April 2011-crafty ideas!

I finally finished the Christmas stockings project I started with Megan in January! I thought it was about time our family had names on our stockings:). Kylie helped me buy the material and get names embroidered and mom helped me measure and cut the names out. All that was left was for me was to hand sew each name to each stocking (and that was a lot for me) but it is finally done now!!!




Then Mamo and grandpa brought us this cutest picture puzZle they made just for our family with 6 different pictures for our kids to piece together with blocks. Carter and McKinley love it and won't leave it alone:). Thanks mom!


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April 2011--crazy California weather!

After their volleyball game one Saturday, Madison and Kelsey begged their older sisters to come play sand volleyball at the park. It was a gorgeous day! Then not a day or two later we had hail stones so large and thick, it looked like snow in California!!





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April 2011-tennis lessons with Dad!

Once Chris got home, the kids talked him into playing family tennis at the park. Kennidy and Madison are really starting to pick it up:)



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April 2011-spring break trip to san Diego!

Chris had a 'work trip' to golf at pelican hill in Newport Beach for a few days, so my friend Heather and I piled all our kids in the car and drove down to San Diego for a mini vacation! First we stopped at the GliderPort in Torrey Pines to watch amateurs and professionals alike run right off the ocean cliffs headed into the wind holding onto these things=INSANE!



Then we headed down to La Jolla to walk the tide pools and see the seal sanctuaries right on the beach--amazing!







We even saw a mother seal nursing her baby!






The kids would say their favorite part was swimming at the hotel and playing the wii in our two rooms! (Just dance ll is our favorite since aunt Kylie taught it to us in Utah at uncle Eric's house!). It's always a party with 8 kids and two crazy moms:).


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March 2011-Spring Break Monkeys in the tree!

One of my favorite things is watching all four of our kids play together in the backyard on weekends or summer days. It reminds me of when I was a kid and would build forts and roam all over my grandparents' farm with my little brothers!


The kids all love to do crafts/art projects together too. It's fun to find new things they haven't tried before like orbeez and bendaroos, and aqua sand--but nothing beats good old fashioned color crayons on paper:). Madison created this work of art for my dad who is a bird expert! It has unique relevance since we found a little bird nest in our backyard while grandpa was here!!


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March 2011-Newport Harbor cruising!

Doesn't chris look good behind the wheel of a boat? :). Someday maybe...Another favorite groupon activity of mine was renting two little putt-putt boats for half price and seeing the sites from inside Newport Harbor! Dad and Mom took Kennidy and Madison in their boat and later even let them drive!! Chris and I also found our dream home....

















We've had abnormally warm weather so the fish have come into shore earlier in season and so we got quite a show walking balboa pier later! We even saw two seals!



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March 2011-Wedding bells are ringing!

How exciting that my brother Loren found the love of his life Nikki and my darling cousin Brianne said yes to her sweet boyfriend Josh! How CRAZY that they both chose the same day to marry--July 9th!











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March 2011-Mamo & Grandpa come visit!

It was their week off at the Medford Temple so we flew mom and dad down to see the girls in their Peter Pan performance and come play with us! We saw Madison and Kennidy at their jog-a-thon turned dance-a-thon!


Then Mamo and Grandpa treated McKinley and I to a mani/pedi at the nail salon. McKinley at three years old is already an expert (not sure if that's a good thing:).



Then we shopped 'till Grandpa dropped' at the mall with Carter and little McKinley (who loved every minute of it of course).







And we went on a fun adventure to the corvette diner in San Diego and a little golden spoon after.




I used my new favorite app called Groupon to book us a hot double date with discount tickets to a 'Pirate Dinner and show'.



(only sad part was Carter got sick and 'tossed his cookies' on the carpet while we were gone and our cute sitter Brooke was in charge and then the next day McKinley came down with the croup! Hasn't been our best month health-wise, Kennidy had Strep throat twice during the final weeks of the school play!)



And Mamo & Grandpa got to help our girls with Spirit Dress Up days at school all week! These were Hillbilly Day and Madison chose to wear Grandpa's old fire chief shirt for occupation day!






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March 2011-Carter finishes his first basketball season!

Carter and his basketball coach, he was awarded 'most drives to the hoop'! He looked forward to each game all week long asking every morning "mom, is it Saturday today yet?". So cute!


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March 2011-Another excuse for the moms to party!

For April's birthday a bunch of us moms grabbed a sandwich for lunch and then took our little ones to open gym. Thanks April for another fun way to spend our busy mom days:).



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March 2011-McKinley's first cavity!

Just like her big sister Kennidy, McKinley had a mouth full of cavities after her first x-rays At the dentist (even though we've been taking her to the dentist since she was 18 mos and we brushed and flossed her every night!). The miracle came when we were able to skip the general anesthesia we had to do with Kennidy and we did McKinley's cavities with only nitrous in the dentist office one week after she turned three!! I practiced with her every night-holding her mouth open for a long time while I told her I was 'scraping off the sugar bugs', and I prayed... A lot:). Doesn't this look so sad, but if course she got a reward when she was done!



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March 2011-Peter Pan Play Season ends!

Everyone has been asking what's kept us so busy these past three months. Would u believe it if I told you it was an elementary school play? Yes so crazy but we have given many volunteer hours so that Kennidy and Madison could perform in Peter Pan--as a pirate named Starkey and a mermaid respectively! They had practice every day after school and on Saturday's in the month of march and at least three to four times a week in Feb and Jan. And they loved it! We were so excited once again this year to celebrate the performances with close friends and family! This was Mamo and Grandpa's third year flying out for the play and Kennidy's last year and Madison's first year in the play. What memories--Kennidy on stage with her pirate sword and British accent and Madison in her handmade mermaid gown and beautiful sparkly makeup! Carter even got to dress up as Captain Hook the last night to help hand out programs! What a show!