Whiting Family

Miles' Baptism

2011-06-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

Miles was baptized on June 18th by Artie. We are so proud of him and the decision he made to get baptized. He is such a good boy and is ALWAYS smiling. His smile and sweet spirit lights up the room. There were so many people that love him that attended his special day. He even sang at his own baptism. So brave. He doesn't get that from me! Definately his daddy's boy. He sang a new song that Artie wrote so it was special to him. We love you Miles and are so blessed to have you in our family.

After the baptism we had a luncheon at home. We ordered a sub in the shape of an 8. He loved it!

Artie and Miles before the baptism

Miles and Sofie-she was so proud of him.

Preschool Christmas Party at Aladdin

2010-12-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

For Sofie's preschool we got to go to see the play Aladdin. It was so nice of Ms. Jodi to arrange the whole thing for us. The kids LOVED it. We got a lunch buffet before, then Ms. Jodi gave each girl an Aladdin Barbie for Christmas so they got to watch the show with their Jasmines. So cute! It was so much fun to be able to go with just Sofie. We hardly ever get one on one time. It was such an adorable play too. Thanks Ms. Jodi! We love you.

Mom and Sof

Sofie and Ms. Jodi

Sofie and her friends

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here's our card for this year:

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T21:33:00.002-06:00

We had a great Halloween with lots of parties and fun. We started off with Grandpa and Grandma Whiting's annual party with all the cousins. My kids always love this and look forward to it each year. Grandma does such a great job of making it fun and "creepy" for the kids. The kids play pin the nose on the pumpkin and had some other games this year as well. Right after the Whiting's party, Artie and I dropped our kids off at home with a sitter and headed over to our friend's Halloween Party. It was such a fun party and was complete with a mechanical bull and a photo booth. The fun continued the next weekend when we had our ward trunk or treat. Sooo many people showed up for it. The Young Women were in charge of the games there and the Laurel's did a "spook house". Some of the kids thought it was so lame and others thought it was too scary to go in to! All the kids seemed to have fun though. The next day was Sunday and was the REAL Halloween night. We went over to my parents for chili and had the kids pass out candy to their neighbors. Even Aunt Robyn dressed up for that! It was a great and eventful Halloween. After all the school parties, family parties, church parties, etc. I'm so glad to put those costumes back up on the shelf. That's a lot of dressing and undressing and it wears me out!!!

Carving Pumpkins (They didn't like the GUTS!)

My TWO Minnie Mouse's

The Annual Whiting Grand kid picture on the stairs/Games at Grandma's

Us with our friends the McGregor's

Jared, Nicole, Tim, Amber, Me and Artie

Sofie and Avery at their school party

At Grandpa and Grandma Betts' House

Summer Fun 2010

2010-08-03T17:12:00.005-06:00

Artie and his dad golfing at the resort

Sofie and Cameron digging holes for the waves to fill up

Miles doing his favorite thing boogie boarding!

Gracie could have spent days playing in the sand

Sofie and Savannah playing with make-up

Cousins watching TV. They love eachother!

Sofie and mom at the beach

Savannah and Cameron

We have had a fantastic summer! I can hardly believe that my kids go back to school in just a few days. These are some pictures of our California trip. We had such a good time and the weather was amazing. The kids and I went out early and had fun with my family while we were there. We went to mission beach and Sea World. Then after they left, we went to stay at my sister-in-law Lori's house for 10 days in Oceanside. We played outside A LOT at parks, went picking strawberries, riding bikes, etc. all with cousins Savannah and Emily. After we were there for a week Artie flew out to join us and we spent more time at the beach, went shopping, went to Wahoo's Tacos (Our Favorite!) and then went to stay with his parents at their time share in Escondido. It was so much fun! They've been going there for nearly 20 years and I can't believe we've never gone. The place was absolutely amazing. They had for pools with waterslides, splash pads and hot tubs. Then they had rec centers where they had pool tables, ping pong tables, games, puzzles, etc. My kids LOVED the place and the weather there was a little warmer but still beautiful! Artie and I even got a night out with his sister Lori and her husband Trevor. We got to go out to dinner while his parents watched all the kids! It was so nice of them and so nice to get away. We can't wait to go back to California. Although, it's nice to be back and in our own beds, it's HOT here! Now we're off to the Whiting Reunion until the day before school starts!! Enjoy the pics:)

10 Year Anniversary Vacation

2010-05-20T21:10:00.000-06:00

For our 10 year anniversary this year we decided to go to Disneyland (without kids)! Let me tell you, it was an absolute BLAST. We loved every minute of it. We did feel slightly bad for leaving our kids at home a couple of times, but then we'd walk by kids kicking and screaming and tired and we were so glad we went on our own. We've always wanted to take that trip, just us and it was so worth it. It was nice to sleep in, get ready, go to Disneyland and go on every ride and still have time to just hang out and relax. We had nobody complaining or crying, no strollers to push, no churros to buy every time we walked by a stand. Don't get me wrong, we love our kids to pieces, and love to take them to Disneyland, but this was ALL ABOUT US and it was great! Artie surprised me and booked us two nights at the Grand Californian Hotel that is connected to California adventure. It was worth EVERY penny. It was absolutely gorgeous, they don't skip a detail. It was also so nice to be able to ride a ride and if you got wet you could walk right back in the hotel and change. I can't wait to take our kids to stay there sometime.

Getting ready to take off on the plane. Can you tell we're excited?

California Adventure

Waiting in line for Space Mountain

A view of the hotel lobby. It was absolutely breath taking!

We rain into Artie's cousins there that were visiting from Australia. Go figure...he knows someone everywhere we go!

Happy 10 Year Anniversary Artie! I love you so much and can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings.

Girls Getaway

2010-05-01T21:24:00.000-06:00

It was so fun to go on our Girls Getaway for the weekend. I am so grateful for my friendships from high school that I still have. I think it's so unusual to have all your high school friends and still talk and hang out with them 12 years after you graduate. We always have a blast together and this weekend was no exception. Heather even flew in from Reno for our fun weekend. We went shopping to H&M, Fashion Square Mall and went to dinner at the Elephant Bar and Cheesecake Factory. We went to breakfast at Arcadia Farms as well. We had a blast staying up late and talking and jumping on the hotel beds. Shhh... don't tell my kids! I love you girls so much and am so thankful to call each of you my friends! Love ya!

Me, Bridget, Heather, Marci, Haleigh, and Kaci

Yogurtland...yum!

Gracie is Two

2010-04-22T16:43:00.004-06:00

My baby is already TWO! Wow how time flies. I can't believe two years ago I was holding a baby in my arms and now she's such a big girl. It makes me sad knowing that she is my last, but she is SOOO fun right now. She is in the funnest stage and just when we think she can't be any cuter she is. I have so much love for this little girl and is so happy that she is in our family. We love you G!

Oh and I haven't taken her out for her photoshoot yet so the cute pictures will be coming soon:)

I Love This Crazy 4 Year Old

2010-04-05T15:49:00.003-06:00

Sofie turned 4 a couple of weeks ago! I cannot believe my girl is already four. She is so much fun and is a HANDFUL. She says the funniest things and makes us all crack up. She is turning in to such a beatiful girl and we are so glad to have her in our family. She is loving preschool at Ms. Jodi's right now and loving all the new friends she has made there. Sofie, I am so proud of you and am so grateful to be your mom. I love you girly!

Goals

2010-03-05T11:12:00.004-07:00

I went to enrichment last night and they made a challenge for us to read the Book Of Mormon all the way through in 60 days. Although it stressed me out for a bit I am thrilled to have gotten this challenge. Honestly, I think I may have only read it through one time in the last 10 years. Another goal for me that I set for myself is to journal more. Since this blog is my journal I decided I need to stop looking at other people's blogs and work on my own. So there ya go. Hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon and have some pictures up of my cute kiddos again. In the meantime, here is one that I could find quickly. My talented sister in law Ashley took it and I LOVE it. I love these kids so much:)

AR Designs Giveaway

2009-11-29T21:37:00.005-07:00

My friend Amber is doing a giveaway on her jewelry design blog. Check it out. You or I just might be a lucky winner. Wouldn't that be fun!!! Go here now...

Cameron's Baptism Day

2009-11-15T15:59:00.003-07:00

Cameron was baptised yesterday and it was a beautiful day. We had lots of family and friends come and we appreciate that so much. We feel so blessed to have so many sweet people in our lives. Cameron was so excited to get baptised. It was a very sweet experience for our whole family. It was a day that I did not see sneaking up on me. It doesn't seem possible that he's old enough to do this yet!!! He requested that Uncle Chad and Erica Anderson from our ward spoke at the baptism. He was then baptised and confirmed by Artie. Afterwards we had a little get-together at home where we got a sub in the shape of an 8 and had lots of yummy salads and delicious ice cream sundaes. It was a fabulous day. We love you Cameron and are so proud of you. We hope you always remember this special day in your life.

My boy is getting baptized

2009-10-12T22:42:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that Cameron is turning 8 this week. Even harder to believe that in a few short weeks he will be baptized. What a big milestone in his life! I am so proud of him for making that decision on his own. He is so excited! He's even more thrilled that he gets to start cub scouts next week. He cannot wait. Miles is a little upset that he can't go too considering that he told me all he wants to be when he grows up is a scout. Here are a few things I love about Cameron:

1. His ability to do anything he sets his mind to.

2. His love of collecting anything and everything he can find. Even if it is the tissue paper out of my new shoes. He can find a treasure in anything. (He's so opposite of me in that way:))

3. The way he loves his siblings. He's always willing to do anything for them.

4. How smart he is. He gets such good grades. We are so proud of him.

5. His knowledge of the scriptures. He DEFINATELY knows more than I do. His

brain is like a sponge. He soaks up all those stories!

6. He still loves to play with my hair. He's done this since he was a baby and still to this day if I lay down by him he has to play with my hair.

7. The way he admires his dad. He wants to be just like him and if we're ever at a store without Artie, Cameron picks out everything there that Artie would like. He's always thinking about him.

8. His love for T.V. He's just like me, loves his SHOWS!

We love you so much Cam. Happy Birthday!!!!

Where Does The Time Go?

2009-09-08T11:44:00.003-06:00

My big girl started preschool last week. Just had to share the pics of her at 3 1/2 years old. Isn't she beautiful? Maybe I'm a little partial to my own kids:) She loved going to Princess Preschool last week and especially loved having Aunt Gina as her teacher. This week she will start Miss Kate's preschool and gets to go with her best friend Kelsey. I know they will have a blast together. I'm going to miss my girl...

A Photoshoot With My Baby Girl

2009-09-06T17:39:00.003-06:00

Artie took the older kids camping while Gracie and I stayed home and had a little break. We had ALL DAY Saturday to ourselves and we had so much fun together. In fact, I didn't even give her a nap and she got to stay up late with me. I know she's only one but it was so nice to just spend some one-on-one time with her. She LOVED getting ALL the attention. First we went to Target (always a must) and got her a couple new outfits. Then I took her to the Mesa Arts Center and let her roam the place and we had a little photoshoot. I'm having fun practicing with my camera. It was actually nice outside from all the rain so we were out there two whole hours. She absolutely loved just running free and I loved just watching her. I'm so grateful for moments like this. She is my little sweetheart.

P.S. I've done tons of updates on the blog all the way back to Easter if you care to see! Just scroll down and keep scrolling:)

Sisters

2009-09-05T17:51:00.000-06:00

Sofie loves having a little sister. She torments her daily. This is one of her favorite things to do...

My Little Rock Star

2009-09-04T19:25:00.000-06:00

Where does Sofie get these moves and ideas? The sun glasses were totally her doing. I was not involved.

I believe it runs in her blood. I'm in for a treat!

Don't Ever Leave for Too Long

2009-09-01T14:55:00.006-06:00

This is what you might come home to...

Your husband with a wig on videoing your kids...

Your daughters with nasty old wigs on and they look like they should have been in Aerosmith 15 years ago...

Your sons with your mother-in-laws old wigs on...

But they are definately having a ton of fun together!

They are so lucky to have such a fun dad!!!!

My Little Ballerina

2009-08-28T10:45:00.002-06:00

I signed Sofie up for dance a few weeks ago through City of Mesa. It's ALL she talks about now. She doesn't even start for a few more weeks but she keeps saying that she's a ballerina now. I decided to get some shoes for her, but since it's her first time and I don't know if she'll even like it or participate I decided to look around for a good deal. (She is a little stubborn ya know!) So I found these adorable shoes on Craigslist for $5.00 and they are almost brand new. What a steal! She tried them on at the person's house and had to wear them out to the car. I carried her, remembering that you can't wear your dance shoes outside. One of the few things I remember from all my dance years. She was yelling at my boys that were in the car as soon as we came out of the house, "Guys, look at me, I'm a ballerina!!!!" Yeah, the boys weren't as excited as she was:) Anyways, we got in the car and she told me she had to wear them to bed. So she did. I was lucky enough to capture a few shots! I did take them off after she was fast asleep. Those things make your feet sweat like no other. I'm so glad my girl is such a girly girl. It's way too much fun!

First Day of School

2009-08-19T16:48:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know I've been a total slacker on my blog again. One of my goals these next few weeks is to get totally caught up on my blog. Including EASTER. I cannot believe I never posted those pics. Now that summer is over, I finally have time to breathe a little. Starting in September, Sofie will be going to preschool three days a week so I'm going to have a lot of time with just my baby girl Gracie. She's so much fun lately and I can't wait to spend some one on one time with her. Here is a picture of the boys' first day of school. Cameron has Mr. Bessolo this year and Miles has Mrs. Hartman. They are absolutely loving school and enjoying being with their friends again.

California Trip 2009

2009-08-01T18:16:00.000-06:00

We went to California at the beginning of July and had a blast. The weather was perfect. The kids could play OUTSIDE. What a treat for them! (And me:)) We didn't go to any of the theme parks or anything but still had so much fun. Sofie loved being with her girl cousins, Savannah and Emily.
We made a little trip down to the San Diego Temple on Sunday and had so much fun. It is such a peaceful, beautiful place. Our whole trip was just very relaxing which was so nice for a change.

One night we had a BBQ on the beach which sounds like a lot of fun and I'm not complaining but it was A LOT of work. Next time we decided we'll just go to In-N-Out and take our food to the beach. Much easier! The kids loved Artie blowing up balloons with a pump then seeing how far they could fly when he let go. Oh, the simple pleasures!

We spent one whole day at the beach with my family. They were also in San Diego enjoying the weather. We spent the day with them and got fried (Artie mainly) so we were in a little pain the rest of our trip. Nice to get a little sun though and enjoy the weather.

Hopefully we can go back next year. California is always our favorite family vacation spot. And it always helps that we stay for free! Thanks Lori and Trevor for letting us crash your pad:)

We Love California

2009-07-25T13:33:00.003-06:00

I'm so sick of opening my blog and seeing my sob story posted so I had to update my blog. We went to California as a family a couple of weeks ago and had such a blast. The kids LOVED playing outside, visiting with their cousins, going to the beach and just loving the cool weather. Thank you Lori and Trevor for letting us crash with you again and destroy your house. We love you guys so much and love coming to visit you. We had a "fun" barbecue on the beach with lots of sand in our food and here's one picture I captured of it. Sofie and her cousin Savannah are just about a month apart. They had fun playing together and being together. When I say "fun" barbecue at the beach it was pretty much anything but that. Gracie was eating sand, someone threw a frisbee that crashed right by our food shooting sand all over it and we had to shape our hamburger patties with garbage sacks because "someone" didn't do that before we left home:) But it's the memories that matter right!

Sofie Update

2009-07-15T19:31:00.000-06:00

Sofie is 3 1/2 now and so much fun and so BUSY! She's such a cute girl and does the funniest stuff. Artie and I always say that we're glad she's so cute and funny to make up for all the tough times. Here are a few recent pictures of her...

One day she wanted to decorate my toes with her stickers. She put stickers on both of our toes and I had to take a picture. She was so proud that I was keeping the stickers on.

Sofie loves anything SWEET. This is her in St. John at one of Artie's shows. They had free cotton candy and she was in HEAVEN!

A little funny story about Sofie. For some reason she has to do cheers whenever anyone has the same thing as her or she sees people with the same things. For instance one day we were swimming in my friend's pool and my friend was sitting out there talking to us. She got a phone call and while she was on the phone Sofie said, "Mom, look she has a ring just like you!" Then she whispers in my ear, "Mom, do cheers." She was not satisfied until I told my friend we had to touch our rings together. Another day I put her hair in a ponytail and my hair was in a pony tail. She ran up to me and touched her ponytail to mine and said, "Cheers!" She also has to do that whenever the kids have suckers! I don't know where she got this from, but it's SO CUTE!

A Change of Plans

2009-06-23T20:28:00.008-06:00

Last Friday, I had a surprise for Artie for Father's Day weekend. I had planned it out about two weeks in advance, had the kids all taken care of and was so excited! Artie and I were going to go here...To a Scottsdale Resort to spend a nice relaxing weekend and all day Saturday just hanging out by the pool. On Friday night we were going to go to dinner here...

To Mastro's Ocean Club a fun fancy restaurant that a friend of ours got us a reservation and was even paying for our whole meal! Instead, Thursday night Cameron came home from a friend's house and told us that his stomach hurt. We thought he was just making excuses to not take a shower, go to bed, etc. He ALWAYS says his stomach hurts when he doesn't want to do something, so we weren't being too sympathetic. He finally went to bed and about an hour later came out and told us he thought he was going to throw up. All of our kids have had the stomach flu lately so we just thought that's what he was getting. Friday morning he came to our room at 5:30 am and could barely walk and had SEVERE pain on his lower right abdomen down by his hip. We could hardly touch his stomach it hurt so bad. He was in SO much pain. I immediately told Artie to take him to the ER right across Southern from our house. So we went here...
To Mountain Vista Medical Center where they tried 3 times to get an IV in and finally succeeded and immediately gave him morphine, drew his blood and got him in for a CT scan on his abdomen. Three hours later they finally gave us the result that Cameron had this...
(Don't mind the gross picture!) Appendicitis was the outcome! So immediately we had to go in one of these...

To here...

Banner Desert Children's Hospital so that he could have his appendix removed! As soon as we arrived in the ambulance and got to his hospital room, the surgery team came and got him and said he was next in line for surgery. They prepped him, got him all ready to go and wheeled him away. An hour later, the surgery was over and luckily his appendix never ruptured! It was just extremely inflamed and could have ruptured at any moment. If your appendix does rupture you have to stay in the hospital for 7-10 days with strong antibiotics. We were lucky enough to be able to bring him home on Father's Day! So after a long eventful weekend, not like we had planned, we are all exhausted and trying to get our life back to normal! We are so grateful that we were prompted to go to the hospital right away and get Cameron taken care of. I guess an inflamed appendix is not something to take lightly. And FYI your appendix is on your right side way down low by your hip. EVERYONE I talk to thinks it's on the left but it's really on the right. We're so glad that Cameron is okay and that he is part of our family. He is such a blessing to us! Even though Artie and I didn't get to go to the hotel and spend one on one time together, I'm so glad that we got to spend some time with Cameron alone. Even though it wasn't under the best circumstances, I feel like it was a sweet experience for us. We love you Cam!
And thank you to everyone for all of your prayers and support! We are so lucky to have such good family and friends:)

Opening Day for San Tan National

2009-05-16T15:06:00.007-06:00

Here are some pictures from Opening Day for Little League. It happened to fall on my birthday! It was fun though... The kids looked so cute in their new uniforms and got to parade out on the high school field with their teams. I got a little choked up when they said the little league pledge. It's nice to know that there is still some good in this crazy world. I'm so glad my boys can be a part of this and hope they enjoy it for years to come. I thought I would post the pledge so I can remember it for my sake.

I trust in God

I love my country

And will respect its laws

I will play fair

And strive to win

But win or lose

I will always do my best

Miles is Star Student

2009-05-16T15:01:00.003-06:00

So it's really time for me to play catch up. We've just been so busy this last couple of months. I was looking at all my pictures off my camera today and realized I never posted about a lot of things that we've been up to. First off, Miles got the Star Student award for the 3rd quarter. Yes, I know that was a long time ago! We are so proud of him. He's such a good kid. His teacher said she nominated him because he is kind to others and makes friends with everyone. He definately has a BIG heart. I couldn't be more proud of my little guy. I feel so bad. I often treat him like he's WAY older than he really is. I need to step back and enjoy this time that he's little. I can't believe he'll be in first grade next year. Where did this year go? He has gained so much knowledge this year. He is reading and writing so well. It's so fun when they first discover reading. It's absolutely amazing how much he's changed over the past 9 months of school. I love you so much Miles. You are such a good boy!

My Girls Are So Much Fun (and adorable!)

2009-05-07T17:12:00.003-06:00

Today Sofie, Gracie and I went to San Tan Mall to play in the water. I had gone to the mall on Tuesday but we didn't think to take swim suits so I promised I would take them back. The boys had a Water Day at school today so they got to wear their swim shorts to school. Sofie immediately got up and put her swim suit on too and said she was having a water day. Well, she knew how to get to me. It would have broken my heart to not let her have her own "water day". So off we went. She had a lot of fun. Gracie hated the water! She had fun just walking along the wall. Both of the girls absolutely LOVE being outside! As I was sitting there watching Sofie I realized how fast she's growing up. She is getting so big now and is at the FUNNEST stage ever right now. She's finally growing out of that nasty two year old stage and I'm SOOO glad. I'm finally thinking we're going to be best friends after all! Well, at least until she's 13. I hope to have many more days like this with my girls soon. It was TOO MUCH FUN.

She's One!

2009-04-22T16:57:00.001-06:00

Gracie is officially one now! I can't believe it. Where has this past year gone. I feel like just the other day I was holding this newborn baby that was two weeks old and thinking how fast she was growing. Now she's a year and trying to walk and is saying words. It seems like every year of my life passes by faster than the year before. Why is that?
Gracie girl we love you so much and are so glad that you've come to our family. We don't know what we'd do without you. You are truely an angel and the happiest girl. You bring us so much JOY and HAPPINESS. Now please stop growing and stay like this FOREVER!

Gracie's First Birthday

2009-04-22T16:50:00.001-06:00

On Gracie's actual birthday we celebrated at home as a family. She had her own cake and really dug in. She LOVED it. And LOVED all the attention she was getting. The kids really got a kick out of watching her dig in to her cake. We love Gracie so much and are so happy she is part of our family. She is at such a fun age right now and we're enjoying her develop her own little personality. We love you G!

She also got her first package in the mail. A gift from her friend Lily in Reno.

Lots of Parties

2009-04-15T21:33:00.004-06:00

The day of Sofie's actual birthday (March 22nd) we had a little party for her at my mom's house. We had pizza, cake and ice cream! Sofie loved her pink cake of course. My sister got her the book Purplicious which is the sequel to Pinkalicious and is so adorable. If you have girls it's a must have! She was so thrilled that is was her special day!
A couple weeks later we had a combined family party for both the girls. Gracie will be one on April 22nd. Their birthdays are exactly one month apart. They probably won't like this when they get older having the combined parties, but for now we'll take advantage of that! We had both our families over for dinner, cake (this time Little Mermaid theme) and ice cream and I made cupcake pops from Bakerella's Blog. They were so fun (and time consuming) to make and SOOO yummy! Everyone loved them. Gracie got a little walker from my parents and is loving walking around with it. The girls had a blast. Now we're gearing up for more cake next week on Gracie's actual birthday. We have to let her dig into her first cake. I can't believe she's turning one. Wow! This year has FLOWN by.

Gracie and Cousin Aubree

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T17:15:00.002-06:00

I love Easter. I LOVE getting my kids new matching church clothes. (I know that's not the point of Easter AT ALL, but I LOVE it!) I had envisioned in my head a perfect Sunday morning picture of them before church in their coordinating outfits. Well, below you can see the reality of my vision. Not so good. It's okay though. I'm realizing the more kids I have, the harder it is going to be to get a really good picture of all of them. So this will have to do. I love every one of my sweet children with all my heart. They teach me such vauable lessons. Next year, I'm not going to stress about the perfect picture and remember what Easter is truely about.

Gracie with Aunt Wawa (Robyn)

A Conversation With Miles

2009-04-03T18:37:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I got some new shoes at Old Navy. Miles noticed I was wearing them today. Here's how the conversation went:

Miles: Mom, you got new shoes!

Me: Yeah, do you like them?

Miles: Yeah, did you make them or get them at Target?

Me: Actually I got them at Old Navy.

Miles: Oh, so they're not new they are old?

Funny kid! Apparently all I do is make things or buy things at Target. And who knew when you bought things at Old Navy they weren't new they were old. My kids probably thought I was buying them old clothes all this time! Haha!

How Can She Be 3 Already?

2009-03-22T12:16:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Sofie! It seems like just the other day I had a few strong contractions and rushed to the hospital to have you only twenty minutes later. It seems like I was just waking up with you in the night and not believing this perfect baby girl was really mine. I am so lucky to be your mommy. You are such a blessing in my life. I love you so much Sof!!! We attempted to take some three year old pictures of her this morning and it just wasn't really working for me. She definately had the birthday wiggles! It's so fun when they turn three. This is the first time she's really had a clue that today is a special day for her. We woke up and she opened her presents and we had Belgian Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. She loved it. Now all she's talking about is how she wants her pink cake! She's such a girl and I love it!

Practicing with my Camera

2009-03-11T16:57:00.003-06:00

I've finally gotten the opportunity to play around with my camera a little. I love it! It's such a fun little hobby because you get to focus on what's most important. To me that's my children and family. I'm loving taking pictures of my kids. When I look at a picture of them I see them in a whole new light. I want to remember the little everyday things that they do by taking more pictures of them. Thanks Haleigh for the little camera lesson and letting me borrow your awesome lens. I think that will be my next purchase for sure!

My Little Monkey

2009-03-11T16:50:00.005-06:00

After tons and tons of practice, Miles accomplished his goal of crossing the monkey bars! He is so proud of himself. I'm proud of him too. He now has blisters on both of his hands from being on the monkey bars every day at recess. Good job Miles, you are such a big boy.While Miles practiced the monkey bars, Sofie had to do a little practicing too! She thought she was so good at this. Gracie sat in the stroller and observed the sand. She was happy just being outside and enjoying this beautiful Arizona weather. Oh and by the way, Cameron was at a friends house. Otherwise, we'd have a picture of him too!

Blame It On Facebook

2009-02-28T16:40:00.005-07:00

I caved... I joined Facebook after swearing I would never do such a think. Now the blog has been neglected more than ever. So here's a post to keep it up to date...

Where should I start?

Valentine's Day- This year I made the big Valentine breakfast on a Thursday morning. Valentine's Day wasn't until Saturday, but that's also my sister-in-laws birthday. Some other girls and I took her out to breakfast at Cracker's for her birthday. Don't tell anyone, but it was WAY better than Valentine Pancakes! Friday night I decorated the kid's doors with the traditional cut out hearts with all their good qualities written on them. One of Sofie's was, "You sing like Ariel!" She loved that. She's completely into Ariel now and goes around singing the Ariel song all day. You know the one that has NO words. She's getting to such a fun age where they get into all the fun Disney Princess stuff. I LOVE it! The boys had a great day too. They LOVE the hearts on their door. They were so amazed to wake up to that. Almost better than Christmas! Not really, but we'll pretend. It's amazing the simple little things that will make your kids so happy. Who would think construction paper taped on a door would make a child have such a great day? That's what I love about kids!

Two Girls In The Tub- I've realized I need to post more about our everyday lives. I took some pictures of my girls in the tub because that's their fav thing to do. Now Gracie is trying to crawl up the side and grab all the soap and things. She is getting so mobile and busy! 10 months is probably my favorite age of all. She's getting such a fun personality...

Am I Crazy?

2009-02-02T16:48:00.003-07:00

My mom talked me into doing London's Run with her this year. The 10K!!! Let me tell you, I have not really excercised at all since I had Gracie 9 months ago. I'm probably in the worst shape I ever have been. (Not like I've ever been in good shape!) It was actually fun though. I walked probably 90% of the time, but that's okay. I finished and that was my goal! Next year, I'm making it a goal to run the whole time. Maybe I'll try the two mile??? We will see. Thanks mom for talking me into this and making me push myself. And not to mention it was for a great cause! I'm not trying to be a show-off, but can I say I'm really proud of myself!!!!

Way to go Sofie!

2009-02-02T16:41:00.002-07:00

My baby girl is officially potty trained! Yeah! I had promised her that if she stayed dry for a week and had NO accidents that we would go to Build A Bear. She accomplished her goal and we got to go last Thursday. She was so excited since we had talked about it for a few weeks. Just her and I went and it was fun to have some time alone together. She had so much fun picking out her PINK MONKEY that had panties because it was potty trained like her. Then she got to pick out the outfit. She absolutely LOVED it. We named her monkey Mable. I love that name so basically I picked it out. She's still scared to sleep with her though, so she sleeps on the floor next to Sofie's bed. Now let's just hope she doesn't start having accidents now that she got to go!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-16T20:15:00.013-07:00

We had a fantastic Christmas this year. I guess officially it was last year now. I'm a little slow at getting these pictures up and I know it's kind of late to be talking about Christmas, but I have to get these pictures up for journaling purposes. Please forgive me! We celebrated with all the Whiting Family this year on the 22nd. We had tons of fun and the kids had a blast. We had a little gift exchange with the cousins this year. It was our first year having the kids exchange gifts with one another and they LOVED it. We'll definately be doing that again. Then all the kids got Kung Fu Panda from Grandpa and Grandma Whiting and each got their own panda Webkinz. So cute! We had a yummy dinner, a talent show where my kids sang "I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas" and the kids acted out the Nativity. Cameron got to be Joseph this year, Miles a shepard, and Sofie an angel. My kids love this so much. I'm so grateful that the Whiting's have so many fun traditions. I'm sure my kids will remember these fun times with their cousins all their lives.

On Christmas Eve we spent time with my family. The kids had fun opening presents with their cousin Bo. He's only three years old but can totally hang with my boys. He's one tough kid! They got some fun presents from Grandpa and Grandma and some new p.j.'s from Uncle Scott, Aunt Bonny and Bo. We also had our traditional Mexican food dinner that was YUMMY!

Christmas morning came WAY too early becuase Santa's helpers were up until 3:30 in the morning the night before. The kids were excited to open their presents and play with their new toys. Cameron spent the whole day on Christmas building his new 950 piece lego set that he completed all on his own. The kid is amazing. We had such a fun day together even though we were extremely exhausted. Somehow I managed to get a second wind and we had Artie's parents and my parents and sister over for Christmas dinner at our house. I was so proud of myself that I made homeade rolls, sweet potato souffle, a yummy salad and desert. My mom brought a Honey Baked Ham and Artie's mom some awesome potatoes that were to die for. Artie really pulled through this year and surprised me with some matching aprons for Sofie and I. I've been dreaming about having matching aprons since before she was born. Poor little Gracie was sick all of Chrismtas Day on her first Christmas. She didn't seem to mind, but it made me so sad. She was just as happy as ever though and LOVED the wrapping paper.

We spent the rest of the Christmas break just hanging out together and having fun as a family. We also got to have a little birthday party for Grandpa and Grandma Betts. Artie had some vacation days and it was so nice to have him home. Now we're finally getting back in to the swing of things and back into a routine. The holidays are so much fun!

Why Haven't I Been Blogging?

2009-01-14T10:51:00.002-07:00

Enough said...

I'll be back soon!

My Little Gracie Marie

2008-12-12T14:49:00.002-07:00

Been meaning to post this picture for a long time. My sweet friend Haleigh took it and I think it's perfect. Just thought I'd share. Enjoy!

P.S. If you want a perfectly cute picture of your little one check out her website. http://www.snapallaz.com/ You won't be disappointed.

New Do and New Camera

2008-12-10T15:56:00.005-07:00

Yeah, I finally chopped my hair off. It feels SO good. I already miss my long hair, but it was definately time for something new. We'll see how long it lasts. Thanks Brooke. You do a fabulous job. P.S. Don't look at the dark circles under my eyes. I feel like a bad cold is coming my way:( And, yes, I'm spoiled. I got my new camera that I've been wishing for. My husband is so kind.

Thanksgiving...Finally!

2008-12-08T15:42:00.002-07:00

Oh it feels so good to get updated! Thanksgiving was tons of fun. We celebrated with the Whiting Family at Jenny and Steve's house. It was fun having a little rain for the holiday. The kids had so much fun with their cousins as usual. We missed a few of them though:( We stuffed ourselves and looked to the ads to plan out our attack for Black Friday.

California...Finally!

2008-12-08T14:23:00.006-07:00

It's taken me so long to post these pictures. I've been a total slacker on the blog lately. We went to California the middle of November and since we've been home things have been CRAZY. It's that time of year. When we got home it was Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas letters, shopping for Christmas, etc. non-stop! We had so much fun on our trip. We spent the first two days of our trip in Anaheim and going to Disneyland and California Adventure. The kids had a blast. Artie and I had fun too but it was very tiring managing four kids at Disneyland, two of which still take naps and didn't get them for two days. When Artie and I were looking for a hotel before we came, we decided to search on Priceline. We ended up getting a room at the Hyatt for only $60 a night which is a total steal. The only thing though is that you can only book for double occupancy through Priceline. We obviously had more than two people that were going to be in our room, but we decided to just take blankets and stuff so that the kids could sleep wherever knowing that we probably would not sleep AT ALL. Anyways, when we walk into the Hyatt and we were checking in, Sofie got up out of the double stroller and the whole thing tipped over (with Gracie in it) and our drink that was in the cup holder spilled everywhere in the middle of the hotel lobby. This whole scene was quite embarrasing! The guy that Artie was talking to when he was checking in was so nice, they had someone come clean up the drink and everything and Gracie was totally fine since she was strapped in, luckily! Then, the hotel desk guy just happened to be from Mesa and noticed on our reservation that we were two. He looked in the computer to find our room and noticed we only had one reserved with a King bed. (I think with all the drama he knew we needed a good night's rest:)) He told us he would give us the Kid's Suite. It was so nice. Bunk beds for the kids, a pull out twin bed, a King bed for us and a crib for Gracie! Thank you hotel guy, you are the best! We ended up getting sleep on our trip which was so nice. The two days at Disneyland were so perfect. There was NOBODY there. We only stood in line for about 5 minutes on two rides, the rest had no line at all. We couldn't have picked a better time to go.
After Anaheim, we went down to Coronado Island. Artie's band was playing there and his work put us up at the Hotel Del Coronado. It was so nice! We were right on the beach and even though the water was freezing the kids loved it. They could have spent hours out there. I quickly realized that people in California don't have a lot of kids or something. EVERYONE asked if all these kids were mine! It was the craziest thing.

We had something kind of funny happen while we were out taking pictures of our kids on the beach. These three Asian men came walking up and they spoke zero English. They started taking some pictures. All three of them had a camera and a video camera with them. We kept telling the kids to move so that these guys could take some pictures of the beach. We then found out they wanted pictures of our kids. I know my kids are cute but this was really strange. Then they motioned for all of us to get together and they took a picture of our family. It was really weird. I wished I had that family picture on the beach. I was not about to let them take our camera to take a picture of us in fear of them thinking I was giving it to them since we could not communicate!

After Coronado we were up to visit family in Oceanside. It was a lot of fun. Thanks Trevor and Lori for letting us crash at your house even though you were expecting a baby any day! We rented a six person bicycle and rode it down the beach and then went out for an amazing Italian dinner without the kids. The kids had a fun time playing with their cousin Savannah and playing on the beach again.

We had such a good time. I've been having the hardest time getting back into the swing of things. (I actually have to clean and do laundry???) Now I'm exhausted and I need a VACATION!!!!!

SRP Picnic

2008-11-01T18:40:00.003-06:00

We went to Artie's work picnic today. It was fun but REALLY hot. It was 95 degrees when I got in the car afterward. Isn't it November? It's the craziest weather right now. I cannot believe it is still so hot. The kids had a blast though playing out in the hot sun. They don't seem to mind at all. The boys loved the rock climbing wall and Sofie loved the little games they had. Artie's band played too and we haven't gotten to see them play for a while so that was fun. Lots of family and friends came this year too so it was nice to have some help with the kids. Thank You! Gracie was well taken care of by her grandpa that fed her ice cream, made sure she was cool enough by putting water on her head and giving her sips of water from the lid of his water bottle. She loved it!

Cameron rock climbing almost at the TOP!

My cute husband rockin' out

Miles and Gracie with Grandpa and Grandma Betts

(If you see Artie anytime soon please tell him I really need that Canon Rebel. These pictures are horrible!)

Halloween

2008-11-01T18:16:00.004-06:00

Why does my husband have to be so cheesy? I had no idea he was making this face until I put all the pictures on my computer today.
Gracie the Lady Bug

Miles Darth Vader

Sofie Sleeping Beauty

Whiting Cousins at the Party

What a week of festivities it has been! The Halloween celebrations started last Friday night for us with the Whiting Family Halloween Party that Artie's mom has every year. The kids absolutely love it. They get so excited to dress up and play games at grandma's house. This year she even had little prizes for the games and the kids really enjoyed that. On Monday, Sofie had a little Halloween party at a friend's house. It was so cute to have a little two year old Halloween party. Then, on Tuesday we had our ward Halloween party with the trunk-or-treat. It's so nice that the kids can just go from car to car and get a lot of candy really fast! Last night was actually the real Halloween where the kids got to go trick-or-treating. We had "mummy dogs" for dinner and "baked bones". The kids thought that was hilarious. We went out trick-or-treating with Artie's brother and wife and their kids and our friends. We had a HUGE group of kids. We went really far this year and the kids got so much candy. It will be mysteriously disappearing soon! My kids want candy all day long now and ask for it every two minutes. Then they're seriously bouncing off the walls and ceiling! We've had a fun week and now we're ready to just relax a little. Happy Halloween!

6 Months Old

2008-11-01T18:11:00.002-06:00

Sofie is totally enjoying this picture
I finally got a picture of her half-smiling

Gracie turned 6 months on the 22nd of October. I CANNOT believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was awaiting her arrival. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is such a sweet little girl. My favorite thing about having a baby is that they need their mom so much. I love this little girl. She is such a momma's girl. The other kids all gravitate to Artie but this little one is all mine. I took her to the doctor for her check up the other day and she weighed in at 15lbs. 10 oz. and 26 1/2 inches long. She's growing like a weed. She loves all baby food now and rice cereal too. Her little legs are getting so chunky. I could just eat this little girl up. Mommy loves you Gracie!

Whiting Reunion

2008-11-01T18:07:00.002-06:00

We recently had a "mini" Whiting Family Reunion up in Payson. It included all the family that is under Artie's grandpa Art. It's crazy for me to call it mini because there were enough people there to form an army. My family is so small compared to theirs. It was tons of fun. They rented a bounce house, had cookie decorating and lots of fun activities for the kids. Artie's uncle owns the movie theatre up in Payson, so after the reunion we all got to go to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. The kids had a blast being with their cousins ALL day!

Cameron's Birthday Party

2008-11-01T18:03:00.001-06:00

Cameron had his party at Peter Piper this year. It's the first time we've had one of the kid's parties at a "place". It was so nice to not have to clean the whole house before the party and clean again afterwards. The money is so worth not having the stress relating to birthday parties. Thanks for the fabulous idea Heather. Cameron and his friends had a blast and luckily my grandma was there to keep supplying them with tokens. They loved it! This was also the first year that Cameron wanted to invite girls to his party. I was shocked! He's been so anti-girl up until now. I think it's pretty cute that he's warming up to the ladies.

A Trip to the Zoo

2008-10-18T22:28:00.002-06:00

During fall break about a week ago I decided to take the kids to the zoo. They were SO excited! They have a new water area there that the kids absolutely LOVED. If you haven't gone yet, it's a must. I didn't realize though how HOT it was going to be that day. I think it was 97 degrees when I left. My sis-in-law Jenny met me there, but she couldn't come until later because she had some errands to run. Unfortunately, by the time she got there we were about ready to go. Gracie was hot and cranky and Sofie was ready for a nap. Jenny was still going to be there for a while so the boys stayed with her and their cousins so I could get the girls home. The boys had so much fun spending time with their cousins that we don't see very often since they live a whole 20 MINUTES away. Pathetic I know! Thanks Jen for letting them stay with you. They had such a blast!

Happy Birthday Cameron

2008-10-18T22:17:00.002-06:00

My big boy turned seven today! I can hardly believe it! Not only can I not believe that seven years have gone by since I had my first baby boy, I can't believe that I'm old enough to have a seven year old. Wow! I love this guy. He's such a good kid. He's doing so good in school and is such a good brother to his siblings. Sometimes I feel like I'm WAY too hard on him and I don't realize how little he still is since I have three that are younger than him. I expect too much out of him at times. I need to stop and enjoy every moment I have with him still being little because all too soon he's going to be a teenager. If the next seven years go by as fast as the last have that's going to come WAY too soon. Cameron I love you so much. Here are seven things I LOVE about you:

1. You are so CREATIVE and you love to use your IMAGINATION.

2. You are a GOOD example to those around you especially your brother and sisters.

3. The special place in your heart for your SISTERS. You are so protective over them and so sweet with them. You always hear Gracie when she wakes up and you go and get her. You love that you're big enough to carry her around. It's so cute.

4. Your KNOWLEDGE of the Gospel. You have a sweet testimony and you have learned so much in primary. I'm so proud of you!

5. Your WILLINGNESS to help. Like I said above, sometimes I know I expect too much out of you but you are always willing to help me when I'm trying to do 50 things at once.

6. Your CRAZY dance moves. I don't know where you learned them from, but they are truely AMAZING!

7. Your PERSONALITY! All your friends at school love you. You are a very FUNNY boy and love to make people LAUGH.

I love you so much and hope you had a great birthday little buddy!

This Girl Has Some Mad Skills

2008-10-05T15:15:00.002-06:00

Heather and I have been really close friends for the last few years and Friday she had to move to Reno. (tears) I'm so sad that she had to move away but am grateful for all the memories and fun times we've had together. Before she left (with a little, okay A LOT of bugging from me) she painted this sign for Gracie's room. This picture does it NO justice at all, but I LOVE it. Sometimes I just sit in her room and stare at it and wonder how she could do this so perfectly. I miss you already Heather! And besides photography (see post below) you have some mad skills!
Reno is so lucky to have you!

Pictures of the Kids

2008-10-05T15:03:00.003-06:00

My friend Heather and I decided to take "photos" of our kids. We went to Old Navy, got our boys new shirts, changed them, went to Freestone park, took the pictures all in one hour! We finished so fast because the kids HATED it and would not COOPERATE and the SUN was going down rapidly. We didn't realize the sun started going down so much earlier recently. Well, the whole thing turned out to be a joke. The kids just didn't want to do it. The lake was near by and they just wanted to go and throw things in the lake. I think this was more of a learning experience for Heather and I. (Pay for nice pictures of your kids!) At least we got something out of this whole chaos. And by the way Haleigh and Ashley, I give you A LOT more credit for your photography skills. This is no easy job.

Cameron totally not into this, Sofie looking at the ground, Miles fake smiling and Sofie staring into the sun

A Visit From the Great Grandparents

2008-10-05T14:51:00.003-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Betts meeting Gracie for the 1st time

My grandparents from Tucson had not had a chance to see Gracie yet. I felt so bad I hadn't gone down there, but in reality it just wasn't going to happen. Luckily my parents arranged for them to come up here to see her. It was also my grandpa's birthday so we got to celebrate too. They just LOVED Gracie to pieces! Of course:) I'm so glad they came when they did because the day after they got back to Tucson my grandma had a heart attack. She is fine now, but once she gets her strength back she will have to undergo open heart surgery. This was such a blessing that they came to visit when they did or who knows how long it would have been until they could meet her. My grandma is such a special lady and she is the sweetest person I've ever met. They are actually my "step-grandparents" but I love them so much because they've always treated me like I was theirs from day 1. I hope that my grandma gets better soon so we can have many more visits.

My beautiful sisters Bonny and Robyn with my nephew Bo and Gracie

Aunt Wawa (Robyn) and Sofie

My sister Robyn and Gracie

All my kids with their Great-Grandparents

Gracie's First Taste

2008-10-05T14:45:00.003-06:00

Gracie is five months old now! I can't believe it. She has had an eye on our food for the last few weeks. A couple of days after she turned five months I decided to get her some cereal and give it a try. NONE of my other kids like the rice cereal AT ALL. She LOVED LOVED LOVED it. She was practically diving for it. She ate all of what I had made her plus a second serving. It's so fun to have a baby that LIKES to eat. It's so much more fun than force feeding! She has now also had carrots, sweet potatoes and peas (she HATES them so much she shivers when she swallows)! The kids think it's so much fun to watch her eat her food and Sofie loves to "help" feed her.

This Kid Cracks Me Up!

2008-10-05T14:39:00.002-06:00

Oh, Miles you are such a funny boy! The other night Cameron and Miles got "grounded" from the TV, video games, etc. for the following day. Well, they woke up really early the next morning and remembered they couldn't watch the TV while they ate their breakfast. They came running into our room. (Yes, we were still sleeping it was like 6:00am) They asked Artie how they could get "ungrounded"??? I told them to go unload the dishwasher. (Their LEAST favorite chore.) Miles was whining and complaining about it so Artie told him, "Okay, go vaccum the whole house." (Knowing that he would just go ahead and unload the dishwasher because what 5 year old could vaccum the whole house?? He can hardly push the vaccum.) Artie and I are still laying in our bed when all of the sudden the vaccum turns on! Miles decided he would rather vaccum the house. I can't believe he actually took the initiative to go get the vaccum out, unwind the cord and start going. He's so cute and SMART! I love you Miles:)

I Have ANOTHER Blankie Lover

2008-10-04T17:42:00.002-06:00

This is how I find Grace just about EVERY time she takes a nap. She HAS to have her blankie and LOVES to put it right over her face. I think it's the only way she can get peace around here!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little girl. She's SO much fun! She's definately taking after her big sis with the BLANKIE loving.

Walking With the Dinosaurs

2008-09-12T12:54:00.002-06:00

My mom and I took the boys to see "Walking With the Dinosaurs" the other night at US Airways. They loved it. The dinosaurs looked completely real. I'm so glad we didn't take Sofie. She would have been scared to death. On the way to the show the boys were in the back of the car talking and they didn't know I was listening. They had a little conversation that went like this...
Miles: Cam, are we really going to walk with the dinosaurs?
Cameron: No Mi (that what he calls Miles, sounds like My) they are extinct!!!
Miles: What? They stink?
Cameron: No Mi, extinct, it means they don't exist.
I started laughing. It was so funny. And crazy to hear my six year old say words like that and actually know what they mean. They are growing up too fast. I love those boys!

New Dress

2008-09-12T12:48:00.004-06:00

Sofie got to wear a new dress I got her on Sunday. I LOVE it. It's my favorite dress ever and the pink shoes are to die for!!! I made her wait to change after church so I could take a picture. It wasn't very successful, she was angry. I finally bribed her with candy and it worked for a second. Cute story about the shoes... When I picked her up from nursery on Sunday her teacher told me how all the girls loved her shoes and they ALL had to try them on. So fun!!! I need some pink shoes:)

Gracie- 4 Months Already

2008-09-12T12:44:00.002-06:00

Trying to get a picture of Gracie smiling. Impossible! She's so smiley so I whip out my camera to try and capture the cuteness and of course, I can't get the cute picture. Oh well, right. At least I tried. I can't believe my baby girl is 4 months old. She's so much fun. She smiles ALL the time, laughs, grabs her toes and LOVES her blanky. She's such a doll. We love her SO much...

Random Pictures

2008-09-12T12:34:00.002-06:00

Me and my girls. Just realizing we haven't taken pictures in a while. Not for any occasion just to remember the moments.
Dad and his girlies. They totally ADORE him!
Sofie making her own necklace. The boys were gone one night, so we decided to make her a necklace out of her beads. She had so much fun and now wears her necklace everywhere. She's so proud of it.
Sofie is always RIGHT by her sister. She will not leave her alone. At least I know she loves her A LOT...
Sofie playing her pink guitar. She HAS to have the pink glasses on or she will NOT play with the guitar. She's such a goof ball.

Whiting Homestead

2008-09-12T12:21:00.002-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend I already had a "girl's trip" planned with a friend of mine and I was planning on taking Gracie with me since she's my side kick. Artie decided he didn't want to just stay at home like we always do with the kids so he ventured out and took them up to the Whiting Homestead for the weekend. They had a BLAST! Grandma Whiting went along with them and I'm so glad they got to spend some quality time with her. Their favorite part of the Homestead was catching Horny Toads and letting them crawl up their shirts. Sofie was a tad bit scared! They also caught craw dads up in Donut Lake and Artie even cooked and ate one! Gross!!!! Sofie also loved picking flowers. I'm so glad that there is somewhere they can go and just be kids. They can run free, be goofy and get DIRTY! We can't wait to take them back up there.

My Girls

2008-09-12T12:16:00.003-06:00

It's so much fun having two girls. I've got to spend so much time doing girly things with them now that the boys are in school. It's so different for me. I used to have the two boys at home, now things have switched and it's two girls at home. These are just a few random pictures of things we've done, and Gracie sleeping of course. Her favorite thing to do! One picture of Sofie (weird face I know) is at Kid's Club. Her favorite thing to do now even though she's scared to death of Dewper. She's practically shaking when he get within 30 feet of us but then she's begging to go back every day of the week. And then there's the picture of her riding the pony. She LOVES the carousel. It's a must EVERY time we go to the mall.

ASU Scrimmage

2008-09-12T12:12:00.003-06:00

The boys had a night out with dad going to the ASU Scrimmage game. They had such a fun time and even got to give Sparky a high five. I'm so glad that Artie takes them to do such fun things. They are so lucky to have such a fun dad. Sofie was so sad that she didn't get to go, so I gave her and Gracie a "pedicure" while they were gone. Sofie loved it. Gracie not so much. They both now have pink toes. Sofie's favorite! Go DEVILS!

Two In School

2008-08-13T15:00:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I have two kids in school now. It has been so weird these last two days. It's SO quiet and there's NO fighting! Yeah. My boys are loving school so far. They can't wait to go back each day. I miss being with them ALL day, but it has been a nice break for them as well as me:)

Miles started Kindergarten this year. I can't believe how grown up he is now. It seems like he was just my little baby now he's all grown up and going to school. I was nervous for him to start Kindergarten and wondering how tired he would get. I think he gets pretty tired since it's all day but he seems to be adjusting well. His teacher's name is Mrs. Bycott. She seems pretty nice and Miles likes her. The first day Miles seemed a little nervous but just went with the flow and didn't cry or anything. I am so proud of him. When I picked him up at school after the first day and he first saw me he had this look on his face like "Where have you been?" I asked him if he wanted to go back the next day and he said, "Yeah, but that was kind of long!" Poor kid! I think it's just the getting used to that will be hard for him. He told me he made a friend named Gavin and some other friends that he doesn't know their names. How funny!! Wouldn't that be weird to not know your friend's names??? Only in Kindergarten!

Cameron started 2nd Grade this year and loves it. I was a little nervous because he switched schools this year so he could be closer to home and with the baby taking naps and stuff it would just be easier for me. Anyways, the first day when I picked him up he said, "This was the best day of my life!" I was so happy that I made the right decision for him. He's already made a lot of friends. His cousin Piper had the same teacher that he has when she was in 2nd Grade and had told him that they get to raise butterflies this year. Well, when we were talking after school on the first day he said, "Mom, we didn't even get to raise the butterflies." I thought that was so funny. He thought they were going to hatch and raise butterflies all on the first day of school. I had to explain to him that they would probably do that later on in the year and it would take a long time! The kids are loving that they go to school with their cousins now. Piper is so excited to pick Miles up from his class each day. Yesterday, I went to the school and just kind of stood back to see if they could all find each other after school. I asked Piper if when she went to get Miles from his class if she just asked his teacher if she could pick up Miles and she said, "No, I told her thank you so much for teaching him today!" She so sweet and thoughtful! I love her so much. I'm so glad that my kids are loving school and that they love their cousins so much. We are so lucky!

I've Been Tagged...

2008-08-06T17:53:00.002-06:00

THE GAME
Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person know who tagged you that you've posted your answers.
TEN YEARS AGO:
1. I had just graduated from High School
2. I moved away from home for the first time.
3. I went to college at MCC and Chandler Gilbert CC.
4. I was a dental assistant for Dr. Rock.
5. Got my wisdom teeth pulled.
ON TODAY'S TO-DO LIST:
1. Laundry.
2. Go to my friend Melissa's Home and Garden Party.
3. Make dinner.
4. Fold laundry.
5. Put away laundry. (I think I have too much laundry!)
THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE:
1. Save money for my kids and grandkids.
2. Treat myself to a shopping spree.
3. Donate to a good cause.
4. Pay off my house and car and other bills.
PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Arizona: Mesa, Gilbert

OK, now I'm tagging Mary, Melissa V., Lori, Jenny and Crystal

Going Private

2008-07-25T09:05:00.001-06:00

When I Googled my kid's names my blog popped up, I decided it's time. If you'd like to be able to view my blog, send me your email address if I don't already have it. I'll add you to my list!

Venturing Out and Other Adventures

2008-07-03T22:47:00.005-06:00

We finally decided to venture out to the library. The four kids and I that is. Now I know why I don't go anywhere with all four. I've come to the conclusion that it's the lovely two year old that's causing all of the problems. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces! My friends at Bunko were telling me I should take my kids to the library for the summer reading program. It's a great program, but after we drop our books in the drive-thru drop off, we might be done with the library for the summer. Sofie tried to get out of the stroller the whole time, then she finally did, then she kept losing her shoes, then trying to get them back on, then we would be about two feet in front of her and she would scream to the top of her lungs! The girl is CRAZY. My friends told me not to worry that the library is a lot louder over the summer because there's tons of kids there. Well, Sofie topped them all. Needless to say, next time we go back there, we'll get a sitter for Sofie. The boys loved it so much and loved picking out their books. I'd hate for them to miss out on this experience. Here's a picture of them after the library. As you could see I couldn't get Sofie to participate in the picture.Although Sofie is my little stinker, she's loving being a big sister. The boys got to go to my parent's cabin with them last weekend and I just had the girls for the weekend. Artie had a few shows with the band so it was mainly just me and the two girls. I kind of got a glimpse of how it's going to be once school starts and the two boys are gone all day. It's a little less chaotic but not much. The boys have been so good at playing together this summer (for the most part) and helping me out. I'm really going to miss them. But here's a picture of the two girls from last weekend.Our other adventure this summer has been going to the Summer Movie Fun at Harkins. I take the boys and usually Gracie with me since she's still little. The boys love it and get to sit with their friends and eat popcorn. What could be better? I leave Sofie with a friend from church. She has a little girl that's two days older than Sofie. You'd think they would be the best of friends. Occasionally they are, but for the most part they bug the heck out of each other. Kelsie is a cutie and I feel so bad for her. When she comes over to our house Sofie is very possessive and everything is "MINE!!!" My bathtub, my Gracie, my Mommy, etc... Yes the bathtub, she's even possessive over that. I do not know what to do with her. I've never had a child that could be so mean. I think Kelsie can hold her own though too when Sofie is at her house. Here's a picture of these two crazy girls on a good day. Oh and did I mention I watch her baby too that's two months older than Gracie. There's moments when I feel like I have two sets of twins and Cameron and Miles on top of that! Oh, I think I'm done at four kids!
All in all we're having a great summer. Gracie is growing so fast. Too fast! I'm so sensitive about my kids growing up for some reason. My friend Heather always makes fun of me!! I get so sentimental about the silliest things like Gracie not wearing newborn diapers anymore, I'd get sad if she had to move out of my room, or not counting how many weeks old she is now but months. I was thinking today of how many weeks she is and I've lost track and realized I'll just have to count months now and I about lost it. Don't grow up baby girl! Gracie is too much fun. She's starting to smile at us and coos at us too. She's sleeping 7 hours now at night (knock on wood) and loves her big brothers and sisters (especially when they're NOT two inches from her face). Here's a picture of my beautiful baby. We love her to pieces!!!!!
Oh, and I know this is totally of subject but if anyone knows where I can find a Wii Fit at retail price of $90 (none of these e-bay things that are WAY overpriced) let me know. I want one SOOO BAD and I call every Wal-Mart and Target almost every day! I know, I'm a loser:)

Life Is Fragile

2008-06-13T15:59:00.002-06:00

I was blog stalking today, as usual. I know everyone does it! I came across someone's blog that had twins about a few weeks before I had Gracie. I just saw on her blog that her little girl passed away a few days ago. This was a real eye opener to me. It made me realize just how fragile life really is. I think I take it for granted sometimes that I have happy, healthy children. I'm glad I ran across this so I could reflect on my own life. This makes me want to be a better mother and spend more QUALITY time with my children and show them how much I love them every minute of the day. My heart goes out to this family that has lost their baby girl. I was sitting, holding Gracie when I came across this blog and it took my breath away. I love my children so much and don't know how I could go on without one of them. I'm grateful that I could have this experience today.

Gracie's Newborn Pictures

2008-06-12T16:35:00.003-06:00

My amazing sister in law Ashley took some newborn pictures of Gracie when she was a week and a half old. She does such an awesome job. I was going to wait until I sent out her baby announcement that I'm slacking on to share these pictures, but I can't resist. Thank you so much Ashley. You're the best. To see more of her work, click on my Ashley Whiting Photography link on the right. Enjoy!

Gracie's Blessing

2008-06-05T15:18:00.002-06:00

Gracie's baby blessing was last Sunday. Artie did a wonderful job and Gracie was perfect! She looked so beautiful. We are so grateful for the loving families that we have that could come and support us. We really appreciate it. We had a family brunch at our house afterwards and everyone seemed to have a fun time. It's always fun to have EVERYONE over. I got some cute pictures of Gracie in her dress, but the family picture looks horrible. You can hardly see Gracie!

Miles Is 5

2008-06-05T15:05:00.003-06:00

So my little boy turned 5 on May 25th. I can't believe how fast he's growing up. He'll be going to Kindergarten in August! It seems so strange that he could be so big already. I remember saying when I had him and him and Cameron were so close in age that I would never have another child until he was in Kindergarten. Well, that wasn't true! He's not even there yet and now we have two little girls too. Miles is such a good boy. We are so glad that he is part of our family! He got to invite his cousins over for dinner on his actual birthday since it was on a Sunday. Then on Tuesday all the cousins came over to try out the water slide. They all had a blast!
Here are five reasons why I love Miles:
1. His contagious smile. He's always smiling and makes everyone around him happy.
2. He's such a good helper. Whenever I ask him to do something he's always willing to help.
3. His eyebrow moves. His new thing is when he's talking he moves his eyebrows like he's Rico Suave or something! It's so funny.
4. His love for our family. He's always so concerned about his siblings. If one of them strays away from us when we're out somewhere he starts bawling because he thinks they're going to be lost forever.
5. He looks just like his daddy! I love that:)

Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

2008-05-19T17:56:00.004-06:00

Artie spotted this huge blow up water slide at Costco and just had to have it. I think he likes it more than the kids. He talked me into buying it by telling me it is much cheaper than a pool. Very true. I think this will definitely provide us with a summer of fun. The good part is we never have to leave the house which is great since I have yet to do that with four kids. Cameron's last day of school is Thursday. I can't believe he'll be a second grader. Wow, I'm getting old. The summer will definitely be hard with all the kids at home but it will be great that Cameron will be home to play with Miles. It seems so crazy that in just a few months they will both be in school all day. I keep feeling like I really need to enjoy this summer with them since they will soon be gone. Come join us on our waterslide!

3 1/2 Weeks Old

2008-05-19T17:34:00.003-06:00

Our Little Gracie Bug is 3 1/2 weeks old now. I can hardly believe it. She's such a sweet little baby. We love her so much. I finally got a picture of her and Miles. He loves to hold her. (When she's not crying.) He is always looking at her and with his highest pitch voice says, "Hi Gracie" about 50 times a day. He loves her so much.
Her and Sofie were both wearing blue the other day. Gracie had on her cute dress that my friend Haleigh got her. It's so adorable, thank you Haleigh. Sofie put on her jammies for the night and they were the same color so we took a picture. She is so proud of her little sister. It's so much fun having two little girls. I can't wait to dress them alike. I have one outfit that they have that's the same. I can't wait until they can wear them. Gracie's is still drowning her.

Puppet Shows and Craziness

2008-05-19T17:27:00.002-06:00

So our kids have been a little bored and crazy lately. Since we've had the baby we've been at home a ton. My kids have gotten super-creative. Their favorite thing to do right now is puppet shows. They each got a sock and drew faces on them. They sit on the couch and hold them over to do their puppet shows and we sit at the table and watch. Sofie doesn't understand that you're supposed to put your head down and only hold the puppet up. It's pretty cute!

8 Years

2008-05-19T17:20:00.002-06:00

I can't believe Artie and I have been married for eight years today. It feels like just the other day we were dating and madly in love (like we still are) :)! I'm so happy that I get to be married to my best friend. I can't wait for the years to come. I feel like we've accomplished so much in these last eight years. We've lived in four different houses, had four different cars and had four kids! We've been busy. I love you Artie and am so grateful that you chose me.

Two Weeks Old

2008-05-06T15:31:00.005-06:00

Our Little Gracie Bell is two weeks old today. The last two weeks have been a complete blur to me. Trying to get sleep, feed her, changing a bizillion diapers a day, laundry, trying to make my other kids feel special, etc. Luckily, Artie has been home these last two weeks. He's been such a help to me. He goes back to work tomorrow and I am seriously scared. Four kids is hard! I don't think I'll ever catch up on sleep or be able to get anything done. My life is seriously devoted to my kids now. It's all about them right now. Which is okay! My new motto is "Whatever gets done, gets done." I can no longer stress about keeping my house perfectly clean or my kids perfectly dressed. We're definitely in survival mode now! Gracie has been so much fun to have in our family. The kids love her SOOOO much and just want to smother her with hugs and kisses! Cameron looks a little scared :) (No picture of Miles and her. He kind of just does his own thing and comes around to look at her every once in a while.) Her umbilical cord fell off when she was one week and she got to have her first real bath. She loves it and loves having her hair washed. It's so cute she just lays there peacefully while I wash her hair.Gracie agrees with me that it's hard to get sleep around here. Here she is just peeking out of one eye I'm sure the other kids are screaming somewhere and she hears them!

We're so grateful to have such a happy, beautiful, and healthy little girl. We took her to her two week check up today and she already weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces! She's growing like a weed.

Gracie Is Here

2008-04-24T16:23:00.005-06:00

Here's little Gracie Marie. She was born Tuesday, April 22nd at 1:48 pm. Everything went well with the labor and delivery and we are now home and doing well. (Besides the lack of sleep:)) She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. She is doing so great and we're so glad to have her join our family. It seems so crazy to have four kids now. On the way home from the hospital I looked to the back of the Suburban and saw all these kids. I can't believe they're all mine! Artie and I feel so lucky to have these four sweet little people in our home. The kids love Gracie so much. Cameron is the helper, he wants to do everything for her. Miles looks at her, says hi, then goes about his own business. Sofie wants to carry the baby around. This could be interesting!

Getting all dolled up to go home!

With mom and dad a few minutes after she was born.

Meeting her big brothers and sister.

In daddy's arms a few minutes after birth.

The new Whiting Family.
(Don't mind the cute hospital gown!)

She likes her car seat. She slept in it the first night I think it makes her feel secure.

The Count Down Is On...

2008-04-15T15:45:00.002-06:00

That's right! One week from today I will be induced and finally get to meet this little girl. I really hope I make it to that day for many reasons, although I am really uncomfortable. The kids are getting so excited to meet their new little sister. Sofie looks at my tummy everyday and says, "Gracie!" She already loves her sister. (I'm thinking she understands it's a baby in there but who knows.) Maybe she'll just call my stomach Gracie from now on. Haha! I've already warned my kids that after this baby comes out my stomach will still be big. I DO NOT want them asking me if there's still a baby in there. I think I would cry. At least they are warned, right? Well, everything else is going good just waiting now for our little bundle of joy!

Easter Weekend Recap

2008-03-25T17:55:00.006-06:00

We had an eventful weekend this past weekend, not only celebrating Easter, but Sofie's b-day as well. Saturday we had the Whiting Easter Picnic at the park with cupcakes for the kids to celebrate Sofie's "Happy Day!" She thoroughly enjoyed the cupcakes and the pink frosting.
The kids played at the park with their cousins and the weather was beautiful. There's nothing better than Arizona spring time! After the park we went back to the Whiting's to have a little egg hunt. The kids loved it! We got our famous picture with all (well most) of the grand kids! Sorry Lori, we really did miss you guys!
On Sunday, we went to church and heard some great talks, then I GOT to teach Relief Society (my new calling at church). After that we came home and the kids looked through their Easter baskets a little more and then we went to the temple and had a little picnic with Artie's brother Chad, his wife Ashley and their four cute kids. My kids had so much fun and it was so relaxing just to sit out there and enjoy the nice weather and peaceful atmosphere. Of course we could not leave without going to see Jesus in the visitor's center. My kids love that so much. It was really a great day/weekend all together!

4 Weeks, but who is counting...

2008-03-25T17:51:00.002-06:00

So I guess four weeks from today is the day we will get to meet our new little baby girl. I don't know why but all of the sudden I'm getting really excited to be done with this pregnancy. Maybe it's because my back is hurting non-stop, my feet are swelling, my ribs are aching, I have terrible heartburn and I feel like my pelvis might just break in half... Do you think? I'm not complaining or anything, just documenting how fun this really is so I can remember next time I have that feeling that I need another baby! Not that we're not excited to meet you little Gracie! Why is it that every time you give birth you completely forget how terribly fun pregnancy is? Please remind me next time I get baby hungry, please:)

Underwear Heads

2008-03-25T17:48:00.002-06:00

My boys thought this was really funny the other day. They came out of their rooms looking like this and laughing so hard. I think they're going to die someday when they found out that I posted this on my blog and I could use these in their wedding video! The things kids get entertainment out of is pretty amazing at times...

My Baby Girl is 2 Today

2008-03-22T15:19:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe how fast time flies. My little Sofie is two today! I feel like she was just born a few weeks ago. Why does it feel like the more kids you have the FASTER they grow up? I can't stand it. We woke up this morning and gave her some balloons (which was her favorite part of all) and a new Barbie bike. She loves it too! Her legs are too short though so she can't reach the pedals yet (must be the Whiting in her). The boys gave her a Cinderella plate, bowl and utensils that she is just in love with. She doesn't have to use the Spiderman one anymore. It's so fun having a girl. I felt like it was fun when she was born, but the older she gets the more fun things they have for little girls. This afternoon we are going to the park to have an Easter Picnic with Artie's family. We are bringing pink cupcakes to celebrate the special day. Every time she sees me today she says, "Happy Day Mom!" It's too cute!

Here are some of the fun things she does right now:

*She gallops everywhere, I think she can keep up faster that way.
*If she finds a hair bow and doesn't have one in her hair she'll scream until I put it in for her.
*She says, "I beautiful mom!"
*If you ask her her favorite color she says, "Pink"
*She HAS to put her shoes on all by herself.
*She loves the movie Monsters Inc. and everywhere we go in the car we have to watch only that movie.
*She has to go to bed with her TWO blankies.
*She wants to be just like the boys, before she takes a bath she goes and stands in front of the toilet acting like she's going to the bathroom just like them.
*She is only nice to me when Artie is not home. When he is home if I even look at her she says, "No mama!" (It's kind of cute though.)

I feel like this is the perfect age. I wish she could stay like this forever. I feel like anything she does whether it's bad or good it's cute right now. I remember feeling this way about the boys too. (Now it's not too cute when they are naughty!) Anyways, Happy Birthday Sofie! We all love you so much.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T10:20:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd update my blog and what better reason than a holiday! Some people probably don't even think St. Patty's Day is a holiday, but as for me coming from an Irish family it's kind of a big deal! So my grandma always buys my kids the dorky St. Patrick's Day t-shirts. They are kind of cute though. My kids got up and put them on first thing this morning. Then I surprised them with GREEN pancakes. Yuck! I stuck with the traditional ones, but they loved the green ones. They think I'm the coolest mom ever! I'll have to see what I can come up with the rest of the day...

Update on Baby

2008-02-27T08:15:00.003-07:00

It seems so crazy that I'm already 30 weeks along! I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and did the nasty glucose drink, which my doctor informs me he likes the taste of! Weirdo. Anyways, I think I realized at this appointment how soon this baby is going to be here and I'm a little nervous. I can't believe I will have four kids. Three will be home, then all four home for the summer right after she's born. Am I crazy? My doctor measured me and said everything is great then started asking me questions about how I'm feeling. I said I'm fine. Then I proceeded to tell him how nervous I am to actually HAVE this baby since I had Sofie SOOO fast. I told him I really want to make it to the hospital AND have an epidural. I do love those! He said he would induce me a week early. Then I told him that I had Sofie 10 days early. Don't you think he'd remember all of these facts? Just kidding. He only delivers like a bizillion babies every month! He then said he could induce me at 38 weeks and to pick a day that week that would be good for me. Wow! I was surprised he actually let me pick. I'll be 38 weeks on April 20th, which is a Sunday so that's not possible, then that Monday is Artie's b-day which if we can choose, wouldn't want two b-day's on the same day. So I said how about the 22nd? He wrote it in my chart and said okay let's plan on that. It's crazy to think that there's an end in sight to this pregnancy. I'm already going in every two weeks now too. I guess I better get her room ready before I get to that point where you don't want to move. Like I'm not feeling like that already, uh! So this is so weird, Sofie's b-day will be March 22nd, Gracie's April 22nd, then Miles May 25th. Three b-days a month apart from each other. Not to mention mine and Artie's b-days in that mix and also our anniversary. Come June I'll be asking for donations. I think I'll be broke!

A Day Of Love

2008-02-19T12:39:00.004-07:00

Valentine's Day was so much fun this year. My boys really enjoyed it and Sofie too, she's still trying to figure out how to say Valentine's Day everytime she sees a heart. It's so cute! Valentine's Day is also my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws birthdays. I started the day off by waking up at 5:00am to go out to breakfast with my sister-in-law and some friends in our ward. This has kind of become a tradition for the girl's birthdays since it's the only time we can get away without the kids. This is the first one I had actually been too and I informed everyone I ONLY do this for family. My sleep really means a lot to me, especially these days! I got home before the kids woke up and were surprised that their room had hearts all over it with special things about them written on them.

They loved it! After that, I made red heart pancakes for the kids. They were seriously amazed and want them everyday now. I told them only on Valentine's Day though. Maybe we'll have green clovers on St. Patrick's Day.

This was actually the first year I've really gotten into Valentine's Day and it was tons of fun. I also made these little heart brownies for Cameron's lunch and cut his sandwiches like hearts too. I'm sure he was surprised when he opened his lunch box to find all the hearts.

That afternoon I got some flowers delivered to my house from Artie. I was seriously shocked. They were so beautiful. I always thought flowers were a waste of money on Valentine's Day, but I think I like getting them now. I felt really special.

When Artie got home, the boys brought me an envelope from Dolce Salon and Spa with a gift card for a prenatal massage and a facial. (Much needed!) I thought I was spoiled with the flowers. I must be being really nice lately to deserve all this! That night we ordered take out from Streets of New York. Their pasta is yummy. It was a fun night! The next night Artie and I got the chance to go on a date for Valentine's and he took me to the Grand Lux Restaurant in Scottsdale. I highly recommend it. It's like a fancy version of Cheescake Factory and very yummy! We also went to see the movie, Juno. Very cute. Anyways, I sound like I'm bragging. I guess I am, but I am so grateful for a family that loves me so much. I love them too and don't know what I'd do without them.

Soccer Mom

2008-02-19T12:31:00.002-07:00

I guess that's what you call it when your kids play soccer right. I guess I never thought I'd be categorized as that, but here I am. My boys started soccer a few weeks ago and are loving it. I think their favorite part is the treats after the games. They do really good at practice, then at the games they get a little tense and just watch the ball pass them up. It's fun that they're both on the same team. So this is what we've been up to. I know it's been forever since I've posted. I hope I can make up for it.

My Travels

2008-01-11T22:07:00.001-07:00

So I decided to check out this site that has been on my sister in law's blogs. Looks like I need to travel more! Hint, hint...

Find out what percent of the world you've visited. It's kind of fun. www.travbuddy.com

Week Long Christmas

2007-12-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

We started our Christmas activities the Friday night before Christmas when we had our girl's night out with the Whiting sisters and mom-in-law. We all went out together WITHOUT kids. It was fun to actually be able to talk to everyone without interruptions. We went and got pedicures together then went to eat at Macaroni Grill, yum! No pictures though, sorry.
Saturday morning the guys went and golfed at their annual Whiting Open. They had a blast as usual and came home TIRED. That night we went to the temple lights and caroling with the Whiting Family. It was freezing cold, but it was fun too and the kids loved it.
Sunday morning we woke up and had a yummy breakfast and got ready for church. I love the Sunday before Christmas because my kids get to wear their Christmas outfits I got for them. I had the privilege of teaching Relief Society that day. I was subbing for someone that was out of town. It was my first time doing that and I was super stressed, especially two days before Christmas. I had a lot on my mind. It went great though and wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Sunday night we had Artie's sister, our brother-in-law and their little girl Savannah over for dinner. It was a fun day! Christmas Eve, Artie took the boys to do some last minute Christmas shopping and I stayed home to wrap and get ready for the Whiting Christmas Eve Party that was at 3pm. We were an hour late. I was wrapping way too long. I'll never save it all until the day before Christmas again! At the Whiting's we had a yummy dinner, the kids acted out the Nativity, we had a talent show where my kids taught their cousins how to make snowflakes out of paper, and a gift exchange. The kids had a blast with all their cousins. They always do. It was a very tiring day. Chad and Ashley even fell asleep on the couch together. So cute! After we left the Whiting's we went to my parents house for a gift exchange and Mexican dinner. Our family tradition. The kids had fun with their cousin Bo, who loves to tackle. He's only two and can bring down Miles. It's pretty funny.
Our Christmas Day started out at 3:30am. Artie and I didn't get to bed until 2am because we were helping Santa set up some things. Cameron came into our room at 3:30 so excited that Santa had come! We told him to go back to bed and to not wake up Miles. At 4:30 Miles and Cameron came into our room telling us everything Santa had brought them. It was kind of a bummer that we didn't get to see their first reactions to their toys. We made them go back to bed and when they came in again at 7:00 we started opening presents. They are finally getting old enough to be super excited about all their gifts. Sofie could care less. She got a wagon and a lot of other stuff, but she saw the wagon and wanted to stay in there all morning. She just kept saying, "Push me!" She even ate her breakfast in her wagon. We had a great day. We had a big family dinner at my parents house that afternoon. It was great to see everyone and great food too!

The Story of the Stocking

2007-12-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Since Artie and I started having kids I've had my eye set on these adorable Pottery Barn Kids stockings. Last year, the day after Christmas, I decided to go online and see if they had them on sale. They were on sale really cheap so I decided to buy four of them, since I knew eventually we'd have another baby. I had three of them monogrammed with my kids names on them and the snowman one I left without a name for our future child. Cameron got the Santa one, Miles the elf, and Sofie the ballerina. Well.......in November this year we found out that we were having another little girl. Growing up with all girls I knew it would be a constant battle of the ballerina stocking. Sofie and her little sister would have fights over the "girly" stocking. I decided to have the snowman stocking monogrammed with "Dad" for Artie and I ordered another one for me with "Mom". Now I was on a mission to find another "girly" one to add to the bunch. I went online to PBK and the ballerina one was discontinued and the angel one was out of stock. Go figure! So right after that I went online and looked on Ebay. I typed in Potterybarn Kids ballerina stocking. Of course they had one, but it was already monogrammed. I clicked on it though to see a bigger picture of it and here's the catch. The name on it was "Gracie". The name we've chosen for our baby! Isn't that crazy! So I of course immediately purchased it and we have a full set of stockings for our little family now. I guess it was meant to be. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Miles Christmas Program

2007-12-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to Miles Christmas Program for his preschool. They got to act out the Nativity scene and even sing in the microphone. His little friend Emily was Mary. She looked so adorable even though she kept tripping over her clothes. Miles would hardly look at the audience. I think he had a little stage fright. He got to dress up as a Shepherd. I think the kids were just confused the whole time as to what they were supposed to be doing. The little boy that played Joseph just kept saying, "I don't get this" and, "Hi Mom, hi dad!" It was kind of a chaotic performance even though it was so adorable. Let me just say I'm glad I don't teach preschool! At the end of their performance they got to sing songs in hopes that Santa would arrive and he did. The kids were excited. They all got to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted. It was really cute! It's hard to believe that I'll be signing Miles up for Kindergarten at the end of next month. Where does time go? These kids are growing up WAY to fast.

Winter Sing

2007-12-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Cameron's Winter Sing was another success this year. As I'm sure you can see from the pictures he thoroughly enjoyed it. Looks like in the first picture he's looking for me and if I'm taking a picture of him. The second picture he's covering his hears I guess so he doesn't have to hear all the singing. The semi -annual concerts they have are always a treat and kind of comical to watch. His favorite song to sing this year was "Hot Cup of Cocoa!" All of us have it memorized now, even Sofie!

Ward Party

2007-12-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

I've been such a slacker on updating my blog recently. Sofie was in the hospital for a few days last week due to a serious Staph infection that has been coming and going for the past three months. It got out of control last week so I had to take her to the ER and they admitted her and put her on IV antibiotics for a few days. Now we're home and she's on oral antibiotics and doing much better. We're crossing our fingers that it doesn't come back. I've been bleaching EVERYTHING in my house and using hand sanitizer non-stop. As if my hands weren't dry enough already!

Anyways, our ward party was the second weekend of December and I think this is when we officially kicked of our holiday season. There was tons of food and tons of fun which included a hayride, that apparently my kids went on without us knowing. They told us about it later that night. We also had a special visitor (Santa) come join us too! I was very surprised my kids ALL were okay with sitting on his lap this year.

What Shall It Be?

2007-11-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's A...

GIRL!
I hadn't decided if I'd rather have a boy or girl, but am super excited to have another little girl! It will be so nice that they can share a room and I have TONS of clothes for a baby girl. And, I think EVERY girl needs a sister, so Sofie will be set and the boys are excited. I'm pretty sure her name will be
GRACIE MARIE.

Thanksgiving Treat

2007-11-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to think of a fun Thanksgiving-ish thing to do lately. When I was checking every one's blog out and I looked at Crystal's (Artie's cousin) I was reminded of the Thanksgiving turkey's that my mother-in-law makes each year. Tonight my kids helped me make them and tomorrow night we will take them to some neighbors and friends. This is always a fun little treat and the kids loved helping. Sorry, I don't have any pictures while we were in the process, just the final product (my kids were already in bed by this point). Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Trick or Treat

2007-10-31T21:51:00.000-06:00

After dressing the kids up 3 times already, tonight was finally the night. Cameron was super excited about Trick or Treating this year. I think him and Miles are finally getting old enough to really enjoy it. Sofie went along too this year and Artie took them around our neighborhood while I stayed back and passed out candy with our neighbors. At first there were no kids but around 7:00 the kids started flowing in like crazy. We ran out of candy by 7:45, went inside and put our kids to bed. They were exhausted after walking so far. (Sofie is a complete spaz in the bottom picture!) She's gotten crazy lately!

Whiting Halloween Party

2007-10-26T23:48:00.000-06:00

Tonight we got to go to the annual Whiting Halloween Party. The kids look forward to it every year! This year we had three Harry Potters believe it or not, one was Cameron. Miles is a Karate guy this year, since that's his new found hobby, and Sofie is an ASU cheerleader. It's always fun to see what the cousins are going to dress up as.

This year we even had a special sparkler lighting event...

and a special witches' brew. The kids always get a kick out of this. The Harry Potter's put a spell on the brew to make it start smoking. They thought it was really magical.

We can't wait until next year. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for another successful party!

Chaos!

2007-10-23T22:51:00.000-06:00

I quickly decided about ten minutes into Cameron's birthday party that this would be our LAST party with that many kids. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe if it were girls, but boys are WILD! They had a great time with the pinata, treasure hunt, playing football, etc. They were all so excited to find the hidden treasure! It was cute. We only ended up having one fight. Yeah a fight! One kid from Cameron's class and another from our ward were fighting over who caught a football, when one kid pushed the other and the other kid slapped him across the face. I never thought I would have to break up a fight at my six year old's party. I'm glad Cameron enjoyed his party, but let me tell you I was so worn out when this was through. Next year his party will be at a remote location with only a few kids. Lesson learned...

It Seems Like Just Yesterday

2007-10-19T22:02:00.001-06:00

So I'm a little late on posting this since his birthday was yesterday. Cameron turned 6. I can hardly believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital with this tiny little newborn. He is growing up so fast and it makes me sad, but also excited for what the future holds for him. His birthday party is tomorrow and he is so excited. He is having his first party with just friends. I basically let him plan the whole thing. He informed me first thing that this will be an all boy party. I guess I should be grateful for that, I know it will change in the the years to come. He invited about twenty little boys from school and Primary. I went to volunteer at his school this morning and all of his friends informed me that they were coming. Yeah! He asked me tonight when we were driving in the car, "Mom what time is 4:00?" (That's the time his party starts.) I said, "Well, 4:00." Is there really any other way to explain this? I thought it was cute. It just shows me how excited he really is. Since he turned six this year, I just wanted to finish this post with six things I love about Cameron.
1. Him and his brother are best friends. He tells me all the time that Miles is his best friend. That really makes my heart melt. It's what every mother hopes for.
2. He is always concerned about others. He wants everyone to be happy.
3. He helps so much with his little sister. He loves to get her things, keep her entertained and even get her out of her crib. Yikes!
4. He's a great student. I hear good things about him from his teacher and that makes me happy.
5. He's my first. I had nothing but him for 19 whole months! (Haha!) No, but seriously there's something about that first baby that you gotta love.
6. I know he truly cares about me. He tells me everyday, "Mom, I love you."

I love you too Cam. Happy Birthday!

Fall Fun

2007-10-13T18:11:00.000-06:00

This was the first year we have gone out to Schnepf Farms. It was a ton of fun. The kids had fun seeing the animals (Miles was terrified of the goats). Sofie loved the little pigs and all of the pumpkins. She could hardly believe her eyes. We had a blast riding the train and eating lunch and especially the fresh squeezed lemonade. That hit the spot for me. It was a lot of walking for this pregnant lady that's hardly moved an inch of the couch in the last 6 weeks, but I'm glad we went. We had a lot of fun and will definitely be back next year.