The Buhrley Family

Sept-Womens Celebration

2012-01-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

My awesome friend Lindsie always has the best ideas. I am so glad she invited Eliza and I to do the Womens Celebration 5k with her and her daughter Ava. This is the 3rd year they have done it together and I hope to make it a tradition with my girls as well. There were thousands of woman, old and young and it was amazing to be a part of it all! I was so proud of the girls for walking the entire way! Eliza was so sweet to help Ava stay positive and motivated.

Eliza's Tae Kwon Do Advancement Test

2012-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Back in July my daughter informed me that she wanted to take Karate instead of Dance. So we decided to give it a try and found a really great place by our house. She has taken it so seriously and LOVES it! I am so proud of her for always trying hard in whatever she is doing at the time. It didnt take long for her to advance to recieve her yellow belt. She was very focused and dedicated to accomplish it. She was nervous but did super great!

We were so happy that Grandma and Grandpa Buhrley could make it to it. It added a little extra specialness to the event. We went out to dinner after to celebrate! We love it when they come into town!

JULY-Summer days!

2011-11-19T15:24:00.000-08:00

Oh man! How am I ever going to get caught up. The task seems so daunting that everytime I sit down and try to begin I get overwhelmed and fall asleep! I am determined to at least try. I am not even sure how many people check this blog anymore, but it helps with the mothers guilt of not scrapbooking. Plus, we've done so many fun things this summer I can't wait to post about them! So here are a few random pictures from our summer days in July. They were mostly filled with lots visitors (which we loved!) that I will do seperate posts for, but I will start with these for now.

Eliza loves all God's creatures! Really...even flies! She loves to catch them and make habitats for them.

Lemonade Stands!

Kite flying with Dad!

Park Days

And many trips to the swimming pool. We have 2 pools in our subdivision that we love to put to good use! The kids have both become great swimmers which made a fun summer!

JUNE-Davy Benefit

2011-11-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

My pictures don't even do justice for how amazing this night turned out. If you haven't already, please visit Ruth's blog post about the benefit. Her pictures give more of a feel about how the night went. I guess mine are more of the behind the scenes, or the set up. During the actual event I felt like I was running around like a crazy person. I didn't even get a chance to sit down and eat. (And from what I heard, the food was amazing!)

Jordan, Me and Heather decorating away! Heather and I (and Christy from afar) were in charge of the decorations. It all came together so well and was so fun to do!

My Aunts are so amazing! They all helped the day before w setting up, decorating, making flower arrangements, and s up the whole auction! They really added to the whole experience. Their excitement was contagious!

Nikki, cute and pregnant!

Outside there were tables set up for a silent auction, a raffle and a boutique. This was really fun and got everyone mingling and having a good time! I was in awe at all the items that were donated. There were some great things I wish I would have won! There was also a Live Auction, a performance by The Neighbors, Calee Schoeder, and

Brooke White.

Its hard to describe all the incredible things that happened to make this night possible. This special little girl has touched so many lives and it was apparent this night that belonged to her. Countless hours went in to plan this event and it showed by the nights success! I am so happy that I was able to attend and be apart of the event. Thanks to all those that made donations. I know who you are and I am touched by your generosity for a little girl you dont even know.

JUNE - Fathers and Sons campout

2011-10-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Oh How I love Fathers and Sons Campouts! I love seeing what "menu" Matt comes up with, and I love it when he doesnt bring any utensils so their plate is a cutting board, their bowl is a hot chocolate mug and they cut their steaks with a pocket knife. I love that Porter didn't change his outfit the whole time they were there, I love seeing how dirty they both are when they get home and I love hearing how much fun they had doing "boy stuff"!

JUNE-Porters Birthday Party

2011-10-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time for Porter's 5th Birthday. We planned a quick birthday party and invited 5 friends! This party turned out so cute, was so easy, cheap and best of all....Porter absolutely LOVED IT!

We called it a "NO GIRLS ALLOWED" party. When I thought of things to do I wanted the boys to have the reaction of..."Woa, this is so cool!". Let's just say I was not dissapointed with the excitement they all had!

We started off by glueing foam volcanoes together. They each had their own bottle of glue and I told them they could use as much as they want. NO RULES!!!

Then they hunted in the backyard for the Dinosaurs I had buried in the sand box and hid in the back planter! This was awesome cause it gave me time to set up for each experiment.

Then, of course we had to make Green slime! This was by far the coolest. The boys took their glue bottles and we mixed it with borax, warm water and green food coloring and squished it with our hands! THEY LOVED IT!!! Not sure if it was cause it was so cool or because it made farting noises when they squished it! They made sure to let me know this about a million times and rolled with laughter each time it happened. Gotta love boys!

Then we headed out front to make Diet Coke geisers. Each boy had their own bottle of diet coke and package of mentos. When we added the mentos to their bottles, the diet coke geisered out the top! Every time was just as exciting as the first. They thought it was so amazing that they each got their own bottle!

We also had fun with "Pop-its"! They each got their own box and went to town!

Dry ice in their cups of sprite was cool but they were also a little freaked out by it and no one would drink it. They just stared at it and asked lots of questions!

I made a Volcano Cake with everything I already had. Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and yellow and red frosting for the Lava. The best part was being able to let Porter frost it the way he thought would look cool! After the cake and icecream and opening presents I let them run around out back with squirt guns and super soakers! It was really hot, so they had a blast doing this!

We sent each boy home with a goody bag that came together so well! It was super fun and super cheap. Plus their Volcanos they made and green slime! This was by far my favorite party I have ever thrown for my kids. Mostly because it was easy but even more because Porter had such a good time!

JUNE - Getting Caught Up

2011-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

We had a CRAZY busy month in June so I have so many posts to catch up on. Let's see how long it takes me! Here is the first of many posts for June....

CHEER CLUB!

This was the cutest little group that Eliza belonged too. Every wednesday a group of the neighbor girls would meet and have a cheer club. One of the girls was the instructor and taught them all different cheers. Eliza LOVED it! It was just about the cutest thing to watch them take it so serious and hear them practicing the cheers over and over. Aspen, the instructor held a BBQ for all the families where the girls could perform their cheers. We ordered pompoms and skirts for the girls and they thought it was the best.

MAY....GETTING CAUGHT UP!

2011-08-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to get up to date on this blog. With knowing that to be physically impossible, I am going to start with the events in May and work my way to the present. I am going to title each post by the month so then I can try and GET CAUGHT UP! (not even sure anyone checks this anymore but I do want to print it as our family scrapbook one day!)

Meridian Fun Run!

Our City has a yearly fun run to encourage families and kids to get out and exercise. Eliza and I had been looking forward to this for several weeks. We ordered shirts and registered right away. She even wanted to "practice" with me in the mornings. Eliza's little cousin Gracie wanted to come too at the last minute and I am glad she did. She was a little trooper the whole time and tried to encourage little miss grumpy pants Eliza when she kept trying to give up! But overall we had a good time and it was a good experience.

SOCCER!

Porter loved soccer! He was a little timid at first but by the end of the season he scored a total of 7 goals and didn't let us forget his running tally! He was super excited about his very first trophy that even had his name on it!

I decided to Coach Eliza's soccer team this season. It was a good experience and we had a ton of fun together. I was so proud of her that she was willing to try each position and did so well at each of them! She did loved being the goalie and forward the most. She scored quite a few goals which made it a great first season!

No videos of her playing soccer. Since I was the coach that meant there wasn't anyone to video. Where was the Dad?

THE BROWN REUNION
Every 2 years on my moms side of the family we have a big family reunion. It isn't always held at the same place each time. This year we were excited that it was going to be at what used to be our old family ranch. We used to have reunions here when I was little and then the family that owned it decided to turn it into a big rental campground called The Ponderosa. Its just above Zions National Park close to St. George, UT. It was so much fun there! They had cabins, mini golf, a huge pool, zip line, playground set, and more.

The first day we got there it rained which was kind of a bummer at first, but then the kids made the most of it and played in the mud!

We met up with Heather and James and drove together since we both live in Idaho! It was so much fun to visit with them and have the majority of the time to catch up. They don't have kids yet so its fun that they love to spoil our kids with attention, love and even gifts!

My Dad brought his quads and everyone loved riding them! Especially Eliza! She thought she was little miss thing riding that around.

The next few videos are the best! They had a Barn dance one night that the kids just loved! Who knew my kids were such dancers. They grooved it all night! Especially Porter! That little guy has got some moves. It was super cute to watch.

Just don't worry about my little awkward breakdown in this next video. I loved how excited Eliza was to dance to Justin Beiber. Or.... maybe it was me that was excited and I used her as the excuse! It sure was fun to let loose though and I had a blast with my kids!

It was a long drive but so worth it. I love thinking about the memories my kids created, being with my family and seeing people I hadn't seen in years.

---JUNE was a crazy busy month! I have a ton to post about so I will break them up. Stay tuned.........

San Antonio

2011-06-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

During Endo School Matt worked on a Masters Research Project that was chosen to be presented at a conference in San Antonio. Since the school would pay for his way we decided it would be a great opportunity to take a weekend trip. What made it even more enticing...Lou and Jolyn decided to go, which we knew would take it to a whole new level! And let me tell you...it did!
I think it was a little more of a vacation for the girls then the boys! We didn't have to attend any classes, which they did, and.....wanted too? The girls could wake up when we wanted and do whatever we felt like. We shopped, ate, got massages (sort of), saw a few movies and and really just relaxed!

Our Hotel was right across the street from the Alamo. It also happened to be the weekend of their yearly street carnival which is apparantly a huge deal.

One night, as part of the conference they bused us up to a texas ranch and had a yummy BBQ dinner. We were amazed at the scenery and fun atmosphere. They had mechanical bull riding, line dancing with a live band, roping, pool tables and so much more!

There were some incredible Longhorn Cows at the ranch. Jolyn and I thought it would be fun to take pictures by them. Oh man did I underestimate their horns! I looked over and about got one in the ribs. It was a little scary but totally added to the experience.

Then everyone walked over to watch an awesome Rodeo! It was so amazing and we realized it is not a sport we want our boys to try.

Jolyn and I ended the night with some dancing! We couldn't quite talk our husbands into it but I think they had just as much fun watching us make fools of ourselves!

uh....what is that creepy guy doing behind me? Totally caught in action!

I learned alot about the Alamo I had never realized before. Or I guess didn't remember from Elementary school. It was a cool place to visit and we had a really great weekend. My in laws watched all of our kids.... 7 all together! They ran them around to 3 different schools, soccer games and various activities. We really are so lucky!

Team Davy Benefit

2011-05-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

While living in california we lived only blocks away from my brother Scott and his wife Ruth. I grew closer to Ruth in so many ways during our 2 years there. She feels more like a sister then a sister in law. We were so excited when she first announced she was having a baby girl. Her first after 3 boys! After a positive AFP test that their would be complications with their little girl, life became very emotional.

It was a long journey to get Davy to where she is today. Ruth and Scott have fought very hard for her health. I am constantly impressed by their love and strength for their daughter. Davy is now a year old and amazes us all. But she still requires so much care.

Many friends and family that have helped her since the beginning have decided to put their efforts together and throw a benefit for Davy and her sweet parents. I know many of you wont be able to attend but we are asking for any donations people can give. Even if it is just $1 dollar and you passed on the news to all your friends that love Yo Gabba! That would be awesome! I know they would be so grateful and it would personally mean so much to me also.

To Donate or for those of you that can attend the benefit, go to www.teamdavy.org and also check out her blog at ruthschultz.blogspot.com! It is pretty amazing and motivating! Davy has been a fighter and she has blessed my life in so many ways. I couldn't imagine our family without her.

I am flying out for the benefit so if any of you decide to buy a ticket and come, I will see you there!

Easter Sunday

2011-05-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny wrote the kids a note telling them thanks for the treats they left and that he hid all their eggs and candy! He also left them each an Easter tree in their rooms to help them count down for Easter next year. They are suppose to put it out the month before and add an egg each day.

We had a really nice Easter. It was Stake conference for us which I was kind of dreading. 2 hours of church with the kids didn't sound like fun. But it actually turned out great! My kids behaved and I was even able to listen! We had dinner with our friends the McDaniels and then ended the night with a golden Easter Egg hunt. We hid 2 silver eggs and 2 gold eggs that each had money in it. The kids were thrilled since they are each trying to raise money for new bikes!

Grantham Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

We have some great friends that have thrown a neighborhood Easter egg hunt the saturday before Easter for the past 5 years. We were sad we had to miss out on 2 of them while we were living in california but really looked forward to it this year. My kids had such a fun time. We feel so lucky to live on a fun street with lots of kids and really good neighbors.

My sister Christy and her girls made this dress and matching bow for Lily. It was the perfect easter outfit!

I think Lily picked up a total of 2 eggs. She was so cute when she would get one she wanted to make sure their was really something inside. She would shake it and if she didn't hear anything, she would open it, check and then close it and move on! It was fun to watch her be so excite about it!

Porter was on a mission! He was climbing trees and trash cans determined to find those hard to reach places!

The older kids went to the front yard first and filled their baskets with eggs while the younger kids went in the backyard. We didn't realize that the ratio for eggs per kid would not equal out to be somewhat fair by doing it this way. Some of the younger kids were pretty sad they only got a few once they saw the older kids had baskets filled with eggs. Eliza and many of the older kids were so sweet to share their eggs and candy to make them happy. (plus this meant less candy that would be brought home for me to eat!)

18 months!

2011-04-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

I think its about time for another Lily update! Especially since its such a major milestone! 18 months.....1 1/2 years old. HOLY COW!!! How did this happen?

A few fun things about Lily:

1. She is finally in Nursery! Matt is probably most excited about this since he was the one wrestling her for 2 hours during church while I lead the music in primary. She has done pretty well so far!

2. She makes a really cute clicking noise with her tongue when she wants a drink. I am not sure why she started doing this. She used to just say "wa-wa" or make the sign for drink but now has decided this is the way to ask for a drink.

3. I love how when she wakes up from her nap or in the morning Porter and Eliza love to open her door and climb in the crib with her. Its not always all 3, but Lily just loves it when they do. Sometimes they will bring in books or toys and it buys me a few more minutes!

4. Lily LOVES to be outside. If she is awake, she wants to be outside! Usually it is the front yard and she stands by my front windows wishing she could go out. Luckily we have a nice big backyard that keeps her happy most of the time. She loves to dig in the sandbox or chase biscuit around the yard.

5. She LOVES biscuit! She gets him out of his kennel in the morning and just smothers him with loves and kisses. The best part is biscuit loves her too! Its pretty sweet.

6. She has discovered baby dolls and loves to rock and sing them to sleep, feed them a bottle, and push them around in a stroller.

7. She loves books! The funny part is that she is picky about which ones she likes. She prefers certain ones at bedtime and pushes some away when we try to introduce new ones!

It's hard to see her grow up so fast but we love seeing the new things she is learning and doing. We just love her so much and think she is pretty cute!

Sledding

2011-03-06T22:19:00.000-08:00

This winter we have had so much fun sledding in all the snow. Maybe its cause we missed it so much while we lived in California? Its fun to see how at the beginning of the season Eliza was a little timid. But by the end she loves it and is cruising on her own going over bumps and getting some serious air!

Polar Express

2011-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

This year we were excited to go with a few other families on the Polar Express. We had a great time and it was fun to help us get ready for christmas which at the time was only a few days away. We took an hour and a half train ride up the mountains to the North Pole and then walked around Santa's village, listened to Carolers, had cookies and milk, sat by the fire to warm up and visited with Santa on his sleigh!

The Cromar Family! These are our neighbors and good friends. We are happy to back living next to them! We also went with the Smarts, the McDaniels, and the Smiths, but apparently we weren't cool enough to get in any pictures with them.

It was nice to enjoy it with Porter and Eliza. Matt had to work and we left Lily home with some friends so we could enjoy it just a little more!

We had such a great time! I only wished I would have gotten a few more pictures. Like a picture of the whole group that came, or a picture of Porter having his 5 minute session with Santa. It was pretty cute. He must have just been at the right place at the right time cause Santa saw him and sat right down next to him and asked him tons of questions like they were old pals. Porter was in complete heaven. At every other party we had been to where there was a santa he kept saying "thats not the real santa mom!". But this time he really was the real deal! English accent and all!

Porter's Performances

2011-02-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

One day before Christmas I was in the kitchen and heard Porter playing around on our keyboard in the front room. All of a sudden I realized he was trying to figure out a song I had taught him in primary a few weeks earlier. I didn't think he was even listening when I was teaching it. So I asked him to sing it and was amazed that he knew EVERY SINGLE WORD. That kid...seriously! Most of the time he just sits there during singingtime and won't sing. So the first video is of him singing the song. Its pretty cute and makes me so happy when I hear it!

Then I this video below is of him trying to figure it out on the piano. You can kind of hear how he is listening to whether or not the note is right that comes next!

Harmony Preschool Christmas Performance

I didn't get the greatest pictures but I wanted to make sure and post about Porter's Christmas Performance because it was so stinkin cute. It was one of those proud mom moments. He looked so cute all dressed up and sat right in front singing his little heart out! We were excited that my SIL Jolyn and my neice Gracie could be there too. It made Porter feel so special that they came. They had it in a conference room at a hotel and I was so amazed out how well done it was. The kids really learned so many songs and I just love the preschool because they teach the kids alot about music.

I kind of love when Porter does this with his tongue. This is his shy face. He does this whenever he gets nervous or shy. I kind of DON'T love this when I am trying to take his pictures!

I included this picture because this is the reason I dont have any good photos. This huge tall guy sat in the very front row. No matter where I stood or sat, his head was in the way. I was more then dissapointed!

Nativity

2011-02-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

One sunday night back in December we had dinner at Lou and Jolyn's and afterwards the kids did the Nativity. It was super cute especially because they had complete costumes! My SIL Pepper made them and gave them to Jolyn one year for christmas, complete with a Narrative book. It was perfect and the kids had so much fun with it. Lily was too big and too wiggly to fit in the basket to be baby Jesus. So we decided she would be a cute little lamb! She was the highlight of the night!

Roller Skating

2011-02-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

So while we were in Utah visiting we stumbled upon a skating rink and had such a blast. We went there thinking it was a fun center and were a little dissapointed at first. Then we decided to make the best of it and seriously...it was so amazing! I felt like a kid again and my kids were such troopers. I was so stoked that they didnt give up. They would fall but keep getting up and trying. Porter had gotten a Razor scooter for Christmas so he was stoked he could use it at the rink. Plus, it was cool because they allowed you to push a stroller while you skated which meant lily had a great time too!

Cute Cousins! Ainsley and Eliza are a year apart and just love eachother!

I cannot believe how much Xoe and Xanthe have grown. They are so cute and fashionable and love to play fun games with my kids. They are so patient and helpful and I was so happy we could spend time with them.

Christy, Nan, Me and Nans SIL Karene.

You better believe I was struttin my stuff!

Road trip To Utah

2011-01-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

After Christmas we drove down to Utah and spent a few days there. My Sister Christy and her family were visiting from Germany. Eliza was ecstatic that she was finally going to get to see her cousins Xoe and Xanthe. We were so excited that my Sister Nanette and her family also decided to drive up that same week. We had to make the drive down even if it was just for a few days. It was definitely worth it

Salt Lake Temple Lights

Before we met up with my family we decided to stop by the Salt Lake Temple and look at the lights. We haven't done this since Matt and I were very first married. It was such a spiritual night and I am so happy we decided to do this at the last minute.

My kids were loving all the lights and the little Nativity that told the story of the birth of our Savior. Then we walked through the visitors center. They had these huge pictures of different scripture stories. I was completely amazed by how well Porter knew each story. Some better then me! That kid sure has a great memory and I think a sensitivity to the spirit. He asks me some pretty deep questions sometimes I don't really know how to explain to a 4 year old so that he understands.

-I will post the next few posts of pictures from our weekend with my family. We sure had a great time and we all wished we could have stayed longer!!-

Lily 14 and 15 months

2011-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Oh how this sweet little girl has touched our hearts! She really brings such a deep happiness to us all. She can soften my kids when they are grumpy and fighting and she can help remind them to do what is right so they can be a good example to her. We love that about her along with so many other things!

She has grown so much these past two months. She started walking right before she turned 14 months and we love watching her toddle around the house with a big smile on her face. Lily is definitely into more things but is also better at entertaining herself and finding her own toys!

She has been talking so much and saying so many new words. It seems each time she says a new one we all are so surprised and think its the cutest thing! She loves the attention and repeats the word with a big crinkled nose smile so we will all clap and cheer. Some of her more recent words are grandpa, cracker, popcorn, milk, Eliza (sounds more like Yiya), Porter (porpor), and puppy.

My other 2 kids have all had bone straight hair. But this little girlie has got some curls!

A little of our Christmas

2011-01-10T22:36:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas. We felt like we were able to enjoy the entire season. We tried to focus on the important things about this holiday and simplify things as much as we could. We spent Christmas over in Idaho Falls with Matt's parents. Needless to say, we had a incredible time!

Christmas Eve

Making sugar cookies with Grandpa! A definite Buhrley Tradition!

Opening the traditional Christmas jammies from Grandma and Grandpa Schultz!

Checking to see how far away Santa is so the kids could rush off to bed. When I was laying by Porter that night he was tossing and turning and rolling around in his covers. I was starting to get frustrated and then he stopped and said "mom, how do I get snuggled in my bed? Santa told me he wouldn't come until I was snuggled up tight in my bed!"

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!

Eliza's favorite gift this year was from her cousins Rocky and Piper. Her press on nails! I am not even kidding. This gift out won the video barbie or easy bake oven that she asked for. She was super excited and wanted to wear them all day long!

Porters favorite gift this year was his batman cave. It provided hours of entertainment and we usually could find him sitting here whistling away!

Lily loved it all! She loved to unwrap the presents and steal the other kids candy! She got a different baby doll from each set of grandparents. It was pretty cute that she knew to rock the baby and give it a bottle!

It was a magical holiday and we were sad when it came to an end. Porter asked me the other day when I was going to put the Christmas tree back up! My kids were at a fun age to make the holiday a memorable one!

Eliza's Award Ceremony

2010-12-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

We were so proud of Eliza that she was given an award at her school for COOPERATION! Matt and I were both able to be there and our hearts grew with pride. They said some neat things about the kids receiving this award. They talked about how these kids follow the school rules, listen to their teachers, aides and principle and make good choices that reflect in their behavior. Way to go Eliza!

Eastern Idaho

2010-12-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back we drove over to Eastern Idaho. The kids had a few days off of school so we decided to drive over and visit Matt's parents and also my sister Heather and her husband James. We had such a great time! We were lucky the weather was beautiful and we took full advantage of it. The kids had so much fun playing in the leaves, swinging on the rope swing and helping grandpa clean up his garden!

We were excited that our friend Lindsey from California surprised Heather with a visit the same weekend. We loved spending time with her too!

I was so excited to spend some time with Heather. Eliza and I spent one night at her cute apartment and had some girl time. It was alot of fun. She made us breakfast the next morning and then we went shopping.

Of course we had to make a stop at Sammy's. My brother Sam opened up another restaurant in Rexburg and Heather and James manage it. Its literally down the street from their apartment. Let me just say, THE FOOD WAS AMAZING! I am not just saying this because it is my brothers place. It was so good where I find myself thinking about it and craving it!

While in Rexburg we also visited my Father in Law at the college. He teaches at BYUIdaho. The best part about this, he took Porter and Eliza with him earlier that morning and taught his classes with them there. Why you ask? Just because! Just because he is great and wants to be with them. He is a great great man!

Yep, she is officially at the age. The age of destruction! I guess I really need to baby proof. The best part about this picture is we didn't learn our lesson. Cause after we cleaned it up, she went right back for the plant and emptied out the dirt!

Once again we had a wonderful weekend. We cant wait to drive over for christmas and spend more time there. We are sad we will just miss Heather and James since they are going to California, but luckily we only live 4 hours away and can easily make the trip again!

Yo Gabba Live.....again!

2010-11-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

A few months back our friends The McDaniels called us while were still living in California. They asked us if we wanted to road trip it with them after we moved back to Idaho and go down to Utah to catch the Yo Gabba Live show. It was hard to commit since I didnt know what my life would consist of day by day, let alone 4 months later. But I am so glad we decided to do it! We had a such a great time. My Brother Scott decided to fly up and do a live TV show interview. We were excited that Ruth and Davy got to come with them! It was great to see them and especially Davy since her surgery. She looked amazing! We loved that we got to go to the filming with our kids and be a part of it all. The characters even came out and all our kids were in heaven. Except maybe lily, she wasnt a big fan....yet!

The show once again was amazing! If you have kids that like Yo Gabba (or even if you don't) you have to go to this show. It is pretty great. We all loved it.

Then afterwards my brother got us backstage to a character Meet and Greet. This was a definite huge highlight. They had food, coloring, music, and all the characters. Even DJ lance made an appearance and read a book to the kids, then took his picture with them.

It was also my birthday! It turned out to be a great day. I was so happy to spend it with so many of my brothers and sisters and our great friends the McDaniels!

Eliza's 7th Birthday

2010-11-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

I was very thrilled that before we moved here Eliza decided she wanted her birthday to be at Bookdocks family fun center. She had remembered it from when we used to live here. I was very excited because it really made it easy on me, which is what I needed after the move. So we invited some of her friends she new from before and also some new ones she met from school. We had a great time! Everyone met at our house and then we had a girls van and a boys van! When we got there, we played Laser tag, miniature golf, video arcade games and then ended with pizza, cupcakes and presents! Eliza was in heaven and everything went really smooth.

This is our neighbor Beckam. Eliza and him are just 2 days apart and in the same grade. It is fun for them to have a buddy so close. It took them awhile to reconnect after being gone for 2 years,but I think they are becoming even better friends!

Eliza's first new little friend from school. This is the little girl she was holding hands with while running around the track at the JogAthon.

We had her party on Saturday since her actual birthday was on Sunday. So the next morning we decorated her room with balloons and banners and her presents were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She seemed happy, just wished I would have gotten a few more pictures.

Lily....13 months!

2010-11-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

So Lily is technically out of the "months" stage, but I still want to try and blog about her milestones for my family and friends that live far away! So.... here is her "13 month" post!

-Lily has started to growl like a tiger. We kinda love it alot!

-She has won over the hearts of her cousins that live close. They really adore her and it is so fun to watch. There are 5 kids ages 17, 14, 11, 6 and 5 and they ALL just die over her. Not to mention her Aunt Jolyn and Uncle Lou have a pretty soft spot for her too! Its fun for us to have someone to show her off to.

-She loves to play peek-a-boo, patty cake, and has a cute crinkled nose smile! She loves to give out hugs and kisses and pats your back when she is really excited to see you!

She is still not walking but getting so close! She has become the best little shopping buddy. She just sits in the cart and eats her snacks. This might not be a good thing for my recent shopping habits. Its fun having her alone for a few hours each day while the kids are at school. Tonight I took a little extra time while rocking her to sleep because she seems to just be growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was rocking Porter and thinking this stage won't last forever. I am trying to remind myself to slow life down and soak in the important things.

Bike ride on the green belt

2010-11-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

We took an incredible Bike ride in downtown Boise with our friends the McDaniels. It was a beautiful day and we even drove by the Stadium on game day. Which was fun but C.R.A.Z.Y! We are trying to do as much outdoors as we can before it becomes winter and we will be in our houses for months!

And I promise Lindsie is really nice even though her face looks like she doesn't want to be there. I am gonna assume she wasn't ready for the picture. I had to post it anyway!

Halloween Festivities...

2010-11-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Since Eliza's birthday is on Halloween it seems we have an even busier holiday. It was hard to choose what and how to post it all. We had a lot of fun in just 3 days and managed to get it all in! I will have to do the events separately cause there are just too many fun pictures!

FRIDAY, OCT. 29th Los Flores Spook Alley

So my great neighbor/friend Lindsie a few years ago decided to do a Halloween tradition of a block party Spook Alley for those that live on our street. This was our first year of attending and we were not dissapointed. It was a great way to get refamiliarized with our neighbors and even meet a few new ones. The way it works is people tell Lindsie if they want to help with the dinner or host a game in their driveway. Then Lindsie had a map that shows you what houses have games. We started out on her driveway enjoying some homemade soups and breads and then headed out.

There were alot of fun games for the kids. Like a cupcake walk, bobbing for Apples, fishing, crafts, pumpkin bowling, individual pumpkin pinatas, gross food guess, and more. Then you end the night with a little scaryoke and then the house next to it had a fire pit and hot cocoa. It really was a great night and reminded us of how happy we are to be back in a great neighborhood with great friends.

Going away party

2010-11-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

I know these posts are completely out of order but I couldn't not post about our awesome going away party. My amazing friends and family threw us a party a few days before we moved from California. It was so great to feel loved, enjoy good food, say goodbye to so many awesome friends and family in a fun atmosphere that I didn't have to cry while saying goodbye. I was really so touched with who all came and that even some drove from far away! We miss you all terribly and think of you often! Thanks for making California so great for us and helping us make some incredible memories.

2010-11-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Remember a few posts back when I told you that Lily spent a few days with Heather and James? Well here is the official post I promised. My sister Heather and her husband James are newlyweds without children. And they both LOVE my kids! It is so fun and I have to say it makes me happy with how much they do. And especially Lily. They both have always had such a sweet spot for her. I think because Heather lived with me when she was born and I don't really know why James does, but he seriously loves her. She seems to just melt him.

When we moved in and they came to surprise me with help as they were leaving they jokingly asked if they could take Lily home with them. I told them it actually would be kind of nice if I had a way to get her back. Then we realized that my in laws who live close to where they are going to school were coming to Boise that next weekend. So we quickly packed a bag and sent her with them. I can say that I never once doubted how well Lily would be cared for and loved. By both of them! Seems like they had a great time with her and it was nice for me to be able to get a little more settled and a little more unpacked!

Jog A Thon

2010-10-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

The first week we were here Eliza had her jog a thon at school. She was pretty excited about it and actually did really well. She ran quite a bit of it which made us realize she is totally faking it when she says her legs hurt and needs to ride in the stroller at Disneyland!

A day at the Boise Zoo

2010-10-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

My great friend Lindsie decided it was time to get me out of the house and away from the unpacking. My kids didn't have school so we spent the day at the Boise zoo. Besides seeing some cool animals, we packed a picnic lunch, rode the carousal, and climbed some trees! We had a great day and it was nice to be outdoors.

Field Trip with Porter

2010-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last week Porter's preschool went to the pumpkin patch for a field trip. This wasn't any old pumpkin patch! There was a huge field of pumpkins where you take a hay ride out to a spot to pick your pumpkin off the vine. It was pretty cool and Porter and I were loving our time together. Eliza was in school and my awesome neighbor let me put lily down for her nap at her house. So it was so nice to be able to spend some quality one on one time with Porter.

I just love this silly boy! He is pretty funny and loves to make us laugh. He has the best, rolling giggle when he really loves something. Below he was jumping on a huge bouncy trampoline thing that he really loved. I can still hear his giggle as I look at these pictures!

This was a huge "Corn" box. Instead of sand the kids dug in corn kernels. It was pretty cool and Porter was totally digging it. (no pun intended!)

Corn maze and barrel train ride were fun too! Until it started to rain. The sky was totally clear and sunny, then a rain cloud moved in and kind of ended our trip short. We still had a fun perfect day and I am so glad I got to spend it with my buddy!

First day of school...again!

2010-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

This year Eliza has had a rough go with first grade. I first told you about how she got put in a class in california with none of her friends. Then her teacher ended up being not very nice and we had to deal with tears everyday she came home. Then we moved and we were hoping for a better year.
So the day after we moved in we frantically got both kids ready for their first day of school. I wanted to wait an extra day but both were so excited to start! So we did it! We found all that we needed and got them there. We waited and filled out paperwork and did all the logistics of registering to then be told she wouldn't be able to start until the next day anyway. WHAT? Lets just say we were all on the verge of tears. Only one of us actually shed some and she is the adult!

So we went home and did some shopping and unpacking to make us feel better. THen the next day we rode our bikes and met Eliza's teacher. Although we quickly learned that her actual teacher was on maternity leave and she will have a substitute until she gets back. Oh man! Poor Lizey. She has been through alot of change and adjustment and really actually has done so well! I am really proud of her!

So since Eliza's registration took so long the first day, we also missed taking Porter for his first day of preschool. So we also started him the next day. He was so cute and so excited and just seemed so big and ready to go! I put him in an everyday preschool and so far it has been great for both of us! He loves it and it has been nice having some time to get a few things done.

12 months....or 1 year!

2010-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it. Has 12 months really gone by? So much has happened in the last year but it truly seems like I just gave birth to lily. I could not imagine my life without this little girl. She has brought so much sweetness and peace into our lives and into our family. We love her so much and as hard as it is to realize that she is 1 and not a "baby" anymore, it is so fun to watch her milestones and watch her grow.

A few days after her birthday we had a little party with a few friends and family. It was so fun to all be together again and once again, they bailed me out and helped me tremendously to make the party happen!

A few things about Lily this month:
-She started putting her hands together for "more" in sign language.
-Sometimes when she gets too excited she hits your face. But we tried to tell her to be soft and we say it in a soft voice. Now when we pick her up, she pets our face and says "sof, sof". (its pretty dang cute)
-Stands on her own but still not walking.
-Cruises around with her crawling where often times I can't keep track of where she has gone.
-Still loves baby food. She will eat solids, but prefers any fruit or vegetable mixed with rice cereal!
-Had her first "sleepover" with Auntie Heather and Uncle James for 3 1/2 days......more pics and info of that trip to come!

The Move...

2010-10-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

We finally moved and it was definitely a hard one. Harder then I thought it would be. Not just the packing up but the saying goodbye just about killed me. I think I cried about 8 of the 16 hour drive. I had ALOT of time to just sit and think about how sad I was leaving my family and friends in california. After about half way, the sadness started to wear off and the excitement started to creep in to see my Idaho Friends and be in my house.

This is the day of the move. We were so fortunate to have so many helpers come and fill this entire truck with all of our stuff. I kind of can't believe it all fit and then I kind of can't believe we have that much stuff. (I wish I would have taken more pictures, but the day turned out pretty crazy and a little surreal!)

My friends here are so awesome and definitely gave me the welcome I was so needing. Someone picked up pizza, soda and set up a block party! We again had lots of helpers to unload the truck and stay and help us get a little settled. My friends unpacked my entire kitchen and rewashed every dish! They are amazing!

The kids have done really amazing with all that has been going on in their lives. They were troopers on the 3 day drive and have really adjusted so well with all the change! I really am so proud of them. It helped to have so many of their neighborhood friends there to ride bikes and play with! Its been a fun neighborhood for them. They have constant play dates whenever they want it!

Then a great big surprise was when we were all standing outside I look across the street and see Heather and James pull up! I had no idea they were planning to come over. It was so amazing and of course made me cry. I was just thinking about how weird it was to not have anyone from my family there to experience this with or to have the help. I knew how much it took for them to get time off of work and make the 4 hour drive. It was so awesome to see them. They were able to stay for a few days and helped so much!

Its great to be here now. We are starting to feel a little more settled and trying to get into a routine and schedule. Lots of things are still in boxes but over all I think we have come a long way. Its been a roller coaster of emotions, but I know it was the right decision to move here and I really feel at peace and at "home".

A day at the Spa!

2010-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last year for my 30th birthday matt gave me a certificate for a day at the spa. Luckily I wasn't able to use it until now because I was able to go with my mom and my sister nanette (who share the same birthday) and also my Aunt Lynnae who's birthday is at the end of the month. It was an amazing relaxing day which was much needed for all of us! Matt took the entire day off and held down the fort pretty well.

We stayed at Nanette's house the night before which was so awesome to not have to wake up to anyone needing anything! Nan made us a yummy breakfast and then we headed up to Ojai which is about 20 minutes away from Santa Barbara. It is absolutlely Beautiful. A perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of LA. Now I know why many celebrities choose to come here! There were so many different pools to choose from, indoor and outdoor, sauna, steam room, whirl pools, etc, etc, etc....We were wishing we would have gotten up earlier to utilize it all. We stayed the entire day and ended the night with a trip to Cafe rio for dinner! It made the day a perfect 10! Nan and I have already planned out our next trip, just not sure when we can make it happen quite yet. Maybe next time we can talk my other sisters into coming with us.

Schultz family STAYCATION 2010!!

2010-09-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

You may remember that 2 years ago our family did a staycation. It was such a fun thing and we really saved alot of money by planning our yearly Schultz reunion that way. This year, we had plans to go camping in June and for several reasons it didn't work out. The year kept slipping by and we all finally just decided we needed to do or it wont ever get done. So about a week before it happened the staycation got thrown together. I guess we didnt need much more time then we had because it was a blast and turned out so fun! The first day we went swimming all together and had a pizza lunch and plenty of snacks!

Later that night we headed to Ruth and Scotts house to set up tents so we could camp in their backyard. We had a yummy spaghetti dinner and Scott set up a movie projector for all the kids! They laid on an air mattress and quietly watched it while the adults made smores' and laughed and visited.

On Saturday morning we met at my parents house for my Dad's famous Big breakfast, then headed to the beach all day.

And what would a Schultz family reunion be without a Talent show. Because it was last minute only the kids joined in on the fun. Eliza and her cousins did a little dance/cheer and then both kids played a few songs on the piano! It is fun that they are getting pretty good and learning more songs!

Thanks to Heather and Ryan for planning it this year! you did a great job and we all had so much fun!

11 months and 1st Grade!

2010-09-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

Today Lily turned 11 months the same day that Eliza started the 1st grade. Let's just say it was a very emotional day. Worse then kindergarten for me. I actually didn't even cry when i dropped her off last year. This year, I woke up at 3:00 a.m. in tears. I was emotional to begin with that she was going into first grade. For some reason it just feels more like big kid time. But more because we went to look at her class list and found she was not put in a class with anyone she knows. This may not seem like such a big deal, but we are only going to be here for 3 weeks and I wanted her to just have a fun time with her friends. It is just crazy that no one was put in with her. Truly not one friend she was excited about. I have learned alot about Eliza from this situation. She is such a sweetheart and I could see that it made her sad but she stayed so positive and really didn't let it get her down. I just hope she doesn't lose excitement for school because of it. I am also emotional just that this feels like the beginning of all the change. Its going to be a hard move but worth it in the long run. I am just ready to get there!

So now on to the fun stuff! Lily is starting to become that baby that isnt always so easy. She is everywhere! Climbing out of her highchair, the cart, out the back door to eat dog food, etc...But she is still just as sweet as can be and we love her more and more everyday. This month she learned how to give kisses. It is so cute! She puckers her lips and says "mmmmmah!" We really love this trick as we love to give her lots of kisses! She is eating more solid food but still loves baby food! Now whenever she sees us eating something she wants she just grunts until we give her some. Its pretty cute!

Eliza and I sat on the grass after school and talked about her day. She didnt have the same excitement like she did last year but hopefully she will try her best at loving it. Which if I know her right, she will. I feel blessed to have these two beautiful daughters. They both bring me so much joy!

(oh, and I didnt have an 11 month sign but I think the pictures are cute enough without it!)

Swimming Lessons

2010-08-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

So every year (well since Eliza was 2) we have done swimming lessons with cousins at the Brea Plunge. A few weeks ago my sister Nan and her kiddos stayed with us for 2 weeks so our kids could all do lessons together. They did so great and we had a ton of fun playing while they were here. We tried to do something fun everyday which also kind of wore us out!

The kids did such a good job and really learned so much. Both went on to the next level! It has been a fun summer to have both Porter and Eliza as confidant swimmers. Lily and I also did a mommy and me session together. I will do a separate post for that because it was so fun and she was so cute that it deserves its own!

Beach Time!

2010-08-22T03:16:00.000-07:00

We have been going to the beach alot this summer. Probably 1 or 2 times a week! We've decided we need to take advantage of our california days before we leave. I havent blogged about going to the beach because I usually don't take my camera with the worry that it will get sand in it. This time I decided to bring it and I am so glad I did. Sam and Nikki were in town with their girls and Nan drove down with her kids so we could have a fun day at the beach together. Ruth and Katie (who are local) were able to come too with their kids!

Ruby (ben's), Taylen and Ainsley (sam's), Eliza, Piper (nan's), Ryah (sam's), Wendy (Ryan's).

Harper (scott's), Ruby, Porter, Ryah

We realized that we had all the grandkids there except for Christy's kids who are in Germany and Mossi's little boy. (missed you guys!) The kids all had so much fun playing together, building sand castles, jumping the waves and eating lots of snacks thanks to Uncle Sam and his huge cooler full of treats! At the beginning of the summer my kids didn't love the beach. I was so sad because of the fond memories I had as a kid growing up playing on the beach for hours with my cousins. But now they love it and will play for hours too! Oh how we will miss the beach and the warm weather of summer!!

The Whiting Reunion

2010-08-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Every 2 years my family goes to a Reunion in Arizona. It is held on our families homestead. This isn't a typical family reunion. This is 650 people, acres of land, endless activities, hiking, camping, just an over all good time! I was so happy we could make it this year. I went 2 years ago without Matt. It was so much more fun to share it with him since this was his first chance he could go! We had such a great time as the pictures show...

Porter loved hanging with his boy cousins, getting dirty, finding big sticks, going on the rope swing, hiking, and getting dirty. Yes, Eliza caught a horny toad! All the boys were so jealous!

They had so many fun things planned for the kids. They connected it with things my ancestors did on the homestead. Like washing clothes the old fashion way, making honey and butter, shaving, wrags in their hair for curls, learning how to weave wool, and many more. It was all planned out so well and the kids had so much fun running around doing it all...several times! One of the activities was to dress up in the old fashioned clothes and get your picture taken. We had fun being silly and dressing up. Porter and Eliza sure got a kick out of Lily and her cute outfit.

Then we hiked to a little lake where we went fishing for Crawdads. When I say fishing, I mean tie a rope to a stick and tie some hamburger meat to the end of the rope! Eliza was the first to catch one and loved that she could do it. Just wanted nothing to do with it after she caught it. She really couldn't wait until we let it go back in the water.

Yes there is a Tarantula in that Jar. Yikes!

One night my dad decided to make grilled cheese on his nifty little wood stump stove. It was pretty hilarious because he just kept making them. People were coming by asking for one. I think he ended up making like 60 that night. Once his stump burned he moved inside his Trailer and kept going! He cracks me up. Love this guy!

Our Whiting Homestead is in the mountains of Arizona so it isn't hot. It was actually kind of cold. My great great grandfather homesteaded the land years ago. I loved going to these reunions and I am so glad my kids got the chance too. It is a beautiful place with a definite spirit about it. Its so nice to get away from the world for a few days and just be with family, learning about your heritage.

Eliza's Dance Recital

2010-08-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

Eliza has been taking dance at the studio my sister Heather and I took dance at when we were younger. She started a tap/ballet combo class back in January. Its been fun to watch her learn new things and also to visit with the other moms in the class. I met some really neat ladies that I am gonna miss when we move. Eliza didn't seem too thrilled about the class and we weren't going to continue on with dance after the recital. Then she decided that she loved the performing part and realized that all the hard work pays off! She really had a great time and really shined that night!

Eliza was so happy Grandma could come. Tickets were expensive and it was on a saturday night which is my parents busiest day. So we were more then thrilled to find out she could be there.

After the show Matt took the younger 2 kids home and Eliza and I stayed and finished watching the rest of the recital. Eliza asked me why she didnt hear me scream her name when they were walking on stage. Apparently a few of the other girls had some older sisters that screamed out their names. The funny thing is, I used to be that obnoxious sister that would yell out my brothers names at choir concerts and plays! Next time Eliza I wont let you down!

Lily 10 Months

2010-08-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Eliza really wanted to make Lily's 10 month sign this time. I thought it was pretty cute and I think she was so proud that I actually used it. She kept telling me that I could make another one of my own if I wanted. It was too precious to redo and it helped capture our stage of life right now!

This little girl has come so far this past month.
She is now officially crawling. She has been scooting and pushing around for several weeks and the day before she turned 10 months she did a full hand/knee crawl. Now that I am late on getting this post off, she is crawling all over the place. I forgot how hard this stage is! She is into everything...including the trash and all the small things on the floor.

She also has gotten 4, almost 5 teeth. She has been a champ at teething. It doesnt seem to have bothered her much. She did get an ear infection that gave me one rough night while on vacation, but after a little antibiotics she was good as new!

She is officially done Nursing. This actually happened when she was 8 1/2 months. I surprisingly was not ok with this. But she wanted nothing to do with me any longer. She is probably my best eater so far though. She loves any kind of baby food and eats alot of it! She is not picky and even loves rice cereal! For some reason this makes me love her even more.

The cutest thing I think she has done this month is she waves at someone and says "Hi" in the cutest little voice. We will be in the grocery store and she is saying hi and waving to everyone. She gets alot of smiles and attention because of it!

I really truly cant think of one thing that I could put on here that is bad about lily. She is just so sweet and I hope she stays this way even after she turns 3 and 4!

Disney with Dad

2010-07-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Matt had a few weeks off from school so we packed our time with some fun things we don't get to do together because he is always at school. One of which was a few days at disneyland before our Passes get blocked out for the summer.

Family Vacation to Yosemite

2010-07-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time camping in Yosemite. I usually don't love it when people apologize for when they post a ton of pictures because I feel like its their blog, they should be able to do what they want. But I AM gonna say, there are ALOT of pictures. And, these are my most favorites from about a million others. The trip was that amazing!

Matt had the idea of making the trip and it was something he has been really wanting to do for awhile now. So he booked the campsite (which is a pretty intense process) back in february. There is nothing better then watching your kids play in the dirt, swim in the stream, skip rocks, roast smores, make a cobbler in a dutch oven, look at the stars and just really enjoy nature without anything electrical involved. We didn't even bring our DVD player for the 6 hour drive. It was a little rough, but I think it really helped make the trip all the more meaningful! The kids learned other ways to entertain themselves and have fun. I made a list of 16 cities along the way and everytime we saw one we would cross it off the list. This way when they asked "Are we there yet?", I could just show them the list!

Apparently the stream was REALLY cold! Right behind our campsite ran a big stream. The kids loved trying to skip rocks in it, swim and fish. I mostly just worried the whole time about it.

We left all of Porters shoes at home except for the flip flops he wore for the drive. So he got a new pair of hiking boots from the store inside Yosemite park. He was SO thrilled that he had real hiking boots and took them very seriously because he was a trooper on the hikes. Eliza...not so much!

No this isn't a butterfly. This little girlie decided one night she was going to catch moths. They were flying around our lantern and I guess she decided to make some friends. It was actually pretty cute.

I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Breathtaking! Its no wonder people travel from all over the world to photograph/paint the scenery from Yosemite. The whole trip was so great. We just went with our little family. All three kids did so well most the time and the best part is that they all slept great! We borrowed my Sister and Brother in laws tent trailer which made sleeping nice! Last year we did Sequioa national forest, so were thinking we started a new little family camping tradition.

Porters Jedi Birthday

2010-07-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

We planned a really fun Star Wars themed birthday this year for Porter. It was right up his alley and he had so much fun. We had about 14 kids for a Jedi Training! The parents dropped them off and we had 2 hours of FUN! They first were presented with their robes and light saber so they could complete the Jedi course Matt had planned out.

I love this picture below of Porter using the force on Matt. It speaks volumes about Porter and his intense personality. He really is whole heartedly into whatever he is doing at the time!

Porter could not wait to turn 4! He looked forward to this day for a long time. Although, I realized, I think he would have been just fine with the cupcakes I made for his preschool and a few presents from us. His preschool birthday was a few days before his actual birthday. Everytime I would ask him if he was excited for his birthday he would say, "no mom, I am already 4. Remember? at preschool!"

I just love this kid! I am so thankful for him and his place in our family. He brings so much "life" into our lives!

Lily 9 months

2010-07-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Lily is at a really fun age right now. She is doing so many fun milestones and so interactive that it makes it alot of fun to play with her. The kids just love her at this stage. She is clapping her hands and the kids think it is hilarious when they say "Yeah!" and she starts clapping. I have to admit, I think its pretty darn cute too! She is starting to move all around (although still not crawling). She scoots backwards and just maneuvers her body to get around! I love that she picks up her cheerios with her thumb and pointer so daintily. It is also very cute whenever she sees our dogs she gets so fascinated and says "uff-uff". She LOVES to dance. Anytime she hears music or when we make a beat she bounces along!

We have been doing alot of fun things this summer and thank goodness Lily is such a great baby that just tags along and goes with the flow. The beach, the pool, movies, camping, the park and lots more! I love how she is a great napper when I put her to sleep but she will also just hang out and not fuss if her naps are pushed back a few hours so we can play!

More Fun Pictures of Lily This Month:

Our 3rd of July Celebration!

2010-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

We started out our day at our cities 4th of july festival. It was so much fun. I love this little town I live it. I am going to be sad to leave in. I guess I never fully appreciated it when I grew up here. Now having kids I realize how amazing it is and how much it offers for those of us raising kids. At the festival they had face painting, balloon animal making, food, rides, rock climbing wall, petting zoo, pony rides, and more. My kids did it all and had so much fun doing it. I am sad that my camera battery died in the middle of it because we really had a great time! Our good friend is running for City Council and we will forsure be voting for him when that time comes. We wanted to show the rest of the city who they should vote for too!

After the festival we went to My brother in law Myles' parents house for a swim and BBQ party. They have an amazing pool that the kids just love!

Myles sister had fun water balloon games for the kids with medals and ribbons for the winners! Then they attacked Grandpa with the extra balloons!

Of course we ended the night with some fireworks. My kids were scared to get close in the beginning but then warmed up to the idea and loved marching around with the sparklers!

Hammonds visit California....Again!

2010-07-06T04:59:00.000-07:00

We are always so glad whenever our good friends the Hammonds decide to vacation in California! Its great to see them and they always get us to do what they have planned, which is always fun! They rented a condo on the beach in oceanside so we drove down and spent 2 days with them lounging on the beach, playing in the sand and swimming in the pool. It was great to see them and thanks hammonds for wanting us to come crash your party!

Graduation....Finally!

2010-07-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Matt! What a great day this was for us. Something we have been really looking forward too. Even though he still has to stay until september and continue seeing patients, this means no more classes which means no more studying. It hasn't been an easy road to get here but Matt has worked really hard for this. I couldn't be happier or more proud of him.

Matt was 1 of 3 students in his class. These are the guys that he has spent alot of time with these past 2 years! We wished we lived closer to the school because I know we would be even great friends with their families.

Matts parents flew down for his graduation and spent several days playing with us. We always enjoy whatever time we can have with them. They are very devoted to their grandkids and really spend quality time with each of them while they are around. We really love them for it. I could tell they were very proud of Matt too and we were so happy they made it such a big priority to come! Also, even though my parents live alot closer it is still a drive for them on such a busy day. It meant alot that they came out too! We really have been so fortunate to be able to live with them these past 2 years. They have been such blessings in our lives. We couldnt have done it without them. They are so amazing for being so willing to put up with us all this time. So Unselfish! We love you for it!

Baby Shower for Ruth

2010-07-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago we threw a shower for my SIL Ruth and her cute little baby Davy! When I say WE I mean....WE! We had so much help that it made it turn out so cute and so easy! We all pulled our heads together and were able to give Ruth a shower she has been waiting for and deserves. I didn't take any pictures and instead of having to wait for someone to give me some, I am just going to send you to Ruths blog itself. She posted some great pictures and had some very sweet words to say. If you get a chance, browse through her blog. Its pretty amazing. I love waiting for her to post next and I live down the street from her!

These are my sisters. Minus 2! I love them all and feel so close to each of them. And yes I am including the 2 that were missing! Its been so great to have these girls to rely on.

Graduation Dinner at the Mission Inn

2010-06-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

We were so excited that Matts parents flew in for his graduation and were able to stay for a few days. We ALWAYS love when they visit! All that matt wanted to do for his graduation was have dinner with both sets of parents and his brother and his wife who live here in california all go to the mission inn. Its this really cool restaurant/hotel with an amazing prime rib buffet at an outdoor courtyard. I can't quite describe it, but it was pretty cool. Glad Matt chose it and we were glad it worked out for everyone to come! I was pretty tired because this was the night after the marathon. And yes I went back 3 times for prime rib! LEAVE ME ALONE...I was STARVING!!!! I had to go home with my parents without taking the tour with the rest of them. Lets just say I knew there were too many stairs I wasn't going to be able to climb. I say tour, but really mean sneaking through the guest only barriers to explore the grounds.

Yeah....I did it!

2010-06-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

And possibly never again! But I did it, I ran a half marathon!! And....it was the hardest thing I have ever done. Seriously, so hard! The last 2 miles I about died. (You can probably tell just by how I look in the pictures!) The only thing that got me through it was knowing my kids, husband, parents and in laws were waiting at the finish line ready to cheer me on. I knew I wasn't going to walk across the finish line.

My friend Brynn and I decided to start running a few months ago. We ran before we both got pregnant a year or so ago and then had to stop. We started up again in January for excersize and to hopefully lose a little weight without having to pay a gym membership. Then we decided we needed a goal or else we would never get out of bed and would just keep giving excuses. So we chose a date for a half marathon and figured out a training schedule. Then one by one a few friends decided to train with us and soon enough we had 5 people running! It was so fun and I loved getting to know these girls each better.

The race itself was awesome. The course itself wasn't too difficult and it was a beautiful day along the Marina in Long beach. The big bummer was the planning and organizing of the race. IT WAS HORRIBLE! Just see what we had for our starting line. Yes, they really wrote START in chalk on the side walk. Then counted backwards from 10 and all 30 of us took off! Uh 30? Yep 30 people. Like I said it was pretty bad. I liked to use the word Ghetto to describe it. It really fits. AMAZING! I said "possibly" never do again because I felt let down by the race itself. No crowd to cheer you on and no real excitement. I felt like it was just another really long run. So "maybe" one day I will do another one and make sure it is a well thought out good race! Even Porter was crying after I finished because he kept saying "you didn't run a race mom!" I think in his mind he imagined me crossing a huge finish line with lots of people and lots of runners. You and me both Porter!

Oh.....and I may or may not have peed my pants at mile 10!

Just for fun

2010-06-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Swim

2010-06-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fun BBQ and Swim party on memorial day with Matts family. The kids had such a fun time swimming around and going down the slide. It was planned at the last minute and of course the food turned out delicious!

8 months old

2010-06-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Lily is now 8 months old. She is such an easy going baby. I get compliments on her all the time that she seems to be such a good baby. She really hardly ever cries. If she does it usually has something to do with a certain 3 year old. She is jibber jabbering all the time. It is very cute and we just love it! This month her favorite word she loves to repeat over and over is baba! She is getting closer to crawling and you would think I would be happy about that but I am trying to hold her off as long as possible. She is just so content to sit and play with toys, I love it! She is so smiley all the time and just lights up when someone acknowledges her.

Aquabats

2010-06-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

The other morning Porter climbed into bed with me wearing this outfit! I got a kick out of it knowing it was over his jammies and insisted that he wear it to sleep the night before. Can you tell Dad was in charge?

2 cute kids....

2010-06-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

And one stinker that wouldn't get out of the car to have her picture taken! Although, I couldn't get too mad because she was obeying my first orders to hurry and get in the car or we would be late for church. But we couldn't help it. The kids just looked too cute and we didn't want to pass up the photo op. So we quickly grabbed our camera in exchange for walking in to church a few minutes late.

Can you guess what Porters new obsession is?

2010-05-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

In with the new out with the old. Superman is a thing of the past. And as frustrating as that was, I would rather have that back because at least it was 1 costume. And an actual costume. Now I am having to "use our imaginations" as porter puts it, to come up with Darth Vader, Luke, storm trooper, c3po and I am sure more to come. Should I be worried that my son might have OCD tendencies?

Mothers Day!

2010-05-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

What a great day this was for me. I am so in love with all three of my kids and feel so blessed to have them here and healthy! I never thought I would love being a mom as much as I do. They bring so much joy to my life. I love being able to be a totally stay at home mom and enjoy every stage! It also makes me love and appreciate my mom for doing this 8 times and for loving us all and giving us all such good childhoods. I dont know how she managed it but she is pretty amazing.

Harrison Enters the MTC

2010-05-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother Harrison entered the MTC last wednesday. I was sad I couldn't be there but luckily my parents and my sister Heather who lives in rexburg were able to say goodbye. We are so excited for Harrison to go and so proud of him. He will be a great missionary and the People of North Carolina are lucky to have him!

Dress up days.

2010-05-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago it was Teacher appreciation at Eliza's school. Everyday they had the kids dress up as if the teacher went on a vacation to a different country. Monday was African Safari day, Tuesday was Hawaiian day, Wednesday was Mexico (fitting for Cinco de Mayo), And thursday was Orient day. We dressed up for all the days but I happened to have my camera for Orient day and was so glad because Eliza looked so cute. I love that she still thinks dressing up is fun and gets involved. She is such a good sport and I really just love this little girl. She has grown up so much this past year.

On Cinco de Mayo dress up day the kindergarten did another performance. It was adorable. Eliza's amazing teacher had outfits for each of the kids. They did several songs on the stands even singing in spanish! They did a great job! Then they broke off into classes and did the mexican hat dance. Eliza and her cousin Ollie were partners and were loving it.