The Nelson's

Blah

2012-02-05T21:38:00.003-07:00

The Nelson's are sick. All of us are sick, with strep throat.

I haven't had strep since I was a kid and it isn't any more fun as an adult.

A Very Good Start

2012-01-10T19:48:00.021-07:00

So the day before Dan went back to the clinic from Christmas break we decided to go up to Cave Creek for some lunch and hiking. Never did I imagine the hike would be so beautiful. There was water running in the Cave Creek and the saguaro looked amazing!

First we stopped by El Encanto for some lunch.

When we come here Dan and I usually get to have an actual conversation because the kids are distracted by all the wildlife.

Rayce amassed quite the collection of sticks along the way, when I explained to him he couldn't take them all home he decided they were slowing him down.

Haha, maybe Avie wont think I'm so funny when she gets older!

Poor Avie got going a little too fast and fell right into a cactus, Dan spent the next five minutes picking little spines out of her fingers, good thing she's tough!

Only about six more months left in Arizona, we're trying to enjoy every last minute we have here before we begin a new adventure.

Christmas

2011-12-26T19:51:00.008-07:00

For the first time in three years we decided to stay home for Christmas and not go to Utah to be with family. I was worried Christmas wouldn't be the same, and it definitely was not. But all of us agreed it was the best Christmas we've had together!

Christmas eve, the kids are all in their new pj's that Grandma sent.

Daddy read The Night Before Christmas even though Danielle was protesting she had to get to bed so as to not cross the big jolly man in the bright red suit.

Danielle gave us fair warning that she was going to wake us up early...but I wasn't anticipating 5 am!

We made them go back to bed but could only hold them off until 6, so we headed down stairs and sure enough Santa came.

The one thing Danielle was really counting on was a violin so she could start her lessons and Santa did not disappoint.

Rayce in an over-sized cardboard pirate ship.

Christmas breakfast to be followed by church and a whole day of no where to go, pure heaven...although we did miss our families.

And what does a family do after an amazing Christmas?

They enjoy the beautiful weather, together! Merry Christmas!

Double Digits

2011-12-19T13:37:00.007-07:00

My sweet Danielle turned ten on December 12th!

Here she is at 4 years old which seemed like yesterday.

Now all grown up at her dance recital!

And posing for a picture with Santa (Avie opted out).

And eating with her volleyball team after their last game, go Royals!

Whew, beside turning ten she's had a busy month, we love you Danielle, welcome to the double digits!

The Biggest Boy

2011-12-04T13:11:00.011-07:00

On December 3rd, 2006 after a short labor we welcomed a happy, content baby Rayce into our family and he's been nothing short of an awesome kid!!!

Now that five years have gone by I can say with surety that he's pretty much the same personality as he was as a small baby, happy!

He was always smiling!

And was lucky enough to have a sister that adored him! (still does most of the time).

He loves to ride his motorcycle

He loved his birthday cake and the attempt by a loving mother to make it (she's a cake amateur!)

He loved all the new birthday gifts he received including a new big boy bike! He couldn't wait to change out of his church clothes to ride it!

We love our Rayce!

Deck the Halls

2011-12-01T13:00:00.008-07:00

We got our Christmas decor up this year with relative ease. Only one sibling fight and one broken bulb! I know I should jump on the shatterproof bulb bandwagon, but I really love glass bulbs.

Usually Dan ends up putting the tree up mostly by himself (because most of the time we start too late at night and all the kids crash out), but we all hung in there this year.

Danielle decided we should have a red, green, silver tree this year. Here's the finished project sans silver ribbon that I went out and bought the next day.
I can only hope the rest of the holiday season goes so smoothly! It gives me a lot of encouragement that I can respond to any of my kids missteps by singing "you better watch out, you better not cry...", if only we had something that possessed this leverage all year long!

Thanksgiving Break

2011-11-27T16:03:00.013-07:00

Good friends, family and weather combined to make this Thanksgiving break one to remember. We crammed an awful lot into two weeks:

Dan and I finally made it to the temple. I won't say how long it's been since we last went (mostly because I can't remember) don't judge.

Dan was able to get many a project done around the house including fixing something or other on his car, in the process breaking something else that now needs to be fixed! Maybe over Christmas break?

We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner in part to a smoked turkey provided by a local BBQ joint, talk about taking the pressure off! I must have been too busy in preparation to take any pictures, but here's our family's grateful chain.

We took our family to the wildlife world zoo just down the road from us. The weather was perfect and surprisingly so were the kids

This bird made itself at home on Dan's head and kept biting his ears!

After some coaxing and a bit of patience Rayce finally got a bird on his arm and then wasn't sure about it. Avie wasn't having any part of it!

Here's my one good picture of Avie Jo, the rest of them looked like this:

She thought most of the animals could of used a good scrubbing!

We had a wonderful break, now back to school and work and looking forward to Christmas break!

Turkey Trotter

2011-11-22T08:21:00.007-07:00

Rayce had a Thanksgiving feast with his pre-school class at the big city park.

I got there right after their turkey trot but I made it in time to watch their cute relay race.

We stayed up a little too late the night before, can you tell?

His teacher taught them all the proper way to set the table before the feast, it was so cute! Then it was time to dig in, Rayce decided he likes pumpkin pie!

V-Ball Diva

2011-11-12T19:43:00.004-07:00

She's small but mighty!

Go Danielle!

The Midwest

2011-11-08T09:12:00.001-07:00

We're moving to Nebraska!!!
Dan just received his orders for his Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency. We'll be moving in August of 2012!

The Candy Round-Up

2011-11-02T21:01:00.009-07:00

Just a few pics from our Halloween this year~

Homemade marshmallows dipped in chocolate, yum!

The three trunk r' treaters

Ninja Rayce

Happy Halloween!

A Weekend in Boston

2011-10-06T15:00:00.022-07:00

Our weekend came and went in a flash, but it was a great trip. Boston is an amazing city! Dan has been touting it since he interviewed there nearly 4 years ago, so I knew we had to make it out there sometime. I wasn't going to get excited this time until we were actually on the plane and I knew there were no hurricanes in sight. It's so nice to spend time without the kids but the older they get, the more I want them to experience these adventures with us, maybe one day we can afford to take all of us!

Making our decent into Boston. Continental had an hour delay with our first flight so we missed our connection from Newark, luckily we were able to get on standby on the next flight in.

The city from our hotel room across the river.

Sitting on the steps of the Harvard library. It's a beautiful campus, although I've never mentally compared IQ's with so many people in my life. It's a bit intimidating knowing everyone around you is much smarter than you!

Look, it's Hawvawd yawd.

Darn it, one of the students must have dropped their book!

Harvard Square

It was refreshing to be able to wear jackets because you were actually chilly and to see trees with no leaves on them!

Walking through the streets of Boson

One thing about Boston is all the old graveyards, I have a morbid fascination with graveyards! Dan thinks it's funny that I could take a considerable amount of time checking out headstones.

Paul Revere's grave

Bunker Hill Monument

Cool, old church in Bunker Hill neighborhood.

If I moved to Boston, I would want to live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood! It's beautiful with it's old brownstones and brick sidewalks and cool shops. I'm sure it comes with a rather hefty price tag as well...but it could happen!

Bundled up and loving it!

Boston Public Garden

It's hard to see everything in a weekend so hopefully we'll get the opportunity to go back sometime.

All She Wants

2011-09-22T09:24:00.002-07:00

So a week or so ago Danielle and I went to Fry's to get a few things for breakfast that morning. As we were walking in the store they had a backyard swing sitting there on clearance. Danielle ran over to it, sat down and immediately started bargaining for it. She pulled out all the stops going so far as saying she didn't want a birthday party this year, she only wanted the swing. So, long story short, we are now the owners of a new swing and as Danielle promised, she will be skipping her friend birthday party this year, although, she's already trying to figure out how to bargain herself back to a birthday party, we'll see what happens in December.

On a Lighter Note

2011-09-04T18:01:00.015-07:00

Before the craziness of this last week took over we had a pretty great weekend in San Diego. Let me first say that Dan and I had been planning for six months to go to Boston this last weekend, but couldn't foresee Hurricane Irene barreling her way up the east coast the day of our departure. After spending a couple of hours on the phone rescheduling our plans there, we decided last minute to go to Sea World (one of the many perks of being with the Air Force is getting in free once a year).

We've had so many pictures at the beach this last year, what can I say, we LOVE the beach and who knows if we'll live this close to it this time next year.

We sat in the "splash zone" for the Shamu show, Rayce and Avie had a few reservations.

We spent the last half day before we went home on Coronado, this is Dans very favorite place in California, if you've ever been there you understand why. It's so quaint, It almost feels like it could still be in the 1950's.

Muscle beach

Sassy beach

A good sort of worn out!

Feeling Grateful

2011-08-31T12:51:00.004-07:00

This morning as Avie woke up she experienced a seizure. She woke with a fever and was laying upstairs with Dan on the couch when she went really rigid and then began convulsing. Dan brought her downstairs to me, she was unresponsive and her face was grey. She wouldn't look at us, wouldn't respond to her name. It was so scary, Danielle was panicked, we all were. Dan took her to the emergency room, while I took the other two to school. At the hospital they determined she had what is called a febrile seizure, this happens when a fever raises too quickly for the body to handle. They did a chest X-ray and also said she may have a touch of pneumonia, poor baby went through a lot this morning, it was so frightening to let my mind for a split second go to the worst case scenario, but now I just feel thankful. Thankful that it wasn't more serious, thankful that Dan was home and is familiar enough with seizures to know what to look for, thankful for competent doctors and nurses, and mostly thankful for my amazing resilient kids who I love more than anything. Our time with them is so short, even if they're completely healthy! They grow so fast and I hope I never take my time with them for granted!

Looking Sharp

2011-08-29T13:02:00.004-07:00

I clearly don't quite yet understand the nature of boys, and this proves it. Rayce puts everything in his pockets; change, rocks, leaves, small toys, big toys, whatever, it all goes in his pockets. It's like Mary Poppins bag, he keeps pulling stuff out!
I know this is the case, but I still never seem to bother checking his pockets before I do his laundry...yes, you can see where this is going. Rayce leaves a blue crayon in his pocket; crayon in the washer not bad; crayon in the dryer...really bad! Most of his church clothes came out tie-dyed a lovely blue color! So I take Rayce to pick out new church clothes and what does he want, a suit?

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with little boy suits (especially when they're on clearance at Kohl's) I just didn't think Rayce was the suit type.

He does look very handsome!

Incidentally, he also tried pop rock candy for the first time...

He was a bit surprised at the capabilities of a simple candy.

Just Stuff

2011-08-16T07:58:00.005-07:00

Look who's a looker in glasses!

Danielle has been telling me for a year now that she couldn't see the board at school, so I finally called and got her an appointment and sure enough her vision isn't that great. Good thing she looks so darn cute in glasses!

Also, yesterday Dan and I celebrated our 11th year wedding anniversary! We went to a place called St. Francis in Phoenix and it was very yummy!

And I just had to throw this in for the Grandparents and Aunts!

Big Kids

2011-08-09T09:10:00.006-07:00

So both Danielle and Rayce started their new school year, Danielle yesterday and Rayce a week ago.

The very cool and very stylish 4th grader!

Boris and Rayce both got spiffy new haircuts!

Now, three days a week it's just Avie and I! She's staying busy maintaining her cuteness...it's not that hard for her!

Maybe a Little Bored?

2011-07-26T17:01:00.005-07:00

Danielle has been struggling lately with end of summer boredom. What do you do when it's 100+ every day. I told her to find something to do, maybe an art project, here's what her and her friend Chase came up with:

Drawing Harry Potter faces on Rayce and Avie, which totally qualifies as an art project.

I vaguely remember in my last post saying something about not being ready for summer to end, I retract that statement.

Our Summer So Far

2011-07-22T12:50:00.015-07:00

Aside from getting a new pet and taking a long vacation, we've had some other adventures this summer! Surprisingly, the heat hasn't bothered us as much this summer, I guess we're finally acclimating...just in time to move. Yes, we've entered into under a year now, the countdown is on!

In a couple of short weeks the kids will head back to school, Danielle to the fourth grade (gulp), and Rayce to his last year of pre-school, and life will become erratic and crazy again in one sense and scheduled and structured in another. I'm not ready for summer to end just yet, we've actually had a great time together, not that I'm surprised they're great kids, I'm just usually ready by this time to push them back out the door to school.

Danielle participated in a volleyball camp this summer and really loved it! I've been waiting for her to find something that she would light up doing and I think volleyball is that for her, doesn't she look so cute in her knee pads?

She also had another dance recital, I wish I got better pictures, she did a fantastic job, and will be continuing this fall.

For the Fourth of July Holiday we trekked it up to Prescott, one of the best kept secrets in Arizona. This place is gorgeous, and they have trees, actual trees!

Did they film Pollyanna here?

Walking around a little festival they had going on, the weather was perfect, overcast, and upper 80's.

Cutie pies

I think the kids thought it worth the two hour drive for the amazingly big sno-cones!

We ended up driving to a nearby lake to check it out, the scenery was beautiful...

...the water quality questionable.

I wasn't getting in the water, but my family didn't see or didn't care what the sign said, neither did Boris!

I'm glad summer isn't quite over yet, they're still some fun to be had!

Boris

2011-06-26T13:26:00.006-07:00

This is Boris. We got Boris from AZ Small Dog Rescue.
Boris is three years old.

Boris is a Bichon Frise-Poodle mix. He is mellow because he is getting over a pneumonia, although I have a sneaking suspicion Boris is mellow in general. He likes to walk, and chew, and fetch his ball, and lay in the allysum bed.

Boris likes Rayce (and Danielle, and Avie Jo sometimes when she pets him softly).

We think Boris is a keeper!

More CA, UT Pics

2011-06-12T21:06:00.015-07:00

A few more pictures from our trip:

We stayed at the Marriott right beside Thanksgiving Point, so Avie and I went over to the petting zoo one day. She developed an affinity for a certain black goat while we were there, until she decided they were smelly and we moved on.

Thanksgiving Point also had an incredible blown glass art exhibit, and the kids were able to make their own blown-glass flowers!

I didn't get there in time with the camera to get some shots of Danielle, but I made it to see our nephew Ben take his turn, pretty cool, if it wasn't so pricey I would of done it to.

Danielle and cousin Atticus at the Thanksgiving Point Deli, Atticus got the ice cream cone known as "The Tower"...I wonder why? PS. He almost polished off the whole thing!

Rayce and cousin Claira

Driving on the beach at Oceano State Park in Cali, it's the only beach in Cali to allow motorized vehicles. Rayce felt the need to remind Dan to not drive into the ocean, repeatedly!

Stopping in Kanab on the way home for a bite to eat and to indulge the kids in a bit of old west culture.

I have no words for this

Rayce thought himself pretty tough posing with his toothpick!

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't get any pictures of our time with our friends the Christensen's in California OR of our nephew Ricky graduating high school! Hopefully they'll forgive me and know we love them and thank them for letting us stay at their home and Ricky...We love you and are so proud, congratulations!!!

13 Days, 2579 Miles

2011-06-05T11:43:00.024-07:00

Now that our time in Arizona is drawing to a close, we keep getting asked where we are going to live? Well, the short answer is "wherever the Air Force sends us." Dan will owe them three years of active duty service when he graduates, but after that we have to figure out where we want to live and set up a dental practice. We had heard some pretty great things about a place in California called San Luis Opisbo (AKA SLO). It's in the heart of wine country right smack between LA and San Fransisco, ten miles or so in from the coast. Because Dan had a couple of weeks off from the clinic we decided to road trip up to SLO and then head to Utah to see our nephew graduate high school. (Never mind that it meant 30+ hrs in the car with a pre-schooler and a toddler and never mind that it costs us around 75 buck a roos to fill up our vehicle!)

One of the many cool vineyards along the way.

We didn't stay in SLO, we stayed on the coast at Pismo Beach about 10 miles away, our hotel had great beach access.

The kids wanted to go as soon as we got in town.

The stairs down were so steep! There was a sign that said "The view isn't going anywhere, watch your step!"

It was a tad bit cool, nevertheless,the kids did a little posing..

...a little frolicking in the ocean...

...and a little sand castle construction.

The next day it was time to go check out San Luis Opisbo and see if it was a place we could see ourselves living.
The verdict was unanimous, we all decided it is definitely a place we could call home. The mild winters and proximity to the ocean don't hurt...just saying.

This is the old mission in the center of town, Danielle thought it felt like a haunted mansion.

The chapel inside the mission.

This place is definitely the antithesis of AZ.

A few other adventures we had along the way:

Rayce loved the ocean, here he is after getting rocked by a giant wave at Morro Bay. Avie spent the rest of the night repeating "Raycey rolled in the ocean".

Here he is the next day after getting sand in his eyes! I know what you're thinking "what kind of mother reaches for her camera instead of comforting her son?", ummm, yep I'm that mother.

Morro Bay, a small but very cool place. That's Morro rock in the back ground.

Avila Beach, an even smaller and even cooler place.

Danielle couldn't get enough!

It feels so odd to be thinking about these life altering decisions, I'm not sure we're mature enough to make these choices! Even if we don't end up in California it was a cool experience and in a weird way it put my mind at ease to know I could like a place as much as we like Sugarhouse. Dan was quick to remind me that we'll be happy wherever we go, 'cause we'll be together...I agree!

Cookie Dough and a Limo

2011-05-08T12:58:00.006-07:00

A couple of times a year, Danielle's school holds various fundraiser's. Well, we usually do not participate (I don't like asking people to buy cookie dough or magazine subscriptions!). Danielle was extremely motivated by this last one because of the incentives of prizes, namely, a limo to take you and a friend to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch. I told her she was on her own on this one, but I did buy a couple of magazine subscriptions to help get the ball rolling. Enter Dan's dental clinic. Dan took the catalog to his dental clinic to see if anyone was interested and oh my! Who knew all these dental students would buy the place out of cookie dough!? Well, long story short Danielle ended up being one of the student's that won a ride in a limo to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch! I reluctantly let her take my camera to capture the event:

Danielle invited her friend Jayda

I think they had a good time!

Sis

2011-04-25T21:45:00.003-07:00

Can't tell me that's not ADORABLE!

The Easter Festivities

2011-04-24T20:48:00.013-07:00

Our family has had a really restful, fun Easter weekend. Aside from a small hiccup that came in the form of a slight fever, (notice Rayce's face is not a happy one in most of the pictures) everything was perfect!
Here's the rundown...

Dan's school holds an Easter egg hunt that is pretty stinking cool, it's a shame we were ten minutes late because we missed the whole thing! Good thing there was enough candy to go around and then some.

Avie didn't make a peep the rest of the time!

By the time this picture was taken the Tylenol was starting to wear off along with Rayce's patience, although he still had enough strength to muster a photo op with the Easter Bunny!

Just an exciting side note: on the way home from the first Easter egg hunt we stopped for lunch where Avie Jo was able to sample her first pizza ever thanks to Picazzo's non-dairy mozzarella! I'll let you judge by the pictures as to whether or not she enjoyed it.

I never thought my soul would be so happy watching one of my children enjoy pizza.

There might have been a part of Danielle secretly elated about Rayce's fever, because he came home and crashed and that left all the Easter egg dyeing responsibilities in her hands.

I love brightly colored Easter eggs

Second hunt, is it faux pas to hunt for eggs in a diaper?

Poor kid, still wasn't feeling too great, but wasn't going to miss the big event.

Danielle spent a good majority of the day questioning me as to whether the Easter bunny is real or not. Man, she's getting big (insert sigh).

Happy Easter!

So Funny

2011-04-14T09:24:00.004-07:00

Some things are just too cute not to share...
So Rayce, Avie and I are walking yesterday to pick up Danielle when Rayce asks me: "Mom, when it gets really hot, do dogs' paws burn when they walk?"
I replied, "I'm not sure Rayce, but that's a good question."
He thought about my answer for a second then said:
"Well, if we get a dog, I'll let him wear my shoes."
So, so funny! He also said a bit later that he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up so he won't have to get married!

That's my boy!

Something's Missing

2011-04-01T18:45:00.004-07:00

Hmmm, this is a new one for me. Three kids and Avie is our first that is flat refusing to keep her diaper on. She's taken it off countless times at home and now two times at the gym. Do you think she's trying to tell us something?

Well, until she's potty trained I need to go and get some duct tape!

The Happiest Place...

2011-03-13T20:04:00.013-07:00

For Dan's spring break we decided to head to Disneyland. My mom and dad came with us, and my brother who is working a couple of hours north of LA met up with us as well.

I suggested we take a picture at the beginning of the day while the adults were all smiling (you can't tell, but we are all smiling).

I think Rayce was fully expecting Lightening McQueen to say hello!

I'm pretty sure Dan and I enjoyed California Adventures more than the kids.

Hunting Beach Pier (lovely, but cold!)

Avie was determined to go and see Minnie Mouse despite the formidable line, but when we got to her Avie was less than impressed.

We'll be back!

Little Lady

2011-03-12T08:49:00.006-07:00

Avie Jo turned two on February 26th!

She was getting all the gifts yet she kept saying "Happy Birthday" to Rayce. Maybe next year she'll fully understand what it means to be the birthday girl. My parents happened to be in town so they celebrated with us. Avie received some dress-ups from Grandma and Grandpa and a baby doll with stroller and a pillow pet from us.

She is a fan of chocolate cupcakes!

Her "pi-whoa" pet.

The fact that Avie Jo turned two is just amazing to me, she is the sassiest twenty-one pound girl around! Yes, I said twenty-one pounds, this little princess weighs as much as a typical one year old! She loves to cuddle, especially with her daddy. She loves all things baby, both dolls and the real kind. She seems to have a favorite color in purple. As far as food goes, getting her to eat is something of an adventure, but when she does eat she prefers pasta, any kind of meat, and she adores her rice milk! Don't bring any candy around her unless you want a fight on your hands, and I know from experience that she's likely to win!

I feel completely blessed by this little girl. I can say that now with surety because for a while I wasn't sure about her at all. She is so different from the other two and I didn't know how react to her. I LOVE this little girl with big attitude and I hope her old soul can learn a thing or two from her parents, or maybe she's here to teach us!

Happy V Day

2011-02-14T20:37:00.003-07:00

Love was in the air today, because apparently we need a designated day to express our love. I'll stop being negative because we had a great Valentine's Day, the kids exchanged Scooby Doo Valentine's cards and coasted through their day on sugar highs (yes, Avie Jo had Sweet Tarts for breakfast, so what!).

This is Danielle's "camcorder" Valentine's receiving box. She did it entirely on her own! Isn't she talented! She had a fun party today at school and came home with a box-full of sweets and cards of sweet nothing's. I remember how fun Valentine's Day was as a kid, picking out a special card for the cute boy in my class. Danielle has repeatedly assured me she has no interest for any boys in her class, and I nod my head and smile, knowing she's lying though her teeth! That's okay, she doesn't need to tell her mom everything, but I'll get it out of her sometime!
Happy Valentine's Day XOXOXO

Not for the Squeamish, Like ME!

2011-02-06T20:52:00.003-07:00

Saturday night it was Rayce verses The Playground Steps in a Battle Royale!

2 stitches later

The steps got lucky this time, next time they'll pay!

The Big Bag

2011-02-04T09:19:00.003-07:00

I know I mentioned that there were no photo's taken of Christmas morning or of any of the kids gifts, but I did take a picture of the unanimously favorite gift of all the kids!
Tah-dah! The huge bean bag chair! No, it is not a love sac, they're ridiculously expensive, but the kids don't know the difference and they LOVE it! They take turns sleeping on it, they watch movies all crammed together on it, they high dive off the couch onto it, they fight over it constantly (big surprise there), even Avie is a fan as you can see!

Tenacious

2011-01-13T21:21:00.005-07:00

So Rayce's training wheels came off tonight on his bike. I think Dan was prepared to give whatever instruction needed, but, Rayce didn't need quite as many as we thought he would.

Actually, he needed none! He took off like a shot!

Is riding in tube socks dangerous, or just unfashionable?

To say that Rayce has always been a little precocious would be a big, fat understatement. Dan and I knew when he started running at nine months of age that we might have our hands full with this busy kid. He's proven us correct so far, I wonder what next he'll tackle with ease?

Not really sure what this is all about, but he's darn cute!

It's a New Year, and it's Cold!

2011-01-11T11:00:00.005-07:00

It's official, I have acclimated to Arizona's climate. It's 60 degrees and I'm freeeezing! Yet, if my family were here they'd be in shorts sitting out back on the patio. At any rate, I still believe I like this better than 115.

So we made it through the Christmas holiday, Santa visited our house and all that, yet I managed to NOT take a single picture of Christmas day and the subsequent week long break after. I've been camera lazy and not particularly wanting to blog either. I'm thankful for our holiday breaks, but I find equally as grateful to get back into normal mundane routines (I'm sure by spring break I'll be blogging about needing a break from normal mundane routines).

I've since jumped back headlong on the wagon to document the coming's and going's of our families every move, though only one event lately I feel the need to bore you with. Avie has reached the pivotal age of...almost two, anyhow for some reason in our family around this age Dan and I both become exhausted of trying to get our kids to sleep through the night in their crib, so our brilliant solution, are you ready...why not put them in a regular bed where they can get in and out to their little heart's content??? Are you as confused by our logic or lack of it as I am? Truthfully I have no idea what possessed me (I say me not us, it was me not Dan) to put Avie in a bed, but anyhow it's done and I don't think we'll be turning back. Here's pictoral evidence of how we're faring so far.

Thank goodness for Danielle, she takes the p.m. shift and I the a.m. Avie's always been a bit on the clingy side and this carries over to even her REM cycles. I can't be sure, but I think she has some sort of radar that goes off the moment there ceases to be a warm body next to her in bed. Maybe we should get a dog, a large dog and put one of my tee shirts on it?

Anywho, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a great 2011!

White Tank Library

2010-12-19T19:29:00.007-07:00

I love libraries! I love hanging out at the library! I love looking around and seeing books and books and more books!
In November we went out to the opening of the new library at the entrance to the White Tank Mountains. Needless to say it was a zoo, so this last week we went back to see what it was like without the crowds.

It is a great library, very peaceful and you can't beat the views!

Danielle got her very first library card and Rayce and Avie spent most of the time playing with the train table.

They also have a pretty cool nature preserve and it's close enough to the White Tanks to do some exploring, as far as libraries go it is pretty amazing!

Ponytail Girl

2010-12-19T19:24:00.003-07:00

Nothing cuter than a baby with a ponytail!

Nine is Great

2010-12-19T19:06:00.005-07:00

Danielle's Birthday was on the 12th of December. I'm sorry to say she's a year away from the double digits. I can't believe my baby is nine years old, she's definitely a keeper! She loves to cook and craft and draw and paint. I wouldn't be surprised a bit if she grows up to be a teacher. She's incredibly sensitive and compassionate, and is a tremendous help with her brother and sister. I'm sure she makes a difference in the lives of all she meets!

For her ninth birthday, Danielle wanted to have an inside-out birthday party. So all of her friends wore their clothes inside-out and backwards.

We played some fun games, like pin-the-donkey-on-the-tail.

Danielle received some great gifts from all her sweet girlfriends!

The Guests with the Birthday Girl!

Life would not be the same without this girl, we love her!!!

Happy Birthday Raycey Boy!

2010-12-07T13:10:00.008-07:00

My sweet son turned four years old on the 3rd of December. He was born on a cold December Sunday shortly after church, and it was love at first sight! He came out head up instead of the preferred head down, so he was a bit beat up for the first couple of days.

He could barely open his eyes they were so swollen!

Rayce wanted a cowboy themed party, so I turned it over to Dan and he played a bunch of fun games with the kids. They roped a horse, had some target practice and an O.K. Corral style show-down.

Dan and Mike showing us the art of the show-down.

The Birthday Boy in all his gifted glory!

Rayce was just about 18 months old when we moved here to Arizona, now he's 4. I have truly enjoyed every moment with this kid, he's a joy!

What a Kid

2010-12-05T20:03:00.009-07:00

Danielle has had a busy month so far. Her dance recital was last week and she was amazing! Her class performed two dances, one jazz and one ballet.

Rayce and Avie loved watching, but Avie kept inching closer and closer...

maybe, Avie is ready for dance as well.

Danielle was also chosen by her school teacher for what is called "character counts". The teachers choose two students from each classroom that they feel demonstrate the six character traits of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Dan and I were able to come and surprise Danielle at her school where she and the other chosen kids were honored in an assembly!

I love this girl, she's the best!

It's a Zoo

2010-12-05T10:34:00.010-07:00

It was another fabulous Thanksgiving this year, a little bit cold to eat outside like last year, but still so much fun with amazing food. We weren't in the mood to hit the stores on black Friday so we decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo instead. All of the animals were cooperating beautifully. The kids had a blast checking out all the cool exhibits and even rode on a smelly camel!

Rayce with cousin Claira

The highlight of Rayce's day! If it wasn't five bucks a pop we would of let him go again and again!

Seeing the Cheetah up close was worth the price of admission for me.

They Come But One Time a Year...

2010-11-23T19:50:00.001-07:00

Pictures

2010-11-05T14:40:00.008-07:00

Tricking but Mostly Treating

2010-10-31T21:01:00.008-07:00

What a fun Halloween we had this year. Danielle was bat girl, Rayce was a cowboy, (although he was trying to figure out a way to fuse ninja, cowboy and pirate into one testosterone filled entity), and Avie Jo was a ladybug. Avie thought Halloween a complete waste of her time until she realized exactly what it entailed and then...well I bet you can guess!

Avie's not sure about this.

Still not interested,

Not quite yet,

Bingo! At this point she's thinking dressing up like a dumb ladybug is fine if it gets a kid a plastic pumpkin full of skittles and smarties!

What a great night and it didn't hurt that the weather was perfect! Happy Halloween!

Avie's Many Napping Spots

2010-10-27T08:01:00.003-07:00

I'm thinking she must have some form of infant narcolepsy. She just kind of drops wherever she is and is out, although she seems to prefer a rug of some sort. It's quite convenient except when I want to vacuum!

Stick Em' Up

2010-10-19T07:42:00.008-07:00

This last Saturday we packed up our posse and headed over to Glendale for the Wild Western Festival. Now maybe it's just because my expectations were in the dirt or maybe I've just been that bored, but, I'm happy to say it was a lot of fun.

There were a couple of shows and every time a volunteer was needed, guess who volunteered...

Dan and Ben decided to not be yellow bellies and to volunteer to stand there holding a piece of crate paper while the guy attempted to snap the paper with a whip (dentists don't really need fingers anyway). Luckily no appendages were lost but I think Rayce was inspired to volunteer for the next demonstration.

Rayce was told his job was to stand there looking cute, at which point he immediately went into his super model smile winning the crowd over. I don't know where this kid came from, but he is a little ham. The cowboy then circled him with the lasso, Rayce thought he was pretty cool and the cowboy gave him a bullet as a souvenir.

Don't worry Avie had a lot of fun also,

She was a little jumpy and irritable with the noise of the gunshots, but she loved the horses! Danielle captured this happy moment on camera.

I can easily say we would go back again, the kids had a great time and although it was still a tad hot, it felt great to get out of the house and be outside.

A Good Thing

2010-10-14T20:00:00.003-07:00

Usually when my kids are quiet it means they're doing something really naughty, but sometimes...

it means they've just worn themselves out!

That's right, that big mess of hair to the right is Avie Jo completely out a top her big Sis. They do love each other and I have the pictorial proof; these moments make my heart happy!

Pretty, Little Pumpkins

2010-10-13T21:18:00.010-07:00

Is October almost halfway over already? This month is flying by! It's still been pretty hot during the day, but the night's have been cooling off which is good, and the mornings are lovely. Now that it's decent weather you will most likely find us on Friday nights watching Dan play soccer.

Maybe even Avie as well

In October we've also been known to do some cookie decorating,

and to also fill our house with lots of pumpkins!

I love everything about pumpkins, even the smell of cut pumpkins. Maybe it has more to do with what comes with pumpkins, cooler weather, the beginning of holiday season, whatever it is I love this time of year!

We also had our family pictures finally taken last weekend (preview to come shortly), but you can view the photographer's blog at http://photosbynatalie.blogspot.com/
It hasn't been that long really, only about 6 years. Better late than never, right?

And the Winner is...

2010-09-24T12:00:00.005-07:00

BASIL!
Seriously, I don't think I could kill this stuff if I wanted to. Now, I just need a good pesto recipe...and for my family to like pesto. If anyone needs any Basil, come on over, I can send you home with a garbage bag full!

It's finally starting to cool down in AZ, well at least in the mornings. I love waking up to cool, crisp air.

I also love waking up to this,

Starts

2010-09-16T07:00:00.008-07:00

We've had a busy month in this house and a lot of new stuff going on here. Danielle started the third grade and is loving it, she also started dance and is loving that too! I love seeing her in her dance outfit. It broke my heart the other day that she didn't want to hold my hand...she's getting so big and full of attitude!

Rayce started preschool this month much to the delight of his mother. I wasn't sad letting him go to preschool like I was with Danielle. He didn't know what to think at first, we had been talking about it for so long but I think he expected it to be like playgroup where he would just play with toys and other kids. He came home kind of confused that first day, but he's enjoying it now and I think it will be so good for him.

I've started teaching gymnastics once a week and two classes at the gym which have definitely taken me out of my comfort zone, but I am getting the hang of it and really starting to enjoy it!

And Avie, has started doing chores! Who says a baby is too young to earn her keep!? Well not quite yet, but she does enjoy playing in the sink.

We're also anxiously awaiting a dip in temperature and some fun holidays to come.

Zzzzzzz

2010-09-07T11:51:00.003-07:00

The past two times I've gotten into the shower, I've come out to find Avie completely out on the rug.

The funny thing is, as a kid I used to do the exact same thing when my mom was showering. There's something soothing about the sounds of the water I guess!

Utah

2010-08-29T11:38:00.012-07:00

Dan had a week off from school so we went to Utah for the week. We hadn't been back since Christmas so we were anxious to see our friends and families. Danielle had already started school so she missed the entire third week! I felt bad about that, but I guess not bad enough to not go. Here's what we did:

On our way up. Dan thinks Avie's pigtails make her look like an Ewok!

The kids picked strawberries and tomatoes out of Grandpa's garden everyday

The kids at The Childrens Museum

Rayce in the Helicopter, this is what he calls his "tough face"!

A slightly less tough Rayce as a turtle...maybe it's a tough turtle?

Cousin Clara and Rayce

Danielle and cousin Atticus

Dinner up Millcreek Canyon
Rayce, Nicholas, Danielle and Emalee

Avie and her friend Bentley

Pool party at the Boyden's

Rayce never actually put the goggles on his eyes, he just wanted to wear them on his head.

Dan and I had our vacation a couple weekends back. We had fun in Utah, but this trip was definitely about the kids, and they had fun! We were all glad to see our wonderful friends and family who we miss so much!

A Few More

2010-08-28T21:15:00.009-07:00

Union Square

Gate into China Town

Our Hotel, The Villa Florence

Sea Cliffs neighborhood

View from Land's End in The Presidio

More Sea Cliffs

More Palace of Fine Arts

10 Crazy, Lovely Years

2010-08-17T06:59:00.022-07:00

Usually anniversaries are not a huge deal to us. We'll go out to dinner and maybe a movie if we feel the kids will be nice. This year was different, we celebrated ten years of marriage. We both wanted to do something special and were also in need of some serious r and r. Dan has been in the clinic the past couple of months and being a stay at home mom, I can always use a little break. So in June I booked us a weekend getaway to San Fransisco, and San Fran did not disappoint! I can only speak for myself here, but it was one of the best times I've ever had! A whole weekend of talking, not counting calories, exploring the city, and hanging out with some great friends. My parents were able to come down and watch the kids, so Dan took Friday off from the clinic and we were there by one. The first day we were there we walked from our Hotel in Union Square to the piers and pretty much ate the whole time. Dan loved sampling a lot of food in China Town, I was a little leery not quite knowing what I was eating, but Dan is a pretty adventurous eater, so if there happened to be a line somewhere he figured it must be because the food was good.

Fisherman's Warf was okay, not nearly as great as I remember it being as a kid, so we moved on to Coit Tower. Five dollars to the top and the views were worth every penny.

View of Coit Tower

View of the top of Coit Tower

View from the top of Coit Tower

View of Transamerica Pyramid from China Town

The Tanner's, The Freedman's and The Nelson's. It was a Harvard Ave. reunion. We all lived on the same street in Salt Lake. So glad we could hang out! Thanks JT for driving us all over.

Some of my favorite pics of the Golden Gate Bridge:

My Best Friend and I.

Averly, Sarah, Me and Leanne.

Palace of Fine Arts and view of the Bay

Sunday, before our flight we caught the ferry over to Sausalito, it was incredible.

San Fran from the ferry.

Sausalito

More Sausalito

More Sausalito

More Sausalito

What a city, so glad we could go!

3rd Grader Alert

2010-08-09T11:36:00.003-07:00

Danielle has been ready for school to start for weeks now. She's been a little bored with summer, we all have! So, I wasn't surprised when I woke up this morning at 6:15 to find her dressed with her lunch already packed...her school doesn't start until 9:00, but she was ready to go!

What an amazing little girl I have, although that's just it, she's not so little anymore. I love you Sissy, I hope you have a great third grade experience!

Yay for Monsoons!

2010-08-02T10:20:00.006-07:00

More rain came our way, and a little hail too! Rayce was a bit unsettled by the "hard rain", especially since we were laying out on our grass when it first started hailing. I haven't seen hail since I was very young so I was a little surprised as well.

Danielle ran out to grab a sample, and then ate it.
We probably sat there for twenty minutes and just watched it out the back door. I remember being absolutely terrified of lightening and thunder as a kid but now I love to hear the rumbling and see the flashes in the sky.

Of course when it stopped hailing the kids felt they needed to go play in the rain, and it took a solid thirty seconds for them to looked like little drowned rats!

Drying off just before she ran back outside!

Flour & Rain

2010-07-29T08:39:00.008-07:00

I think every kid does this at some point

You just have to laugh and grab your camera, and then a broom.

We've also had a little rain, and living in Arizona, any change in weather is a welcome change. The kids and I went outside to play in it.

Some pretty big raindrops

Rain catching

Spinning

Play wrestling, which quickly turned into real fighting.

We love summer rain, I hope we get more!

Stressed?

2010-07-20T20:23:00.007-07:00

Who could resist this face?

Or this one!

How bout this one?

On days that are especially hard I look at pictures of my kids and remind myself that it's okay to have a bad day and I am making a difference in their lives, but man, oh man how I could use a couple hours to myself...and maybe an extra couple hundred bucks to go shopping...ahhh, I'll daydream about it!

Tipsy

2010-07-18T22:03:00.004-07:00

We just can't seem to get Avie off the bottle! Any suggestions?

HAHA, it's root beer, I swear!

Really?

2010-07-18T21:41:00.003-07:00

So apparently The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America has deemed me qualified to teach aerobics.

Whether I am or not has yet to be seen, but I'll keep everyone updated! Wish me luck!

Lil' Rider

2010-07-11T20:59:00.006-07:00

Check out little Danielle on the dirt bike out on the greenbelt by our house! She's much more gutsy than I ever was at that age!

She came in the house completely drenched in sweat and decided that July is far too hot to ride. She'll continue her dirt biking adventures in November!

3 Marvelous Days

2010-07-06T15:07:00.012-07:00

We just got back from California for the long weekend and we had a ball! We we're able to catch up with some friends we haven't seen for a while and enjoy temps lower than 110.

Dan and his best bud Steve at the Santa Monica Pier. Some interesting people made their way to the pier that day, I won't elaborate, but let's say I did a lot of explaining to the kids.

Logan, Haley, Mandy, Danielle & Myself at the pier.

This was probably the highlight of the trip for me. Anyone who is an architecture fan is more than likely familiar with Greene and Greene. Well this is the Gamble House by Greene and Greene in Pasadena. Dan and I were super excited to find it, especially since we weren't actually looking for it, we just kinda ran into it. If it looks familiar, it's because it was Doc's house in the movie Back to the Future. So impressive both in picture, but especially in person!

The kids got a little cold during the fireworks, so they packed into the back of the MDX. From where we were parked we could see at least four fireworks shows going on, pretty cool.

Coral Beach Cantina in Malibu, some really yummy Mexican food. Best mole I've ever had! I know I post about food a lot, but, I'm not going to stop.

The Reel Inn in Santa Monica, it's right on the Pacific Coast Highway. I'm not a huge fan of seafood, but this place converted me! It was so fresh! If only I could make a living as a restaurant critic.

Leo Carillo Beach in Malibu

What did Avie think of her first time at the beach, you ask? We'll she moved off my lap for a couple of minutes, but this was pretty much it! She enjoyed the sand a little and wanted nothing to do with the water. She's a funny kid.

It was a hard to come back to the furnace, but it's always nice to be home. We're enjoying our summer, hope everyone else is as well.

Messy

2010-06-30T20:37:00.003-07:00

Famous last words...
Do you think it's okay to let Avie feed herself spaghetti?

That meal didn't stand a chance!

Dry?

2010-06-28T07:42:00.005-07:00

Now, I can't be sure...

...but I don't think my bean plant is going to make it!

I guess we'll have to eat tomatoes instead.

Yum

2010-06-25T08:52:00.004-07:00

I know some kids that like watermelon!

A lot!

PS, Rayce has a nice little shiner right now. Danielle says she's innocent...I'm highly suspect.

Going and Gone

2010-06-23T15:21:00.003-07:00

Shots are no fun!

Back in Business

2010-06-21T14:54:00.010-07:00

I was finally able to purchase a new camera! It's so nice for my blogging, and for the two people out there that actually read it.
So to catch up on the past month or so:

Dan is officially in his third year of Dental School! (I know, it's flown by) They start seeing patients in another week! Yay, and congrats on all his hard work!

Danielle is officially out of the second grade and considering entering the third grade at some point.

Avie's skin is looking better all the time, she's still a hand full, no doubt that will not change.

Rayce is now sporting a seasonally induced buzz cut, he's a cute boy with or without hair.

Our garden is actually starting to produce some produce.

So, we took off this last weekend to go to St. George, Utah. It was a much needed break, and although it's not exactly cool, it's still "cooler" than good old Arizona. I may be crazy, but I enjoy the road trip part of it all. Dan and I are actually able to talk and for the most part the kids do okay. We stayed with Dan's sister and just had a great time. Our niece Claira, celebrated her 4th Birthday while we were there, so we we able to celebrate with her.

On our way. Kinda, anyway, we we're stuck for an hour on the Hoover Dam.

Awesome view though.

Atticus, Danielle, Raycey, and Birthday Girl Claira, at the pool.

And then there's this little cutie!

We also rode motorcycles...

and went for a couple of walks...

and just enjoyed the beautiful Southern Utah scenery!

33

2010-05-12T21:34:00.007-07:00

Happy Birthday to an amazing man!

A devoted, caring...

fun daddy.

An accomplished person.

An all around catch (yowza!).

My best friend!

What Makes a Mother

2010-05-09T08:51:00.012-07:00

It's funny, I'm not sure how often others out there think about their own personal roles as mother, I think about it everyday. This is mostly because I feel like a big giant failure everyday! Not even like a little failure, but like "I should create a therapy fund for my kids" failure. I'm not saying this to garner any sympathy, motherhood for me has been really hard. I realize right now I'm in the "trenches"; my kids are completely dependent on me, and that's not only physically draining but I feel emotionless by the end of the day (poor Dan). I'm also starting to truly understand how hard I am on myself, and as Dan says to cut myself some slack. It just doesn't seem like there's much room for error when it comes to another human being. Am I wrong?

For as much as I do wrong, I spend equal time at my kids bedsides at night apologizing and praying for more patience, understanding, empathy, etc.

Maybe your thinking, she has three kids, shouldn't she have it figured out by now? Okay, first of all I'm a slow learner. Secondly, every time I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, one or more of my kids find a new way to push my buttons, so really they're to blame...right...hmmm...maybe not, but that's my story...

The truth is I love my kids! They're funny, and smart, and sweet! Danielle takes such good care of her siblings, and of me, she's so in tune with everyone's needs! Raycey is so giving, he is such a sweet boy! He's taught me to give without condition. Avie Jo makes me laugh, what an endearing soul! She's strong and feisty! We've affectionately nicknamed her "two feet of terror".
I've been a mom for 8 years and I learn everyday and not just motherly kind of stuff, my kids teach me about everything!

This picture was taken right after I delivered Rayce. I had always wanted to have at least one of my kids completely drug free. It was a great experience, and I love how I look like I'm high on natural labor! I almost look a little crazy.

This was Danielle's first day of kindergarten, not my finest hour! I cried like I would never stop, I embarrassed Danielle and she asked if Dan could take her the next day!

Hawaii

Something about mommies and little boys

4 days before I had Avie Jo. This is one of the only picture's I've ever taken of a bare preggo belly. Truth is I don't like my bare preggo bellies.

One of these days Avie will sleep in her own bed. Hopefully, before preschool comes a 'callin.

At least they're asleep, even if it's in the middle of my laundry.

If I know anything about motherhood, it's because I have the best mother in the world. She was/is, will always be the best example of giving unconditional love. She adores her kids and her grandkids! My mother in law Diane has also been another great example to me and I love her dearly (She's a little camera-shy). I have so many great friends who I get the opportunity to watch parent daily, they inspire me to step up my game and be a better mother and person!

An unknown author once said "The thing about motherhood is usually once you're experienced you're usually unemployed". My thoughts exactly. Isn't motherhood great? Sometimes frustrating but always rewarding whether we feel it in the moment or not. Happy Mother's Day!

A Shout Out

2010-05-07T08:01:00.004-07:00

Dan and I were able to live in Sugarhouse, Utah for 4 years and both go to the University of Utah. We lived about 5 minutes away from the school among quaint pre-war bungalows and mature trees, a vast contrast from our current surroundings. When we first moved to Sugarhouse, Danielle was soon to turn 3 years old, and we knew no one. We've moved 5 times in our 9+ years of marriage and this was the only move that felt like we were moving home. It was effortless. We lived in an 1100 square foot duplex that was built in 1957. It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer (although, not AZ hot). The fireplace didn't heat the place at all. The bathroom was teeny-tiny. The kitchen had original appliances and the ugliest linoleum you've ever seen, and there was no back yard for Danielle to play, but we didn't care. We loved EVERYTHING about the place. It's funny, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances don't necessarily make a place home.

This is a picture of our actual street back in the twenties, our duplex would be built and is located on the far left in this photo. The trees are now taller than the homes. They are now trying to designate the "yalecrest" (as it's known) area as a historical district. The grassy area in the middle is where Danielle would play because we didn't have a back yard.

One of our favorites, The Blue Iguana. Dan and I frequently daydream about all our old regular eating spots. Have I mentioned we like food?

Mostly, I miss my friends. We had some amazing people in our area that we were fortunate to be able to call friends and I miss them. Just wanted to tell them how much they mean to us, by the way, none of them have blogs so they probably won't read this, but just in case, we love you, and miss you.

We moved from Sugarhouse when Danielle was 6, Rayce was 1, and I had just found out we were expecting Avie. A lot has changed in a short time, I thought living here a couple of years would take away this home sick feeling, and it has faded, but I still miss Utah I can't lie. Although, I can say I also really love Arizona and I'm glad we have the opportunity to have these experiences. How else would we know where we want to end up living if we don't experience what's out there? Okay, I'll stop whining now. Thanks for reading my self indulgent rant!

Blessings

2010-04-23T11:37:00.003-07:00

Since the beginning of October, Avie has had recurrent ear infections. It seemed every time we went to the doctor (which was like every week) Avie had another ear infection. So about the fourth infection they decided to send her to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who then recommended to put tubes in Avie's ears. This was back in February, but today was the soonest they could get her in for the procedure.

It felt a bit overkill to go to the hospital for a five minute procedure, but I guess in case anything goes wrong, it's better to be in a hospital. Avie was super agitated because she couldn't have anything to eat or drink this morning, plus waiting around for a couple of hours is hard for an adult not to mention a one year old. Like everything else she's faced in her short life, she was a complete trooper. It's sad to me everything she's been through, but there are kids who go through much worse a things. I'm grateful there was a solution for the problem and that we were able to take advantage of it. God has carried us through this last fourteen months since Avie's been born despite my lack of faith and unwillingness to humble myself and surrender to his care. Maybe one of these days I'll learn what I'm meant to learn from my trials, and hopefully become a better mom in the process. I've felt so much love and support from friends around me, and if that's what has come from the craziness then I'm nothing but grateful for the experiences and difficulties we've had. Much love to everyone, thanks for your friendships!

Diagnosis

2010-04-08T12:33:00.006-07:00

So today was the day that I had been both anticipating and dreading for the past month. Avie had her skin test today to determine if she has any food allergies. Depending on how many foods they're testing for, they mark little dots on the patient's back with a sharpie, and scratch the skin next to the dot with food being tested. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. Avie was tested for 56 foods, so her little back looked like a dot to dot. I wish my camera was taking better pictures, but this was all I could get.

It turns out Avie has allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, soy and milk. I'm a little overwhelmed with it, but so grateful that we have the means and technology to find out. Hopefully we can control her diet enough to bring her some relief. I'm relieved that her peanut allergy isn't severe enough that I have to carry an epi pen around.

So, in other Nelson news...well there's not much going on. We had a great Easter weekend, I wish I had pictures of the Easter egg hunt at the ball field. Rayce had so much fun. The 7 and 8 year olds were a little too aggressive for Danielle, but she was a good sport anyway.

We recently got a sandbox, well I should say Dan built one in the midst of the building frenzy going on over here. It's HUGE! The kids love it, and now the bottom floor of my house is like a beach, so awesome. It forces me to vacuum everyday, and to bathe the kids twice a day, but they're having fun. We didn't want to pay for the sand to fill it up so Dan rented a trailer and we drove out a way on bell and found some great desert sand!

I'm not sure if I can think of anything else I'd rather do on a Saturday, although there is something about manual labor that is greatly satisfying.

And here's a picture of Rayce and Avie that I posted because I love that Rayce is sharing his Popsicle with her...and showing her how to open her mouth to eat it!

Spring

2010-03-28T09:40:00.008-07:00

Until this year I haven't fully appreciated Springtime in Arizona. I think simply because it wasn't what I was used to. Springtime in Arizona is gorgeous! Let's face it, that's why everyone who lives here is able to look past those months when it's too hot to do anything. The desert does have a lot to offer in springtime. We have been outside a ton lately.

The kids have been enjoying riding their bikes

and skateboards

and Avie enjoys watching the kids on their bikes and skateboards, while drinking her milk. We have "fake" grass in our backyard, but we have the nicest, softest real grass in our front yard. It doesn't feel like spring without real grass.

I planted cucumber, strawberry and tomato in the grow boxes, so cross your fingers for me. In the front yard, I planted African Daisies, my favorite!

I have no idea what this tree is called but the purple blossoms smell amazing! We're enjoying springtime here in Arizona, and trying to take advantage of the milder weather before the scorching sun arrives. Even then, there's worse places to live. We love Arizona!

Spring Break Pt. 2

2010-03-12T12:07:00.009-07:00

I'm sad Dan's spring break is over, but we had a good time and now Danielle is going to be having her spring break. A week of keeping an 8 year old entertained! That should be easy?!

We scored tickets to a Royals/Rangers game for a buck each! Yay, for good deals. It also just happened to be an absolutely gorgeous day! We had been wanting to catch a game for a while, so we had a great time, and Avie LOVED the merry go round. The lady who was running it got a tad distracted so she got a long ride. Good thing mommy wasn't on there, she would have been a little green.

I have been wanting to plant a garden since we have moved down here, so Dan decided to take a day to build me some grow boxes. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but they turned out great! They are so big, I don't know if I'll need that big a garden, or more importantly if I'll be able to get anything to grow!

This is a very accurate depiction of the day. Danielle is completely capable with that drill, it's scary. She loves hands-on projects just like her daddy.

Dan made me try the saw and good news, I still have all my fingers. It's intimidating!

The finished product.

Good Read

2010-03-06T21:35:00.003-07:00

This little book has been my favorite thing I have bought for myself in a while. It's written by the same guys that wrote the restaurant guide "Eat This, Not That", but I think this one is even better because it's more practical. Full of interesting facts about food and some great recipes comparable to those found in restaurants, but with less fat, sodium, etc. Love, love it!

Spring Break Pt. 1

2010-03-03T22:05:00.010-07:00

Let me first say that my camera is dying a slow death; so it's casting a pinkish hue with streaks on all my photo's. I guess I know what I am buying with my tax refund!

Spring break so far has been ideal. I'm really not wanting it to end. We decided not to go anywhere for spring break and just hang around here. So we haven't done a lot, but it's been very relaxing and we've gotten a lot done around the house.

We did make it up to Cave Creek to the Out West Art Fest. Art Festivals are always kinda hit or miss. They can be really commercial, or really about the art. We were lucky that this art fest was a pretty good one. We had a great time and the kids didn't break anything, yay!

Danielle is an art lover! She was lucky enough to inherit Dan's art abilities!

For some reason there are always a lot of dogs at art festivals, so Avie was a happy camper, she loves, loves, loves dogs!

I bought a print by an artist named Patricia Wyatt, very cool.

Rayce was just happy to have some pizza and be able to bring his gun!

We were also able to go hike the White Tank Mountains. It was more like a walk, the trail wasn't steep at all, but it turned out to be much more beautiful than I thought it would be. It has been raining so much that everything was so green (well, green by Arizona standard) and there was water flowing in the canyon!

My crappy camera just doesn't do it justice. The saguaro were so dense in some places and it was incredibly green. What a fun day!

Darn camera!

That's a little better.
Rayce didn't care to have his picture taken, not when there was plenty of water to get soaking wet in! Danielle is still mad at us for going without her, too bad her and Dan can't be on spring break at the same time.

1

2010-02-27T19:34:00.004-07:00

It's been quite a year, but we all made it intact to Avie first birthday. She's been a little trooper through all she's dealt with this first year. It looks as though she may have a little more to go through in the near future. She will soon visit with an allergist and also a ear, nose and throat specialist.

We had wanted to have everyone over to our new place and decided Avie's birthday was excuse enough, so we did a barbecue/birthday party.

It was fun and Avie loved her cake that she was actually allowed to eat. I gave her a big piece thinking she wouldn't be able to eat the whole thing.

Think again mom! She devoured it!

I can't imagine our family without this little girl. I love her to pieces. We see more and more of her personality every day. She's a little shy, she's sweet, she's definitely feisty. She loves to play with her brother and sister! She likes to pull all the DVD's out of the cabinet and play with Rayce's cars. She'll babble for a minute or two and then look at you like she wants a response. She's an extremely picky eater, but she loves meat, and that's about it. She loves to be outside, she is becoming less and less of a mama's girl and more and more of a daddy's pal. We love her so much, Happy Birthday Avie!

Love

2010-02-14T18:37:00.005-07:00

I tried to take a sweet Valentine's Day picture of Rayce and Danielle both kissing Avie Jo on the cheeks, this is what I got, enjoy!

Avie is wondering what kind of holiday requires this excessive smothering.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Another Lazy Sunday

2010-02-07T12:28:00.006-07:00

Our church doesn't start until 2 pm, and I have to admit, I kinda like it. We're still not on time, if you can believe it, but Sunday's feel lazy again. I love just hanging around the house with my family on Sunday's. Here are some of the highlights of our morning (don't fall asleep, I know we're pretty boring).

Danielle worked on a craft (until Rayce saw what she was doing and "ruined it").

Avie decided it was high time she caught up on her reading of contemporary economics in America.

Dan looks forward every Sunday to watch his DVR'ed Supercross Races.

Rayce's many activities included destroying anything Danielle was trying to do, and covering himself head to toe in stickers.

And Mom, I just got to sit back and enjoy. After I broke up a few scuffles between Danielle and Rayce. Ahhh, nice morning.

Zoo

2010-02-07T12:19:00.005-07:00

A couple of pictures from our recent excursion to the Phoenix Zoo!

Mommy's favorite, the otter. I could watch him all day!

The biggest draw for Raycey boy was....

the birds and squirrels! He would have been content to chase them and feed them popcorn the whole time. Elephants are boring anyway.

Whose Bed is This?

2010-01-29T21:34:00.004-07:00

Avie is under the misapprehension that my bed is in fact her bed. I've created a monster, that' s the worst part about this situation. I caused it, and I continue to exacerbate it. Why can't I be one of those mom's that let's their kids cry it out for a couple of nights? I chalk it up to laziness. I've chosen the path of least resistance and now I have to deal with it.
She does look awfully cute all curled up there...doesn't she? That is exactly why I am dealing with this in the first place, I'm not tough enough! Well, until I toughen up maybe Avie will continue to allow Dan and I to share her bed!

11 Months

2010-01-26T19:59:00.005-07:00

Avie Jo is 11 months today!

Maybe I haven't mentioned it yet, but this baby is a hand full! She is the epitome of high maintenance. We sure do love her though, she adds so much to this family.

She's the first baby I've had that I don't think will be walking by 1 year. She doesn't seem to have much interest in learning how to walk, plus she just doesn't get put down that much!

Despite, my quest to get her to say "mama" first, she says "dada". She is stubborn, but oh so cuddly. I love this baby!

Fun, Fun, Fun

2010-01-24T22:22:00.007-07:00

The whole family got the flu a couple weekends ago. It was pretty yucky stuff, and very contagious! It didn't take long for it to run through the whole family. So being flu free this last weekend, Dan and I wanted to take the kids to do something fun. We thought that bowling would be something that everyone would enjoy. I made the mistake of not calling the bowling ally ahead of time, so we were unaware it was league night. League night on a Friday! Lame! Rayce was pretty beside himself that we couldn't stay and throw big heavy balls to knock stuff down, so we had to think of something else fast. We settled on going to Peter Piper Pizza to play video games. The kids had a lot of fun!

Rayce was so mesmerized by this game, I don't think he once pulled the trigger!
Now, some parents may think this sort of thing is a giant waste of money...and they would be absolutely correct. These places are the biggest rip off in the history of rip offs. Danielle would play these elaborate looking games where the only required action was pushing one button to determine how many tickets you would win. Dan and I had to hold our tongue's the whole night because the kids were having a blast, and sometimes they're worth wasting a little money on.
So $12.50 later we ended up with a plastic slinky, a pair of vampire teeth and a couple of flavored tootsie rolls! Hey, at least they didn't have a ball pit! Am I the only one that is creeped out by ball pits?

Oh My!

2010-01-24T22:10:00.003-07:00

For those of you that do not reside in Arizona here are a few pictures of what happens here when it rains a bunch. The ground does not absorb water quickly like in other places, so the water just sits on top of the ground. It's a pretty crazy site. It rained for most of last week, and here was the result:

Danielle wanted to go swimming, and she probably could of!

This is the walkway that runs behind our house.

What a nice little pond? No, this is actually a big grassy area by our house. Well, it's usually a big grassy area.

29

2010-01-20T22:13:00.006-07:00

So today was my 29th Birthday. Since I've become a mother, birthday's are not a huge priority. At least not my own birthday. It becomes all about your kids and less about you, which is fine with me. I do have to say it was a great day and my family really made a big deal about it, which made me feel pretty darn special.

Danielle made me breakfast in bed which consisted of two pieces of toast and oj. It was lovely. I came downstairs and Dan had already left for the day, but he left me a single rose, so sweet! What a wonderful family I have. Rayce even said Happy Birthday right before he asked when we would be having cake.

My friend Valerie treated me to a delicious lunch at Chili's, Yum. We also did the whole cake and ice cream thing tonight. I picked out a chocolate cake with Oreo frosting!

My gifts to myself, Gone With the Wind on DVD, and a new yoga mat.

Dan got me this amazing watch! I can't really tell time on it, but isn't fashion supposed to come before function?

Henry

2010-01-04T16:37:00.003-07:00

I thought I should take a few moments to remember our fish Henry who died while we were in Utah. We left him with our neighbor who felt horrible that Henry died in his care, but Henry wasn't looking too hot before we left.

He lived almost two years which is pretty good for a Betta. We got him while Dan was in Boston interviewing. Danielle was missing her dad, so we got a fish. Kinda silly, but Henry was a great fish. He survived two moves and Rayce. Pretty tough fish.
Goodbye Henry, we'll miss you.

The Big Event

2010-01-04T12:12:00.004-07:00

While we were in Utah Dan had the opportunity to Baptize Danielle. It was a snowy day, but so pretty. We decided to have her Baptism in Sugarhouse, in our old Ward. We feel more at home there than anywhere, and if we return to Utah we can't imagine living anywhere else. The Baptism and Confirmation went smoothly. It was a great day and Danielle looked beautiful of course. I wasn't able to take pictures at the church and we didn't have an open house because we left right after to drive home to Arizona. We stopped for breakfast at the Park Cafe and I took a couple of pictures.

Not So Merry

2010-01-04T10:52:00.007-07:00

Right before we left to Utah Avie was put on Amoxicillin for double ear infections. I was hesitant to use it, because Rayce had a horrible allergic reaction to it called Erythema Multiforme. It wasn't your typical allergic rash. It started out looking like hives but progressed to swelling and the "rash" turning into bluish, yellowish, redish welt looking marks all over his poor little body. This is what it looked like:

Well sure enough Avie had the exact same reaction to the medication.

Her brow area was so swollen she looked like Cro Magnon baby. It's one thing to get sick when you are in the comfort of your own home, but it stinks to get sick when your traveling, or to have your kids have an allergic reaction while your traveling. Fortunately for her, her reaction was not nearly as severe as Raycey's. She was still pretty miserable! Next time I think I'll go with my mother instincts.

Just Some More Stuff

2010-01-04T10:20:00.010-07:00

Well it was a Christmas miracle, Danielle found my camera in the car (I thought I had looked everywhere). Unfortunately not in time to capture the great gift frenzy, but I'm just grateful it wasn't lost for good. So now I'm playing blog catch up for the last month. Here are some pictures from her Birthday.

Chloe, Danielle, Maddie and Logan.

Who wants cake and ice cream?

A week before Christmas we were able to go see the Mesa Temple Lights. They were fantastic. We didn't get to go last year and I didn't expect them to be as great as they were.

So beautiful!

Rayce and his friend Brighton.

It was so nice to take a break from the busy season to reflect on what Christmas is supposed to be about. I'm grateful that Christ is a part of our Christmas. Merry Christmas!

Birthday's and More Birthday's

2009-12-23T19:29:00.005-07:00

Aside from the craziness the holidays bring, two out of three of my kids have Birthday's in December. December is turning into quite the pricey month.

On the third of December my Raycey boy turned three years old. I can honestly say I was not to excited when I found out I was having a baby boy, but it was love at first sight. He has been the easiest baby I have had and truly a joy to be around. I love him so much! He is so obstinate and disobedient and he probably gets away with wayyyy more than he should but he is my little buddy! We were going to do a birthday party for Rayce, but I just couldn't seem to get it together. So I got him a giant car balloon and a "Cars" cake and called it good.

Danielle turned eight years old on the twelfth of December and this milestone has come far too soon for me. I feel like she should still be five years old just going to Kindergarten. It's like she skipped six and seven and just went straight for eight. Danielle and I have become great friends over the last couple of years. She is an amazing help with her brother and sister and she's far more responsible at eight than I'll ever be. She's exactly what I imagined having a daughter would be like. I love you Danielle! Danielle wanted to go see "The Princess and the Frog" for her birthday, so I took her and three of her friends to the movie. They were so darling and they loved the movie.

Now on to the really sad news. somewhere between the temple lights and home I managed to lose my camera. That's most of the reason I hadn't blogged yet, I was hoping to find it. So the only pictures I have to post are a few of Raycey's Birthday. Hopefully I can find my camera soon, or maybe Santa will bring me a new one!?

Rayce got a toy motorcycle in case you couldn't tell.

Yummy, delicious, store bought cake!
Maybe one of these Birthdays I'll actually make the cake....probably not!

Just a Bunch of Stuff

2009-11-30T21:40:00.007-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's almost December already. Was I the only one that thought that November just went by so fast? We had a crazy busy month, and an incredibly relaxing break, so sad to see it end!

Danielle had her 2nd grade music program, which was a blast. The kids were so cute, and funny! She made us very proud as always, here she is with friends Maddie and Logan (She makes friends so fast).

The whole Fam, I still can't believe there's five of us!

Avie Jo turned nine months on Thanksgiving. She's doing awesome. Crawling everywhere, can't keep her pants clean. She pulls herself up to stand for a short moment before she demands to be held again. Her personality is a bit more serious than the other two. She wants to be anywhere the kids are hanging out. She LOVES Raycey boy. He can always make her laugh.

This is Avie and her cousin Gavin, my brother and his wife came down for Thanksgiving. Avie liked trying to poke him in the eye. Did I mention he is 5 months younger than Avie Jo? What a tank!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, what a great time we had this year. We decided last Thanksgiving that we wanted to stay home this year. My Mom and Dad wanted to come down to the perfect weather and so did my sister in law Michele and her family. So, we had a full house, but it was such a blast, and how cool is it to have Thanksgiving Dinner outside?!

The kids contributed to our meal...by staying out of the way, here's a baby train. Yeah, we're still playing in boxes. Avie just loved hanging out in that box with the big kids.

My Raycey Boy!

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for. My amazing husband, and kids. Family is where it's at. They're the most important thing, all the other stuff is just stuff!
I love you family!

Awww... The Cabin

2009-11-17T09:22:00.008-07:00

This last weekend we headed up to Pine, AZ, with the Harmon Clan and some other friends from Dental School for a little R and R at the cabin. Everyone else went up Thursday, but Dan had a follow up Dr.'s appointment Friday morning (he had MERSA, and yes he's fine), so we left shortly after. We had an excellent time and are grateful to the Harmon's for an invite, it was a much needed break after finals. I got a few shots while we were up there, but my camera was doing funky things, and I have to admit I spent most of the time staring out the window at the leaves falling! (Oh, the things I took for granted in Utah.) When we left Saturday It was even beginning to snow up there, it did my heart good to see snow. I can't believe I miss it! When we got back home it was thirty degrees warmer than up at pine, hooray for the high country!

My Love and I.

If Avie could talk she would have said
"Hand over the smore!!!"

Is there any resemblance?

101 Things to do With 101 Boxes

2009-11-14T23:00:00.008-07:00

It's been a crazy week or so, we finally got moved in after a few last minute problems with our loan. I guess it wasn't so smooth sailing after all, but we made it and now that Dan is on break we are actually getting things done. The kids are loving all the boxes, it's funny that we spend all this money on toys and they end up playing with boxes! Well, as long as they're entertained I'm not complaining. They have pretty crazy cool imaginations. For instance...

It's a boat (don't touch the grass, there's sharks!)

It's a snazzy garage.

It's an infant tunnel!

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-30T21:17:00.009-07:00

Here are a couple of pics from our ward's Trunk or Treat. The kids had a ball and it was actually a little chilly this year. Last year was still so hot at Halloween! I have to admit that I hate Trunk or Treating. I understand the idea behind it with safety and all, but I still think it's a little lame. I also understand Halloween is not about what parents want to do, unless the parents want to dress their 8 month olds up like adorable kitty cats and take pictures of them all night. Oh right, this is exactly what we did with Avie. Isn't she too adorable?

The girls. Avie finally discovered she had a hood on and decided it needed to come off.

This is the only picture I managed to get of Rayce the whole night, but when there's candy involved who has time for pictures?

Again, does it get any cuter than this?!

Friends Danielle and Hailey

New House

2009-10-28T15:47:00.007-07:00

Okay, so the rumors are true, we have bought a home in Surprise. Surprise! I think most everyone already knew, and we weren't really trying to keep it a secret. We were just trying to be a little discreet until we closed. Well, we signed the papers today and we're expecting to get the keys sometime on Friday.

I've always heard how stressful it is to buy a home, and there were stress filled moments, but overall it went pretty smoothly. I didn't expect to be able to buy a home while Dan was still in school, but I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to do it. Here are a couple of pictures of our new place:

8 Months

2009-10-26T19:14:00.005-07:00

Another month has gone by faster than I can keep up with. Avie is eight months today, and poor thing is having a heck of a time with her two top teeth. It doesn't help that she also has a little cold. Oh, the plights of the teething infant. Some cruise right along and don't miss a beat like Rayce, and then there was Danielle who I thought was dying while she was teething. Avie, is somewhere right in the middle. She's pretty miserable, but it could be a lot worse.

Here she is building a pillow fort with Rayce and Danielle. Can you believe an 8 month old is already building forts? Okay, she's not exactly there yet, but she wishes she was. What a goer.
The older Avie gets the feistier she gets, which I thought I wouldn't mind, but she's quite the demanding little thing. She definitely likes to be held...all day long. Still doesn't want a thing to do with the swing, bumbo most of the time, and now refuses to sit in her bouncer. What is a mom to do other than give up on laundry and all other household chores. Notice I haven't volunteered my house for playgroup at all. In spite of some very frustrating nights, I can't imagine our family without Avie Jo!

I thought I'd throw in some pictures of Danielle decorating her store bought cookie Halloween house. Note to self and all others, if you buy a cookie house from the store, don't expect it to be in tact by the time you get home. Danielle didn't seem to mind at all, and she did a fantastic job! For Christmas I may get a little ambitious and actually try a homemade gingerbread house.

A Pirate's Prayer

2009-10-22T13:29:00.003-07:00

Raycey boy insisted on putting on his pirate costume this morning. This was before I got up, so Dan put it on him and I woke up to YARRR! He was in character for most of the morning. He even decided to give the breakfast prayer in his pirate dialect.

It was one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I wish I could have recorded it. I was trying not to be irreverent during his prayer, but when he's saying things like "YARRR! Bless our family!" I couldn't keep it in. Good thing it was a short prayer. I wonder if God gets as good a laugh out of our kids as we do?

It's a plate. It's a chalkboard.

2009-10-21T13:04:00.004-07:00

So my Relief Society does a craft night every month, and this month we did chalkboard plates to display in the kitchen to write menu's or notes on. They turned out pretty cute, and cheap!

It was pretty easy to do, even for me. I don't proclaim to have a crafty bone in my body.

Movie Night (Under the Stars)

2009-10-19T19:07:00.005-07:00

This last Friday Danielle's PTSA hosted a movie night under the stars, so Dan reluctantly skipped soccer and we packed up our blankets and pillows and were off to the basketball courts at Copper Creek Elementary. It was actually a lot of fun and we hadn't seen Monsters Vs. Aliens yet so Rayce was completely transfixed for the whole movie.

An active Avie and a very tired Daddy!

Danielle is already too cool to sit with her family, here she is with her cute girlfriends Natalie, Nicole and Mia.

No, I don't know why Rayce is shirtless, he's usually missing at least one article of clothing.

Antics

2009-10-19T19:00:00.003-07:00

Usually when Danielle and Rayce are quiet it means they are doing something they're not supposed to do. So when it got quiet the other day I crept in to see what they were doing. The picture won't do it justice.

Danielle and Raycey were rocking out to "Celebrate good times, come on". Avie was their captive audience. They are quickly becoming the three amigos. Well, mostly Danielle and Rayce play and Avie just wants to be wherever they are. Funny kiddos!