We're Off

Well, the car is packed & we are ready to hit the road early in the morning. The kids & I are on our way to my Dad's in Lava Hot Springs, ID

I hope to make it there in 14 hours. We will be back in two weeks. Bye Everyone!

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Patrick !!

We hope you enjoy your last year in your 20's

Happy Day Off

Last night the kids presented me with this cute card. It's a Happy Day Off card. They quickly started cleaning the whole house for me. They cleaned the windows, took out the trash, vacuumed & mopped the floor. They were a little more help than needed though. They took all the dirty laundry out of the washing machine & folded it. The Happy Day Off continues today. Sopping wet tile floor in kitchen, mounds of wet paper towels, plain toast for breakfast and of coarse dirty dishes from the dishwasher have all been put away! I am Loving Happy Day Off! It's the thought that counts Patrick says....

Trevor & his bear a little over 5 years ago.

Bear-Bear

Trevor has had this little bear since he was a year old. Today as I watched him carry his bear around with him it made me smile. He loves his bear he calls Bear-Bear. This bear has travelled through many states and even different countries. I wonder how much longer this little bear will hold such a special place in Trevor's heart. It's sweet & it melts my heart to see my big boy holding on to a bit of his younger years.

Wet & Wild at the Zoo

After looking at some animals we headed for the kids play area. The kids were itching to cool off in the water. They had a great time running around getting all wet. Trevor kept throwing his hat onto the water so it would fly into they air. Savannah who usually stays away from the water was the first one soaked! She was all smiles. What a great way to stay cool!

Zoo Fun

Today we went to the zoo. We had a great time. The kids can usually only last about 2 hours though, good thing we have a pass! Here are some animal pictures.

Everyone Helping With The Toppings (YUM)!!!

Rocky Road Squares
1 pkg. fudge brownie mix calling for 1/2 cup water
vegetable oil, per package directions
Eggs, per package directions
1/2 cup Evaporated milk
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup Semi-Sweet chocolate chips

Prepare brownie mix according to directions, using oil & eggs. except substitute evaporated milk for water. Spread into a 9x13 pan.
Bake according to directions; do not over bake. Remove from oven. Top with marshmallows, walnuts and chocolate chips.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer or until topping is warmed and beginning to melt. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares. Makes 2 dozen squares.

Making Treats For Daddy

Savannah stiring our brownie mix

What we like about you Dad

Trevor says : I like to wrestle with my dad & he is just cool!

Griffin says: I love to have dessert with my dad & wrestle with him!

Savannah says: I like to lay with my daddy & I love him!

Your the best Daddy and we hope you have a great Father's day!

Happy Father's Day!

We want to wish you a very happy father's day Patrick!
You are such a great dad. We love you for being such a hard worker.
You are so smart always explaining things to us. You are lots fun to play with too.
To you and our own dad's, brothers & friends have a Happy Father's Day!

While at the park today Griffin found a dollar. He asked if he could keep it. I told him we have to be sure it does not belong to anyone. On his own he then heads off and walks around asking every adult in the park if they lost a dollar. He is not shy at all! Well, nobody claimed the dollar, so I told him he could keep it. He was so happy.

Griffin's Hannah

Griffin met a little girl in preschool named Hannah. They became fast friends. They rode they bus to school together everyday. Today we had a play date with Hannah & her brother at the park. Griffin was so excited to see his Hannah as he calls her. They plan on getting married someday (they've exchanged rings already). They had a great time playing together.

Lazy, MESSY Days Of Summer

This evening while I was watering, the kids were busy emptying the kiddie pool into the dirt. They made a lovely mud hole to play in. They love to get dirty & thanks to all the dirt here in the desert that's never a problem.

Park Day

We went to the park with some friends today. It was super windy, but the kids still had a really good time.

Great Teeth

They recently opened a new dentist office right by our house. We decided this would be our new dentist. After taking the kids, and Patrick going I was the last to go today. The dentist said I had great beautiful teeth, well except for a chipped tooth I had. A year ago Patrick was laying on the couch, and I decided to run over and jump on top of him. When I did that my front teeth ground together and one of them chipped. Well, today our dentist said she could fix it then & there. She put some kind of composit material in there and basically built my tooth back up to look normal. She even matched the color. It looks great! I'm so excited to finally have my tooth fixed after walking around for a year with a chipped tooth.

Trevor Goes to Camp

Trevor started a week long day camp today. It's called One World. They learn about different countries while doing a variety of activities. He had a lot of fun, but I missed having him around.

Sibling Love

Here is Griffin & Savannah Loving each other! Savannah was playing dress-up when Griffin
came in and gave her a big squeeze. They look so cute!

Yummy Yogurt

Enjoying a snack after finishing

their art project.

Saturday Morning Bean Art

Here are the kids

working on their bean art.

Just a cute picture I wanted to share of the kids. This is from our trip to CA in March.

We did a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory. They LOVED it!

I found Savannah looking cute reading in her room.

Griffin woke up this morning with croup. That dang virus seems to always find our family.
Luckily for us we woke up to a cool temperature of 47 degrees with lots of moisture in the air (it had rained quite a bit overnight). This is the perfect conditions to still outside and get his breathing under control. He hates it when I make him sit in the steamy bathroom. Here he is taking a deep breath. Hopefully we will all be feeling better soon.

Walking a Tight Rope

The kids took an old jump rope and tied one end to the playhouse and the other to the trampoline. They walked it like they were doing a circus act.

Homemade Bowling

I made some homemade bowling pins out of old water bottles . I filled them with water and added some food coloring. Cheap and easy fun for the kids! I got the idea from Family Fun magazine.

Quiet

I started feeling sick yesterday. I thought it was allergies, but much to my dismay I woke up with a major cold. Patrick & Savannah are also feeling sick. After spending some much needed time cleaning in the Garage we had lunch, then everyone started getting cranky. Patrick and I needed naps and so did Savannah. I had Trevor reading downstairs & Griffin looking at books in his room. I just woke up and decided to check on Griffin & found him asleep on Trevor's bed.
Bet some of you did not know that Griffin sleeps with his eyes open. I was able to sleep for 2 hours and Patrick, Savannah & Griffin are still asleep. I love the quiet.

Sandia Peak Tramway

Here is a cool shot that we took comming down the mountain in the tram. Great view of the desert here in New Mexico

I'm Gonna Give This a Try

Well, I guess it's time to jump into the world of technology and give blogging a try. For those who don't know I am a bit anti high tech stuff. I don't have a cell phone or an ipod or anything cool like that. This will be something new to me.