Chuck E. Cheese stayed in the closet, so it was a good visit

Our family often makes stops at a little place called Chuck E Cheese. The kids love the place, love the games, love the pizza, and love Chuck E.....as long as he is at least 100 ft away from them. The last time we visited this place as a family, we were all sitting in the Chuck E.Cheese sketchbook picture booth taking a family picture(Yes, we fit all 5 of us in one of those pictures! We are good:) when all of the sudden I see Joey with a concerned look on his face and Chuck E. suddenly right beside us. When Aubrey saw him, I swear I saw smoke as she ran away as fast as her little legs would take her. She was weaving in and out between the rides at speeds I didn't know were possible. Poor thing. And where did she run to you ask? Why, up the tunnels of course! Chuck E. surely cannot fit in there. She is one smart girl. Both of our older girls are scared of this dude! Who can blame them though? He is a big freaky mouse with a big freaky mouse face. I was scared of him until I was like 7 or 8. Heck, I still don't like it when he looks at me or waves that crazy big hand of his at me.

Anyways, I took the two little girls to Chuck E. Cheese yesterday for a little mommy daughter date. I had dragged them all over town running errands, so I thought I'd reward their good behavior with some game time. It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that Chuck E. Cheese never opened that star door, so so glad. Every time we go, my kids periodically glance over at that dreaded door just to make sure it doesn't open. It has become a scary thing.....that star door....Anyways, here are some pictures from our lovely afternoon.

Cali was happy

Then, the show started and she didn't know what to think of it. She kept making this face.
Then she started pointing at things. She was very intrigued by all of the lights, sounds and mechanical robots.

Below is a funny sequence of pictures. I told Ella after seeing a kid ride this crazy truck, "Why don't you try this car out? It looks fun." Its one of those monster trucks that moves like one of those low rider cars with hydraulics. She must've thought it just moved back and forth like a regular ride-she hadn't watched the truck in action yet. Little did she know....
Holding on for dear lifeNot sure....
I don't think I like this ride Mom.

When she got down from this ride, she looked at me very sternly, pointed at the truck and exclaimed, "I am never going on that ride again for the rest of my life!" It made me laugh so hard(quietly in my mind of course).

Paul Potts-check him out

The other day my mom emailed me the link to this video on Youtube of this guy named Paul Potts auditioning for "Britain's Got Talent." I watched it and was just amazed by his voice. He sings with such passion and humility that I admit I got a little teary eyed. I love good music, I love musicals and I actually love to sing(I sing horrible, but thats beside the point:). Its amazing how just hearing a beautiful song can change your mood and make you feel a certain way. Anyways, I just wanted to share the video with you...(p.s. he ended up winning the competition and is a super rich opera singer now!)

11 month old princess

I think her shirt says it all...

Today Cali is 11 months old! I can't believe how close she is to turning one already! It seems like she was just born. We love this little girl so much-she is just a cuddly sweetie pie. She is almost always happy. If you see her crying, there is a good reason for it. She has learned so much in the past couple of months. She is getting good at walking along the coffee table and couch. She crawls at speeds in excess of 50mph:) Its hard to catch her! She is great at opening cabinets and rummaging through things. She is also an expert at finding the tiniest things on the carpet or floor and giving them a good taste test. She has just started to say more things like, "nana" for banana, "ca-ee" for cali, "no" for nose, "hi dada" for well, you know(that was pretty self-explanatory) and everyday she seems to learn something new. She loves to play pat-a-cake and hides her face for peekaboo. She is also starting to really love books and sometimes she just sits in the living room, her legs crossed indian style with a board book in her lap turning the pages and babbling. It is so adorable. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family of girls, girls and more girls! We love our Cali so much!

A tornado!

This morning I was in the car with the kids taking Aubrey to school when we heard on the radio an advertisement for the Texas Tornado hockey team. It said, "Texas Tornado coming to Dallas March 7 and 8!" Aubrey exclaimed in great seriousness and fear, "A tornado is coming HERE?!" Poor thing, she really thought thats what it meant. I reassured her that it was the name of a hockey team... much to her relief:)

My crazy ukulele man

Joey likes to get down with his ukulele sometimes

I hope you aren't too mad at me for posting this. I'll give you a ten minute backrub. Are we cool?

I was Charlie for a moment

A couple of weeks ago I found out through my friend Natalie's blog that a friend of hers, another Natalie, was having a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket contest in celebration of her 100th post. All I had to do was leave a comment on her blog, email her with my mailing address and I would be the lucky owner of a Willy Wonka bar. One person received a golden ticket in their bar. The big day arrived and I opened my bar with the anticipation of a child. Joey and the girls watched excitedly. I really felt like I was Charlie! :) The kids really got a kick out of it. And, no, there was no golden ticket, but wouldn't that have made the chocolate taste bad anyways? :) It was fun and it was yummy. So, thanks Natalie over at the Kahumoku Family blog for having such a fun contest and for letting me be a part of it! You are one creative gal!

Peter Barr

There is this sweet little 8 year-old boy in our ward at church who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor a little over a year ago. This week he seems to be sadly slipping away and though I never personally met him, as we haven't been in this ward too long, it has really saddened me and touched our family. His family is so strong and has such tremendous faith in Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. Their faith is getting them through this difficult time and I wonder would my faith be so strong? As a mother, I can't imagine what his parents are going through. They had to go and make funeral arrangements yesterday. Just thinking about having to do that makes my heart feel so heavy.

His parents started this website where they have recorded the goings-on since the diagnosis. It is sad, yet so inspiring, a site you should visit when you get the chance. I'm sure they would love a comment in the guestbook. The more love and support from people, even strangers, the better. Any thoughts and prayers on their behalf would be appreciated. They need them right now.

Life can sometimes take a turn you didn't plan and I know because of this family coming into our lives, I am trying to be a better person. I need to be more grateful for what I have and most of all, treasure the time I have with my loved ones. Sometimes the Lord's plan for you isn't what your plan was, which is a scary thought-how little control we have of what happens in this life. I'm grateful for a testimony of a living Christ and of the plan he has for us. There is a way for us to all be together forever, even after death. That is a great knowledge. Families can be together forever.

Update: I am participating in a team for Relay for Life, sponsored by The American Cancer Society, on April 25 in honor of Peter. We are called "Peter's Polar Bears." (remember how he wanted to surf a polar bear down an avalanche?) :)



Anything would be really appreciated! Thanks everyone!

Remember doing this when you were a kid?

The kids were playing with their little friends in the backyard yesterday when I saw them start to do the "swing spin." It brought back a lot of memories from when I was little. I remember taking turns with my sister winding each other up on the swings(we'd wind until we couldn't wind no more:) and then letting go and seeing the whole world spin for what seemed like forever. I loved it! Ahhh....to be young again:) If I did that now, I would probably puke. (And you're welcome for that lovely mental image)

Funny girl Ella

Ella ALWAYS makes us laugh. The past couple of days she has said and done a few funny things that I thought I'd share....

1. Today Ella was at the table coloring, decorating, gluing, taping and cutting up paper. There was the usual mess of cut up pieces of paper, crayons, and glue stick lids under the table. I said something like, "Ella you have made a big mess." She just responded, "Mom, thats what kids do."

2. Yesterday morning I was upstairs getting Aubrey's clothes out for school and such. Ella went downstairs before the rest of us and when I came downstairs I noticed that ALL the lights were on, and I mean ALL of them. She had turned on every light, inside and out, every ceiling fan, every one of them in the entire house. She was beaming and said, "Mom, I turned all the lights on for you!" "Thanks Ella!:)" She was so proud. She has just recently gotten tall enough to be able to reach the light switches.

3. Yesterday we went to the driving range with Joey on his day off. He spent some time with her teaching her how to putt in the putting area. When they were finished, Ella came over to me and said, "I was teaching Daddy how to golf."

4. Just recently, she has decided to create her own language.The other day she lifted her shirt up, was sticking out her belly and dancing around the room. I said, "Ella, what are you doing?" She responded, "I'm femeshing my doomie!!" It sounded so bizarre that Aubrey and I just started laughing. She comes up with some interesting stuff this kid:)

Thanks for making us laugh Ella. We love you you silly and adorable girl.

Ahhh shucks...

My sis-in-law, Cris, awarded me with The Daily Dose. Yea-my first blog award! :) It is an award for a blog you just can't live without. I'm also supposed to pass it along. I can't narrow it down to just one. I love SOOO many blogs-all of yours of course! I decided to narrow it down to five. This doesn't mean if I don't list your name, I can live without you. I really can't live without all of you, but these 5 blogs stand out for different reasons and they are blogs you should all chiggity check out(borrowing one of Kristi's phrases:)

Melissa is one of my best friends. She is the one who inspired me to get my bloggin booty into gear. When I first started blogging, I did like one post a month. Now I do...well, a lot more:) Her blog is adorable and is also the blog that introduced me to project playlist. I can't live without my music! :) Thanks!

Kristi has the blog that makes me laugh the most. I think she is a talented writer and a complete crack-up. The funny thing is, I've never met her in person, but feel like we are kindred spirits. We have very similar senses of humor(which is hard to find..believe me:) I can't wait to meet you someday Kristi! We need to plan a bloggin meet-up in Austin soon! Steph is another Austin-ite that has a heeelarious blog. She started blogging not too long ago and I just have to click on her blog to get a good laugh. Her and her husband, Lance, both post on the blog and you can tell they are meant for each other. They are both quite clever and witty. Thanks for the laughs my Austin friends!

Jan's blog is always uplifting, inspiring and just sweet. She always finds the most thought-provoking quotes and beautiful pictures. I love the way she looks at life. Every time I read her blog, I look at things differently and try to be a better person. She also finds funny little comics or cartoons that make me smile.

And last, but not least, is my hubby's blog, holsmi80. There is a story behind that weird name, but its a seeeecret:) he he. His blog is, of course, one of my favorites. He writes from the heart and his blog posts always make me smile. I'm grateful for the love he has for me and my precious little girls. He is awesome!

So bloggers, enjoy your candy and pass it along!

Fun with hail

Dippin Dots

I was rocking Cali back to sleep around 6:30 this morning during a pretty good thunderstorm when all of the sudden I heard hail start smacking the windows and pounding the ceiling-the loudest I have ever heard hail. It was a crazy downpour of huge pieces of ice or "iceballs"(as Ella calls them) and where do we have our cars? All of them outside...smart, aren't we? I am shocked that they are not damaged. The kids all woke up and were pretty scared by the sound-it was SOOO loud! And then as if they weren't scared enough, Joey ran downstairs and opened the door while the alarm was still on. I was upstairs with the kids right next to the alarm speaker. So, we got a nice little blow to the ear drums. Thanks Joey for the wake-up call:) All three girls including me about had a heartattack. Then, we all went downstairs for a little hail party. The kids looked out the windows and couldn't believe what they saw. And I couldn't either. Look at these pictures! It looks like snow! I told the kids to squint their eyes and pretend it was snow, since we haven't had any snow this year. This is the closest we've come.
This is the picture that made me think of the Dippin Dots from the mall. Very large jawbreaking Dippin Dots.

2 hailstorms in the past 2 weeks! Needless to say, we've decided to clean out the garage today to fit our new car inside. We are lucky it survived.

Valentine's Day

Yesterday, we had a great Valentine's Day! We hope all of you did too! Recap on the day: Joey surprised me with a message on my desktop(see picture to the left). He knows I get on the computer in the morning to check emails and stuff after I get Aubrey off to school, kids dressed and fed breakfast. It was a nice start to the day. He also had posted a super sweet post on his blog that made me get teary-eyed. Thanks Joey:) Nicely done, niiiiicely done. Then I took a few shots of Cali in her adorable little Valentine's pjs that say, "I'm a sweetheart" which she definitely is! Poor baby has been very congested the past couple of days and wasn't feeling the best yesterday, but that didn't stop her from smiling, clapping, playing, and just enjoying the day with us. She is a happy baby!

In the afternoon, Ella helped me make chocolate covered strawberries. We also played a game where we hid paper hearts that I had cut out all over the house and played hot/cold for each other to find it. I wanted Ella to have something fun to do while Aubrey was at school enjoying her Valentine's party. We had fun together. Aubrey came home and said she had a GREAT day. She dumped out her goodie bag and showed us her valentines and candy. I hope she shares some with her mommy....We went to an early dinner at the Macaroni Grill. We met Joey there after school and beat the Valentine's rush-no wait! Yeah baby! We goooood. We've gone here for Valentine's Day for the past 3 years now. I like it because it has a nice romantic atmosphere, yet its also family friendly. I mean, what other place provides you with crayons to write all over the table? Me and Joey, um, I mean Aubrey and Ella, really love that:) Sorry no pics of dinner, though I'm sure you would've loved to see Cali's nose after she sneezed and Aubrey's waddle as she barely made it to the bathroom when we arrived. The kid almost peed her pants on the way there! She said she hadn't gone since the morning. Aye. When we walked in, the host asked how many and I said "4 and a baby, but shutup and tell me where the bathroom is you fool!!?? Can't you see this kids about to ruin your carpet?" Okay, I didn't say it like that, but close enough. Also, another lovely picture would've been when Cali threw her cup clear off the table or when she choked on a cracker(nothing major- just a slight bit of chokage) or Ella walking in circles around our table for half of the meal. She doesn't like sitting in a chair. So, yeah, it was a nice romantic evening....:) Never a dull moment when you have kids. While we were there, we gave the kids our gifts which were boxes of chocolate and clothes for their cat webkinz. These kitties have been naked for way too long now. The girls were really excited to dress them when we got home. Check em out. Ella's is on the left, Aubrey's on the right.

Meet Furry and Ally.We also got Cali this heart shaped silver box with this chalk mold in it to make her handprint impression. We thought it'd be fun to do soon. We'll capture her sweet little hand forever. We went home and enjoyed our chocolate covered strawberries and some candy. I think we were all pretty stuffed by the end of the night. Then, Joey and I exchanged gifts. He got me this beautiful watch(I love it! It has a perdy pink face) and some yummy candy. I bought him a sweet new golf club he's been eyeing. We both scored some pretty sweet gifts!

I should be a hand model, shouldn't I?

Joey decided to practice his swing with his new driver late at night in our front yard. I'm sure the neighbors think we are strange:) He swears this club will make him drive further. Now he is using this as a reason to golf soon...why did I buy this again? j/k:)

Lookin good Joey

Well, there you have it. Can you tell we are crazy about this holiday? I love it. I love giving things to the people I love and telling them how much they mean to me. I love the Valentine's cards, parties, and all of the goodies. I also love the colors pink and red:) I wish every day was Valentine's Day!

Makin cookies

The other night me and the older girls made and decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies. Its one of our yummiest Valentine's traditions! Aubrey's(left) Ella's(right). Ella called her cookie with the candy corns "my fire ship."

Valentine's Day recap coming next....I know you are down-right giddy with excitement...

Happy Valentine's Day to the love of my life

Don't hate me for posting this picture of you from our dating days, but you know its one of my favorites. You look HOT in it! :) Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day! You are such a wonderful man to be married to. It was so fun falling in love with you 8 years ago and it has been so fun every year since. I feel so privileged to call you my husband and look forward to an eternity of Valentine's Days with the love of my life. This year, I decided to make a top ten list of why I love you. Enjoy...

Top 10 Reasons I love and adore Joey

1. He is the perfect husband and greatest daddy in the world.
2. He is the most selfless and generous person I know. He always thinks about others. I know he'll do anything for me and our girls-anything.
3. He is freakin hot!
4. He loves to laugh, especially at other people falling down mountainsides or off of roofs. You should hear him when he watches America's Funniest Videos. His laugh is actually the first thing I remember about him from when we were just friends. I remember hearing him laugh in the hallway at church and thinking how adorable it was. Thats when he first caught my eye.
5. He can always make me smile when I'm down or PMSing(which seems to be a lot, sorry Joey!)
6. Did I say he is hot? Oh wait, I did. Lets see, another one...he helps around the house more than a lot of guys do. He is awesome about helping me.
7. He loves to spend time with us. He makes us feel like we are his top priority, not second to work, school, tv, sports, etc. My girls and I know we are important to him. I feel so blessed that my girls will always know their daddy thinks the world of them.
8. He is extremely romantic. He brings home flowers out of the blue. If he sees something at the store when hes running errands that he knows I would like, he'll buy it for me. He sends sweet text messages, emails, leaves messages on the magna doodle:) and also little paper notes for me and the girls. He is good at little thoughtful surprises. Even after 7 years of marriage, the man's keepin it real:)
9. He honors his priesthood. He is a good worthy member of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know he has a strong testimony of the gospel and faith in Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful to have found someone that feels as strongly as I do about living the gospel and raising a family to the Lord. He is a great example to me and leads our family the way a man should. I have full trust and faith in him.
10. He is my best friend, the best friend I have AVER(and inside Nacho Libre joke) had. We have fun together. I love to hang out with him, play games together(our latest craze-the Wii:), play with the kids, go on dates, cuddle on the couch and watch tv together, go on walks, shop, eat, travel the world(which we haven't finished doing, but will!), and just laugh together.

Happy Valentine's Day Joey! I love you more than I can ever say.
hoLLy

Daddy...a true hero

Last night for dinner we had one of Papa Murphy's heart-shaped pizzas for dinner. We did this last year the week of Valentine's and the kids thought it was pretty cool, so we thought we'd make it a tradition for every year. I drove to the Papa Murphy's in our area the other night and found out it is closed for remodeling. Utter disappointment. I had this planned in my head and I felt we HAD to have this this week. And, yeah, I know, I could probably make my own heart-shaped pizza, but I wanted Papa Murphy's dangit!(and I admit I am feeling too lazy to make my own pizza). Anyways, I looked up Papa Murphy's in the area and saw one not too far from Joey's work. So, last night Joey picked one up on his way home and surprised the girls. Daddy was the hero last night!

The girls making their "surprised" faces

Ok, we smiled pretty, can we eat already?!!

Fun Valentine's Quiz

I did this quick quiz for fun today(thanks Jori for the idea!). I guess I'm a hopeless romantic....and don't worry Joey, I'm done with "bringing innocent hope to new relationships":) I did relish every step of falling in love with you. You're my sweetie forever! Lucky you...

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship.You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

What would we do without Grandparents?

We just received packages from both sets of grandparents and the girls are in heaven! Adorable cowgirl hats from Nana & Tata and a box of Valentine treats, stickers and a cuddly bear for Cali from Grandma & Grandpa. These are some lucky girls! Thanks for everything everyone! They loved it all!

3 Little Valentines

Here are some cute pictures of the girls that were taken yesterday after church. I had them all dressed in red & pink because, of course, its almost Valentine's Day! I think we have 3 of the cutest little Valentines in the world. This one is just funny. Cali is about to do the splits:)

And Ella named it...

"Flower. Its a girl car." :)

Goodbye Norg

Yesterday we got rid of the old Expedition and purchased a new(er) one. Yea!! We love it and hope it treats us better than the dang Lincoln Navigator we bought a few months ago.(Update: We still have to get work done on that car and sell it. Wish us luck on that endeavor... that stupid car.....arggg) So, now we've got two SUVs sitting in our driveway. Aye. Anyways, yesterday when we were at the dealership we told the girls to say goodbye to our old car and Ella said, "I'm going to name our old car. His name is Norg. Goodbye Norg." She is so funny, that girl. It cracked us up. We will miss the old Expedition. It was a good car that took us many many places. Now, we just have to get rid of that other thing...

So, say hello to our new car. I need to ask Ella what our new car's name is....I'll let you know what name she picks out:)

Glen Oaks Valentine's Dance

Last night, Aubrey's school held their annual family Valentine's Dance. We got all dressed up and decided to party all night long. Ok, well, not all night long, but until 9pm:)

Aubrey smiling as she is watching one of her friends dance silly

Don't take my picture!

Here's Ella smiling, but not Aubrey. Aubrey acted very shy at the dance, probably because a couple of boys she thinks are cute were there:)

Cali kept kicking her feet to the music. I love her little tongue sticking out in this picture.

Note:As soon as this Hannah Montana song came on, all the little girls were screaming as if Hannah Montana was actually in the room. It was hilarious. They all knew all the words and were jumping around like crazy.