Pics with Santa

Cheyenne telling Santa her "one thing"

School is out of Winter Break

Cheyenne is now on winter break from her preschool for two weeks. We might go a little nuts here with each other everyday but it is nice to have her home and not have to drive her so far every day!
On the last day, the 18th Cheyenne's Class had a little sing along thing with Christmas songs and Santa came to visit. It was so neat, both of my kids went and sat on his lap. When Santa asked Cheyenne what she wanted, she told him" My teacher says i can only ask for one thing and i dont know what to pick my list is too long. " Which is a very true statement. Then it was Mason's turn and Santa asked him what he wanted and he answered by saying "ho ho ho" hahaha, and then he asked again and he told him "choo choos". So lets hope santa got the message and they will be totally excited! My mom and my sister came down for the performance and Cheyenne was so excited to see them!

Crazy Crazy Crazy.....

These past few weeks have been so nuts that I havent had time to post anything. So I wanted to sit down today in between batches of cookies in the oven and pies cooking too, to write a few things that have been happening.
Hope you all are having a great Holiday Season!

Thanksgiving 2008

Since this was our first year in our new home, we decided to stay at our own house for Thanksgiving this year. So it was also my first year to ever cook the whole meal. Needless to say I was a little worried about all the different dishes but it all turned out so great. I made both Apple and Cherry pie from Scratch and they were so yummy!

Then I also made mashed potatoes from scratch and green bean casserole, along with the turkey and rolls and stuffing! It all turned out so great! I cant wait to cook for Christmas, and I might have to make a pie in between just to have a yummy one again!



(Sorry for the late posts and so many, I am catching up, it has been a crazy two weeks)

Tagged

What's your husband's name? Shane - well... Anthony Shane


How long have you been married? 5 years


How long did you date? 8 months


Who said I love you first? He said it first, then was so relieved when i said it back


Who asked who out first? He did.


Who kissed who first? I kissed him, he is shy and I am not!


How old is he? 39


Who eats the sweets? I love all sweet... but he has to have his scoop of ice cream before bed


Who sings best? When he sings which is rare, he is pretty good


Who's smarter? he is very smart but i am a close second


Who cooks dinner and does laundry? I do both.


Who mows the lawn? He does


Who pays the bills? I do.


Who drives? When he is with us, its him.


Who wears the pants? He wears the pants but i like to try them on every now and then.


Our favorite couple thing to do: Going to the movies and road trips even with the kids that is by far our favorite thing to do!


His favorite pastimes: movies, and video games


What I love most about him: My fave is that he loves me uncoditionally. No matter what happens between us or to either of us he is there for me, my best friend and everything else I need!

Life is Good.....

So, this time of year makes you think of your many blessings! And today, I was greatly aware of a few of them. For one, I have family close that I love to see and get to see often. I am grateful to my mom and my sister for all their love and guidance, I dont know what I would do without you. I am so so thankful for Shane, my life is the best it ever could be with him and gets better by the day! I am so very thankful for my kids, Cheyenne for teaching me many lessons mainly in patience, and Mason for his such sweet spirit to keep me sane!

Some trivial things that I realized I was thankful for today, were the fact that it rained here, since we moved here it has not dropped below 85, it was so nice to wear long sleeve shirts this morning and wet with a little rain. Also, for the fact that I only paid 1.93 a gallon for gas today! Amazing! Lastly, I am so excited and thankful that it is only 30 days till Christmas! I cant wait!!!

Thanksgiving Show

Today at Cheyenne's preschool they had a little thanksgiving show. It was so great to see her up there singing with all her classmates. Shane was even able to get away from work for like ten minutes to come and watch. Enjoy the video!

Still.....

Cheyenne and Mason are still really obsessed with Trick or Treating right now! About three or four times I day I walk down the hall and find then Trick or Treating to each other, and giving each other random toys as the candy. I think that next year is going to be a blast if they are that excited still!

The Kids Will Play

When Mommy is working in her office, the kids tend to be very very naughty! This is what happened yesterday when I was trying to finish the invites for my best friends shower!

The entire bottle had been poured out onto the couch and the floor in my living room. By the time daddy was home it was clean but oh my goodness did it smell like baby powder in here!

The kids of course got in trouble but not before I got a quick snapshot of them being naughty!

Tagged!

8 Things

8 TV shows
1. Greys Anatomy
2. Bones
3. NCIS
4. Food Network
5. Gilmore Girl Reruns every day
6. Private Practice
7. How I met your mother
8. Samantha Who?

8 Resturants I like
1. Ciro's
2. Outback
3. Black Angus
4. Olive Garden
5. Applebees
6. Red Robin
7. In-n-Out
8. Taco Bell

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Laundry
2. Saw Madagascar 2
3. Went to the store and bought milk - I do that alot!
4. More Laundry
5. Made treats for Poker night
6. Went to poker night
7. Almost won poker night
8. Read to my kids for like an hour, hahaha

8 Thing I am looking forward to:
1. Meeting my new niece
2. May family coming this weekend
3. Thanksgiving
4. Every Monday- Thursday when Cheyenne is at school
5. Christmas
6. Granite's Christmas Parties
7. Karly's Bridal Shower
8. Karly's Wedding

8 things on my wish list
1. more money
2. less weight
3. more time in my day
4. mason to sleep through the night
5. my family would come for christmas
6. new clothes
7. standing mixer
8. new dishes

8 Things I love:
1. Shane
2. Mason and Cheyenne
3. My family
4. My friends
5. My home
6. My kitties
7. MOMS Club
8. Church

8 Things I cant stand
1. dishonesty
2. people comparing themselves to me
3. being late
4. fighting kids
5. grumpy hubby
6. messy kitchen
7. messy bathroom
8. piles and piles of laundry

Dean Comes to Visit

Monday, Cheyenne's bestest friend Dean came to visit! She has missed him so much since we moved to the Desert, she was excited. His mom Megan, is a great friend of mine too and I cant tell you how great it was to see her, she is an amazing person and a great example of a awesome mom! We took the kids to the Living Desert, which is basically a zoo out here by us, the kids had a blast and we enjoyed catching up and chatting while the kids ran around and around. Mason thought he was so big, he got to push the wagon with Cheyenne and Dean in it! Then we brought the kids home and had dinner and just hung out for a while. Megan and I made some soap from a kit that she purchased from the store, it was totally easy and fun, we had a good time.

Thanks so much for coming to visit, we are feeling a little lonely today and miss you already!

Auntie Again!

I am happy to announce that I am an Auntie once again! My niece Brooklyn Jane was born yesterday, I dont know what time, but I got a call at like 7:00pm so I am sure it was before that. She weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz which is funny because that is exactly Cheyenne's weight when she was born!

Welcome Brooklyn!

Congrats Lincoln and Jennifer and Big Sister Mackenzie!

Elections 2008

I am proud to be an american, more now that I have done my civic duty and voted. Up until this year I just kinda sat on the sidelines but this year there was so much at stake! Now that our new President has been selected. It is time for healing to begin and for us all to move forward. It will be an adventure to see where this all takes us and how the next four years in our country shape up. As an American I extend all of my support to the incoming President Obama. I love this country and hope that we have all selected the right person to lead us and be the face of our nation.

Also, as a Californian, I had the opportunity to vote on Prop 8. Which outlaws same sex marriage, I proudly voted yes for this measure and am so happy to say that it passed. With it passing we are now a state again that to marry you must be a man and woman. Thanks to all that voted with me! I am thankful for democracy!

School and Field Trips

Cheyenne switched to a new school this week. Things were just not working out at the old one and not a happy place for either one of us. This new school is basically the same program but at a different location and with different teachers. She loves this new one and is thriving. After just one week at the new school, she already has a handful of friends and is so happy. By today, which is her 4th day, she didnt shed a tear at all when i left! I am so happy for this great change!

On her second day at her new school, she had a field trip. What a great way to start off her new adventure. The class went to the Living Desert, the zoo type thing here in the desert. Mason and I tagged along. We had an awesome day and here are a few pics for the day!

Camping Out

Over the weekend, we had an unfortunate thing happen. Our A/C unit that cools the back part of the house went out. Bummer! So for the last two nights, we have had to have a campout in the living room to sleep because it is beyond hot in the back. Unfortuanetly they cant even come and look at the unit for three more days, total bummer!

So, the picture to the left has been our sleep arrangements. Shane slept on the green mat and i slept on the couch and the kids were between us. Also, the cats took up sleeping in the green rocking chair together!

Halloween Festivites

It seems that this year, Halloween lasted all week! On Monday, we went to a church Trunk or Treat activity, and had a great time. Thanks to Kendall and Eddie and Brandon and Karley for letting us tag along. We also had a party at Cheyenne's school on Thursday complete with a costume parade and a pizza party, it was a blast. Then Finally we actually hit Halloween Day! In the A.M. we went to do a little trick or treating at a local nursing home and the kids had a fabulous time!

Finally, Halloween Night arrived and we had a great time. Kendall and Eddie and their daughters, Shaylee and McKenna as well as our friends, Brandon and Karley, and their daughter Austin came over. We all went out to trick or treat together, it was so cute to see all of the five little one running up every walkway to ding dong the doorbell. By about half way into it, Mason was draggin his pumpkin because he was tired and it was getting pretty full. Mason went as Diego, he loved it, everytime he sees the shirt he says Go Diego Go! And Cheyenne was a pink and white kitty cat, totally adorable!

High School Musical 3

On Saturday, Mommy and Cheyenne had a great date! We went to see the new chapter in High School Musical. It was so much fun! I realized that I do not get to spend enough time with just my little girl anymore and saw just how fast she is growing up into a little lady. We each picked some treats and I suggested to her that she could get the Kids Pack at the Snack Counter and she said no I dont need the Kid Pack, I am a big girl and can just have a regular pack. She is growing up so fast and is way too smart for her own good. The movie was so great! We both love the first two and third was even better! We had such an awesome time!

Five Years Goes By So Fast....

On Saturday the 18th, Shane and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. It is amazing what we have accomplished in those years and how far we have come. Now, with our two beautiful children we look ahead to many many more anniversaries. My parents came over to watch the kids. So Shane and I were able to spend almost all day together without kids and to just be us. We went and did a little Christmas shopping which was so great! We had an awesome time looking at things for each person and not having to worry about a kid running around the store. After that we fit in a quick movie, I was hoping for a lovey-dovey one but of course that did not happen! After the movie, we did a quick run home and checked in on the kids and changed into our nice clothes and off we went for a nice fancy-sit-down-without-chasing-kids-around dinner. Shane took me to the Chophouse in Palm Desert, we loved it! As the years have gone by we have tried most of the steakhouses down in this area and this one is by far my favorite! The service was amazing and the food was so great that i didnt want to leave. So, needless to say we celebrated our hardworking 5 years in style and cant wait for many more anniversaries like this one!

Oh as a side note, the gift for 5 years according to the internet is wood. So we both decided that the house is our wedding present to each other. And what a great gift it is!

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch which is about an hour away. It was so worth the trip. You get to get a wheelbarrow and go out and pick your very own pumpkins. The kids had a lot of fun picking through the pumpkins to find a huge one and lots of other small ones. This pumpkin patch also had bounce houses and lots and lots of other stuff to do. It was nice to get out, and it was one 70 degrees and enjoy the fresh air and the changing season! I love fall!

Soccer Time

So Cheyenne has started playing soccer on Saturday mornings. She is still very nervous about it because she is not very sure about it. Right now, Shane and I both take turns going out there with her and running alongside her. So it is good exercise for us as well! I hope she starts getting a little more comfortable and less clingy to us! But here is a pic of her all dressed up to go out and play!

Goodbye to Baby Times

This week has marked the end of some of the baby times at our house. All in this week so far, we have put the high chair in the garage and now Mason is a big boy and eats at the table with us. Also this week we took down the big gate in the hallway and are letting them have more freedom into the back of the house. They are loving it, more toys and rooms to run around in. I am sad to see Mason getting bigger, he has gotten big so fast. But they have to grow up sometime!

Wheels on the Bus.....

Today we had a MOMS club activity, we went to tour the school bus yard. We got to see three different buses and the kids had a blast. The tour guide named Mr. Joe was awesome he even let the kids ride on the wheelchair lift on the small bus. They had a great time! Below are two pics of the kids on the big bus, they really enjoyed this trip. Cheyenne has been convinced lately that she should be riding the bus to school and I have been telling her she is not quite old enough right now, but she sat on the bus today and told me, look mom i am just the right size for this one!

The new buses that they showed us have seat belts in them and I really dont like it. The bus driver was telling us that if there were to be an accident he has under three minutes to get back there and undo all the belts and get all of the kids out before the bus would be fully engulfed in flames. Really scary to me!

Memory Monday

So I was reflectiong today about all the memories that I could write about and some old memories came to mind but then I got to thinking about memories in general, building them and cherishing them. I am so glad that my children have had the opportunity to be around their cousins so much and to be so close to them. Because of my transplant we had to move to California and missed alot of time with family that we would have had if we stayed in New Mexico! But I have alot of wonderful memories from my childhood and I would not trade them for anything is this world. I am happy to know that my kids will have great ones too and be able to remember great times that they spent with Breanna and Garrett, the older ones in the picture. And all the growing up together that they get to do with Alexia and Chloe. And all the special memories that they will share with Mackenzie and all the other babies to come from my side of the family. I hope that they will always cherish the time that they have spent together.

Doc Appts

Today the kids had doctor appointments. Everything went really really well. We have switched to a ned doctor down here by us and I cant be more happy with him. He was very caring towards the kids and easy to talk to. I really enjoyed him.

Ok: here are the stats:

Mason - weight 27.5 lbs, height 32.5 inches, and is doing great. He had three shots and he did really well. Only cried a little bit. We just broke him this week of his binky and he still asks me for it but has not had it for two days.

Cheyenne - weight 47.5 lbs, height 41.5 inches and she had two shots. She didnt cry at all with the shots. The doctor told her, I have to give you these shots to keep you healthy and she just sat there for it. Then he asked her when he was done if she was ok and she shook her head no and he said do you need a hug and so he hugged her and she did so good.

I am so proud of these great and growing kids. Thank you for doing a great job today!

First Day of Preschool

So, today was Cheyenne's first day of preschool and she loved it! She did so so great, I am so proud of her. She attends Tiny Tots by our house, she will be going Tuesdays and Thursdays fom 9-12. I think that she will really enjoy the learning time and being more independent. When I took her this morning, we went in and she put her stuff in a cubby and saw all teh craft stuff that was out and she turned to me and said, " Bye Mom, Give me a Kiss" So, I did and I ran, hahaha, hoping with all hope that she would do great and she did.

Mason and I will be using that time when she is at school to hopefully spend some much needed time with just us. Although, today he slept the entire time she was gone, even with getting in and out of the car like 4 times so I could get some shopping done. I actually had to wake him up from his nap to go inside and get her.

One funny story that I have gotten out of Cheyenne so far involved her passing gas. Apparently during play time she tooted and other kids looked at her and she took a cue out of her mommy's playbook and blamed it on someone else, hahahaha. She told that story and then couldnt stop laughing.

Turning 4 !!

Today, my baby girl turned fours years old. I cannot believe that it has been four fabulous years as a mommy! And Cheyenne is getting to be such a big girl!

Cheyenne will be starting preschool next month as well as soccer on the weekends. She is so excited about soccer she is constantly running up and down the hallway kicking her soccer ball that Auntie CoCo got her, she loves it. I am looking forward to watching her play and wear her out! At last measurement, she was about 41.5 inches tall, just for records sake of how big she is now!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! We love you!

Passing on the Addiction

So, I believe that I have passed on my addiction to caffeine and Dr Pepper in particular. Last week while we were at the water founain park that they have down here, I, in poor planning, forgot juice boxes for the kids. All I had was a Dr Pepper for myself.

So, Cheyenne tried it and she was like EWWW!! that is gross, no thanks mom!

But then my boy tried it and he would not give the can back to me. Needless to say that I now have to hid my soda from him or he goes nuts wanting more!

These Crazy Times....

The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy busy and I cannot believe that it is almost September already. Our family just returned from a great Family Reunion. In celebration of my 20 year anniversary of my transplant we had a great big party! It was so nice to see some family together and spend some time with relatives that we have not seen in so long. Both of my grandma's were able to make it which was so awesome, I know how much work it was for all of them to get here but I was so glad to see them all and be able to celebrate with my family.

More than anything it was amazing to see my own little family, with my brother and my sister and how much we have all grown. It is nice that we are adults now and can spend some quality time together enjoying just each other's company. And I owe my parents the greatest thank you of all. They did an awesome job making sure that we all had a good time and helping me get to 20 years and having something to celebrate!

See you all in 20 more years! well, hopefully we will see you all before then!

Memory Monday

Since, my friend Kendall does this I thought it was a fabulous idea and a good way to write down memories to preserve here.

So, my first flashback is about the first thime that i really felt like I was married. After we got married, Shane and I decided that we would take a roadtrip for our honeymoon. Until this point I dont think I really thought in terms of I am married now. One of the first places that we went was to Kalispel, MT and stayed with some wonderful family friends named the Stafford's. Anyway, at one point, all the men were outside doing some work with the farm animals and the women were inside. One of the women inside turned to me and asked me, "Is your husband out there, too?" And I probably looked really dumb when because I sat there for a minute until it hit me, Yes I am married and my husband is out there.

We are going on our 5 year anniversary this fall, and I couldnt have asked for a better 5 years of my life! Love you Shane!

All Wet

So, Mason has discovered that the refridgerator dispenses water. So today after he finished his baba, he decided that he would try to fill it up again. And needless to say he ended up like really wet. He was screaming his head off as well, but it was really funny. I couldnt pull myself together to get a pic of the wet mason but here is him try to fill up the bottle!

My New Truck

So over the holiday weekend, we were up at Shane's moms house and he decided we needed a new vehicle. Surprise, Surprise it is a truck! The kids love it though, they can see alot more now! I like driving it, I just do not like the gas mileage, but we will just have to be more careful now!

All I can say is at least it fits in my garage, I would have been really really mad if it didnt.

I was Tagged by Kendall

What was I doing 10 yrs ago....I was a Junior in High School. And a royal pain to my parents, my rebellious time in my life. Marching colorguard was my life and loved it!

5 yrs ago....I was newly engaged to my wonderful Shane. We got engaged on June 1st so we had just got started on all the work that comes after that.

1 yr ago......I was living with my parents in Orange County and Shane was working out of town all week. Rough time in our lives to be away from each other so much!

Yesterday.... Worked all day on getting our bows ready to go. Finally it is all set and now we just have to cross our fingers and hope that the lady at the boutique just loves them.

5 snacks I enjoy..........cheese, cracker(lots of kinds), fresh fruit, snickers(my fave candy bar) and chex mix

5 favorite books...... Twilight series of course, completely addicted to that. Nora Roberts, anything James Patterson. I also love magazines, a little addicted to those, mainly gossipy ones.

5 places to run.......Target, unfortunately the grocery store, my parent’s house, the movies, and home is always nice5 bad habits.........putting off cleaning until I have to do it, obsessively on time, eating junk, caffeine and watching way too much tv

5 pet peeves..... people who are late, or don’t follow the rules, mean kids(ones that are mean to my kids) that are not corrected by their parents, people who talk in the movies and wet willies.

5 things I enjoy......hot baths with a good book, going out to eat, shopping, writing to people online, taking pictures

5 favorite TV shows.......Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, So you think you can dance, any crime drama, and the food network( love to watch people cook stuff I could never cook myself.)

5 people I would love to meet........President Bush, President Monson, (stole those from Kendall), Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Patrick Dempsey

5 things I would never wear........short skirts or shorts, tube top, high heels, anything slit up the side, anything a weird color.

5 people to tag.........?

Wipeout!

ok, I am not sure how many of you saw the new show that was on Monday night on CBS, I think. But it is called Wipeout and if you have ever seen those Japanese game shows where everyone falls all over the place, it is kinda like that. I laughed the whole time I watched it. Anyway, half way through Cheyenne was trying to get out of our recliner and totally fell out and since I had been watching that show. I could not stop laughing. She was so so mad at me. She said, " Ya know Mom that really hurts my feelings!!" I really couldnt pull myself together after that, Shane had to step in and calm her down. It was absolutely hilarious.

Team Edward

Ok, so I became a member of Team Edward. I have fell in love with the Twilight series and cant wait for the next book to come out in August. I am thinking of buying the whole set then and hopefully keep them to pass on to others who have not read them. These book are absolutely amazing and totally addicting. Thanks to Crystal for getting me addicted. I love them!!!

Go Team Edward! August 2nd cant come soon enough!!

First Sunday

Today was our first trip to our new ward here. It was great to finally go to Sacrament here and met some new people that are in our ward. Having our friends, Kendall and Eddie and their wonderful kids was a great help to be brave and attend our new ward. Cheyenne was slightly confused why Oma and Opa were not there, since we usually only attend with them. But I can already feel the benefits of our short visit to our ward. You know when you can tell the spirit is stronger in your life? That is how I feel today with even just a little short trip to church. We want to start attending the other meetings but we are going to try to build the kids (and Shane) up to that. I am grateful for the gospel in my life each and every day. Have a great Sabbath Day!

Stranded

So, we are all feeling a little bit of cabin fever over here. We have been in this house for three days, three days is way way too long. We are having some car trouble so Shane does not want me to drive it until it is fixed which hopefully today we will be able to take it in to get looked at. So, that is why we stayed home yesterday for the most part. But also, Shane left with my car keys in his pocket and was all the way at his job site, 2.5 hours away before he called me to tell me. I think subconciously he did it so that I could not drive. Besides all that it is also at least 110 degrees here every day this week. It is so ridiculously hot! So, I want to keep the kids out of that as much as possible but we are going to have to find something to save our sanity as well!

Father's Day Weekend

This past weekend being Father's Day made me reflect alot on how my life has changed since Shane and I became parents. Our children are our world and that is the way that it is intended to be and we couldnt ask for a better calling in life than to be parents to such wonderful kids. We spent this past weekend with my family in Orange County. On Saturday we took family pictures for the year of my side of the family tree. We take a new one every year now it is important to us to document as our family grows. Then we spent most of the rest of the day celebrating my sister's birthday which had been earlier in the week.

Then on Sunday, church really set the mood for appreciating the fathers in our lives. We spent the day again as a family and giving small gifts and just spending some time together.

It was a great weekend and we miss them all already!

Wow

Ok, so I like this. Minus the wording error on my last entry it is very, very cool.

First Post

Hello All!

My friend Kendall told me she uses her blog to keep in contact with her family and I thought that was an awesome idea, so here I am.

I want to send a like to here to all my friends and family so that they can be a part of our lives more frequesntly than when I do get to see them all. Posting here with help those who live far to feel a little closer to us with each entry.

I will write again soon! As soon as I go see how this looks!