The Fam With A Plan!

First Day of School

2009-09-07T19:11:00.001-07:00

I know I am a few weeks late on posting this.....ok 5, but who's counting?!! However, we are off to a great start with the new school year. Kailee loves her teacher and is really enjoying 6th grade. She gets to do all the big kid stuff this year like science camp, switching teachers for classes, and lots more. We will keep you posted. Jayden loves his teacher as well and also enjoys being next door to his mom. We'll see how long that lasts! Fourth grade is not as hard as he thought, so he is thrilled to go to school every day. Little Laney loves her teacher and is doing some really cool things in class. She has a very technical teacher who incorporates a lot of technology into the classroom. That is right up her alley! She gets to use neo boards to learn keyboarding skills and they use these boards for most of the other academic areas as well. Her favorite part is getting to email the other kids in her class. I have not heard from her teacher, so I am assuming she has not abused the privilege yet!! They are all doing very well, as usual, which makes mommy and daddy happy campers. As for me, I have 28 of the cutest 4th graders you will ever see! This is going to be a great year!!

Science Center

2009-07-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took some friends over to the Science Center for some fun. If anyone knows Jayden, you know what a lego fanatic he is. Legoland was celebrating their 10th birthday, so they set up a huge exhibition. Jayden was in lego heaven. A few of the kids also participated in the lego building contest to win a trip to Legoland. We'll see!! We all had so much fun running around and seeing everything. We have been there a few times, but this seemed to be the most fun we have had there. It's also great to see how much the kids actually learn while they are having so much fun playing!!

Brian and Jen

2009-07-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

This last week we were lucky enough to have Brian and Jennifer's family stay with us. We had not seen them for 2 years, so it was great to have them here and spend such quality time together. We had an action packed week full of fun. I am sad that I did not take my camera out more often to get lots of pictures. I know Jen was great about taking pictures so hopefully she will make up for my slacking. The week started with dinner at Grandma's house when Brian and Jen arrived. The next day we went swimming at Hamilton Pool and celebrated Kailee's 11th birthday with her cousins. It was great to have all of them here. We then spent the rest of the week going swimming, bowling, out to dinner (even though we all enjoyed Matt's home cooking much better) and even to the lake. We all had a great time riding on the family boat. The kids loved knee boarding, tubing and wake boarding. Even the adults got in on the action. And, yes Brian, I did ingest lethal amounts of lake water!! It was also great to see Blakers being showed up by his mom on a wake board!! Just kidding Blake, you looked like a pro out there!! The down time was just as much fun. The kids stayed up late playing and enjoying each other's company every night. I know Matt and I will really miss the late night talks, joking and laughing we had every night with Brian and Jen. We knew we really needed to get some sleep after the third consecutive night, but we just couldn't....it was too much fun. The week ended with Kay's mission farewell party on Friday. It was a lot of fun to see so many relatives we had not seen in a very long time. This morning bright and early their family headed out. It was very hard to hold back the tears and emotions due to their departure. We loved every minute they were here and hope to see them again very soon.

U.S.S. Midway Aircraft Carrier

2009-07-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Another thing we did in San Diego was visit the U.S.S. Midway Museum. This was an incredible experience. We had so much fun touring the huge ship and seeing all the things that civilians usually cannot see. We were so fascinated with the tour and learning about everything we forgot to pull our camera out inside the ship for the most part....oops. But, we did still get some great pictures. Matt especially enjoyed it because he was able to remember the stories his Dad told him about being stationed on a ship and he was able to really see them come to life. Even though they were not the same types of ships, the stories matched up to the atmosphere we were viewing. It was such an awesome experience. I highly recommend seeing it.

San Diego

2009-07-11T11:26:00.001-07:00

Our family decided to spring break in San Diego this year. We had a blast. We did everything we could possibly fit into our schedule. We visited Mission Beach, Coronado Beach, Sea World, Sea Port Village, the Bay and lots of sight seeing. I loved every minute I was able to spend with my family. I cannot describe how special every moment is that I get to spend with them.

Oceanography

2009-07-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Kailee was in an Oceanography club after school where she learned about all different types of sea life. Part of being in that club is going on a trip to Sea World. Matt was lucky enough to be able to go with her. On top of that Uncle Alan was the tour guide for the trip, so he went as well. They had a lot of fun and had many great experiences. When they got home they were tuckered out.

High School Musical

2009-01-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Kailee is on the cheer squad at her school. She gets to perform at all of the assemblies and has a lot of fun. Since all of the performances are during the school day; I never get to see them. I only get the pictures. Well, the cheer squad and student council just put on a big production of High School Musical. It ended up being so cute that they did an encore for the parents to watch that night. Another big perk was that they needed a lot of characters to perform, so Laney got to be in it too! They did an excellent job. It was so cute to watch. Their school is so much fun; always putting on such cute shows. I find myself secretly wanting to steal their ideas so I can use them at the school where I teach. I would be a hit!! LOL

Jayden's Party at Amazing Jakes

2009-01-31T11:03:00.000-08:00

Well, Jayden had another birthday party. This one was with his friends at Amazing Jakes. They all had a great time running around. They enjoyed eating pizza, cake, and everything else. They also played laser tag, rode the rides and hit up the video games galore. It was a fun day!

Student Recognition Award

2009-01-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

Jayden won the Student Recognition Award at school! He got free tickets to the Suns game for the whole family and got to go down onto the court at half time! It was such a great experience! He was given a shirt and hat to put on and then escorted down to the court. He was able to see where the suns practice and got to go through the tunnel onto the court. He saw all the players coming off of the court for half time, while he was waiting in the tunnel. He then got to sit on the players bench during the half time show until it was their turn to go on the court. It was soooo cooool! While the kids were on the court holding the banner and getting the award, the suns and pacers came back out to the court to warm up. He was right in the middle of both teams. I could not believe how awesome the whole experience was. Jayden has worked so hard in school that he deserved this award. I am so proud of the progress he has made. He is an amazing kid and I am so glad he got this once in a life time opportunity. Way to go Jay Boy!!

2009-01-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jay Boy!!

2009-01-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! Another one of my kids has decided, against my wishes, to grow another year older. Jayden turned 9 on Monday. Can you believe it? 9!! I am going to try my hardest to contain my need to cry over how fast my kiddos are growing. It has hit me like a ton of bricks lately. I find myself tearing up over silly things like walking past the play place at the mall. I used to have three kids who could and would spend hours playing. Now, I have zero!! They are all too big. However, the straw that broke the camels back was when Matt and I saw how hesitant Kailee was to sit on Santa's lap with her brother and sister. I remember being in 5th grade and you would not catch me anywhere near Santa. Especially at a busy mall where I could be seen. We both realized that this was probably the last year she would humor us with this. Another milestone I never wanted to see come. I used to pine for the day's that I didn't need to push a bulky stroller, or carry a diaper bag, and even better a small child around. Now, I wish nothing more than for those day's to return. Okay, Okay, enough with my melodrama. More positive thinking for New Year's, right? Well, we did have a great time with Jay on his big day. We went bowling, per his choice, and had way too much fun. The kid's are really good bowlers. After I came in last place in both games, we decided it was time to go home and sing happy birthday. He blew out his candles, and much to his surprise they re lit. He blew and blew and blew, but they would not go out. It took him a few minutes to realize that we put the trick candles on. It was very funny! A perfect way to end the night!

Fire Pit

2009-01-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last night April and Ryan invited us over to roast marshmallows and hang out by their fire pit. It was a lot of fun. Except for when I accidentally poked my mother-in-law in the face with the wire. Not the best move on my part....sorry Kay! After we were stuffed on the mallows we went in to play a fun game of Taboo. Of course we then stuffed ourselves with chips, dip, crackers and cheese. Good times and lot's of laughing was the main component all night. Paul and I rocked out on Guitar Hero for a while and then got into a heated debate over which vampire series was better; Twilight or Eragon. So we decided to make a little friendly aunt and nephew wager. We each are going to read the opposing series and we have only until February 3 to finish. We are then going to report back to each other and discuss the outcome. May the best vampire win (I have no doubt that Edward will easily pull out the victory)!!

New Year's

2009-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

2008 is finally over! I must admit that I am glad to see the craziness of '08 leave and anticipate the craziness sure to come in '09. We had a very low key New Year's as always. We hung out at home and Kailee had a friend stay over. Matt had to be up early so he went to bed at about 9, while I watched a movie in bed and the kiddos went nuts down stairs. When the big moment arrived I celebrated with the kids. Yes, that is Jayden in his scivies. The kid seriously will not keep his clothes on. He is going to be that old man that goes out to get the morining paper in his tighties, with a big smile waving to the passer by's and not have a clue as to why they are laughing at him. Anyhoo, moving on, we put on silly hats, shook our noise makers, and drank some bubbly (otherwise known as sparkling cider). Except Jayden, he had to have our family favorite, IBC Rootbeer. It lasted a whole of about ten minutes before we were all tired and went to bed. What can I say...we know how to party! So now I guess it's time for the infamous new year's resolutions. Of course we all made them. Matt and I decided collectively to be better about getting in touch with people. I will be the first to admit that we are the worst at returning phone calls, spending time, and reaching out, so we hope to change that this year. Which is a big reason we made this blog! We also have the usual getting organized, budgeting better and so on. However, a big resolution I made is to be more positive. The past two years have been so crazy that we have let life control us rather than us controlling life. I have had enough with that nonsense and I am taking that thought process and turning it around. We are getting back to our roots I guess you can say. At one point in time, no matter how busy or crazy, the glass was always half full. That time is coming again!! I'm not saying that we are overly negative by any means, just that I want to be more positive.

Christmas

2009-01-03T10:45:00.001-08:00

The most wonderful time of the year has officially come and gone all too quickly again! Our family lives for the holidays. We started the season off with decorating the house. The kids love to help Matt hang the lights on the house and decorate the tree. Then we enjoy as many festivities as time and budget will allow. To name a few...family and work parties, a bus tour looking at Christmas lights, building gingerbread houses, baking, and decorating cookies with Grandma. We also spent Christmas Eve with Matt's family, eating dinner at Olive Garden and then driving to our favorite spot on Cherry Lane to look at the wonderful light displays. Followed by opening gifts from Grandma at our house. When the big day arrived, Santa once again did not disappoint. My kiddos were spoiled rotten with toys galore. They all got some great gifts, but the Guitar Hero World Tour game was the biggest hit! We have officially turned into wanna be rock stars. Jay boy kills on the guitar, while Laney bug dominates on the drums, and Kay Kay rocks the vocals. Matt and I only get to play after the kids are in bed. I must admit we are getting pretty good. We just may be able to hold our own to play with the kids soon enough!! It was a great day and I am sooo sad it's over.

Joining the Blogging World

2009-01-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Yes it's true...we have officially decided to join the crazy world of blogging! Matt and I decided that it was time to open up and share our family with everybody. I will do my best to post consistently. However, I am not making any promises because keeping up with my crazy family is next to impossible. So, let the blogging begin......