California 2016

We have definitely gotten our summer off to a bang!  Life has been so just perfect lately!  That sounds smug or something, but I've really been enjoying our summer!  My parents came into town just before school got out and so we spent some time with them here in AZ.  Here's a silly picture of Owen's lunch one day... goofball!

The whole time they were visiting we were secretly getting ready to go to California with the whole family!  We hadn't told the kids though so we were being sneaky.  We decided not to tell them until we were in the car ready to go!  I can't find the video of the reveal, but it was more shock than excitement.  They were confused and shocked, then they got excited!

We had the BEST trip to California!  My parents paid for our whole family to stay in a house walking distance from Disneyland, and it was amazing!  It wasn't a huge house, and we had a lot of people, but there was room for us all to sleep and to party!  And there was a pool and a hot tub and a ping pong table so everyone's happy!  I just can't say enough about how much fun we had.  There was a lot of walking and family time, so perfect!  I don't have all of the pictures but I can't figure out technology right now!  It's probably for the best since I can't narrow them down, they all bring back memories!  So here's a few!  We did Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days, we also did Seaworld, and Legoland, and a church/rest day, and a beach day!  We packed as much into 7 days as we could!  

Also Brenna's birthday was spent at Disneyland for the very first time!  This is a quilt my mom made for her, which she loves!  And it's super cute!  

We loved getting to know our cousins better!

There was lots of Rook in the evenings, just how I like it!  And tell me this wouldn't have been the perfect Nello hand... the middle had no counters either... ahh lost opportunities!  

I'm pretty proud of this picture.. I waited for like 15 minutes for the bear to walk back by!

I have to say that Seaworld was one of my favorite days... we just had so much fun the whole time!  Mason loves ocean animals so I got a little choked up watching him get to see them all in real life.. the whole vacation gave me many emotional parent moments as the kids saw magical things!

Man, Jeremy just loves carousels.. couldn't get him off of them at every single park!  (or it could be the runts next to him I guess)

Like good parents we took all of our kids who were tall enough (Owen included) on the Tower of Terror.. This picture makes me laugh because of how cuddled into Brock Mason is.  

I could go on and on, and I probably should, but for now I'll leave it at we had such a great time and we loved being with family and spending all of this time with the ones we love!  Thanks again mom and dad and everyone for coming!  We loved it!

CFP

This guy!  This is a little late, but I want it to be documented!  He got his CFP (certified financial planner) certificate this spring.  He worked very hard while working full time to take the 6 classes  he had to take and pass (which he did with flying colors each time) and then study hard for a comprehensive final that takes 6 hours.  He was a little nervous going in since it'd been 2 years since he'd taken some of these classes, but I knew he'd rock it, and he did!  He then had to wait 5 weeks to know if he passed or not.  They don't tell you your score or by how much you passed, but I know he killed it!  It's a difficult designation to get and I couldn't be more proud of my CFP!  Good job Jeremy!

Brenna's Baptism

We had a very special day in our family on June 4th.  We got home from a California vacation on the 3rd, then on the 4th, Brenna got baptized!  We are so proud of her for doing it, and it was a special day with a special spirit there.  It was our first kid to get baptized so it was new for us too.  She was lucky enough to have a bunch of family able to come, even lots from Canada, so that was special.  We missed a few though and we felt their absence also.  Here are a few pictures I took of her a couple of weeks before her baptism.  My sister got some better ones with her camera, but these I snapped on my phone.  I decided to make her a white dress last minute so I wanted some pictures of it! 

Her smile was getting cheesy, so we tried to not smile too!

This is her on the big day!  Before she got in her jumper.  She was nervous about everyone watching her, and tired of all of the pictures, but so pretty!

She didn't want everyone to see her in her jumper, but I think she looked just perfect! 

Jeremy's suit was a little short (of coarse) so he was bending!  

*almost* all of the family who were able to come!  Thanks for making her day extra special!

She had her Grandpa Smith give the talk on the Holy Ghost.  Another little girl named Shayden Scelzo got baptized on the same day so her family did the talk on baptism.  It was a very nice program and I felt the spirit as we went through it all. Her comments after include being scared of everyone watching her, and that mommy shouldn't have forgotten a towel (we had to wait for Shay to be done being baptized then for her to get dried off then ask to borrow her towel!) and that it felt good.  She is proud of her new scriptures, and fancy scripture bag and the pretty baptism jewelry she has, and also she's very proud of the blankets she got and the towel from the primary.  

We also enjoyed having a few families over afterwards along with some or our family!  The Dilworth's, the Skidmores, and the Thomas's came over after to help us celebrate and we had a lot of fun!  It's been a whirlwind, but a good one!  Loving the memories!

inside jokes!

I've been thinking that I should record some more of the smaller things that go on around here!  And there's a funny story that I want to remember in the future... incase the kids ever let me forget it!

This boy... a few months ago I was trying to see if he could sing on key... I had tried with Brenna in the past with only a little success, so I thought I'd just test him.  So I was sitting at the piano, playing keys and seeing if he could tell when he was singing the same ones.  But he was not cooperative.  He was being a goofball and trying to run away.  So I told him that he didn't need to sing a song or la la if he didn't want but that he could sing anything he wants.  He didn't perk up so I said, "Mason, you can sing anything!  Instead of la la, you can sing poop poop poop for every note." Well, let me tell you, he thought that was absolutely the funniest thing he'd ever heard, mommy singing poop over and over.  He laughed so hard, and soon we were both laughing uncontrollably.  Then he actually sang a bunch of songs, using poop poop poop and laughing along.  (turns out he's not tone deaf, so that's good!)

So since this happened every so often, and usually when I'm trying to be serious or I'm frustrated, Mason will just come up behind me and start singing poop poop poop until I can't hold a straight face anymore.  I think it's cute that we have a little inside joke, even if it is annoying to have him ruining my stern mom moments!

When in doubt, to make a boy laugh, since about poop!

Turning 30!

I just have to say that I have a superstar husband who made turning 30 seem like walk in the park!  It was not exactly something I was looking forward to, but it was a great day that definitely eased the discomfort of getting old!  I don't have many pictures of the day, but I have to say that my friends and family went the extra mile to make my day special!  As an adult I don't plan on birthdays being as big of a deal as they once were, but this was my best one yet!  

Earlier in the week I got a girls night with my sister-in-laws, which is always fun!  Everyone needs a good girls night!  Then on Friday (my birthday) my friends Wendy and Olivia convinced me to go running with them at 5:30 AM.  I used to go with them twice a week every week, but I haven't been in a few months, and I resisted because I didn't think I could do it anymore.  BUT I went to burn off some future birthday calories.  We did a 3 mile run and I survived (barely) and then they kidnapped me!  Really, they blindfolded me and kidnapped me!  They took me to kneaders for an early morning breakfast!  I was very surprised!  They are such good friends!

I went to park day after when the kids were all up and ready and got another nice surprise of another friend who had made a pie for me!  I had told her a month or two ago that her pie was DELICIOUS!  And she remembered and saved that tidbit for my birthday!  

After the park my sister Karli came over and brought lunch and a gift!  I am already getting so spoiled!  And it turns out Karli definitely should have made an excuse to skip lunch because she had a lot going on that day!

So Jeremy and I met Suzanne out for dinner at Raising Canes (which I'd been wanting to try).  We then drove home to drop off the kids and Suzanne (she was going to babysit).  So I knew about this much and I knew there was something going on after, but I didn't know what.  Then when we went inside, SURPRISE!!  Jeremy had arranged for Karli to come decorate and unlock the door while we were out for dinner and his brothers and their wives, Karli and Brock, and Sherry and Abe to all come over!  There was cake and everything!  I thought that was the end then and that we were going to stay in a play, BUT then Jeremy had everyone get in their cars and we took off! (minus the kids and Suzanne who stayed home).  He surprised me by taking all of us to the Escape Room out in Anthem.  SO MUCH FUN!  I would do it again in a heartbeat!  We had an hour to try and escape this room filled with locks and clues.  I had such a good time and it was something I'd been wanting to try.

The next day I even got to go out for pedicures with Sherry (another great friend!)

and have a game night too!  It was a full, fun weekend!

Sometimes it's easy as an adult and a stay at home mom to feel lonely, unappreciated, or isolated.  I was lucky enough to be reminded  that I have some great friends, and a loving husband and family.  Thanks to everyone for making it a special day!  I felt loved!

After the surprise!

Waiting for our escape room to open!

After.  We DID make it out, it was just like 1 second after the time ran out!  Literally!  But I really had the best time!  What a fun date night, and a good group to do it with!  Thanks again guys!  And a big thanks to Jeremy for being so thoughtful and putting it all together!

I don't know why these pictures look so weird, but that's what I've got!  Apparently 30 isn't bad, it's pretty fun!

Spring break!

We had a fun, busy spring break around here!  We didn't go on any trips or anything, but we decided to make use of these pogo passes we bought a while ago that get us into different fun places around the valley.  We had a lot of fun!  Not everything worked out just how we planned, but I think that the kids still thought it was awesome!

Just before spring break I had my first relief society activity since I've been the 2nd councilor, and I thought everything turned out very cute and fun!  (not thanks to me, my committee rocks!)  It was a county fair themed party and we played speed friendshipping.  

Anyway, onto the spring break fun!  Our first stop on Monday morning was a place called the Play Factory.  It wasn't exactly what we thought it would be, but I'd go back!  Except for one VERY rude employee who sort of ruined it, the kids had fun trying all the stuff!  

Mason has been dying to try a climbing wall as he is our monkey who will climb anything he can!  He did pretty good!  But he did get nervous when he got up that high!  Brenna got just about as high too!  We went with the Dillworths too so the kids had buddies to play with!

Sooner or later they all realized there was a tv with the disney channel playing, and free video game playing and so we left sooner than planned since they get enough of that other times!  As we were leaving the Easter Bunny was making his way to his chair for pictures, and we happened to cross paths!  So he let us all do hugs and pictures right before taking his place in front of the long line of paying customers.  Talk about good timing!  Not that I've ever thought about getting my kids pictures with the Easter bunny before!  

That night I got to go to Sylvia's house to watch the Bachelorette finale with the girls since Jeremy needed to study (more on that later!)  The other picture is when jeremy got home from basketball the next night and found me sound asleep with my light on and book opened... Guess I was tired!  Also this is Sylvia's new puppy and he's soooo cute!  

 

Ok these are just random, pictures of Sadie, she's such a ham for the camera now and I can't resist!

Tuesday was supposed to be a stay home, catch up on chores/homework, relaxing day.... it was not my favorite spring break day!  We did mostly stay home, but Sadie was grumpy, and took a short nap then was even more grumpy!  So it was hard to get things done, and the kids were wanting to be entertained a lot.  I had my visiting teachers come, and I tried ordering groceries online for drive-by pick up for the first time to avoid taking the kids to the store, but it was a hard day for all of us home bodies!  So I decided to not have anymore days with plans like that!  haha

We went to pump it up the next day!  We went at 10 (because I checked and double checked online and they said that open jump started then but they lied!!) and we met all our AZ cousins there and were told it's booked for birthday parties till 2!  LAME!  So instead we went to the park nearby.  We went home for lunch after that and then after naps we came back for a 4pm jump session.  Can I just say... SO FUN!  I loved it as much as the kids I think!  I was up and down the slides, and through the obstacle courses with Sadie, and racing my nieces and kids for two hours straight!  I thought it was so fun!  And it sure got some energy out of the kids!  I got almost no pictures since I was busy!  But I guess that's ok!  

After that we had a couple cousins over for a sleepover which, of coarse, made the girls so happy!

Thursday was St. Patricks day!  We had green milk and green pancakes.  My nieces quickly drew green clovers on themselves to stop my pinches since they hadn't brought green clothes!   When Mason got dressed I yelled up that he should try and find something with green on it for St. Patrick's day.  I laughed out loud when he came down wearing this!  He thought he was pretty funny too!  

We took everyone to the park after the girls made a treasure hunt for the littles.  It's getting pretty warm here so I didn't know if the park was a good idea, but it turned out someone came to do a ladybug release right then and set free hundreds of ladybugs and that kept the kids pretty entertained!

Thursday afternoon we did our major chore for the week which was going through everyone's drawers and switching out the too small clothes and getting that all organized.  Brenna was the only one excited about this task!  But we did it and it kept us occupied, so win win!

Friday morning is our ward play group, so we headed back to the park (for the 3rd or 4th time this week, all on around 90 degree days!)  I snapped this picture because I thought Mason and his buddy Britton looked so grown up walking together, hands in pockets making plans for later that day!  Funny boys!

We had originally planned to do another pogo pass thing this day but it sort of fell through so instead we met some cousins at McDonalds for lunch with a play place... seriously these kids got spoiled!  We went home, had naps, then Mason's buddy came for a quick play date... Meanwhile...this was the day that Jeremy had his big test that he's been studying for.  He took his 6 hour CFP exam, which has been 2.5 years of cumulative work from Jeremy.  We are so proud of him and although we won't know for 4 weeks if he passed, I have complete confidence that he did!  He worked so hard and we are so proud!  He had been spending all of his free time studying lately, so we decided to celebrate that night with a babysitter and a night out!  It's fun to double with family too!

The finale to our spring break was a day with daddy home and free all Saturday.  We got some thing done,then we had to go get some signs up to find new renters so we took the family, did some work there then headed to Chick Fil A for dinner since we had some gift cards kicking around!  They all traded their books in for ice cream cones instead too!  Spoiled!

I definitely did not think I was in this picture... not sure what my face is doing! 

These goobers better not think this is how life always is!  haha but I had fun doing some things we wouldn't normally do, and keeping the kids off their bums as much as possible!  Mason still fit in more than his share of Mario time, he also got ahead on his reading and is doing really well on that! Brenna seemed to almost always have a playmate nearby, and we all had a good time!  Monday we are back to the grind!  The kids now can't wait for summer!!!