Fire Station Field Trip

Izzy's preschool class had a field trip to the fire station. We went all the way into Phoenix because one of the preschoolers had an uncle who was a firefighter, and boy was it worth it! He showed us every nook and cranny of the firestation. We even got to see where he sleeps, and experience the alarm that wakes him up if there is a call in the night. He said that they can get up to 40 calls a day!

After the tour, we became junior firefighters with hats and badges of our own! That was way cool!
Since we were junior firefighters, we had to practice using the equipment. He taught us how to use the firehose. We are so ready to put out some fires!
Then, of course we learned all the inner-workings of the fire truck. Man I wish they had a call while we were there, we were so ready to go save a kitten in a tree or something!

Date With Daddy

Daddy and Olivia went on a date to the Science Center. They are both in love with sharks and there was a 3-D shark adventure at the IMAX there, so naturally that's exactly where Olivia wanted to go (every year during shark week on discovery channel, the two are glued to the TV). After they got the main attraction out of the way, they went through the 3 floors full of discovery that the science center has to offer. They saw the huge nose that sneezes on you, went though the balance exhibits, saw heart surgery, laid on a bed of nails, etc. They stayed until the science center closed, and then spent some needed extra bonding time over Taco Bell. What a fun date!Olivia on the bed of nails. Doesn't seem to hurt one bit!!

Cousins!

While we were up in Utah for Tessa's memorial service, we also got to see Shayne's sister, Stephanie and all their kids. It is always so much fun to be around cousins, and I love that my kids get to have a relationship with their cousins, even though we all live so far away. This is the most recent picture of all the cousins on Shayne's side. What a bunch of cuties!!

Pumpkin Carving

Since Arizona doesn't grow pumpkins, pumpkin patches are more like bales of hay on asphalt with some ridiculously priced pumpkins sitting on them, so this year we decided to forego the "traditional" Arizona pumpkin patch, and get our pumpkins at Walmart. $5 later we had three great pumpkins! We carved the big one together as a familiy and then used the potato head inserts for the two little ones. The girls loved the gooey mess (sorry, Quinten slept through it), and they especially loved roasting the pumpkin seeds after! I don't think we have any pumpkin seeds left-over! The girls wanted a regular jack-o-lantern with triangle eyes, but Olivia wanted it to have a missing tooth so that it would match her. Halloween is so much fun!!

Say Something Nice About Me!!

We recently had Olivia's parent teacher conference, which Olivia did fantastic! I was so happy to hear that she listens to her teacher, is friendly to everyone around her and will try and do anything. We were driving from conference to soccer practice, and I praised Olivia on how well she is doing and how proud I am of hearing all the great things she is doing in school. Olivia beamed loving every minute of the attention and praise. Izzy piped up from her carseat, "Hey mom, say something nice about me now!"

Halloween Fun

We had our annual "Chili Cook-off, Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treat" at church. It is crazy for the parents to try and work the booths and then maneuver their kids around all the cars, but they kids absolutely love it. Mine are in heaven the entire time!Olivia is a High School Musical Cheerleader.


Izzy is Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.


And following tradition, Quinten is Yoda.

Big Enough

Izzy is finally "big enough" to sit on the boot scoot bike. She has been dying to ride bikes, but they are just a little to difficult for her, so she is LOVING taking this one for a ride on the driveway. I don't know where she got this, but she thinks that when she gets bigger she's going to turn into Olivia and then we'll have two Olivias riding bikes outside...and Quinten will turn into Izzy.

Olivia's First Soccer Game

Olivia decided to try out soccer this year, and she LOVES it! She was a little nervous at first and didn't think that she was that talented at it, but after a few weeks, she has fallen in love. Of course at our age, we still don't keep score, and it is more of a blob chasing the ball than strategic movements, but Olivia is loving the sport!

Great Mom...Stinker Mom

Izzy had a rough evening. She rarely gets a nap anymore, although she really does need one. After a long day, Shayne and I decided to take the kids out to dinner and some quality family time. We just went to a little family diner and anticipated great bonding and loving relationships. Izzy struggled from the get-go: sassy attitude, wouldn't eat her meal, not obeying, the list goes on and on. We decided to let the kids get dessert (which we rarely do), and they both ordered oreo sundaes. Izzy, then became the rudest raunchiest kid I've ever seen. She refused to wear shoes, she swatted me, threw Quinten's toys under the table, colored on the table with crayons, etc. So sad to say, she lost the privilege of eating her dessert, we would take it home and she could earn it back (I'd hate to have a child totally lose a privilege when it is REALLY special). So we boxed up her sundae and went home. She tried to hit me through the truck window, which won her the grand prize of a spanking and we had to throw away her yummy dessert once we got home. She continued to sass and defy all through getting ready for bedtime. I finally got her to take some snuggles, because I think she was beyond all reasoning. I got the girls in bed, and Izzy came out a few minutes later...

Izzy: Mom, do you think you are a great mom?
Mom: Yeah, I try to be a great mom.
Izzy: You're not, you're a stinker mom.

And she turned around and went back into her room. I couldn't even punish her for that, I was laughing too hard. What a hard day to be two...

Sub-Zero...YUMMY!

In Utah we went to this great ice cream place called Sub-Zero. You pick your flavor, how fatty you want it (the more fatty the better!) and any mix-ins. Then they put it all liquidy into a bowl, mix it up and put liquid nitrogen on it, which freezes it up INSTANTLY! The girls loved watching it be made, and it was delicious! Kinda chewy ice cream. Thanks Tommy and Aria for the experience!

Wouldn't happen at my house...

Aria let the cousins have free reign on all her jewelry. They were digging in her jewelry box, putting on loads of necklaces, rings and clip on earings. Then they wanted to wear them ALL to church. We had a little wailing and gnashing of teeth when I put a limit on one item per child. Aria is WAY too nice!

Really?

I saw this billboard along the freeway up in Utah. Really? This is a real ad?...

Candy Cravings

Just like any other kid, Quinten goes NUTS around candy...

Quinten turns 7 months!

So many things you can do now!!

• Eating all kinds of solid foods, including whatever mommy was trying to eat for dinner
• totally sitting up by yourself - a whole new world
• Go-Go Gadget arms and hands, you can get anything! Especially when you are in the front carrier and I am grocery shopping!
• Has started expressing your opinion about who holds you, what toys you play with and what food you eat. You really know what you want!

You are still the snuggliest little guy ever! I love when you want to bury your face in my shoulder and just sit there snuggling. I even don't mind that you don't sleep through the night, it gives me a little extra love time with you...

Olivia is 5 1/2

Olivia turned 5 1/2 on October 8th. We love our 1/2 birthday tradition. She chose to make a pink 1/2 birthday cake which she generously decorated herself. We also measure to see how much we've grown on our 1/2 birthday. Olivia has grown a ton! No wonder we had to buy her an entire wardrobe and all new shoes this year! She also wanted Littlest Pet shop for her 1/2 birthday. What a big girl! I keep telling you Olivia...STOP GETTING BIGGER! I can't handle it!!

Sleeping Angel

We were able to head up to Utah this past week for Tessa's memorial service. It was such a sweet service. We were able to see her, which was such a big deal for me since I didn't get to see her before she passed away. She looked like a sleeping angel. The tears come whenever I think about it. During the service, they shared a letter that her parents wrote to her, which was so heartfelt and I truly felt the spirit. What a sweet little spirit that came down to be with their family, even for such a short amount of time. I can't wait until we can meet these sweet children again who leave us before we are ready.

After the viewing, I heard my sister-in-law talking to her children before they closed the casket to say goodbye to Tessa's body one last time, because they won't see it again until Tessa is there again. So true. Her spirit is not dead, she is waiting for the rest of her family to join her, and patiently waiting until she is resurrected and can have her body perfected back again. I am so grateful for our Savior and all that he has done so that we might be with our families, these little angels for eternity...



(Aria was at the hospital almost the entire time that Tessa was there taking hundreds of photos. Lucky parents!)

Little Angel

Our dear sweet niece returned to our Heavenly Father tonight. Tessa Joy Bethards passed away with her loving family around her, after being on this earth a little more than a week. I am so saddened that I didn't get to meet her, and that my children will have to wait until the life hereafter before they can play with their little cousin, but I know that she is in a better place. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of our Father in Heaven's Plan. Life would be so different without the perspective that the Plan of Salvation gives me.

Tessa had a lot of hurdles to overcome just to get here. She was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, and many didn't think she would make it to birth. But my brother and his wife got their miracle, and they have been able to spend a little over a week with their little angel...

I hope you know Tessa that you are so truly loved here on the earth, and you will be missed. I can't wait to see you after we are finished here, to be able to spend eternity together. I can't help but to think that Tessa and Avery are up there together in a joyful reunion right now.

Driving Us Crazy!

Quinten's new favorite toy is a really noisy car. He goes berzerk everytime it is in front of him. So I have safety pillows on the side in case he falls over, and a pillow at his feet holding the toy in front of him...Happy Boy!

Lost Tooth

Olivia lost her first tooth! She has been pretending that she has loose teeth for about a year now, but finally a REAL ONE!! How exciting! The tooth fairy even remembered in her busy schedule to come pick it up, and Olivia got $2! Way more than the tooth fairy ever gave me!

Sick

It's so hard being sick...


It's even harder pretending to be sick...

New Trick

Quinten has a new trick. He can cheer right along with Daddy at all the football games...

How long can a grudge last?

Somehow I made Izzy mad... I don't even know how I did it (it happens so often in our house), but she told me that she was NEVER going to play with me again and left to go pout in her room. She fell asleep while she was pouting, and I had to wake her up to get out the door to soccer practice. I went in the room, stroked her face and said, "Time to get up sweetie, we've got to go to soccer practice," in my most sweet motherly tone. She opened her eyes and said, "Don't talk to me I'm still never going to play with you again!" Apparently grudges in our household can even last through a nap!

Bubba's First Tooth

Bubba popped through his first tooth the other day and man does he LOVE using it!!

Indoctrination

Nothing like using family dinner time to indoctrinate your children...