The Minors

Christmas 2011 and Vail

2012-01-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

First we had Christmas morning at our house

Then we went over to Papa and Grammy's to open presents there. With everyone there this year, it was a little chaotic.

Christmas evening

The next day it was off to Vail

Albany loved the hot pool

We all got to ski this year (except Albany)

Emerson did great at ski school and loved practicing afterwards with mom and dad.

Wyatt did amazing and is now more daring than I am, going down two black diamonds! Here he is going down moguls!

One day they closed the lifts due to high winds, so the kids got to go sledding and ice skating.

We had a great time, can't wait for next year!

Christmas fun and Anniversary

2011-12-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

We began celebrating by decorating the tree

The boys made gingerbread houses with Grammy. Shockingly, Emerson's didn't last long enough to get a picture.

The boys sang at the Ward Christmas Party. It was really cute!

Emerson was first to see Santa. He was so excited and told him everything he wanted.

Wyatt was a little less excited and a little embarrased.

And Albany was much less excited and more terrified, but it was cute!

Matt and I also celebrated our 11 year anniversary yesterday. The kids had a sleepover at Grammy's and we went to Newport to do some Christmas shopping and see a special premier showing of Mission Impossible 4 for BMW. It was great!

Thanksgiving in Texas

2011-11-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Austin this year and had a wonderful time visiting with family, eating lots of good food, and watching all the cousins play together non-stop!

At the park

One day Jaxson had a Games 2 U party for all the cousins and some of his friends/neighbor kids. The boys were in heaven.

Albany loved playing with all the new toys at Grandma's with her cousins.

The little kids table

The big kids table

All the cousins, it was impossible to get a good pic of everyone smiling!

Halloween

2011-11-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

We had another great Halloween this year. Wyatt was Crocodile Dundee, Emerson was a ninja, and Albany was Smurfette.

Albany and Austin at the ward party

Trick or Treating, we always go visit Great Grandma first. We have to go early so we can spend some time visiting with her. She loves trick or treaters and puts out a big spread on her dining room table with caramel apples, cookies, giant lollipops and tons of candy. The kids' bags are already full by the time we leave her house!

Albany was all about the candy this year!

Jack

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Halloween Activities

2011-10-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

We have been busy so far this month. We took the boys to Mickey's Halloween party at Disneyland. They loved it. Once everybody else left at 6pm, the lines were short and the kids got to trick-or-treat through the park!

We also had Emerson's school fall festival. Here he is throwing a pie at a teacher, and Wyatt is "scooping for apples."

Saturday night we had our Halloween Party at our house. It was lots of fun and everyone had great costumes.

Preston and Jennie were Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth, Hilarious! Matt and I were vampires, but by this point the fangs had come out.

Jennie won at bobbing for apples and Dave, Larry the Cable Guy, won the costume contest.

The Patch

2011-10-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch. As usual, we had a great time and got some great pumpkins!

School starts and Emerson turns 5!

2011-09-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

The boys started school in August. Wyatt is in 3rd grade this year and Emerson has one more year of Pre-school.

For Emerson's 5th Birthday, we went to the beach and had a blast. Then we went to the Irvine Spectrum, rode the Ferris Wheel, and had dinner at Javier's (so good!)

On Sunday we celebrated again with everyone at Grammy's house. I made this pirate ship birthday cake.

El Salvador

2011-08-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful family trip to El Salvador with Matt's parents. We went for the temple dedication because Matt served his mission there. We all loved it and had a great time!

The view from our hotel in San Salvador. You can see the temple in the background.

This is the minibus we spent the week driving around the country in.

Cerro Verde

That is a volcano in the background.

The ruins

We spent one day at the beach, El Espino

The water is so warm and goes on forever before the waves start, so beautiful!

We went out on this little boat in the ocean. This was the boy's favorite part of the trip.

We had lots of great dinners. This is La Casa de Piedra. That is our driver, Jose Manuel.

The temple is so beautiful. I'm so glad Wyatt got to go to the dedication and see President Eyring. We can't wait to go back someday!

Beachhouse!

2011-07-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sandcrabs

Havasu

2011-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

We had another great trip to Havasu. Albany loved riding on the boats and loved the water, especially playing in the sand with all her cousins.

Everyone loved the Nautical's new pool

It has become tradition to go to Thrifty every night after dinner to get ice cream or shaved ice.

Wyatt's Baptism

2011-07-02T09:58:00.001-07:00

Wyatt was baptized on June 4. He was so excited. It was a very special day!

His best friend was also baptized with him

May

2011-05-28T08:21:00.001-07:00

Wyatt started Baseball. He is on the Pirates and has had two games so far. He scored a run in both games!

Wyatt's birthday was May 23rd. He turned 8 years old and started Cub Scouts. He is so excited for his baptism.

Thursday Wyatt was in the school talent show. He did a skit of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" with 4 of his friends. It was very cute!

Easter Fun!

2011-04-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter filled with lots of fun activities.

Saturday the boys went to a hunt at Emerson's school

The Easter Bunny came to our house and we had another hunt Easter morning

Going to church Easter morning

Easter at Grammy's

2011-04-25T08:40:00.001-07:00

We also had Easter dinner and a big hunt at Grammy's house with the cousins!

Happy Easter!

Crafts

2011-03-22T10:14:00.001-07:00

I saw these ideas online and decided to make them myself. I went to Home Depot, bought the wood, had Matt cut it for me, painted, sanded, stained, mod podged, and cut the letters out of vinyl on my cricut. It was so much fun. I can't wait to make more for more holidays!

Albany is one year old!

2011-03-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

I made her this cute butterfly cake. She loved it!

The presents, she got so many new outfits!

I can't believe my baby is already a year old. She is walking now, says mama and dada and has her own words for a few other things. She is always so happy and smiles and waves to everyone she sees. She loves reading books and petting animals like her great-grandmas doggies and our new parrot. She also loves playing with her brothers and being outside. She is our little sweetheart. Happy Birthday Albany!

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentine's this year. The kids got tons of goodies from us, grandmas, and friends, and as usual, enough candy to last the year that will be gone in a few days.

Albany was loving her presents and wore a new Valentine dress to church on Sunday.

Vail

2011-01-05T11:03:00.001-08:00

We got up early Christmas morning, ripped open the presents, and headed for the airport to go to Vail.

The first day Wyatt and I skied together. By the end of the week, he was flying down the mountain.

Albany was snug as a bug in her snowsuit and stroller cover

Other than EVERYONE getting sick, we had a good time!

10 year Anniversary!

2010-12-22T10:26:00.001-08:00

Matt and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on December 15. I am so thankful everyday that I chose to marry Matt 10 years ago, and for our 3 beautiful children. Whenever I have a bad day, I just think about my family and how lucky I am to have them, and then nothing else matters. I love these guys!

December so far...

2010-12-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

We saw Santa at the ward party

We made gingerbread houses

Emerson's, Albany/Mommy's, and Wyatt's

Albany loves to pull the ornaments off; they have since been moved up higher

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year. Wyatt was Wyatt Earp, Albany was a ladybug, and Emerson changed his costume for every different party/activity we went to (vampire, Buzz, and Peter Pan). We had all the costumes in our dress up trunk. Hope everyone else had a great Halloween too!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Albany watching her brothers jump

The bungee jump was the hit of the patch this year!

We had a great time and brought home some great pumpkins!

Halloween time at Disneyland

2010-10-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

The park was decorated so cute for Halloween

This was Albany's first time at Disneyland. She rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and some rides at A Bug's Land and loved them all!

These were just guests at Disneyland dressed up

Happy 4th Birthday Emerson!

2010-09-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Emerson's Birthday was September 7, but we have been celebrating all week...

Monday they sang to him at El Torito

Tuesday I made cupcakes for his pre-school class, took him to McDonald's for lunch, and he got a new bike (no more big wheel).

We also went to Chuck E. Cheese's Tuesday night.

Sunday we celebrated with Grammy and Papa who had been out of town. I saw this cake in a magazine and thought it would be fun to try. It is called Monster cake, four layers of cakes with a pistachio cream filling and a dark chocolate ganache frosting. It was super yummy!

He had a great birthday, but I am exhausted and glad it is all over now.

1st Days of School

2010-08-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wyatt started 2nd grade on Monday. So far he likes it and his two best friends are in his class this year!

Emerson started pre-school on Tuesday and was excited until it was time for mommy to leave. Then the tears started, but he ended up having a good day.

Albany started solids last month and loves those carrots!

4 Months

2010-07-12T14:09:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent pics of Albany. I can't believe she is 4 and 1/2 months old. She is our little bundle of joy!

Texas

2010-06-30T14:19:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to Austin to visit my family. We had a great time and it was so fun to see everyone.

The boys and Matt and I went to Schlitterbahn, the biggest waterpark in the country, and had a blast. I grew up going here and always wanted to take my kids someday. Albany got to spend the day with Grandma.

One night all the boy cousins had a sleep over at Grandma's. They made a campfire out back and made s'mores, and stayed up late playing DS. The next day Matt took them to get shaved ice and candy.

We went to the Round Rock Express Baseball game.

And we did TONS of swimming.

Albany's first time in a pool.

Idaho

2010-06-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

After Texas, we went to Idaho for a couple of days to visit Grandma Barclay and Carol's brother and sister. It was fun to see where Grammy grew up.

Albany and Grandma Barclay, the youngest and the oldest in our family. Gma Barclay will be 99 in October!

We went to Bear World where the boys got to bottle feed and pet baby bear cubs. They thought this was the coolest thing ever.

Wyatt's Party

2010-06-05T13:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Wyatt's birthday party. It was a baseball themed swim party. All the kids had a blast!

As usual, Baby Sister slept through the whole party, but I got a pic of her later. I can't believe she is 3 months old now!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

2010-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Wyatt turned 7 years old! He had a great week. Monday he lost his other front tooth. Wednesday he got an RBI in his baseball game and scored a run for the team! Friday our family celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese's, and yesterday we had a little party at Grammy's house. He is also having a swim party with his friends soon. Happy Birthday Wyatt!

2 Months!

2010-05-05T09:33:00.001-07:00

I am a little late posting these, but Albany is 2 months old now. She is such a good baby! She sleeps 8-9 hours straight at night, wakes up about 5 am to eat and goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours. She weighs 10 lbs. 8 oz. She is smiling and loves people to talk to her and smile at her, but we haven't gotten her to laugh yet. She loves to suck her fist, but hasn't found her thumb (I hope she does). She used to hate her car seat, but now she does much better and goes with the flow to school, practices, games, and all mommy's errands. We just love her so much and enjoy every day with our little angel!

Baseball

2010-04-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wyatt is playing baseball this year and doing great! His team has won 4 out of 6 games and Wyatt has gotten a base hit in every game. Most importantly, he is loving it and we love watching him play.

Albany's Blessing

2010-04-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today Albany was blessed. Matt did a great job and it was very special. Thanks to everyone who traveled to be here, and thanks Debra for making her beautiful dress!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dying the eggs

Easter Morning

The hunt at Grammy's

Photo Shoot

2010-03-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

My friend took Albany's pictures the other day. Here are some of my favorites. She is so beautiful!

First Photos

2010-03-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Albany Jane Minor

7 lbs, 4 oz and 19 3/4 inches

born 2/27/10 at 8:14pm

She is so sweet!

The ride home

The boys are so excited that she is finally here and love to hold her!

The Nursery

2010-02-19T15:09:00.001-08:00

Before, the boys had a moon and stars theme

After, we had the room painted and added crown molding, a chair rail, and a wider base board

The Sophie bedding collection from PBK

My favorite things are these butterflies that hang from the ceiling. There is also one posed on top of the curtain rod. I love how bright and cheery her room is. I just have a few more finishing touches to do. Can't wait for her to see it!

My shower!

2010-02-08T14:35:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Feb 6th, was my shower. Even though it was pouring rain, it turned out great and now I just have to get a couple more things and we will be all ready for baby!

37 weeks and so ready to be done!

The food table

Some of the guests

All the cute girl clothes and stuff

Thanks Jennie for throwing such a great shower and Colin and Afton for coming from Utah to be there!

Vail

2010-01-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Santa and Prancer were walking around the village
The low point of the trip, Emerson fell racing up the stairs and had to get 7 stitches in his forehead.
That didn't stop him from playing in the snow and even skiing another day

We had another great time in Vail and just enjoyed being together as a family

Ski Lessons

2010-01-05T09:46:00.001-08:00

Ready for their ski lesson
Emerson's first time on skis. He loved it and did awesome!
Emerson with their instructor
Wyatt and Daddy, Wyatt did so good that he got to go up to the top with daddy on the last day and went skiing with the whole family.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T08:12:00.001-08:00

For our 9th anniversary, we took the kids and stayed at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport. We had a room overlooking the water and we watched the boat parade from our balcony. It was amazing.
Wyatt's school play, "The Littlest Christmas Tree."
This year I got the boys matching flannel Christmas sheets from PBKs. I've always wanted to get them, so I finally did and I'm so glad. They are so soft and cozy and cute.
All the kids lining up to go downstairs Christmas morning at Grammy and Papa's.
Wyatt finally got his DS. He was so happy! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Seeing Santa and Student of The Month

2009-12-11T13:45:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went to Newport and the boys wanted to see Santa at Fashion Island

Today Wyatt was awarded student of the month for the whole first grade. Since there are 7 classes, his teacher only gets to pick one boy and one girl this year, and she picked Wyatt. We are so proud of him. (What a great time for him to get it too, right before Christmas :)

Tennis Lesson

2009-12-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Thursday Wyatt had his first tennis lesson and loved it. He can't wait til his next one this week, and of course, he looked so cute out there!

The little ball retriever

November

2009-12-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

November flew by. Here are a few things we did:

Celebrated Truman's Birthday at Jump and Jammin'

Carol and I made these cute place cards for the Thanksgiving table

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner

The boys had a blast helping Grammy set up the manger and officially kick off the Christmas season!

Halloween fun!

2009-11-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

carving the pumpkin

Wyatt wanted something scary this year, so he picked this skull pattern

Bumblebee and Optimus Prime Transformers

Wyatt's costume parade at school

All tuckered out, notice the half eaten sucker in his hand :)

Halloween Party!

2009-10-25T08:59:00.001-07:00

Last night we had a big halloween party at our house. It was tons of fun, and so fun to see everyone dressed up!

Matt as Axl Rose

Me, I just picked a costume that would fit over my 5 month pregnant belly

Jane, the Octomom, won the costume contest

2009-10-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

The bobbing for apples was hilarious!

Matt did a great job decorating, he even put dry ice in the fountain

Wyatt had to practice bobbing earlier before they went to their sleepover at Grammy's

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

Saturday we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with Grammy. Wyatt chose a gigantic pumpkin this year and they each picked a little tiny one for baby sister. I always pick a green one for variety and we got a good one to carve (those pics will come later). It was lots of fun!

The boys' favorite part was shaking the monkey's hand

Emerson on the quad ride

One of the obstacle courses

Colorado

2009-10-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went to Colorado for my grandma's 80th birthday celebration. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Denver with my parents, great aunt and uncle, and my two aunts and their families. Then Matt and I went to Vail for a couple of days just to get away and relax. The kids stayed with Grammy and everyone had a great time.

My grandma is on the bottom in the middle

One day we drove up to Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the U.S. at over 10,000 ft.

A scenic spot

This is Gilman, an old mining town that had to be immediately evacuated one day and they were never allowed to return. They say there is still furniture in the houses and pictures on the walls. You are not allowed to go down there though.

Knott's Halloween Haunt 2009

2009-10-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night we went to Knott's Scary Farm and had a blast. We went with Preston and Jennie, Scott and Merrily, and Afton who is here visiting right now. I couldn't ride the rides this year, but the haunted houses were fun and just walking around. Everyone had a great time!

It's a girl!

2009-09-29T08:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had our ultrasound and found out we are having a little girl!! I am still in shock, but so excited. Matt is coming around, but is still totally stressed about it. The boys said they wanted a boy so they would have someone else to beat up, but deep down I know they are really excited. Now, enough blogging, I have to start shopping!!

Wyatt's Garden

2009-09-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

This summer I read about things to do to keep your kids busy and planting a garden was #1, so we started with just dirt and the seeds Wyatt picked out at the store, and now it looks like this! Wyatt picked his first squash last week and there are lots more almost ready. He has put a lot of work into watering it and taking care of it, and he is so proud of his little garden.

Happy Birthday Emerson!

2009-09-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

My little guy turned 3 years old on Monday. We celebrated by going to Chuck E. Cheese's in the afternoon and then out to dinner that night. He was beaming when they sang to him at the restaurant. Then home to open presents.

Wednesday we celebrated again at Disneyland. Emerson's favorite part was taking pics with the characters. He would not stop hugging Pooh Bear. His favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean (mine too). We had a great time!

Aimee's Wedding

2009-09-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we went to Matt's cousin Aimee's wedding. Lonestar was the band at the reception. We had a great time dancing and hanging out. We took a bunch of pictures, but for some reason, this is the only one that would load. I know it is not very good.

First Day of School

2009-08-24T15:44:00.001-07:00

Today was Wyatt's first day of first grade. He was both excited and a little nervous because his best friend is not in his class this year, but luckily his friend Dylan is. Overall, he had a good first day.

Legoland

2009-08-03T10:45:00.001-07:00

Last week my sister's family came to visit and we went to Legoland

Emerson and I got drenched on the splash battle ride

The new Lost Kingdom ride

Two peas in a pod

Miniland is the coolest. They have cities from around the country made entirely from Legos.

The Beach

2009-08-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Havasu

2009-07-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

We are usually in Havasu for 4th of July, but this year we were at home for a change (we leave today for Havasu). We began our celebration with swimming and playing all day with Myles and Tori and then had a bbq at Grammy's house. Then we made a run for slurpees and finished by having 14 people on our upstairs balcony to watch the fireworks. We have the best view. It was a great day!

Last Day of School

2009-06-12T10:45:00.001-07:00

Last day of school with his teacher, Mrs. Back

First day of school, August 24th

Today was Wyatt's last day of Kindergarten. His class had a little ceremony and reception to celebrate their first year of school. I can't believe how far Wyatt has come. He reads and writes so well and he is great at Math. He loves Science and is often telling me facts about animals that I don't even know. He also made lots of new friends this year. We are so proud of you Wyatt!

Disneyland!

2009-05-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

Just before Wyatt's Birthday, and just after Lake Havasu, we went to Disneyland. We had not been there since before Emerson was born, so it was time. The weather was perfect, the lines were short, and we had a great time!

The new Finding Nemo submarine ride

Wyatt's best friend, Jacob, and his family went with us

Wyatt training to be a Jedi Knight

Ever since Wyatt saw pictures of his cousin at the Jedi Training Academy, he has dreamed of doing this. We were so excited when he got picked and he was first to fight Darth Vader. He kicked Darth's booty!

Wyatt's Birthday Party

2009-05-24T15:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Wyatt turned 6 years old! He had a pirate party at Grammy's house.

My sister gave him this amazing wooden pirate ship for his Birthday

All the kids got their picture taken with Blue's Clues.

pinata

presents

Summer Haircut

2009-05-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Wyatt got his hair cut short for the summer. Thanks Jennie, we love it!

Texas

2009-04-25T10:21:00.001-07:00

Just before Easter, the boys and I went to Austin to visit my family for Spring Break. Here are some highlights of our trip.

celebrated my niece Ryland's first birthday and my birthday

Easter egg hunt with all the cousins

flashlight egg hunt with cousin Jaxson

played at the park...a lot!

2009-04-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

We also went to the Austin Children's Museum and flew kites on a windy day.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter! The whole family was together. The kids got Easter baskets full of goodies and had a hunt at our house and Grammy's house and had so much fun playing with all the cousins.

San Francisco

2009-04-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

Matt had to go to San Francisco for two weeks for business. The first week I stayed home with the boys and the second week my mom came to stay with us and help out. When Matt came home for the weekend, he surprised me with a ticket to come up for a few days for my birthday (tomorrow). My mom stayed with the boys and we had a great time.

We had dinner at Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf
Alcatraz in the background

We got home yesterday and today the boys and I are off to Texas for a week for Wyatt's spring break!

The Tooth Fairy is Coming Tonight!

2009-03-14T17:05:00.001-07:00

Wyatt lost his first tooth today. It has been loose for a couple of days and finally just fell out. He is so excited to show everyone the hole and of course for the tooth fairy to come!

Scooterin'

2009-03-12T14:19:00.001-07:00

I haven't had anything really exciting to blog in a while, but I was taking pictures of Emerson out front on his scooter today and thought they were cute. Every time we leave the house or come home he says, "ride bikes minute," which means ride the bike, big wheel, scooter, etc. for a minute before we go. It is his favorite thing to do.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

This year the boys got gumball machines, candy, money, and Wyatt got a Ben 10 Alien Force dvd and Emerson got a new bath toy. They were so excited.
Wayne took all the adults (and baby Adi) to a very nice dinner at 21 Oceanfront in Newport Beach.
We watched the sun set over the ocean as we ate our dinner. It was very romantic.
They had cute little Valentine desserts and they were so good!

T-Bone's Race

2009-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Saturday Matt took the boys to watch Uncle Tyler's race in Lake Elsinore. They had a blast watching all the motorcycles and Uncle Tyler took 1st place! They must have been good luck charms :)

2009-01-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to see Mall Cop and I was pleasantly surprised. I probably liked it so much because I did not have high expectations and was really only seeing it because Wyatt and Matt wanted to. I think I also enjoyed it because we took Emerson (it is PG) and he was SO good. He sat quietly the whole time, which is huge for him. The popcorn, hot dogs, candy, and lemonade helped. We had a great time as a family, and if you are looking for a good comedy, go see it.

The Cat in the Hat

2009-01-18T19:28:00.001-08:00

Saturday we were shopping at South Coast Plaza and The Cat in the Hat was at Pottery Barn Kids. Emerson was a little afraid of the cat and didn't want to turn his back to him. He later warmed up to him and gave him a hug.

2009-01-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

copy and paste this link to see our slideshow of Vail:

http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr276/laura_minor/?albumview=slideshow

Christmas

2009-01-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas at Matt's parents' house. We stayed the night Christmas Eve and Santa came there and brought lots of fun things!

Wyatt finally got the hermit crab he's been wanting for a long time. Thanks Grandma and Papa in Texas!
Emerson's new big wheel from Grammy and Papa here
Christmas Eve
Emerson's favorite thing to do is kiss babies. Here he is kissing baby Maggie Christmas night.

Seeing Santa...Again

2008-12-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to Newport Beach to finish the shopping and have Christmas with Preston's family. (They are spending Christmas in Utah this year) First we saw Santa at Nordstrom and then we went to see him at Papa's dealership. All three times Wyatt has seen Santa this year, he has asked for something different! At least Emerson always asks for the same thing, a motorcycle.

Some Christmas pics from the past few weeks

2008-12-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Wyatt decorating the little tree in his bedroom
Holiday baking with mommy
Wyatt singing in his school Christmas program, "The ABC's of Christmas"
Decorating the gingerbread house

8 years!

2008-12-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

Today is our 8 year anniversary. We celebrated Friday night by staying at the Desert Springs resort in Palm Desert. This is the big tree in the lobby. I got to spend the afternoon at the spa and then we went to dinner and did a little Christmas shopping. It was great!

Santa

2008-12-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last night was our ward Christmas party. Wyatt did a great job singing in the program and then they got to sit on Santa's lap!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T19:59:00.001-08:00

The night before Thanksgiving, all the boys had a sleepover at our house.

It rained all night and when we woke up, we saw this rainbow from the backyard.

The feast!

2008-11-24T08:55:00.001-08:00

This weekend we went to Newport for cousin Truman's baptism and baby Adilyn's blessing. We got to stay at the Balboa Bay Club, which is always fun and the kids love. We had a great time and it was fun to see everyone!

Palm Springs

2008-11-13T20:43:00.001-08:00

Last week my parents came for a quick visit. One day we went to Palm Springs to check out the JW Marriott resort there. (My dad has worked for Marriott for over 30 years, and Matt and I are going to stay there for our anniversary next month.) They had these cool little boats that took you on a tour of the resort. It was an amazing hotel. Then we went down the street to Kobe for dinner. We had a great time!

Halloween!

2008-11-02T19:20:00.001-08:00

Carving the pumpkin with Daddy
Frankenstein and Dracula
The ward party, the green make-up didn't last long. We didn't even bother on Halloween.
Wyatt's school's "storybook character" parade
Peter Pan

Knott's Scary Farm

2008-10-29T09:06:00.001-07:00

Last night Matt and I went on a date to Knott's Scary Farm. There were 13 different haunted houses and people dressed up all over the park that try to scare you. But the scariest part was the roller coasters! I haven't been on a real roller coaster in about 10 years and now I remember why. We had a lot of fun though and the kids got to have a sleepover at Grammy's!

Awards Assembly

2008-10-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

The other day Wyatt's school had its first awards assembly. Wyatt was chosen as one of the few kindergarteners to receive an award. His was for being an "Excellent Kindergarten Worker." His class also has the rainbow club. As soon as a student passes off all 30 of their sight words, they are in the club. Wyatt was the second student in his class of 34 to make it in the club. (The first was the teacher's daughter.) We are so proud of how well Wyatt is doing!

Pumpkin Patch Time!

2008-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Patch with all the cousins. It was fun, but it got so cold. We were all freezing! The kids had a great time and we got some great pumpkins!

New Jammies!

2008-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

The other night we finally had some cooler weather, so I let the boys wear their new skeleton jammies that glow in the dark. Aren't they cute? They were so excited. Unfortuneately, it is hot again so they are back to Batman and pirates. Hopefully we get some more cold nights before Halloween!

Pickin' Apples

2008-09-27T18:32:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Oak Glen, one of my favorite places to go in the fall. It is up in the mountains and they have tons of apple farms where you can pick your own apples and get all kinds of apple goodies, like apple pie, cider, cider donuts, etc. There are lots of fun little shops and places to eat lunch and lots of things for the kids to see and do. The boys loved picking the apples and then Wyatt saw this boy with his snake and got to touch it. He loves that kind of stuff.

My Little Public Speaker

2008-09-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today I have to brag a little bit about Wyatt. He gave his first talk in sacrament meeting for the primary program and did such a good job. He spoke loud and clear and slow enough that everyone could understand every word. The whole audience even laughed at his little joke. These are just a few of the comments that people said to me afterwards:

"He is definitely a future bishop."

"He was the cutest part of the whole program."

"He is too little to speak that well."

"He is five going on thirty."

Way to go Bubbies, we are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday Emerson!

2008-09-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

Today Emerson turned two years old! We had a little Elmo party at Grammy's house. He loved being the center of attention and opening all his presents.

1st Day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Wyatt's first day of school. He has been counting down the days for the past two weeks. His best friend jacob is in his class which helps a lot. He says he is most excited to do science and he is excited for homework. I fought back the tears until I got in the car and then I shed a few. My little guy is growing up!

Family Reunion

2008-07-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a family reunion in Durango, CO for all of my mom's side of the family. These are my grandparents, John and Wilma. They have 13 children, 49 grandchildren, and 77 great grandchildren!

This is the tree in their front yard that us kids all grew up climbing. It was fun to see my kids climbing it. (Wyatt with his cousin Jaxson)

Emerson and cousin Allie

This is the famous train that runs daily from Durango to Silverton (an old mining town)

Matt with my brother-in-law Tony and my uncle Wade at a bbq at his place on the lake. Matt wanted me to be sure and post this picture. He had fun talking with Wade.

Beautiful Durango

2008-07-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

We happened to be in Durango at the same time as our good friends from Hemet, the Heplers. We met at their family's place in the mountains and then rode rangers up to the top of this mountain to explore some mines. We were so far from civilization and it was definitely one of the top 5 most beautiful places I've ever been.

SeaWorld!

2008-07-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Shamu

Wyatt's favorite part was whenever he got to touch something (stingrays here)

The Tide Pools

Thanks Grammy for the wonderful day at SeaWorld! (We missed you Truman)

Sesame Street Bay of Play

2008-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Oscar's Rockin' Eel ride

SeaWorld now has a new Sesame Street area for small children with 3 rides, shows, and characters. Emerson loved it!

Aliso Creek Beach

2008-07-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Matt went to the Vh1 Rock Honors concert featuring The Who (and Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Incubus, etc.) with Preston, so we decided to all go down to Newport and spend the day at the beach first. It was such a perfect day for the beach, sunny and hot. We had so much fun!

Finding sand crabs in the tide pools

4th of July in Havasu

2008-07-05T21:19:00.001-07:00

Pump It Up

2008-06-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today we got to go to a birthday party for Wyatt's friend Chase at a place called "Pump It Up." It is two huge rooms filled with blow up slides, bouncy houses, and climbing things. The kids had a blast, and I had fun watching them have a blast!

Preschool Graduation

2008-06-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

I can't believe he's going to be starting kindergarten in just over two months!

Mary Bono Mack Fundraiser

2008-06-01T18:55:00.001-07:00

Setting up; That was one BIG flag.

Mary

Dinner and dancing; It was a lot of work getting ready for this, but it was a huge success and everyone had a GREAT time!