SCATTER SUNSHINE

Last month, we had the chance to go to Disneyland for a week. It was so much fun. The kids were SOOO excited and honestly, the parents were too. We needed a family vacation and we sure made the most of it! My parents were with us the first few days and Jayson's parents came the last few days, so it really was all about family. Given the chance, we would go again in a heartbeat. Smoochie was especially excited! She didn't remember going last time and was so excited to meet a princess! Turns out her favorite ride is the Matterhorn or as our kids call it, "The Scooby-Doo Ride." (They think the ice monster is from one of the Scooby Movies.) She did cry the first time we rode it, but we immediately rode it again and as we unbuckled her she looked up and said, "I do it again!" She never stopped saying it. Even during the fireworks on Friday night, she and I were in line for the Matterhorn. Honey and Bobo rode Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Screamin' O...

So I left the house this morning at 5:30am in a panic that I was late for my workout. I couldn't understand how I had slept through my alarm. I literally threw on my clothes, brushed my teeth and ran out the door. Turns out it was really 2:30am and I didn't even figure it out until I was pulling out of the driveway. I was laughing so hard that I HAD to wake Jayson up and tell him. I've been giggling about it all day and so now, I thought I'd share it with you. Next time I wake up in the middle of the night, I will rub the sleep from my eyes BEFORE I look at the clock.

OK. I know that our school year started more than a month ago, but I have still needed to post about it. Unfortunately, there are no pictures to go along with this entry. Somehow in the middle of the daily grind, the last thing I am worried about are taking pics. Honey is starting her 3rd Grade Year and Bobo is starting his 1st Grade Year. How did this happen? I still can't believe that this is the beginning of our 3rd year of Homeschooling! So far, its been going really well. We are trying a few new things this year and sticking with a number of things that worked for us last year. I planned the school year by weeks. Each week we have a list of items to complete. This has made it easier for me to prep in advance and has made it simpler for the kids. If they get all of one subject done at the beginning of the week, they don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week. They love being able to make these kinds of decisions and I love it too. What a great way to ...

Well, its true, she was CLIMBING before she was WALKING, but now "Oh Boy!" She is doing BOTH! Pookie started climbing everything over the summer. She used to sneak into the bathroom to play in the toilet (Yuck!), but over the summer she started shutting the toilet lid so she could climb on top of it. Then she would climb the toilet tank to get to the bathroom counter where she would gleefully turn on the sink and play in the water. She climbed to the top of the bunk bed daily until we removed the ladder. She was so busy climbing that I wondered if she would find the time to walk. She is walking now and making big messes as she goes. She is surprisingly light on her feet as I chase her down the hall!

Pookie Turned One!!! 4th of July at the Beach. It was so beautiful and fun! The kids playing in the hot tub at our hotel. The family waiting for fireworks at Huntington Beach. It was freezing cold! And this is how we huddled together to block the wind. The fireworks reflecting on the ocean were totally worth the long wait! Bobo Turns 6!!!

It was Smoochie's first dance recital and she was a little apprehensive at the rehearsal, but by the night of recital, she was ready to go... she danced and danced and danced some more. And surprisingly, for those of you who know her well, there WASN'T any "booty shaking!" As always, Honey danced with beauty and grace! Bobo and Pookie also get a shout-out for sitting quietly for 3 hours of recital.

We usually have a garden every spring, but this year, with encouragement from our Bishop, we stepped it up a knotch. Jayson built 2 more grow boxes and the kids had a blast planting the seeds. We planted tomatoes, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, cilantro, strawberries, lettuce, pumpkins, watermelons, beans, basil and cucumbers. Amazingly enough they all grew. We have had tons of zucchini and squash for weeks and our tomato plants are now covered in red ripe tomatoes. Yummy!

A few months ago, I got the idea I wanted to run a 5k. When I found out about the 1st annual 5k at the Phoenix Zoo, I thought it would be nice to do it with my parents and siblings. They were all sweet enough to let me talk them into it and so we signed up as the team, Cheetahs in Training. Last Saturday was the race and it was a lot of fun. The kids really got into it and Bobo was convinced that he was going to win the race. He ended up getting so winded at 1/2 a mile that Jayson had to stop and make him rest before he could go any further. Jayson was an angel and sacrificed his run to stop and help the kids so that I could meet my goal. I couldn't have done it without you Babe! My goal was... to NOT STOP jogging for the whole 3 miles. And Yeah!!! I did it. I have no idea how long it took me because I forgot to start my timer in the chaos of the beginning, but who cares.... I didn't stop the whole 3 miles! I was so relieved. I think everyone had a nice enough time to commit to...

Bobo's T-ball season has come and gone. He really enjoyed learning about the game of Baseball, practicing hitting, throwing and catching. He especially loved the opportunity to be catcher in one game, because and I quote "that catcher dress-up is awesome!" Who doesn't like wearing full pads and a face mask? His wind-up was always entertaining and with flourish! He had a great team and a wonderful coach. At the end of the season, he enjoyed going to Chase Field with Jayson and running around the D-backs field before a home game. They had a great time watching the game together and came home with Justin Upton BobbleHeads to commemorate it!

Honey has been looking forward to her 8th Birthday for a really long time. She was so excited to get baptized. She was baptized along with 4 other kids from our ward just 3 days after her 8th birthday. She was baptized in the same little shirt and skirt that my sister, cousins and I wore for our own baptisms. She asked Grandpa to give the talk on Baptism. Then, Daddy baptized her and confirmed her a member of the church. She was promised some wonderful things in her blessing. She looked gorgeous in her White Baptism dress sewn by Grandma. She was certainly spoiled with many special keepsakes and with the presence of many friends and family members. What a special day!

Last month Pookie fell off our bed and broke her leg. Yes, I was standing right next to her and no I couldn't catch her before she hit the floor. She cried at first but it wasn't until I noticed that she wasn't pulling herself up on things that I knew something was wrong. I opened the dishwasher to see if she would climb in. When she didn't, we left for urgent care. The doctors thought she was fine because she was cooing and smiling at them. After the x-ray showed a break, they started to believe that something was wrong. She broke her lower leg, above the ankle and growth plate. They wrapped her in a temporary cast for the weekend and by Monday morning she had a bright pink cast with sparkles. By Tuesday morning, she had literally crawled out of it, and in three days, she had been through three casts (including the temporary one). The new cast was quite a bit more bulky and her leg was bent at both the knee and the ankle. It was also quite a bit heavier and really made...

My parents had an extra room at their time-share in Flagstaff. So Jayson took off work and we headed North. It was a lot of fun. Usually when I think of spring break, I imagine some place warm and sunny. It was not warm but tons of fun anyways. We kept the gas fireplace burning constantly and one day even watched out the window as the snow fell. Talk about cozy! Anyhow, we took the kids to the museum of Northern Arizona (which wasn't too exciting for them), to Lowell Observatory where they and our "oldest son" my 21 year old brother (inside joke) got to move the gigantic telescope into position. One day, we took the kids and my parents up to the Grand Canyon. It was awesome! (I had forgotten how Huge--I mean-- Grand it is.) Smoochie was a mess the whole day. She cried in every picture because she hated being on the edge of the canyon. We rode the free bus shuttles up to Hermit's Rest and made a few stops along the way. It was fabulous. The kids probably enjoyed the b...

For two days, Pookie has been clapping. She loves to play Pat-a-Cake and now does it constantly. It is adorable and fun for everyone to watch. What has been less adorable and not as much fun for Mom is how fast she is crawling. What happened to our tiny baby? She has become the human vacuum. She follows Smoochie around the house and puts whatever is dropped in her mouth. Today it was three Polly Pocket shoes, 2 Starburst wrappers and a variety of crackers. Baby-proofing the house is easy enough, but baby-proofing the toddler is another thing entirely. Pookie is on the go and loving her new found freedom.

When Honeybunches went to the dentist in September, he told her that her front tooth was loose. After months of waiting for it to come out, she gave it a twist and a tug on Monday night and Finally, it came out! As an added bonus for Honey, this happened during FHE at Grandma & Grandpa's house and so there were a lot of extra people to show and be excited for her! She loves being dramatic! The other front tooth is really loose now. Maybe she'll lose it by summer?

Yesterday we went to the Riperian Preserve with some friends to study cactus and ended up having a cool encounter with 2 Amazonian Parrots. They were visiting the preserve with their owner who was nice enough to share her birds with us. She told us all about them and even let the kids hold them. It was a real treat. Honeybunches was brave enough to let the parrot sit on her arm. Mom was not!

Lindy was born just a few years after I had totally given up hope of having a sister of my own. When she was a baby, it was like having my own personal “Baby Alive” doll. I dressed her and fed her and yes even occasionally changed her diaper. It was so fun to hold such a cute little baby and I loved that baby very dearly. As Lindy toddled into toddler-hood she became fun in a different sort of way. We would get her to say grown-up things and perform little jokes. This was hilarious because she had no idea what she was saying and why people were laughing but she just ate up the attention. She was our ever cute little girl who did party tricks. When she grew a little older, she became the perfect kid to pal around with. When I ran errands for Mom, Lindy came as my buddy. At the time we had an 11-seater van and while I drove, she insisted on sitting in the very back seat. One memorable occasion, she thought it would be fun to play hide-and-seek. Before I knew what had happened, both my ey...

Today Honeybunches' dance class started back up again after the Christmas Break. After I finished giving a piano lesson, I told all 3 of the kids to hurry and go get ready. Honey quickly came back wearing her leotard and was ready to go. Bobo (shock-shock) had no desire to quit playing toys and go to dance class, and he needed some additional "motherly encouragement" to get going. As I was dealing with this situation, Smoochie came around the corner. She was decked out in her hand-me-down leotard. She had tights on (sort of) and shoes. Boy was she ever ready to go! Since she loves to watch the girls in the class dance and I was impressed with the initiative she took to get ready, I didn't tell her to change back into her regular clothes. We all usually follow Honey to her class and watch and wait for her outside the classroom door. This time, Smoochie followed Honey right into the classroom and put her shoes in the corner like all the rest of the girls. When Honey tri...