AZ Buckos

Farm time

2012-01-02T00:19:00.001-08:00

My mom wanted to take us all to a farm that is by her house. There was hayrides and dinner. It ended up not being all that it was cracked up to be but we appreciate the try mom. Dinner took forever to get and then they didn't get my order. Had to wait again forever for mine. My brother ended up taking Riley and Sam with his family on the hayride since we were still waiting on my food. We only took one pic and it was Kristina and I on the hayride. At least the kiddos seemed to have some fun. Thanks mom for getting us all together:)

Work Christmas Party!

2012-01-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

We had our work Christmas party. So much fun! We ate and did a big raffle. Everyone could win a prize. There were lots to choice from. Rule was we had our names to put into which ever prize we wanted to win. Then the name would be drawn. Once drawn you were done. I put all but one of my name into the Disney park hopper tickets. It was stressful down to the last but I did it!!!! I won the Disney tickets!! Wahoo!!! I think poor Dr. A was so worried I wouldn't win and then he would've had to hear all about it. Poor guy. Can't wait to use it when Kristina and I go for her big 16th bday!!

The crew

Me with the docs showing off my prize
Yipee!!!!

My work ladies party!

2012-01-02T00:03:00.001-08:00

We ladies like to get together and party. We always do a white elephant Christmas decoration gift exchange before Christmas. As always it didn't disappoint. We had loads of fun. I sure do love these ladies!!!

We of course had to do a goofy one:)
Nettsie and I dancing....Awwwwww......

I stole the Mickey balls from Annette...sorry, I still love ya!

Of course I had to be the center of attention...hahahahaha

Fun times!

Thanksgiving

2012-01-01T23:43:00.001-08:00

We hosted Thanksgiving again this year. Let's face it, Matt makes the best dang turkey out there. It would be selfish if we didn't host it. It was such a nice day and we had fun visiting with everyone and eating until we couldn't eat no more!! Yum! Yum!!

Mom holding the newest member of the family Hunter.

Now doesn't this make you wanna eat some veggies:)

OK maybe this one does more.....

I think Riley takes after her momma!

Had to work off the grub playing some Just Dance!

Breaking Dawn part 1

2011-12-31T22:44:00.001-08:00

One of my friend's sister rented out a movie theater for an early screening of Breaking Dawn. We had so much fun. Let me tell you she went all out for the night. We took our fun neighbor and friend Ronda along with Mandi and Amy. We had a total blast! Thanks for the fun ladies. Can't wait till next year for the next one!!!

Halloween

2011-12-31T22:34:00.001-08:00

Yay for Halloween!! We had a ward trunk(table)-or-treat before Halloween. Then we did some good old fashion trick-or-treating for Halloween. The kids had a blast! They also had some fun with their friends during the fun filled Halloween weekend.

Oct. break

2011-12-31T22:22:00.001-08:00

For October break we didn't do a whole lot. Since I had taken some time off for fieldtrips and Disney trips I didn't take too much time from work for this break. Had to save it for Christmas baby. I did take one day and the kids and I went to the AZ Southwest Museum (at least that's what I think they call it now days). They had space stuff as their traveling exhibit and Sam loved it. We had a great time.

Taiming of the wild hair beast!

2011-12-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

This hair beast of Riley's is what we have to deal with almost every morning. The picture doesn't even do it justice. Thank heavens for hair detangler! It's a good thing she is so darn cute and can pull it off:)

1st day of school!

2011-12-26T23:36:00.001-08:00

We didn't do too much during the summer. The kids did get to spend some time in Tucson with Grandma and Grandpa. Other than that it was just too darn hot to do too much. Before we knew it school was already upon us. I still can't believe I have a kid in each school. Man, I'm getting old.

Kristina is up and adam at 5am to start her school. Doesn't she look excited?!

Sam was the next one out the door.
Last but not least our dear Riley! Off to Middle School.....

They have had a good year so far. Phew!

Hawaiian Day at work

2011-12-26T23:28:00.001-08:00

Every year around June 25th we have Hawaiian Day at work to mark the half way point till Christmas. We all dress up, have loads of yummy food for lunch, and have a great time! I love my office. We know how to have some fun!!

Me and Annette

Getting ready for some grub
Silly Nettsie and I

Yay for food!

Mandi and I

Amy and I

U2 in Anaheim June 2011!!!!

2011-12-26T23:08:00.001-08:00

As I said in the previous post Matt and I had tickets to U2 in Anaheim. For those who know me well you know I have had an obsession with U2 since I was 14. That is a long obsessions I tell ya!! We had those tickets for quite some time since Bono's injury the previous year. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally be putting them to use. We rested all day because you know we did Disney the 2 days before. We are old and need our rest ya know. We got to the stadium early and waited in line for a few hours. Once we got in we noticed that they were letting anyone into the inner circle. Even though I have claustrophobia big time (thanks older brothers for the many years of torture for that phobia!) I decided we should try it. Wouldn't you know we were able to be right by the stage!! I have never been so excited. (ok slight exagration on that one) I was pretty darn excited!! We were able to be on The Edge's side and it was wonderful! Thanks to Debbie and Mara (who we met there) we had a great time. Also thanks to Debbie for letting me use her pictures since we forgot our camera. I have been completely spoiled by that and must from now on always be by the stage! Did you hear that Matt?! ha ha It was an incredible night that I won't soon forget!

Lenny Kravitz opened and here he comes!

This is to show you all how close we really were!

Look Ma! I'm right by the stage!

U2!!!!!!!

I love you Bono!!!!

I can almost pinch his hiney:)

Debbie, Mara, and me!!!

Please don't be over! I don't want it to end:(

Disney Trip With The Hubby!

2011-12-26T22:35:00.001-08:00

*DISCLAIMER* Please don't have a heart attack since I am finally updating the blog! I figured I have a week off work so I better do something productive:)

Back in June Matt and I were still the proud owner of our Anaheim U2 tickets from the year prior. With it being in Anaheim how can we not plan a trip to one of our favorite places on the planet?! We enjoyed 2 days at the happiest place on earth and then enjoyed an evening with my beloved U2. (That is a post all it's own) Granted I did hurt my foot while there and to this day it is still bothering me but it was all worth it I tell ya. It's always a blast to go with Matt to Disneyland and I hope we have many more trips in our future:)

On our way!

Waited 2 hours for this ride. I can't wait for the newness to be done so we don't have to wait so long next time. Totally worth it though!

Paddle away dear!

The new Little Mermaid ride. I was so excited for this one!

We just missed the opening of this ride:(

At least Corn Dog Castle was finally reopened!

Wishes!!

Look! Matt finally made a face on a ride!!

Reason for my blogging inactivity....

2011-08-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

This past Christmas Santa gave my girls each a camera. Kristina uses hers for special occasions, taking pictures of her drawings, or making movies. Riley on the other hand takes at least a hundred pictures a day. A HUNDRED I kid you not!!! The kid really does have an eye for photography most times but she sure does like to take pictures of herself. Since I have soooooo many pictures clogging up my computer it has taken me awhile to find the pictures I want to use to document some of the things we have been up to. In the mean time enjoy this goofy girl's pictures. Gotta love her!!

My boy is 9!!!

2011-06-27T23:16:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my sweet, handsome, baby boy is 9!! Where oh where does the time go?? This kid has a wicked sense of humor and keeps us on our toes. He loves Lego's, architecture, and geography which totally amazes me. I am so very thankful he is in our lives. Happy birthday buddy boy!

Graduation

2011-06-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

We did a quick trip up to Snowflake for my nephew Tyson and little brother Kody's graduation. Wouldn't you know I left my dang camera in the car and didn't get a single pictures of the graduates:( So me....I did get a couple of snap shots of the cute kiddos visiting though. I wanted to put a picture of Bentley up but I don't want her mom and dad mad at me cuz her hair wasn't done:) Trust me, she is a cutie either way. It was fun to do a quick visit even though the wind tried to blow us to kingdom come! Geesh!!

Had to put this up. Kristina is taller than her uncles and her grandpa!! hahaha Welcome to my world.

Crazy sisters!

Easter

2011-06-27T23:03:00.001-07:00

Holy cow! Am I really that far behind in blogging? Looks like it. Here is a few pics from Easter. We had a nice low key Easter. Colored eggs, went to church, and had dinner at my mom's. It was a good day.

Well hello there.....

2011-06-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Long time no hear I know. I promise to do some note worthy updates soon. In the mean time check out this link to the fabulous U2 concert that we went to. You can find Matt and I by clicking on the tags or hide the tags and find us:) Just a preview to upcoming post. Just in case you were all wondering, I totally LOVE U2!!! Thanks, bye!

http://www.u2.com/gigapixelfancam/110618/104650-joele-bucko

Weird clouds in the sky

2011-05-08T00:23:00.001-07:00

The other day we had some funky looking clouds in the sky. Kristina and I were out running errands and noticed them. We saw them closer to sunset and tried to get pictures with our cell phones but they didn't turn out so well. Matt noticed them just a little bit later and took these pictures. Isn't it kinda crazy looking yet pretty at the same time??

Campout!

2011-05-08T00:20:00.001-07:00

The Friday before Easter Matt and Sam had a campout in the backyard. Isn't Matt such a good daddy cuz I tell ya I sure the heck wouldn't be doing it! Sam had a good time. He said the coyotes woke him up at 4:45am but thankfully he went back to sleep. Thanks for being such a trooper Matt!

Odd weather

2011-05-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you can make it out on the mountain but it is snow. The day of Sam's Pinewood Derby it flippen snowed on the mountains!! It was so stinken cold! Just a week earlier it was in the 90s. What the heck?! It didn't last long but let me tell ya the weather has been cooky!

Sam's first Pinewood Derby!!

2011-05-08T00:06:00.001-07:00

Sam had his very 1st Pinewood Derby. He wasn't quite sure what to expect and he really didn't want to go. Once there though he had such a fun time and loved it! He didn't have the fastest but ended up getting a certificate for the coolest design! Great job Sam! I loved your Thunder Mountain car:)

Doesn't he look so handsome in his uniform?!

Middle Child Getaway!

2011-05-07T22:29:00.001-07:00

So the thing is my children LOVE Disneyland! I mean come on now they are my children so it should be that way, right? They always want to go to Disneyland. Again they are my children so makes total sense. Any who Riley has had money that she saved up for Christmas and her birthday and all she wanted was to go to Disneyland. Matt said why not since I still had my annual pass. When we asked her if that was what she wanted to do the poor girl started to cry and said please don't joke like that. Needless to say that is what we did. I mentioned the idea to my wonderful friend Annette and she said it sounded like a great idea!! I asked if she wanted to come along and sure enough she did! So Riley, Annette, Jess (Annette's granddaughter), and myself had a nice vacay to our favorite place to go and since we are all middle children we decided to call it the middle child getaway!! We had such a great time. Thanks Annette and Jess for coming and putting up with Riley and I. I hope to do it again real soon:) Enjoy the picture overload!

1st day there and boy are we excited!

waiting for one of Riley's very favorite rides

This one is out of order but we are waiting for the fireworks. This is one of the main things Riley wanted to see and it was almost canceled. We were so happy it wasn't! Whew!!

So many changes at CA Adventure

2nd day

Oops! Cut Jess out. Sorry!

Waiting for one of my favorite rides!

Last ride of the trip:(

So busy our last day there

These last pictures are from Riley's camera. She's quite the photog!

Bye, bye Disneyland! Until we meet again. Thanks for all the fun memories......

Time to update the blog.....

2011-05-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay I know it has been almost 2 months since my last update. In my defense since then we have been out of town, computer crashed, and has some sickness at our home and with extended family. Am I forgiven? I sure hope so.

I was going to post pics from some of our activities from Spring Break but since the computer crashed we had to take them off and put them on a disc. We might as well face the fact that I'm just too lazy to transfer them onto here. So there:p To sum it up quickly we did some hiking, went to the movies, and hung out mixed in with some family stuff. Nothing too wild and crazy. That is that. Don't worry though there is more to come!

My birthday!

2011-03-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Oops! Out of order on the birthdays. Sorry! I had my birthday the week before Matt. I was thinking there was no actual picture proof but I forgot that I had these on my cell phone. When you are the main picture taker sometimes you forget to get pictures of your special days. My birthday was AWESOME! My family was good to me. They got me a Mickey Mouse watch with some bling. Gotta love it! Work as usual treat me good. Had loads of fun with the Synergy Chicks! Thanks everyone for making my day special!

Happy Birthiversary Matt!!

2011-03-19T23:26:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Matt's birthday and our anniversary hence the term birthiverary! (thanks for that word Vanessa! We love it!) He was feeling a little better on his birthday but wasn't quite up to his normal self. We love you Matt and we are so thankful for you and all you do! Also happy 19 years of wedded bliss. I still can't believe it has been that long. Love you!!

Williams/Gateway Open House

2011-03-19T23:07:00.001-07:00

BEWARE OF PICTURE OVERLOAD YET AGAIN!!:)

Let me tell ya that my son was uber excited for this open house. He talked about it day and night. Matt was excited too. This was to be their male bonding day. Sam went to bed early the night before so that he could get up early and go. I heard him and Matt get up and start getting ready then I heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting. Uh oh. Poor Matt was sick I tell ya...SICK! He said he would still take him but that wasn't happening. Of course I couldn't tell the little man that he couldn't go. I rolled out of bed and put my hair in some ponytails and we were off. I know you can tell that rolled out of bed look when you see the pictures. I am glad we went early because by the time we left it was starting to get toasty. I'm glad I got to spend the day with the kiddo. I just felt bad for Matt because I know he really wanted to go too. Better luck next year.

This is Sam saying what the heck does that say??? Silly rabbit!

Oh no! The plane came apart!!

This picture is for my friend Amy though I know she won't see it here:)

Can you imagine having to be in that suit?! That poor guy had to be roasting alive!

This one is for Grandpa George:)

Another of Sam's fieldtrips!

2011-03-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Sam had yet another field trip. This time to a Tom Chapin concert. Wasn't as exciting as the last but we made the most of it:)

Kristina is 15!!

2011-03-19T22:59:00.001-07:00

I know I just said I can't believe Riley turned 12 but I really can't believe that Kristina is now 15!! Yikes! When did that happen? I am going into a deep state of shock thinking that in 1 short year she will be 16 and driving!!! AAAAHHHH!!! Even though she is a goofy, super hero loving teenager we sure do love her!! Happy Birthday eldest child and by golly, quit growing up so fast!!

On a side note, we did have family come to visit and for some reason did not get a single picture. What's up with that??? Sorry:(

Riley is 12!!

2011-03-19T22:54:00.001-07:00

Can you believe our Riley-Boo is 12? I know I sure the heck can't believe it! She turned 12 on Valentine's day and we were so excited for her. I can't believe she is in YW! She is such a sweetheart and I am thankful that she is in our lives. All this child wanted for her birthday was books. Crazy kid:) We love you Riley!!

PS...Don't judge that I did not make a cake. I am no Betty Crocker I tell ya!!

Snow on them there mountains!

2011-03-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, don't be shocked. I am finally updating here. Family has been giving me grief because it has been so long. Sorry! I just know that everyone was just waiting on pins and needles for an update from us:)

Last month the snow level dropped quite a bit. We were getting ready for church when I got this site out our back window. SNOW! I love when it snows on the Superstition Mountains and on Four Peaks. So beautiful! Too bad it warmed up mighty quick and was gone. Oh well at least we have proof that it happened.

Shout out!

2011-01-30T20:42:00.001-08:00

I thought I should give a shout out and great job to this child! Living where we do and with a new High School our district isn't lucky enough to have a Seminary building by the school for release time. The kids here in our Stake have to go to early morning Seminary. The young lady has been so diligent about getting up around 4:50am every morning to be ready by 5:30 so she can be to Seminary by 5:45am. She has had her grouchy moments and begging to just sleep in but is there pretty much every day. I don't know if I could've done it but I am so very proud of her and her willingness to do so. Great job kiddo and all the other dedicated kids out here!

Sam's field trip!

2011-01-28T15:26:00.001-08:00

This past Tuesday I was able to go with Sam on his field trip to see the Shanghai Circus! It was loads of fun and very entertaining. I've said it before and I'll say it again I love going on the field trips! I love to watch how the kids interact on their turf. Another thing I am thankful for is the fact that he still doesn't care if anyone sees him hold my hand or give me a big hug. I am sure going to miss that when he gets older. For now though I am loving every minute of it!!

On a side note. I want to apologize to all my blogging buddies for not always commenting on their blogs. I do really love reading your blogs but I must admit I am sometimes just too lazy to comment. Please don't hold that against me though:) I really, really love reading all your blogs! Keep up the blogging good work!

Frost baby!

2011-01-28T15:21:00.001-08:00

To those of you who think that it doesn't get cold in AZ boy are your wrong! This is what we get that is closest to snow and that would be frost. We have had some quite chilly mornings. Luckily Zippy was wise and has burrowed way down deep to hibernate for the winter. Otherwise the poor little guy would be freezing his shell off. All I can say is Brrrrrr!!!!

Some weird clouds

2011-01-28T15:17:00.001-08:00

During our Christmas break we had some very interesting clouds come through. I can't remember if this was the day that it actually snowed in Mesa or not. Matt just had to document them. Unfortunately we did miss the snow. We live a little too far south to get it. I can say unfortunately because it dust the ground for a few moments and then it's gone unlike the East coast where it stays and stays and stays.

The Webbs are hungry for some breakfast grub!

2011-01-28T15:11:00.001-08:00

The Monday after Christmas my dad and Pam brought my Grandma Cheryl down to Mesa to meet up with her kids. Luckily Alyssa hitched a ride so we could do some family bonding. (I think I am detecting a trend here with all the bonding going on!) We haven't seen her in quite sometime. Luckily Shelene was able to join us before she headed back to UT. It was fun seeing everyone. Ummm...Lyss why haven't you come back to visit some more?? Just wondering:) Of course we met for breakfast because that's what we do best is eat!!

Christmas 2010!

2011-01-28T14:58:00.001-08:00

Christmas was such a fun, relaxing family day. The kiddos woke up excited for the day. Thank heavens they didn't get up at the crack of dawn. I don't know if I could've handle that. We spent the morning opening presents and then having a very yummy Christmas breakfast thanks to Matt! After relaxing for a little while we headed over to my mom's for dinner. It was so fun to see everyone and we were excited to see Shelene who came and surprised everyone! We sure do miss her. Then it was back home to watch movies and head off to bed. I am so thankful for the holiday season were we can spend good times with family members, and also celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Heading down the stairs for some Christmas joy!

What did Santa bring?
Gotta stay warm by the Yule Log

According to Matt everyone needs some summer sausage!

We love it!

My eldest child thought I needed an unflatering picture on here. Good thing I'm secure with myself:) PS we are making breakfast.

Matt's Fushigi was a hit with the crowd!

Family bonding time!

Riley trying out her new camera!

Christmas Eve 2010!

2011-01-28T14:53:00.001-08:00

Christmas eve was such a nice day. We spent it just relaxing. That evening we did our traditional looking at the neighborhood Christmas lights. We then headed to The Village Inn for dinner. It was yummy and we managed to get there early enough to miss the bigger crowds. We came home and opened the traditional Christmas jammies. Of course we had to get everything ready for Santa and then off to bed. I love Christmas Eve!!

Cake!

2011-01-28T14:51:00.001-08:00

During December's girls night we had a gift exchange. I was lucky enough to get this cute and mucho yummy cake! It was delightful. Thanks for making it Ashley:)

Sisters visit and Ranan's bday

2011-01-28T14:41:00.001-08:00

Okay first off, don't everyone kilt over because I am finally updating the blog. Life has been crazy busy for the past couple of months and I have been just too plain tired to put in time for this. Now onto business. During Thanksgiving my sisters Vanessa and Cassie and their families came for a visit from NY. They were lucky enough to go to Disneyland and then we were able to see them for the end of their stay. Of course I think it was asking too much for me to get a decent picture of everyone but what are ya gonna do? We also were able to celebrate Ranan's birthday. It was so much fun to see everyone. Thanks so much Klint and Corinne for having us all over.

The kiddos ready to eat some cake

Some of the crew. I am still kicking myself for not getting any pics of Ness and Cass!

Look at that face! You just want to eat her up:)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

We had Thanksgiving at our house again. Matt loves to make the dinner and does such a fabulous job! It was pretty low key this year since we didn't have as many people and we just kinda chilled and ate. It was such a great weekend minus the fact that I got a flipping cold. We also put up the Christmas decorations and I'm relieved to have that out of the way. Now I just have got to get the Christmas shopping done and we can rest easy the rest of the Christmas holiday. I hope everyone else had a fabulous Turkey Day:)

Matt brining the turkey

Getting it ready for the oven
Sam and Michael feeling thankful

Liesl was hard at work

Getting everything set up and ready to go

Yum! The beloved turkey!!

Decorating for Christmas

I swear it looks much better now

Riley was working too hard and needed a break

Synergy Chicks Disneyland Adventure!

2010-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

A week and a half ago I got to take an adventure with the work girls (except for Mandi, Ashley, Laurie, and Lisa) to Disneyland! We spent 3 fun filled days there and I had such a good time. These women are AWESOME and I love them and I'm glad to have the opportunity to work with them everyday. We laughed and laughed and they were even kind enough to put up with my happy tears (and guilt tears) at being at Disneyland for the first time at Christmas time. It is magical and I highly recommend going there to feel the Christmas spirit! Thanks gals for the fun time. I love ya all! Can't wait to do it again!!!

Poor Gail didn't know what she was getting into on this ride. She just held on for dear life:)

Julie was obsessed about not getting wet!

I loved Small World with all it's Christmas lights!

The castle was just beautiful at night!

The 3 amigos after everyone else flew home

Had to put this one up cuz by golly we had a flasher on board!

Update on Sam's hand

2010-11-14T19:57:00.001-08:00

Here is an update on Sam. We are officially done at the Burn Center!! Can I hear a Woot, Woot!!! He is doing great. We just have to make sure that the new skin gets lots of lotion and keep it stretched out. He is doing great with taking care of it!

Evening in Excellence

2010-11-14T19:54:00.001-08:00

The Young Women had their Evening in Excellence the other night. They got the girls to get all gussied up. They did their hair and make up and put on fancy dresses. It was a great night. On a side note: Kristina, quit growing up so darn fast dang it!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Since this year Halloween is on a Sunday we went to our ward's Trunk (table) or Treat last night on Saturday. They did it down at the park by our house. There was such a great turn out and the decorations were fabulous. The kids had a great time and so did we!

Holly -Gangsta, Kristina - Joker, Sam - Dracula, and Riley - Hula Girl

These two were ready for business
Costumes - check, pumpkin buckets - check, let's get going already!!

Me manning the table. Matt didn't want his picture taken this year:(

Of course it's not Halloween unless I have my Mickey pumpkin

Kristina drew this one herself and also carved it herself. Great job!!!

Riley's own creation. She did this one by herself too!! Good job!

This one is Sam's (even though I drew it and carved it). I guess giving it the thumbs up makes it his, right?!

It was a fun day!!

Eeck! Holy Scorpion Batman!!

2010-10-31T22:43:00.001-07:00

Check out this creature! It was wanting to make a home in the garage. Too bad for him that Matthew B. found him. Now he's dead! My hero Matt.....

Disneyland Baby!!

2010-10-24T21:57:00.001-07:00

WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD (Like that is a surprise)

Thanks to my awesome bosses anniversary gift, my wonderful husband and hard work, and the give a day get a day, we were able to spend the Fall Break week at my families favorite place, Disneyland!! (along with the rest of the world I should add) We headed up through San Diego so we could make a pit stop in Oceanside for some greasy favorite food and a quick stop at the beach. After that Disneyland or bust to meet up with our good friends the Boyack family. We had a great time. It was warmer than I thought it would be and like I said everybody else had the same idea but it was worth it. I love Disneyland!!! (so much so that I'm headed there again in a couple of weeks with my awesome coworkers!) Here are some highlight of our trip. If you would like to see more pics head on over to my Facebook page.

This is how we told Riley and Sam we were going

You want some yummy greasy food? This is the place to go!
I miss our summers going here:(

The beach was beautiful and the water wasn't too cold. My hair of course was a huge fro thanks to the humidity!

1st day there and we are excited!

These kiddos are crazy

Good looking bunch if I do say so myself

This is the only way to keep these kids in check

The castle

World of Color. I highly recommend it. We saw it twice.

Everyone needs to see Mater and Lightning!

CA Adventure baby!

Train Station

I love Disneyland at Halloween time

One of my favorite pictures

Kristina was in heaven.....

We love this Mouse!!

If you look closely at the kid in the white hat in the back. He was a spitting image of my little brother Kody. Holy twin Batman!

This is what long lines do....Make you crazy!:)

Paradise Pier

Oh no!!! A spiderweb on the castle!!

Last picture of the World of Color

I forgot to add that not only did we see lots of people we knew we also saw some famous folks. We saw Shawn Bradley and that guy is tall I tell ya! We also were able to sit behind Mitchell from Modern Family at the fireworks show. Kristina thought that was a major highlight. What a fun time we had and I loved spending it with my sweet family.

Poor Sam, brave Sam

2010-10-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

As many of you have heard we had quite the adventure on our vacation at Disneyland over Fall Break. On the morning of our third day, as we were getting ready to leave, Sam tripped over the cord of my hair flat iron. He reached out and grabbed it trying to help out. Needless to say those things are stinken hot. Matt screamed at him not to but it was too late. The screams out of my poor boy were horrible. He was convulsing in pain and crying so hard. Nothing makes you hurt more than when your child is in pain. After prayers and some time just holding him he announced he was ready for the day. Holy cow that kid is tough. I gave him some Tylenol and bandaged him up because it didn't look too bad. After the day spent with the Mouse we came back and took off the bandage. Holy cow the blister was huge! He had a rough night and when he woke it was even bigger. We headed over to the Disneyland 1st aid and they sent us to Urgent Care. After lancing the blister and giving us prescription cream and meds we headed back to Disney. The kid hadn't cried since the incident just so you know. When we got back from vacay we headed to our regular doctor which they then sent us to the Burn Center. Who knew it was so bad. Insert guilt now. They were wonderful there and sent us home with supplies and a splint since he wasn't healing quite right. We are waiting for a follow up on Wed. and hopefully the kid will be back to normal soon. After seeing how deep the burn was and cleaning it twice a day I have to tell you my boy is one tough cookie!! I would be bawling my eyes out everyday. I love you Sam-man!

1st night

Next morning
Disneyland 1st aid center

Anaheim Urgent Care

Got my craft on again

2010-10-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

I felt my craft vibe right before we left for vacation. I made these for my friend before we left. I thought I would make more before Halloween and I just don't think it's gonna happen. Bummer. I thought it turned out pretty good. (sorry for the picture quality.)

Bobcat Sam...rawr!!

2010-09-30T23:48:00.001-07:00

This cutie putie got his Bobcat! Yeah! Now to work on the rest. We are proud of ya Sam-man. Keep up the good work:

Craft Night!

2010-09-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night the girls got together for some scrapbooking/craft night fun! It's always a blast to go out with my hommies. I do think we are a talented bunch if I do say so myself. Thanks for the fun night girlies! Can't wait for the next one:) My Calendar
Amy's almost done calendar

Courtney's calendar

Julies' calendar

Marisa's calendar

I sure wish I had gotten a picture of everyone's but some packed up early. Aren't they just too cute???

Holy Huge Spider Batman!!

2010-09-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

How would you like to find this on your bathroom wall? Let me tell ya, you probably wouldn't! These pictures do not do it justice.

Imagine my horror to find that freak of nature, monster right above the bathroom door. I was petrified with fear on how the heck I was going to get out of that room. I knew I had to kill it because...HELLO....would you want that crawling on you at night? I think not! I had the bug spray and camera (because I had to document it) in hand but just couldn't bring myself to go back into the bathroom. Luckily Matt was just getting out of the shower in our other bathroom and I hollered at him to come and get it. I would of done it if he was gone but if he's there then let him, right?! For once he actually got to see one of these beast up close and he finally believes me now when I talk about the ginormous bugs we have running around outside. After he sprayed it it fell to the floor where he sprayed it again. Then he put it in the toilet and the thing showed it full size. Holy crap that things was HUGE I tell ya HUGE! He flushed and it fought going down. Needless to say I flushed a few more times after the fact just to make sure it was gone. I have now had the heebie geebies for the past few days. YIKES!

Labor Day Fun!

2010-09-12T21:26:00.001-07:00

This year for Labor Day weekend we took a trip to Tucson. Sam and Matt wanted to do a whole lot more than us girls which was fine by me. After eating at Swensons....yum.....the boys headed off to the races. I am surprised that Matt and Sam lasted as long as they did that night because both were TIRED! The girls went back to Grandpa and Grandma's house for swimming and movie watching. The next day the boys got up and went to breakfast and the car show. Kristina wanted to go to the car show but ended up staying up most the night because she was so congested. Poor kid. While the boys were gone we hung out and did more swimming. It is always nice to go hang out with Grandpa Richie and Grandma Junie. Thanks for putting up with us:)

Girlz in the hood!

Sam at the races

Sam and Grandpa

Sam and Grandpa at the car show

Slug Bug! Have you ever seen a stretch bug?

Hanging out in the stretch Slug Bug.

For Kristina

A-Team

K.I.T.T. Knight Rider
Sam totally loved this bounce thing

Sam Bouncing!

More Sam bouncing!

Matt showing us how to shake it!

My Brother Got Hitched!

2010-08-28T23:56:00.001-07:00

I know that this post is about my brother getting hitched. Sad thing is I don't have any pictures of the bride and groom. How lame is that? I know I am pure looser:( It was a fun evening and we are glad you are part of our family now Mikel. Good luck putting up with us crazies! On a side note I did have to put up some video dancing fun. We can manage to entertain ourselves quite nicely. Can't my little niece get her groove on? What a great evening!

I love Monsoon Season!

2010-08-28T23:47:00.001-07:00

I love the Monsoon Season. I love it for the amazing clouds that roll in late afternoons. (I would love it more if we could get more rain, but that is beside the point.) I never seem to have my camera with me so the first couple of pics are in the car from my cell phone. The last are with my camera but it just doesn't seem to take great night pictures. I'm sure if I knew what I was doing that might make it better but what can ya do? I love natures beautiful sites and am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that shares all of natures beauties with us.

The Girls in the Hood

2010-08-28T23:44:00.001-07:00

These silly girls are who you might run into if you are in our hood. Better watch out cuz I'm not sure if they're normal:) hee hee Just joking!

Silly Zippy

2010-08-09T20:39:00.001-07:00

I guess Zippy wanted to make sure that we could find him at all times so he got a flower petal stuck to his back so we could see him. It was so funny watching him go every where with that thing stuck to his back. We love Zippy!

Tadpole update

2010-08-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well the tadpoles are almost ready to go out in the big, big world. The last 2 have almost lost their tails and we will be releasing them in the next few days. I sure hope they survive!

1st day of school...8/9/10!

2010-08-09T20:18:00.001-07:00

Today was the 1st day of school. I swear summer just started. Kristina officially started High School...Yikes! Riley started Middle School....another Yikes! Sam is in 3rd grade. They were all excited but they didn't want to admit it and a little nervous. So far the school year started out great. I take the day off because I like to take them all to school and be here to pick them up. Kristina had to be out the door at 5:40am for early morning Seminary. Did I mention that both her and I HATE early morning. This should be interesting as the school year progresses. Riley has to catch her bus around the same time Sam needs to be at school so at least I can take them both. Now I tried to pick them all up after school. Kristina was first and I got her with no problems. Matt was worried she would be embarrassed that we were there. Ha! She didn't want to walk in the heat. Sam was next on the list then Riley. When I left to get Riley at the bus stop the school called and said they were running late. We came home and waited a few minutes. I left to go get her but went around the block and ended up missing her. Darn it! At least I tried. I sure hope this year turns out to be great! So far so good:)

Kristina bright eyed and bushy tailed so early:) (I think it is time for a haircut? What do you think? Geesh)

Sam and Riley before school
Sam

His thumbs up pose for his 1st day. Doesn't he look excited?!

Riley

Her excited for school pose! Silly girl.

Kristina after school. What is that a smile on your face????

At least I gave a Ryleigh a ride home. Too bad I missed picking up my own kid:)

Sam afterwards. He survived!

Riley home after her walk from the bus stop.

Good luck in the new school year kiddos!

Eeeecckk!!

2010-08-07T23:27:00.001-07:00

Okay, we finally did it. We caved, alright! Yes, the eldest child is now the user of her very own cell phone. Let my panic attacks begin. I know it shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is to me. I am such a control freak and this just letting her have some of her own control in her life is killing me. Luckily she is a good kid and seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Kristina, if you are reading this, please don't blow it:) (Artwork by Kristina herself. She was so excited she had to show it.)

We love our Sam-man!

2010-08-07T21:22:00.001-07:00

I have mentioned that sometimes my kids are just a tad different. Not that that is a bad thing. I love it. Our little Sam LOVES geography. He has maps galore and is usually the go to when we aren't sure where something is located in our big, beautiful world. Yesterday I was busy, busy cleaning when Sam came running in to tell me I needed to look at the map he made. This little cutie pie made a landmark map of the US on his bed. That kid amazes me sometimes with what goes on in his head. All my kids are so dang smart and talented and never cease to amaze me. They make me so proud to call them my kids!

Tadpole do over

2010-08-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay a while back we posted that we caught us some tadpoles. Those poor little tadpoles ended up boiling to death in the hot water due to my error after just a day. I left them outside in direct sunlight in a nice hot plastic bucket. Well we are trying this again. I am happy to say that all 5 are still alive! I put them in the same bucket but this time they were left inside. Two of them are almost little frogs and the others not too far behind. Soon we will release them in the backyard. Maybe then they will eat some of those blasted dang mosquitoes!!

Finally....Rain!

2010-07-30T01:12:00.001-07:00

You know you officially live in the desert when you finally get some rain out of the monsoon season everyone stops what they are doing and runs outside to enjoy it. Unfortunately I was at work and missed the whole event, but was lucky enough to see some pictures. No, it did not rain where I was at. It did cool it down some but it is very humid. If you don't believe me you should take a gander at my lovely hair. Thanks rain for finally coming our way!

Check out Mr. Sexy outside in his swim suit trying to save our big sunscreen. Too bad we lost it to the storm:(

Class of 90 Reunion!!!

2010-07-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we had our 20th High School Reunion! (Yes, I am old and I love it so there! Also picture overload!) We started off the morning with our class float in the Pioneer Days parade. It was so much fun though I am sure I annoyed everyone with my hooting and hollering. We followed up with a family picnic at the park. I didn't stay too long because the kids were not being very happy to be there. That night we had our adult dinner and festivities. We had a yummy dinner, an AWESOME skit, and load of fun catching up. I love you guys! Thanks for making it great!!

Of course there I am in the middle trying to perk the crowd up! Thanks for the help Mouse.

The whole group at the dinner. We had a great turn out.
We loved seeing each other. (Don't mind my red, red sunburn.)

Me and my cousin Melanie

These guys were fantastic! So funny!! Way to go Mouse, Gary, Crick, and Ryan

Michelle and I! You look great Michelle. Now quit stalking and get your own facebook and blog!

Myself, Amy, and Janice. Janice made a dvd for everyone with a fabulous slide show. Thanks Janice!

Mouse is always trying to get some Guy Love. Run Ryan run.

Me and the guys. Jason, Brian, and Mouse

Jodi and Jason

Kirk and Rick

Melanie, myself, Jen, and Crick

My cousin Jen and I. I love ya Jen. Thanks for the fun weekend!

Mouse and Jodi

I think my daughter might have a problem.....

2010-07-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

So I think my teenage daughter might have a problem. What do you think?:)

Tucson

2010-07-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Matt had a few days off after the 4th of July and decided to take the kiddos to Tucson. I had to work so I stayed home. (Yes, I actually had the entire house to myself. Don't tell anyone but I did get kind of lonely.) They did lots of swimming and had a rocking good time!

Family pictures from the baptism

2010-06-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got our pictures from Corinne and June. Thanks! I know you all were so dying to see them...right?! Of course the first picture you see is our totally reverent picture. hee hee Probably shouldn't have but we couldn't resist:) I am totally kicking myself for not taking more pictures but hey, when you are the hostess with the mostess you can only do so much. Once again thanks all for coming and supporting our little Sam-man! We love you all.

Sam got baptized!!

2010-06-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Our little man Sam was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints on Saturday! What a great and eventful day for him. The kid got to do it 3 times. He just couldn't seem to get all the way under. After tears on the 2nd try the 3rd time was the charm. He was so happy and excited. We are so proud of you Sam! I love the sweet boy that you are and the example you are in our lives. Afterwards we were lucky to have the family come over and have lunch and visit. We sure did miss all that wasn't able to make it. It was a great day!

PS June or Corinne if you could email me the family pictures I would love to put them up here. Sure wish I would've remembered to use my camera. Duh! Also didn't get any pics afterwards with all the family that came. Shoot!

I won!!

2010-06-21T21:44:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend Ashley gave me the heads up on a cute blog lil luna. (It's on my blog list.) They were having a giveaway and I wanted a shot to win. I entered by doing the required entries and then kind of forgot about it. While in Disneyland Ashley text me to let me know I won!! Wahoo!!! Not only did I win the family board and cute scrapbook frame I also got a couple of sweet headbands. Yeah for me! So if you wan to check out a blog with cute ideas give lil luna a try. (I would cut and paste the link in the post but it's totally not working...sorry.)

The Birthday that just keeps going and going and going.....

2010-06-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

I swear Sam's birthday has just gone on forever! Since he went to Tucson the day of his birthday I promised he could have a party the following Sat. We invited the neighbor boys and had a little afternoon of fun. I am not big on parties. My kids get them (if they are lucky) every other year. I like to keep it simple and to the point. Since June is starting to get toasty the boys played a few games with balloons then ran through the sprinklers and had a huge water balloon fight. Finished off the afternoon with cupcakes and ice cream. What a fun day:)

Our getaway

2010-06-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

Most couples when they finally have a getaway without their children go someplace oh I dunno fancy or extra romantic. Not us! Not saying that Disneyland is not romantic but saying Matt and I are kids at heart. Besides what better place to go than the happiest place on earth with my main squeeze:) We figured since we went to DisneyWorld for our honeymoon going to Disneyland for our first major getaway fit the bill. Is that sad that we are finally now taking a major vacation without the kiddos after 18 years of marriage?? I think it just might be. It was worth it and I hope we don't take that long to go away again. We had a fabulous time! Now I must bore you with our fun photos. (If you want to see even more boring photos you can totally check them out on facebook.)

Thanks to this man, Walt Disney, we have one of our favorite places to visit!

The night we got there we were thankful that our friends Ben and Stacy drove down to have dinner with us. It was great seeing you guys!

Main Street USA

We love you Walt and Mickey!

This is one of my all time favorite rides though I know so many do not like it. I do so there!

I will not sit near the front on Splash Mountain without a poncho ever again!

He was totally soaked!

"D" is for Disneyland!

Beautiful!

I love me some Mickey ice cream bar! Yum! So good....

Last night there. We were so exhausted!

I finally got to see my beloved Mickey Mouse!

I don't wanna go!!

We detoured through San Diego so we could stop by Oceanside. These condos hold some very fond memories for me growing up. I sure do miss going there for the summer:(

Of course we had to stop at Angelo's our favorite greasy food joint for our much loved fried zucchini and onion rings. Don't they look divine??? You know you want some:)

On a side note we want to give a shout out to June and Rich for watching our kids while we were gone. I know they can be stinkers but we sure do appreciate it. They had a total blast there and are so grateful for all the fun things you did for them. Thanks so much again!!

Sam is 8!

2010-06-12T00:30:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my Sam-man is 8. Where oh where is the time going? I remember when he was just a sweet little baby. Now he is such a sweet big boy. The day of his birthday we got up and opened presents and then had cupcakes. We kind of had to rush it since we were meeting Grandma Junie in Florence so the kids could spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa in Tucson while Matt and I were gone. He was so excited. Sam can not wait to be baptized next week and is finally able to go to scouts. We just love this kid and are so blessed that he is in our lives. Happy Birthday big boy!

Riley's theme song:)

2010-06-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

The kids saw this tonight while watching Phinneaus and Ferb. I think it is totally Riley's theme song...What about you?:)

Summer thus far....

2010-05-27T23:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, so my kids couldn't wait for school to be over and summer to start. They have officially been out of school for a week now. What does Riley and the neighborhood kids play every day? You guessed it...school! Go figure. At least they have had a fun summer so far. To be young and carefree again...hmmmmm

2011 isn't so far away...right?!

2010-05-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Due to my beloved Bono's back injury U2 has postponed their concert until 2011. Dates to be announced later. I read that information with tears in my eyes (not really but it was so darn close). To say I was disappointed would totally be an understatement. Luckily Disneyland is still in the area we were going to attend said concert at so guess what? We will just do Disney the whole time!! That helps me deal a little more:) At least I can look forward to 2011 to see my #2 main squeeze. (You will always be my #1 main squeeze Matthew babe!) Here are a couple of pictures to help me get through this rough time period:)

Oh Nooooo!!!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

2010-05-22T23:06:00.001-07:00

This hunka, hunka burning love of mine - Bono and his back

might keep myself and this stud from
visiting my favorite mouse in a couple of weeks!!!! Aaaaahhhh!!!

Please keep your fingers crossed that Bono's back is feeling good so they don't postpone their concert date. Matt and I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. Plus I know that this is the concert that he will finally spot me in the crowd and bring me up on stage to dance with him. I just know it!!! Please Bono feel better!!!!!

8th Grade Promotion

2010-05-21T23:34:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of school. Yippee! We will see how long yippee actually last though. Kristina promoted from 8th grade and is now going to be an actual high schooler. Yikes! Sorry but that scares the living you know what out of me! We are so proud of you stinker! Her promotion ceremony was great. Short, sweet, and to the point. Just the way I like it. The main gripe is though why the heck was it as 8:45 in the morning? What about the parents that work and want to be there. Another thing it was at the same time as the honor roll assembly at the grade school which meant that Matt and I had to spit up to be there for the kiddos. That totally stinks. I would've loved to make it to both. Who's bright idea was it?! Riley made Principal's Honor Roll yet again and also got runner up for the most AR points in the school! Way to go Riley-Boo!! We are so proud of you. Sam made honor roll! You rock Mr. Sam!! It was a good last day of school. After all that excitement we decided to go see Shrek and let the kids pick out something for all their hard work. Riley of course got a book, Sam got a book about cities (yes, my kids are weird when it comes to stuff like that. At least they are smarter than me...Thank heavens!) and of course Kristina got herself some more Twilight shirts. Seriously, can you own too many Twilight shirts?? I am beginning to think so. We ended the day with some BK and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Fun start to the summer. Let's hope it keeps up!

Some pics from Kristina's ceremony.

I still can't figure out where the time went? We did she grow up? Also when the heck did she get so darn tall???

Ma and Kristina

Ma, Kristina, and Maraye

Daddy and his (big) little girl!

The 2 dorkie Buckos!

Well Hello Blog...Long time no update!

2010-05-21T23:24:00.001-07:00

Okay I know, I know. I haven't updated this poor blog in many moons. So very sorry. Let's just face it and say that life is busy. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Hmmm....Let's think of what's been going on since the last post. I swear that March, April, and now May have just totally flown by. We have been busy with school testing, Easter, company, and getting ready for summer. That's pretty much our life in a nutshell. Let's face it the Bucko family is just kinda boring and that is just fine by me:)

This little guy finally came out of hibernation! We just love him.

After watching Weekend at Bernie's we decided to color eggs for Easter. I think this was the lamest egg coloring kit ever. No wonder it was only 99 cents. Dumb kit!
Best I could get of them for Easter dress. I still think they are a good looking bunch!

Crazy sisters!

I can see clearly....

2010-03-31T21:28:00.001-07:00

This little cutie

is now sporting new eye apparel!

Matt and Sam's trip

2010-03-27T00:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows Sam knows that Sam loves airplanes and airports. So when Richie and June found out when the Air Show in Tucson was they invited Matt and Sam to come and enjoy the show. It luckily ended up being the last weekend of spring break so Matt and Sam headed to Tucson for some father, son bonding. Saturday they spent the entire day at the air show and had a blast. Matt said all in all Sam did very well. He did have some moments but when he came home he couldn't stop talking about it. I also learned that on that trip Sam discovered the IHOP's french toast is much better than his mommy's french toast. Oh is me. har har

You will notice a trend from these pictures that Sam is usually in some spot he's supposedly in danger or trying to hold up planes with his tidy whities hanging out.

On another note. While Matt and Sam were away Kristina had a slumber party on Friday night which left Riley and I with an evening to ourselves. We decided to do some shopping. After hitting the loser mall we went to Kohl's, Target, and McDonald's. At the last 3 places I started noticing people shopping in the pajamas. Okay did I not get the memo that it is perfectly acceptable to shop in your PJs? What the heck? Then when we got to McDonald's an entire family came in after us. I know it was late (Riley and I were there for an ice cream and fries) but does that mean you have to come in your thread bare PJs? It was disgusting! To top it off their 2 boys and 2 girls were so obnoxious. They were running around screaming at the top of their lungs, rolling all over the floor, and jumping from the tables. Where were their parents you ask? Oh they were just sitting in the booth totally ignoring the little demon spawns. It's bad enough that they were out in their stinking PJs but PLEASE control your little darlings. I know they drove more than one costumer out of that place that night. Am I alone in thinking that this society is really starting to loose it sometimes? I mean come on! Okay I'm totally done ranting. I'm sure if we are friends on facebook you've already had to listen to me gripe about this so I am done now.

I sure did love spring break and was sad to see it go. Summer is just around the corner though. Yahoo!

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Last week was Spring Break here. I had to work the beginning of the week. Towards then end though I took some time off so me and the fam could have some fun. Unfortunately we didn't get to go anywhere but did manage to have a good time at home. Let me rephrase that the girls and I didn't get to go anywhere but the boys got to take a little trip. I will blog about that next. Thursday I took the kids to the AZ Science Center. We decided to try out the new Lite Rail instead of having to deal with traffic and parking. Once I was able to figure out the whole train system we actually had a fun time riding the train. We got to the Science Center and tried to have some fun. Don't get me wrong. It is a cool museum. Maybe I was just grouchy but it didn't seem as great as the last time we went. It just is very expensive and our favorite usual exhibits are no longer there. It just seemed like everything was under construction. It was also very crowded so that didn't help my mood much. The kids had a good time and that is what really matters. They did give me a heart attack on the way back though. I was buying my tickets for the train when it pulled up. I thought they were going to get on without me. I'm sure I looked like a lunatic running for the train and yelling at the kids DO NOT GET ON THAT TRAIN WITHOUT ME!!! Luckily they actually listened to their mom.

Friday Matt was able to come with us and we went to the Dino Museum. I know that is not it's technical name but they just changed it again and I can't for the life of me remember the new name. This museum is a Bucko favorite. They added some pretty cool new exhibits to the changing part of the museum and the kids loved it. They of course loved the rest of the museum and had lots of fun. Afterwards we were able to go to Bill Johnson's Big Apple to eat. Man do we love that place. All I could think of all day was the fried zucchini. I usually can't stop thinking about their pulled pork but decided to think about their chicken fried steak instead. It of course was tasty as usual. Yum! Yum! What a fun day!

Disclaimer: Picture taking wasn't our strong suit this time around. Sorry!

Sam gotta love him

2010-03-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out backpacks a few weeks ago and came across this little not in Sam's backpack. I'm sure it was written for Valentine's Day. It sure did make me giggle. It says "Love is getting married and kissing and love one another." I guess that sums it up.

Happy "Late" Birthday Matthew B.!

2010-03-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

What a stud!

Okay what kind of lame wife am I? Matt celebrated his birthday on the 14th and I just haven't had time to put this up to wish the guy a very happy birthday. We had a great day and Matt and I got to go out and eat at Macaroni Grill. He loves that place. Sorry we only seem to get there once a year. He wasn't feeling too great that evening but was not about to pass up the chance to get out. Thanks for being such a GREAT husband and father. You rock!

On a side note but not really a side note we also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary that same day. Holy crap we're old! Thanks for the great 18 years. Love you!

Poor Riley!

2010-03-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Riley got in a fight yesterday! You should see the other guy! Nah...Just kidding. Riley was riding her scooter yesterday and felt bad for the pavement for being so lonely. She decided to kiss it. She wiped out pretty good after hitting a rock. We thought it knocked her tooth loose but we were thankfully surprised that it didn't. It did split her lip and give her nice road rash on her nose and lip. She felt bad for a little bit but made me proud by getting back on that old scooter and joining the fun again outside. Way to go Riley-roo!

Who knew a mini trampoline could be so fun?

2010-03-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Can you believe a mini trampoline could be so much fun? Something I should be using to get in shape with and I dread is something that the kids can't seem to get enough of. Love it!

Sam's ditch day

2010-03-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sam was finally able to get a ditch day from school. The past couple of years he has been sick too many times from school and wasn't able to miss. This year he did it! We went to the Hangar Cafe at the Chandler airport. He loved being able to eat and watch the airplanes land and take off. (The food was pretty darn good too. If you go though be prepared to need GPS to find the dang place.) Afterwards we went to Target where he thought I should by him loads of toys. Yeah right! He did get a moving truck and airplane though. We had a great day. Thanks for being my date little man!

Can we say OBSESSION?!

2010-03-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

This is my middle child's stuffed animal collection. The majority of them she keeps on her bed while she sleeps much to my annoyment. I know that she loves them dearly but I swear if she buys one more or receives one more as a gift I think I might loose it!

Jodi Dr. Popsicles

2010-03-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

The weather here has been so cooky. One day it's so warm and the next rainy and cold. Here is the girl crew in the neighborhood trying to stay warm. Aren't they cuties?!

Happy Birthday to Mom(Krys)

2010-03-13T19:57:00.001-08:00

Matt was able to go to NY last weekend to celebrate his Mom's birthday. It was fun for him to see family and be able to visit with everyone. He had a good time. He was totally looking forward to cold weather but it warmed up just for him. I was relieved because I sooo did not want him to be snowed in there. We did miss him while he was gone but glad he was able to get away.

Damage from all the snow they have been getting

Yucky snow!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-03-13T19:47:00.001-08:00

Sat. the 6th was my birthday. Since Matt was away to New York for his mom's birthday the kids and I did our own celebrating! The kids were kind enough to let me sleep in that morning. After I got up I decided that since it was such a nice day we needed to go for a hike. While getting ready to go one of my dear friends and old neighbors Tia was in the neighborhood and stopped by for a visit. What a great bday present. After she left we packed up and headed to San Tan Regional Park for a hike. We took a different trail and had lots of fun. With all the rain we have been getting it was so green and beautiful. All I had was my cell phone camera since Matt took our regular camera to NY so sorry for the picture quality. Riley wasn't feeling to great that day but sure was a trooper. After the hike we came home and freshened up and picked up my Mom and George for a yummy birthday dinner at Serrano's. It was such a nice day. I continued the celebrating at the office on Monday with the work crew and had loads of fun. They so know how to party! Sorry no pics to document. Even though we missed Matt tons and tons the kids made sure to make my day special! I guess I don't mind getting so darn old:)

Kristina's the big "14"!!!

2010-02-23T22:33:00.001-08:00

We are now undeniably in teenageville! I know that we have been in it for awhile but now there is no denying it. Kristina is 14. She had her birthday on Monday and we were so happy to celebrate with her. Since Matt and I were both working on Monday and going out to eat was going to be difficult we went out to NYPD Pizza on Saturday for her birthday. Monday she wanted me to make pulled pork sandwiches for her official dinner. Which of course me being the awesome mom that I am I did. After she was able to open presents. As you can see she got Twilight scene it for the Wii which she totally kicks my butt everytime. Then we had desert. She didn't want a cake but wanted the chocolate lovers donuts from Dunkin Donuts (which we are so happy that it is right down the road now). I think she had a pretty good birthday. She is having a slumber party on Friday and I promised to take her out shopping for some clothes since I am not allowed to pick clothes for the child anymore. Heaven forbid Mom buys her something to wear. I have no idea what looks good. Go figure! Happy Birthday eldest child!! We love you:)

Highlights from Riley's bday party

2010-02-21T21:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we finally were able to have Riley's bday party. Events included the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey, balloon relay, balloon popping race, guess how many chocolate eggs, necklace and bracelet making, eating cupcakes and ice cream, and of course opening presents. The girls were silly and cute. A good time was had by all:)

Riley's ditch day

2010-02-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Today was Riley's ditch day. I stole the idea from some other good moms in the ward. I let my kids have one ditch day a school year when they can choose what we do for the day. Riley wanted to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I didn't mind cuz I read the books and really enjoyed them. Pretty good movie. (I am going on a tangent though. Why do directors sometimes go so off base and leave out relevant pieces from books. Obviously the book is good enough to be made into a movie. Why then leave so much out and then go off track and change it from it's true form? Just wondering.) Anywho we went to an early movie. Best time to see movies by the way when school is in session. Not too crowded. Then Riley had some money burning a hole in her pocket from her bday. We went to the pet store to look at the puppies. Then to Border's to pick out more books. It was off to Toys R Us to check that store out. She was able to reserve her copy of Pokemon HeartGold for her DS. Last stop Target to get a stuffed animal (like she needs anymore), presents for her friend's bday and Kristina's bday and party supplies for her party tomorrow. It was a fun day!

I love to do the ditch days with the kids because it's a chance to do one on one with each kid. I love to see what they pick out to do. I also get a kick out of the conversations when they are apart from their siblings. They never cease to amaze me or totally crack me up. They each have such quirky personalities that make me giggle and love them even more. Thanks for the fun day. Now it's almost time for Sam's turn. Can't wait to see what that little monkey picks to do.

Riley's field trip

2010-02-19T22:42:00.001-08:00

Last Friday:

Went on field trip.
9 kids in group.
Good kids.
Silly kids.
Funny daughter.
Cool museum.
Nuff said!

(Forgot camera. Cell phone camera. Sorry.)

Family Hiking Fun!

2010-02-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Sam has been asking if we could go on a hike. We finally relented and told him yes. Now when I say hike not a hike like my bro Richard hikes. I am soooo not doing those. My idea of a hike is a nice and easy trail. We looked up San Tan Regional Park and found some nice and easy trails to start. We only did one today but it was alot of fun. The kids enjoyed it and the day was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We decided that we enjoyed it so much we will have to keep on doing them. Heck maybe one day I will actually be in shape. Bwahahahaha JK! I know I must of scared some of ya with that statement:)

Here we are getting started

Hmmmmm....What left that scat on the trail????
So pretty

Taking a break

Thank heavens Sam was there to help his poor mama out!

Love the views

Utah Bride pose for Lesa and Marcy

More pretty views

Matt and Riley wouldn't wait for self portrait time

Love it!

See....I told you Matt and Riley wouldn't wait

Here we are pulling up the rear

Sam had to have a hiking stick

Poor butterfly didn't make it

Riley's 11!!

2010-02-15T16:55:00.001-08:00

We do celebrate Valentine's Day somewhat but at our house that day we really like to celebrate Riley's birthday!! Our Riley girl turned 11 on Sunday, Valentine's Day. She's my special Valentine. I can't believe how grown up she is getting. Why oh why does time not stand still sometimes? She had loads of fun and loved her day. Happy Birthday Riley-Roo! We love you:)

Crafty part deux

2010-02-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here is my attempt at the blocks that I did all by myself. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I was able to give my other set to one of my friends. Now I must start working on the other holidays. I've also come to realize that I rather enjoy making them.

Update on George

2010-02-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

Just to let everyone know that George is doing so much better. They moved him to a rehab hospital and he has been improving each and every day. He is looking forward to the 15th when he gets released. It was scary there for a bit but every ones prayers did so much good. Thanks to all for your kind wishes and prayers!

Life can throw you a curve ball

2010-01-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday my step dad George had a stroke. Needless to say that this past week has been hard on the family. After George was taken to the hospital we found out that he has had several mini strokes without any of us really knowing. Anybody that knows George knows he is a tough guy. My whole life he has worked very hard for our family and has been very strong. The last few years has taken its toll on him somewhat but he was still pretty feisty. The day after his stroke he seemed to be somewhat perking up which was a good sign. They said the next 3 months would be critical and more could follow. Tuesday he was doing okay. Wednesday he seemed to take a turn for the worst. I went to the hospital after work and was shocked to see him. That was the first time I really thought he might not make it through this. Needless to say I was pretty scared. They transferred him to a rehab facility on Thursday and I wasn't able to see him. Friday I also wasn't able to see him. Today though Matt and I went to visit and he is doing much better now. He was up and about and talking up a storm. Whew! Life is crazy sometimes and I forget to not get so caught up in it. I'm just glad things are looking up now and hope that George has a speedy recovery.

I can be crafty

2010-01-29T23:10:00.001-08:00

Today some of the gals from work and I went to Julie's (thanks Julie!) to make Valentine blocks. I don't think they turned out too shabby for my first try. I think I am confident enough to try them on my own now. They were easy to make and I think I need some for each holiday. Luckily Amy made me some for Christmas so I don't have to worry about that. Thanks guys it was tons of fun!

Big Moon

2010-01-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

Gotcha! You totally thought I was going to put someone on here mooning ya, right?! hee hee

Today on the radio they said that tonight the moon would be at it's biggest and fullest this year. I was crafting and forgot to check on it as it was rising but luckily my kids were totally on the ball. It is so beautiful tonight. I am so thankful for all of natures beauties.