Just the Lighting

Today was just another ordinary day.  I have absolutely nothing to say about it. But the lighting is this picture....Arizona can be beautiful!

Her Favorite Person

She loves her dad! This almost made me cry. I don't know how Papi does it.  Leaving has got to be harder than staying behind alone with five kids.

 



"Water Mommy, Water"

She is truly my water baby, pointing out the water every where we go.

 

She doesn't smile much but in a pool she doesn't stop grinning.  Even the freezing cold, and chattering teeth won't stop her from enjoying the water.

Plane Tired

After dropping Papi off at the airport late at night we got home and DJ flew himself on to the couch.  Is this what they call just "plane tired"?

I Have No Idea

 

I don't know but she sure is a funny cutie!

Big Day

It's here!  The day she has been counting down to since January. 

It's her baptism day!

I don't think I've ever seen anyone more excited.

Papi had to make a special trip back from the Dominican Republic just so he could baptize his beautiful eight year old daughter.

All of our AZ family was there to see Isabel's special moment.

 I am so thankful for my sweet baby girl.  From the minute she was baptized I noticed her trying really hard to be better.  That's all He asks of us, to just try and be better.  We don't need to be perfect.  He will make up for our weaknesses if we are trying. So I am proud of you Isabel and so happy for you on your big day!

Baptism Announcement

This is happening soon!  She is counting down the days.  We are super excited!

From Where I Stand

We have 1:30 church this year and I love it!  We get to hang out all morning, eat waffles and relax together as a family.  Sure, it gives the kids time to create and make HUGE messes but from where I stand it couldn't be more perfect.

Halloween

We used to go to the Halloween store and buy new costumes for Trick or Treating every year.  It was fun. Then I decided we had way too many costumes that weren't getting used.  So the past couple of years I've had the kids come up with their own costumes using what we have.  They have a spending limit of $10 for little things that they might want like face paint, or suspenders.  I've loved seeing what they've come up with.  Alexandria was extra crafty this year and found this dress to be Elsa at Goodwill.  There was just one problem.  It was pink! So she brought it home and painted it blue. I was impressed with how well it turned out.  Well done on the costumes kids.  You guys look awesome! 

 

Phoenix Temple

 

We have been so blessed this year in Arizona to have two temples finished and dedicated.  My kids are thinking that this is an everyday thing.

 

Isabel was super excited for the dedication of the Phoenix Temple though.  She missed the Gilbert Temple because she wasn't an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints yet. But she got baptized and confirmed a member just in time to see the dedication of the Phoenix Temple.

 

I wish I could have bottled her energy as we shouted Hosanna. She was literally bouncing up and down with excitement.  Then she turned to me with a huge grin and a twinkle in her eyes and I tried to set that moment in stone.  It was one of those moments you never want to forget.  She was perfect, happy to be a member of Heavenly Father's church and delighting in the spirit of the dedication. Cutest thing ever!

Chop it off

 

This may have been one of the scariest things I have ever done, scarier than a C-section, scarier than getting married, scarier than flying across the pacific ocean with 4 kids under the age of 6 but it had to be done. My hair has been through a lot with two pregnancies in one year.  2012, finally caught up to me.  So I took a deep breath and chopped it off.

 

And you know what I decided? I like it! Why did I not do this earlier? Short hair is sassy! I can do sassy, right?

Watching the Game

I'm just sitting in my little camping chair watching my big brother play a flag football game.  Mommy thought I was cute and snapped this picture.

Still a Kid

Stella is one.  She likes to ride in carts at the grocery store.  She asks for them.  There's just one little issue we encounter.  As soon as she gets in she asks whoever is with us to sit by her.  "Ba, sit!" She'll say.  They always try.  It's a little cramped.  We get a few stares and smiles.  The kids think they're the ones doing the work to keep Stella happy but they don't know how heavy that cart is with them in it! But I'm glad that they don't think they're too old and they'll still be a kid.  Anything for the baby, right?

Grandpa's Guns

Isabel loves her Grandpa! She spends all afternoon over there after school with him often.  He gives her mints, lets her shred the papers, watch movies and teaches her about guns.  She's becoming a little expert.  In fact she probably knows more than the scouts in the house. I'm thankful that she has a Grandpa and that they have a close relationship.  I would have loved to be able to spend time with my Grandpas like this.

The Moon Pool

In the mountains of Midway there's a hill that's not full of dirt but hollow and full of warm water.  It's a natural hot spring that makes your skin silky smooth and I'm sure does something to improve your health as well.  So we decided to take advantage of this Midway bath and soak for an hour or two.  Grandma has memories of going there as a kid when she lived in Heber, another one of my most favorite places on Earth.  There seems to be a few of those and they are mostly in the State of Utah.

See why I love fall and Heber. Don't you just want to lay out on a picnic blanket in that green pasture and soak up the radiant sunbeams and glorious colors that surround you?

In Park City

You've got to love Park City, Utah and all of the creative art sculptures that are roaming the quaint downtown streets.  We admired some of the shops, got kicked out of a few for having too many kids and politely told off store employees for criticizing "the children".

 

Can we talk about fall?  I miss it soooooo much! We hit Utah at the right time this year.  The leaves were just barely changing and it was breathtaking.

Then there's AJ who just has so much super human strength that we are always amazed.

Day at Salt Lake Temple

Back to my favorite square mile of real estate, really I can't get enough of this place.  Alexandria wanted to do baptisms for the dead in the Salt Lake Temple.  That was fun to get to go with her.  I adore the 19th century construction and all the details that went into building this House of the Lord. Gorgeous!

Isabel picked the best place on Earth to have her baptism pictures taken, at the Temple.  What a perfect place for such a monumental occasion!

Bears in Caves

I love taking vacations with Grandma and Grandpa! Grandma always has the best spots to stay and fun things to do.  She even does things with the kids like crawling into this bear's cave!

 

And crawl out laughing at how she was taking pictures of the boys by the bear and didn't want to come out even when some strange kids started poking her legs and telling her to move.  It really was pretty funny.

Then there's the family time that happens on vacations like this moment of DJ showing Stella the world through the third story window.  Adorable!

Conference with my Kids

Look at us! We made it to Salt Lake with LDS Conference Tickets in hand.  I was probably more excited than they were to take them to conference in the Conference Center.  This little square mile of real estate is one of my most favorite places on Earth.  The spirit here is beautiful as are the buildings and the landscaping.  We have a pretty fun tradition having conference at home but seeing it in person was marvelous.  Only one complaint, they wanted to be closer.  One day guys, one day.

Piano Practice

At night, after my kids are in bed is usually the only time I have to sit down and fumble over the ivories on the piano. Isabel came in and requested the song, "When I Am Baptised". A few songs later a paper airplane came soaring in from the hallway with a request from "anymouse" a.k.a. DJ. I was happy to fulfill his request too. 

I always wished I had a beautiful voice to serenade my kids to sleep with sweet lullabies. But singing is not my strong point. While I'm not a great piano player either I'm thankful to my parents who gave me lessons and a piano so that I can comfort my children at night by playing testimony building songs for them as they slip into dream land. 

Conditioner Anyone?

 

Everything goes on her head. Conditioner? Straight to her hair. Oil? Why not on her hair? Lotion? Gel? Glue? You guessed it! On her hair! Maybe she's looking for the magic potion that will make her hair grow.  Or maybe because of all the stuff she's put on her hair it's not growing. She's almost two and still has very little hair.  Oh well, it keeps her looking like a baby a little longer.  And we love that!

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

I thought we lived in a desert. But apparently it's a desert that floods once every 30 years. We took a swim in Candlelight Lake and rode canoes in the dog park. It rained for 6 hours straight. Schools were cancelled and because we slept in that day and my kids missed the bus I kept them home to enjoy the floods. I was convinced it was the right thing to do when on the way to trying to get them to school we were diverted through a river and cars were covered to the door handles. I was afraid if I took them to school I wouldn't be able to get them back home. So we enjoyed the "day off" and played in the rain.

Yodel

Wow! Disneyland really is magical. We've had this bird since August but it has refused to let AJ or anyone really hold him until we walked in the door from Disneyland. Now he's AJ's best friend and doesn't want to leave his shoulder. AJ is in heaven!!