The Banks Clan

Fall in Tehachapi

2010-10-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Who knew latex gloves got this big when placed next to the jets in the jacuzzi! The kids thought this was high comedy!

Gotta love the Patch (that almost burned up, notice black field beyond the patch).

Poppi and his Scarecrow pal and the kiddos

Molly & I at the patch.

Visiting with Grandma Flo and eating some delicious pizza at Milano's!

Other California Activities

2010-10-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

When we were in California in September we celebrated Hannah & Joyce's birthdays, Katie's Baptism, Bentley's blessing, Lexy going to the temple, Disneyland, San Clemente Beach House, and finished it off with Lexy & Jay's wedding.

Lexy and Jay get Married!

2010-10-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

So, (over a month ago now) Lexy & Jay got married! Here are just a few pics from their Big Day!

Bus Time

2010-08-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

So, day 2 of school we are giving the bus a try. J.R. didn't want to go because he doesn't think buses are safe, hopefully he is wrong.

This picture is totally random looking because the kids really didn't want to take a picture because it's "embarrassing" they said. So, I guess I've hit that "my parents are embarrassing" stage...bummer!

First Day of School

2010-08-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

My baby is a Kindegardner

Hannah rockin' the 5th Grade

J.R., the 3rd Grader

Ready for school

For some odd reason the administrators in Arizona think its a brilliant idea to start school the beginning of August in 110 degree weather...sounds about right I guess.

It's a very strange day to drop all your kids off at school and have an open schedule all day long. I hope I'll be able to fill the time :) (Don't worry too much about me, I think I'll survive!)

Hannah's Doggy Care

2010-08-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Charlie

Hannah making both dogs sit and lay down. She is a natural.

Hannah and I made flyers and business cards that we posted and handed out to do doggy babysitting, walks, etc. She gets excited every time the phone rings. She finally got her first job on Saturday for a dog that lives down the street named Charlie. He is a cute little guy and gets along good with Maddy. Hannah was in heaven. She is saving money to buy a fishing pole.

J.R. is currently on the hunt for a "job" to earn money now--Hannah won't share her business and I vetoed selling his unwanted toys door to door in the neighborhood (he was not happy with me. I am so mean).

June in Review

2010-07-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Willie got baptized and Jim was able to fly down for everything.

Little going away lunch with Claire and Kennedy.

Birthday Lunch for Ylleflyn at City Slickers.

Hannah and Patrick with their awards. 4th grade completed. J.R. finishes 2nd grade.

J.R. took pictures of Eli doing karate moves during the drive out to Arizona!

Moving out to Arizona with a very full car.

The sweet waterfall pool at resort in Scottsdale

Having fun on the splash pad until J.R. stepped on a bee and got stung.

Went to Benihana to celebrate being together as a family again!

July in a nutshell

2010-07-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

At the Diamondbacks game in the nice cool enclosed stadium.

The kids with the Mexican Panda at "Chino Bandido" (a Mexican/Chinese/Carribean restaurant we found in Chandler)

The kids took a lot of pictures for Joanne and Jeff at the wedding.

J.R. has recently become obsessed with golf again. Cheap rates in the Summer and free rounds for kids in July helps on the pocketbook.

We got a dog from the rescue (Maddie). We go to the dog park (a lot) the kids and Maddie love it there. It's like Hannah's dream place (dogs everywhere to play with).

We escape the heat by going to stores. Here we are at Dick's Sporting Goods checking out the fishing gear.

Beach Day

2010-04-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in San Clemente during Spring Break and hung out with my cousin Heather and her girls. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. One day we WILL live at the beach!

Our new house

2010-04-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the model home of the home that we are buying in Arizona. Our house is all framed up and moving along, it should be done in June just in time for us to move in during extreme temperatures :) Despite the heat we are excited for our big move. Jim starts his new job tomorrow.

Disneyland

2010-03-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

J.R.'s first time on Screamin', he LOVED it and went on again for a 2nd time. Hannah rode single rider by herself, what a big girl!

Poppi with Eli and Joshy. I think Josh is fishing for something :)

Poppi doing his best dog impression

Eli is hiding behind someone in this picture

Waiting for Thunder Mountain

Sorry Brent, looks like you got cut out of this photo. Thanks Pirates of the Carribean worker. Don't quit your day job ;)

Extra protection on Splash Mountain

We had a great day at Disneyland on Monday with great weather, well behaved children, and great memories. All we needed was Aunt Sissy. We missed you Lexy!

The Presidential Suite

2010-03-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the Worldmark Resort in Anaheim Sunday night so we would be ready to go to D-land Monday morning. Jim got us the 4 Presidential Suite. It was wicked awesome! It had wood floors, remote controls for the fans & lights (which the kids thought was worth the price of admission), a computer & printer, and huge jetted tubs. We watched the Disneyland fireworks from the balcony, went in the jacuzzi's on the roof, and the pool on the ground. We went to a presentation Monday morning and we got a $75 gift card. We didn't want to leave but Disneyland was waiting for us.

The Great-Grandchildren

2010-03-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

Grandma Flo and Grandma Honey with all their 9 Great-grandchildren. They are so proud and the kids "mostly" cooperated for the picture.

The Sleepover

2010-03-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

So, the kids wanted to have a sleepover in forts. We did it Saturday night and after much fighting about who was sleeping where and whatnot here is how it ended: Jacob and J.R. on one side, Eli on the other, Hannah on the couch, and Matt & Josh in the other room under the "table tents." Christy and I almost went crazy, but it worked out after an hour or so and they finally fell asleep :)

J.R.'s baptism

2010-03-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

J.R. got baptized on his birthday and had lots of family and friends there to support him. He was really excited and pumped to get his new scriptures too. It was a special day and we are grateful for everyone who drove so far to be apart of this great step in J.R.'s life.

Cousin Time

2010-03-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Chris, Christy, and the boys came up to visit for J.R.'s baptism and we had super slumber party over at Mimi and Poppi's for 2 nights. All day Saturday we had all 9 kids running around and having some GT's together. The kids had fun getting their Hawaiian shirts from Mimi & Poppi. Thanks mom for picking white!!!

Ending the night with some cookies "helped" calm them down for bed.

Moving time

2010-03-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

We got a POD and had fun watching the Podzilla do its work dropping off the POD on the driveway. It's been a whirlwind of a month with packing, cleaning, touch up painting, and moving. We are now out of our house, closed escrow, and living at my parent's house until we make our move to Arizona.

Cast Free

2010-02-09T14:02:00.001-08:00

The day has finally arrived! Eli got his cast off today and we got to keep the cast as a souvenir,... thanks? Here he is holding it. He is still being very cautious with his arm though. We'll see how long that lasts!

Boomer

2010-02-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Our friends found out that Hannah REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVES dogs. So, she said that we could come over whenever to play with their dog Boomer. We were there for an hour and the kids had a blast. They were making him do tricks, rewarding him with treats, playing hide'n'go seek, tug of war, and just petting him. He even let the kids crawl underneath him. Hannah is counting the days until we can go back over there and take him for a walk.

There little boy loved J.R., he kept hugging him, holding on to him, and laying his head down on his chest. It was so cute.

Jim's Birthday

2010-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hannah taking a picture of Jim blowing out the candles, and got more cake than Jim.

Happy about the food that is coming!

The kids were very proud of themselves for eating all of their chips!

We went out to eat at Las Palmas for Jim's Birthday and had to take up 2 booths because we were watching our friends' little boy. Las Palmas, so good!

We had the fam over for some cake and hot fudge sundaes too!

Science Fair

2010-02-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hannah participated in the Science Fair at school. She did a project where she tested which liquid would make a nail rust the fastest. She did water, salt water, vinegar, and bleach. The bleach rusted the nail like crazy, there was actually rust clumps at the bottom of the jar. The other picture is J.R. with some of his friends at the fair.

New York City! Get a rope!

2010-01-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

Eating at Katz, this was one sandwich cut in half. It literally dissolved in your mouth! So Good!

Our complimentary limo ride to our one fancy dinner at Frankie & Jonnies.

At the Sacred Grove.

On top of the Empire State Building with some major wind blowing!

Throwing down some Gray's Papayas hot dogs and yummy pina colada juice.

Yeah, we ate this whole pizza in one sitting! It was SOOOOOOOO good!

Ice-skating at Rockafeller Center

Us and Lady Liberty!

At Central park with the waterless Bethesda Fountain.

Meeting up with Tim & Heather for some Cheesecake at the Stage Deli

Jim and I had an awesome trip to New York in celebration of our 10 year anniversary. We did so much stuff while we were there. Here are just a few pics to highlight.

We went to New Jersey (to see the areas where Jim served on his mission), went on the Staten Island Ferry, Times Square, ate bagels, devoured the best pizza (Lombardi's and Angelo's) and pastrami sandwiches (Carnagie and Katz Deli) EVER!, went ice-skating, went to a Broadway show (Wicked), went to the taping of the Jimmy Fallon Show (and got on TV, you can go and watch it, it aired on Tuesday, Jan. 12th. You only have to watch the first 10 minutes or so. You'll see Jim when Jimmy talks with the audience and then we are dancing behind Ringo Starr when he plays the drums), saw the David Letterman show, NBC Studio Tour, went to Palmyra (Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah, Smith homes, Grandin house), went to the Manhattan Temple, Central Park, the Met, the Natural History Museum, Circle Line Tour, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, went to the top of the Empire State Building, we (when I say "we" I mean Jim) became pros at the Subway, went to China Town (scary!!), had a steak dinner (with complimentary limo ride), had frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity, and had a BLAST doing it all.

A big thanks for everyone who helped out watching the kiddos, we couldn't have done it without you. And thanks to Sammy for taking us and picking us up from the airport.

Now, where to go for our next Anniversary trip!?

BROM

2010-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Whole Crew

Our Table at BROM

Kissy Kissy for 2010!

So, its that time of year again, where Jim's buddies from High School get together and do the Bro Olympics (and all day 25 event extravangaza, that leaves all the contestants (this year there was 28) sore and bruised for weeks afterwards). This is the 10th year they have done it! New Years Eve we went to the BROM (the Bro Prom) for a dinner and dance night. We had a great time seeing friends, dancing, and ringing in the New Year!

Christmas celebrations

2009-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

My mom was adding extra prizes to her gift for the gift exchange at the Hecht Christmas party. We were laughing so hard, especially when she taped the Sparkling cider to it. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
Enjoying Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa, so much so that Grandpa and Eli are giving the thumbs up :)
Cousin time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
We made a Gingerbread house a few days before Christmas and all was going well until I left the room for a few minutes. I came back and the kids were pretending their hands were monsters destroying the house....and then they each took a wall and started eating it.
We got Poppi a box of fishies, all for himself. He was surprisingly excited about them.

Another Christmas come and gone. Here we are around our Christmas tree Christmas morning. We had fun opening gifts with my parents, Lexy, and Grandma Flo. We had our traditional monkey bread cinnamon rolls, apple cider, and potato latkas (thats a new tradition).

Skunky Cat

2009-12-30T08:54:00.001-08:00

So, the other morning our cat got sprayed by a skunk...so special! So, at 5:30 in the morning after Jim let for work I got on the internet and researched how to get the stink out. After trying Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap---unsuccessfully. I made a vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap concoction that fizzed like a volcano experiment. He wasn't the biggest fan of the bath, but we got through it and he no longer smells rancid. I wouldn't let him outside for awhile until he dried completely. So, Hannah thought she would be helpful and found her old baby onesie and put it on the cat. It was hilarious to watch him try and walk. Poor cat....hey, he chose us!

Kid Christmas Party

2009-12-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, we had a little Christmas party shindig for the kids on Monday, the 21st. There were like 17 kids over here. We played a few games, made some Christmas music videos, decorated cookies, and then watched the music videos and "Merry Madagascar." The kids had a good time. I'm just grateful that Molly stayed and helped me :) Thanks Friend!

Eli's Broken Arm Adventure

2009-12-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

So, in case you haven't heard Eli broke 2 bones in his right arm during family night trying to do "a breakdance into a cartwheel off the couch." The kids take the cushions off the couch and jump and do tricks into the cushions and call it "Bouncy World" (which has been officially closed by the way) . Eli was attempting to do a trick that J.R. does and it didn't end so well. This first picture is Eli's arm when we first got to the hospital. Our official first broken bone!
After receiving a Demeral shot he fell asleep.
He woke up all chatty and happy and got a splint and sling (and 2 suckers).
On Friday he had to have a little surgery/procedure that involved putting him out to reset his arm. He looked so adorable in his little cap and gown.
All smiles on the gurney.

The nurses said he was the best patient they ever had, old or young. He did a great job through it all. When we got home I gave him his Tylenol with Codeine and I fell asleep (and he played with his new broken arm consolation prize we bought him). Coming soon..... a full arm cast (Good times!)

Disneyland on my Birthday

2009-11-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

After spending the night at Jim's parent's house and having a wonderful Thanksgiving/Birthday dinner with everyone (Sunday night), we woke up Monday morning, packed up and headed for the "Happiest Place on Earth". The parking lot had a long line to get in (bad sign), we got the best parking spot we have ever gotten, right in front of the escalator (things are looking up!), Jim ran and slid in front of some lady to secure us a bench on the tram (hilarious), another super long line to get through the baggage check, it was all the way passed the water fountain (got a little worried), but then got in the park and walked straight on to Space Mountain in the front (boo yah!) We had a great day, the weather was perfect, the kids behaved well, we got to ride on the Lily Belle caboose (that we later found out is reserved for VIP tour groups and such), I got my $72 gift card for my birthday, grabbed some treats and things and got out of the park before the crowds did. (The only bummer was that we didn't get a group picture because the camera stopped working (because I had dropped it in the sand at the beach, oops!) Jim has since, opened it up, cleaned it out, and we are in business again!) WE hit up IN-n-Out on the way home, the kids fell asleep, and we got home safe to our 57 degree house. It was a great weekend and memorable way to celebrate the big 3-0!! Thanks to Jim and my parent's for a fun weekend!

Picture Time

2009-11-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

This picture cracks me up because of Eli's face with his hand on his chin; gotta love J.R. holding his legs too!

We decided to take some family pics down by the beach, since the last family photo we took has a few issues: 1.) Jim has lost A LOT of weight since then 2.) Eli is wearing an Incredible shirt and 3.) Hannah is wearing a hot pink soccer jersey.
Of course, the one I like the most has too many shadows, but maybe we can fix that up! The kids were very concerned that we were taking pictures on the lifeguard stand because it says "Keep Off" right on the front of it. These pictures give just a glimpse of how gorgeous and perfect the weather was that day.... It makes me want to go back!

San Clemente Beach

2009-11-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Jim planned a fun birthday weekend for me complete with a few nights at the Beach House (Jim's friend's family owns a beach house and this is the 3rd time that they have let us stay there). It's only like 2 blocks from the beach! It's awesome! The weather was perfect and we spent all day Saturday soaking in the rays, eating licorice, and lounging around. The kids had fun climbing in the rock forts, boogie boarding, and playing in the sand. The good thing about going in November....no crowds (as evidenced in the picture of the empty beach). We also went to Pedro's tacos for lunch and then took turns doing sessions at the Newport Temple. Afterwards we hit up The Hat for some Pastrami Sandwiches and onion rings. Oh yeah!

Bouncy World

2009-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

So, the kids have come up with yet another wonderful activity to do in the house. They remove all the cushions off the couch and put them in a pile then jump and run around and then do tricks off one end, they call it Bouncy World. We also have some pretty sweet video footage of "Bouncy World." Here is J.R. twisting off the back of the couch in what he likes to call "The Ice-cream maker?" (Don't ask me, I have no idea what the correlation is).

Here is Eli in mi-flip (with very nice form I might add).

Here is Hannah in mid-flip with a nice tuck.

Just waiting for the injury to occur with the incurring hospital trip and broken bone... I'll keep you posted :)

"It's a Medium Day"

2009-11-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

So, apparently J.R. has (finally) grown a little :) His pants are starting to get a little short on him (Where's the Flood? short, if you know what I mean). The other day J.R. comes downstairs dressed for school in these blue beauties. I was like, "Yo Matey, I think those pants are a little short for you now." He proceeded to tell me that he liked them, and that it was "kindov a medium day, not too hot not too cold so these pants were working perfect." Maybe J.R. will start a new trend....boy capri sweat pants? (with a soccer jersey). What can I say, my boys are style gurus, J.R. with his capri sweats and Jim with his housecoat (see later post).

Soccer is Officially Over

2009-11-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

So, after 10 games, multiple practices, and 3 pizza parties, our soccer season has officially come to an end. The kids had a great time, got some goals, they improved their soccer skills, and made some new friends. Poor Hannah and her team didn't win one game, but they had great attitudes. Can't wait till next season (although it will be nice to have our Saturdays back :)

Jim and his Housecoat

2009-11-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

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We were Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (dressed up as the Grandma) for Halloween. I got this saweet housecoat for his costume at the guild for $2. Jim thought it was so comfy he didn't want to take it off after the party or on Halloween night (he even slept in it). He said from now on he is planning our Halloween costumes around comfort. They had a pale green one at the guild, maybe I should go pick up that baby for his Christmas present!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T14:44:00.000-08:00

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So another Halloween has come and gone, here are a few pics from the church Trunk or Treat and the kids with their loot. They separated their candy out on the floor by type...they have way too much candy! Eli fell asleep before we even left the church. He got his candy, climbed in the car, put on his seat belt and said, "I'm ready to go home." He fell asleep before I could round up the other kids and leave. If you can't tell (because none of the kids wore their entire costume!) Hannah is a wizard (minus her hat & wand), J.R. is Dracula (Minus the cape (he wore the cape most of the night, just not in any of these pictures), painted face, teeth, bow tie, etc, etc, oh yeah, and he was wearing shorts. I guess this Dracula is more into Summer!), and Eli is Anakin Skywalker (with his soccer shirt on!) Oh well!

Halloween Party

2009-11-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

We had our annual Halloween Party Friday night and had a great time with friends, food, and some Rock Band!

Daddy Daughter Date

2009-10-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Jim had a Daddy Daughter Date at church. It was a dinner and talent show. They did the skit, "Who's on First?" (originally done by Abbott & Costelloe). They printed out the script, Jim altered it to make it shorter and a bit easier and they did a great job. We have them on video practicing at home, maybe we will post it one of these days. Hannah is quite the little actress, she takes after her daddy on that one :)

More Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

We had some friends come over to my parent's house for a hay ride, pumpkin pickin', and dinner. Everyone had a great time!

Preschool Blog

2009-10-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

I made a blog for the little preschool I have been doing. Here is the link: http://elisplacepreschool.blogspot.com/

Tea Party Anyone?

2009-10-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't aware, Jim is AWESOME at spinning the teacups. We got all 6 of our little booties in 1 teacup (Jim, Amy, Lexy, Hannah, J.R., & Eli) and were rockin' and/or rollin'. I took some "action" photos during the ride. We were laughing pretty hard and were more than a little dizzy when the ride was over. Props to Jim for his sweet teacup spinning skills!
P.S. Didn't realize you could have a quadruple chin, check out the pic with Lexy and I and my multiple chins (Lexy had them too, but the picture cut them off and you can't see them :)

Day 3, San Clemente Beach

2009-10-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we all headed for a big day at the beach. The weather was perfect, the kids all behaved well, we boogie boarded, swam, played in the sand, roasted hot dogs, had s'mores, hung around the bonfire and just had a great day!!!!

Day 2, Disneyland

2009-10-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

You couldn't miss our bright yellow shirts at Disneyland...they were so easy to spot. We had a great time, enjoyed nice warm weather, and some good laughs together.

Family Reunion, day 1

2009-10-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little behind, but here are some pics from the family reunion we had in September for my mom's side of the family. We started out Thursday night having a pizza party, volleyball, and dodge frisbee games at the church. We had a blast and the kids were able to get to know their cousins better. They even put on little shows for us on the stage. This night it was pretty much us, my Uncle Alan & Aunt Jan and all of their kids.

The Cat

2009-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

So, this little kitten wandered into our yard on Wednesday and we petted it...and now it doesn't want to leave. Every time we leave, we come back and there he is. Our neighbor gave us some cat food to give him, and now I think he is here to stay. The kids are super attached to him and he is such a sweet cat. Within the first minutes of petting him Eli said, "I want to name him Freddy, can he stay the night?" We put up signs on the mailboxes in our neighborhood and haven't heard anything yet. His name keeps changing from Freddy, to Spencer, to Copper (because of his eyes), Jim suggested Puppy, we've considered Socko, and this morning the kids decided Yoda was a good name for him. Yoda because he is nice and calm but when you get the dangling fish toy out he gets crazy jumping and swatting around. The way I look at it, the kids want a dog...but a cat is much easier because they wander, you don't have to take them for walks or pick up dog poop, or stress when you go out of town. I think its a pretty good compromise.

First Soccer Games

2009-08-31T20:48:00.001-07:00

The first day of soccer went great, except for the scheduling. Eli had to be at the field at 9 am, J.R.'s game was at 1 pm, and Hannah's game was at 4 pm. Can we get the games a little more spread out? This is Eli's first year so it was fun to watch him run around with his "happy to be here" grin on his face. He cried when he was put on offense, so coach (Amy) put him on defense. He kicked the ball a few times and got to throw it in a few times. He had a blast.

J.R. appears to have quite the aptitude for soccer. He must have got it from his mother because I was brought up to despise soccer. It was referred to as Comi-kickball in our home. But since the Berlin wall has fallen, and America seams to be headed for communism anyway, I figure it is okay to embrace my son's ability. J.R. only played 1/2 the game on offense, but still managed to score 2 goals, and just miss on 4 other shots (hitting the post). Last year he was stifled by tiny goals, this year the goals are larger and he plans to score plenty of goals. His coach put him in as goalie for the last part of the game, and he was less than thrilled. Not his thing

Hannah has developed into quite the little soccer stud herself. She does not have quite the nose for the ball like her brother, but she is a rock solid defender. Nothing gets past Hannah, she protects her turf with reckless abandon. When she played defense the other team did not score. When they took her out, the other team scored 5 goals. It's fun to watch her be so aggressive because she is usually so timid. She really is an exceptional athlete, and takes the games seriously.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

Eli needed some consolation for the coach (aka mommy) after learning he would be playing offense, not defense as requested

Everything is thumbs up as Eli moves to defense

Eli is a master at the throw in

J.R. getting ready to rock the Kazbah

J.R. was less than thrilled with his goalie assignment

Nobody scores on Hannah . . . Nobody!

Hannah giving some poor kid the business

Park City Vacation: Final Day

2009-08-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

All good things must come to an end, and our trip to Park City was no different. They had a couple activities at the resort that the kids thought would be fun. Hannah and Eli decided to make some silly hats. Eli made an alien hat that had 6 eyes and 3 noses. Hannah made dog hat that was really cute. J.R. and Hannah participated in a basketball shootout and they both won at least one round.

Since we had not really explored downtown Park City we decided to stroll up and down Main St. While exploring we walked into a timeshare sales recruiting office. The guy working there was trying his hardest to get us to go see a presentation at the Canyons. He was offering really cheap room rates at the resort in the Canyons, but I told him we were going home that night and had no plans to return to the area for a long time. Just as we were leaving he offered us $125 to go see a 90 minute presentation. Since that would more than pay for the gas on the ride home we decided to take him up on his offer. Sure enough, we were only there 90 minutes, and we walked out with $125 cash.

We then went back to the resort and packed up for our trip home. The kids all took a bubble bath and I rested up for the drive. We decided to drive through the night again so we did not have to endure any "are we there yet" inquiries. Again it worked like a charm. We left about 9:30 PM Friday night. The kids were all asleep by 10:30 PM, and they did not wake up until we were about 5 minutes from home. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic vacation

Eli shows off his alien hat

Hannah shows off her Dog hat

Hannah and J.R. compete in the basketball shootout

J.R. in the bubble bath

Hannah in a luxurious bubble bath

Eli wielding a light saber in the bubble bath

Park City Vacation: Day 6

2009-08-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

J.R. had been begging us to take him to the Park City skate park since we got in the car to start our vacation, so we decided to take him and the rest of the kids. Hannah and J.R. were the only ones who wanted to tackle the skate park, so the rest of the kids went to the city park in Park City.

Once Hannah and J.R. showed up at the park they decided to put together an obstacle course for the kids to race on. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids run through an obstacle course while we timed them. Pretty soon there was a bunch of kids at the park who wanted to play too.

After the park we watched the cousins while Chris and Christy went on a little date in Park City. When they got back the cousins said goodbye to each other and we headed down to Cottonwood Heights to go to the parks and recreation pool.

When we got to the pool the lady at the entrance told us the main pool would be closed for 45 minutes because there had been an incident. I asked what happened, and the lady would only say there was, "an incident." So we went inside and he first guy I saw looked at me and said, "some kick just took a dump in the pool so it's going to be a while before you can swim." Nice.

The pool where the diving boards are is separate from the main pool so we decided to enjoy the diving boards for a while. They had a 1 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard, and 5, 7, and 10 meter platforms. Amy went off the 5 meter platform once and that was enough. J.R. jumper off the 7 meter platform once, and then spent the rest of the day on the 5 meter platform. I went off the 10 meter platform once, then spent most of the day going off the 5 and 7 meter platforms. Hannah enjoyed the water slide the most, and Eli enjoyed the kids zone. We were at the pool for over 4 hours and were playing the whole time. So much fun!

J.R. finally gets to enjoy the skate park

Hannah at the skate park

The kids race to the top of "Spider Web Mountain"

Amy's 1 attempt on the 5 meter platform (look right above the lifeguard's head)

Eli tried his hand at the diving board

Hannah rode the water slide most of the day

Eli rides the little kid slide in the kids zone

Eli really enjoyed having the waterfall land on his back

Jim launches from the 7 meter platform

J.R. jumps from the 7 meter (about 25 ft) platform

Park City Vacation: Day 5

2009-08-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Day 5 of our Park City vacation was super cool. We started the morning by going to the Olympic park where the kids checked out a real bobsled. We had recently introduced our children to the file "Cool Runnings" about the Jamaican bobsled team so they were excited to see a real life bobsled.

While at the Olympic park we decided we would take a couple rides down the Quicksilver alpine slide. It was a ton of fun. Hannah and Jacob rode together and apparently missed the huge sign near the end of the ride that advises you to slow down for the end. They came into the finish line at full speed, funny stuff. Eli kept screaming for me to go faster and was laughing the while time.

After the alpine slide we decided to go watch the ski jumpers do tricks into a pool. It was mostly younger kids doing flips off a tiny ramp, but there was one guy who was going off a big ramp and doing some crazy tricks. I can't imagine what it would be like to launch 30 feet in the air, do a full twisting double back-flip, then land in a pool while wearing skis. Crazy.

After the Olympic park we went back to the resort and enjoyed the fire pits they had around the downtown area of Park City. We made smores using peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate. The kids played more basketball and shuffleboard. Very relaxing and fun evening.

The kids by a bobsled at the Olympic park

Eli and Jim ride the chairlift to the Alpine slide

Uncle Chris and the boys agreed this was scarier than the Alpine slide

Getting ready to tackle the Alpine slide

Hannah and Jacob on the Alpine slide

In case you were wondering, this is how you practice freestyle ski jumping in the summer

Enjoying some smores by the fire

Eli really got into the smores

Amy and Jim enjoy some time by the fire

Park City Vacation: Day 4

2009-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

On Day 4 of our vacation Amy and I went to the Salt Lake City Temple for an endowment session. After that we went back to Chris and Christy's to pick up the kids and head back for Park City. Once we got back to Park City we went to the pool and relaxed.

Chris and Christy brought the boys up to spend a couple days with us in Park City. They got there in the evening and we went out to explore the resort and the activities they had for the kids.

Hannah enjoying one of the swinging chairs at the activity center

2 ballers and a Backstreet Boy in training

A little late night 3 on 3 in Park City

Park City Vacation: Day 3

2009-08-16T13:43:00.001-07:00

We got distracted because we moved, and I have not had a chance to continue with my photo essay of our trip to Park City. But now that I finally have a moment so here it goes.

We woke up Monday morning and decided that we would have family home evening a little early, so we headed to the bowling alley to get the activity out of the way. We had a great time bowling, and everybody got at least one strike. J.R. even got a strike without the aid of the bumpers! After bowling we took the kids back to Chris and Christy's for some slip and slide fun. Uncle Chris raced the kids down the slip and slide, and even made himself into a tunnel for them to race under. Chris was scoring major Uncle points (not to mention Daddy point with his own kids).

After the slip and slide fun it was time to take care of some serious business . . . Cafe Rio. Amy and I are big Cafe Rio fans. I understand not everybody enjoys it as much as we do, but that's their problem. Hannah was protesting and saying that Cafe Rio does not have the kind of Tacos she likes. I told her to try a little, and she ate the whole thing and licked the plate clean. Cafe Rio 1, Hannah 0.

After Cafe Rio Chris and Christy were nice enough to chaperon a slumber party while Amy and I escaped for an evening alone. We spent the night at the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake City. It's a themed bed and breakfast, and we had a great time. They were have a special for Pioneer Day throughout July, so if you got a pioneer-ish room you got a deep discount on the room. I went with the Wild West room. It was a surprise for Amy, and when she saw the room she laughed because the bed was in a covered wagon. Special thanks to Chris and Christy for making the evening possible!

Eli struttin' his stuff

Slip and Slide Fun!

The Kids race through the Uncle Chris Tunnel

I think the peioneers would be happy to know that their sacrifice lead to me getting a discount on a themed room at a bed and breakfast. Thanks Pioneers!

The swingin' doors that lead to the Bath House

The Shower in our room came from holes in a bucket

Park City Vacation: Day 2

2009-07-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Our family at the Salt Lake Temple

On day 2 of our Park City trip we went to visit Chris and Christy in Farmington. WE went to church with them and I was able to experience the loudest Sacrament Meeting I have ever been to. Let me put it to you this way, when your ward has 3 fully stocked nurseries you might experience a little chatter during the first hour of church.

After church we went to Chris and Christy's to have dinner. Christy made some awesome fajitas in the crock pot (who knew?). After dinner we decided to take the kids to Temple Square. If was really neat to take the kids to the visitor's center and see all the paintings, and especially the Christus. We also went to the Tabernacle and saw the presentation where they show you how amazing the acoustics are. You sit in the back of the Tabernacle and they drop a pin on the pulpit and you can hear it clear as day. Amazing building.

We then walked around the fountains and other buildings just east of Temple Square, and the cousins all had fun running around and enjoying each others company. Just as we were leaving it started to rain, and the wind started to blow really hard.

We spent the night with Chris and Christy and the kids had a slumber party in their newly finished (almost) basement. All in all it was a very relaxing day.

The cousins at the conference center with the temple in the background

Hannah and her "Mattpack" at the temple

Reminds me of Harry Dunn and Lloyd Christmas

Everyone enjoyed the Tabernacle and the beautiful organ inside

A beautiful shot of the Salt Lake Temple at sunset

The kids were super stoked for their slumber party

Park City Vacation: Day 1

2009-07-26T17:03:00.001-07:00

So this year for our family vacation we decided to go to Park City, Utah. I asked Amy where she wanted to go, and she said, "Anywhere cooler than here." It has been averaging about 105 degrees here in Valencia, so the mountains of Park City and the 80 degree weather that comes with it sounded superb.

We left on Friday July 17th about 10 O'clock at night. Why so late? The idea was to have the kids sleep the entire way so we would not have to endure 10 hours of "are we there yet?" Our plan worked like a charm as the kids went to sleep within 30 minute of leaving and woke up 10 minutes before we got to Provo for breakfast.

We had some breakfast and then went to visit our friends the LeSueur family. After visiting with them for a few hours we went to the Art City Trolley in Springville for lunch. Then we went to BYU and toured the campus with the kids. They really enjoyed the library and the bookstore. While at the bookstore we went by the candy counter and I informed the kids that if they go to college they can eat all the candy they want nd there will be no parents there to tell them they can't. All 3 vowed to go to college at that point. We finished our tour with a stop by the creamery, then headed off to Park City.

Once in Park City my lack of sleep caught up with me and I took a nap. Amy took the kids for a tour of downtown Park City, and a tour of our resort and the pool. Hannah then quickly learned how to use the remote control for the TV and was good to go.

Jim and Darin agree: Vacation is a thumbs up

The children enjoying a rare liquid treat

Enjoying lunch at the Art City Trolley in Springville

The kids in front of a painting of Provo inside the "Wilk"

Amy and the kids enjoying some ice cream at the BYU Creamery

While I got some much needed sleep Amy took the kids on a tour of Main Street with the help of the free trolley that roams the streets of Park City

The boys enjoying the hot tub at the resort

The kids enjoyed the huge chess set by the pool

Hannah's dream vacation. King size bed? Check. Flat screen T.V.? Check. Cartoons? Check.

My Little Exercisers

2009-07-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I do a workout video a few times a week. I usually wear some black legging-type pants when I do it, but this particulary day they were in the wash. So I put on some little spandexish shorts to exercise in. The kids thought this was hilarious. They were shining the flashlight on my bum and laughing. And then they all went and changed into boxer underwears and tanktops to mimic me. They actually did the workout with me for a bit too. It was a little crowded in our little tiny living room! GT's.

San Clemente Day

2009-06-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

My mom, the kids and I headed for San Clemente Beach the other day and had a lovely day. The weather was awesome, the water felt great, and the kids were so well behaved. They loved being buried in the sand (and resting their heads on towel pillows). J.R. did some surfing on the boogie board, which he was pretty stoked about. Eli was being brave and jumping over the waves all by himself without his vest (big man on campus)

It was a great day....I got to get me a beach house.

Freaks at Disneyland

2009-06-26T15:38:00.001-07:00

So, when we were at Disneyland we kept seeing these teenagers/confused youth/attention starved misguided teens. They were wearing bright colors, very wide pants, Elmo/Pokemon/Stich type backpacks, fur boots and boas, and the like. But the strangest thing of all were the necklaces, bracelets and bead chain things they had hanging from their pants. Not only did they have a lot of these beaded jewelry accessories, but hanging from them were cookie cutters, small stuffed animals, baby toys, blocks, pez dispensers, and other random items. It wasn't just one group, they were all over the place. Jim and I had the kids promise to NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER dress like this EVER! They agreed (luckily). I bet the Bead Stores are pumped to have these yahoos around. I'm sure their sales have skyrocketed!

Jedi Time

2009-06-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Our friends gave us some tickets to Disneyland that were getting ready to expire. We gladly took them off their hands ;) The kids have been into Star Wars lately. We went to the Jedi Training Show and the kids were into it....until none of them were picked to train as Jedi's which resulted in J.R. and Hannah leaving Eli by himself because they were so upset (which led to Eli crying and saying, "I was scared, they left me alone.") Nice. So, we went back to the next 2 shows. Luckily for us Hannah & J.R. were picked in the 2nd show (which left a crying Eli), and on the last show of the day Eli was picked. The kids were lifting him up and pointing at him, and it finally worked. They put him center stage next to the host Jedi guy and he made funny jokes like, "You remind me of my little friend Yoda" and the like. Eli was so cute. He put the hood on the whole show and figured out how to attach the light saber to his pants. He was hardcore. The coolest part of the show is when Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and the clones come out and the kids take turns fighting. At the end each kid gets a Jedi Certificate.

The next day Hannah informs me that she cut her finger on some glass. What? When I asked her what glass, she informed me that she put her Jedi Certificate in a frame from her room. Okay....Upon further investigation I discovered that she had put her Jedi certificate in front of the picture of Christ that hangs in her room!!! Okay, I know this Jedi certificate is important to you, but seriously. I'll have to buy them some cheapo frames from the Dollar Tree. I have since made them their own Jedi Robes. I'll post a picture later.

Last Day of School

2009-06-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

I decorated the front door to celebrate the last day of school for the kids. The kids just stared at it, Hannah smiled and J.R. asked "Why did you do that?"

Well, I thought it was a fun idea anyway.

Trip to the Zoo

2009-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Eli and I got to go to the LA Zoo with some friends (who had extra tickets for us). It was a great day, nice weather, and the boys had a blast. I liked the gorillas and giraffes the best. Eli loved brushing the goat. Afterwards there was this awesome hand washing fountain thing that Eli loved. You pressed the button and then the water would come down the waterfall to your station so you could wash your hands. At the end of our day I was trying to get a picture with Eli and he was fake sleeping and wouldn't sit up straight, it was funny.

Tired Eli

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, the other day Eli was looking a little sleepy on the couch (and at this point in the day it was too late for a nap, because then he is all wired when it is bedtime). So, I kept trying to ask him questions to wake him up. He was totally out of it and all of a sudden he got off the couch and started stumbling down into the hall. This is when I notice he has no pants on for some reason! Apparently the exhaustion was just too much and he collapsed right in the hall in the above position. We had to do a little editing to make it "PG" for the family blog. It was pretty darn funny.

Camping in the Apartment

2009-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, Sundays are a bit hard in the ol' apartment. The kids get bored having to do "Sunday activities." So, Jim set up the tent in our living room. The kids had fun setting up shop inside and playing. Eli even slept in it. It stayed up until Wednesday. That was a bit long, there was barely any walking room, but the kids had fun with it :)

Father Son Outing

2009-06-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

The boys got to go up the canyon for a little Father son Outing and camping trip. The kids had a blast, playing in the dirt, throwing rocks into the stream, roasting and eating marshmellows, and sleeping in a tent. They were SOOOOOOOO dirty. J.R.'s face was the best. I'm sure it was marshmellow residue leftover from the s'mores which then got in contact with the dirt...Yummy!

Hannah the Star

2009-06-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hannah was in 2 performances in May & June. The first one was a play about the history of the Santa Clarita Valley. She was Student #2 (the part she wanted the most :) She did a great job and got several comments from her teacher and other parents. Then they did a recorder concert where they played their recorders, drummed sticks, and sang. They did a great job. We are proud of our little performer girl! Thanks to all of our family that came to support Hannah at her play (Mimi, Grandma, Aunt Jody, Aunt Bobbye, cousin Ben, and cousin Bradley).

Wizard of Oz Party

2009-06-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

After the play, they had a Wizard of Oz cast Party with yummy treats served on Dorothy plates. Each kid was presented with a piece of the yellow brick road that adorned a picture of them as their character. GT's.

The Tinman

2009-05-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

J.R. landed the part of the Tinman in the 1st grade Wizard of Oz play at school. It was the part he wanted, so he was pumped when he got it. They have been working on it for the last 2 months or so and he had to memorize his lines and they learned all the songs too. He even had a little solo in the "If I only had a Heart" song. The play was adorable, the costumes were awesome; it was a great show. We sure were proud of our little Tinman. Thanks to Grandma and Mimi for coming up to see him!

Eli's 4th Birthday Party in the Park

2009-05-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Eli had some friends help him celebrate his birthday at the park on his actual birthday. They played in the sand, swang on the swings, and ran around. We had ice-cream cone cupcakes, water guns, and presents. Mimi showed up honking her horn as we were walking down the stairs to walk the kids to school. It was a great surprise to have her there to help with the celebration! It was deinitely some GT's. Can you believe Eli is already 4? When he woke up on his birthday I asked him, "Do you feel bigger now that its your birthday? He said it wasn't his birthday until his friends showed up..... Okay. All day long he kept asking if it was still his birthday. He was also claiming that he turned 4 1/2 on his birthday and that he was almost 5?!? Believe whatever makes you happy kid!

Trip to the Temple

2009-05-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

While Jim went in for a session at the temple for our Stake Temple Day (I had gone to an earlier session), the kids and I explored around the Temple grounds taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful day. The kids discovered the large lawn in the front was filled with ladybugs (they had brought containers to catch them). They each probably caught 50 (and they could have got a lot more!, they were everywhere). Before we left the kids decided to let them go free, J.R. said, "Because this is the best place for them to live." Touche' J.R. The picture of Hannah rolling down the grass is her doing her impression of Princess Bride saying "As you wish!"

Dress for the Job you want

2009-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying that goes something like, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." The idea being that you have to send out a signal that suggests you are ready for bigger and better things. Well, I decided to take that concept to a different level. Grow facial hair for the job you want, not the job you have. Here are some examples:

Fireman!

Cowboy!

Truck Driver/Pro Arm Wrestler!

Football Coach

Lead singer for a heavy metal band!

Lumberjack!

So there you have it. And this goes for the ladies as well. Not all careers for females require facial hair, but some do (think airport security). Now go and grow the facial hair you need to land the job of your dreams!

Our Utah Trip

2009-04-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

So, for Spring Break we decided it would be fun to go to Utah to visit my brother, his wife, and boys. Jim and my dad had to work, so it was just going to be me, my mom, and the kiddos. We got all packed up, spent the weekend in Tehachapi (for Conference) and then Jim went home Sunday night in his car. We were to leave Monday morning.

So, here are the kids racing down the driveway in Tehachapi, Utah. They had a great time. It was the best when J.R. and Hannah would crash into each other trying to cut the other one off, and then Eli would fly past them and win.

Then here are the kids at the pool in Stevenson Ranch, Utah. It was suprisingly warm for "Utah." The poor doll was being used as a flotation device, missile, and for diving practice. The pool was pretty cold, so Eli would throw him into the jacuzzi ever so often and say, "Time to warm up baby." The wagon ended up in the pool too (the kids pack everything into the wagon and pull it down to the pool (Hannah's idea), its brilliant, it holds the toys, towels, and boogie boards.

Oh yeah, we didn't actually make it to Utah because Jim didn't quite make it home from Tehachapi. His car broke down (again) Sunday night on his way home about 15 mintues away from our apartment. Luckily a guy in our ward picked him up and took him to work the next morning. So, we had to come home Monday afternoon to pick Jim up from work. Can't afford to go to Utah and fix the car. Our kids were crying, Chris's kids were crying. Monday was not GT's. They seem to be getting over it though. Luckily we have a trip planned for July. We made it up to the kids by ordering pizza for dinner, buying candy and renting "Bedtime Stories" (which is a great movie by the way).

Better luck in July.

Major Fort Action

2009-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon the kids and I built an awesome fort using the kitchen table as the main base. The kids loved it so much they played in it, set it up like bedrooms (with books, trophies, pictures, toys, etc), and they even slept in it. Needless to say we were having to walk around it, go without blankets, and eat on the coffee table until Wednesday night. Our apartment is so small, it felt like our apartment was all fort!! Man, its nice to have our table back, but the kids had a good time!

Nail Polish

2009-03-29T21:20:00.001-07:00

So, I couldn't find Eli the other day and Hannah found him in the bathroom. He had found my red nail polish, opened it, and painted his toes. It looked like his feet were bleeding! He also got some on his face too. Guess I better hide it better.

(Sorry these pictures turned out really bad, but you get the idea)

Parktime with the Cousins

2009-03-29T21:14:00.000-07:00

We watched Ben & Bradley for an afternoon and the kids had a blast. We went to the park and had a good time. I forgot what it was like to have a little baby, there is so much stuff you have to take!!!

Look out American Idol!

2009-03-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

As some of you may or may not know, our son Eli is quite the performer. Just today he grabbed the microphone and belted out his very own rendition of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf." Lucky for all of us, the cameras were rolling (and soon you will be too). I put subtitles on the video because, unfortunately, Eli sings like he just smoked a pack of cigarettes.

Rock Band Strikes Again

2009-03-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

I like video games, I admit it. I grew up with the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I still remember the secret code to go straight to Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out (007 373 5963). That being said, it is no surprise that I enjoy our Nintendo Wii more than I probably should, and the game Rock Band is no exception. I enjoy a lot of the music, and it's challenging to make you fingers go to the right place at the right time. I have been taking a bit of grief from Amy though. She has even helped the kids post Rock Band videos on their blog. She laughs at me when I get "into" the game, and makes comments about how much I enjoy playing it with the kids.

So you can imagine my surprise a couple weeks ago when the following scenario played out. I was reading a book, and I was really into it. I enjoy reading, and when I get into a book I can shut out most noise around me. I had been reading for a while and had just finished a chapter, so I closed my book and relaxed for a minute. That's when I heard it. An odd noise. It sounded like somebody was pounding on something. It was a little after midnight, so I went out to the family room to see what the noise was, and I found this:

Amy Rockin' Out on the drums

Rock Band Strikes Again!

Check out the kids' blog.

2009-02-21T21:46:00.001-08:00

There are several new videos on the kids' blog with their new obsession: Rockband. (It's Jim's new obsession too ;) and some other randomness.

I got my glasses

2009-02-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

So, the blurry eye thing I have been experiencing the last little while turned out to be astigmatism and far sightedness (not sure if thats how you spell that?) So, here are my new spectacles, I think they are pretty cute. J.R. informed me that they are "dumb" and that I wasn't meant to have glasses and that they don't look good on me. Thanks J.R....What happened to good ol' put downs like, "Hey four eyes!" J.R. isn't one for beating around the bush. For example, we were looking at a new townhome to rent yesterday and another couple was looking at the place at the same time we were. He was not happy about this discovery. He was growling at them (in a funny way), gave them the stink eye and informed them, "You don't need this place, its just 2 of you, we have 5 in our family. We need this place." I was speechless. That's my J.R. for you. I guess the cat was out of the bag that we really want this place. Honesty is the best policy!

Eli

2009-02-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

Eli is one silly little man. Here is his with his "buddies" over for a playdate (we have a group of 5 boys and we switch off houses every week for a 2 hour playdate. They are eating nachos, picnic style and watching "The Incredibles." They are a great bunch of boys. The other picture is a picture (among others) that Eli took while he was suppose to be sleeping in our bedroom (we have to separate him from the other two because he becomes "Eli, the Great Enertainer" at night and won't go to bed. Note to self, "Don't leave the camera in the bedroom for Eli to find."

Randomness

2009-02-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pics of whats been going on lately. The kids had twin day at school and dressed alike (love it). Eli decided to color the hall wall with marker (that won't come out, awesome). The kids have been playing with our old broken laptops and copying daddy on the couch with them (they play like they are on facebook and stuff, maybe we need to cut our internet time down). Hannah had a report on Abraham Lincoln at school and has to dress up for her oral report. I think she looks pretty good!

Jim's Birthday

2009-02-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Jim's real present was going to Indio. But for the actual day we celebrated with some Terriyaki Chicken Bowls for dinner and a few choice presents. I got him a body pillow (because he covets mine and if he gets to bed first he takes mine!...but I take it back!) A redbox movie to watch and a bag of oranges (his favorite snack right now). Love the picture of Jim and I with J.R. across our laps doing ???? I'm just glad he was wearing long shorts, because our children typically don't like to wear underwear (they start out wearing it and they magically dissapear as the day goes on, Eli leaves his in the bathrooom). Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Our Indio Trip

2009-02-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

After Grandpa Jack's funeral we went to Indio (with our timeshare) for a few days to celebrate Jim's birthday. The resort there is awesome. We got an amazing 4 bedroom presidential suite. They have several pools, a lazy river (love the pics of mom and dad floating in their tubes), tennis courts, arcade, basketball courts, gym, lounge, etc, etc. We had a great time relaxing, spending time together, swimming, and just being together. The picture of the kids with the big sprinklers shows our place, up on the top floor, that whole section from the end of the building to the end of the photo. Don't forget to check out the kids' blog and view some saweet videos of them playing in the water. Go to this link, http://3unusualkids.blogspot.com/

Family Fun

2009-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from our balcony. Eli in our private jacuzzi (you can see the tennis courts in the background), Hannah overlooking the ponds & bridges below. The other pics are my parents and grandparents enjoying some good grub!

Our Suite Pad

2009-02-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

We stayed in a 2,500 sq. ft, 4 bedroom, 4 bath, Presidential Suite in Indio to celebrate Jim's birthday (and to send my parents and grandparents on tours so we could earn extra credits to use to go to NYC, he he). The kids kept saying, "This is the Life." They wanted to move to this place! It was amazing. It had 2 master bedrooms, both with jacuzzi tubs and huge racquetball courtesque showers. We felt rich staying there (even if it was only for 2 days!) Each room & the living room all had flat screen TV's with DVD players. Our balcony was huge with our own personal jacuzzi, BBQ, and huge table where we had family dinner.

Sick Kids

2009-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

The kids all stayed home sick yesterday. Hannah threw up at like 4 in the morning, Eli threw up at 9 in the morning, and J.R. had a fever (he was the least sick of the 3, as evident in the playing video game pic. I think he was just riding the coat tails of the other two, looking for a day off of school :). Eli was being precautious and took his bucket with him wherever he went, he even fell asleep holding onto it. Eli threw up again today and afterward I gave him a bath. He fell asleep in there...not the safest place for a nap, so I promptly had to take him out after I took the pic.

A little Gubler Time

2009-01-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Gubler Clan came up to visit us for the MLK Holiday! We celebrated Jack's birthday with a little muffin time and then went to some parks here in the area. The kids had fun eating "Pirates Booty" popcorn (and playing keep away with it), and climbing on the big bear made up of pictures of the Santa Clarita valley and they loved swinging on the handicap blue swing! We had a fun day and I was sad to see them go :(

Dog Rescue

2009-01-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hannah & I started volunteering at the Dog Rescue here called "New Leash On Life." We take the dogs on walks, brush them, play with them, and pick up dog poop (Oh yeah). Hannah loves it! Her favorite dog is Oso, the black/brown mixed shepherd of some sort. The other dog is named Sugar (rotweiller/lab mix). Hannah says she wants to be a dog rescue owner when she grows up...I can totally see her doing that!

The kids have a blog!

2009-01-19T10:22:00.001-08:00

The kids have created a blog (with my help of course). It is all made by the pictures and videos taken by their new kid digital camcorders. They came up with the name and everything. Check it out! http://3unusualkids.blogspot.com/

QualityTime in Tehachapi

2009-01-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

We went up to Tehachapi after Christmas and stayed a few days. My bro and his family were there too, visiting for Utah. We had some GT's. It snowed, the cousins had a blast together, we had the Hecht Family Christmas party, we got to hang out with Chuck (our future new Grandpa who is marrying Grandma Flo next week), Baby Bradley got blessed (Love the timing of the pic of Eli holding Ben just as he decided to spew), the kids got a tractor ride, & we got to visit with our Tehachapi friends. IT was a great couple of days.

Christmas Morning

2009-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

The boys slept in the same bed Christmas Eve because they were so excited! Too cute! Unfortunately J.R. woke up at like 3 in the morning, came in to our room asking if they could open presents, "Um, I don't think so!" Enter J.R. 25 minutes later. "Is it time to open presents yet." Me "J.R. it's 4 in the morning, sorry! So, he says he can't go to bed because he is so excited. I put on The Grinch. He ended up watching some of that and then played the Wii. He comes in at 6:00. Me: "I'm not waking up the kids yet, come in bed with me and dad." So, he ends up falling back to sleep in our bed. Hannah & Eli wake up at about 7:30, J.R. is still sleeping. He finally comes to at about 8:30 and we finally open presents. So, J.R. was the first to wake up, but then the last to wake up! Awesome!

The Boys Got Gumption!

2008-12-24T01:48:00.000-08:00

So, one of the neighborhood boys came over and played at our house today, a boy that the kids don't know that well yet. In their time together for one reason or another they started talking about church. J.R. asked the boy if he went to church and if so which one. The boy replied that he goes to church sometimes but didn't know the name of it. J.R. informed him that we belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. The boy said that he had heard of that one and asked, "Is that the famous church?" to which J.R. replied, "It's not the famous church, it's the true church!!" Whammy! Can't argue with that one my friend! Gotta love that boy, our little missionary in the making!

Jim's Top Ten Christmas Songs

2008-12-17T00:13:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves a top ten list, so I figured I would come out with my top ten favorite Christmas songs. Some songs are on here simply because I like the song. Other songs are on here because of the people who are performing the song. I am placing the name of the person or group singing the song next to the song title. You can also click the title of the song and it will take you to a version of that song to listen to. You may need to disable your pop-up blocker for this to work. If you wind up at the Napster home page just type the artist name in the search box and find the song. Enjoy!

10.) I Am Santa Claus - Bob Rivers

What’s that you say? Never heard of this song? Well then, go listen to it. The gentlemen readers will appreciate the use of Iron Man music for this tune, while the ladies will probably chuckle at how the lyrics are masterfully woven together to form the basis of pure satire. “Red suit, boots are black, big sack of toys hanging off his back.“ I love parody songs and had to include at least one on this list. This song is always good for a laugh.

9.) Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC

Sometimes you want to say something but just don’t have the right words. That’s when I give thanks for Run DMC. “When I got home I bugged, cause under the tree, was a letter from Santa, and the dough was for me!” Well said Reverend Run, well said. But seriously, this is one of the most refreshing takes on a Christmas song I have ever heard. Run DMC was a pioneer at the time, and thanks to them the folks of Hollis Queens, NY received a Christmas song they could call their own.

8.) It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

This song comes right out and says how everybody feels. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. J.R. loves this song and sings it whenever he gets a chance. The over the top performance of Andy Williams is unmatched. Listen to this song and try not to smile, I dare you!

7.) All I Want for Christmas is you - Mariah Carey

Let’s start with the basics. I can not stand Mariah Carey. Repeat: CAN NOT STAND MARIAH CAREY. This is after all, the woman who brought us the smash movie hit “Glitter.“ If you ask me she was the inspiration for the term butter face. Alas, I digress. It must be saying something if even I have to say this is a great Christmas song. The slow beginning tricks you into thinking this is just another sappy Christmas song and then . . . BAM! The song takes off for a joyous romp through the holiday season. Thanks Mariah Carey, now go put some clothes on.

6.) Baby It's Cold Outside - Leon Redbone and Zooey Descha

If you have never seen the movie Elf shame on you. Stop reading right now and go rent it, I’ll wait for you to get back. I was not quite sure if this qualified as a Christmas song or not, but it’s in the movie Elf, and that’s a Christmas movie. Plus, I have seen it on a lot of Christmas albums so I think I’m okay on this one. I like this song because basically the girl is trying to beat feet and the guy just keeps saying, “You can’t go, it’s too cold outside. Here have some more booze.” If at first you don’t succeed . . . Give her another drink! If this bothers you on a personal level just do what I do. Pretend they’re married and she is about to go run errands and he just wants her to stick around so he can show her how much he loves her. Either that or they’re role playing.

5.) Frosty The Snowman - Harry Connick Jr.

The day after Thanksgiving we have a guest come and stay with us. His name is Harry Connick Jr. and he likes to sing. Every year without fail Amy busts out the Harry first thing after Thanksgiving to get us all in the mood for Christmas, and every year it works. Now, as a rule of thumb, the song Frosty The Snowman should never be listened to because it is terrible in every way. But not under the watchful eye of a modern day crooner. Make sure you listen to the very end for my favorite part, “See ya next year Frosty!”

4.) Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

What list would be complete without the King? When approached to perform a Christmas song Elvis decided to sing about the heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays. Well done sir. What holiday is complete without the chance to sing a song and whew the one you love? I imagine somebody years ago was sitting around and thinking, “how can I use the holiday season to score chicks? Christmas themed love song? Survey says yes.”

3.) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

I’ll be straight up with you on this one. This song is on the list because it is my daughter’s favorite song and she sings along with it every time it comes on. She even has the same twang in her voice that Brenda Lee does. And in case you were wondering there is nothing cuter in the world then watching your children find a song they love and start to sing along with it (until they become teenagers and the songs are filled with innuendo that you hope they don’t understand).

2.) Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt

When I listen to this song I can’t help but imagine the shock and outrage that must have spewed from the watchdog groups of the time. This song was released in 1953. 1953! When I listen to it now I almost feel dirty hearing that throaty and suggestive voice. All I know is this: If I were Santa, Eartha Kitt’s House would be first on my list (I was thinking of including a Chimney reference but decided against it, this is after all a family blog).

1.) White Christmas - Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters

I have a hard time listening to this song and not thinking of an 8 year old Kevin McCallister poised in front of a mirror, towel wrapped around his waist, singing this song into a comb. Shortly thereafter young Kevin would splash after shave on his face, slap his cheeks and scream his way into super stardom and the perils that followed. All of that aside, this is the only version of this song I will listen to, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face Which is why it‘s #1. Nothing says Christmas quite like that intro . . . Da da da dum, duh duh, duh duh duh, Da da da dum . . .

Santa's Little Helper

2008-12-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

When Jim was leaving for work this morning we discovered someone had left a tree by our front door! It had a little note on it that says: " Dear Hannah, J.R. and Eli: I heard you needed a tree! Santa said you could take one of his! He says keep up the good work, and make those peanut butter cookies for him, he likes those! Love, Santa's lil helper, Elf #324 Merry Christmas" The kids were soooooo excited! All of a sudden Hannah & J.R. are like, we believe in Santa and his elves. Then they touched the tree and it was cold and they were like, "See it really came from the North Pole, its cold!" Thank you Elf#324, we love you! And you picked a good tree too!

Improvising

2008-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

One thing that a budget teaches you, is how to improvise. No fireplace...hang your stockings on your hutch. No Christmas tree....hang up and decorate your fake garland. Need a tetherball...rope a ball together attached to Jim's old football helmet padding and tie it on a lamp post and you're in business. Works for us.

Work Christmas Party Time

2008-12-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

Jim and I went to his work Christmas Party in Simi Valley Saturday night. We won a $15 gift certificate for Starbucks (perfect for us non-coffee drinkers! They do have hot chocolate though), got to do some dancing, and had Filet Mignon for dinner...It was a little undercooked! The picture here is our friend's piece of meat that was still mooing. They were trying to cook it with a cigarette lighter. We were laughing pretty hard.

King Eli

2008-12-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

We got the decorations out for Christmas and the kids were pumped! Eli put on the tree skirt as a robe and then Hannah made him a crown. Here in the picture Hannah is bowing to King Eli. It was funny. I can't fit all of my Christmas decorations up (due to the small apartment), but its looking festive. I have the stockings hanging down from my hutch (no fireplace) and Jim says we might be making our own tree this year out of paper (paper comes from trees, so its kindov the same thing). Oh, in case you were expecting a Christmas Gift from us...think again. This year we are focusing on the true meaning of Christmas (minus the giving part). Looks like the kids are getting underwear and gum for Christmas this year :)

Thanksgiving Family Time

2008-12-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

We went to Tehachapi for Thanksgiving. The kids had fun playing with their cousins Ben and Brad. The kids are obsessed with Baby Bradley. I had to keep reminding them that he is not a toy. We also got to see Grandma Honey & Grandpa Jack (who is hopelessly confused with Alheizmers. He kept calling Jim "Grandpa" and asked me what orange juice tastes like, & for part of the time he thought my mom was Grandma's mom, just to name a few examples). Grandma Flo and her new fiancee Chuck(who Jim refers to as "Chuckles") stopped by on Saturday. We had a great time being with everyone. Good food, good people, good movies (we busted out Anne of Green Gables, who doesn't love a little Gilbert fix). Mimi had the magic touch and got Bradley and Eli to sleep on her at the same time. GT's in T-town for Turkey Day.

How to Become Parent of the Year!

2008-11-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Listen folks, I'm not saying I'm the best parent there is out there, but I do feel I have a few nuggets of wisdom to share with you. Below you will find just a couple examples of how to be a good parent. Who knows, with a little practice maybe someday you can be Parent of the Year!

Brace Yourselves People....

2008-11-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

If you know Hannah at all, you'll know that she is not a girly girl at all. And thats an understatment. Recently we have had some developments. She was on an all girls soccer league and her jersey was bright pink. She didn't really complain. Now that soccer season is over, she has actually worn it as her shirt of the day, interesting right? Then recently she started Activity Day Girls at church. It's a group of girls her age who get together a few times a month and do activities, crafts, service, etc. They get to mark off when they accomplish one of their goals. She got a bracelet with a little charm that says, "I am a Child of God" and as she accomplishes more, she'll get more charms to add. She actually has worn it a few times! Not because I forced her, she did it on her own! Then yesterday she said she wanted a ponytail! What?, okay! Then today she wanted a ponytail again, this time with a little soccer ball ribbon tied into it!!! What???! I had to take pictures to prove it! She looks so cute. I had to "trick" her and take the picture without her knowing why I was taking the picture (for fear she would take it off). The one picture with her holding her sign of her Christmas wish (a dog & dog supplies) kindov shows it sticking up. The other picture is blurry because I took the pic while she was running passed me, but you get the picture! I told you you would have to brace yourself! I love Hannah, she is such a cute girl! I wouldn't change her for any girly girl in the world!

Birthday Disneyland Trip

2008-11-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

So, on Friday (Nov. 14th), I got Jim off to work and was reading my scriptures and the kids were all asleep. At about 7:00 I get a little knock on the door. I'm thinking its our neighbor boy James, I peeked out the hole and my parent's are there! I opened the door and they are holding a banner that says "Happy 29th Birthday" (It was actually the sign I made for my mom's 50th birthday, but she covered up th 50 with a 29, awesome!) I was totally shocked. Jim was holding

a box of Noah's bagels (so yummy). The kids woke up and were so excited to see my parent's and even more pumped when they found out we were going to Disneyland instead of school. WE ate breakfast, packed up all of our things and headed out the door. Lexy met us at Disneyland. We had a good day, it was warm and not too crowded. Dad rocked the go go cart (and is doing his dance in the picture, notice Lexy skipping in the background too). Love Eli's smile in the pic with Mickey and Minnie (notice the sword is all the way through his pants!) After Disneyland we went to the beach house in San Clemente, the temple on Saturday, yummy birthday dinner and Jim's parents on Saturday night, more beach house, and home on Sunday. It was an awesome weekend, I was totally surprised and I have the sweetest bestest husband ever!!!!!

San Clemente Beach

2008-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

We got to go to the beach house in San Clemente again (Jim's friend's family owns a beach house a block away from the beach. No one uses it in the Fall/Winter so we were all over that). I like how we are referring to it as "the beach house", like we have some kind of ownership in it or something. My dad thinks we should start fixing it up, painting, etc when we go down, maybe they will give us our own set of keys :) It was in the 80's there, which is crazy for Mid-November, but we weren't complaining. It was beautiful and so much fun. We did not want to leave. The kids love the beach and it is so relaxing. I loved sitting on the beach, going for a walk with my mom to the pier, eating, and hanging out. What a great weekend!

The Newport Temple

2008-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

We went to the Newport Temple with my parents, Lexy, and her boyfriend Jared. It was a neat experience. Thanks to Jim's family for watching the kiddos!

Baby Bradley

2008-11-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

The kids loved seeing their new cousin. He is so cute! Hannah just wanted to keep holding him. Eli asked, "We are going to leave him here with Aunt Bobbye right?" He liked him, just not enough to take him home with us :) It rained while we were in town and their was this awesome rainbow over Poppi's barn. GT's this weekend.