THOMPSON FAMILY

Meeting Macie Mckay

2011-05-22T22:43:00.001-07:00

I was blessed to go meet my new niece, Macie McKay last week in Texas. She is such a doll. I can't get over how beautiful she is. I love being an Aunt to little Macie. She is the sweetest thing. She would look right at my face like she was really trying to recognize me and I don't know it it makes sense or not, but she seemed so familiar to me, like I recognized her. She loves to snuggle and loves to sleep during the day and be up all night (poor parents of hers!) I just love this little girl and miss her like crazy! I wish they didn't live so far away. I am hoping to get to see her (and her parents) in August. So don't grow up too much before then little Miss!!

You've got Style

2011-05-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

My kids crack me up with some of the things they come out wearing. One particular evening they were all very excited about picking out each others outfits before we took off to rent a redbox. Ashton picked out Teras outfit and Tera picked out his. Ashton looked at different dresses that Teras Barbie dolls were wearing to come up with the fashion idea for Teras outfit. Apparently the Barbie's outfit he liked was one with layers. Tera loved this lookalso and has since tried to put on the exact same out fit many times. Each time I have to tell her no. I am far from a mom who stresses over what her kids look like. We have been many a places looking very grubby... but even I have to draw the line somewhere. Tera thought that stripes and plaid went well together for Ashton's outfit. Mazzi actually looked quite normal. I think I convinced them to let me help pick out her outfit. And while the kids wouldn't be winning any prizes for best dressed this particular night, at least at the moment they were all bathed and clean. (Which can only be said for one part of every day in our home)

And here they are enjoy the redbox feature they picked out. I love movie night with my kids!

Settled...

2011-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Three weeks later- I am finally feeling settled into our new home. And surprisingly enough- I am happy:) I don't miss our old home much and this place feels like home. Probably because it has four of my most favorite people in the world (and one cool cat) living there with me. I am a bit obsessive, so feel like I can't relax until everything is just as a I want it. And while we are not completely there- we are quite close. I can't wait to get my vinyl machine all hooked up so I can get a few quotes on the wall! And it is a "cute" little place, as many people have called it. There will always be a few things that drive me crazy- like the stained glass in the door, the oak cabinets and the brass doorknobs... but it is a rental, so I will live with it :) So here is our new home revealed....

I love that we have a gardener and I don't have to mow or pull weeds or worry about the grass not being green....

I love this big front room...

(I also love this cute little girl on the couch!)

The girlies room..

My favorite wall

Re did the pictures in the girls room

Hung up the kids artwork (My mother-in law insisted these should be up) and I love seeing their work displayed in their rooms.

The backyard is a nice size and the kids are spending a lot of time out there. There is a lot of shade between the overhang and a nice big tree in the back.

Beverly Hills

2011-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Shelley was able to come visit so we made a weekend getaway out of it and went to Beverly Hills. We ate at some yummy restaurants, stayed in a luxurious suite, swam in the pool and hot tub (while eating chocolate cake) and then shopped what I think was called the "Alley?" But I dont really remember. It was a lovely weekend with some of my most favorite gals.

Coming to terms...

2011-04-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

As I sit in our home full of boxes, em pty walls and four and a half years of wonderful memories, my heart feels full. I am very blessed, and I know that what we are going through, or went through to get us to this point of making the decision to sale our home, is so little compared to what so many people have gone through, or are going through, but to me it has been a challenge. This experience has reminded me that material things aren't what matters. It doesn't matter the size of your home or what car you drive... what matters is what you can take with you. It is my kids last night sleeping in their beds at our home. Tomorrow they have a sleepover with their friends while Matt and I finish packing up. Tonight I find my mind won't stop thinking. I am grateful that this move we only have to move seven miles away, but I know even if we had to move 700 miles, or 7,000 miles we would still be okay, because I would have my family with me.... That said... on with the ramblings of my crazy mind this night.

Four and a half years ago we bought our home. We loved our home. I don't remember ever being happier to wake up each morning. Just knowing that I wasn't in an apartment, but was in OUR home. A home that we could plant flowers at, wash our car in the driveway, park in the garage (heck-HAVE a garage) paint the walls... It was a beautiful feeling. And the feeling didn't go away quickly... it stayed for quite some time. Of course I eventually began the very human way of thinking- that I wanted bigger and better.... but for the most part, I was very content with our home.

I remember my Dad asking what the worse case scenario would be when purchasing our home. We discussed that worst case scenario Matt would lose his job and the house market would plummet. We thought that was very unlikely, and we felt right about buying the home so we went ahead. Then, less than a year later the housing market plummeted, and because Matt worked for a home builder, he lost his job. Worse case scenario housing wise- brought to life. Matt found another job and things kept working out... however, that five year mark of the interest rate jumping, was looming over our heads.

We have watched our home decrease in value by 60% over the past four years (along with everyone else who bought at that time). It has been hard to see other people buying bigger and nicer homes now for less than what we paid for ours and its hard to be happy for people when you feel like the situation was so unfair, but such is life.

When we went to Redding for Matt's CHP Academy we decided it was a good time to try to sale our home as we didn't know where we were going to end up. Thus began the short sale process. We tried to work with the bank several times to do a loan modification, but they weren't willing to work with us. The thought of doing a short sale on our homes was very hard on my pride, but I knew that we are not alone by any means in going through this, as we have had several other friends in the same situation. While we were in Redding there were three or four different offers on our home and each one ended up falling through. I think the timing wasn't right for us and feel so blessed that we were being looked out for. If our home had sold while in Redding I would have had to find a rental and pack the house completely on my own while Matt was in the academy. Once we got back to Lake Elsinore there were two more offers on our home and the last offer actually got approved by the bank. It is now scheduled to close on the 12th of this month.

I have spent the last month looking at rental homes. I thought I could be okay with leaving behind our home if I found a really nice home to rent, or at least as nice as ours. I spent every spare moment driving around looking for rentals and on craigslist viewing postings. I was not having the best of luck. Two homes that I really liked got rented out before we even filled out an application, even though we looked within the first day they were posted, and the rest I liked were too far out of our price range.

The criteria I had when looking for a home was- it had to fit our budget, be at least four rooms, have a backyard, be in the ward, and closer to Matt's work, not the opposite direction on the freeway. I found I couldn't be as picky as I had hoped. We finally settled on a 3 bedroom home just across the street from our ward boundaries. (2 criteria shot to heck) The plus sides of this home was that it has a nice backyard, it has a very clean feel, it fits our budget, and might be 2 minutes closer to Matts work. :) Ashton will have to switch schools next year, which he is heartbroken over, but the school is right by Teras current school so they will both be attending there next year.

As I've been packing this last week I have tried to be excited about this change... as excited as I can be at least. And while it is sad to see these empty walls and empty closest starting to appear, it is also nice to de-junk my life and get rid of things as we downsize. I am glad we will be able to put money away each month as we choose the more affordable option and we will still be able to do fun things. I am trying to really focus on budgeting. Last month was the first month I have ever stayed at all on a budget. I didn't buy a single thing for me or the kids (clothes, toys etc.) and it felt so great. So, wish me luck in the future!! I know it will be hard to stay that good this month as we move. But I need to remember how good it felt!
But, truth be told, it is sad losing our home. While we feel grateful to be able to get out from under it and that it didn't foreclose, there's nothing happy about losing your home. So when people ask if I am excited about moving, it is hard for me to not look at them like they are stupid... because seriously.. who would be excited about something like this? I look at the walls we painted, the grass we planted and the retaining wall Matt laid and it makes me sad.. because this is OUR home... our FIRST home. The home where our kids started school, where Mazzi joined the family, it is full of a lot of memories. And not only are we losing it, but someone else is getting it for such a ridiculously low price that we could easily afford it if the bank would work with us at all. I know thats not the right attitude, but its just how I feel. And if you can't tell.... I'm not holding anything back in this post. So wish me luck in the move this weekend, and wish me luck in having a better attitude and adjusting adjusting adjusting! Life is all about change- I am just glad this is a "7 mile change" And I know there will be more happy memories in our new home.

Blessed

2011-04-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am blessed...

Girls Just want to have FUN

2011-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time celebrating Niki's B.day 80's style!

Pigeons Bite...

2011-03-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Mazzi was playing outside the other day, when she came in crying and holding her finger saying "bite." I looked at her finger and there were no teeth marks, but instead a small piece of her skin was missing, like it had been pulled off. Confused at what could have done this to my child, I went outside to look for the culprit. Mazzi came with me and pointed to a little pigeon who has sitting by the fence. The poor little bird was hurt (most likely by our hunter cat) and could no longer fly. I didn't know what to do for the bird, so I just left it there and didn't let Yoda go out anymore. Matt thinks I should have just let "nature take its course" and let Yoda kill him, but instead I let the kids "nurture him" (torture him) and prolonged his sad, meager life, for a painfully long day.

Mazzi knew not to try to touch the pigeon anymore since it bit her, but that didn't stop her from observing him very closely. She would bend down and get really close to him and say "Hi ducky- cockadoodle-doo!" It was adorable.

When Ashton got home from school he was excited to see the pigeon and decided to give it a home. He put it in a cage so Yoda wouldn't get him and gave him some bread crumbs and water. They loved this little pigeon and so badly wanted to take care of him until he was able to fly again, but unfortunately, he died overnight :( I thought the kids would be sad to hear that the pigeon had died, but Tera was happy to know that the pigeon is now in Heaven with Jesus.

Here's Ashton scolding Yoda for hurting the pigeon.

Smile...

2011-03-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hike

2011-03-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a nice hike out at the Santa Rosea plateau last weekend. It is one of my very favorite places near Lake Elsinore, I think because it reminds me of the landscaping of Redding, my hometown. We were happy to share the evening and the beauty with some of our good friends.

I believe in Prayer.

2011-03-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today I was frantically searching my house for our car keys, trying to get out the door to bring Tera to school. I was clueless to where I could have put them, as I had already checked the usual places to no avail. I asked Tera to say a prayer with me that we would find the keys. I like to allow my children to have the opportunity to say prayers so they are able to see their prayers be answered. Also, for some reason, that I know is entirely untrue, I think Heavenly Father is more apt to listen to a prayer when it is coming from a cute little girl like Tera. Tera prayed that we would please find the keys. Before she had even finished her prayer I pictured Mazzi playing with the keys. "Oh yes, thats right. I saw her playing with the keys and thought... I should take them from her. but I didn't." I then retraced Mazzis steps around the house. When I didn't find them in the house another inspired thought came to me to check the backyard. Sure enough, there they lay on the back patio. I quickly showed Tera that I had found the keys to which she said, "Jesus and Heavenly Father are so nice." Yes they are.

I know prayers are answered. Little prayers, big prayers and prayers in between. Prayers that we can have peace when things around us are falling apart, prayers that we will be comforted, and even prayers that we will find our keys.
I have had many other instances of little prayers being answered.

One day I was trying to get Mazzis car seat out of the car. Matt likes to put in all the safety clips/locks o the back. Not just one, at least two or three. Then he puts them in as tight as he can so it is nearly impossible to get them out. While I admire and appreciate that he wants his little girl to be safe, it is a pain to get out. While Matt was in the CHP academy I think his concern for safety sky rocketed, so at this time the car seat was in even tighter than usual. After trying for what seemed like hours, but was probably only 5 min. I was so upset with him and was losing my temper. I tried again for another hour (5 min) and still didn't get it out. My mom came out and I was telling her how frustrated I was and that I could not get it out. She told me to pray. At first I thought, "I am not praying over something so silly." And then I repented, and thought, "It never hurts to pray and will at least get me in a better fame of mind." I said a quick prayer that I would be able to get the car seat out. After praying I tried to loosen the clips and within a minute got it out. Yet another testimony that prayer works. I called my mom to tell her that I prayed and it worked. :)

On another occasion I had spent several hours going over our budget and paying bills, getting the checks together and putting everything in envelopes with stamps and addresses on. I got distracted doing something with the kids and then went back later to get the stack of envelopes so I could mail them. I couldn't find them. I looked all over the house and spent a few hours wondering where I could have placed them. Once again, I asked Tera to say a prayer that we would find the envelopes with our bills in them. As soon as she stopped praying I felt like I should go look in the garbage (which I had already looked in) I went to the kitchen garbage, and sure enough, there was the stack of my bills.

Knowing that Heavenly Father will answer such little, seemingly insignificant prayers, makes me that more certain that he can, does and HAS answered so many more significant prayers in my life- altering prayers in my life. Sometimes not in the way that I would have hoped, but in His own, better, all-knowing way. I am grateful to know that I can pray whenever I want and wherever I am and he will hear me and answer. I am grateful for all these moments that make me feel my Heavenly Fathers love and remind me that He is aware of me and can help in all aspects of my life, if only I ask.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

Ashtons Award

2011-03-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Ashton's teacher called me, with news that made my day, or maybe even my month. She called to tell me how much she loved having Ashton in class. She said he was so well behaved and such a fun kid to have in class. You can tell by the smile on her face when she hugged him that she does love my child. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that the person who spends such a huge part of the day with your child loves them and appreciates them. Ashton received the "Most improved" Award.

Since we moved back Ashton has gone from reading at a Kindergarten third tri-mester level to where he should be (a first grade third trimester level.) I was so relieved to hear this. He has been working hard and it is paying off. I am proud of my boy. Keep it up Ash!

One of the many reasons we love So Cal

2011-03-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

We love that Sea World is so close that we can go down for the day, spend a few hours and be back in time for dinner.

Our family is cool....

2011-03-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

The other day on the way to the gym Ashton was very impressed that I taught people how to exercise at the gym. He said "Mom, our family is really cool. You teach exercise, Dad is a police man, I do tae kwo do, Tera can dance good and Mazzi is learning to talk." For some reason that made my day. Yea, our family is pretty cool. And I say that in a humble way. :)

:)

2011-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

I need to remember that today was a near perfect day for Ashton. He did his homework without a single complaint. I didn't have to pester him to keep doing his math or continue on after each problem. He read all the words by himself on his English homework and filled in the blanks. Then without me asking, he read his practice book. His teacher called me last week to tell me how much she loves having Ashton in her class and how well he is doing in school. When we moved back, only a month ago he was reading at third tri-mester Kindergarten level. She said he is now up to grade level, in a matter of only a few weeks. He has been working hard at home and during tutoring. He is receiving the "Most Improved" award in his class on Friday. I am so happy that he has been blessed with great teachers. Mrs. Sellers has been amazing and puts in so much of her extra time helping get him caught up. I went from being a stress case over his education only a few weeks ago, to feeling so relieved and at peace. Thank you Heavenly Father :) Back to my little man- Ashton was pleasant to be around all day, used his manners and did as he was asked. When it was bed time he took a bath, brushed his teeth and said his prayers. Wow! My boy is growing up. I couldn't' stop hugging him and kissing him tonight because I was so proud of the boy he is. And the best part is... at this age he still lets me smother him (as long as his friends aren't around) and he even likes it.

A happy Day!!

2011-02-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2011 will always be a day to remember for me. The day I got my husband back and life became the "new normal." It was so neat witnessing Matt taking the oath to serve and protect people and see him looking all sharp in his uniform. He endured a lot over the past six months and I am so proud of how well he handled the stress. I love this man and love that he is making a difference in the world and has, what I consider, a very noble and respectable job.

Matt has several close friends, and relatives who are CHP officers, which helped influence his decision to go that route. They all love their job and played a big role in his decision to accept the invitation to the academy. The group includes one of his leaders at church, three young men whom were his friends that were in our ward growing up, and my brother.

2011-02-24T21:20:00.000-08:00

Surprise!!!

2011-02-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise party for Matt once we got back in Lake Elsinore to celebrate his graduating from the CHP academy. We are so proud of him. It was nice to be surrounded by friends.

CHP Party

2011-02-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

The night before Matt's graduation they had a CHP party and dinner to celebrate. It was fun meeting the guys that Matt has spent the past six months, 24 hours a day 5 days a week.

Here are his roommates Sullinger and Torres

And here's his silly buddy Reese. This guy made me laugh, and Matt as you can tell.

Matt and I wanted a couple's shot, but Reese wanted to be in on the love. What a weirdo.

Some evenings are long

2011-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

I am adjusting to Matt;s new schedule. We LOVE having him home three, and sometimes even four days a week and I am used to not having him around in the evenings because for the six month academy without him. However, some evenings when he is gone are so long. Tonight was one of those evenings. My day went by so nicely. It was just Maz and I at home most of the day while the other two were at school. Then, come three thirty Ash comes home and the whining and fighting me on homework begins. "Can't I just watch TV or play video games" and so on and so forth. I try to force him to do his homework unsuccessfully because I know we will be gone most of the night. I agreed to sub a step class in Mureitta. I hadn't got a work out in yet and a little money on the side is always good so thought it would be fine. On the way there Tera is complaining that she has a headache, Ash won't do his homework and Maz is whining about who knows what. We get to the gym and I drop the little munchkins off at the Kids Klub and head to my class. I have been teaching long enough that I generally feel pretty confident about my classes. I know some will go better than others. Some days I will be more motivating, more upbeat, etc. but for the most part feel that I should be teaching generally good classes after seven years of teaching aerobics. Tonight however, humbled me and proved me very wrong. Not that any one thing went wrong. I just was feeling bla. I couldn't make myself be in the least bit peppy, the mic sounded odd and the music all seemed annoying to me. I was annoying myself. I was very aware of phrases I kept saying over and over like "good job" and "okay?" I left the class feeling like a lame instructor. And to top it off, I had a fellow instructor in the class with me. (One who happens to be extra peppy which bugged me even more as if she were comparing my lack of peppiness to her over-peppiness)
So, I barley finish my class (emotionally and physically with my feet and back aching) and then go to pick up my kids. Turns out Mazzi has been crying the last several minutes because she bonked her head and then someone hit her. She's recovering while I hold her. All the kids get their shoes on and off to Chick-fil-a we go. This was their treat for going to the gym with me at night. I always feel bad dragging them along at night after a long day of school. I chose Chick-fil-a becaue it was Tuesday and kids eat free on tuesday. Right? Nope, they changed it. So, we are already tight on money this month and I was splurging paying for one adult meal and one kids meal and getting one free. So to spend 20.00 on a meal for me and the kids seems a bit ridiculous. Oh well, we get two big meals and split them. No bigggie. Besides the fact that Tera didn't get her chocolate milk. That as a big deal apparently. Just a little dissapoint amonngst other little dissappointmentes. And then no one said "My pleasure" and all the worekrs were kinda rude. Wierd- what is up chick-fila?? So I hope that as you are reading this you are aware of what I am as I am writing it. How nice my life most be if these are the thigns that bug me and tire me?? It is true. I have a nice life. A great life. It is a tiring life, but I love it. But, I must continue on with my long evening. The kids play in the play area, Tera pees her pants on the way to the bathroom, Mazzi drops her ice cream cone, Mazzi poops so change her diaper, Ashton does his homework in the kid splay place without complaining (thank goodness) then we drive home. Ashton and Mazzi fall asleep in the car. I carry them upstairs and tuck them in... no baths, no teeth brushing. Just chick-fil-a and gym kid klub cooties all over them as they sleep. Makes me a little sick, but not sick enough to wake them up and bathe them. I think I will go rub purell all over them though. That will make me feel better. And now, it is time for a bath, a book and ibuprofen. Ahhhh.... life is good.

Fiercely Independent

2011-02-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

This is just how independent and stubborn our little Mazzi has become. Today she refuses to let me get her anything. She wants to get her own snacks, change her own diaper (I wish she just wanted to potty train herself), roll out her own play dough, etc. She pushed a chair from the kitchen table to the pantry in order to get her self a capri sun. I decided I should get it for her, as it was on the top shelf of the pantry and the next step for her would have been to climb the shelves. So I handed her the capri sun and brought it over to the table. She was a little frustrated that mommy was helping. Then I did the unspeakable. I took the straw out of the wrapper. That happens to be her favorite part, banging the straw against the table until it pokes out of the wrapper. But I forgot. She was livid. She yelled at me and tried to put the straw back in the wrapper. She eventually realized she still got to put the straw in the juice box so forgave me a bit. This example just shows how and independent and stubborn this little girl is.

This is why I bring my camera....

2011-02-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

to the beach every time. These shots are priceless to me!

Tera, Tatum and McKenzie

Getting comfortable with guns

2011-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Because I knew we would shortly have a gun in our home I went shooting with my friends Sephora and Gracie. I think I shot a total of nine guns ranging from revolvers, rifles and shotguns. At the beginning I was extremely nervous holding the guns, but by the end I was feeling a bit more comfortable and was even having fun. There is something kinda cool and "Alias like" about holding a gun. But they still scare me. I'll get used to it!

Pregraduation party!

2011-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise pre-graduation party for Matt at Chevys in Redding. Both sides of the family attended as well as several of his high school friends. It was cute seeing Matt with all his buddies from high school, some of which he hadn't seen in five or more yeras. It was a great night and I was so glad that everyone was able to attend. We are all so proud of Matt!

Using my credential... adjusting and various tangents

2011-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

I received my credential in Elementary Ed five years ago, and while I am sure I have used bits and pieces of the knowledge I acquired here and there without my even knowing it, this day I used a specific strategy I was taught, and it worked wonders.

But before I explain, let me go off on a big of a tangent. My children have struggled in school so far. Ashton has not caught on to reading very quickly and because of that has had a poor attitude regarding school in general. I think he is finally starting to catch on and get a bit excited about reading, but up until now he has done homework and reading dragging his feet the whole time. We have been very lucky with him so far in school though as I think all of his teachers have been outstanding and have pushed him to succeed. He just began early morning tutoring with his teacher in attempts to get him up to grade level so that he will not have to be retained next year. As a parent this has been extremely difficult on me emotionally. School and learning always came naturally to me. I was always an over achiever and perfectionist when it came to school and just assumed that it would come as easily to my children. And I thought I would always be able to help them easily because I have my elementary ed credential. To see that not be the case has been hard. Especially because I know how smart and creative my children are and I want that to come across in their schooling and testing.

Tera is doing okay in school but is also not catching on to reading as quickly as I had hoped. I was not impressed with her kindergarten teacher when we were in Redding and think that could have caused her to be a bit behind. I think with a good teacher she would have caught on more easily, but I felt the whole class was still being taught the basics and she did not have a chance to move on. Now that we are in lake Elsinore she has an excellent teacher. Let me take this moment to go off on yet another tangent.

When we came back to Lake Elsinore I went to register the kids for school. Ashton got into his first grade class, which also happened to be with four of his good buddies from church. However, then they informed me that Kindergarten was full. So she was sent to Rice Canyon school and they would provide transportation (which was fortunate because I have two kids in separate schools getting out at the same time) I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with moving back her and getting back in the swing of things and finding out that the kids would be going to different schools made me stressed. Then we went to Teras school for her first day and I met her teacher, Mrs. Kaas. Jana Kaas is one of my moms friends from when we lived in Lake Elsinore when I was a child. I also worked with her during the dance festival, and think she is one of the nicest, funnest people I have ever met. So, as soon as I found out who Tera's teacher was I felt Heavenly Father's love and felt grateful for Him letting me know that he was aware of my circumstances, that I He knew was feeling overwhelmed and wanted me to know that He was looking out for me. It was a sweet moment.

Now that Tera has a great teacher, I am hoping she will be able to catch up and be successful. Although if Ashton does get retained, I wouldn't have Tera move up anyways because I can't see having my five year old and seven year old in the same grade. That would be too hard on Ashtons ego.

Now I just have to figure out the bus schedule for Tera. On the way home she ends up riding the bus for a hour and a half, which I hate. But I also can't make myself do the 40 minute round trip to pick her up from school each day. Today I waited at her bus stop for a half hour as the bus was late. The whole time I was frantic that maybe she hadn't got on the bus or was lost... something and I started crying because I couldn't get a hold of the transportation department and didn't know what i would do if the bus just never showed up. Wow- writing this I realize I am a bit fragile emotionally right now. If I were you reading this (I don't even know if people read my blog- let alone my long tangents) I would think- she must be pregnant.... let me tell you- I AM NOT!

So, such is life in the Thompson home with two kids in school. Not what I expected.

And now- back to what i wanted to tell you about. Ashton hates studying for spelling test. He whines and complains the whole time. Then I remembered a strategy that I was taught in school at good ol' BYU Idaho for the kinesthetic learners. They taught us that you can mix up practicing spelling words by having the kids write in shaving cream or in pudding. So I decided to give it a try. It was a hit! He loved spelling the words. And not only did he love it, but he got every single word right! The next day he could not wait to do his spelling words. So, my professors and books at college really did know what they were talking about. Tera enjoyed it too. So, if you have little ones struggling or fighting you on spelling words. Just get out the shaving cream. The little bit of mess is sooo worth it!

Proud Dad

2011-02-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Since Ashton was tiny Matt has been excited to take him up and teach him to snowboard. This winter we finally had the opportunity to take him up to Mount Shasta. He took a quick snowboard lesson and then Matt took him down the mountain with him. Ashton is not what I would consider a patient person so I was a bit nervous about how he would do trying something new and challenging. He did extremely well and had a positive attitude the whole day. The only thing we had to bribe him with were Lays barbecue potato chips upon completion of his lesson and going down the big hill.

I like to dance, dance, dance, dance

2011-02-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tera was sad to leave her ballet class in Redding. She had a lot of fun dancing and giggling with the other girls in her class. She is becoming quite the graceful dancer. I love to see the big smile on her face as she twirls.

Farewell Redding Friends!

2011-02-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

On my last night in Redding my friends threw a little good bye get together for me. I had such a great time reconnecting with some of my friends from High school and spending time with them. There is something about getting together with people who have know you since Kindergarten. This is a great group of girls and I feel blessed to have them in my lives!

beauty

2011-02-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Workin' it

2011-02-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

I informed Tera that I would be using her as my model when I wanted to practice using my camera.... she got excited and proceeded to show me some of her poses.

5 minutes unsupervised....

2011-02-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

What would you do if Mom were upstairs, busy getting the other kids ready for school and left you downstairs unattended for five minutes? If you were anything like Mazzi you would dump out handfuls of hot chocolate mix and then lick it up off the floor. Or, on a separate unattended moment you would find a bag of Hershey kisses, rip the bag open with your teeth, then proceed to quickly unwrap and eat as many as possible (in Mazzi's case nearly 20) before being caught. This girl needs constant supervision!

50 cent pictures

2011-01-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

Ashton rarely cooperates for pictures. In fact, to get these pictures I had to bribe him with a quarter. He said he would do it for a dollar. I said no. Then he said 3 quarters? No. We compromised on two quarters. I think he looks so handsome with his hair cut short. I like a clean cut kid. I am not into the shaggy look. Besides, Ashtons hair never gets shaggy, it just stands straight up and makes him look as mischievous as he is. At least with his hair short he looks a little sweet. (He needs all the help he can get) I don't want to forget my little boy at this age (or any age). He gives me a run for my money and leaves me feeling utterly exhausted at the end of each day. Yet he also has the capability to make me smile and feel so loved. He says things every day that make me laugh and I feel grateful that Heavenly Father entrusted Matt and I with this strong- willed, clever boy.

Precious

2011-01-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

This pictures makes me feel peaceful. This girl loves her blankies, pillows and stuffed animals. I love to see her snuggling with them. Her crib is full of all sorts of fluffy friends.

Mazzi's Favorite Snack

2011-01-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mazzi is enthralled by the air pop popcorn machine at Grandma and Grandpas house. She will ask for popcorn for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She enjoys munching on it, but her favorite part is watching it pop. She sits on the counter right next to the popcorn machine and says "wow" and giggles when the popcorn starts coming out. She is mesmerized by the process. We love our little popcorn gal!

Christmas Cuties

2011-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Meet Survivor

2011-01-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

The kids have been really interested in exploring on my parents acreage lately. They will spend two or three hours straight outside building forts out of twigs or bow and arrows out of branches and string. I love to watch them play outside. I decided that's where kids belong. I wish we could always live somewhere that they could have room to wander around.

One day when they were exploring, Ashton, Tera and their friend (aka my second son) Riley found this lizard hibernating under a log. I don't know if Lizards hibernate, but this experience made me think they do. The kids captured the lizard (that was barley moving) and put him in a little cage with grass. I told them I thought he needed bugs to eat so they went back out to look for bugs but they couldn't find any. Riley took the lizard home for one night and then Ashton and Tera got him the next day. When the lizard was still alive after them not finding bugs for it they wrote "Srvivr" (Survivor) on the lizards cage. When I asked why he was a survivor, they said "because he is still alive after not eating for two days!" They enjoyed their pet lizard for the afternoon and then I had them return him to his wilderness home. When they got Survivor out of this cage he was very wiggly and quick so his little hibernating body had warmed up. Hope we didn't mess him up for life! Ashton and Tera took the wriggling lizard back to his log and said his goodbyes.

Scrouging for a Snowman

2011-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

We woke up New Years morning to snow. Not a lot of snow, as you can tell by the green trees and bushes, but enough that the kids were very excited about it. They insisted that we build a snowman. So Matt, Grandpa and the kids went around with a wheelbarrow getting all the snow off the top of cars and other places that it was sticking better than the grass. With the pitiful amount of snow they scrounged up they were able to build this little snowman. And while it is a little pathetic, the kids could not have been happier. They loved their little snowman and checked on him every couple hours to see if he was still around. Two weeks later, there was still the tiniest little bump of snow where our snowman once stood.

Christmas Morning

2011-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was spent at my parents. (Where we currently live) It was a nice morning. My favorite memory is Ashton passing out all of homemade gifts to us. This is the rocket ship he made for Mazzi. She loved it and knew just what to do with it.

This is the airplane he made for me. He made stockings out of paper and yarn for everyone in the family and each was filled with little goodies.

Tera's favorite gift of the year was her new pair of roller skates. Unfortunately Miss Tera is a bit of a wimp and is too afraid to use them except on the carpet. But she still loves them. We had a very Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas eve at the Thompson's.

Mazzi enjoyed spending time with her Aunt Kari- we think Mazzi looks like she could be her daughter
Kari made scarves for all the girls.

We surprised Peggy with the first part of the Willow Tree nativity. She got each set for me for three consecutive Christmas' until I had the complete set. I found out that she wanted it for herself so Kari and I went in on it together and now will give it to her each year for the next three years.

Tera gave Grandpa these ornaments, which he wore as earrings. I love how silly he is for my kids.

Tera and Mazzi received Pillow Pets from Grandma and Grandpa Thompson. After opening it Tera said "That's just what I wanted!" They both love them and have slept with them every night since.

I loved seeing how excited the kids were to give the Grandparents the gifts they had picked out. Taking them to the dollar store to let them pick out gifts and have them wrap them is one of my favorite traditions. Ashton was especially into giving and making people presents this year. He is such a sweet guy.

We had a wonderful night with our wonderful family!

Snow is fun (for a while)

2011-01-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

Matt and I took the kids up to enjoy the snow. We lasted about an hour before Mazzi had enough. Ashton and Tera were having so much fun and weren't ready to go, so I told them we could come back with Uncle Trevor and Aunt Sandra when they came to visit. Nana and Alaina also joined us. We spent an hour packing and getting dressed in our winter gear. Drove the hour to get there, and then lasted about 20 minutes in the snow before all the kids were whining. We are definitely a So Cal family and are not used to the cold. But, it was nice while it lasted.

We love Papa

2010-12-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

My kids love their Papa and they get excited when he comes home from work. He has been so good to play with them while we've lived here. I know they will miss their grandparents immensely when we leave.It took Mazzi a long time to warm up to her Grandpa (4 1/2 months to be exact) but now whenever he is home she wants to sit on his lap and read books or watch the news. She adores him.

My Dad and Ashton have been building an erector set together most nights since we moved here. So far I think they have built four projects. It is a good project for them to do together. Ashton often gets too silly and they have to end the project a little early, but I know he treasures this time with his Papa.

Learning from her sis

2010-12-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

Mazzi has been learning a lot about posing for the camera from her big sis. Now any time I get the camera out Mazzi goes right into model character. When I looked at several of these pictures I mistook them for pictures of Tera when she was younger. I don't think the girls look a lot alike, but they definitely have the same dropping the head to the shoulder for the camera pose.

Two?!! Really?

2010-12-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Mazzi's second birthday last month and are all a bit in shock that our "baby" is growing up so quickly. She really is huge and is talking more and more each day. She has taken her sweet time talking, but is now getting the hang of it. Today she woke up saying "Pancakes, ho ho ho, cat, meow." That was just within a few minutes of waking up. She is sweet and spunky and she really is my little sunshine. Nothing brings me more joy than little Mazzi opening her arms out wide getting ready to give me a big hug. We had a nice family birthday with a few friends, whom we consider family....

We ate brunch- Nanas cinnamon rolls, quiche, fruit and sausage (yummy). Mazzi's cake was a cinnamon roll and she knew just what to do. She started singing "to you.... to you..." for the Happy Birthday song and then blew out the candle instantly. Then she took the candle out and tried to lick the frosting off of it but accidentally put the wick side in her mouth. Oops. Ashton and Tera were very "helpful" in letting Mazzi know what birthday's are all about....
Presents!

She loved opening her gifts. Her favorites being her stuffed animals and her bounce house. Which lasted three days and then was returned (thanks to Kohls awesome return policy)

And she was glued to Matts lap most of the day. She loves when her Daddy is home and he adores his little two year old. We love to ask Mazzi how old she is. The first time I asked her she said "I dunno. Two?" and then she held up four fingers. She really has to concentrate and have some help holding up two fingers, but she thinks it is the coolest thing. Love this little girl!

Soo close....

2010-12-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

With only 5 1/2 weeks left of the academy... I am feeling like the end is in reach. Matt has passed most of the testing, has been gassed, tazed and pepper sprayed and should be on track to graduate January 28th. Please keep him in your prayers as he finishes up as it is never too late to fail out. Not that I think that will happen... but... Last class had a cadet that failed out on the last day of the academy. If something like that happened to us I would probably end up in the loony bin! I am anxious to have my husband back and to be a "normal" family again. While the past five months have definitely had its challenging moments, it has also been a great opportunity for us to be near family and to appreciate each other and really enjoy the family moments we do have together. I know that once the academy is over and we are far from Redding I will miss my parents and extended family a lot. While I have been in Redding I have missed my friends down in Lake Elsinore. I guess you can't have it all. In a perfect world I would love to live near all of my close friends and both sides of parents in a beautiful town and own a home with a personal masseuse. But, instead I will settle for living in a somewhat ugly town (no offense Elsinore-ians- we love it there) with a lot of close friends, with a live-in-husband, in a rental :( and our four visits a year with family.

Fake Santa and a lying mother

2010-12-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

Ashton couldn't believe it when he heard on a commercial that Santa was at the mall. He insisted that we go so he could tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. (a wii or xbox or PlayStation) He was equally concerned that Tera and Mazzi tell Santa what they want. (princess games and a talking robot) My mom and I took the kids to see Santa. Before arriving at the mall Ashton said "This isn't the real Santa though right? It's just one of Santas helpers?" (I think that came from a Tim Allen Santa Clause movie) So I agreed. Tera said, "Oh, so this is a fake Santa?" Exactly. For now my kids believe in Santa, though Ashton loves to ask plenty of questions. I know he is going to be pretty angry at me when he finds out is all make believe. He will insist that I have lied to him and will hold it against me the rest of my life... but for now I can't bear to tell him the truth. Ashton loves to remind me of all the times that I have lied to him and I am sure he will add this to the list.
Here are the lies I have told Ashton thus far in his life...

Lie #1. Whenever I made meatballs the kids would call them eyeballs. When Ashton asked if they were really eyeballs I told him they were and that I would go out at night and pluck the eyeballs from cows and then cook them up for them. I assumed he knew I was joking, but he did not. So the next time we had meatballs and I heard him telling Tera that they were cow eyeballs I told him I was joking and he isnsted that I had lied to him. Now whenever I tell him not to lie (which is a lot) he reminds me that I am a liar. (At least we know where he got it)

Lie #2. Asthon and Tera love ribs. One night our friends were coming over late and we were going to make ribs when the kids were already in bed. Ashton heard me talking on the phone about having ribs and got really excited but I told him we weren't eating ribs tonight(meaning as a family) and that we would eat them tomorrow (or the kids would as leftovers)
So the next day when I gave Ashton and Tera their ribs as leftovers he asked why we weren't eating I said because we had eaten ours the night before. Once again I was called a liar....

But here they are with the fake Santa. They wouldn't allow us to take pictures so I had to sneakily take some without the flash.
The real Santa will come on Christmas (lie.... oh no... I just can't stop!)

Mazzi would have nothing to do with Santa but she loved the reindeer by him. As you can see she has learned some amazing poses and smiles from her big sis.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving with my parents this year. Trevor and Sandra were able to join us. Sierra and Bryce were absent because they live all the way in Texas (boo) A few years ago we started the tradition of having a bon fire outside on Thanksgiving (Ashtons idea)

Then we enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast at our adopted grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Wilson. They are some of the nicest, most positive people I have ever met and it is always refreshing to be around them. Tera loves Grandma Wilson and playing with the "marsh mellow fluff" on Grandmas arms.

Since Matt had FOUR WHOLE DAYS OFF (yay!) we were able to get in some good family time together for the first time in five months. (Not really- but our together time is extremely limited) They wanted to try out roller skating so we took them and it was crazy! Let's just say niether of them are natural skaters. Ashton gave up after about a half hour and Tera was quite the determined little thing and I think she would have gotten the hang of it if she hadn't fallen hard and hurt her wrist. It hurt her for several days. I have decided skating once a year is plenty!

We have a lot we are thankful for- our family, beautiful children, good health, wonderful friends, always having food to eat, clothes to wear, shelter over our heads, living in a free country, being safe, an eternal marriage, education, having the gospel, truth and purpose, a beautiful world... and most importantly our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ and their love for us. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Things that make me smile...

2010-12-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Buster

2010-12-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is Buster- Yoda's playmate/enemy. He is such a cool cat. He is huge and fluffy and has been my parents cat for over 8 years so has had to tolerate each of my children as they have been in the grabbing-cat toddler stage. Another fun thing about Buster is that he loves Cheese; he can smell it from across the house and will come running. Thanks for sharing your house with us and Yoda!

Girls trip.

2010-12-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

I was able to meet up with some of my favorite girls for our second annual trip to St. George for some girl time and Christmas shopping (or in my case- shopping for myself) I think I ended up with: 4 shirts, a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, a hat and a scarf. We literally shopped till we dropped each day and ate yummy food in between. We went to see Burlesque one night, played a feisty game of cards while eating yummy treats another night, and were able to attend the St. George temple. (Which felt odd after having just watched Burlesque the night before- not the most uplifting movie) I left feeling blessed to have such amazing friends in my life and woke up the next morning missing waking up their faces. Love you girls!

Bike ride with Grandpa

2010-12-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ashton got a new bike for his birthday. He enjoyed going on a long bike ride with his grandpa.

3 musketeers reunite

2010-11-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

These pictures make me smile. Ashton could play with his friends Kade and Brandon every day, all day if I would allow it. When they got together when we went down for our visit to Lake Elsinore they were in heaven together. Asthon sat on the front porch of Kades house waiting for the boys to get back from school. When I asked if I could get a picture of them together this is how they posed...

Close to home...

2010-11-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

While we were in Lake Elsinore we had to take a trip to the beach. I LOVE THE BEACH. I never want to live somewhere that I can't just drive to the beach any day I want. We went to Cafe Rio with several friends and then were meeting at Laguna beach afterwards. But there were two groups that caravaned nd both caravans ended up at different parts of Laguna Beach. After spending a few hours at the beach we were stuck in traffic for three hours on the drive home... but it was still very worth it. The beach brings peace to my soul and helps me feel my Saviors love and nearness at a place where I am surrounded by so much beauty and the sounds of my children laughing.

I enjoyed spending time with these amazing women, Amy and Tara, and their beautiful children and newborns-

I love the look on Tera's face- can you tell she loves the beach as much as her Mommy?

Ashtons "Real" Birthday

2010-11-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

When I asked Ashton what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said "All I want to do is have my birthday at our house in Lake Elsinore." I know he wanted to spend his birthday with his close buddies. And, luckily his birthday is on Veterans day so we were able to drive down and spend a few days there and celebrate his birthday.

In stark contrast to Ashton's other party with friends, Ashton's party in Lake Elsinore was a huge success. Most of his buddies showed up and partied for hours. We rented a bounce house and had pizza, brownies and lemon cake for treats. Ashton had a huge smile on his face the whole day as he played with his buddies.

Here's Ashton's favorite gift.... money. His face lit up when he opened this. I think it left us all wondering why we didn't all just give him 10.00 and spare ourselves the pain of shopping and picking out the "perfect gift." He is a tad obsessed with money right now.

I enjoyed being surrounded by so many close friends, all beautiful women inside and out. Thanks for showing up and showing me how wonderful it is to have reliable friends. You made my day... and of course Ashton's.

Happy B.day Ashton! Can't believe your seven years old already!

Bathing Cuties

2010-11-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

An emotional party

2010-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Ashton wanted to have a birthday party with some of his Redding buddies. He was so excited about it. He gave out invitations to a few friends from church, some friends in his class at school and then to two of my friends sons. Because we have never had good luck with friends from school attending parties (especially since I don't know any of the parents) I decided to double check with everyone that I knew and remind them about the party. I texted and posted on face book a few days before the event so that I would know that he would at least have a few guests coming. Ashton is my son, so is a planner, and wants everything to be how he pictures it and wants everyone to be there that says they are coming. So there were a total of five boys that said they would be coming for sure. Anytime Ashton talked about his party I would say all nine boys might not be there, but at least five would be.

The day of the party I brought Ashton's friend Riley, who is also my moms neighbor with us tot the Fun Center. His buddy from church was there, and luckily he had come with his mom who brought his two bothers who were also close to Ashton's age. Ashton kept looking around and waiting for his other friends to show up and I could tell he was getting sad. Anytime a car pulled up and it wasn't one of his friends he would get very disappointed. He and Tera spent hours making place mats for each guests out of paper, glue and glitter. Each one saying the guests name. So, when few guests arrived, the place mats made him even more aware of all the guests who had not show up and the empty spots at the table.

An hour into the party, with only two guests I decided to call my two friends who said they would be bringing their boys (keep in mind these friends are some of my only close friends in Redding) Much to my dismay they had both forgotten about the party, despite my reminders. I thought I was going to have an emotional break-down. And I did have bit of one. It was just another reminder of why its been hard for me to live in Redding. I have few friends and some of the ones I have are very un-reliable. I felt like I had been open to them about my lack of good friends here and yet they had still let me down. So, I told them that Ashton was very sad that he only had two friends show up. They ended up coming to the party late and it made Ashton happy to have more of his buddies show up and made me happy that they put in the effort (even if it was purely out of guilt)

I know I have my flaky moments as a friend but I really hope I don't have many of those moments because it is hurtful to have that happen. I try not to hold a grudge, aware that things happen, but the more it becomes a common occurrence the more it puts a strain on our friendship. I was glad we had another birthday party planned for Ashton in Lake Elsinore where I was confident people would show up and not flake out. I am grateful for reliable friends. I have determined that to be one of the most important characteristics in a friend.

Here are a few pictures at the birthday party. He did end up having a nice birthday party. Ashton requested a Recces birthday cake.

Ashtons Family Party...

2010-11-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

Ashton wanted to go bowling for his party with the family. We had a great time together celebrating one of our favorite guys.

Ashton was being silly with his Aunt Kari and Uncle Jason. They made a series of faces ranging from silly to excited to sad.

Ashton with his Papa. These two have a lot of fun together.

This was one of my favorite memories from the night- Ashton got a strike when bowling and jumped up shouting "Yay! Home run!" He didn't get that a strike was a good thing in bowling.

I loved watching the three kiddos all squatting down at the end of the bowling lane watching their ball roll towards the pin. I love my family and my Ashton.

Right where we left off...

2010-11-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

We had a nice visit with friends in Lake Elsinore. On our last night there we went out on a date night with friends. I'm bummed we didn't get a group picture and that lot of people are un-pictured altogether. I did take solo pictures of everyone but decided to leave them off this. We ate dinner at "The Mill", an amazing little pizza/pasta place in Murrietta that Meagan discovered. It was mighty tasty and is one of my new faves. Following dinner we went to bowl at Trevi Lanes and had a fun time being silly together. One highlight being Matt doing the "slide, slide, slide" dance. I was in awe of Niki coming out to join us for dinner and bowling after having a baby four days ago and a trip to the ER in the middle of the night with McKynlee the night before. She is such a trooper. We finished off the night with a disappointing Denny's experience and went home exhausted and grateful for our friends.

How I know who my true friends are...

2010-11-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

They will dress up like Britney Spears with me( modest versions) sing karaoke to her songs, watch "Crossroads," "Britney Live at Vegas", and do a choreographed dance routine to "Toxic" with me. (Choreography by Kim)
* Niki I know you would have been there if you hadn't just had a baby! You are excused :) Love you girls!

Showing off my better half...

2010-11-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Matt would be extremely embarrassed if he knew I was posting these pictures. But, I don't think he has time to check my blog these days so I am doing it!

I took these pictures while trying to figure out how to work the aperture setting on my camera and made him be my model. But now I can use them to show off how good Matt is looking. (Not that he looked bad before of course) He has lost a total of 25 lbs. since opening his letter of acceptance to the CHP academy five months ag and now looks more like the man I married (six pack and all) He is now more than half way done with the academy and has eleven weeks left till graduation. I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard through all of this and has kept such a positive attitude. He is among the top in his company in most aspects including driving and physical training. He is really enjoying driving fast (he passed off his last driving test today) and shooting guns in range. He has nice roommates who have become his friends. I hate to see Matt leave us all week... but it does make the time we spend together on the weekend precious. And now I feel like I can kind of begin to countdown. We should be finidng out where we will be going in about a month.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween 2010!

7 hours a day

2010-11-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

For seven hours of the day the other two kids are at school and it is just me and little Miss Mazz hanging out. We get to spend a lot of time just one-on-one and I am loving it! She has more personality and spunk then I know what to do with but also is so sweet and snugly and independent that shes generally pretty easy to have around.

We enjoy taking walks to visit Tony, a horse that lives about a mile away. Mazzi feeds him carrots and talks gibberish to him the whole time. This is one of her favorite things to do as you can tell by her sweet little grin. Once Tony almost bit her finger off, but she forgave him.

Right now Mazzi is very into taking baths. She starts stripping off her clothes saying "Bah bah bah" (for bath- she isn't talking much yet still) Then afterwards she runs to the closet to pick out clothes and accessories. I love this picture. " What to wear?"

Right now Mazzi is very into taking baths. She starts stripping off her clohtes sahing "Bah bah bah" (for bath- she isn't talking much yet still) Then afterwards she runs tot eh closet to pick out clothes and accessories. I love this picture. " What to wear?".

Mazzi takes most of her naps with Yoda. He loves sleeping with her.

And Ashton and Mazzi still share a special bond. He looks out for his little sister and plays with her in the mornign when she wakes up. Mazzi and Tera are starting to get really close to. For some reason it took them longer to bond but now they are great playmates. I love seeing my girls play and dance together.

I am grateful to have this time for my children to spend with their grandparents. Mazzi loves her Nana and attacks her out of love.

A dam good time.

2010-11-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that Redding is beautiful? If not- it is. Matts parents live five minutes away from Shasta Lake and Shasta Dam. A few weeks ago we went and ate a picnic lunch on the lawn right by the water. We had a nice, relaxing time together eating and playing "Mother May I." Family moments are extra special these days as we only have Matt with us on the weekends. Mazzi insisted on wearing this sombrero everywhere we went for a few days. It made me smile.

Visiting my Sis...

2010-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

I had a great visit to Texas to see my little sis Sierra and her hubby Bryce. I was able to be there for a doctors visit. It was so special to see their little baby on the monitor jumping all over the place. I am so excited for them to be parents. They were told them wouldn't be able to have children unless they did in-vetro, so this was a huge blessing in their lives.

I was able to be their for Sierras b.day and we had a nice evening barbecuing and hanging out with her friends.

This has become my "signature pose" as my mom calls it.

Sierra is a hair dresser and it is always a treat to have her do my hair. This time she put dark underneath and touched up the roots and added BANGS! I was afraid, but I am liking them. Matt does not, but he'll get over it!

I took some pictures of Sierra and Bryce so they have some pictures to hang up om their cute little house that they have fixed up. They are a cute, fun couple.

Sierra and Bryce took me country dancing at a BAR. My first time ever being in a bar. But it didn't feel too "bar-ish." We played shuffle board and watched people country dance. Some people were really good. It was quite entertaining to watch.

Happy B.day Sierra! I think she turned 23?! Wow I should really know her age! Love you Sis!

Family

2010-10-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Our first attempt at family pictures... not too bad... but not too good either. I think we will try again for a Christmas card worthy picture :)

Halloween is near...

2010-10-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for Halloween! We visited the pumpkin patch...

The kids love their pumpkins so much they named them. Teras pumpkin is Jalaylee (she likes black people names- thats probably not political correct) and Ashtons is Rocky. They take showers with their pumpkins, clothe them, eat with them, say prayers with them, and even insist that I take them in the car to school. I agreed to this one day and then my arms were sore from lugging the pumpkins around everywhere.

We decorated a gingerbread haunted house...

And made Nana's house look pretty spooky! We are ready for Halloween!!

A Date with Grandpa

2010-10-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

My Dad took Tera to a Community Princess Tea Party. He even dressed up as a prince. He is the coolest Grandpa ever. She still talks about their date to the tea party and says it was one of the best days ever. They had the community princes their dressed up as different Disney Princesses.

Stunning Stisters

2010-10-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Some things we do

2010-10-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

These days Tera can often be found with a hula hoop in her hand. She is so good at hula hooping that she is starting to make up a routine. She can go down on her knees and stand back up while keeping the hoop spinning, as well as spin while spinning the hula hoop. Its pretty cute to watch. She has all the attitude and expression on her face as she goes too.

Mazzi loves to find little "spots" that are just hers. She loves to bring pillows in this large basket and thing bring toys and legos in their to build.

She is also learning to jump. It is adorable!

This is her favorite spot in my parents house. It is a cabinet under the TV stand. She loves to shut herself in there while we look for her and listen for her muffled singing. She is always singing, yelling, or jabbering some nonsense.

Tera is enjoying her dance lessons, and both of the kids are enjoying gymnastics.

and were still enjoying the beauty down here. We went rafting as a family down the Sacramento river one weekend. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I think I have finally adjusted to living in Redding.

And just so I have these conversations documented...

Tera said the cutest prayer the other day.

"Dear Heavenly Father.

Thank you for miracles

Thank you for my remembering brain

Thank you that Mazzi won't pull my hair for a couple days."

And Ashton said something funny in the car. "Files are just like us. Except their smaller and they fly." I then asked him in which ways there were like us. He couldn't think of a single thing!

Not quite 5 1/2...

2010-10-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tera celebrated her FIFTH b.day last month. I was very anxious for her to celebrate... mainly so she would stop asking me "how many days until my b.day? So you can imagine my horror when a few days after her birthday she said "How many days until I turn five and a half?"

She had a nice tea party birthday with a few friends. They had fun getting their nails painted, dancing and dressing up.

Cutest Cowgirl

2010-10-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Our family went to a rodeo the other day. Mazzi was the cutest cowgirl there!

Room Spinning

2010-10-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Mazzi got a fever on the last night of our friend reunion, causing her, Matt and I to all have a sleepless night. I woke up the next day more tired than I had ever felt in my life. Mazzi wasn't feeling well the next morning and just layed her head against Matt or I as we held her all day. We figured it was the flu so weren't too worried at first. However, Mazzi had been sick before and had never been lethargic like this so on her third day being sick Matt decided to bring her into urgent care.

They weren't very helpful at urgent care and just said that if she was being that lethargic that they recommended taking her into the ER. So Matt brought her to the ER where they did a catheter and took a urine test and came back saying that she might have a slight bladder infection and gave her antibiotics for that. Matt then noticed that she wasn't using her right arm at all, that it was little swollen and that if it were moved she complained. So he mentioned that to them and they took x-rays, but there wasn't a fracture, so Matt took her home. By the time he got home from the hospital her wrist was even more swollen so we knew something else was going on.

My mom called and got us into their family doctor that day. We felt very blessed as he wasn't taking new patients at that time. So we got in and after taking more x-rays and spending several hours at the office he decided that we should be admitted to the hospital for some tests.
I think you always go to the doctor expecting a quick fix or for them to know instantly what is wrong with you so when they don't it is a little scary. He thought it was probably an infection under the skin that she would need antibiotics for and an IV to giver her some energy. It had been three days since she had eaten anything and she was just laying against me. It was a very sad sight.

So, we went to the hospital and they admitted us to the pediatrics wing. They were so good and patient to us. Which is good because at this point I would have cried over anything. In fact, just on my way to the doctors office I couldn't find the building and kept trying to call different family members in the area to ask where it was at and couldn't' get a hold of anyone and finally saw someone on the side of the road so I pulled over and asked them where it was and was and drove away crying. The stress was definitely getting to me.

At the hospital they hooked Mazzi up to an IV after trying to get the needle in her little vein for about ten minutes... with me holding her down and her looking at me wondering why I am helping them do this to her, I am again trying not to completely break down in front of the nurses. After her IV is in she goes in for more X-rays (they really thought it must be a fracture) but once again they couldn't find anything so they drew some blood for tests and decided it must be an infection under the skin so hooked her up to antibiotics through her IV.

We spent two nights there and slowly her swelling and redness around the wrist went down and by the third day she no longer had a fever if she wasn't on Motrin. So they told us we would get to go home. I was so glad because I was getting so stir crazy being in that little room. I am not very patient when it comes to health issues and I feel so blessed that thus far we have had such good health. It really is something you take for granted until you have a little reminder like this.

I felt like I was pretty composed during our stay at the hospital and didn't feel that overwhelmed. However, once I got home from the hospital my body fell apart. I'd never understood the expression "it felt like the room was spinning" until I left the hospital. I think it was brought on mostly by lack of sleep and stress. But for about four days it would feel like the room was spinning off and on.

Once we were released from the hospital she still wasn't using her right arm for about a week. We had another appointment with the doctor and one with an orthopedic doctor. But they didn't see anything wrong so told us just to wait and see if it was just sore. And sure enough, after a few more days she began using her right had to eat and draw.

We were so happy to have our fun, feisty, happy little Mazzi back. I missed her!

This is a picture of what she would do when she wanted to go for a walk outside the room. She would start pushing on the pole that held her IV. The pediatric wing was set up in a circle of rooms so we would walk around the circle (come to think of it... this could also be why I felt like the room was spinning!)

Fun Family

2010-10-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

My sister was able to come down for a visit from Texas and my brother and his wife, Sandra, were able to join us from Santa Cruz, and my Grandma was able to join us from Washington... so we had a mini reunion (missing Sierras hubby Bryce and my hubby). It was so nice seeing everyone, but I definitely did not get my share of time in... as this reunion happened kind of last minute and was going on at the same time that the friend reunion was occurring. We still managed to squeeze in some fun though...

And if I haven't bragged yet... my family is pretty awesome. I feel like they are always up for doing something fun and adventurous. This is my cool dad busting a flip on the knee board.
and my handsome brother getting some air on the "air chair"
And my sweet, beautiful sis, Sierra, who didn't bust any tricks because she is prego... so happy for her!! She is so fun to be around and so thoughtful.

and my Grandma... who is the nicest, prettiest Grandma in the world. She is so great with children and can think of creative ways to entertain them under any circumstance. (One of her many talents)

And Ash- who thinks he's so cool knee boarding by himself. (His mom agrees)

And his Aunt Sandra who is awesome enough to get in the cold water with him to help him start out and then swim around until we come to pick her up. She's going to make an amazing mother someday! And she is good at everything she tries. She just started wake boarding last year and is already showing me up.

And Trevor will make a great Dad... my kiddos love their Uncle.

I love my fun family! Wish we all lived closer so we could get together all the time.

Happy Long Distance Anniversery!

2010-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Matt and I celebrated (or will celebrate) Eight years of marriage yesterday. Since he is still being worked over at the academy, we will wait for the weekend to do something special. He did send me flowers so it made it not feel as ordinary as a day. And we enjoy nice date nights each weekend as we have free babysitters with both sets of grandparents :) Last weekend we enjoyed a hike to the Whiskey town Falls.

Matt is a good guy and I am a lucky girl to have found someone who understands me (as well as a guy can understand a woman) and who cares for my happiness. I love him and love that I know him better than he knows himself. We have fun together. I look forward to the day we can live under the same roof all week long and not just on weekends! Happy Eight Years Matt... and to an eternity to come!

Friends Reunion

2010-09-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

Its such a comfort to be around true friends. People who know you... who love you... who you can be you with.... who you can have fun with. I LOVE these girls and think we are all supposed to live on the same street. (or at least in the same city). We had a friend reunion in Redding. It was perfectly half way for the Cooks to come from Seattle and the rest of the gang to join from Lake Elsinore.

The kids were also ecstatic to be reunited. I love seeing these kids grow up together and thinking of them building each other up. They are all sooo stinkin cute. Not a funny looking kid amongst them (all 18 of them!)
We stayed on a houseboat for two nights and the last night the grown ups all went out and jumped off the top of the houseboat together and went down the slide. Niki observed (as she is 8 months prego). We have some nice, chilly memories from that... but we warmed up via the hot tub, which was filled with urine from the 18 kids who had sat in in the previous two days. We were so cold that we didn't mind much.

Enjoying a relaxing float

This is Niki's proof that she DID get in the water!

Wake boarding

Tera and Tatum. So cute seeing these girls giggling together again.

Feeding the deer carrots and celery that would come up right next to the houseboat.

Melissa and I's attempt at floating. It was rather difficult rafting with a newborn and Mazzi.

Kim and I riding the tube

Ashton winning at King of the Hill (tube)

Tera with her "boyfriend" Daxton. It is official! She now claims him. They are adorable together!

Playing at the Oasis Fun Center

My girls

Shelly.... love how animated she is

We celebrated Tera and Eastons b.day partys at the fun center. Tera was happy to celebrate with several of her best girl friends.

The boys getting ready for a game of lazer tag.

The bigger boys right before everyone took off.

And the girls. Miss you! See you soon!

All for Brian Regan

2010-09-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

I traveled all the way from Redding to Lake Elsinore just to be at Brian Regans Comedy Act. Not really. I mainly used it as an excuse to go visit some amazing friends who I have been missing like crazy the last month. I made a four day trip out of it (without kids) and had a blast with some of my most favorite girls.

The trip started out with lunch with Meagan, who was my chauffeur the entire trip, at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK as the cool people call it) despite a sign stating that they had failed some inspection standards, but had fixed them. After a delcious lunch Meagan took me on a kayaking adventure (cause were spontaneous like Ally- the bachelorette) where we had some excitement changing into our swimsuits in the bathroom void of any kind of doors. Then we went to spend a moment on the beach and take a few silly pictures.

Then we were off to Lake Elsinore for a friendly game of bunco. I was very entertained by people getting super happy over buncos and babies and very mad when they rolled all sixes.

After bunco we called it a night and went home to get some sleep for the next fun filled day! The next morning Kim had a big brunch at her house with alot of my good friends. We ate all sorts of yummy brunch food and then Katie worked wonders on my hair. Following my new do Heather, Vanessa, Meagan and I went down to the Costa Mesa Ikea where we had fun browsing and picking out place mats that best reflected our personality colors (according to ourselves) I think we just picked our favorite color. :)

After Ikea we went to Cafe Rio and ate the best pork salads ever. Even if you have to eat drink pepto bismo afterwards...they're worth it!

We went back to lake Elsinore just in time to squeeze in some bull riding before our pedicures. We were trying to done extreme activity each day. It kind of ended at the bull riding, but we have all sorts of things on the list for next time! The bull riding experience was intense! My heart was racing and I felt like I was going to get flailed off the bull way out of the perimeter of the padded mat. I was holding on for dear life so much so that my wedding ring (my huge diamond- ha!) was digging into my other hand so hard that I cut myself. After falling I said I hurt myself to which Vanessa and Meagan so empathetically said "GET BACK ON!" So I did...

Then we met up with some more of my favorite gals for some relaxing pedicures... where we told them many, many times that no one was getting married, it wasn't a bridal shower, we were just getting together as friends. I don't think they ever understood.

Following pedicures we had some pink berry/golden spoon and then went to see "Eat, pray, love" (perhaps the most boring, longest movie ever!) I think I talked through half of it just to keep myself awake. Then we got home by 2 am to get some sleep before another big day!

Friday we went to the pool and made up a synchronized swimming routine... and I went to visit a few friends at their homes. Then went back home to get ready for my hot date to Brian Regan! Meagan went as my date since Matt couldn't' leave the CHP academy.

Vanessa did our make up for us so we looked extra sizzling and we both wore skinny jeans cuz were trendy like that. :) We went out to eat with the Mcdowells, Hannons and Nelsons to Lazy Dog (quite tasty). Then off to BRIAN REGAN! Brian Regan is hilarious!! Love him! Then we ate pazookies at BJ's and played some settlers so we could make it another long night. But little did I know my night was just getting started! I spent the last day of my vacation puking and on the toilet all night and day. It was no bueno. But, I recovered in time to make my flight home back to my family.

All in all it was an amazing and eventful trip! Love you Lake Elsinore Homies!

My man is old...

2010-09-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Matt celebrated his 30th b.day last month. Me and the kids were out of town so we celebrated a little late. Matt and I enjoyed a couples massage along with lunch and a yummy ice cream sundae. Then we celebrated as a family with mud pie. Love this guy. He's a great husband, a devoted father... and he's looking pretty good for an "old guy."

Spunky Monkey

2010-09-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

This little girl makes me laugh. I have never seen a little one with such determination and spunk. She is sweet, stubborn and loveable.

Bravery is...

2010-08-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

jumping off the high dive...
without even flinching.

First Day of School

2010-08-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ashton and Tera are now on their second week of school at Columbia Elementary. So far I am impressed with the teachers and the school. The kids looked adorable on their first day. It was a little sad and scary dropping them off and it is weird just having one at home with me for a big chunk of the day. Mazzi and I have some quality time together while these cute kids are filling their brains full of knowledge!

Ashton started 1st grade with Mrs. Bandell. When he came home from school he said, "Guess what I liked the most at school. Reading, Writing or Recess?" I took a wild guess, "Recess?" "No," Ashon replied, "I like them ALL!" This made me very happy. He is doing really well at reading and I think he is getting the hang of his sight words.

Little Miss Tera began FULL DAY Kindergarten with Mrs. Wilson. I don't believe in full day kindergarten, but that is what they have here. She was happy to have a girl teacher and said she did not want a boy teacher. When I went to pick them up after their first day of school she was a little disappointed because she wanted to ride the bus. I told her she could ride it the next day, to which she said "Is it hard to ride the bus?" "No" I said, "You just sit there." I don't drive it?" This was bit of a let down for Tera who apparently envisioned driving the bus full of students home!

When I went to check on the kids at lunch (I missed them) Ashton was wandering around eating his lunch looking for the rest of his class who was already at recces. We found them and then he was perfectly happy to watch them play until he finished eating. Then I went to check on Tera. She was running around with a little girl playing tag. She looked so happy that I didn't worry about her again. She is making friends quickly and is anxious to start get homework (and I am sure Ashton would happily give his to her). I love these kids and miss them during the day.

Matt's life in... HE Double Hockey Stick.

2010-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief description of Matt's first four weeks in the CHP Academy. Only 24 more weeks to go!

*Each day they get yelled at. Called Losers, slobs, trash etc.
* They have to eat their meals within three minutes. When one cadet didn't
finish in time they had to hold full plank position on their knuckles on rocky
pavement for five minutes (Matt has scabs on his knuckles to prove it)
*Matt accidentally called his roommate a Sergent (instead of a cadet) when talking to a staff officer so had to do push ups until he couldn't do anymore. When the officer thought he saw a smile on Matt's face he called him "smiley" and made him face the other cadets and smile the whole time.
* Matt misspelled Santa Cruz on a form so had to re-fill out the paperwork and
get yelled at some more
* Did more push ups for bringing a key into Physical training when he wasn't
supposed to. After which he did more push ups in his testing. That day alone he thinks he did over 200 push ups.
* Ended the first week with sore shoulders which he had to ice all weekend long.
*Lost five pounds the first week.
*Failed a test on codes (Which I don't understand because I quizzed him and he
knew them all)
* Failed a test on the rules of the academy (missed one question too many to
pass)so he had to write an outline using a stencil. This took about 15 hours of
his weekend (which also happened to be his b.day) to complete
*Got put on the fat table (the table where anyone over a certain body fat percentage eats) Most of the class is on the fat table, I think over 90%
* Now he eats a lot of baked fish and fruit.
* Hurt his back doing exercises- so purchased a membership to massage envy
where he will enjoy a monthly massage when his body has had it.
*Kept having to re-write his last name on t shirts because the staff didn't like how he wrote on them. When they didn't like them they would just mark all over them with sharpies and make them redo them. Matt and his roommates would spend a few hours each night re-doing shirts
* Lost seven more pounds.
* Went to the wrong spot in line so got yelled at.
* Didn't' do mountain climbers high enough so got yelled at (sensing a theme?)
* Did a exercise where they would them dive on the wet grass and roll around on it while they yelled "what makes the grass grow?" and they would answer "sweat makes the grass grow."
* The last two days they have gotten up around 4:30 am and then they have not been excused until 9:00 pm. that is a 16 1/2 hour day (If I did my math right.)

Those are just a few of the highlights. If it sounds like Matt is doing nothing right, it's because that's how they are supposed to make them feel. He's handling it very well though and we look forward to the weekends where we get to see him. He is looking good! He is looking forward to tomorrow where they will begin driving and driving testing. I knew these six months would be hard, but I didn't think I would ever question Matt's passing the academy. But the first couple weeks it was so hard on him mentally and physically that it made me wonder. I now feel confident that he will make it through. But not without a lot of challenges, good stories and memories. I am so grateful to Matt for doing this and going through this for our family. He's a good guy.

Washington/Idaho trip

2010-08-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

We attended the Parrish Family reunion (my Mom's side) the first week in August. We had a lot of driving up to Stoneridge Idaho but it was worth it to be surrounded be our fun, sweet family and to catch up with several of my cousins that I don't get to see enough. We enjoyed playing sports, eating and doing skits. For keepsake purposes here is the skit our family did- sung to the tune of Little Mermaids "Part of your World."

" Look at this place, isn't it neat...Hey everyone are you ready to compete?

Wouldn't you think were the family...who as everything?

We've got Ashton and Tera and Mazzi...We've got Kyra and Marilyn &Sandra.

You want the rest of the family? Well too bad,their not here, you've got us....

We want to be where the Parrish family is Playing cribbage and tennis and ping pong.

Eating and swimming and doing (What do you call them)Cheezy skits.

Here at Stoneridge in Idaho Where all the cool people want to go.

Look and you'll see... We're glad to be...Part of your world!

This is my gorgeous cousin, Michelle, who is due in just a few weeks. We were always inseparable as young kids any time we got together. I know that if we lived by each other now we would hang out any chance we got. We enjoyed lunch out and a shopping trip together.

Ashton made buddies with Rachelle's boy Carter. Ashton met his match with Carter. After wrestling together the first evening I think they both learned to respect each other and then played great together the rest of the time. Rachelle and I. I love this girl! When she lived with us over a summer we would always quote a part of a skit off SNL (I think that's what it is off of) "If you were a hot dog would you pour ketchup all over yourself and eat yourself?" We would! I don't know why but we felt the need to ask everyone that question. Hot dogs and Rachelle will always hold a special place in my heart.

My favorite part of the Reunion involved playing 3 on 3 against Rachelle's sisters. Sandra and Savannah were on my team. I am the only one who has ever played basketball on our team and I spent a good chunk of my last basketball years on the bench. I wish we had got video because we were laughing the whole time. Rachelle and her sisters actually knew what they were doing and we were just randomly throwing the ball up and relying on fouls to get the ball from them. But we had fun.

Mazzi and my cousin Savannah. Savannah is a beautiful girl and is so refreshing to be around. Both my girls love her because she is so good to them and plays with them. Mazzi took Savannah's hand this day and led her to the park to play with her.

Ashton and my cousin Luke swimming in G.G's pool. They didn't get out of the pool for four hours.

The ladies hanging out by the pool. We had a nice time watching the kids swim while we chatted.

Tera adores my Grandma (who she calls G.G for Great grandma) Grandma has gift of making everyone feel special and loved and I think Tera feels extra special around her. We went out to my Grandpas apple orchard and enjoyed taking the kids for rides on the quad.

The kids with their Nana and Great Grandpa Scrimsher.

My sister-in-law Sandra was able to come to the family reunion with us and it was so fun having her there. She is so easy to be around and is just happy, silly and cute. We had fun dressing up in my Grandmas old outfits. I am so glad my brother picked such a awesome girl to be his wife.. and that she was silly enough to say yes!

Don't grow up too fast...

2010-08-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Matt said the hardest thing about being in the academy is missing his baby girl. She is changing so much each week and learning new words and having more attitude that I can see why its hard for him to be away.

She is starting to communicate a lot and she never leaves us wondering what she wants. Some of her words are:
Ma ma* Da da*Ba ba (any kind of fluid) *Nack (snack)* Nana*Tat (Cat)* Puppy *Bubbles * Tree *Eye * Mine (of course!) * Shoe (she is obsessed with shoes)

She also is fascinated by noses and goes around pointing to every ones nose and reaches out to touch them. As soon as she gets out of the bath, before I even have a diaper on her, she is in her room putting necklaces and shoes on. She is definitely a girl! We love you Mazzi! Don't grow up too fast!

20 months old

Blackberry Pickin'

2010-08-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

Since we've been in Redding, the kids have discovered a love for blackberries. At Matt's parents house they have an abundance of blackberry bushes in their backyard. The kids love to go out and pick them. Mazzi especially loves that she can find and bush and help herself to a treat. So far we have made a blackberry pie and a cobbler.... they are mighty tasty!

My Lake

2010-08-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Many of my childhood summer days were spent on Lake Shasta in our boat "Dry Sundae" (cleverly named by my Dad because we didn't go out on the lake on Sunday). So, I think of this as "My Lake." It has been fun taking the kids out on the boat and on the jet skis with my parents and with Matt when he's around) and making memories with them and reminiscing on the times I spent on the lake.... terrified to try knee boarding or skiing (but doing it anyways- cuz my Dad would make me) and jumping out of the boat with my siblings for a quick swim, begging my dad to honk the horn on the boat for us... and thinking my dad was so awesome as he busted his front and back flips on the knee board.

The kids were pretty brave trying out the knee board. Tera got a little scared, but Ashton had a smile on his face the whole time. Mazzi just enjoyed being along for the ride. She was perfect.

The kids thought the jet skis were very cool. My parents own stand up jet skis so Matt and my Dad took turns (illegally) taking them for little rides by the shore. Ashton and Tera were laughing the whole time.

What five acres looks like...

2010-08-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Both Matt and I's parents have quite a bit of acreage. When I was telling my friend in Southern California that my parents house was on five acres she said "You have to take pictures. I can't even imagine what five acres would look like." So... here's a little glimpse.

The kids have fun romping around in the fields. My Dad set up targets of animals for them to shoot at with their bb gun. I love watching them out in nature and each time I come to Redding I am in awe of the beauty. Summertime things get a little dry, but I still think it is beautiful.

Matts new hair do...

2010-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Matt shaved his head to enter the CHP academy... but he did it in stages. When he shaved a line through the middle of his head I laughed so hard I peed my pants. When he came downstairs to show the kids his new hair do Ashton said "Dad you look hideous and creepy."
Matt then went upstairs to finish shaving it off completely.
I must admit I was terrified. I thought he would look a bit ridiculous... but he has a pretty nice shaped head. Mazzi didn't get used to it before he left and didn't want to go to him as much. After Matt showed Ashton how it looked when it was all the way shaved we thought he would respond better. He didn't. He said "no one is ever going to marry you again Dad." We laughed pretty hard about that comment.

Matt and his parents.

Love you babe... best of luck!

See you in six months party...

2010-07-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

Before we took off to Redding, Kim threw a little "Goodbye for Six months" party for us. It was nice getting together with friends.... but I did get emotional saying goodbye- even though we are quite certain we will be heading back that way. I just love my friends and love that my children are making such good friends. There's no place like home!

Dodgeball...

2010-07-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Before we left good ol" Lake Elsinore we jammed in a few more nights of fun! We went out to dinner with several good friends and then a few of us who didn't have to take off went to play some dodge ball. We got some good action shots. (These must have been taken before the Chalkers joined us)

Here's the Hackers getting ready to race for the ball

Kim and Clint. "Bring it!"

My fave shot of the night- throwing in unison!

I love this picture of Matt trying not to get kicked by Rob. Rob is a very aggressive dodge ball player and nearly broke Matt's foot. ON PURPOSE. What a jerk. That is all I am going to say about that. (Hoping you can sense my sarcasm)

The Chatums were quite the pair. Don't let Susi's sweet little smile fool you... she is vicious!

Oh yea- it was that intense! By the end of the night sweat and tears were flying everywhere... or maybe just sweat.

And there was no mercy given to the girls.... we had welts to prove it!

We'll definitely have to do this again sometime in comfier clothes that don't show the sweat... and with even more people!

Goodbye slumber party...

2010-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Tera had a slumber party with some of her best girlfriends a few days before we took off to Redding. My friend Kim did a boys slumber party at here house with Ashton, Kade, Brandon, Brock and Daxton. They had a lot of fun and not a lot of sleep. It is something I decided I only have the energy to do once a year... but they sure were cute!

Here's the whole crew of cuties. McKenzie, Kara, Kelly, Tatum, Tera (and Mazzi trying to squeeze in and be part of the party)

Tera and McKenzie did each others "makeup" they thought this was so funny.... I didn't think it was very funny as I spent a good half hour scrubbing the lipstick off their faces... but seeing the pictures, it was definitely worth it!

They enjoyed baking a lemon cake with me.

Matt made the girlie's all pancakes for breakfast-and decided we shouldnt have four more girls!

And it was quite interesting seeing five girls brushing their teeth together and each of them going potty- a few times each. I have never seen so many splashes on my mirror at once. It made the OCD mother in my cringe.

The girls enjoyed a dance party out back all dressed up

We painted their nails pink and sparkly.

And they enjoyed a dip in the pool.

Tera sure will miss these girls. They have a lot of fun together and she will be anxious to get back to them!

Neilsens... I hate goodbyes

2010-07-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Upon moving to Corona from BYU Idaho, I had the usual worries that one has when their moving to a new locating and starting completely fresh. Making friends, transitioning, finding friends for my kids, etc. Luckily, Matt had met Scott before we moved through a job fair at school so we already had a connection there. The first day I moved to Corona Michelle knocked on my door. I immediately knew I would be okay in this new part of the world and all my worries disappeared. The Neilsens and us became instant friends and spent a lot of our spare moments together.

There began to be fewer and fewer spare moments as Michelle began working more and was applying to go to graduate school, and as Scott was studying for his test to get into Graduate school. But I will never forget eating Sunday dinners with them, (their homemade pizza is the best) making trips to the hot tub (where Michelle would avoid getting in because she would break out in a rash) I remember trips to Costco and splitting the yogurt and cereal boxes. I remember Scott helping Matt put together our desk, taking trips to the beach, having family home evenings together. I remember when Michelle announced to me that she was pregnant after years of trying. How happy I was for her; how emotional I am now writing about it. Then I remember helping them move to Irvine so they could go to school. I was so sad. I knew we would still see each other.... but its not the same as being neighbors. They had become like family. They lived in Irvine/Newport area for three years and we will treasure all the times we have got together with them up there and their visits down here.... and will never forget the free Mexican Rivera cruise from a few years ago. Matt still got to see Scott at work for a while after the move- I think that Centex will always hold a special place in his heart because of the all the fun he had there with the friends he worked with. However, as the housing industry fell apart, they both lost their jobs at Centex and found work elsewhere. Since then Scott and Michell had have had three beautiful girls and I love to see them with their children, they are amazing parents.

Now the Neilsen family of five are beginning their adventures in Utah and how California will miss them. They are a beautiful family. Michelle has taught me much by her example of righteous living and her desire to be good. I adore her and am glad we will be lifelong friends. I will always look forward to the times our paths cross :) Love you Michelle!

Sadly- this is the only picture we have together....

Wilderness Rafting

2010-07-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

We had an AWESOME time on our second annual (I hope) rafting trip down the Kern river.
Thanks to our fabulous friends the Ferguson's for putting it all together and Josh for being a great guide.

Here's our group getting ready to get on the raft... Josh, Chatums, us and Hackers. Side note- we have really fun friends.
The girls- Meagan, Susi and I.

The boys after the rock slides- Jon, Josh, Seth, Matt, Rob, Brandon, Eric.
The gals- Jamie, Carly, Susi, me, Vanessa, Heather and Meagan.
Going down the rock slides. This was a lot of fun- though a bit painful :)
Matteo
When Matt slipped and fell I couldn't stop laughing. I am such a nice wife :)
Getting ready to go

While the first groups were going we entertained ourselves having random photo shoots. This is one of the only good pictures.

Hiking up to the rock slides. It was HOT! We were all excited to get in the cold water.

Me and Vanessa

The whole gang. It was a lot of fun. We feel blessed to have some awesome friends who do awesome things like this!

Batman crew

2010-07-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ashton dressed him and the girls all up in his different batman pajamas and then they did sword fighting on the bunk bed. It was quite adorable.

Cute

2010-07-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

2010-07-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Imagination is intelligence having fun.

We went back to pretend city with a few friends for Brock's b.day. My kids LOVE this place. They could spend all day here... and I feel like they should because its not cheap. :)

Fathers Day

2010-07-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Matt is a great father. He is good to wake up with the kids each morning and let me sleep in while he plays with them, and sometimes makes pancakes for them. When he gets home from work he immediately starts interacting with them and they love spending time with their Daddy. Mazzi is especially a Daddy's girl. Sometimes when he is holding her and I go to take her she will hit me and cling to her Dad. I am glad I married a guy who is so family oriented and who enjoys spending time with me and with the kids and who I know will always work hard to support us. Thanks for all you do Babe! We love you.

Ashton with "his Mazzi"

Tera and I in our matching aprons that my Grandma made. We were making Matt one of his favorite treats- Applesauce cake to celebrate his being such an amazing guy.

Fourth of July

2010-07-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Blest with victory and peace, May the heaven rescued land

Praise the power that hath made, and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave...

O'er the land of the free...

And the home of the brave!

Happy fourth of July 2010