the taste tester :-p

Here's the conversation I had with Stevie last night...

Stevie: "mommy, taste this goldfish" (the crackers, not the fish)
Mom: "no thanks bud, I don't want one"
Stevie: (more insistent) "mommy, I want you to taste this goldfish!"
Mom: "Stevie, I really don't want any goldfish, you eat it"
Stevie: "no mommy, I need you to taste it!"
Mom: "okay, I'll taste it" (I give it a little lick, and then hand it back to him)
Stevie: looks at me with his angry-frustrated face and says "no mommy! eat it"
Mom: "why do you want me to eat it, I don't even like them?"
Stevie: "I need you to make sure there isn't any fly poop on them"
Mom: ...I'm a complete loss for words... except..." ewwwww!!!!"

so...have you checked YOUR kids food for fly poop today ;-)

Just to prove how humid it has been here...

Look closely at the roof-line... Who knew we could grow a garden in the gutter?!? Maybe this will solve our problem with George haha =)

Our new ride =D

Thanks to my brother for giving us a SMOKIN' deal on this!!!!!! anyone need a minivan?...

Not sure who's idea THIS was!

Here's what I found yesterday in the pool... Stevie wanted to go swimming, but his swimsuit was dirty...so Kirstie loaned him hers. Why
do sisters feel compelled to dress their little brothers up!?!

Moments...

So here's the deal...my girls decided this morning that they wanted to ride the bus to school (first time for both) this morning because it stops right in front of our house. Of course Steve and I said "yes". They were so excited, that they got ready about ten minutes early and stood out at the bus stop to wait. While waiting, they started playing, singing and dancing...it was sooooo cute!!!! They were just happy as could be! When the bus stopped, they held hands and walked on the bus side-by-side. It was one of those moments when I could just kick myself for not having the camera in hand. They are the cutest & sweetest girls I have ever seen when they get along. I'm so glad they are so close in age so that they will always have a best friend around. I will always cherish moments like these! (Hopefully next time I'll have the camera with me)

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

School officially started today! Here's my lovely little ladies on this glorious morning... Little Miss Jennah...now a big 3rd grader! She LOVES school as much as ever!
Kirstie has finally warmed up to the idea of school. She's excited to get to see her friends everyday. Her teacher this year is fresh out of college...young and beautiful, and we heard she came HIGHLY recommended. Hopefully it won't take Kirstie too long to talk to her teacher this year!
They were so excited to get up and get ready this morning, that there wasn't any fighting or arguing among siblings this morning...(big breath)...aaaaaaahhhhhhh. I love my children more than anything, but school is a welcome break in our home.

One crazy night

A big rainstorm hit last night, and St. David has many, MANY washes, so we decided to go check things out. We went out about 7:30 p.m., probably the worst time to take outdoor pictures, so the quality of the pictures are pretty bad, sorry.

This wash is just down the street from us. Where the water is running across is a very large dip in the road. Although it looks like it's just running straight across the road, the water here was probably 4-5 feet deep. It was running incredibly fast!This is the same wash, next day...all dried up. Sorry for the poor quality, I had to take the shot through the windshield because it was pouring so hard. This is the opposite end of the street (we had to turn around because we obviously couldn't go the other way). This water was just slowly running across the road. It looked more like a river last night! (although it was probably only MAYBE an inch or two deep)

This is the BIG wash on the other side of town. Again, it appears to be just running across the road, but this wash is VERY large and VERY deep (probably more like 6-8ft). Just before we left, a large rock (about the size of a head) was washed across the road like it was a little pebble.

This is the same wash, just on the edge of the drop-off. That's Kirstie's hand in the picture. She kept trying to put her hand in and just "touch" the water. She obviously doesn't understand the power of these flash-floods!

It was a lot of fun, and we got to visit with my brother who lives on the OTHER side of the wash, so he was stuck there until the water receded. There were also several other people who had the same idea we had. It always amazes me how quickly these flash-floods come and go, and the power that they have.

Our crazy critter invasion

We came home one day to this...
You have to click on the picture to get a good look, but it's a really cool spider web. I don't like spiders, but I do appreciate their web-making abilities. The spider was just sitting in the center, but by the time I found my camera, it was gone.

The next three were found all in one night...

Kirstie fishes these out daily from our swimming pool. I just LOVE dragonfly's, they bring back great memories of the pond at my grandparents ranch, and (as a bonus) they eat those nasty mosquito's!

While we were getting ready for FHE, Kirstie caught "toady". (I'll take a picture of one, but don't ever ask me to hold it!)

Then when Steve and Kirstie were out front feeding George, they saw a snake "climbing" down a tree. (Again, you have to click on it to get a better look). Steve says it was either a king snake or a bull snake. Apparently it's a good kind to have so we don't get any unwanted rodents.

Three creepy crawlers in one night it just to much for me!

20 years ago...

I got this idea off one of my cousins blogs and thought it looked like a lot of fun!

20 years ago

I was 15, getting ready to start my Jr. year of high school. A lot of things happened over that summer. My best friend and I started parting ways because of choices we made (good and bad). I was very boy crazy, if you were a boy, not a nerd, and somewhat, to very good-looking, chances are I had a crush on you. I sent one boy on a mission the beginning of the summer, and by the time school started, I had sent another one out...crazy huh? (I obviously didn't wait for either).

This is mine and Steve's Jr. year school pictures...just thought it would be fun to show you (check out those big 80's bangs...what was I thinking?!) This is Steve's college yearbook picture back in '88...what a hunk!!!

10 years ago

By this time Steve and I had been married 6 years with no children, but we desperately wanted them. We owned and managed a pizza restaurant in Willcox, AZ, and HATED it! I think it was around this time that we started looking around at different doctors...we decided not to wait until we started making money to have kids. If we had done that, we still wouldn't have any today!

5 years ago
Two kids later. Still running the same franchise pizza place, just different town...Show Low. This time it was just Steve running it, and I was working part-time for my parents in their adult-care home, while my mom and dad helped watch the girls. We were living in the basement apartment of the care home, and had no privacy! Steve was almost NEVER home, he'd leave for work by 8am, and get home no earlier than 11pm, Monday-Saturday. We knew something had to change if he was ever going to get to know his daughters.

1 year ago

We now have three children, own our first home, and are melting. Camp Verde was definitely the hottest place we've lived (our next home will definitely have an AC and not evap!). I was teaching private piano lessons, while Steve was working in Sedona as an insurance agent. We made some great friends, one of which was moving away, much to my sorrow :( Thank goodness for e-mail and blogs!

This year

We moved to this tiny little town that our kids absolutely love! Jennah turned eight, and was baptized a few weeks later, what an exciting day! Steve started a new job working for my brother as an insurance agent in his Benson office. I am finally doing what I wanted to all along... being a stay-at-home mom... no piano lessons or teaching school. Steve is the ward mission leader, and I am serving in the young women. We both love our callings.

yesterday

I wasn't feeling so good, so I tried to take a nap with Stevie. It didn't work out so well, Stevie got his, but I ended up just feeling worse. I was at least able to get some laundry, and the dishes done though. Pretty exciting huh?

Tomorrow

It will be Friday, so I'm sure the usual...Steve goes to work, mom stays home and works (and goes a little crazy) while J,K and S play and do all they can to make me go insane =). Hopefully we'll be able to talk Steve into taking the family to the SV pool ;-)