Tucson Zoo

Kiersten had a eye appointment over in Tucson on Monday so I decided to take the kids to the zoo. Hunter wanted to stay and go to his cousin Cambry's birthday party so Tif was nice and offered to keep him. Thanks Tif! It was a beautiful day and we had fun. I love the Tucson Zoo because it is so small and easy for the kids to see the animals and walk the whole zoo without getting too tired. My friend Steph and her kids came. It was really a fun day!

The kids got to feed the giraffe's. Logan wasn't too sure about it so Bailey helped him. I never knew how long a giraffe's tongue is. Kiersten really liked feeding the giraffe's! I love that Bailey is sticking out his tongue just because he was watching the giraffe do it. So funny!

I love it when my kids get to experiencfe fun stuff like this. I was sad that Hunter missed out, but he had a great time with Cambry.

Ayden, Gavin, Bailey, Logan and Kiersten

I love that it's so easy for the little kids to see all the animals.

Hunter loves the elephants so we took lots of pictures for him.

It was neat to see the Polar Bear get fed. The boys especailly thought this was way cool.

The Lion is Hunters favorite and I was able to get some great pictures of him. This was Hunter's favorite picture because the Lion is sticking out his tongue!

This is a Bleeding Heart Dove. I have never seen one of these before. It's crazy they look ike they have been shot right in the heart. Heavenly Father has a great imagination and sense of humor, it's easy to see that with a trip to the zoo.

Kiersten liked the Pink Famingos............mostly because they are pink, but also because they can stand on one leg for so long.

All the kids minus Kadie.

Snow Much Fun @ Twilight Canyon

We took the kids to tube up in the Mountains on Valentine's Day. It was the best tubing trip we have ever had. Usually it is so hard to take little kids to tube because you have to help them get up the hill and get their tubes up the hill as well. But this year it worked out to be so much fun.

Logan loved just going down the "baby slide" on his bottom. He was content to do it and he could do it all by himself which made it really nice for us. But then....................... ................all Hell broke loose once his hands and feet were cold, about 45 minutes of playing in the snow and he was so done. He was the only one with no snow boots and gloves that totally aren't meant for the snow. Poor guy! Hunter on the other hand was in heaven! He was warm and that makes all the difference when playing in the snow. Kiersten was so brave and was the first to try all the hills. Kiersten seriously climbed the hill 50 times to slide down. The kids would go so fast on the tubes and all most go off the cliff on the other side so we decided to just try sliding on our bums since the hills were so steep and they had slick ski suits on. It worked out GREAT! The kids could climb the hills all by themselves and they didn't need a tube. Next year we hope to remember the great spot at Twilight Canyon! Hunter sliding down and having a great time! He is such a cute 5 year old! It was so fun to actually have the kids be able to do the hills all by themselves. These next two pictures aren't in the right order. But this was the crash that ended using the tubes and lead to just sliding down on their bottoms. Kiersten crashed and came right out of her tube. Scared me and her both! This is the before shot. I felt so bad because I couldn't even stop her once I saw she was going too fast because I was off to the side. Kiersten took this picture of Justin and me. Pretty cute! Nice job Kiersten! Logan found refuge in the truck. He got right in and took his boots off and put his feet up to warm them up. He was happy to be able to watch the kids from the car and had no desire to get out! He was content with the heat! So it looked like too much fun I had to try. It was a blast! I had so much fun sliding down the hill on my bum. Some friends from high school happen to come and let me tell you to see Kizzy Graham tube down the big hill was hilarious! She is so fun, it was great to see her and Belinda! They were having a great time! It was fun to see other adults acting like kids. There is something about the snow that makes me feel like a little kid again! I couldn't talk Justin into doing down, he just missed out! But he said he enjoyed watching me act like a kid and that's just what I did..............GREAT FUN!!! I wish for more days like this! Kiersten had a blast! We ended up staying for 3 1/2 hours. The only reason we could finally get Kiersten and Hunter to leave was because it got too dark. Good thing Logan was entertained in the truck.

Me, Kiersten and Hunter

Logan had more than his share of the snacks and had some crazy beanie hair!

Logan loved putting his hands on the windows and seeing the hand print left.............sorry Justin but it entertained him! Justin and I took turn staying with Logan, then I finally just buckled him in and turned on a movie for him cause I wanted to sled some more.

We had some good Hot Chocolate complete with ready whip. The kids were so excited I had brought the ready whip. I was craving Hot Chocolate and wanted it to be just right so the kids just got lucky! Hunter said, "Mom you remembered how much I like Hot Chocloate with whip cream on top!" Of course I agreed, but actually I remembered how much Mommy likes Hot Chocolate with whip cream on top! Shhhh don't tell my kids!

These pictures are out of order as well. Hunter got snow all over his face this slide down. You can't really see it that good his face just looks wet.

This was his fast trip down that he pretended to be a human snow plow.

Me enjoying some snow plowing as well. I was covered in snow, not as bad as Kizzy on her trip down but close. Wish I had a picture of her!

Justin had said he would make me dinner for Valentine's (a first), but we got down from the mountains so late we just ate as Jerry's. But he made dinner on Sunday and it was delicious. Hunter said, "Dad, this is a really good dinner especially for a guy who's never cooked before! Have you ever cooked before?"

Pretty sad when your kids think their dad has never cooked. They are pretty right on, something needs to change huh?

Kiersten then said, "Dad I think you should cook one night a week to help Mom out!"

All I can say is Way To Go Kids! Now if that really happens I doubt it, but Sunday dinner was great. I appreciate Justin being so sweet and thoughtful!

My Favorite Valentine's Day.............so far

We had a fantastic Valentine's Day! It started with gifts from Justin and I. The kids were so excited.......................sadly so was I. I am very much a kid in an adult body, especially when it comes to gifts and holidays!

The kids were so happy that I had wrapped up their gifts.

Kiersten was so happy with her Webkins, so were the boys. But my favorite part, and the boys, was the micro machines we got for them. They are antiques, as they have not been being made for many years. For those of you who know me well, know I was a tom boy growing up. Micro Machines were seriously one of my most treasured toys as a kid. I had some serious fun bidding for them on eBay. I won a lot because I got so tired of bidding on the cool stuff and losing. So I got aggressive and ended up winning several bids...............with some way cool cars, trucks, motorcycles, semi's, trains, and much, much more. In fact I still don't have all the sets yet that I won. So there is more fun to come! The kids loved the micro machines as well and have played with them for hours since. Kiersten even likes them because I explained that all it takes is an imagination and you can have fun with them. Kiersten has a great imagination and she loves little things so they became a hit for her as well. Plus I told her how much fun I had as a kid playing with them and she thought that was cool.

This was a great find as I had one just like it as a kid. I know I am crazy, but I was so excited about these micro machines. I have such fun memories playing with my brothers with them.

This was my favorite piece as a kid, the suburban house! I was happy to get this one. The crazy thing is that all these sets were still in the original boxes and Justin helped me put the stickers on them. They were made in the early 90's..........................crazy huh?

This was the other set I had as a kid, so glad we found it to get for our kids. It was so much fun to get them and made me think of being a kid again. Justin said he thought I was going to have more fun with them then the kids and to be honest he might be right!

Logan especially liked the monster truck micro machines. He was so excited to see all the cars and trucks!

The kids immediately got the stuff all set up and played away the morning. I told Justin, "see they are a big hit." He said, "Yea, with as much enthusiasm you showed to the kids about these micro machines, you even made me what to play with them!"

I know I am a bit crazy, but one thing I love is FUN!

Gila Valley Temple Ground Breaking

We went the night before the actual ceremony to show the kids the place where the temple will be. It's so exciting to think about having a temple 3 minutes from our house. We are so excited to watch it be built. We drive past the site daily, so it will be fun to see it in all it's stages. I can already think of several families I plan on inviting to the open house. Justin and I both thought it was pretty cool that the place they "broke ground" was where the celestial room will be in the temple. I guess this isn't always the case for temple ground breakings, but the Pima Stake President that was incharge of the event wanted it to have special meaning when they broke ground.

President Neil Andersen of the Quorum of the Seventy spoke at the ground breaking. President Andersen, his wife and stake presidents from the area came the night before to check and make sure things were how they should be at the ground breaking site. It was neat to see them and watch them smile, laugh and interact. What a blessing a temple so close to us will be for us!

Valentine Treats and Decorations..............FUN, FUN!

OK first off my sweet mother always makes tarts when I ask her for her recipe. She'll just end up bringing several dozen to my house for me to give away. I kept telling her that I really wanted to learn how to make them myself. My mother being wonderful like she is says oh you don't need to know how to make them, just let me know how many you want and I will make them for you anytime! She is Wonderful! But I finally convinced her that I really wanted to learn myself and so she taught me how to make these beautiful tarts...............complete with made from scratch pastry shells! They are to die for and worth every calorie! Thanks mom for being so wonderful and for teaching me how to make your famous tarts!

They are Devinne! They are so good sometimes I eat 2 or 3 instead of breakfast and I don't even feel guilty because they are so small. Now once I've had 8 or 10 there is some guilty involved with that, but oh so worth it!

So I made TONS of TARTS! I made plates for the kids teachers and aids. They looked so pretty on the cute sparkly plates I got from Target. Wrapped in cellophane, they turned out beautiful! I am queen of cellophane. Anything looks better wrapped in cellophane! If you ask me. I also made Oreo bon bons for Hunter's bus drivers and my V.T. I also made Justin his own seperate batch and surprised him with it. I usually make them and give thema ll away, which makes Justin upset. So when he asked if I had plans for all of them I said Yes, he wasn't thrilled but I soon made his day and gave him his seperate bag of 30. Need less to say he was very grateful and once again "glad he is lucky enough to have me as his wife." Once again wrapped in a cellophane bag they make a delicious and pretty gift. This is Hunter's room decorated for Feburary! This is one of my traditions I always hang stuff from my kids ceilings for the month of Feburary. I just love doing it and the kids love it as well. Sometimes I get introuble with the neighbor moms because all the neighbor kids love it as well and have asked their moms why they don't have Valentine decorations in their rooms. In the years past I have hung die-cut hearts that I had cut out for an enrichment party, but this year I was in need of a little cheering up and decided to get these cute lanterns from Oriental Trader. Hanging them up did cheer me up and made the kids so happy. When Hunter saw his room he said, "Mom I can just feel how much you love me!" Lanterns from Oriental Trader...........$50 Hunter feeling LOVED..............Priceless This is Kiersten's room all decorated as well. She loved it and said she is glad I do this every year.................so am I. I just love any and every holiday. I love decorating rooms, surprising my kids, making them feel genuinely loved, making treats to give away, giving small gifts to teachers and friends.........................so holidays make me happy for those reasons!

Happy Feburary!!!

The kids were so excited to wear their Valentine outfits that we've been saving for the month of February. I love my kids so much! They each bring something special and unique to our family. It's such a joy to be their mother (and lots of work). I am so grateful to be able to stay home with my children and enjoy the short time I'll have with them while they are young. They make he smile and laugh and they are growing up way too fast! They are such beautiful kids and I love the strength I feel from their sweet spirits! Aren't they adorable!