Avery's First Day of Kindergarten

Well, Monday was the big day! Avery officially started kindergarten!! She was sooooooo excited to go to school. We met her teacher, Mrs. "K" (for Kesterson) on Friday and Avery absolutely fell in love with her. Mrs. K is such a fun teacher and already Avery has formed a special bond with her. She gives Mrs. K a big hug every time I drop her off at school.All of the kindergarteners have their own grass area/playground that is fenced off. They meet there in the morning and play and then line up with their class when it's time to go inside.This is Avery walking into the school with her class. When they got inside to their classroom, they all sat down on the mat and each got a turn to find an apple with their name on it to put in the basket (this is how the teacher does attendance).
Avery showing off her new backpack and lunch bag. I really like how the lunch bag fits in a pouch in the front, and she hasn't forgotten to bring it home yet :)

Avery was not sad at all to see me leave her classroom that morning. And to be honest, I was not sad either. I felt like she was ready and excited and she was in good hands with her teacher. It was kind of funny because when I picked her up at the end of her first day, for some reason she thought she was going to ride the bus home. So when she saw me there, she actually cried and did not want to go home with me. I tried to explain to her that some kids ride the bus and some kids get to home with their mommies. The last two days have been much better and she has been happy to come home with me. So far, it's been a great school experience for everyone :)

Summer Quickly Ending and Thankful Thursday August '09

Well, believe it or not it is the first Thursday of the month again. Is it just me, or is the summer flying by? I am not too sad about that though since it is so stinkin' hot! I know that every year, especially in August, we Arizonans ask ourselves why we live here and put up with the 110 + degree weather, and this year is no exception. I would give anything to be in 70 degree weather right now. Even 80 would be fabulous. OK, let's just say 90 and lower - I could definitely handle 90 degrees. I know - I'm dreaming, and complaining about the hot weather is actually the opposite of living in "thanksgiving daily" so I'll stop.

Speaking of summer flying by, I am still having a hard time believing that Avery is starting kindergarten in four days! She is getting so old and I just cannot believe that I will have a kindergartener! We go to her school tomorrow to meet her teacher, and she is soooo excited. We've got the shoes, the clothes, the backpack with matching lunch kit now - the whole works, but it still hasn't quite hit me yet. I am actually really excited for her and I know she will do great. She loves being around other kids and making new friends, and from my observations of her in preschool last year, she seems to catch on to things and learn them quickly. I will definitely post some pictures of her on the big day!

Now on to my gratitude list. I am really glad that I started doing this a few months ago. It has really helped me to think about all the things I am thankful for and to really ponder about my blessings throughout the days and weeks of every month. So, on this first Thursday in August, 2009, here is my current list of things I am thankful for:

1.) The ice-maker in our freezer (we never had one before this house and it really has made drinking water a lot easier)
2.) Digital cameras - sooooo much easier and more functional than film cameras
3.) My Dad - it's his birthday today so here is a mini list of things I am thankful when it comes to him:
- coaching my countless sports teams when I was little
- never missing a game or tournament I was playing in
- always being worthy and willing to give me father's priesthood blessings
- living with 5 women and never complaining (at least out loud) about our emotional roller coasters and shopping addictions
- loving me no matter how many mistakes I made
- dropping anything for us if we ever needed help
- always telling me that he loves me (he just told me today on the phone)
I love you Dad, Happy Birthday!!
4.) Microwaves
5.) My wedding ring - I know it's probalby considered a "worldly possession," but it really means so much more to me than a piece of jewelry and I love that Brandon designed it (it also has the eternity symbol etched on the inside of it, which is something we always put at the end of our notes and letters we wrote to each other)
6.) Brandon's amazing ability to fix just about anything that's broken (we have saved so much $ on repairs over the years, which makes his tool chest and power tool collection in the garage worth every penny)
7.) All of my sisters - I love each of them dearly and cherish our memories and fun times together
8.) All of Brandon's sisters - they have all been so loving and accepting of me and have always made me feel like one of their sisters when I am around them. I love each one of them.
9.) My maternal grandmother, Alta Ashby - she was such an amazing person and a wonderful example to me. She was patient, loving, kind, smart, funny, very good at board games, made the yummiest homemade cookies, and always gave the best hugs in the world. She passed away from cancer when I was 13 and I still think of her and picture her smile all the time.
10.) Good doctors
11.) Modern medicine
12.) Ultrasounds - it is so incredible to actually see your baby on a screen when you're pregnant
13.) Avery starting kindergarten on Monday
14.) Hugs and kisses from my kids
15.) Being a member of the Church - I can't imagine my life without the truth of the gospel and the strength and guidance it give me on a daily basis.

San Diego Trip

I know these pictures are late, but better late than never. We decided to take our kids on a spontaneous trip to San Diego for the 4th of July weekend. We drove over on Friday morning and got to San Diego at about noon. We ate lunch and then tried to go to the San Diego zoo for the afternoon. After driving around for nearly 30 minutes looking for a parking spot however, we realized that the zoo was not going to happen for us that day. So, we checked into our hotel, changed into our swimsuits, and headed over to the beach. Unfortunately, I did not put the memory card in the camera we had, so I could only take a few pics at the beach.This was one of the few moments that Kiley was actually smiling at the beach. She hated the sand and the wind blowing and basically just wanted me to hold her the whole time we were there. I'm glad I was able to catch a picture of her without any tears.

Hayden loved playing in the sand! She sat there for hours and was quite content making things in the sand by herself. I wish I had a picture of Avery too. She was our little water girl at the beach. She loved playing in the water and running on the sand with the waves. She didn't even want me or Brandon to go with her. She told us she wanted to play by herself and that we could go sit down and watch her. She wouldn't go in the water past her knees, so we were OK with that.On Saturday morning, the 4th of July, we got up early, ate breakfast and headed down to the zoo. We got there about 20 min. before it opened, and it was a good thing we did. We got a great parking spot and we were one of the first groups of people inside the zoo when it opened.

Our first stop was the Polar Bear exhibit. It was really cool. There were three polar bears and they were all playing and swimming in the water and eating. Because we were the first ones there, the girls had plenty of room to walk around and follow the bears through the glass. Hayden especially loved being so close to the polar bears and watching them swim in the water.

Avery & Hayden watching the polar bears eating carrots.

The whole fam in front of a pond at the zoo.

Watching a bird exhibit.

Me & the girls enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather and scenery at the zoo.

The zebras...

The panda bear exhibit. You have to be really quiet when you walk through to see the pandas for some reason.

The monkeys were really fun to watch. We got there just before a big crowd came, so Avery & Hayden were lucky enough to sit right in the front and watch the monkeys play. They were swinging from the ropes and trees and some were even rolling around and playing with each other on the grass. The girls thought this was hilarious!

For lunch, we walked over to Balboa Park, which is right next to the zoo. On the way back we found this perfect tree for the girls to climb up and sit on for a picture.

Some of the other animals we saw that we didn't get pictures of were giraffes, flamingos, elephants, hippos, and exotic birds. There were lots more, but I can't remember them all off the top of my head. It was such a fun zoo though and the girls had a great time there. The weather was perfect and despite it being crowded, there was plenty to see and it didn't feel too cramped. If you plan on going there some time, I highly recommend going early in the morning when it opens, and I found out that through the whole month of October, kids get in free at the San Diego zoo. So, if you happen to be able to go to San Diego in October, you should definitely head over to the zoo. It's fabulous!

Thankful Thursday July '09

OK, I know it's not Thursday and it's not the first of the month. I have been totally slacking on my Thankful Thursdays, but here is my current gratitude list:

1) Air conditioning - it's supposed to be 110 degrees tomorrow
2) A car with air conditioning
3) Email
4) $2.50 flip-flops at Old Navy - that is all my kids wear these days
5) Blogging - I have totally gotten obsessed since I started a year ago
6) Holidays
7) Smiles and hugs from my kids
8) Memories of fun times with my sisters
9) Brandon's 100% dedication to everything he does
10) Cold cereal
11) Clearance sales
12) Beautiful sunsets
13) The food storage my parents gave us for Christmas
14) Living (somewhat) close to grandmas who love to babysit
15) Swimming pools in the summer
16) The scrapbooks I have done for my kids - I'm so glad I started when Avery was born
17) My part-time scrapbooking job for my Mom - she pays me to scrapbook all of her pictures; it's a win-win for everyone
18) A wonderful mother-in-law who would do anything for anyone
19) My ancestors who joined the church
20) My calling in YW - love it!
21) Dishwashers, washers/dryers, vacuums - all make my life easier despite hating to do the chores that are associated with them
22) A wonderful, loving, hard-working husband
23) Brandon's service in the bishopric - our family was so blessed by this calling
24) Brandon getting released from the bishopric - we get to sit together at church now :)
25) Being a mom - I wouldn't want to be doing anything else in the world

Another Fun Walmart Experience

As most of you know by now, I am not a big fan of Walmart - I very much prefer Target. If you didn't read my Target vs. Walmart comparison, you can read it here to find out how fun my last experience at Walmart was. There are certain things though that can only be purchased at Walmart and therefore, I must go there on occasion.

Well last Thursday was one of those occasions that I needed to go to Walmart. The girls had swimming lessons in the morning, then we had lunch and at about 12:30 we headed over to the Supercenter. I had all three girls with me and they were actually doing really well while we went around and got the things we needed. They even had free samples there that day, so we stopped to sample three different kinds of crackers. The sampler guy had a big chocolate cake sitting there and I somewhat jokingly said, "I want some of that." He said to come back in a few minutes because he was letting it thaw out before he cut it. So, we finished our shopping and then of course I had to go back to get a piece of cake. It was really yummy, but I blame that piece of cake on how the rest of our experience turned out.

So we went to the checkout line and as soon as I unloaded my cart and the lady in front of me grabbed her receipt, the power went out in the whole store - no joke! Lights went off, registers down, the whole thing. Of course that would happen as soon as I got up to the front. I think somebody who works at Walmart read my comparison and now they have a special security alert when I go there so they can make sure something goes wrong every time I'm there.

Well, I sat there and waited for about 10 minutes and then finally the lights and power came back on. By then, the lines at all the registers had gotten really long, so we all clapped and cheered when it came back on. Apparently though, they had to reboot all of the registers, so we had to wait another 10 minutes for them to start working again. I kept seeing codes pop up on the screen like "VX310" or something and I would wonder if that meant it was close to working again. The cashier in my line was actually very friendly and nice and she had never had anything like that happen before, so she had no idea what the codes meant either. We both kept waiting and trying to interpret their meaning. After about 10 or 15 more minutes, they finally rebooted and she was able to scan all of my items. I put my bags in the cart, gave her my coupons, swiped my card and as soon as it said, "Authorization in Progress" on the screen, the power goes off AGAIN!! Are you kidding me?

So here we are again with no power, the girls are getting restless - it's naptime mind you, Kiley is no longer interested in the crackers I had been giving her and who knows how long we would have to wait again for the power to come back on. I thought about just giving up at that point, but they had actually locked all the doors because they were afraid of people shoplifting. So we were basically stuck there waiting again. It was at that time that we learned there had been a car accident at the intersection nearby and one of the cars hit a pole which knocked out the power on the whole block. Brilliant!

After another 10 minutes, the lights came back on again but then we had to wait for another reboot of the registers. When they were finally up and running again, I had to take everything out of the bags in my cart so she could rescan all of the items again. We did it as fast as we could this time and after I swiped my card, I waited for the approval button and hooray - it went through!! But wait, that is not the end unfortunately. I looked at the total on the receipt and I realized that my coupons did not go through the second time. She had already put them in the drawer and forgot to get them out to scan them again. Now if they were only worth 50 cents or something I would not have cared, but one of them was for FREE diapers worth $10 - which for any mom, free diapers is worth more than gold.

So I notified the cashier that we forgot to scan the coupons again. She finished the transaction she was doing next and then she tried to open her drawer with her key to get the coupons out. Lo and behold, her key gets stuck and will not open the drawer. She tried several times and then finally called for a manager's assistance. So after a few more minutes of waiting (keep in mind that we had now been standing in the same spot at Walmart for 55 minutes!), a manager comes over and tries her key. Nope - won't work either. After 3 different managers came over and tried their keys, they finally had to basically break into the thing to open it. She scanned the coupons (again) and handed me my $10.97 (don't you love getting $.97 back in change?) and we were FINALLY done!! Sigh.

Do you see why I blame the chocolate cake now? If I hadn't gone back to the other side of the store for a piece of cake, I would have made it out of there right before the power had gone off. I guess that is why it is called devil's food.

Sleeping Beauty

A few weeks ago, the girls and I went to a Sleeping Beauty play in Gilbert, AZ. My Mom bought tickets for my sisters and I and our girls. It was at the Hale Theatre in downtown Gilbert.

Avery & Hayden wore their princess dresses to the play and brought their Sleeping Beauty dolls with them. They had so much fun dressing up and watching the play.

While we were waiting for my mom and sisters to get there, Avery & Hayden were dancing and playing on the stairs like princesses.

The theatre is kind of an interactive amphitheatre with the stage on the floor and all of the seats surrounding it. We were actually on the front row, so the characters were literally within reaching distance at some points in the play. I was a little nervous for my girls to be right in the front, but they did really good at staying in their seats.

On the left is my sister Kelsey's girls Scout and Ellie, and then there's Avery and Hayden. This was during intermission.
These were the 3 fairies in the play. The storyline and characters were slightly different than the ones in the movie, but they were really cute and the girls were so excited to get their picture taken with them.
Of course, Sleeping Beauty was the most popular character to meet after the play was over, so we had to wait in line to see her. But, the girls finally had their chance to meet the princess and get a picture with her. They loved it.
After the play we had lunch and ice cream cones and the girls got to play for a little while. It was such a fun day and the girls loved hanging out with their cousins. We wished my sister Lynndsey could have been there with her girls too, but hopefully she will be there at our next girl cousin outing :)

Happy Birthday Kiley!

OK, I am such a slacker with Kiley's birthday. It was actually on May 26th, but it was the day after we got home from our trip and it was somewhat of a crazy week filled with pink eye, earaches, and coughing - so we finally celebrated Kiley's birthday on Sunday. Not much of a celebration, but we did let Kiley dig into her own cake and go to town. Brandon got some funny video of it, but it was way too long to post on here. Just imagine her flinging pink frosting all over the place, rubbing it into her hair and face, etc. Funny to watch - not so fun to clean. But, hey, they only turn 1 once and each year they get a little neater with their cake eating.

Here are a few things about Baby Kiley:

1. She loves to try and figure things out and fit different objects together.
2. She did not eat solid food (including rice cereal) until she was 8 months old. (she would cry and push the spoon away every time I tried to feed her)
3. Kiley was sleeping in a pack-and-play in our playroom until a few weeks ago. She kept waking up crying at night until we put her in that room and she slept through the night. Finally we were brave enough to switch her back to her crib in her room and she is now sleeping great - yay!
4. She finally got her first tooth last week.
5. Her middle name is Magdalyn (named after Mary Magdalene)
6. She took her first steps to me today, but usually sits down and crawls if where she wants to go seems too far away.
7. She loves to have screaming matches with Hayden. They both scream to the top of their lungs to see who can be the loudest, and then they both crack up laughing.
8. Kiley loves loves loves Baby Einstein. She will actually sit through an entire 30-min. show, and, yes, I take full advantage of this :)
9. She was born on Memorial Day last year.
10. Kiley is a very happy baby (most of the time :) and loves to play with her sisters. We love her to pieces and are so happy she is a part of our family. Her smile is contagious and I just cannot give her enough kisses throughout the day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KILEY!! I LOVE YOU!!!