Girls AZ trip!

I've decided that maybe turning 40 isn't going to be all that bad.  It's not even March yet and I've already been able to squeeze in a girls' weekend with 3 of my close friends at the Pad in Scottsdale.  By the end of the trip, even my friends were calling it The Pad. :)

Tasha turned 40 just two days before we left and we were able to make the most of every minute!  We got in super late on Thursday night, took a cab to the Pad, chatted for a while and headed to bed.  On Friday morning, we slept in, went for a run along the canal and then got ready for the first of our Groupon adventures.  

We had a mani/pedi (a little cut short by rude front desk gals), grabbed some Chipotle and headed to Glendale for Groupon adventure #2.  We got a little lost getting to the spa, but we did find the place inside a very nice mall.  After massages and facials, we did some shopping and then headed back to Scottsdale for dinner (despite my attempts to get lost again) at Dos Gringos.  We were eating dinner at 10 pm! Crazy!

Mani

Mani + a large Diet Coke = a better mani

Ta-da!

Finished at the first salon

After some more late night chatting, we crashed.  On Saturday morning, we started the day with another run and then headed for the beloved burger joint of Tasha and Tirsa--In 'n Out Burger.  I have to admit, it was pretty tasty!  We hit some other local shops like My Sister's Closet and then Fashion Square Mall.  It was late by the time we got to dinner at AZ88 and it was as weird as I remember, but the food was great and the atmosphere was fun.  Before dinner, we were on a mission to take a photo in front of the perfect cactus.  Not sure we ever found it, but we had some serious laughs in the process!! We needed to get groceries before Safeway closed, so we did that and then went back to the Pad for PJs and chats.

In 'n Out Burger

I had to admit it was a might tasty burger!

Shoes anyone?

Do people seriously wear these things?

Still in search of the right cactus

Photo op evening

Charming Charlie, baby!

Outside AZ88

The mother cactus 

Tirsa having serious issues with all the 80's garb

Sunday was our day to hike Camelback Mountain.  It took us about 3 hours to go up and back the mountain, but the weather was perfect and no snakes were spotted.  We got some great photos on top of Camelback.

After our hike, we got cleaned up, made lasagna for dinner and then met Tirsa's Indian foster sister at the Sugar Bowl, which was super interesting and special (not to mention the ice cream is awesome).  Then, we went to a late movie (The Vow) and got back after midnight.  Tirsa made us some amazing apple nachos and we finished watching a movie and finally crashed late.

We hiked that mountain!

Apple nachos!

Such a great view of the valley from Camelback

This is what happens when you stop to talk baseball to someone from CO going up the mountain .   . camera abduction! :)

About half way up

TK enjoying the view from the top

Sweet movie theater that served food and soda

You just can't beat the Sugar Bowl

Tirsa & Tirsa

Monday was the sclerotherapy (getting our spider veins zapped on our legs--I know . . . sorry, no photos) day for Tasha and me.  It was a bit of a drive and we didn't realize we were going to be pin cushions quite like that.  By the time we finished, it was getting close to time to go to the airport, so we grabbed lunch on the go and headed to the airport in a cab.  I think we were all pretty exhausted, but it was such a special weekend!

As much fun as it was to write the day-by-day details of this trip, the bigger picture is this--friendship is an important part of being a girl.  Good friendship is an important part of being a mentally healthy girl.  Great friendship is a once in a lifetime gift that you hang onto for dear life!  Love you guys!!!

My baby is 8!

It does not seem possible that my baby girl is already 8 years old. I remember thinking that people who had "older" kids like I know have was ancient. I just didn't think I'd ever get out of the toddler/preschool years having had my kids all 3 years apart. But, just like that--my baby is 8!

Kinley had a great birthday weekend and she learned how to stretch it into 3 significant days. She had a friend party on the Saturday before her birthday, a family gathering on Sunday and a fun day at school on her real birthday.

The day started with her first basketball game. With her dad as her coach, she decided to make him look good and scored 8 points in her debut. She is loving trying out new sports and doesn't really miss dance.

Later that day, she took 5 friends ice skating and we picked the single coldest day of the winter. We started out at an indoor rink, but I won Mother of the Year award when we got there and realized open skate was closed. The girls were such troopers in the cold and several of them learned to skate for the first time. Then, they came back to our house and did crafts, ate pizza and played til they were all exhausted.

Sunday night was her family dinner and a time to finally capture some cousin photos with Sydney and all 3 of our kids. My good friend Tirsa and her 3 kids joined us, so it was another fun night.

On her birthday, I helped in her classroom and brought special birthday cookie dough cupcakes (on top of all of the other Valentine's treats they had) and I think every kid had a tummy ache by the time I left. She was such a ham as she passed out the cupcakes and explained that there was a surprise inside. Her teacher told me that she looks forward to seeing Kinley every day and wondering what she will come up with to make her laugh each day. That about sums up Kinley! She has grown up a lot this year and yet, her basic goofy, spunky personality will never change. She is self-confident, but sensitive and that's a pretty good combination to have.  Love this girl!

Her favorite cookie pie

The frozen four

Treats at school!

Recital and some new moves!

Kaiya is not a huge fan of the piano, but she doesn't hate it. Thus, we have encouraged her to keep with it for a while longer. I love having music in our home and now Kinley has started lessons, so the competition has begun for who remembers to practice without being reminded (hey, whatever gets them to remember!)

Here is a little clip of Kaiya's recent recital. It's all Christmas music because they do a recital after the holidays (everyone is too busy before, I guess). She loves playing on the $10,000 piano at the studio!

I've also included a couple of clips of new moves Kaiya just learned in the gym. She loves this time of year when there are no competitions and it's just fun time to learn new stuff.

Stay tuned for another post soon . . Coop and Kinley both have basketball going on right now and both have one thing in common--their dad is their coach. Doug has no life right now with coaching both teams, but they are having so much fun!

Happy 14th, Coop!

I know it's such a cliche, but I really and truly can't believe how fast times goes and that I have a 14-year-old.  I have these frames for their school pictures that has 13 openings for photos from K-12.  As I put in Cooper's most recent photo, I looked at that frame with only 4 open slots and had a mini meltdown.  In just 7 short months, he will be in high school!  What???

He had a great birthday weekend.  We got to celebrate with extended family on the 6th and he thoroughly enjoyed being there with both of my brothers.  Bennett left back for Tulsa the next morning, so saying goodbye that night was horrible.  I hate seeing my kids cry.  It was so great to have Bennett home for so long this time.  

The next night, Cooper had a bunch of friends over for pizza, games and whatever else boys do.  I left, so I can't fill in a lot of details, but Doug says they had a great time.  He has a great group of friends and I'm especially grateful that he refuses to get involved in any bickering between them.  He just chooses to be friends with all of them.  

Sunday night was just a family night (although he did have one special friend over, who happens to be a girl, but who also now happens to be ancient history) and so he really got to stretch his birthday out over the whole weekend.  

I really just love this kid.  We have our normal teenage battles, but he is a great kid at his core.  We spend a lot of time just talking like adults about very adult stuff.  He thinks a lot about what he wants to do in the future and is very focused on school.  We just turned in his application for the honors program at the new high school that opens this fall and I'm proud of him for wanting to do this.  I'm mostly proud because he doesn't fall to peer pressure and chooses to be his own person.  I love going to his school and hearing all the teachers talk about what a great person he is--helping a kid who recently got diagnosed with diabetes, helping kids resolve fights during peer counseling, juggling sports and school, and just wanting to be a good person. 

 He gets so mad at me when I get all emotional on his birthday, but his scary start to life is as fresh in my mind as if it were yesterday.  It forever changed me and I know there is something within him that knows he is lucky to be here with us and that he plans to make the most of his life.  

Couldn't ask for better role models for my son!

Looking so old

Still loves shoes and hats

The whole gang

A few of the gang

Christmas 2011

We had a pretty relaxing Christmas this year and some firsts.  It was the first time that we went to someone else's house on Christmas Day.  With the birth of Sydney, we were happy to travel to Brandon and Erika's house and enjoy a 3-day-old baby, our entire family, and an awesome meal prepared by Erika's parents.  

We had church early on Christmas morning, which was nice because it allowed us to stretch out the gift opening and enjoy the day.  Santa stuck with some pretty traditional gifts this year--a scooter, a doll, a bike, a remote control helicopter and some ice skates made for some pretty happy kids.  The girls have taken a real liking to ice skating, so having their own skates was exciting.  I've now taken them ice skating three times and decided that getting older has its privileges--I can sit on the side with a good book and let them skate!  I did try it once and didn't die, so I guess that's a good sign.  

I surprised Doug and got him a gift certificate for Lasik eye surgery and some non-prescription sunglasses.  He is ready to ditch his glasses once and for all!

It has been great having Bennett home for a month, so we got to enjoy a lot of time with him and will be sad to see him go back to Tulsa on Cooper's birthday (is is possible that he's really almost 14?).  

Wireless microphones from Papa

Kaiya and her gym buddy, Evelyn

No fear!

Two Christmas miracles!

I cannot remember a time in my life that I have been so overcome with emotion for other people than I have been for the last 2 weeks.  On December 16th, just as Doug and Cooper were getting in the car to head to Utah for a quick visit (and the USU bowl game), we got the call that my nephew was about to get a heart!  Doug and Cooper made it to the hospital before they took him to surgery and were able to see him.  What a blessing!  I am happy to report that Spencer is HOME as of the time of this post.  He came home on New Year's Day, exactly three months after he went in.  It's hard to wrap my mind around all that happened in that time frame.  

Just 86 hours after transplant!

Doug and Cooper were able to go to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl with Doug's dad and all of his brothers and they had a great time.  I love that my boys have been able to take two trips now to be with them and have fun.  It's memories for Cooper for a lifetime.

On the blue turf

Just 6 days after Spencer got a new heart, we welcomed a new baby into our family.  Sydney Nicole was born on Dec. 22nd at 6:12 pm weighing 8 lbs 3oz.  She is perfect in every way and we can't get enough of her.  I've made more trips to Greeley in the last 2 weeks that I have in a long time.  It's worth it just to hold her for even a moment.  It's also pretty fun seeing my little brother being a daddy!

Proud parents

Pretty excited it's a girl!

Just an hour old

Better than any Christmas present

So awesome that Uncle B was home!

I could stare at this photo ALL DAY!

When we're not in Greeley, we've been busy this holiday break doing fun stuff.  The girls have a new found love for ice skating and we've been twice to do that.  Kinley also got to get her ears pierced because she FINALLY quit sucking her thumb once and for all.  Socks, duct tape and the nastiest tasting stuff on her thumb did the trick.

A little nervous

Ta-da!

Telling Santa what's on their list (and Kaiya being a really good sport!)