Phoenix Aquarium

My mom and I took the kids to visit the Phoenix Aquarium in November. The kids loved it! It didn't compare to the Seattle Aquarium, of course, but had some fun things to see. They have a tank of sting rays to feed and touch. I couldn't even touch a starfish let alone the sting rays! It was fun to see though.

James's photography skills. Blurry is better for me anyway!

Kate and Grandma.

James turns 6!

James had an army party this year. He originally asked for a Star Wars/ Army Guy/ Ninja Party. I just stuck with Army even though most of his gifts were his favorite Star Wars. He had a great time with family and his new friend. Grandma LaVerne came into town. She has made 6 out of 6 birthday parties...pretty impressive!

Day in the Life of...

So here is a typical family dinner. Brent is the ONLY one seated. No real plates are used. Little pieces of food and stickiness abound everywhere.

This was taken in the apartment in Peoria where we lived for a few months, while looking for a home here in Phoenix. We lived on the second floor...mistake!! The boys jump off furniture and stomp around. Kate is at the age where she doesn't walk she kind of plops and stomps around. We got a few broomsticks to the ceiling from the neighbors below. It turns out they moved the same day we did. My other favorite feature of the apartment, besides the one butt kitchen was the carpet underneath the dining room table. It was so gross by the time we finished with it. As a result, we were really glad to be back in a house again.

Not for the Faint of Heart

In August, we had an accident in the home. James and William were cutting paper and accidentally almost cut off the entire tip of William's finger at the joint. Both boys were pretty traumatized by the incident. The scissors cut through both tendons so a week later he went in for surgery and came out with the club cast. The surgery went well, but the club cast, of course, came off the next day. He then received another cast, which survived until the final finger wrap was placed right before we moved. The finger is all better now, but we are still working on him using that finger. He rarely uses it and needs some practice, but he'll get there...at least it works!!

Halloween Pics

William goes to Preschool with his cousin Olivia. They have become good friends as a result. His teacher deemed this week "Star Wars" week for William and he has been in heaven!

It was too much to ask to get all three kids in the same picture this year. Kate ripped her headpiece off the second I finished the picture. She was Queen Amidala.

Ow, I sliced my hand! (That was for you Jill!)

And the boys. The Fetts. We went to our first ward Trunk or Treat. The boys enjoyed the warm weather this year. I bought all this candy to hand out at our apartment complex thinking we'd get a lot of kids coming by. We got ONE trick or treater. I should have given her the whole bowl.

Half Marathon

I've been avoiding this post for months now for obvious reasons...I look horrible!!! Consider this a scary Halloween post! I ran a half marathon a few months ago with Kirsten and Mindy and have to say something about it so here you go. My goal was to beat Julia Roberts' half marathon time and I did it!!! I think it was a great goal. Now I can proudly say...In your face Julia!

Seriously, I am so thankful for this experience. I never thought that I could run before this and wasn't even going to attempt it. I started walking and jogging in intervals. I would do 4 min running/ 2 min walking. I just kept increasing my time until by the marathon I was doing 1 mile running then 1 minute walking breaks. This experience was so empowering for me. I was able to do something that I truly thought was impossible for me. It really shifted my thinking and made me realize that I can do more than I thought possible.

Kindergarten

James has started Kindergarten. I found a school that started later in the year so James didn't miss his first day of school. It is a great charter school and he has a wonderful teacher. I am driving forever to get him there right now, but hope to be closer when we find a house...hopefully soon!

Preschool!

William started preschool a couple of days ago. He is loving it! His teacher says that he enjoys telling long stories to the group. She asked him what R-E-D spelled and he responded with a lengthy story that has nothing to do with the question. (I'm sure he gets that from me.) She hasn't discovered his other trait yet. He likes to call random items Duckie. I hear Duckie a lot in a day.
Mom, do you know what that is? Duckie.
You know what I call that? Duckie.
You know what day it is? Duckie.
Mom, do you know what color this is? I call it Duckie.
She's in for some good times!

Baby Girl

Never leave the wet wipes in her reach or she will pull them all out and do this when you tell her to put them back!

What's wrong with caressing a dirty dishcloth?

The pointer. Kate gets everything she wants by pointing and screaming. Yes...it gets old! She is holding her favorite doll. Leta Agnes. Contrary to popular belief (from Brent) she does not and has never sucked any one's eyeballs out.

Cousins

Father and Sons Campout

Weekend Trip

We decided to take the boys on a vacation. Now by definition by my boys, a vacation is staying in a hotel. Brent thought we should just take them to a hotel here in town, but I being a wise parent said no because then they would ask to stay there every time we passed it...NOT a good idea. So we went to Orem and my mom watched Kate while we took the boys. We spent most of our time in the pool and had a great little getaway.

Mole Removal

Poor William may have inherited my yucky skin. I caught him in the bathroom trying to wash a mole off of his neck with some wet wipes. I wish it were that easy!

San Francisco

In March, I took a trip with my sister-in-law to San Francisco. We had a wonderful time shopping, seeing the sites, and really enjoyed the food there. We saw a matinee of Wicked and I absolutely loved it. It is definitely a must see and in my top 5 for Broadway plays.

I am telling you that Marriott hotels have the BEST beds. I don't know what it is, but I love them. If I could take one home with me I would.

Chinatown obligatory photos.

Baby Cake

"Baby Cake" turns 1! (Kate's cousin refers to her as Baby Cake.) She really enjoyed her first taste of cake too. Her first year of life flew by the quickest between all of my kids. I can't believe she is now one. We think she's great!

Good Mom Moments

Just to remind my blog readers that most days are like this...not the happy moments usually posted. We'll just say the fun and happy moments are so wonderful because we've just come from this!

80s

My friend got me these "no socks" and I LOVE them. Brent calls them Kate's leg warmers. I highly recommend them!
Brent and I dressed up in our 80s gear for a great party. It was tons of fun, but I have to state that the 80s should definately be left behind us! Very wrong!!

Hair tips

I tried Kate's hair in pig tails one day and thought it was cute until James told me that she looked like Mike Wiszowski. Not quite the look I was going for. Feel free to send me any hair tips. I am clueless!