Stitches, Disneyland 2, Renovating Kitchen

Ella made the swim team and wows us with her breast stroke...placing 4th at her first swim meet!

Her team is very competitive and one of the top Olympic qualifying pools in the country.  We aren't interested in being overly committed with sports, but for now she seems to like going for an hour to swim.

She moved out of ballet since it was very expensive/straying out of our comfort zone.  Who knows, maybe ballet again next year, maybe swim...we'll let her get a feel for different things and then decide. Go Ella!

John made a very big decision to stop gymnastics in order to pursue his love for engineering.  It was a hard choice because he was progressing so fast in gymnastics and on track with a scholarship-type program.  However, he loves building more than anything.

We found a competitive robotics club whose leader is an engineer grad from MIT.  He is currently being taught EV3 programming (Lego's robot programming system).  He will also be learning C+ programming and VEX robotics soon.  Their current mission is to build a Lego rescue bot which can save lives during a natural disaster.  He is absolutely loving it and will be competing next month!

While helping with our kitch demo, John's hand went through part of our tile backsplash and off to the ER we went.  Why is he smiling in this photo?  Because we were laughing at how much the medical technician wrapped his hand up.  I think she went through 2 whole rolls of gauze.

Stitches out!

You can see our kitchen is quite a construction sight.

Gross.  Gross.  Gross.

Nana kept projects running while we escaped for Disneyland with our friends Nichole and Ivan.

CarsLand is a fun place...where you forget vanity completely.

We went for Mickey's Halloween Party.  Do you like our authentic homemade costumes?

Jessie And Woody did!...

and pretty much EVERYONE at Disneyland.

(Just don't tell them I threw a bunch of stuff together the day before---using whatever I could find around the house).

Nana even donated her favorite old t-shirt for Ella's fringe vest and skirt.

I think people felt sorry for us or something.

John is a robot, in case you didn't know!  

We used leftover plumber's tape from our remodel to give him that "really cool look".

Can you hear my sarcasm?

We are now calling him "John-Bot"

John-Bot makes me smile.

School Year Starts

Sadly, summer break went much too fast.

To celebrate John's and Ella's remarkable grades from the prior year, we took them on a weekend of FUN!

Ella chose to go to Make Meaning and decorate a cake.  John made a candle.

We also saw Despicable Me 2 and went to the water park.

Way to go guys!

John made Principal's List for massive improvement over the past year.  He also scored a whopping 97th percentile in math standardized testing.  Go John!  Ella's straight A's blew my mind.  Her favorite subject is also math and her artistic abilities are endless.  Are these really my children??

The 2013-14 school year began so soon. With temperatures still well over 100, it still felt very much like summer. Such is the case when you live in Arizona.

 John and Ella looked ever so stylish. We are using backpacks from last year to save $$.

I still stand in awe of these amazing kiddos.  How did I become SO blessed?

Mom (a.k.a. - Nana) Helped me sketch out a kitchen and we have been tackling this massive project over the past couple of weeks.  It's a good thing she's taking some time off from work.  

While the kids have been at school, sometimes we (I) get a little overzealous about things.

I got very mad at some plumbing issues and noticed Mom trying to trench through the yard for a rose garden.  "Give me that pick ax!" I exclaimed.

This was how I got my angries out.

Slowly the backyard is coming together.

When the kids get home they often help with moral support...

...And physical support.

We were shocked when our dog baby Mona darted our of yard and chased down our neighbor's mastiff who was taking a walk.

Good gravy!!

What was she thinking??

The mastiff nearly killed her.  The neighbor had to pry the "sandlot" dog off of our little trouble maker.

Mona's courage and stupidity earned her two puncture wounds and bite marks all over her front quarters.

In the morning she could not walk.  Off to the emergency clinic we went.  I thought for sure she had irreversible internal damage.

Fortunately, no!

Mona, don't do that again.  

And I love you.

On the weekends we've been filling our days with church.

This is how I found Ella in the spare bedroom on a recent fast Sunday.

Ella dear, arise and shine forth!

Sweetly, she fasted for me to get better from an illness.  I was healed and grateful for her faith.

We woke up very early this past weekend for a ward temple trip to the Snowflake, Arizona Temple

Ella was just thrilled to visit such a wonderful place.  Isn't she heavenly?  

"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him"...

Bon Bon, I can't even stand how cool you are.

It was a family trip to remember.

Peter's Revelation to Take the Gospel to the Gentiles

4th of July - Arizona Style

How do you celebrate 4th of July in Arizona?

Step 1:  Immediately call people and tell them you have nothing to do on 4th of July.  You'll be surprised how many people also have nothing going on and who feel trapped in the hot blistering weather.  Adam sent an email to his brothers and sisters to confess our situation and we were pleased to find out that they were just as desperate as we were!

Step 2:  Establish a party at someone's house.  Since we were first to fess up, we hosted a last minute pool "party".

Step 3:  Don't stress about anything.

Step 4:  You must smile and act like you're having a good time.  

Step 5:  Don't forget to snuggle with someone.

Step 6:  Use the grill even though it's 100+ degrees.  Also, eat some cheese.

Step 7:  Keep cool by swimming, slip 'n' slide, or cheap misters.

Step 8:  Light some sparklers once it's dark.

Step 9:  Go to bed at a decent hour.

Step 10:  Wake up early and grab your cowgirl/cowboy hat.

Step 11:  Drive to Prescott (bring friends named Nichole and Ivan if you can!)

Step 12:  Eat large amounts of shaved ice.

Step 13:  Ignore the crowds and just have fun.

Step 14:  Remember, you are never too big for a pony ride...EVER.

Step 15:  Don't forget that fried foods are very patriotic.

Step 16:  Go to the rodeo and scream like mad during the barrel racing.

The End.

Photos from the Spring

These photos are from Easter time.

Our hens are much bigger now.  We have eggs too!

Barry Heber Cabin Trip

Video by Allison