WINTER WONDERLAND!!

The snow here is OUTRAGEOUS! I said it-outrageous. Those are actually the words of my husband after 3 days of non-stop snow. After the third day I was over it, and wanting to get out of the house, but our family had so much fun. We went sledding, built this beautiful snowman, and Adam made a lovely snow angel. I had to mention the snow angel because it was the last thing I expected to see when I looked over at my husband flapping his arms in the snow with a big smile on his face. Wow!

Day 1

Keep your eye on the blue table as it disappears. This was the first official snow day in Flagstaff, it was very exciting and the kids were in heaven. Little did we know that it wouldn't stop snowing for the next 3 or 4 days.

Day 2

The kids are still so excited about the snow- apparently Nixie thinks the snow is a huge pile of ice cream....she will not stop stuffing her face.

Day 3

Ok- same back porch, same blue table that now has a muffin top. Note how my children are not playing outside this time. When Malloy woke up this particular morning he looked out the window and said," Oh no- it's still snowing.....I might sink!"

This driveway is seriously 10 degrees shy of vertical. We don't know how we will live this winter because Adam and I are so nervous that we either won't be able to get out, or we will roll in to our house when coming home. The only people that are excited about the steep driveway is Malloy and our two neighbors who went sledding the first day it snowed. Woo hoo!

What are you looking at?

Most children get that wide eyed look when they are caught red handed. Nixie however goes with the " why are you bothering me, and what are you going to do about it" approach. This is her expression when she thinks she is in trouble. Notice below how it changes when I say "smile".

This is also her new favorite thing to do- climb on to the top of the table and do a tap solo in the center.....or if there is food left out, she finds a cozy little spot and snacks on leftovers.

Thanksgiving in INDIO!

This picture was taken right before we jumped in the car for California. We spent Thanksgiving this year at a fun resort in Indio thanks to Adam's sister who made it all possible. I loved it and my kids especially loved hanging out with cousins that they don't get to see all the time. The weekend was filled with swimming, games, treats, stomach aches, competitive husbands and lots of laughing.

We love our cousins!

It was so fun to hang out with Adam's family and his cutest nephews and nieces!

Disneyland!

Our family went to Disneyland and visited with Adam's family a little bit last week. Disney was sooooo much fun. I especially enjoyed the 5 dollar churros. Ok maybe not the expensive food but I did love every second of it! Malloy was just tall enough to go on the Matterhorn and Thunder Mountain-so they were of course his favorite rides. I was also able to see Rachel and that was one of the highlights for me! I hope our family makes this a once a year tradition....well maybe when Adam is done with school- I just love it!

Thanks Megan for being the best Disney tour guide ever!

Good thing Nixie was little enough so we didn't pay for her, otherwise- I would have paid $75 bucks for a set of stairs. This is all she wanted to do the whole time, up and down.

My daughter cries and acts like nice strangers who smile at her have the plague, but 6 ft masked cartoon characters- hugs and kisses.

Halloween night club party!

Ok- so last minute Adam informs me of his class Halloween party- oh and we are in charge of fruit. So we threw these costumes together and I'm assuming the people in his class are like him..... married, maybe a few kids. Well when we walked in the the nightclub that his class rented out for the first year students and the second year students, my cowgirl spirit was a little sad and nervous to say the least. Both classes are about 75% girls and so you can imagine the kind of bare skin that was flashed all night. Pitch black, strobe lights, DJ- loudest music, my son was scared to death. There were 2 other children who were also scared to death. Wow, I wasn't prepared for the crazy party and I won for most modest costume.

Halloween in Queen Creek!

I was so excited to go back to my old neighborhood in Queen Creek and celebrate Halloween with my sisters and nephews and nieces. Speaking of nephews, please check out Carsen who was the bell of the ball in his hand stitched Nacho Libra costume. He is 2 years old and my only regret is that I didn't get a picture of his beaded cape which made the outfit. Please- Cherisse make my kid's costumes next year!

Pretty cute bumble bee.... she was really cute 20 minutes later when she threw up all over herself and me- Halloween damper.

Collapsed- Halloween will do that to ya.

Sloane's Baptism

It was so fun to go to Show Low and watch my niece become a member of the church! She was so cute, and the spirit was so strong. I can't believe what a baby I've become at church functions. I'm a big cry baby. Anyway, it was fun to see family. This is a picture of my 3 oldest nieces and nephew ( who feel more like siblings). Chelsea and Cole turn sixteen in January, and Emily is 18. They are so cute, and I wish I could see them every day.

My niece Sloane who was just baptised.

My crafty sister n laws- Jamie and Heather

Malloy and his cute little cousins!

My family minus Tiffany who came later due to some car troubles. My Dad, Cherisse (it was so nice that she came because she just had a baby and he is so cute), and my 3 brothers, Jay, Rick, and Scott.

Mexico

We had so much fun this last weekend in Mexico! Thanks Amber for setting the whole thing up. The guys went spear fishing while the girls went snorkling. It was tons of fun and the sad part is, I didn't even miss my kids! We were only gone 2 days, but my kids were with my sister and I knew they were in heaven!

We love our cousins

Tiffany and her three kids visited two weekends ago, because I beg everyone I know to visit us. We tried taking some pictures of all 5 kids and miraculously enough , we were able to get a few pretty successful shots. Thanks Tiff for the funnest vist- you are the best!!

GET YOUR POPOCORN!!

Nixie was desperately trying to climb on to the couch and eat popcorn with Malloy and Mckay. Every now and again they would throw her a kernel but that wasn't good enough. We finally gave up, gave her a fun plastic cup of popcorn and sat her in the middle. She could hardly contain herself- giggles, side glances, pure joy! She felt soooo big and cool.

FREEEEEZING!

Today was a particularly cold day in Flagstaff. Everyone had on their winter coats and Nixie could hardly walk in her bright pink puffy jacket and boots. Adam is so sad our daughter looks like a bottle of Pepto Bismal, but you can't beat those prices at Walmart.

Wake up fairy!

Malloy has a hard time going to bed by himself, he wants me to stay in his room all night, which obviously won't work. We now have the wake up fairy who leaves a small present under Malloy's pillow if he can sleep in his bed all night by himself. Adam was taking a Sunday afternoon nap, when Malloy came in to the kitchen and said," Mommy, the wake-up fairy brought Daddy some presents- he's a good sleeper, come look"! Ahhhh, if only Malloy could sleep like his Dad!

Our friends the Koelle's came and visited last weekend. Their kid's were so cute, and they made some pretty funny Halloween masks that of course I had to take pictures of.

Happy birthday! Jill is the best because......

• She is the craftiest person in the world


• She has a sneaky sense of humor. When we were roommates she received a calling in church, and at the time I wanted one as well- I told her how lucky she was(wow has time changed) anyway, she called my cell pretending to be someone from church- telling me that I needed to talk to the bishop about a calling. I was so pumped zooming around the apartment, applying lip gloss and out the door when I hear cackling. She wasn't really cackling but she was laughing her butt off. It was pretty funny..... and painful. J/K


• Jill is very humble and thoughtful


• Jill always looks gorgeous!


• She is always laughing and so fun to hang out with, she is also the best drive by partner!


• Jill is one of the only people I know that says exactly what she means. Example: Long ago in a little place known as Provo Utah a certain friend (Rachel) was trying to set Jill up with a nice chap. But because of a slightly decayed tooth Jill was not interested and told Rachel exactly that. I guess Rachel thought she would give it another shot, so she left this young chap at our apartment in hopes of a magical evening. Well, Jill had just stepped out of the shower and when she saw the young man waiting for her, she said in a very matter of fact tone that she had homework. She then turned around shut her door, and we did not see Jill the rest of the evening. AHHH- the good old days.


• She is spiritual and the best laurel's teacher!
• Jill really is Betty Crocker! Her hubby is one lucky guy.

I love you Jill, Happy Birthday- I wish we could celebrate together!

A WEEK WITH THE TUCKERS!

My friend Jen went on a cruise with her family this week and Adam and I watched her 3 year old and 1 year old. It was like having two sets of twins since I have a 3 year old and 1 year old. Needless to say, as crazy as it was, it was also so much fun. This picture pretty much wraps up the week with my kids ( middle) being the naughtiest, and lot's of wrestling.

Spider Man to the rescue!

Can you find Brody? You know Spider Man, always incognito! He blends right in to my mom's van!

Wrestling Match!

My husband and I might not always get along perfectly, we both have our flaws like every normal married couple. however, one thing that is a fact about Adam- is that he is a great Dad! Whether it is wrestling with the kids, sitting on the ground playing dinosaurs with Malloy, or rocking a baby doll with Nixie, he is always interacting with those crazy kids. It makes it a little easier to deal with his obsession with USC, and the breakouts I get from his oily beard. Every night Adam and the kids have a wrestling session, so it was fun to have Brody and Ashlyn join the fun!

SNOW FIGHT!

I told the boys they could sprinkle baby powder on the ground to make snow, and well a few minutes later when I went out to check on them, they were covered!

Birthday Girl!!

Top 10 reasons why I LOVE Rachel Waite!

10.) Rachel has always had a great sense of style- hair, makeup, clothes, EVERYTHING!

9.) Wears her heart on her sleeve. She has been listening to Delila (99.9) since the 8th grade. My Dad would drive us somewhere and she would ask him to change the station to Delila, then proceed to sniffle and cry in the backseat because she would relate every love song to her latest crush.

8.) Very creative in all she does!

7.) As Rachel's mom would say, "Rachel is yellow"! She yas a yellow personality- always wanting to have fun, very social, and wants everyone to be happy!

6.) Cutest mom ever- who of course has no idea why any person would say having a baby is difficult. From the time Myles was born she has been all smiles!

5.) Funniest and BEST sense of humor!

4.)Rach is sooo talented- dance, sing, and I'm pretty sure she could do a back tuck over Willie ( serious athletic ability).

3.) Started driving everywhere when she was 15 (no permit), she thought she was the best driver, and blew her Dad's speakers out because she is obsessed with loud music in the car.

2.)Rachel and I used to get decked out in our dance gear, and make up dance routines like we were top choreographers.....we were DEAD serious! The dance routines we made up were performed...for no one, they had no purpose.

1.) Rachel is always trying to better herself- from the books she reads to the way she trys to understand others- I love ya rach, happy birthday!

Taking cover

It was pouring outside, so Malloy and I hung out in the garage for a while until the rain was a little less intense.

Rainy day in flag

This is in front of our rental- Malloy is a very serious lion perched on the rock and Nixie is just enjoying some dirty rain water from the water spout mmmmm.

GRIZZLY ADAM!

How excited is my husband to move to Flagstaff where a lumberjack is the mascott of the school he is attending? As you can see he is very excited and very grizzly. I am sad.

It is official I have a blog and I'm sure it will be quite a sight, I'm not sure how long it will last, or how long Rachel will do it for me- but I'm excited and here goes nothing.

Nixie Jane is 14 months and despite her docile expression- she is the bully in the family. I think Adam is seriously intimidated by her.