The Clarendon Hotel

Since we were down in Phoenix supporting Kaely and her cheer team we decided to make a weekend out of it.

We got on hotwire.com and got this cool hotel for $50 a night.  The Clarendon in downtown Phoenix.

The kids all loved the roof top bungalows!

We need one of these I think!

Ella loved the pool!!!

This pool has all kind of LED lights so it made it super fun at night for the kids!

Glad we ventured out and didn't just stay at one of our usual hotels!

It was a fun change!

ROCK'IN Day

While we were down in Phoenix for Kaely's cheering we decided to use up some of our passes with the POGO pass.  One of them included going to Phoenix Rock Gym!

It was a rocking' good time!

Kiersten, being my cautious child was a little apprehensive at first but after a few climbs she was hooked!

Of course the boys were monkeys from the beginning!

Hunter did awesome!

Logan was a real climber!

That smile says it all!!!

We had so much fun!

It was good for the kids because they had to belay each other so it took team work to climb.  I thought it was just as much work to belay someone as it was to climb.

I sure enjoyed myself and the climbing experience.  There is something freeing about it!  I can't even imagine doing it out in nature.........just you, your equipment and the rocks!

Silvio's first time rock climbing and he loved it!  Those long legs came in handy for sure!

Love myself a good adventure!

Mr. Grant was a super duper good climber!

It was so fun to watch him and his excitement!  This facility was great because it had so many rock walls varying in difficulty.  So everyone could do it, even Grant!

Hunter did so awesome climbing this crack in the wall!

He was like Spiderman all the way to the top!

It was such a fun day!

D-Backs Game

We went to a Diamondback's game to support Kaely.  She is on the Safford High School Cheer Team and got to cheering before the game started.

Here she is doing a toe touch!

It looked like the girls had a great time being out there on the field.  Kaely did a great job!  So proud to be her aunt

It's always fun to get away for a weekend!  Love this family of mine!

Feeling pretty blessed to call this awesome guy my husband!!!  We have our ups and downs like anyone else but there is no one else in the world I would rather have as my partner in this journey! 

In her daddy's arms........... one of Ella's favorite spots!

Of course Ella Jane needed a baseball outfit for the game!

Oh my gosh I could nibble on her all day long and I pretty much do!  She is so lovable!

What handsome boys we have!

Ella is so blessed to have Kiersten as her older sister!

Ella's face looks like a doll in this picture!

Oh My Gosh this little guy has my heart!

He entertains us all!

We got dinner for everyone at the ballpark.  Silvio said he would get his own...........

AND he comes back with a huge ice cream!  And yes he thought it was a great dinner!

We are finding out real quick that Silvio has quite the sweet tooth so he fits right in with the rest of us!

Grant, Kaely, Cambry and Kiersten

It was fun to be with these girls..... they are all so awesome!

Justin is sure proud of his little blue eyed baby girl!

We decided to leave the game early because it was such a slow moving game and so we could go check out Richard and Stacie's new and AMAZING pool.  As we were leaving the ballpark, Justin asks Silvio, "Did you enjoy the game?"

Silvio replies, "Ya it was so fun!"

Justin quickly replied, "You don't have to lie to me!  That game was super boring to watch!!!"

We all laughed and then Silvio agreed that he didn't enjoy it either!

We did however, enjoy Stacie's pool!!!  We did not plan on swimming, just looking at it and visiting with them about the company who built it.  But it only took a few minutes before the kids were diving in the water.  It was fun to sit and visit with Richard and Stacie!

The Struggle

It's a constant battle to feel like you are enough.  The struggle is real!

Having the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life is my saving grace.

To know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows me and loved me unconditionally.  Through that knowledge I am reminded that I am enough!

I am grateful!

Yummy

This foreign exchange student thing is really starting to pay off!

Silvio cooked us dinner tonight.  Complete with homemade spaghetti sauce, noodles that he brought with him from Italy and Tiramisu for dessert (minus the coffee).

It all was AMAZING!!!

Silvio was pretty happy to cook for us.  His mother, Cinzia, gave him a few lessons before he came to the USA.  

The sauce was delicious!!!

I am not a fan of Tiramisu, simply because I don't like the taste of coffee..... I don't even like the smell of coffee.  As it turns out Silvio doesn't like coffee either so it worked out great.  He made this dessert without any coffee.  And guess what?  I LOVE IT!!!!

So yummy!!!  All my kids liked it!

I told Silvio he is in charge of Sunday dinners every week..... hehehe!

But honestly I really could get use to this!

Thanks Silvio for being so awesome!

Party Time

We officially have a TEENAGER now!!!

Kiersten wanted to have a lazer tag birthday party and invite BOYS!  Yes BOYS!!

It took some convincing for Justin to allow this to happen but between Kiersten and myself we can be pretty convincing... hehehe!

So the weekend following Kiersten's actual birthday we loaded up 23 kids in my sister in law, Amy's van and headed out to the paint ball course in Safford.  Thank you Amy for having a huge van, I wouldn't want to drive it on a daily basis but for this type of thing it's great!

I have to tell this story on Kiersten.....

So as we were planning her party she decided on a lazer tag party.  She made her list which had 45 people on it.  We have 18 guns so I told her I would by a few more sets but that her list probability should only be 24 people.  We made a revised list of friends.  As the day got closer to handing out the invites she told me that she no longer wanted to have a party.  I asked why.  Her response as a 13 year old blew me away.  She simply did not want to have a party  because she didn't want anyone to get their feelings hurt that they weren't invited so she just didn't want to have a party.  Then no one would be sad.  Seriously, she is not the typical teenager.  We had a good talk about it and I helped her understand that just because she didn't invite people did not mean that she did not like them or want them at her party.  We simply do not have enough guns to accommodate that amount of people and any one should understand that, even another teenager.  After some convincing she finally decided she would go ahead with the party.

Kiersten really is a genuinely sweet girl.  She cares so much about others feelings that she would sacrifice a fun birthday party just to not hurt anyones feelings.

I love her example and I learn so much from her!

Back: Popper, Steven, Dawson, Holly, Silvio, Kloee, Hunter, Danika, Will

Front: Hanna, Samantha, Maranda, Raely, Porter, Bryce, Alani, Kiersten Logan, Curtis and Grant 

They sure are a fun group of kids!  I had a fun time teasing some of them and seeing their different personalities.  

These crazy kids kept doing the ice challenge.  They would put their hands in the freezing ice water in the ice chest.  Who ever is last to pull their hand out "WINS!"  That doesn't sound like anything I'd care to "win!"  But they had a great time doing it!  And it was fun to watch them be so crazy!

Kloee and Holly being super beautiful snipers!

Danika and Holly

Will Jarvis and Grant

It was a great party!  It was suppose to end at 8:30 but because the kids were having so much fun we stayed until 10:00.  Kiersten really enjoyed her party and I enjoyed getting to meet some kids I didn't know.  Now on our drives to and from dance I'll be able to put a face to the names.  By the way, I really love my time in the car with Kiersten!  It gives us a wonderful opportunity to visit about her day, her friends, her worries and just life in general.  It makes for a busy afternoon all week, but I cherish that time I get to spend with her!  She is an AMAZING daughter and friend!  I sure hope she know how much I truly love her!

Silvio's 1st Football Game......EVER!

Silvio decided to play football and he is loving it!  The first week he could not believe that kids go to school from 6:30 in the morning (he is taking a zero hour class, so that's why is goes that early) and then go straight from school getting out at 3:36 to football practice at 4:00.  At first he thought practice was only going to be for 2 hours but soon found out that most days he is there til 7:00.  This has been a big and tiring adjustment for him!!!  At home in Italy he goes to school from 8:30-1:00...... big difference.

The boys are so proud of Silvio being a football player!

Ella is too.....she even got a cute outfit to show her support!

This picture cracks me up because Silvio is holding Ella like she is a football and Ella looks like she is saying, "What in the world are you doing with me?  Sit me up!"

We are working on getting him to not hold her like a football......hahaha!

Look at how adorable Ella is!

EVERYONE loved her outfit!

Grant somehow thought it would be appropriate to take his shirt off to cheer on the team.  Over the next few weeks, this decision of his would turn into something even bigger but you'll have to keep reading to find out what!

Jason Smith and Ella chilling at the game!

Silvio got put in the last few plays of the game.  He told us he had no idea where he was even suppose to go when the coach told him to go in.  But one of his teammates helped him find out where he was meant to be.  We come to find out that this is not only the first football game he has ever played in, it is the first football game he has ever even watched.

He is doing great!

The boys on the team are really good and accepting to Silvio so I think it is making his experience here in Pima a great one!