was big)

At Least It's Not a Rattler

2011-04-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

The Pros and Cons of where we live is the wildlife - and the friendly neighbors that catch them and give them to my kids... (not sure which is which)
It's a good thing I'm not squeamish

Ah, a girl after my own heart.
I think the neighbor expected me to freak out - until I started telling Collin stories about my friend's snake that used to try to pull out my hairbands and lick my ear... I sure miss Bill.

My Cute Kids

2011-04-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted for a while so I was looking at the drafts that I still hadn't posted yet and found these. It says I uploaded them on New Years Eve but I think I took them on Thanksgiving...
Oh well, they haven't changed all that much and they're too cute not to share.

Ahhh, the classic Stevenson Tree Shot - I remember you well

Baby Andrew Patrick Kinnon

2011-04-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I got to finally meet my newest little nephew.

He pretty much just slept while we were there - like a good little 4 day old baby should.
He was on Tuesday, 9lbs 3oz.
Someone was saying how big he is but since I'm used to carting around Jason I thought Andrew felt feather-light.

Collin is so excited to have another boy in the family! He loves babies and kept fighting me for the chance to hold him.

I call Kelsey, "Mamacita" since she's such a little mother!
I didn't let Jason around him too much yet. But J would just come up and point at him, "Baby!" and smile. J's just glad not to be the littlest one around anymore.

P.S. the photo editing is thanks to photoshop elements and TheCoffeeShopBlog.

Viewing Pleasures

2011-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Isn't it great that Collin and Kelsey make sure Jason is nice and comfy while watching TV...

2011-03-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I'm finally posting again??? I am trying to catch up a bit too so scroll back and you may find pictures you've never seen before - you might even be in them, so it's worth a look. I'll try to forsake facebook (and Webkinz) more often and focus on the blog for a bit since this is easier to print out and use as a journal than fb is.

Enjoy

Blue and Gold Banquet

2011-02-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Here's Collin accepting more belt loops, pins, emergency preparedness pin... He now has so many beltloops they don't all fit on his belt. G'pa was so impressed he gave Collin $$. Collin was so excited, "Grandpa gave me $$ for 6 belt loops!" I had to tell him, "No, G'pa gave you money because you are doing such an awesome job in scouting..."

Big Boy

2011-02-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

I don't normally take a lot of pictures for Chad's birthday but Jason looked so cute - he was so excited to sit at the table like a big kid (except he kept putting his feet up on the table)

BTW: Happy Birthday, Chad :)

What My Camera Does When I'm Not Looking

2011-02-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

As you can imagine, I like to keep my camera handy - ever ready for the perfect shot. The downside of this is that the kids can get to it just as easily...

I was scrolling through my pictures (backwards as I usually do) and couldn't figure out what was red that I had on my camera (I had about 8 shots of red, some with shadows or highlights but all red)...

Then I finally scrolled to this shot and figured it out

Kelsey loves to score my camera (that's what we called it on my mission when someone took pictures of themselves if they found a camera lying around)

I have hundreds of these overexposed/blurry shots (or pictures of whatever she happens to be watching on the TV at the time)
Luckily, now that I have a digital camera it's not too bad - still not sure what to do with the 10 pictures I have of Elder Cole...

Collin took advantage of the camera in a whole new way today...
Not only did he come tell me that Kelsey had gotten into the cherries - he showed me the pictures he took of her doing it (Candace could learn a thing or two from him about busting)

The Race is On!

2011-01-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

Pinewood Derby Season!
It was fun for Collin to race on the track that his Grandpa made 40 years ago (when Robert was a Cub Scout).

As you saw earlier, Collin worked really hard on his car. Dad helped with the flames (cut the tape for him) but it was all his design.

On your mark...

Get set...

GO!

Go...

Go!

Collin was really excited he got 3rd place on his first race...
They didn't really keep score - which made the whole thing go much faster - and they all got patches. The only kid that got a reward was the one whose car broke but just laughed it off.

Spring time in January

2011-01-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

Since Spring is here in January we headed off to our favorite park on the Beach

J found a spot that blew his hair back picturesquely...

Collin loved taking Jason on the slide

Kelsey's is just so cute... do I really need a reason to take her picture?

Pinewood Derby Workshop

2011-01-12T23:41:00.000-08:00

Again this year my dad volunteered his workshop for the pinewood derby enthusiasts (and those that had no idea what they were doing)

Collin, checking to see if he's sanded enough

Chad tried to keep a close eye on everyone and only stopped one or two dad's from almost losing a finger (or putting out an eye)

Collin always has fun with the other scouts

Dad shows off the car he made with Robert about 40 years ago (before I was born)

January Birthdays

2011-01-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

Half of the Meyrings have their birthday in January so we just have one big dinner for everyone.J-man sporting some sweet shades!

The true gift of love

This picture just shows the craziness that are Meyring Family Gatherings!

See, I'm cute!

2011-01-06T22:01:00.001-08:00

I was trying to show off Jason's 16 month vocabulary to my mom. He keeps using new words so I was trying to reenact when I pulled out the camera yesterday and he asked me, "See? See?"
This time he didn't say it so I tried to prompt him, showing him the picture I took of him and said, "See?"

He looked at the picture and said, "Cute!"
I swear this kid amazes me everyday.

Snow Days

2010-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

Chad and Collin escaped today in search of the white stuff...

Collin needed his snow fix

What an Angel

They must have found a lot of snow - that thing is bigger than Collin

They had some fun adventures on the sledding hill
(no idea where the sled came from :)

So much fun!

Camp Fire

2010-11-30T00:32:00.000-08:00

My kids favorite nighttime activity is having a campfire on our back patio. Chad is so good to do this - while I stay snug inside with Jason :)

Striker Update

2010-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well Collin's first year of playing soccer ended up well...
They only lost one game and tied one game so they were destined for the playoffs. They replayed both of the teams that they didn't beat and emerged victorious!
Since they won they then had to go to the championships. Understand, during the season if it sprinkled the night before they would cancel all the games - this time with Thanksgiving next week and everything (the parents were done :) they simply moved the games to the older field and warned us they would play, rain or shine!

Needless to say, it was pouring down!
Well, Collin wanted to play in the rain! I stood under the canopy with Jason and we still got soaked! We won, which meant we had time to go wash all our clothes and come back in the afternoon to play another game. We were told that the winners of those games would get trophies and the losers wouldn't get anything... there was a lot of pressure on those kids.
We played so hard but the other team barely won in the end. Our kids were very emotional, some tears were shed (I was reminded of the World Cup). We cheered each other up and the kids were soon smiling again. It was hard then when the officials came out with the trophies and walked right past our team to take them to the middle of the field for the other team. They conferred with our refs then brought a box of trophies to our side. We tried to tell them that we didn't win, the other team did. Imagine our surprise when they pulled out second place trophies for all the boys!

...and such nice trophies too!

What a great year we had! I'm so glad Collin was on a good team. Not only did we get a trophy but the boys all played well together and the parents all got along. Collin has told me he wants to play again next year - hope it's as fun as this year.

The Strikers are 1-0

2010-08-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

So exciting, for Collin's first game, ever, his team won the game 7-0. You know you love to teach your kids that winning isn't everything, just have fun, yadda yadda yadda but I'm personally stoked that Collin is on a rocking team this year! It's just more fun to win - I know cuz I was always on the losing teams : -

There's some hard core players on his team but it seems the coach is pretty laid back. He was telling the other team members to not score again unless they pass but he didn't even yell at Collin when he tried to do a corner kick and it only went about 3 feet - back out of bounds :)
At least Chad isn't worried that they'll think he lied about Collin's abilities when he said he was just a beginner.
The total shocker was that Collin actually scored a goal! It was more or less an accident, I think, but it still counts :) He was dribbling towards the goal and it seemed like the defender got it but it somehow rolled away from him and the goalie and just limped into the goal!

He played goalie for the first quarter and didn't let a single ball go past (I don't think he even touched the ball more than once :)

It was great at the first subs when the team came together because all the seasoned players were all serious and listening to the coach and Collin just bursts out, pumping his fists in the air, "We're Winning!!!" I heard the family next to me chuckle so I had to tell them, "It's his first game, ever." So then they joined in on his enthusiasm.
So, the first game was a success. Collin had a lot of fun - which is the main thing - and I saw a few thing that he may need a little extra help with... It will be a fun season
(And no rash for Jason - though my arms are tired from carrying him the whole time)

1st Soccer Game Tomorrow

2010-08-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

I know you would expect a picture of Collin in his new Soccer uniform here but instead I thought I would post what Jason looked like after spending just 15 minutes on the grass at Collin's soccer practice... the season should be fun if J is this allergic to the green stuff!

Collin's Baptism

2010-08-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month Collin was baptized by his father.
I can't believe my boy is getting so old.

In our stake we have Stake Baptisms so once a month all the kids from the stake get baptized together. We all meet together in the chapel then spit up into wards for the actal baptisms and confirmations. We joined with the 2nd ward since the Lassen cousins were getting baptized. This was fine since 2nd ward is my home ward. It did make for a big group though so we all came back into the chapel for the confirmations.

We were also fortunate that they let us choose a person to give the talk on baptism so my dad did that.

As perfect as he'll ever be :)

Meyring Merriment

2010-07-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

While in Utah we had a sort of Meyring Family reunion. Most of the cousins live down here but it was still fun to get together and see Ryan's family

The neighbor kids were really friendly and let ours play on the jungle-gym...

...trampoline,
Jump for joy

Collin was showing off a bit for his cousins
...and play with their chickens
Karissa was absolutely fascinated with the chickens and held them every chance she got.

Jason and me

Even cuter, Jason and Chad

There's just something about a big strong man and a little boy...

Chad was showing J how to crawl on the grass - not one of his favorite things

Beth and Ellie looked so relaxed hanging out on the grass

Ellie is great with the little ones
I was laughing watching Karissa's body language as she was talking to one of the neighbors. Kayley came up and backed her up. (Something about who's dad was bigger/better/best...) Kelsey came up and after standing there for about 10 seconds...

...declared she was going to go roll down hills (My little pacifist :)

Kayley and Karissa playing some of the games

The guys got into a cut-throat game of crochet

It was supposed to be adults only but Chad let Kelsey sneak in a few hits

After all the fun the kids decided they needed to stretch out a bit - with Uncle Matt's help

Ellie's bat imitation

Kayley probably would have been the most bat-like but she was too busy trying to hold her pj's up ;)

After Parade Party

2010-07-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Part of getting good seats and parking for the parade was staying at a hotel right across the street. While Kristy was trying to pack up Chad was teaching her kids what they like to do in hotels (when Mom's not there)

Crazy Kelsey

The trick is to jump across the hot lava, avoiding the furniture (nothing stops the fun faster than a trip to the ER) and the projectiles (pillows)

Kelsey was throwing some great bending moves while she was at it... probably because the dads stared throwing pillows at them as they crossed - nothing like a moving target

Independence Day Parade

2010-07-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a parade!

Actually I normally don't bother going - too many people, too much traffic... but Dennis and Ryan have this thing down to a science. I've seen military campaigns that were not this well organized and executed! We had great seats, room to spread out and even shade for half of it.

And the kids were adorable!

Here's Breann, Ellie, Kelsey and Karissa

I love the look of excitement and anticipation

They all had a great time

For some reason I loved these old-timers :) It wasn't until I got home ad was looking at my pictures that I noticed the patch on this soldiers arm, Andy has one just like it! Its from his Tank Destroyer Squadron in WWII. I'll have to show him and see if he recognizes them.

It was fun for the kids being right up front. They got to Hi-5 cheerleaders, Tongans, prophets and pirates...

Jason had a great time too, mostly hanging with Uncle Ryan and Chad

How many parades have about 5 floats with temples, Joseph Smith and a singing Moses???

BYU!

Addie's so cute!

Breann & Kelsey were playing along with the band

"Look Mom, I'm Darth Maul!"

More Temples :)

Wow! I actually got in a picture too! When I show up everyone knows they can pretty much put their camera away and relax and they'll still get shots of their kids

Karissa and Kaylee had to say goodbye early to head back to Cali - but had to make sure to give Grandy a big hug first!

Stadium of Fire

2010-07-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

We went to see the fireworks at Cougar Stadium this year...

Matt, showing his thoughts on getting to the show 2 hours early :)

Ellie & Kayley

The Color Guard looked so cool going past all the scouts. Now that Collin is in scouting I'm much more moved by them all.

The color guard again with the 4 branches of the military behind them.

Mother nature didn't disappoint at the Stadium of Fire! What a beautiful sunset

This shot is more to show you just how awesome my new camera is!!! This shot is a little magnified (you'll have to see some of the fireworks to see just how faraway I was from the stage...)

I can't believe the great shots I got!

Oh, yeah. It was a pretty good concert too. Carrie Underwood was the main attraction (well, not counting the fireworks) The name was familiar and I thought I would recognize one or two of her songs...

Nope, not a single one! Still, I could tell she was a very good singer.
After listening to the little boys behind us Chad made me a promise that he wouldn't let his boys sing along with girl-power/boyfriend-cheating songs :)
Dang, what a great shot - you can see that the drum set is a DW set, made locally in Oxnard

Lou Diamond Phillips was the MC - He did a great job, even though I kept picturing him in his role as a FBI agent on Psych

Ka-boom!

I think the fireworks were supposed to just go striaght up, like the ones on the left... We saw many a boy scout trying to brush the smoldering ash off their pants after this one

Again, this is how far away we really were - past the 50 yd line

What a great show

Very impressive!
Chad and I parked really far away but we got home about 20 minutes before everyone else since we walked past much of the traffic (a good thing too since we decided to leave the baby home with the sitter (there were 3) and we got a fretful phone call when we were almost there that he was awake and wouldn't stop crying...

We had a really fun time. It was weird being back at BYU and I found myself reverting back to my college persona... and Chad found that he really liked it :) Imagine what it would have been like if we had met then...

Collin's Birthday

2010-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

For Collin's birthday this year we decided to wait for the big family thing when he's baptized in August

So instead we took a couple of his friends bowling

Collin especially liked the "hair-blower"

Gotta love his unique style. They all played a pretty close game - all within a couple of points from each other.

Then we had pizza and cake at the newly upgraded park by the community center

Tiana just happened to be there too so we did get a little cousin action

Collin and Camila on her last weekend here

We had a great day - lots of fun was had by all!

utah from Tiana

2010-07-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm Lagging

2010-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

I know you all thought that once I got faster Internet that I would post more often... Well I'm still taking pictures I'm just slower at uploading them. I'll get to them eventually since I use this as my journal and I'll forget otherwise...
So far just the 4 days we've been in Utah we have (meaning the kids) have gone to two water parks, Toy Story 3, the Stadium of Fire (Carrie Underwood concert and fireworks), Parade, Mt Timpanogas caves, BBQ, cousins photo shoot, Mt Timpanogas Temple... I haven't gone to everything since I have Jason but I'll still post pictures of what I have. If you don't feel you can wait that long you can get a preview at my facebook page but I won't promise any here until I get home.

Our Trip to Utah

2010-07-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

On our way to Utah this month we ran into some construction that promised an hour delay... since we were in the PT, with a faulty clutch, we decided to follow the usual California-driver attitude: It doesn't matter if it takes longer, as long as we are moving [faster].

We ended up at Mountain Meadows - which was a first for me.

We took a little hike to learn more and to stretch our legs.

Kelsey rode up with Kayla so we had more room to stretch out... I think Collin learned that it was still better to sleep against the door than across the baby's lap.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2010-06-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Jason has been doing the army crawl for quite a while now

But today at church he was watching Sam get up and crawl around on all 4s and thought that he could try it too! He still only takes a couple of 'steps' but he's getting better (you should see the concentration on his face :)

Collin's 1st Pack Meeting

2010-06-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

On Collin's very first pack meeting he got to lead the Cub Scout Promise and the Pledge of Allegiance

He turned 8 on Tuesday and on Thursday was awarded his Bobcat and 2 beltloops. He asked my I got to get the bobcat pin ... I told him it was because they knew that Moms have to do a lot of work to get the boys to earn them :)

Happy Birthday, Karissa

2010-06-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the little munchkins are turning 5 this year (4 of the 5 married Meyrings had babbies in 2005) That means the start of Kindergarten!

... but that's not until next September...

Until then we'll just kick back and party at the pool

we're looking forward to having fun times with our cousins this summer

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to too much talk radio lately... You all know the current issues that are being discussed now. It's unfortunate that, even from the president down, there seems to be little regard for America anymore. I could get up on my soapbox and write an essay but it comes down to this: I love America!

I love my country.

Along with that I love my Church that spends 3 hours singing patriotic songs and talking about, the discovery of America, our founding fathers, and those that dedicated their lives to insure our freedom.

Picture Time

2010-05-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

While Sam was getting ready we took some time to take some pictures

Max looked so handsome we had to get his picture
I had fun finding interesting places to take the snapshot... this was actually taken in Sharon's bathroom :)

The girls looking so beautiful. Sharon made the twin's dresses and bought one for K to match the other little "flower girls"
My kids looked so beautiful by the columns

Kelsey loved her corsage but still picked some more
Jace was very good - passed around so that I could play gopher
Grandma & Grandpa looking good!

The cake. You can't even tell it's not real :)

Sharon, David & Sam posing for pictures. Sharon always gives me a hard time for taking so many pictures so I tried to hold back a bit (it helped too, knowing they had such a great photographer that will give them all his pictures)

After seeing all the shots and videos I got for her, Sharon has promised not to mock me anymore about being paparazzi.

Sam & Jordan's Wedding

2010-05-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

We had the kids wait outside (they were supposed to stay in the visitors' center but...) Poor Kelsey was melting, "Mom, I want to snuggle you." I'm so glad mom got a picture with the photographer, she really admires his work. Last time she was in Arizona she bought his LDS books and movies. He doesn't normally do weddings but since he's a friend... I'll have to post some of his photos of them later and you'll definitely see what I mean
This is just Sam's side of the family.
There were a bunch of wedding that day so we had to hurry. Luckily Sam & Jordan had met with the photographer earlier and did their photo shoot (I'm just sad that we never did get a picture with all of the little flower girls.)

Kelsey and Chad... I but Sharon & David never thought their daughter would grow up so fast either...

Dad got a picture of the Temple President that performed the ceremony. He was another neighbor that grew up with Sam & Jordan's parents on the same street.

Sam & Jordan among the Millers.

Kelsey's Birthday

2010-05-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

WE had a fun pool party for Kelsey this year
and princesses - of course

I didn't do the cake for Kelsey - just added some princess to the one I bought

Even though K is now 4 I still catch myself saying she's 3 - she's getting older way too fast!

anticipation

Make a wish!

I always use the relighting ones when we're outside - not to tease the birthday kid but because that's the only way they stay lit in the wind (and it gives me enough chances to get a good shoot :)

Kayla, Kelsey & Kayley admiring the gifts

Elenor and Kelsey

Cousins, Kelsey, Karissa & Kayley (no, we didn't pre-plan the aliteration, we just got lucky :)

Kelsey pretending she can't swim

Elenor, Kelsey, Karissa & Kayley

Kelsey is so lucky to have such good friends, form neighbors, church and family.

Kayley giving Kelsey and Nell rides

Collin trying to get all the water out of his hair

<] : - P

I Love My Family!

2010-05-24T23:57:00.001-07:00

I have had such a blast lately spending time with our families. Last week we went to Linnae's graduation and Ellie's 1st Communion. Then this weekend we were at my niece's wedding (both Ellie and Sam are the oldest on each family :)

It's late and I still need to post some pictures for each event but I wanted to take a quick minute and say how much I love my family! They are all so beautiful and talented, from the oldest - Grandpa-Great - to the youngest - Jason, and all those (too many to count right now) in between.

I look forward to many more happy events in our future.

Ellie's First Communion

2010-05-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

Ellie and her family

Ellie still tried to smile for the picture, even though Jace had a tight handful of her hair - and pulling hard!
Ellie with Collin & Kelsey

We finally got to wear our Easter clothes :)

All the girl cousins always match so I got my boys matching, instead

They were all so tempted to go swimming but they were good and only put their feet in the water

Chad is so good about taking care of the baby so I can go be paparazzi

Linnae, Class of 2010

2010-05-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Linnae. Today she received her degree in Psychology...
Kelsey, Jason and I walked to the ceremony (Ok, I walked, they sat in the stroller)
Afterwards we had a fun party at Tiana's house...

Of course I took tons of pictures that I'll post on our family blog (blogs are like the slide shows of the past - pretty much just fun for the person who took them.)

The boys playing airplane - Collin was trying to convince me that Jason liked it - I think the picture proves it.

I would be more witty and wordy but I'm sore, tired and sunburned - the usual graduation survivor symptoms - but I wanted to post these today :)

Collin's New Blog

2010-05-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

For a while now Collin has been bugging me to set him up with his own blog... I've finally given in this weekend.

He picked out the name :)

He said he wanted to share it with everyone - then quickly corrected himself and said everyone in the family (which is still quite a few people)

He told me not to write this in his blog but it's ok if it's in mine - right???:

He said,"This way I can keep a diary but I won't be walking around with a diary under my arm and the bullies will tease me about it!"

I love that popular culture has finally had some good influence and Collin wants to keep a journal - like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

If you logged on when we first set it up there was a cool dragon but it was too often covered up by the posts... Luckily we finally got back on thecutestblogontheblock.com (I don't know why it hadn't been working lately) and after much searching found the PERFECT one! Scouting Background! So you'll have to check it out. If you haven't had an invitation yet and you want to see what a 8 year old kid thinks is important enough to blog than let me know and I'll invite you along :)

We did it!

2010-04-28T12:25:00.001-07:00

We've finally joined the 21st century - we now have cable and high-speed internet!!!

Ok, it's 10 years into the new century but better late than never, eh. Now I can post pictures immediately (instead of going to mom's house) we can watch Pokemon and Jag without having to check them out at the library AND we have caller ID so I know who it is before I have to answer it (I know this has been a feature for nearly 20 years but I never thought it was important enough to pay extra for... some people still wait until the baby is born to find out it's gender... Only one of our phones have this capability so don't be offended if I don't answer your call - I still just can't get to the phone in time...)

It seems strange to tell you I can now upload pictures and yet not add a picture so give me a second and I'll find one for you...

Collin thinks it's somekind of holiday and I should pick him up early from school... I wonder if he'll stay home more now or if he will still go out with his friends all day...

New Sports Park

2010-04-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

The playground at the new sports park is crazy!

I thought they were trying to make parks safer these days...

I wasn't too surprised to find signs that said that the park was intended for children over 5...

Still I think it will be the little brothers and sisters of the players that will be going over to the park

but I thought al the geometric shapes whould make some cool pictures

This is my least favorite part of the park - a twisting slide with no sides... obviously no one has heard of cintrifical force or Newton's laws of motion...

It's good to know there are still challenges out there for our kids :)

Chad's Birthday

2010-04-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Kelsey takes good care of her dad - she got him the Little Mermaid playset so he could play with her...

Kelsey's Curls

2010-04-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

We used grandma's curlers to make Kelsey "Oh, so beautiful!"

She was quite entranced with the outcome

Work it!

Own it!

A little Jason action

He insisted on standing - how can one so small be so strong - and so stubborn??

Time Travel at Grandpa's House

2010-04-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Chad's grandpa had me come over and take some pictures for insurance purposes... I think everyone needs to go around their house, and their grandparents house and take pictures to remember what it looked like...

This is one of my favorites of Chad's family... Collin saw it and noticed that the house still looked the same... Well, it's a little different, but not much (the painting is one the other wall now...)

It was great - a real time capsule - you could tell exactly what era each room was redecorated. (Gotta love the lamp)

My favorite, clock, temp, and barometer

He even still has a working Bell phone. I was able to show Collin why we still call it "dial the phone number"

Slip & Slide

2010-04-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

I know it's still snowing in some parts of the world - but it's summer anytime here in sunny Cali

Kelsey on the slip and slide

Collin going crazy

My Surprise

2010-04-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

I was up trying to feed the baby and put him to bed - when I came out I saw this...

I know it's probably still messy by your standards but try to remember how much baby paraphernalia gets spread around in an average day - add Lego's, Pokemon, stuffed animals, barbies and princesses and it is a miracle clean!

This is the true joy - an empty dishwasher!

Thanks Collin & Kelsey - that was a great surprise!

Dress Up

2010-04-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

I love when Collin gets in the act and helps Kelsey play dress up...

I was looking for an old picture of Kelsey so you could really get the effect of this...

You see, this is a dress that K's aunt Linnae gave her - for her 1st birthday! It's size 18 months - and Kelsey can still zip it up! (though it used to go down to her toes...)

More vacation fun

2010-04-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Chad found us this awsome resort to stay at - the Lawrence Welk resort

My kids have no idea who Lawrence Welk was - most of the people my age probably don't either... they weren't lucky enough to have parents like mine that appriciated a good accordian...

Chad & Kels relaxing on the balcony

The veiw from our balcony. A nice relaxation before the Wild Animal Park

Easter at the Beach House

2010-04-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

The whole gang this year

Ellie, Karissa, Kayley, Collin & Kelsey

Addi in the back with her dad

cute cousins

7 months old and already he knows what to do...

Egg hunt

with a limp

Collin had to get the high ones

Playing on the rocks

Collin & Ellie

My family

Jase was happy the entire day - very nice

I tried to explain to Kels that if the stairs were wet then she would get wet...

Spring Break in Arizona

2010-04-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Kelsey had so much fun with her cousins!

K & Heather

Jason & Sarah, Heather & Kelsey

J & Heather

Visiting Sharon is a real vacation for me -usually it's "same thing, different place" but I really get a break with so many helper around...

Heather is a fantastic gymnast and was really excited to take Kelsey with her to open gym

The boys playing wii

playing in the pool

It was still a little cold but they still had fun

Geronimo!

Unfortunately before Kelsey got to go to open gym - or do much of anything - she had a freak ring-around-the-rosies accident. We took her to the urgent care since she still screamed if she put any weight on it. There was no break but she didn't walk on it for a week - luckily she's fairly light

Collin & Max did occasionally get away from the video games and made up fun games on the tramp

With Kelsey's gimp leg we tried to cheer her up a bit in other ways

Chad's clone 2? what do you think?

Out to the lake

With all the rain the dessert was in bloom I'll not bore you with all the pictures of flowers...

I tried to take a picture without our car but it reminded me of all of G'ma Helen's pictures of her with all their cars :) It was a bit of a scrunch - the 5 of us in the PT...

"This is the life!"

Kelsey tried not to let her injury interfere with her vacation

We really liked their pool

Jason's favorite thing to do is pull himself to furniture so he can suck on the legs - luckily he doesn't have teeth yet so he didn't leave a mark.

More games

Although we had fun it was a pretty rough week on everyone...

Kelsey busted her leg

Heather broke her nose at gymnastics

and Sharon pulled her back lifting Jason...

but it was great times!

and by the end Kelsey was finally starting t crawl around a bit :)

Wild Animal Park

2010-04-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

It seems like everytime we have a new kid we have to have our picture taken on the rhino (immortalized in bronze because he fathered so many)

Here we are the last time we went to the Wild animal park - when Kelsey was about Jacon's age - it was so hot! Back in December I called into the radio and won tickets to the Wild Animal Park...
Collin and Kelsey had a great time though it was chilly and Kelsey still wasn't walking
Kelsey still wasn't walking - she resembled the flamingos...

Collin and his Okapi

I was looking at old pictures and saw that we took Collin everywhere when he was about Jason's age... now that we have 3 kids - we don't even lift the baby out of the stroller to see the animals :) but he had fun anyway.

Kelsey hatching some ostrich eggs

Gotta love lion camp

Moving into some birds' nest

Kelsey & Dad

A couple of the baby elephants - they don't look that little without the adult nearby

This one was even smaller - I took this picture through the telescope...

Getting a foot massage after the hike up to see the condors

Some big birds

the coolest carousel ever!

Comb Girls

2010-04-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Before picture day I told Collin not to let the "comb girls" get to him. I remember these girls from my own childhood. Picture day would be the only time I had my hair curled for school - with loads of hairspray. And as soon as it was time to get your picture taken here comes the comb girls messing up your hair... seems some things never change... they even part the hair in the middle still!

Sooooo Cool!

2010-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Jase snuck Collin's glasses so he could look cool playing with his toys

Ski Utah

2010-03-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Chad loved his ski trip!

There's not much I can add to this... He had a great time skiing with his friends and brother!

He is kind enough to call me at the end of each day to let me know nothing was broken :)

Trampoline

2010-03-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Collin is getting pretty good on the Tramp
we're totally old-school though - no safety net or cushions - in fact we even have a handy tree for them to jump out of...

Hopefully he won't break anything, eh.

Too Big

2010-03-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I finally had to move Jason over into the crib...
He loves sleeping with his leg over the edge - not sure how he'll like the crib then - hopefully he'll find a comfy spot.

Kilroy was here

2010-03-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

For Jason's first time in a high chair I knew I wouldn't have to entertain him too much... He just liked to suck on the edge - looking like Kilroy (whom my kids had never heard of...)
Mostly he just smiled everytime I tried to take his picture :)

Collin's Hog

2010-03-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Aidan's Grandpa came by to visit and asked if the kids could sit on his Harley...
I told them they could get on - after I grabbed my camera.
You know if I would have dressed them in leather too, if I had the time :)

Don't even think about it!

Kelsey's First Scripture/Prayer

2010-03-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Kelsey was learning her scripture with Collin's help. When Chad came back in Collin was gone and Kelsey was sitting with her arms folded and her head down. Chad asked her what she was doing and she said she was practising her prayer...
She looks so cute (and small) up there.They asked her if she was ready and she just gave them a thumbs up :) Chad helped her but she was too shy to say it but did give the prayer. I wasn't too surprised since she's only 3 and giving her first public speaking assignment... I was surprised when we came home and Chad was asking her to repeat the scripture and she could say it all by herself - I didn't know she actually had it memorized! Maybe next time she'll even say it out loud.

My QP Doll

2010-03-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Whenever Collin does Jason's hair I always think he looks like a QP Doll...

Jason is getting so big and strong...

At 7 months he is rolling all over the place. He can pretty much figure out anyway to get whatever it is he wants by rolling & stretching. He's just starting to figure out to get his knees under him - so crawling won't be far off

We've started him on food - though pretty much only rice cereal and carrots at this point - but he likes it. I tend to stick to the orange foods since I think the peas smell so nasty I don't have the heart to make him eat them...
Jason still has a very sunny disposition. He is almost always happy! His brother and sister like to play with him and he loves it. Sometimes if I'm busy when he wakes up from his nap Kelsey will go up and dance for him to make him laugh :) Collin is always fighting me for him and takes him as much as he can. Collin is so proud of his little brother and is always showing him off to everyone. I had J in a bouncy seat on the door jam while Collin was taking a bath one time and Collin was telling him all about the different dinosaurs, their names and characteristics...
Jase likes to snuggle and will just lie on your shoulder... Mom's the only one lucky enough to get kisses. Every time I pick him up from his nap he gives me a hug then grabs the hair on the back of my neck, hangs on tight and starts giving me slobbery kisses (raspberries or hickeys ;)
(cute but painful :)

Jase is such a fun baby that the kids are already trying to ask for more. Now that I convinced them we weren't having any more children they've started asking to adopt...

Eating Carrots

2010-03-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

Chad's mom gave us these great feeder bottles that I love - such much less mess and waste... The only problem is they don't make them anymore. There is something similar, only at Walmart, but they were out last time.
Jason is pretty proficient at using them though - if he drops it he can reach down, get it and get it back in his mouth

Even though he can do it himself, Kelsey likes to help - with food & accessories...

What great blackmail pictures :)

Getting the Knees Going

2010-03-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Jason is figuring out that if he bends his knees and pushes he can move forward... Once he even figured out to get his tummy off the ground. My tables are already getting crowded with all the stuff I pick up and put out of the way...

Annie

2010-03-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

The cousins went to see the play Annie tonight and had a lot of fun. I have pictures to add to this post but I wanted to get the word out since my computer is slow and I don't want to wait to post since there are only 2 more weeks of performances and everyone who can needs to go see it.
Alaina & Kelsey were getting some advice from the sound guy at intermission

The cast was great and the kids had a lot of fun. The only draw back was that it doesn't start until 8 and lasted about 3 hours (Kayley & Karissa were asleep but Kelsey was dancing up the aisle at the end). It was cool too that as soon as you left the theater there were all the actors so you could say good job (I should have gotten all their autographs for fun :)

So go see Annie. It's community theater at it's finest!

(PS. Betsy, I won't tell you how it ends but it did have a happy ending, in case you were worried :)

It's Great to be Eight!

2010-03-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

As soon as Collin attended the "Great to be Eight" meeting he has been so excited for scouting. He wanted to get his uniform and everything that night but I persuaded him that the Boy Scout Store was not open Sunday Night - so we went Monday.

He already has the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack memorized. He can't wait for this summer when he gets to go to pack meetings and day camp. He wants to show everyone his uniform - we compromise and let him wear his cap but not his shirt... He's excited too because this is the 100th year of Scouting so they have some extra things they can earn.

I'm excited too. I already have my charts and binders for him... I can think of some cool things to do - like bird watching at the fish hatchery. I what to make suggestions and volunteer a little (like one thing is to learn some sign language and interview and interpreter...) but I ever so much do not want to be called to be a den leader! I would hate it and I very much doubt I could teach the boys the way they need to be taught. So, if I can make it clear I don't want a new job I should be able to help them out...

Follow That Hotdog!

2010-02-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

I was getting on the 101 when I saw this car and was immediately thrown back to the 70's...

It took me a while to catch up with it to get a picture for Collin (they think texting while driving is dangerous...)
Yes, it's the Oscar Meyer Wiener car!

I remember in the 70's there were always weird cars - I saw a roller-skate car in Idaho - now the only time you see them is on "Country Fried Home Video" - it's sad to see such an art form vanish from our society...

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've been posting lately but mostly old stuff - so if you think you might feature in some of my pictures you may want to look back a bit...

It's fun to finally get to take pictures of my kids in the same trees I had my picture taken in...

I got Kelsey to smile so sweetly by saying, "I love daddy!"

Collin & Kelsey up in a tree - they got a little nervous when I tried to hand them Jace :)

A work in progress - I'll figure a cute place to get all the kids and no shadows ... someday

Can you believe how big Jason is getting?! He'll be 6 months old this week and couldn't be cuter

Visiting Some Old Friends

2010-01-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

IZ loved playing with Collin - and Collin loved it too
Jace had his first try at the bouncy seat

Kelsey and Lily

Jessica and I have been busy in the last few years... but how cute they are!

They've spent a lot of time redecorating the house ... I'd heard about wall-to-wall carpet but this is a little extreme (If you can't tell from the photo, the carpet is not only on the walls but the ceiling too!)

Brothers

My college roommate, Kim

We had a fun time catching up...

Collin jumped right in with his new friends - it probably helped that they were playing wii

2010-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Snow Fort

2010-01-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Beach meets snow

Collin wanted to play out in the snow and make a snow fort - he wanted some containers so he could mold the snow to make his fort - I think he's a little unclear on the concept.

gotta love the icicle flag pole though

Bean Museum

2010-01-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

It's hard to see here but all the animals are gathered around the baby Jesus. My camera battery ran out or you could see the Christmoose and all the other fun things they had set up.

My freshman year I lived just down the street from this museum - and never went there. Children really do expand your horizons (then again, I haven't been to any international films since I had kids so I guess it's all give and take.)

Going Home

2010-01-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Already to go???
Right after Breann's baptism we got in the car to drive home
we went the back way this time
we drove through Huntington, UT - where my Grandpa was from - it was my first time.

Our cloud factory we could see most of the way...
Kelsey is always convinced she's going to throw-up - just in case she's right - we give her 'the barf box'

So done! After driving for 2 days I think Kelsey finally snapped - luckily it was within minutes of getting home.

BYU Museum of Paleontology

2010-01-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

They've finally put some of the millions of bones they have under the stadium on display
It's a pretty small little museum (my kids breezed through it in about 10 minutes) but there was a lot to see and lots of fun.
Kelsey hiding in the tree

I wish Collin was still into Dinosaurs like he was ... it actually took us a few minutes to remember the bonehead was a pachesephalasaurus (and I can't even spell it right any more :(

They had a little bit of everything.

Kelsey was so excited - which was why we it only took us about 10 minutes to see everything.

The Heber Creeper

2009-12-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

Meet the Conductor

The kids went up the canyon on the Polar Express to go tubingKelsey was a pro and loved going again and again

(this is the pull line that brought you up to the top.)
Collin at least tried it once... He decided he would rather stay on the bunny slope. At least I don't have to worry about him being dehydrated with all the snow he eats!

The Novelty

2009-12-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

We make sure to put Collin right to work when we get here. He actually enjoys shoveling snow - since he doesn't have to do it at home. I'm sure that if he had to do it every day before school he wouldn't enjoy it quite so much!

We're in Utah!

2009-12-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

We had to come up to see the snow.

Chad, Collin and Kelsey drove up on Saturday/Sunday while Jason and I flew up on Monday. So Nice! they talked so much about how crazy the airports are but, especially traveling with a baby, it was no problem. I did the e-ticket with no luggage so I didn't have to check in. Then since I had the stroller I passed the 1/2 hour wait where the checked your ticket to go up the escalator - used the elevator and didn't have to wait at all. I did go i the 'family line' so there were only 3 families before me but I timed it (a habit from Disneyland) and the long line for everyone was almost exactly the same time... So it only took 1/2 hour to check in then I had 2 hours to wait for my flight. - no worries.
We'll be here for about a week then we'll all drive back (5 of us in a PT Cruiser - not looking forward to that :P I'll try to post some while I'm here but then I'll have to back track and do Christmas later since I left those pictures at home. (And the drama of Kelsey's haircut...)

Fun with Grandy

2009-12-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

Kelsey loves playing with her Grandy

Who's that???

again

and again

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

I love the togetherness - courtesy of Gameboy DS... is it any wonder Collin has been begging us for one all month
Micah & Collin

Duncan asked if he could hold the baby... then still tried to play his game :)

Kelsey loved her princesses from G'ma - and her dress from Debbie

Silly Collin was sad about his 'new shoes'

The funniest this was when Kelsey opened hers and saw the 'surge protector' she just said "I LOVE it!"

ahhh! more Pokemon cards

Barbi's

Dad had asked everyone where the gift he bought chad went... finally Chad had to tell him where Dad had hid it in the shop.

More DS action

Chad with the thumb-suckers

Collin & Duncan

The kids played the 'left-right' game with candy boxes

Jason's First Babysitter

2009-12-19T00:42:00.000-08:00

For Jason's first babysitter we couldn't so anything boring, like go out to dinner (plus, it's too easy just to bring him along for those dates) Oh, no, we went to see Morrissey at the Ventura Theater.

I heard the radio station giving out tickets for the LA show and got excited so I looked on-line and he was playing at Ventura again. We saw him there a couple of times when we were dating and first married. So for our 10 year anniversary I gave Chad tickets to the show.

As soon as I bought them I panicked, what were we going to do about the baby??! I could picture myself trying to nurse him up in the balcony (do they make baby-sized ear plugs?)

So after some serious panicking when our original babysitter backed out at the last minute we found one of Chad's co-workers, who lives near the theater, to watch the baby and my "cousin", Leah and Hank to watch the other two. Ahhh!

The concert was great! Moz is just as energetic and dynamic at 50 as he was at 40 - must be all the veggies :)
The opening band, Doll and the Kicks, was a pleasant surprise - quite good.

Our tickets were for 7pm, it's been awhile since we've been to any concerts (I think it was Morrissey last time) so we showed up a few minutes early. Chad dropped me off and I walked down the length of the line, down the street and around the corner. I was glad to see there seemed to be many new fans... (meaning they were born when Morrissey went solo) I also noticed that the further back in the line I went the older the fans got, and the lighter the colors :) (Us old folks know better than to stand in the rain for 2 hours to be close to the stage when the theater is the size of a movie theater - that's why I'll only see him in Ventura, where even in the back you are only 20 feet from the stage)

The concert started late, had an opening act - so Morrissey didn't start until almost 9pm. He didn't play long (though he did play a lot of songs in that time). The fan in me was sad that I paid so much for a short show, but the mom in me was glad it didn't go so late so I could go get my kids.

Since I left the baby with a family I didn't worry about him (I figured if he cried too much they could just drive him around the block a few times) but I was glad to find the baby asleep and told that he was "an angel." They took a picture of him sleeping on the couch with the dad and daughter, I need that picture :) I'm so glad he was good.

12.11.09

Happy Anniversary!

2009-12-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

This year for our 10th anniversary we went back to Santa Monica for the Cirque du Soleil show Kooza! (Instead of trying to take pictures I just downloaded them from their website)

We saw Cirque du Soleil the last time they were in Santa Monica - Dralion. Linda got us all tickets for her birthday (I know, a little backwards). That was right after Chad were engaged. Then on our way back from our honeymoon we stopped by in Irvine where they had the big top all ready for the show there. A couple of girls started talking to us, asking us what we were doing... They said they had a couple of tickets for that night shows (only open for the press and friends) we were waiting to hear how much they were going to scalp them for when they offered them to us for FREE! The seats were fabulous! Center stage about 8 rows back!

We didn't have quite as nice tickets this year but it was fun to reminisce and revisit some of the things we did 10 years ago.

This was the coolest part of the show! these two guys got this thing spinning so fast that they experienced zero gravity on the way down. It was impressive enough when they were both inside the circle but once one of them got on the outside and would jump up right at the top so he would free-fall for a moment...

Think Swing Dancing and Unicycles
The Traditional Trapeze, with a twist

Cirque's classic teeter-totter-flying-on-stilts

What circus is complete without a juggler?

And a tight-rope 'walker'

or a 100 foot high tower of chairs

Contortionists that make your body ache to watch them

We took the baby with us this time... He's been a busy baby this week. He went to Disneyland twice, stayed in a hotel, and went to Cirque du Soleil - what a lucky baby!

11.27.09

Caller Number 17!

2009-12-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

Collin always tries to get me to call into the radio contests to win whatever they're offering - like it's that easy. One time I was caller #6 - I was pretty excited, even though they were looking for caller #10 - at least I got through...

This morning it took me 3 times to even get the phone number right as they were gearing up for the give-away on KRUZ FM. Even then when they asked for caller #17 I looked in my cell phone and saw I had one number wrong so I had to go back and edit the number then call.

The first time: busy

The second time: "call back" (I'm nothing if not obedient so I did)

The third time: busy

The fourth time: "What's your name and where are you calling from?!"

So it seems the fourth times the charm!

I was so excited I had to tell Collin we finally won - he was speechless :)

So what did we win? 4 tickets to San Diego Wild Animal Park. Very Cool! We'll have to go next week while Chad and Collin are out of school. I'm still stoked - I know it's an old-school term but it just seems to apply - I'm so STOKED!!!

Ike & Kelsey

2009-12-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Ike and Kelsey had a fun time this week while our newest cousins came to visit.

BBFs - Best Brothers Forever

2009-12-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

They're so cute but you have to see the seat that Collin set up for them...

Collin can barely wait to teach CJ (Collin Jr.) all of his favorite things. He wants Jace's first words to be pokemon :)

Popcorn Buddies

2009-12-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

No, we're not giving Jace popcorn, yet... he's just copying Collin

Disneyland On My Own

2009-12-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I took the 3 kids to Disneyland by myself - yikes.

I surprised Collin and took him out of school - he was so excited and grateful to not be in school that he was on his best behavior all day.

We went to California Adventure first

Collin had fun at Bugs Life

They wouldn't let the baby in the bumper cars so Collin road first...

Then he sat out with the baby while I road with Kelsey.

If you've never been to California adventure it's like visiting all of California at once... there's the Hollywood back lot, here's fisherman's wharf. There's also the redwoods, early aviation and the pier.

Deadliest Catch??

The Pier

Kelsey was so excited to see Santa - she made him sign her 'sign book'

Collin only would sit for the picture for a promise of a candy cane

Kelsey & Woody (Collin got scared by the Screamin' Coaster)

One of the main reasons I wanted to go was to go through the new Woody shootout ride... unfortunately Collin saw people put on 3D glasses and he was outta there (literally - "I'll just watch the stroller for you!") So we didn't get to go...

So we road the carousel 3 times

The Guy offered to help me up on a 'horse' since I couldn't stand up with a baby.. that just seemed a little too scary to try so I opted to sit on one of the benches. (and check out my penny pressing check-list to make sure I got them all)

A self-portrait

These army men kept going back and forth on the pier - they just looked so cool and realistic

Kelsey's helping out with the construction of the lake

Wow - sometimes I even impress myself with my picture taking ability :)

(The trick? A timer and a garbage can with the camera set on night setting.)

I took this picture in a similar was since a flash just reflects off the glass

They have the original map and mock-ups for Disneyland in the Opera House (we're back at Disneyland now)

Ahhhhhhhhh

We didn't bring the stroller into the crowd to see the fireworks. Still Kelsey was able to get ahead of Collin and I. I asked people if they saw her go past and, like the cartoons, they pointed in three different directions. I finally just called out, "If you've seen a little girl in a hooded sweatshirt walking around alone can you raise your hand?!!!" Someone else had the same idea because as I looked around I saw her on the shoulders of a women about 15 feet away, "Can you see your mom?" So we were reunited.

Kelsey wanted me to hold her during the fireworks (Collin, too) but I couldn't so she just laid down on my foot to watch them :)

I went into the Mother's lounge, at the top of main street, to feed and change the baby. Kelsey had crackers and was told she would have to eat by the high chairs. I didn't realize they had actually put Kelsey in until I turned around :)

Aren't they cute

Yet another sleeping picture. I did give him a neck pillow but he was talking in his sleep and took it off...

I really had some great help getting out of the park. We waited so long for the trams we were able to talk to the couple behind us (the man was smiling at Kelsey who was hiding behind my legs.) The baby was getting fussy so I had Collin hold him for a minute while I stuffed more things in the bag. Jace immediately quieted down so when I got him back I decided to hold him the same way - around the middle, facing out. He smiled and charmed everyone. As we got on the tram the man grabbed the stroller and his wife grabbed the bags. They weren't going to our floor so we said goodbye. After we cleaned up we were going to the escalators when another young couple behind us offered to take the stroller up. They even went up an extra flight and back down to their level. She said I looked really tired and of need of help :)

The thing is, I know I can do it myself but it's so nice to not have to.

Guess Who's Older

2009-12-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Jason & Ian finally got to meet today...
They're pretty much the same size - but Jace is definitely heavier.
Look for more pictures of cousins this week while Marjorie visits.

School Pictures

2009-12-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

This year I was able to talk Collin out of wearing a suit coat but he still wanted his white shirt and tie :)

Feeling Abandoned

2009-12-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

I leave Jace safely in his swing. I can hear him start to fuss so I hurry. Somehow, before I can get there, he gets out and barricades himself on the couch. I would ask his brother and sister how he gets out but even though they were there when I went upstairs, they are never around.

It's crazy that this only happens when the kids are all downstairs then the older ones take off before anyone can tell me what happened.

High Speed Chase in The Pleasant Valley

2009-12-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I was going to drop off some overdue library books when I saw a police car, sirens blazing, coming from the opposite direction. I pulled over and watched as instead of traveling through the intersection he (for the sake of convince I'm going to assume everyone in this story, except me, is a 'he' - sorry PCers) he pulled across the street to block the oncoming traffic in the intersection. My curiosity was soon satisfied when I saw a midsized truck come speeding up to the intersection, lights off and driving on the wrong side of the street. Seeing the cop car (again for convenience i will use 'cop' rather than keep saying 'police officer' because otherwise my narration will become too lengthy :) the pickup jumped the curb drove around the stopped cars then continued down the wrong side of the street.

The cop turned and followed. Drama over - or so we thought. Luckily, as I started to pull back onto the road I looked back and saw several more sirens coming up the street. As I looked forward I saw a car tentatively pulling into the intersection to turn left, not seeing the additional cop cars. Smash! The lead cop hit the car and basically took off the entire front of his car. That cop immediately turned left (the way he was heading after the collision) and pulled over. The second cop stopped and blocked the intersection and started direction traffic. The third cop continued on after the chase.

I sat there for a minute as the other cars were directed to go before me. Always helpful, as the cop directed me to go forward I had my window rolled down and asked him if he needed witness, "No, we're good" :)
I dropped off my books and talked to Chad who just happened to call right then. It wasn't until I was telling Chad what happened that it even registered that the guy had been driving on the wrong side of the road. It all happened so fast. Driving back I stopped off in the parking lot to get a better look at the accident and to get a picture for my loyal blogging fans (yes, I know I'm obsessed :) There were a number of other looky-loos there - but this was a first for me. I was excited that the one picture I was able to coax out of my battery-dead camera did show the tire tracks in the grass where the car ran up the curb - you can see those better than you can see the car that was totaled.

I went home and looked up the accident but didn't find it until this morning - and that was barely by chance but here it is:

Morning Report: Driver of stolen car arrested after Camarillo pursuit
From staff reports
Posted December 2, 2009 at 7:16 a.m.
Police and Fire: A man driving a stolen car was arrested Tuesday night after he led Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies on a chase through Camarillo, authorities said.
The chase began about 7 p.m. in the area of Carmen Drive and Las Posas Road after a Sheriff’s deputy began to follow a car that had made a questionable traffic maneuver, checked the car’s license plate and learned it had been reported stolen in Orange County, said Sheriff’s Capt. Stephen Wade.
When the deputy tried to stop the motorist, the car sped off on Las Posas and accelerated up to 80 mph, Wade said.
With deputies in pursuit, the fleeing motorist began to drive erratically. The driver turned off his headlights, drove on the wrong side of the road and at one point jumped a sidewalk, Wade said.
Deputies tried unsuccessfully to block the motorist in near Las Posas Road and Ponderosa Road, and the chase was called off after about five minutes because of safety concerns, Wade said.
Earlier, a deputy who was on his way to assist with the pursuit was involved in a traffic collision with a motorist who was not involved in the chase, Wade said. The deputy suffered a broken hand, and the other motorist was not injured, said the captain.
Moments after the pursuit was called off, deputies who were patrolling an area near Mission Oaks Boulevard and Adolfo Road saw the stolen car careen through an intersection and crash into a fire hydrant, Wade said.
The driver got out and ran, and the deputies caught up and arrested him, Wade said.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries he sustained in the crash, Wade said. The man remained in the hospital this morning, and the extend of his injuries were unclear.
The suspect remained unidentified this morning.

I think I like my telling better - I guess it was more exciting for me than same-old-same-old for the reporters :)

I was sad to hear the officer was hurt. I asked the other by-standers if everyone was ok and they said everyone had got out and walked away... I hope he recovers quickly.