The Rickey Family

Christmas Blessings

2011-12-26T20:49:00.002-07:00

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T23:21:00.001-07:00

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Fun Festive Photos

2011-12-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping busy with all the Christmas preparations, parties and present shopping! Here are a few fun photos to share. A quick post before getting back to all our festive-ness. Hope you are having fun too!

In case you were wondering, Joshua was a Who from Whooville for the school concert. Jacob only had to wear his holiday best :)

All I Want For Christmas...

2011-12-08T07:20:00.002-07:00

...is my two front teeth!!!

Thanksgiving Prayer

2011-11-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
--Mary Fairchild

Bodies in Locomotion

2011-11-08T22:18:00.002-07:00

The weather is cooling off in AZ. That means one thing... time to get outdoors and hit the parks! We got ourselves over to the Railroad Park this past Sunday. The weather was SO beautiful. Sunny with a chill in the air. We took Grandma with us on our traditional train ride and enjoyed some playgrounds and soccer. Love, love, loving these memories!!!

Oregon Boys at Heart - Chuga Chuga Choo Choo!

Riding On the Train!

The Caboose...

Here We Go

Way Up High on the Western Town Playground

Those Pines Remind Us of Oregon!

Kickin' It With Dad

Soccer Studs

Rickey Soccer In Action

Posing With Those Soccer Studs

On Trip # 2 on the Train, The Boys Rode In This Boxcar... Augh!

Peeking Through the Slats...

Jacob's Art Project This Week: Eric Carle's Train (Irony!)

Can't wait to see what the future Fall weekends hold for our family. We're going to make the most of them!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:26:00.002-07:00

Last Friday, the boys got to wear "superhero" costumes with their friends at school as The Flash and TRON. Last night, they got to escort Little Red Riding Hood as The Big Bad Wolf and The Woodsman. So much fun! I wonder if two costumes per Halloween is setting a bad trend... oh well!

Kiddo Room Redos

2011-10-31T13:34:00.002-07:00

Recently, we completed a pretty major overhaul of the boys bedrooms. It was officially time to get rid of the toddler beds and get the kids adult-sized furniture that would hopefully last them through their teens. The project went like this:

- Time to get rid of Joshie's crib bedding that's still up in his 4-year-old room
- May as well update Jacob's bed too since his feet are sticking off the edge
- I guess we'll have to get dressers/nightstands to match new twin beds for the boys
- We need all new bedding for both kids
- Now we need to go through all their clothes and clean out the closets to transfer to the drawers
- We'll have to purge all the toys/books to make room for the new furniture

So, it blew up into a project that took months of research, painting, purging and decorating. It's finally done! The kids (and parents) are really pleased with the results. Here are a few photos for fun:

The "themes" were decided:

Josh = Sports Goofy *
*nostalgic note: this sport goofy used to belong to Jon as a little boy!

Jacob = Superheroes

Out with the old, and in with the new!

Josh's before/after

Jacob's before/after

The rooms are almost unrecognizable, in a good way. PHEW! We'll see how long these "themes" last, but at least we won't be swapping out furniture anytime soon. A great accomplishment before we head into the busy holidays!

Switchfoot Concert

2011-10-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to their first Christian rock concert! Switchfoot was in town and the was the perfect band to break in the kids to the experience.

Now that Grandma works at Grand Canyon University, we've been getting some awesome seats at the new GCU Arena (thanks, Grandma!!) Here's a few photos from the boys experience (unfortunately, they didn't quite stay awake for the whole thing!)

Switchfoot ROCKED and we loved having the boys come along!

Another Student of the Month!

2011-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Go Joshie!! Desert Heights Charter School’s Student of the Month for Miss William’s Pre-K class!

Joshie get surprised with the visit by Mommy!

September's Student of the Month!

Josh's awesome teacher, Miss Williams!

Brother's Celebrating Together!

Fandamonium

2011-09-29T07:18:00.002-07:00

We just had a fantastic baseball experience last night! It started with free tickets from work (woohoo!) so all four of us headed to the Dbacks vs. the Dodgers. When we arrived, we were heading towards our seats when a family approached us. They explained that something had come up and they had to leave the game. "Would you like our four tickets right behind the dugout?" Uh, SURE! We couldn't believe how good the seats were.

At the start of the ballgame, something happened which has never happened to us. We made it on the jumbotron!! It was only for three seconds, but it was still pretty cool. Then, in the sixth inning, one of the "Rally Girls" came down to our seats. "Would you boys like to sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the 7th Inning Stretch?" Uh, SURE! It took a bit of coaxing to convince Jacob it would be ok, but Josh just couldn't wait to climb up there and sing his heart out in front of 41,000 fans. So fun!

We left the game shortly thereafter to get the kids to bed. On the way home, we were listening to the game on the radio and found out that the Dbacks hit a grandslam right after we left! Wow. What an amazing night of baseball. It was FAN-tastic!

Guitar

2011-09-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

We're trying something new...

Good Students

2011-09-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

Both the boys are doing VERY well in school! We're into the second month and things are rolling along at a nice pace and routine now. Jacob is reading better and better each day. Josh is learning how to write his name and other letters. Recently, Jacob was awarded student of the month (an honor received by Josh last year!)

We're so proud of our boys!! Here's a few photos from the ceremony last week.
Oh, and P.S. - the flag and awards ceremony was also on Grandparents Day and "wear your football jersey to school day" - it was a trifecta of fun!

Flagstaff Fun

2011-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Beating the heat is essential to surviving the long summers in Phoenix. We've had a couple weeks over 110 degrees, so we just HAD to get out of town for Labor Day weekend. The Rickey/Westerlind clan all headed up north to Flagstaff for a weekend in the woods.

Check out this sweet cabin that we're staying in:

We've been having a blast. The weather is in the 80's during the day (ahhhhhh) and even in the 50's at night. The house has been so fun since it has a ping pong table, pool table, and poker. Oh, and not to mention the hot tub on the back porch.

What does one do in Flagstaff in the summer? Why, attend the Labor Day Demolition Derby at the county fairgrounds! We all suited up in our best "rustic" attire and headed out for the show. The boys just thought this was the coolest thing ever. Let's just say the motto of the event was "smash it, crash it, trash it":

Here's a snippet of the main event:

Back to the cabin for more relaxation before we have to leave. What fun!

Field Of Football Dreams

2011-08-09T07:17:00.002-07:00

Football Season is Here!

Sometimes the Rickey Boys get to see the "big kids" practice from Glendale Prep. Fun part is the practice fields are at our church. This year, Daddy is with the middle school team and Uncle Kyle is with the high school team. It's a family affair, and the boys love to practice their skills along with the big kids - Go Griffins!

Back To School 2011

2011-08-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

With raisins and star wars fruit snacks in hand, the Rickey Boys were off to the first day of class today! We’re looking forward to a great school year for these 1^st Grade and Pre-K students!

Tooth No. Two

2011-08-02T08:11:00.002-07:00

The tooth fairy had to make another visit last night...

Toothless Jake starts 1st Grade tomorrow!

A Sign Of The Times

2011-07-25T16:42:00.001-07:00

I guess you could say the kids are growing up... found this on the door this afternoon:

After I took this photo, there was an additional sign taped on top that read: "I am cad [sad]" Aren't girls supposed to be the emotional ones? Oh my. Are we ready for this? Not sure. PS - next week we'll have a Four-Year-Old Preschooler and a 1st Grader!

Bye Bye Beach

2011-07-23T15:18:00.001-07:00

All good things come to an end... but the memories of family and fun in Maui will live on forever! Here's a few pics from our last couple days in paradise.

Oh, and here's the beach "in action!"

Mo Beach Mo Pool

2011-07-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

The fun and relaxation just keeps on coming...

One Whole Day In Paradise...

2011-07-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

What a glorious day! The sand, surf and swimming made for an awesome introduction to Maui life for the Rickey Boys. Josh wants to "go to Hawaiian all the time" and Jacob's favorite part is the beach. Here are some of the photos from today... if only we could live like this all the time!!

Until next time, Aloha!

Maui 2011

2011-07-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

This is where we will be for the next week... Paradise. More to come!

REWACT - The Third Edition

2011-07-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

REWACT = Rickey Evans Westerlind Annual Camping Trip.
Which also equals FUN. We had great weather (a cool 76 degrees!) and continued with some activities that are now traditions:

The kids "helping" Sam set up the trailer.
Stting outside, catching up with friends, and discussing what is on the menu for the next meal
The boys staying up talking until 2am in their tent
Hiking a trail through the woods (Josh only scraped both knees and hands - only a few bandaids needed)
Taking a nap in the trailer while the kids stay awake
S'mores!!
Whiffleball tourney

Until next time... here's the photos!

Summer Trips and Travels

2011-07-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping pretty busy this summer. I guess that's now turning into the norm for the Rickey Family! There's some photos and stories to be shared regarding the trips we've taken so far.

San Diego - Jon, Angela, Jacob, Josh, David and Grandma

At the end of May and the last week before school ended (technically the beginning of summer vacation!) we all took a road trip to San Diego to see the Padres play the Mariners. What a blast! We took in the sights/sounds of the city in between the games. We even had time to meet up with Chris and Julianna for an outing at the Children's Museum. What fun! For some reason, I forgot to take photos or I misplaced them somewhere on the camera. Hmmm.Since it was on the same weekend as the last soccer game of the season for the kids, we'll post a pic of the boys in their soccer uniforms and call it good.

Alaska - Angela

In June, work required a 9-day trip to Alaska for meetings and activities. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and planning. In between the exhaustion and long hours, there was actually a few glorious moments of fun, enjoying the outdoors and amazing scenery that Alaska has to offer.

Bonnie and Angela swing by Mendenhall Glacier on the way to get copy paper (long story)

U.S. Coast Guard Demo of an Ocean Rescue (almost the coolest thing ever - see next photo)

Humpback Whale Feeding and Singing (the coolest thing. ever.)

Fishing Near Pirates Cove
(the kids thought this was the coolest story ever, because of the pirates, even though there wern't really any there)

King Salmon Caught By Angela. No joke! This was amazing.
(it's slowly being devoured as we defrost parts of it from the freezer)

A Beautiful Sunset - At 10:45 p.m. in Alaska

Seattle - Jon and Angela

The benefit to traveling to Alaska is that you have to stop in Seattle to change planes. We decided to meet up there (with no kids!) and spend three days hanging out before we took the planes home. We pretty much just ate our way through Seattle - both at Pikes Place and at the Seattle Mariners games (best stadium concession food around, hands down). We saw Rob and Rachel at lunch and wished we lived closer to the northwest to hang out with them more.

On our way to the city from the airport - light rail style! (notice Safeco in the background)

Seeing the sights - thanks for the cool cityscape, Rachel!

Best friends wandering through the market... a glorius day with food, flowers and shopping!

What a sunny day in Seattle!

Dinner at the Crab Pot. Oh, fresh seafood... how i miss thee.

Mariners Games!!!

Phew. That's a lot of trips! We'll post again soon with our camping trip photos. Like we said, we are having a blast this summer!!

Happy 4th Birthday Josh!!

2011-06-27T07:18:00.001-07:00

Happy, happy birthday to our little (well, actually getting very big and grown up) boy today! Josh turns 4 today! We celebrated his big day yesterday with family and friends.

Here's a few fun facts about Josh, now that he's four:

He can spell his own name, ""J-O-S-H" and often notes with the "U-A" is missing off the end
His favorite foods are refried beans and scrambled eggs (not at the same time)
He loves the movie TRON and received almost 100% TRON gifts this year. Sam Flynn would be proud!

Here's a few fun photos from Josh's bounce party at Jumpstreet:

A cupcake celebration

Happy Birthday Dear Joshie!

Cousin Maddy walked all round the party

Bouncin' Buddies & Cupcake Cousins!

Now, back to our summer of FUN! Let's just say there's a been lot of swimming, play time, and watching old reruns of these guys so far:

School Year In Review

2011-06-03T20:36:00.003-07:00

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Missing: Tooth

2011-05-09T07:38:00.001-07:00

Jacob lost his first tooth on Mother's Day 2011!

It was so shocking because no one really knew his tooth was even loose. Then, all of the sudden, he was standing there, holding a tooth: "Hey, my tooth came out!" And, there you have it. The Tooth Fairy Committee had to quickly decide how much a tooth was worth in the Rickey Family, since that had never been discussed before. The Committee settled on $1.00

Hooray for Jacob's milestone!

Happy April!

2011-05-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is the April blog posting! I've decided that once a month is the frequency lately... we are WAY too busy. April brought us Jacob's 6th birthday and Easter. We actually had an "April Shower" rainstorm too, which is pretty rare for the desert.

Here is Jacob and his best friend, Megan. She is quite a cutie, but also athletic and spunky which bodes well with Jacob. They are truly best buds.

Here's Josh getting into the birthday celebration action.

Cousin Maddy joined in with the family and friends - she turned 1 in April!!

The kids had a blast at the party. We had "open gym" with basketball, frisbee, football and a giant soccer ball. And when we say giant, we mean giant:

Here are the traditional Easter pictures:

The May posting will be coming next! We're winding down with school, including the Kindergarten graduation - more to come...

2011-03-19T22:28:00.002-07:00

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This Is Us

2011-02-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what we feel like, anyway.

Everyone has progressively passed along a horrible virus in our house. Jacob, Jon, Angela and now Josh. We're finally feeling a little bit better tonight which is the first in the past couple weeks. A few new toothbrushes and air filters later and we're hoping this is the last of this season's bug!!

We Heart Sports

2011-01-20T22:59:00.002-07:00

Not that this is shocking news, but our family loves sports! Here's a few sports updates to kick off the new year.

Jacob started his 'Upward Sports' basketball league. It's hard not to brag, but he scored 16 points at his first game! Lookout Amare Stoudemire.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime day, but here we are enjoying the BCS Championship Game in Glendale, AZ. Goooo Ducks! It was a heart-breaking loss, but we still had the time of our lives. Here's the crew that got to go.

So, is bathtime a sport? Maybe not, but we thought the three cousins looked super cute taking a bath together recently :) This photo will only surface again at graduations and weddings. We promise.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T21:44:00.001-07:00

Ecard made with Smilebox

Back To School

2011-01-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Everyone is back to school and work after a WONDERFUL holiday vacation. We'll have to post more updates and pics about Christmas and Las Vegas!

It was tough heading back to a normal schedule after winter break. Are we really getting up in the pitch black to drive to school and classrooms? Do we have to pick up toys, clean bathrooms and do homework again? Oh well. These are the things in life that make vacation time so wonderful - because we take a break from the ordinary!

However, one of our goals in the New Year is to find JOY in the ordinary. Praise God for each and every moment! The little things are what life is about anyway. So, speaking of the little, mundane things, here's something that brought joy today:

Jacob completed his homework for the day and tried really hard. Here's a cute photo of his assignment. :)

"Draw a picture of yourself. Label some body parts."

Holiday Travels

2010-12-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

We arrived safe and sound from our travels to Oregon! It was fun to visit with the Cornelius family and celebrate an early Christmas with them. I guess we brought the Northwest weather back with us ... Phoenix is having a lot of rain and thunderstorms. Funny!

We're looking forward to Christmas and then us parents travel to Las Vegas for a second honeymoon of sorts! While we are away traveling, Debbie travels to Phoenix for her new job! It will be great to have her living closer. When we return, we'll celebrate a New Year with family and the end to our past few months of travel.

In honor of all the traveling, the kids got their photo with the Airport Santa. Ho ho ho!

A Foxy Grad

2010-12-20T00:13:00.000-07:00

Our little brother David graduated from George Fox University this weekend!! We're so proud of him. We were able to travel to Oregon this weekend for the ceremony. It was special to be back in the Northwest and support David on this special occasion.

It was also sentimental to walk the campus where we had graduated ourselves ... 10 years ago. And now, here we are with two children, walking past the old dorm rooms and eating in the dining hall with them as we applaud "Uncle David" in his accomplishments. Isn't life amazing and wonderful?!?

Our kids meet "The George Fox Bruin"

This pretty much sums up the excitement for the day

Hail the conquering grad!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2010-12-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

If you watch the television show, then you know that the Yo Gabba Gabba Live event in Phoenix just HAD to be awesome! And, it WAS. Us parents think that this is one of the most creative, artistic and enjoyable kids show to watch.

We all rocked our DJ Lance glasses. Josh was a little tired, but he really got into the groove as the show went along. He even got his dancy dance on!

The best part of the show was Biz Markie and his beats!! We highly reccomend this stage and TV show to kids and parents alike. Yo Gabba Gabba!

TRON-tastic

2010-12-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Over Thanksgiving, we had a BLAST hanging out with our family. We love seeing our Cali cousins and we had an amazing opportunity to go to Disneyland with all of them!

While we were at the happiest (and most crowded-day-after-turkey-day) place on earth, we experienced the Disney promotion of the upcoming TRON Legacy. It was TRON-tastic. One of the neat things was the 80's-style arcade area with all the old school games. Centipede, Atari Pole Position, Donkey Kong, and the like. The kids got into the scene and even played glow-in-the-dark air hockey!

Tonight we are watching the original TRON movie with our Arizona cousins. Initiate. Fun. Sequence. Looking forward to a wonderful holiday season! (And, of course, the TRON: Legacy flick)

No Turkey...

2010-11-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of Ducks that I picked up from school today!

Thankful

2010-11-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Kids have the cutest way of putting things.

Josh was making a "thankful turkey" today at school. When asked, "what are you thankful for, Josh?" He replied, "my Mommy, my Daddy, and my Jacob."

Cue the motherly tears!

Oh, and PS - the t-ball season just ended; and everyone walked away a winner :)

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

We had such fun today! Time with the family, soccer with Uncle David, Trick-or-Treating with the cousins, and new glow-in-the-dark Halloween PJs. It was all enjoyed by two Pirates, Hanna Montana, a Lady Bug and and M&M. Woohoo! Here's a few pics of our candy quest.

Autumn in Oregon

2010-10-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

What a blessing! The last few days we've been in Oregon and we've really been able to experience all that autumn has to offer. I have to say, I was actually happy to see rain in the forecast when we arrived. Not that 89 degrees is terrible, by any means, but ... it was getting a little old. The gold, orange, and red leaves on the trees have warmed my heart.

We've been here for a few days to spend time with both sets of family. The boys have been having a blast on our vacation. And, they've really been on their best behavior. Another blessing! They were extra excited to bring and use their Mickey Mouse umbrellas while we've been here. What fun we have been having!

A Local Oregon Farm: Pumpkin Patch Included

At The Top of The Haystack

Country Life: We Brought Home Pumpkins, Berries and Scones

Sunny Coastal Weather Brought Lots of Smiles!

The Beach Boys

Surfs Up! We Played On The Sand Before Clam Chowder at Mo's

You Can't Leave The Beach Without Building A Castle

I Can See The World, Mommy!

T-Ball Brothers

2010-10-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Josh are on the same t-ball team this year! It's been really fun for them. The team is called the "Hot Rods." Here's a few pics of the boys in action.

Someone Is Doing Well At School

2010-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Way to go!

We Are a Duck Family

2010-10-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we took the boys to their first football game EVER. They did really well! The Oregon Ducks ended up winning against ASU, which made the whole experience even better. Thanks to Glenn and Family for the great seats and the fun dinner beforehand!

More Summertime - Happy Birthday Josh!

2010-09-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow Joshie's birthday is in the peak of the summer busy season. Wedged between Disneyland travels, 4th of July and getting ready for school. BUT, that doesn't mean it's any less important! Here are the highlights from when our little Beatles fan* turned 3 years old.

*In case you are unaware, Josh is now an official Beatles fan, being that he knows the lyrics and melodies to at least 15 songs by heart.

Disneyland Theme

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Star Wars Jedi Training Camp Re-enactment

Summertime

2010-08-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Let me just quickly say, that we are in full-blown school mode here in the Rickey house. Between a new work schedule for mom, football season coaching starting for dad, a new Kindergarten and preschool for the kids, we're a little busy. BUT, we are all well and enjoying the fullness of life! Family time has been kicked up a few notches, so the blogging has gone down a few notches.

That said, here's a photo recap of part of our summertime fun. Disneyland! Five days of pure kid-like joy. And, in case you can't tell from the photos below, our favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. Arrrrgh! Enjoy.

Are We There Yet?

Arrrrgh, Matey

I'm Driving My Own Car!

Riding the Pirate Ship

Yo Ho, Yo Ho ...

... A Pirate's Life for the Cousins

Just a Small Snack

Mickey + Baseball = So Cool

Toy Soliders

Goofy!

A Family The Rides Pirate Ships Together ...

Tom Sawyer's Island

And That Was Just One Day! Phew.

First Day of School!

2010-08-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

It’s hard for us to believe, but Jacob started kindergarten today. Josh started at the new preschool as well and they both looked handsome in their uniforms with their new backpacks. We feel so blessed because both kids are making the transition so well. As an added bonus, Josh's preschool room is right across the hallway from Jacob's kindergarten classroom!

When we drove up to school this morning, Jacob commented, “wow – there sure are a lot of people here!” In all the visits we had made to the school this summer, there had never been quite the hustle and bustle that was witnessed this morning. As the kids walked past the principal, Josh said “Go Ducks!” - commenting on the Oregon luggage tags we had adhered to their backpacks - so they’ve already got the sports reputation going. We’ll have to make sure they learn to cheer for their own school mascot, the Coyotes, as well :)

They were all smiles and ready to learn when we left. Only a few near tears were shed by mommy driving away from the school. The great news is they were in amazing spirits when we picked them up in the afternoon. So, it looks like we'll keep doing this school thing for a while! We ended our day with a family tradition: going out to dinner on the first day of school. The kids choice? Peter Piper Pizza!!

Enjoy the pics that we took as part of the “parent paparazzi” – the kids were the stars today!

Stuff...

2010-07-15T13:26:00.002-07:00

How is this possible?!?! We are so busy that we are still not caught up on blogging posts. And, now there are less than 3 weeks until the start of kindergarten and our new campus for both kids. We've been feverishly buying school supplies, school uniforms, lunchbox items, etc. The most recent purchase of the day was backpacks for the kids:

Sometime soon, before the end of the summer, we'll try to throw up some pics of our awesome summer of activities and such. Until then, the blogosphere universe will have to wait. Now, off to another staycation weekend with the kids!

Still Here... We Promise

2010-06-24T21:34:00.003-07:00

It has been a crazy, fun few weeks. Summer is in full blast. As soon as we get through mommy's work trip and travel next week, there will be lots of updating to do. So, where have we been having so much fun? Let's just say, part of it involved a LOT of Pirates of the Caribbean.

More to come!

Sonatina in C Major

2010-05-26T22:22:00.002-07:00

And the "C" stands for CUTE. We were given a little piano/dance concerto this evening by the kids. This was so funny and adorable, we had to record and share a brief video:

Sonatina I Featuring Jacob at Piano and Joshua Dancing

Sonatina II Featuring Joshua at Piano and Jacob Dancing

Another Staycation!

2010-05-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

School is almost out for summer, but we can't help but celebrate early! Summertime in Phoenix is always a scorcher, but we like to enjoy the positive benefits such as lots of pool time, Daddy on break, and family vacations. We took a short staycation this weekend and stayed in downtown Phoenix for a night. The kids just think that pull-out sofa sleepers in hotels are the greatest thing ever! It's the little things.

We decided to take the light rail to all our weekend destinations since our hotel was right by a metro stop.

The other location right by a metro stop was the "Old Spaghetti Factory." We had such fun taking the boys there. This restaurant chain was the spot for one of our "dates" back in the good ol' days in Oregon. Here are the boys enjoying their bounty.

We also got to attend a Diamonbacks baseball game. The boys had a blast, even though the D-backs lost. Strangely enough, Phoenix was having a record "low" of a 78-degree day and they left the stadium roof open. We enjoyed the non-air-conditioned ambiance and ate hot dogs and popcorn.

It is seriously so nice to have two kids that are fully potty trained, can entertain themselves, and can even pack their own backpacks with toys. We're finally feeling like our family can be mobile with very little planning. Hooray for family time and staycations!

More Sports Updates

2010-05-07T21:42:00.001-07:00

It is shocking that the sports updates continue in our family... (haha). We've had a great few remaining weeks with Jacob's flag football league. Tonight was the last game and Jacob's team played really well. Each player received a medal, which was very thrilling for all the little kids.

Joshie has started his own sports class recently, which has been such a relief. It's hard being the little brother sometimes and always watching on the sidelines. Josh's class has consisted of an overview of soccer, basketball, and the next few weeks will be football. Josh gets so excited for his "games" and Jacob does a good job switching roles and cheering on his little brother.

Last, but not least, Daddy's girls basketball team has made it to the championship game. Wish them luck tomorrow as they play for 1st place! Go Griffins!

Hot Coco

2010-05-01T10:50:00.003-07:00

Jon and I went to see the Conan O'Brien "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" last night.

What a blast! As Conan said, it was a night of laughs, love, and occasional awkward silence. Jon and I are huge fans, so it was a great date night. There were several segments where we almost fell off our seats laughing.

It was hard to get a good photo, but Conan came out wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey, which only made the crowd go more crazy! Thanks, Coco, for stopping by the land of the sun. Can't wait for TBS!

Auntie and Uncle!

2010-04-23T21:55:00.002-07:00

We officially became Auntie Angela and Uncle Jon this week. We are so excited that Ali and Kyle gave birth to a beautiful little girl: Madelyn Joy! She is precious.

The boys are very excited that "Baby Maddy" is here too. They are bonafied cousins now. We can't wait to see how they all grow up together. What a wonderful blessing!

Flag Football

2010-04-17T01:21:00.001-07:00

Jacob has been playing flag football for the past month and he LOVES it. His team is the Spartans and we've been cheering them on each Friday night. (The only time we "booed" any Spartans was when they were playing Butler in the NCAA final four game... we did it for Uncle Kyle).

Josh has been a regular at each game, cheering on his big brother. "Go Jacob!" we shout from the sidelines. So far, Jacob has made a few good plays, pulling off the other team's flags as he runs down the field. He only tackled a guy once (oops.)

Here's a brief video of our little guy, running down the field. He's one of the youngest on the team, but he manages to hold his own (he's #10, by the way).

The end of each game is signified with the tradtional "post-game snack" of a Capri Sun and either Cheeze-Its or an Oreo Cookie. What a great game! We love flag football and our little Spartan!

A Five-Year-Old

2010-04-11T22:33:00.001-07:00

Jacob officially turned five today! We had his birthday party yesterday which was so fantastically fun, we didn't end up taking very many pictures! Oh well. That's what life should be anyways... the best moments, never really captured because you're too busy enjoying the moment.

We loved seeing Jacob surrounded by friends and family who will hopefully continue to help him be the man he will become some day. It's so crazy to think that five years ago we held a little baby in our arms for the first time. And, here he is now, a full-grown little boy.

We're so proud of all his accomplishments: being a leader in his class; loving sports and playing his hardest at each one; and loving on his little brother.

What better way to celebrate all these things then to have a blow-out sports party at an indoor soccer field, complete with a bouncy house!! The kids and adults alike had a blast. We're hoping for the same kind of celebration when Josh turns five! I mean, you only turn five once, right?

Cheers to faith, friends, family and being FIVE!

Easter Blessings

2010-04-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

We love Easter. Besides the fun things like egg hunting, squirt gun fighting and giant inflatable volleyballs (see below), there are the blessings of family and friends. We love to celebrate that He Is Risen! Thank you Lord, for giving us all these blessings.

Pluto

2010-03-30T22:54:00.001-07:00

A true and humorous story from today...

We attended one of Daddy's school's events this evening which was very neat: an evening with an astronomy group that presented to the students. There were some jeopardy-style trivia games about planets, stars and solar systems. There were multiple GPS-operated telescopes to view the Arizona skies. The kids saw the rings of Saturn, the colors of Mars, and the bright glow of Venus.

The best part was during the presentation when the astronomer asked if anyone knew whether Pluto was still considered a planet or not. Breaking the silence, our little Jacob said quite loudly and distinctly,

"I know! Pluto is Mickey Mouse's dog!!"

Sick Day

2010-03-24T17:19:00.001-07:00

We had an episode of strep, so the boys stayed home yesterday. Who knew that a trip to the library in the afternoon could yield this interesting photo:

Yes, the boys were captivated by the beautiful peacock running around the lawn outside the library! Thankfully, everyone is also feeling better. Especially after the six Curious George books we picked up at the library.

Spring Training 2010

2010-03-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the Spring Training night game on St. Patrick's Day this past Wednesday! The Mariner's didn't win, but we did see Griffey which was very exciting. Well, that and the fact that it was $2 hot dog night.

Flag Football!

2010-03-10T21:45:00.002-07:00

One of the many joys of having two little boys is the fun I am having watching them explore the world of sports. The newest activity we've added to the list is flag football. Jacob has practice every Tuesday evening from now until early May; and games are on Friday evenings which has Jon and Uncle Kyle giddy with visions of "Friday Night Lights."

Here's a few photos of our little All-American...

Set... Hut, Hut!

Listening to Coach's instructions

The cheering section!

I'm Steve Nash!

2010-02-20T10:57:00.003-07:00

Yup. Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns lives at our house. Check it out:

In case you didn't know, Steve Nash is a legend to two-year-old Joshie. He's been parading around the house all morning declaring he's Steve Nash. I guess he does look a bit like the guy. I mean, with his basketball shoes (Dad's) and the basketball shorts (pulled over his PJ's).

2010-02-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make Your Own Pizza

2010-02-04T20:32:00.003-07:00

Just a random post here with some random photos of the boys making their own pizza at a restaurant last weekend:

Jacob's Pizza

Joshua's Pizza

Oh yeah, and the Lemon Faces

Making Lemons Out Of...

2010-01-28T20:58:00.004-07:00

What good can possibly come from a situation where your dog pees all over the comforter in your guest bedroom?

Well, the bed becomes a giant jumping zone for kids while the sheets are being washed! AWESOME!

Family Time

2010-01-23T20:02:00.002-07:00

Last weekend, we had some nice family time. We'll let the photos do most of the talking!

Pizza faces... at one of our favorites: Organ Stop Pizza

Listening to the organ music in the background. They even played Star Wars!!

Fun times at the railroad park

Riding the mini train around the park...say cheese, boys!

Mommy and Joshie on the train

Chugga, chugga, choo, choo!

Playing soccer in the park

Rickey boys make the play

Soccer in real time:

Friends

2010-01-12T21:39:00.003-07:00

This week we learned that one of Jacob's best friends at school, Anthony, had to move on to a different preschool. We will sure miss Anthony, but have promised Jacob to set up some "play dates" so the boys can still stay in touch.

We've still kept in touch with Jacob's other best friend, Thomas. The teachers used to call these boys the "Three Amigos" at school because they were always together whenever possible. Here are the boys together at Thomas's recent birthday a few months ago.

While Thomas, and now Anthony, and soon Jacob, move beyond the preschool years, it's good to know that lasting relationships can still happen outside the walls and boundries of the school setting. We look forward to meeting more of the kids that Joshie is starting to bond with, and are thankful for the friends in our lives.

Underwear!!!

2010-01-05T07:19:00.006-07:00

Wish Joshie luck today... it's the first day of the rest of our lives with NO DIAPERS.

Hooray for SpongeBob undies!

Christmas Day

2009-12-25T15:11:00.004-07:00

A wonderful Christmas day was had by all in our family! We hope you have had the same.

Enjoy the sounds of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas..." sung in the dark by the light of the Christmas tree by Jacob and Josh!

Christmas Greeting

2009-12-17T23:16:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Snow!!!

2009-12-13T21:44:00.006-07:00

This weekend was very exciting for our family. Jon's sister Alison graduated from Northern Arizona University with her Master's degree. Go Ali! We all drove up to Flagstaff to attend the ceremony on Friday. Flagstaff was not only inundated with graduates and family members, but also 2 feet of snow from a blizzard that had blown through on Monday.

Thankfully, all of our family members made it safely up north in time for the graduation. Right after the ceremony, giant white flakes of snow started to fall from the sky. The boys were simply in heaven! It was their first experience with the stuff.

Later that night at the hotel, all the cousins decided to have a snowball fight. We made our way down to the hotel's tennis court. With all the snow, the tennis court had turned into a giant snow pit, complete with outdoor lighting! Totally awesome.

Here's a brief video of a bit of the snowball fight action:

The next day, we took full advantage of the winter wonderland right outside our doorsteps and had a family outing to partake in some sledding. Thanks to our friends, the Martins, we were fully equiped with sleds (an otherwise unknown commodity in Phoenix).

What a wonderful weekend with SNOW! Congrats to Ali on her graduation as well. We're certainly in the holiday mood now and ready for more celebrations with family and friends. The countdown to Christmas has begun!

Happy Ha-Ha-Holidays!

2009-12-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

That was one of the songs that Jacob sang with his class at this evening's Christmas party: "Happy Ha-Ha-Holidays!" It was fun to see all the daycare friends and families together, enjoying these fun moments of the season. Both kids got to see Santa also, as an added bonus. Joshua was a bit nervous, but did ok on Santa's lap as long as his brother was there next to him.

We've got the tree, lights and other various festivities up at our house now. On the way home tonight, Jacob informed me that he's going to sing "Jingle Bells" everytime he sees Christmas lights on someone's house as we drive around. There was a lot of singing in our car, as you can imagine! The cutest thing is that Josh is now old enough to join in the singing of Christmas songs this year. The sounds of two adorable children's voices singing brings such joy! We thank the Lord for such sweet, wonderful, healthy boys and are looking forward to celebrating Jesus's birthday soon.
:)

Macy Photos

2009-12-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our friends John and Erin took some amazing photos of our kids when we were visiting Oregon a few months ago. Let's just say, they rock!!! Here is a sampling (because we can't help but show these off when they make our kids look so adorable):

We Are Thankful for Friends and Family

2009-11-29T19:23:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with both. Our friends, the Evans, hosted their annual feast and we enjoyed catching up with everyone. It was warm enough that we let the kids ride their bikes around the neighboorhood after dark to look at Christmas lights!

Our own little family post-Thanksgiving meal was a little bit low-key. Both kids ended up getting sick: Jacob had a fever while Josh threw up over several days. Even though I should have been disappointed after cooking for five hours only to have Josh puke at the dinner table all over his meal, it was still worth it just to be with our family all weekend. We've been getting better and watching lots of Christmas cartoons!

Speaking of family, here is an adorable project that Jacob brought home from school:

Jacob's Family

This is the house where I live with my family.

This is my Mom and Dad. I love them.

This is me and my little brother.

My family likes to go to the movies together.

This book was the sweetest thing to have over Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoyed time together with friends and family, as we did. We are thankful for friends and family!

Staycation

2009-11-15T22:13:00.003-07:00

We had the most wonderful family weekend in Prescott. It was so much fun, that we've decided we need to take more "staycations" when time allows. We only had to drive about 1 hour north to feel like we were completely on vacation. And, it was chilly with fall leaves in abundance! We loved every minute of it. Some highlights:

Hiking on the Peavine Trail

Prescott's Minor League Hockey Team: The "Sundogs"

The hotel we were at had an indoor swiming pool which was also a perk. We honestly just hung out and enjoyed being together as a family (and watching cartoons, as you can see below).

Happy Fall-o-ween!

2009-11-12T23:49:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone! It's been a busy month, so we're going to have to combine this post to include fall updates, halloween activities and the like.

As far as the "fall" goes for Arizona, we've still been getting a few heat waves. It was 85 degrees earlier this week. I know--we can't complain. However, it does make the soul yearn for some hot-chocolate drinkin' weather. Here's a few photos from our pumpkin patch escapades, despite the warm weather. The pumpkins were later turned into silly, scary, and U of O jack-o-lanterns (wonder who had that idea?). A bonus photo of Jacob being very scary is included.

Halloween was a fun time this year. Both kids were old enough to really enjoy it. They boys were ketchup and mustard, which is a really cute combo costume. However, it didn't go over as well at school since they were separated into their own classrooms for the costume walk. Plus, one of Joshie's classmates wore a Star Wars storm trooper outfit which made our kids super jealous. But, we got through it and the boys even managed to enjoy holding Marty long enough for one photo: he was the "hot dog."

Due to the warm weather post-Halloween, we decided to enjoy a fun day off for Veterans Day at the Phoenix Zoo. We decided to try the family bicycle for the first time. Doesn't it look like fun?!?

It is fun. For the first 15 minutes. Then, the muscles start to really burn. The zoo has a few steep hills and windy paths which makes the hand-operated break kind of interesting. Too bad we paid for a full hour, so we sweated and huffed our way through it in order to get our money's worth. We've checked the bike off our list, so we probably won't do that again. However, Jacob did mention wanting to do the paddle boats next time... we'll see!

We are escaping the heat this weekend and heading up north to Prescott, Arizona. There's guaranteed cold weather and even a slight chance for snow!!! We can't wait. First order of business I think will be some hot chocolate. Yum!

We Love U2!

2009-10-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

For Jon's b-day (officially today), we went to the U2 concert last week. It was honestly the most incredible concert we had ever been to. I think what took it to the next level was the fact that we worked our way up on the floor to standing 15 feet from the stage. Seeing Bono and The Edge up close... unreal.

It's really nothing that can be described, except maybe as pure musical genius and exhilaration. They rocked the concert and we partied all night long with them!

Happy Birthday, Jon!!!!

Oregon Trip

2009-10-25T19:17:00.002-07:00

Earlier this month, we took a vacation to Oregon. It was a wonderful time. The weather was turning crisp, but not too cold. We only got a drizzle of rain on one day, which was fine for us: we never see the stuff. The leaves were turning and it really felt like autumn.

They boys and I went out early to see Nana, Papa and Uncle Andrew. There was a little "snafu" when we arrived because Josh threw up all over my parents car on the way home from the airport. Thankfully, nothing else eventful occured on the flight and the boys were perfect angels. Upon arrival, Jacob kept asking when we were going to "see Oregon," and we kept emphasizing that we were "in Oregon."

One of our favorite parts was playing at the park with Nana and Papa. The boys couldn't get enough! What a wonderful park Salem's riverfront park is. The boys also took full advantage of the carousel rides.

As an added bonus, I was able to reconnect with some old high school friends (without Facebook, by the way) which was super fun. Steph and Kevin have the cutest girls and I loved seeing the boys playing with dollhouses and princess dress-up toys! Tara has a little boy on the way, so we're excited about that too.

One of the days, we decided to go and feed the ducks which was very thrilling. The only kind of wildlife we see in Phoenix besides pigeons, are the crickets and scorpions (boo) living near us. We tore up some bread slices and gave the Salem ducks and geese quite a feast.

For the ending of our trip, we spent several days up by our alma matter to see "Uncle David" playing soccer for George Fox Univesity. Go Bruins! It was awesome to see him playing and the boys just adored being at the games.

We enjoyed chatting and catching up with so many good friends that came to watch the soccer games as well. Several of us headed out to Abby's pizza (the old spot) on the last night. Jon was loving the shrimp pizza and all the old stories that were told around the table.

We always cherish our times in Oregon. We can't wait until our next Oregon trip!

A Family That Watches 3D Movies Together...

2009-10-12T19:07:00.003-07:00

... stays together. And, looks "stylin" in 3D movie glasses.

We highly reccomend the Toy Story 3D double feature. It was a blast!!

Shake Your Groove Thing

2009-09-19T15:12:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Grandma and the Alivin and the Chipmunks CD she purchased, the boys participated in quite a dance party this weekend...

T-Ball Season Ends

2009-09-14T22:57:00.008-07:00

It was a good run ... a home run, actually! T-ball was a huge hit with Jacob. He loved every minute of it. Josh got into it too. The great thing about this league was that the field was adjacent to a park. So, Josh was able to get a lot of sliding, swinging and climbing in (not to mention rolling around in the dirt—literally).

Here's a few good quotes from the season:

"Why do I have to practice? Let's just do the games."

"I'm really good at throwing ... My favorite thing is being pitcher." (kind of ironic in t-ball)

Tonight marked the last game of the season. Jacob really got in his last few home run slides, as you can see from this video:

Jacob received his medal from the chipmunk "Chipper", the team mascot. We're sure this marks the beginning of a long streak of sporting activities for the kids. But, with shots like this, how can you say no?

Travels

2009-09-10T21:39:00.004-07:00

More updates on the travels. We spent a kid-free weekend over Labor Day in Las Vegas. F-U-N!! We stayed at the Excalibur, right on the strip. The view was awesome! Plus, we could walk to most of our favorite casinos. Bonus. We told the kids we met SpongeBob Squarepants on our trip, as you can see below.

We had a great time traveling with Ali and Kyle. Thanks to Grandma for watching the boys AND dogs while we were away! While we all lost our $$ for the most part, Jon did hit for $70 in nickles on the "Press Your Luck" machine! It was the most exciting thing. I laughed so hard I cried, so I think people thought we won a lot more than $70. Still, it was awesome.

The VERY next day, I had to get up and travel to Seattle for a work trip. While it was exhausting, I had a few spare minutes to run down to Pikes Place Market. I would honestly live at the market just for the fresh seafood. Seared scallop chowder, bread with truffle oil, and some marionberry jam made the whole trip worth it!

The other fun part of this trip was meeting Rob for lunch. Always good to chat with an old college friend. (and, thanks for the Starbucks tour, Rob!) We're looking forward to our next trip out to Oregon at the end of this month.

Fun Stuff

2009-09-02T23:09:00.003-07:00

I'm super tired. Almost enough to where I debated attempting this post. But, it's tiredness from a lot of fun stuff lately. So, who am I to complain! Here's a snapshot of some of the fun stuff we've been doing over the past few weeks:

Water Play At the Zoo

Building a Fort In Pajamas

Jazz Concert With Friends

This weekend the parents head to Las Vegas for some more fun stuff. The kids will stay with Grandma and get spoiled to death. Phew ... so many activities and so little time. More fun posts soon!

Helicopters

2009-08-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wow!

Tonight we were invited by a colleague at work to see her son and several other pilots land four U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 Super Cobra helicopters at one of the airports in town. It was really neat! Several of us from work grabbed our kids to view the landing, meet the pilots (including her son) and even get an up close and personal view of the "copters."

Jacob and Josh were pretty fascinated by the whole ordeal. We got to see where the helicopters hold the missiles. Then, we were told that the helicopters are painted a grayish-blue so they will blend into the skyline when flying over enemy territory. Jacob kept asking me where the "bad guys are..." That was a little hard to explain.

Thanks to our friends at work for sharing a neat and patriotic experience with us. Go U.S.A!

p.s. - In case you were wondering, yes. It is hot on an airport tarmac in 103 degree heat. We were sweating up a storm! After these photos, we immediately went home and the whole family jumped in the pool. Ahhhh.

Desert Rain

2009-08-14T21:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, it rained. For those of you from the Northwest or other areas of the country that get a lot of rain, that may not seem like a big deal. But, when you live in the desert, it's pretty cool (figuratively, and literally).

It was "dark" outside when we woke up. This is in comparison to the bright, shining sun that usually wakes us up. The kids actually slept in longer because of this, making the morning process a little slow (and mommy late to work -- oh well!)

It was, in fact, so rainy, cloudy and "cool," that I decided to wear my brown knee-high boots to work. Jacob was ecstatic that he could carry his yellow duck umbrella up the sidewalk to school. Josh liked the puddles. It also warrented a stop at Starbucks for a tall, hot, skinny vanilla latte.

Later in the day when the temperature peaked at about 103 degrees, the boots seemed to be a bad idea. Sweating in the heat, I wondered how I guzzled down that hot latte. But, for one glorious summer morning, the desert rain was amazing and beautiful. If you live in Arizona, you know what I'm talking about.

Summer of Fun

2009-08-04T04:28:00.001-07:00

Wow. This summer has been one of the craziest and most fun we've had as a family.

We've accomplished a lot: wedding, Disneyland, Josh's 2nd Birthday, pools, Jacob starting t-ball... and that's not to mention Daddy's boys weekend in Seattle and Mommy's girls weekend in Missouri!

So much to tell and so little time (seriously -- see how delayed this post already is). So, since a photo can tell a thousand words, we'll just let these pics do the talking for a while. Enjoy!

Wedding Teaser...

2009-07-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a teaser photo from our cousin Jason's wedding. Jacob was the ring bearer... more to come!

Disneyland Fun

2009-06-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

While Mommy is working at some meetings in Colorado Springs, the boys are having a wonderful time at Disneyland! The family decided to stay out there after attending our cousin's wedding (more pics to come soon of that).

Here are some fun text photos that Mommy has been getting on her cell phone. It looks like they are all having a blast at the "Happiest Place on Earth!"
:)

The Surprise Arrival at the Disneyland Hotel

Waiting In Line To Get In At The Park
Playing At the Lego Store

Marty!

2009-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Awwwww. The kids sure love our dogs! Tonight while Molly was sleeping, Marty decided to join us in the office. While we lounged around after giving Jacob and Josh a bath, the kids were giving Marty "kisses" right and left. It's a little gross, because Josh opens up his mouth when the dogs lick his face. Yuck! Oh well. Here's a "taste" of us lovin' on Marty:

Summer Popsicles

2009-06-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

One thing we love about summer is eating popsicles after swimmin'! Here's Jacob and Josh enjoying some of our bounty of "Astro Pops."

Happy Birthday Daniel!

2009-06-03T16:31:00.001-07:00

We're so excited for our newest cousin who was just born today. Please welcome little Daniel Paul Gardner into our family!

8lbs, 1oz, 19 inches long with dark hair... and he's VERY cute! We can't wait to meet him.

One Last Night...

2009-05-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight is officially the last night this mommy will be in her 20's...

Here's to a new decade!

Annual Camping Trip

2009-05-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

It's now officially an annual camping trip with the Rickey, Evans and Westerlind families! This Memorial Day Weekend our friends, Sam and Belinda, let us stay with them in their RV camper - so much fun!

We went to Fort Tuthill in Flagstaff. While the weather made things "exciting" with the intermitant thunderstorms, we were still able to get in all the things we wanted to do inbetween the downpours. Here's a photo summary:

The boys and their own little tent

Jacob took this photo of his feet while on the hiking trail
Josh playing foosball in the rec center on the camp grounds

Josh wasn't diggin' the s'mores... oh well - more for us!

Sam and Belinda!

Chubby Bunnies Jon and Sally

Hiking through the forrest (Josh was napping)

Jacob couldn't wait for the marshmellos!

Kyle and Ali!

Jacob led the group on the hike - what a stud!

There were some fun memories. At one point, it started hailing with thunder and lighting! We thought the boys would be gonners in their tent outside, but it dried up enough by nightfall. We feasted on hot dogs and hamburgers, homemade cole slaw (Belinda is the best!), corn salsa, and the ultimate egg/cheese breakfast burritos all weekend. The girls pranked the boys by hiding all the campfire cobbler in a tupperware inside the RV and saying they "ate it all" after dinner (hehe). We had a rousing game of Catch Phrase after dark. We even had time for a girls/boys volleyball game with the kids cheering us on. The boys won... well, there's always next year.

We're thinking of another trip at the end of the summer. It's so much fun!! Cheers to camping and a great family/friends weekend!

Camping!

2009-05-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

We're going camping tonight through Sunday. Should be fun and interesting, as this is the weather report for Flagstaff, AZ: Look for pictures/stories coming soon...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Wheeeeeee!

2009-05-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ah, youth. The joy of riding down a slide. What more is there in life, really? Case and point: here's Josh enjoying the park slide across from our house.

Happy Mommy's Day!

2009-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

What a WONDERFUL pre-mother's day we had today!

Jon let mommy sleep in (yes!) while making mickey mouse pancakes for the boys (what a dad). Then, the boys gave mommy some nice cards and several presents hidden throughout the house. After opening some boxes with a few summer outfits (again -- what a dad!) we decided it was warm enough to bust out the swim stuff and our new turtle kiddie pool for the backyard. As you can see, we all got into the action:

Kids

Mom

Dad

Then, mommy got to lounge around in the sun and read some magazines (another fun treat) while the kids all got ready to go to a baseball coaches party for daddy and his team. After some pizza and games, we ended the evening with one more treat: the new Benjamin Button movie for mommy! What more could a girl ask for?!?!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! Families are so amazing and I have the three best boys in the world to prove it.

I Heart Bike

2009-05-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our great aunt Cathy, Jacob is the proud owner of his very own BIKE! Complete with training wheels and a killer dinosaur horn. So cool! So far, we've been riding around the driveway every evening before and after dinner. He loves it.

Gotta love these memories!

Happy Birthday Jacob

2009-04-23T21:39:00.001-07:00

To our amazing boy... who is now 4! We love you!

Big Boy Bed

2009-04-19T01:22:00.000-07:00

It's hard your first night sleeping in a toddler bed...

Even though Josh fell out of his new "big boy bed" several times during the night (notice the feet on the floor -- Josh was still in full sleep during this pic where we heard his feet THUD hit the floor), he's doing just fine adjusting to life without a crib.

Next step: weaning off the pacifier. AUGH! For now, we're just tackling one thing at a time.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy, busy month, but everyone is doing well. Spring is here! It was the coolest Easter we've had in a while--a nice 76 degrees today. The kids enjoyed a great day playing with their cousins and had a nice visit from the easter bunny.

We also technically celebrated Jacob's 4th birthday this Saturday. His party is next weekend, so in a kid's eyes, he's really waiting for the party until everything about his birthday is "official." What an exciting month we are having! More to come...