Why not Blog?

Christmas DAY!

2011-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Wonderful morning started at 5:00! Opened wonderful presents and then off to church at 7:40.....

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

Really... we could just end here! Our Christmas Eve has been wonderful. We ate some yummy clam chowder, listened to the prophet, acted out the nativity and exchanged some wonderful gifts.

We have always drawn names to exchange presents but for the past few years we have made the rule that these gifts had to be made. Last year we exchanged some blankets, cheesecakes, coupon books, boxes, chairs, pjs.... this year was just as wonderful. I thought i'd share some of our highlights of the evening in pictures!

Daddy reading Luke 2

Mary listening to the Angel

Charly was so excited to be Mary

Cute Mary and Joseph

Our own little Shepard boy!

The Wise men looking to the star.

Bring on the Angry Birds!

Dad and Garrett had Chloe and Charly's name so they decided to make them thier very own Angry Birds. The girls and all of us loved it. Thank you boys for all the hard work put into this present!

Chloe makes Liam a Sponge Bob blanket.

Marci makes Garrett a blanket.

Liam made Marci this sign and she LOVES it!

Charly made grant this table (to cover his lego table) so that he can now use it for drawing!

Mom made dad this book.

MY favorite gift of the evening! Grant had my name (so Cyrus helped out a bit). Cyrus found this idea on Pinterest and made this giant ruler so I can put it up in my house and measure my kidos! I LOVE IT! Isn't he the best husband ever.

Conference Weekend!

2011-10-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Self timer attempt at a family picture.

Loved it and am so grateful for loving apostles and prophet who lead and guide us. There were many favorites but I'm going to have to say it was Pres. Uchtdorf when he spoke to the Relief Society.... "forget me nots" I'm know I'm not alone in this. But I was uplifted and am trying to impliment the important things taught.

After Sunday's session we took the kids out for some pics! Love these sweet babies!

Only picture of the day of the two of us... love this guy!

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-10-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Me and my 6! Love you kids!

I had a wonderful birthday! 37 feels great! I love being a wife, a mother, a daughter and a friend. So many people made it a wonderful day for me. I was able to start the day off teaching aerobics (more like bootcamp style weight training) which I love. There I get to associate with some wonderful ladies. There are many that are great examples to me. I mentioned that while I was out doing errons for the day that the cleaning elves would appear and clean my house. WELL... that is probably the wrong thing to say to a bunch of Relief Society ladies. While I was at Grant's 1st grade class helping out with the apple fair, sure enough, the cleaning elves did come and clean my house. My dear friend Debbie Hyde came and made my rooms sparkle. While she was doing that another friend had Charly and Debbie's kids so that Debbie could clean with out destractions. Meanwhile, Angie Larson (whom we all aspire to be like) was out getting fresh flowers and balloons to brighten my day. All of this was happening while I got to go spend time with Grant.

That afternoon I had the chance to sit back and relax while Debbie had Charly over to play. Another knock at my door... this time it is my long time friend Brigett. She too had had remembered me and brought me flowers and my favorite Lindor ball truffles. I was all smiles all day.

Later on I talked to my sweet husband who said he had dinner plans for us (yeah... no cooking for me on my bday!)

Meanwhile... throughout the day I would go to my facebook where many others remembered me and posted sweet messages to my wall.

After the 2 soccer practices we were able to go out as a family to Red Robin where there were still even more presents shared. This was a treat seeing how with our big family, this doesn't happen all that often.

Thanks to all for the birthday calls and messages. People truly are amazing how they serve and forget themselves. It absolutely made my day!

Grant at the Apple Fair

My clean house! Thanks Debbie

The new couch and rug Cyrus bought me for my birthday... love them!

Cool new chair in the corner!

Flowers from Brigett!

Sunday Blog day...

2011-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today is my day to blog... and I'm not quite sure what to blog about.
Menifee.... I do love where I live. It may not be the beautiful countryside or the 100 degree weather... It has to be the people. I love all of the friends we have made. We have now lived here for 6 years and the people we have met have become like family. My kids are growing up with some wonderful friends. I'm grateful to all of their good parents who have their priorities where they need to be. The gospel comes first and they know how to truly Choose the Right.
I taught Relief Society today and as I looked out at the women I can honestly say I love all of them. I didn't know 1/2 of them but there is a bond between women in the church. We are all striving to live the gospel and improve each day. We aren't perfect and we all have our weaknesses but I don't feel judged or that I'm not good enough for them. They seem to all have the desire to reach out and serve. I truly feel at home here.
I read a comment on Facebook today that made me sad. It read "I hate Sundays". I'm the opposite. I love them. Our church starts at 8:30 and it is a tough morning to get everyone ready BUT I love the spirit that is felt. I had the opportunity to play the organ today. I get to do this once a month. I made a few more mistakes that I wished I had but I like developing that new skill that Sister Jepson has so kindly tried teaching me. There is a lady in our ward that started an organ training course and I happened to think it would be a good thing to learn. Little did I know that I would be playing once a month. BUT, I actually really have enjoyed it. There is room to improve, but I figure a "smile" on my face goes a long way and helps people overlook or ignore those mistakes I make.
Gotta go get my kids in bed... we are all happy and tummys are full thanks to Debbie Hyde who fed us a wonderful dinner.
I love life.... (something my mother always says :)

Don't have any pics to share of my wonderful life in Menifee... But today in my lesson I got to talk about the Spirit World. I got to share a little bit about my sweet niece Erin. I share these pics with the ladies today. Here are a few flower shots taken the day of her funeral. Those cherry blossoms always bring me peace.

New Goal for this week....

2011-09-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

So, for about 11 weeks now I have been setting weekly goals and for the most part I have stuck to them. I confess... I belong to a group called "The Menifee Losers"! We help each other lose weight, stay in shape, change habits, and hopefully for the most part, become better people. So, every week I have three goals I stick to. Almost every week 2 of them stay the same: 1. Exercise everyday/ walk with family on Sunday. 2. No eating after 7 (this one was really hard for the first 2 weeks... but now... it's just a good habit. I still stick it on my list just because I know if its not... the temptation is much greater). The third goal varies.

Read scriptures every night

Say morning and night prayers

100 jump squats

100 push ups

300 crunches

Go to bed with a clean kitchen

Blog every day

Well... I'm very excited for this next weeks goal that I actually started a day early. It's going to be a hard one but a very much needed one!

DEEP CLEAN ONE ROOM A DAY!

For some of you that may not be a hard one. But, me and my 6 kids aren't always the best at deep cleaning. We think its a great day if every thing ends up in its place and the floors are vacuumed. Deep cleaning needs to be more of a priority for me so I thought I should make it one of my goals. Today I kept my tennis shoes on and started with my bedroom! Lots of dusting needed to be done, a few cob webs, various books needed to be put where they belong after they have sat on my night stand for months... well, you get the picture. It wasn't terrible... but there were things that needed to be done. As I was cleaning I ran across a project I have been meaning to do for about 5 years. (long time coming)
You see, about 5 years ago my sweet husband wrote me a poem. Not just any poem... it was one he spent quite some time thinking about. Its one I can't post on this public blog because I feel it is too special.... almost sacred. He's such a wonderful husband, and today... I finally printed and framed it. It is titled "meet me in the woods". He framed a picture of my walking through the Redwood Forest looking up at the trees to go with this poem. SO, now I have a new favorite spot in my bedroom! Thanks again Cyrus, I sure love you, reading this poem today brought tears to my eyes again. I'm now glad that I can see it every day.
So, here are some after pictures for you to enjoy of my "deep cleaned" retreat!

One of my favorite paintings from my husband.

Serving in the Church

2011-09-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Right now in my ward I get to teach the 9-10 year olds. I really have enjoyed this because they are at a wonderful age where they want to learn and "do" what they are taught. One week we had a lesson on service and so we decided to put our words into action. We went and visited some of the widows in our ward. We visited, sang songs, helped weed and most importantly, we helped them feel loved. The kids we so good. They would leave each house having felt the spirit. I felt it as well and learned a lot that day. I love my primary class!

Soccer Season!

2011-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

My kids have never played soccer... BUT this year we thought it was time they all started. SO, Marci, Chloe, Liam and Grant are all playing. Cyrus and Garrett are coaching Liam and Grants team. It is a huge time commitment but I love it. It helps get our family out together.

Liam and Grant are close enough together that they get to be on the same team. And they love that thier daddy gets to be thier coach. Their team is the "Blue Ninjas". They are both still learning how to stay on their feet and to not trip as they run across the field.

Chloe is a go getter on the Pink Pirate team. She hustles and runs after the ball. She hasn't quite figured out that if you're a defender you aren't suppose to run up and try and get the ball as a forward. She hurries and runs where ever the ball goes. Amy Handel is her coach. She and John are doing a great job.

Marci enjoys being a defender for the Liminators. She wasn't quite sure about this whole soccer thing after the first week of practice but I think she is really enjoying it now. She is lucky to have to of her church friends on the team and the cool thing is one of her team mates is getting baptized tomorrow. Marci is learning alot and has a great attitude about things. She is very anxious for volleyball to start in a month!

Love at Home!

2011-09-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Heart I found on Mt. Whitney

Yesterday the Wrey Family spoke about "Love at Home" and so I decided it was something we needed to work on. Therefore, tonight we had a FHE lesson on that exact topic.
About three weeks ago I read a paper that Garrett had written for one of his classes and he talked about how his dad is his hero and how we wants to be just like him. This made me smile. But as I read on, the next sentence said, "But I don't really get along with my siblings". This made me sad. As we hiked down Mt. Whitney I talked to him about this as asked why he felt that way. He said he was tired of the little boys getting into his room and breaking his stuff. I think all kids with younger siblings go through this frustration. But it was then I decided that we need to change some things in our home. I want my kids to go through this young years seeing the good in their siblings instead of always pointing out the bad. So, tonight we all came up with a few things to help us have a better feel in our home.
1. No Yelling... I admitted to the kids that I am guilty of this... unfortunately they all agreed. I said I needed their help with this. I told them I will make a better effort not to yell IF they make a better effort to do things the first time mom asks. They all thought that was a fair trade. I know that the "mom" sets the tone for the home and if I am yelling less they will be too.
2. Chloe wanted to come up with some type of game. So we ended up with a jar of marbles. We decided that we would have a full one and as we do acts of kindness one to another we would get to put it in the kindness jar BUT if there were any unkind acts then one would get taken out. I'm sure you all get the idea. Grant liked this idea and said that his 1st grade teacher does the same thing. Dad even told the kids that once it was full he would take the family to Knotts Berry Farm. They all thought this would be a wonderful idea!
3. Marci said it would be good it we were not so "quick to anger". We talked about how when we do get annoyed with each other we have to make a consious decision to "NOT" let it get to us.
4. Be Patient with each other
5. Dad thought it would be a good idea if we all looked for the good in each other instead of the bad. He said he wanted to start hearing some sincere compliments. They can't always just be "hey, you are awesome!"

I love my family and hope that this will change the way we feel about one another and as Grant said, "the Holy Ghost will be in our home if we have love." I know this to be true.

Charly had a Birthday!

2011-09-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

My goal for this week to is blog every day... SO... I thought I'd look back at some events that I had missed and start from there. On August 29, Charlottte turned 4. She loved her birthday and even told my friend Debbie that since she is now 4 she no longer has to "buckle up" in the car. Hmmm... No I didn't tell her that, she has been know to make her own rules. For her birthday she wanted to have her friend Kate come over and play, so we were lucky to have Kate Thomas over to help make the birthday cake. I got this crazy idea that making a rainbow cake would be fun. I copied it from Jill Landon's blog but couldn't seem to find the page to give her the credit... BUT anyway, I went to the store and bought three cake mixes, some food coloring and LOTS of frosting. I believe the pictures show the fun the girls had:

Finished product... Not quite the same as Jills.. But Charly loved it. This was her favorite part of her birthday. I was excited to cut this 20 pound cake open to see all the colors.

Hadley and Charly

Everyone is always so excited for presents around our house!

Chloe made sure I put the colors in the right rainbow order. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple.

Mt. Whitney

2011-09-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

I hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney yesterday.

About a year ago I overheard Jeremy and Cyrus talking about how they wanted to hike to Mt. Whitney. As soon as Jeremy left... I said, "I want to go!" Cyrus was all for it. So I was officially invited to hike the tallest mountain in the Continental United States. It is 14,505 feet up. I have been excited and training ever sense I knew we were going. We met way back in January to discuss details and figure out what dates to go and who was able to go. We ended up with a group of 11 and got picked from the lottery to go Sept 8-10. We were thrilled.
List of things needed: (we started making this list about 6 months ago and every month we were so excited to purchase some cool item that had to go inside our packs)

Osprey backpack

HERE IS WHAT WENT INSIDE!

Down sleeping bag

sleeping pad

2 person tent

Hiking socks

Hats

Fleece jackets

Shell for wind

2 shirts

clean underware

1 Mountain house meal: Beef Stroganouf

2 snicker bars

bowl

spoon

Advil

Tylenol pm

bandaids

medical tape

head lamp

deodorant

wag bag

water bottle

ear plugs

I went over this list many times... checked it more than twice and what do you think my pack ended up weighing?

23 pounds

My husband was very good to me... he ended up carrying 35 pounds. He had to carry the bear box full of food. Food for three people for three days had to fit into this little tiny bear proof container and then that had to fit inside his pack.

We loaded the short bus on Wednesday (Sept 7) and left here at 3:00. We got to the town of Loan Pine and ate some McDonalds then went up to Whitney Portal (8000 ft up). We set up camp there that night to get use to the high altitude so that on our way up we could avoid getting sick. I think for me, sleeping in a tent is worse than altitude sickness. I have never done well in a tent. We purchased ear plugs to mute the noises of nature that would keep us up... i.e. the creek below, the snores of our neighbors, any critter that might be lurking... BUT did they work? NO! Not a chance! That creek kept me up all night. Morning could not come soon enough. We were all so excited. It felt like Christmas. We couldn't wait to get started on our 22 mile, 14,505 feet high trek.

We approached the trail head, took some pictures and we were off. I choose not to use my treking polls because they seemed to slow me down. I have always been one that sees a challenge in front and me and just goes for it. That is exactly how I felt Thursday morning. I wanted to hike and I wanted hike fast. About a mile into it we realized that Jeremy had left the permit in the car so he had to turn around and go back and get it. Horsley thinks he just wanted to be able to say that he hiked 24 miles instead of 22. Pool guy... we probably would have been fine without it but he felt like it was the right thing to do. Cyrus, Garrett, John, Kyle and I kept heading up. We stopped at Lone Pine Lake to wait for them. This is where we got to enjoy our first salami bagel. It was delicious. We were hungry at that point. (I think we had only gone about 2 miles. it sure felt like a lot more) Soon everyone else arrived and we rested for a while. The boys went down to the lake and filtered some water for our water bottles. I was reprimanded by a few when they saw that I had only drank about an ounce of my water. I've never been very good at drinking my water! Anyway, the next part of the trail was soooo much fun. The dirt trail turned had turned into a rock trail. At points we were climbing stairs made of rocks. I thought it was so much fun. I couldn't stand it and had to dash ahead. My adrenaline kicked in and I was off. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I loved every hard step I took. I felt so good as my legs would push me up those steps. My muscles were ready for this hike and it felt good!

We approached outpost camp (the meadow) and enjoyed the beauty there. After than we stopped at Mirror Lake. At this point I was off on my own. I hoped no one was offended that I left the group but my body could not hold back... it had to go go go! Cyrus said... "Well, Leanne, you do know that you are Jeanine Mickelsen's daughter right?" I liked that comment.

Next stop: Trail side meadow. A spot I will never forget, I felt my Saviors love here and will forever be grateful for that. I arrived at the meadow about 45 minutes before anyone else and I sat on a rock in the middle of the creek, shoes off and just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded me. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about the spirit that I felt there. I thanked my father in heaven for the gifts he has given me. Mainly: My husband, my children, this earth and all of his creations and the knowledge that I have a Savior who died for me and my family. This was one of the highlights of my trip. It was hard to keep my excitement and happiness in. I was just giddy and I felt like a kid again.

After that... I was off to Trail Camp. (this was the end of our 6.3 mile hike for today) I loved the terrain. It was hard and it pushed me and I loved every minute of it. I arrived there and found a few spots for our tents. It was fun to see everyone arrive at camp. I was excited to see Cyrus and Garrett because I knew what a hard trip it was and was so happy for their success.

I arrived around 3:00. We had an afternoon here and it was COLD... there were no fires nor chairs to lounge around on a visit. We were all beat and wanted to go to bed. (although I dreaded the thought of sleeping in my tent another night.) We fixed up our Mountain House meals and food had never tasted so good. I ate fast and satisfied with the meal. We were all tired and wanted to go to sleep. Word spread that I had some Tylonal PM so I gave out some drugs and eventually we all hit the hay (well, rocks in this case). The drug did weird things to all of us. We had all retired by about 7:30 so some of us were waking up around 8:30 thinking it was morning, Cyrus woke up around 10 hoping for morning. I woke up around 1:00 BUT still no morning yet.... Well, it finally came. 6:00 was here. I heard some people up and so I poked my head out of my tent. I was surprised to see everyone ready to go. I wanted to depart with everyone so they were kind enough to wait 5 minutes for me so that I could leave with them. At this point Cyrus' leg wasn't looking like it was going to be able to summit and Garrett had experienced altitude sickness so we had decided it was best if I left with out them. We would decide later if they were going to try and summit or not.

Trail camp

Well, the 5 of us were off... ready to hit the 98 switch backs at 6:30 that led to the other side of the mountain. I was surprised to see that these switchbacks weren't near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I stayed with the group for a good portion and then my body started tugging at me saying..... lets go! This is where I enjoyed it the most. So, I took off and was headed straight to the top. The sight at the end of the switch backs was breath taking. We could see into the Sequoia National Forest. It was such a beautiful sight.

On the switch backs

more switch backs... Sandy, Jeremy, Robert and Dan

Beautiful views as we walked

Other side of the switch backs

Guitar lake

I hiked and hiked and finally I could see the top of the Mountain I had been seeking. The end was in view and I was anxious to arrive. I kept pushing through the rocks... it would get cold and then it would get hot... it was a constant change of temperature. I hiked through some snow and then the last stretch would put me at 14,505 feet! Finally I arrived. I pulled my phone out to see if I could get cell service. Of course, I called my mother. I was a little chocked up.... I didn't want to her to hear it in my voice but it was such a feeling of accomplishment. I was so happy I could tell someone about it. She was proud of me and enjoyed those few minutes with me. Someone took a few pictures for me, I signed the book and since I didn't feel like freezing any longer... I was OFF!

Down I go. Going back was FUN... I wanted to return to Cyrus and Garrett. I knew they were disappointed that they couldn't summit but I knew Cyrus would be so proud of me and would want to hear all about it. I summited at 9:45 and arrived back to Cyrus at 12:15. I was so happy to see him. They were waiting for me at the bottom of the switch backs. While we were summiting they we planning the next trip we would take to Whitney. The one they would go all the way to the top! It was still such an accomplishment for them to go 12000 feet up. I was so proud of Garrett... I know he will make it next time. He would have made it this time had he not gotten sick.

Garrett above Mirror Lake (one of his favorite spots)

After waiting for the others for a while, Garrett and I decided to head down. Cyrus told me to take it easy... He said he knew that would be hard for me but that I needed to "chill". Well, I loved our decent. I got to spend the next 4 hours with my son alone. I will admit... I was in PAIN! My ankles were killing me. Garrett led me down the whole way. We talked and talked. He did such a great job. He kept me going. Most of my steps were followed by an "ouch, ouch, ouch". He would ask me if I was ok and if we needed to take a break. He took care of his mom on the way down and I will always cherish that time I got to spend with Garrett.


This was the sight I saw as I followed Garrett down the mountain. He was always quite a few steps ahead of me. He did a wonderful job!

I will never forget the wonderful adventure it was as I hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney. I'm grateful my husband let me go and experience this in the way I wanted it... I don't know if it was selfish or not.... but I sure loved every minute of it. (well... the last 6 miles of "ouch"... I even loved those)

Charly goes to school too!

2011-08-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

This week Dad was able to give the kids blessings. It was a wonderful evening. All of the blessings were so beautifully given. Cyrus did a wonderful job. It is so fun seeing my older kids start to recognize and feel the spirit. I'm hopeing this week I can type them up so that we have a record of what was said.
BUT... today CHarly got to go to school too. She was very excited. I am doing a group preschool with some wonderful moms that all have little 4 year olds. It will be a great group.
Her friends are: Mia Gray, Mia Hyde, Mason Hyde, Kendra Johansen and Aria Worthington.
Jackie said she worked really hard on finishing her work. I thought this project was super cute!

First Day of School 2011!

2011-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Our Summer was absolutely wonderful! The playing didn't stop. Right up until last night at 9:00. Friendships were strengthened, tan's were improved, buggie boarding was all the rave, late nights seemed to get even later, perfectly round bruises were made from the wild paint ball wars, volleyball camp, swimming and more swimming...... !
All in all we had a wonderful time. We couldn't have asked for a better break. Cyrus has missed his family seeing how we all would sleep in and no one was there to see him off in the mornings, therefore he was glad to see us all wide awake and excited for the first day of school today.

Pool hookups!

2011-06-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sure love my pool hookups this summer...

The kids have many wonderful friends who always invite them to come swim and this summer is just like the last one... BUT this summer I have a good friend too that happens to have a pool. Debbie Hyde and her family moved into the ward about 6 months ago and I really feel like our families have connected. Debbie has 6 kids as well. Our first two are 2 weeks apart and then the rest fall pretty close in line as well. They are all good kids and a lot of fun to be with. Debbie is easy going and great to hang out with. She's become my new exercise buddy as well! Super happy this family from Kentucky happened to move to this little city of Menifee. We sure love having them here!

Summer w/o bike rides can't be summer!

2011-06-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

So my kids friends came by yesterday to invite them to go on a bike ride.... only problem... we only have 1 working bike... so it got me thinking... I have this beautiful SPECIALIZED road bike hanging in my garage in pristine condition... and do I ride it? NO.... So I thought... "If I sell my bike I would probably have enough money to buy 5 bikes... (of course that would be 5 Walmart bikes). Some might think im crazy to trade a specialized for a few huffys and some Mongoose bikes... BUT... the kids and I thought it was a marvelous idea. So this morning at 10:00 I took a few pics of it and posted it on Craigs list... Well after about a bazillion callers wanting the bike and two hours later my bike was gone and the kids and I were in the car with a wad of cash to go buy bikes!
Walking into Walmart is never fun especially with 6 children... just imagine all of them pushing bikes around the store! It was quite a sight. They all found what they were looking for rather quickly and then we were off to go do some serious bike riding!
Garret and Marci quickly hopped on theres to ride to a friends house to go swimming while the other four hung around out front playing "follow the leader". The kids are just tickled pink with the new purchase... I think it turned out to be a pretty good trade!

Sure love this SUMMER fun!

Liam was very proud of his 20 inch BMX bike... there are even skulls on the seat... hmmm....

Charly loved the ribbons that flowed from her bike as she sped through the streets!
Chloe was soooo happy we found her a purple beach cruiser!
I had to include this last one... just cuz.

Our Sunday Walks! April 3, 2011

2011-06-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite things is to take Family walks on Sunday. Our kids love it when we hike up to the old empty Water Tower. Back in April we took all these pictures and I just now had the chance to look at them. I love taking pictures of my family! I miss that I don't do it more often. BUT I am grateful I have what I have... which is probably more than the average person.
Anyway, the other day we were sad to see that the water tower had been taken down. I guess it was too much of an eye soar for some people. At least we enjoyed it while we could.

Let Summer begin!

2011-06-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

My kids are enjoying their days off already... not a lot going on and that's how I like it! They all slept out on the trampoline last night and actually slept in until 8:00 out there! I was surprised not be awakened to giggles and jumping at 5:00am. Chloe and Garrett headed to the beach with the Ranes, Marci and Liam went on a bike ride with the Hydes and the rest of us hung out here! I love days with not much planned... especially since I have a photo shoot tonight... but all is well here!

About three weeks ago some Mexican's knocked on my door trying to sell me something to make my grass green... Ever since we have lived here it has been such a struggle. SO.. anyway, I was suckered into buying their miracle fertilizer which they wanted to charge me an arm and a leg for but luckily my husband talked them down quite a bit... AND... it is actually working! I'm so happy that my grass is now growing and looking so much better. It still needs work but I'm happy with the progress it is making!

Love my Sunday Evenings!

2011-06-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

The kids love any chance they can get dad on the floor to horse around with. They love standing on his hands seeing how long they can balance! Since our church is at 8:30 we have enough time for a good lunch with friends (today it was the Stinsons, a new family in our ward), a wonderful afternoon nap and horseplay with dad! (and a minute extra to blog)

A big day in the life of my oldest.....
Marci gets a facebook!

Marci Climbs Rocks!

2011-05-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today Marci reached a milestone in her rock climbing. Someone has to take the rope to the top and set up a safe anchor for the other climbers to use. This is called "lead climbing". As the lead climber moves up the rock, they clip their rope into anchors every 15-20 feet to keep themselves safe. However, if a lead climber falls, the rope will not catch them until they fall past the last anchor, providing a short but exhilarating ride. When done with the proper equipment, it is perfectly safe, but can be very nerve racking when you're 100 feet above the ground. In climbing terms, we say the lead climber is "on the sharp end of the rope".
For the past few weeks Marci has been practicing her knots, and anchor building skills on a jig we built in the garage. Yesterday, she put her skills to work and did the lead climb for the first time. She was cool and casual, even shrugging off an early fall to finish up like a pro. Everyone was impressed. Welcome to the sharp end, Marci!

I miss this!

2011-03-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

I truly have missed this because this month has gone by and I already don't remember what went on! I have taken pictures (probably not every day) but I have done some of that. Here are a few I thought I'd put up to remember what went on in March. (other than taking pictures of other people... which always keeps me pretty busy!)

Fun day at the Park... I love this weather her in so cal! 3-11-11

Cyrus being obsessed and learning everything he can about his new hobby! 3-13-11

Making bird houses at cub scouts... still no bird in mine but they were fun to build. I don't know if there were meant to go in palm trees. 3-15-11

-Chloe trying out her new dress for the daddy daughter luau. 3-17-11Cyrus being a wonderful daddy for the daddy daughter luau... I hear he even danced to Justin Beiber! He's wonderful and Chloe had a great time... I was busy taking pictures for 150 couples... Crazy busy night! 3-18-11 Isn't my husband so handsome, even in a Hawaiian shirt!
My cub scouts building models. I love my calling. We have a great group of boys! 3-22-11

Grant was "special bear" for a week with his kindergarten class and he was suppose to take care of the class bear. Here are a few things that went on this week! Grant laughed and laughed about these pictures! Needless to say... Alex wanted to take care of Kinder bear too! 03-23-11

Marci is in symphonic band at Bell Mountain Middle School and I was able to go to one of their performances. They were amazing! I was really impressed and so were the judges. They walked away with the highest score of "superior". Mr. Ketner said that his band had not received that in 4 years. They really did well! I even went and got her and her friends some in and out hamburgers for doing so well! 03-24-11

Mom got to go to Grant's class today to talk about her totally awesome boy! It was fun and he has some great friends in his class! 03-25-11

I took Marci shopping the other day for dresses because she has outgrown all of hers too quickly. Everything seems to be too short. Well, she found this cute suit at Kohls and I thought she looked great in it. We were happy for such a great find. A few days later Cyrus wanted to take me shopping for a new dress for Sunday. I have been so busy with photography lately and so he thought I deserved a treat. I couldn't find anything I liked.... but I found this one and he hadn't seen Marci's dress yet and I tried it on and he loved it. I said, "there is one problem, I just bought this dress for our daughter Marci." He said... she won't care... it's fine. "I think you look great". Well, I bought it and was a little worried... but I got home and showed it to Marci and she seemed just fine. She even thought it would be fun to wear our matching suits to the Young Women's conference that night. We got TONS of compliments and it was so much fun to go out with my matching daughter! She's wonderful and I really enjoy spending time with her! Thanks Marci! 03-26-11

So, I think that is March in a nutshell! Hope April is a little better!

Guitar Lessons for reals! 03-10-11

2011-03-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

The kids and Cyrus are really enjoying guitar lessons! They almost have "now I'm a believer" from shrek learned. The little boys also think they are taking Guitar. Every night Liam begs dad to give him a guitar lesson.

THe

AND another baby! 03-09-11

2011-03-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

I see why I've been soooo busy... lots of shoots. But it's been fun. This little guy is less than 2 weeks old and he has some wonderful parents.

Senior Session take 2! 03-08-11

2011-03-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Out for a senior session in Riverside! It was a good day!

NEW CARPET! 03-07-11

2011-03-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for my Heaton Ln home. We got new carpet! What a difference this makes! We were able to put soft new carpet in every room that had carpet. Super happy day! Thank you Cyrus!

03-06-11 Senior shoot?

2011-03-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

Cyrus and I went to downtown Riverside today to scout out some good spots for a senior shoot that I have coming up. Sorry... it's a picture of me today. And if you haven't figured it out... this is probably my favorite shirt at the moment.
I love this location. There were so many possibilities.

03-05-11 We tried to Rock Climb....

2011-03-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

and as my kids say... we had an

"EPIC FAIL"!

We found a bolted route but were unable to get up to the top. I hooked in the first quick draw and then we didn't go any further... sort of a humbling experience for us! But we still had fun. We tried to go to a new rock this time and it was sort of difficult! The kids still had a blast climbing all over the HUGE rocks you find her in So Cal. We also found some hobos living under a rock!

03-04-11 Baby Jet

2011-03-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

No... once again... not my baby but this is the picture for the day! I was priviledged enough to take pictures of this sweet baby. This is Angie Larson's first grandbaby and he is just as sweet as his grandma! I love the Larson family! Angie is a pillar of strength to all who know her. We all aspire to be like her. She is so loving, patient, sincere, down to earth and very spiritual! This little guy is lucky to have her as his grandma!

03-03-11 Bean Bag Theater!

2011-03-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

I've been super busy with shoots... so my kids have been put on the back burner... here's a quick edit of a shot we did for a company. LOADS of fun! If any one want to do this for a birthday party let me know and I'll get you their info!

03-02-11 I love watching this little girl!

2011-03-10T17:47:00.001-08:00

I CAN do this
and
I WANT to do this!
I have MISSED this!
PLEASE... keep going and don't give up!

03-01-11 Senior Session!

2011-03-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

I had a senior session the other day and so I didn't snap any pics of my kids but I did take this one of Sam and Sheldon. Both great kids and so happy I got to be the one to take their pics!

02-28-11 She came home!

2011-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

After Church at Poway on Sunday we came home to find our little Alex was missing. We were a little sad and we looked and looked and figured she was gone forever. The kids were find and so was I but I think I was the MOST sad. On Monday Chloe and her friend went around and put up signs all over the neighborhood. They were a little sceptical by saying that signs never work. I reminded them that they had never put up signs before so how do they know they "never work". It wasn't even 5 minutes and someone knocked on our door with little Alex in her arms. We were happy she was back. (I think I was even happier than the kids). I really think Alex is going to be a good dog. For a puppy she doesn't chew on things, she sleeps great, has only had 1 accident this week and she's very cute. There are a few things we are working on like the nipping she does when she is excited but she does also seem to know what "no Alex" means. So with that being said... we are happy this week that little Alex came home. I snapped this picture to send over to Cyrus and you know... He likes our little puppy about as much as I do!

Here is another Iphone picture. On our trip to Utah Marilyn had a bag of hand-me-downs for Charly and here's one of my favorite dresses... Charly loves chothes! Thanks again Aunt Marilyn.

Welcome Home Elder Davis! 02-27-11

2011-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a wonderful day at church! We were privileged enough to attend the Green Valley Ward in Poway, CA and hear a wonderful missionary report. I haven't been able to hear my other nephews report their missions and to be honest I have been so jealous of those who have been able to. I was glad it was finally my turn to experience the wonderful feelings felt at a missionary homecoming. Eric did a fantastic job sharing his experiences with the us through the spirit. So humble and confident. He hasn't changed... still the same cute, happy Eric. BUT... as we heard him talk of his mission it was very apparent that he has grown immensely, as all GOOD missionaries do. He struggled speaking English as you could tell he had to translate in his head before he would allow the words to come out of his mouth. He's a great man and will go on to do wonderful things. I snapped a few shots of the crowd at the Davis'. Those of you that know them... know these wonderful people and know of the love the Davis' have in their home.

Saturday Night Games! 02-26-11

2011-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

I love late nights when kids just come and hang out. We had a fun Saturday night with the Kinect. The kids had a blast and were sweating from all the jumping, dancing, winning, loosing and mostly spazing out!

Honor Roll! 02-25-11

2011-02-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Garrett and Marci both received a 4.0 again this trimester! I am so proud of my kids. Marci was off playing with Grandma therefore she was unable to receive her award. Chloe also received Honor Roll but I don't think I had my camera at her awards assembly. The coolest thing about these assemblies is that their friends are also always getting honor roll. It is so import that they choose good friends and I believe my kids have chosen great ones! This come with hard work but mostly I think they pay attention in class and respect their teachers. I always receive wonderful reports from all of their teachers. I can only give thanks because I know my kids choose to be good!

Thank you kids for CTR!

Braces! 02-24-11

2011-02-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Garrett is the first to get braces in our family. He says they make him talk funny.
I say... "get use to it...
TWO years kido"

Guitar Lessons! 02-23-11

2011-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

Cyrus is going to start teaching guitar lessons to one of Marci's friends... therefore... MY kids will get guitar lessons! I'm really excited about it. Hopefully someday they will be able to play as well as their daddy!

Liam gets invited to the Blue and Gold! 02-22-11

2011-02-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

Last night we had the blue and gold banquet for boy scouts. Currently I have NO cub scouts in my family. It's sort of a weird feeling. Liam will go into scouts in December and I know he will love it!

Today I had an adventure I haven't had in a long time. I had to take all three of my little ones to the grocery store with me. I realized once I was in there that I hadn't done that in years! I sure miss my baby sitters this week and I now recognize how much I really do use them. Thanks so much Marci and Chloe for all you do. I might add.. Garrett is an excellet baby sitter as well. Last night after the Blue and Gold Cyrus and I had a church meeting so Garrett went home with the kids, played some xbox, read scriptrues, said prayers (hopefully brushed teeth) and put them in bed. So grateful for all of them stepping up and especially NOT complaining, when needed.

Back to Reality... 02-21-11

2011-02-21T21:10:00.001-08:00

It's been a wonderful day with my hubby home and all... we got a few projects done. We worked on the back yard and fixed the fence so that Alex won't get out and Cy went out with me on a shoot I had. I love it when he comes with me.... makes for a much better time for me anyway. Heres the picture of the day. It happens to be me this time. Cyrus has an 85L lens that he loves and so I get to be his model from time to time. He snapped this one while we were waiting for my clients to show up.

Alex is home too! 02-20-11

2011-02-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Stringhams dropped the dog off last night and he was so much bigger. It's crazy how fast they grow! I THINK we are still happy to have a dog... he better behave or else he's getting the boot!

It was a great day at church but I did miss my girls. I'm grateful they have this opportunity to stay with their grandma for a week. Garrett is stepping up and becoming my wonderful helper. Charly EVEN relies on him now.

We finally made it home! 02-19-11

2011-02-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

After 11 hours of driving we finally made it home to Menifee! That is one of my favorite things about trips... the pulling up to my house. Now the mess we bring in... not so much! Dad had given Cyrus a desk that he had gotten from the Church office building so we pulled a trailer all the way home through snow and rain. We also got pulled over but luckily not citation was given. He did however inform us that the speed limit with a trailer is 55!
After we got home we were anxious to put Cyrus' desk together. You can't really see it from the pics but we love it!

Quick visit to Aunt Marilyn's 02-18-11

2011-02-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

After a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Mickelsen we were headed home. We planned on staying the night at Aunt Marilyn so that the kids could play for an evening and it also breaks up the trip nicely. Here's a picture of Charly and Eliza. I snapped this one right before they went to bed realizing that I hadn't taken a picture that day. We spent a wonderful evening with Mike, Marilyn and Jean eating at the ever so popular "Cafe Rio". It's always great to be with my sisters!
Charly was funny because she thought we were headed to her friend Eliza Simms house. She was happy to play with her cousin but was slightly confused that Lishy wasn't there. Even the next day she kept asking when we were going to go to Lishy's house. After the long drive we pulled up to our house... everyone happy to be home but Charly.. "this is NOT lishy's house!"

Bowling at Skyline Lanes! 02-17-11

2011-02-20T19:41:00.001-08:00

Today we all realized we will never make it as pro bowlers. None of us scored over 100. Chloe and I tied with the highest score of a 92! Charly tied with her father with an 85. Nothing too impressive but we sure had fun bowling with Grandma!

Tea Party at Grandma Mickelsen's 02-16-11

2011-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning we arrived at Grandma Mickelsen's after a quick trip to the Urgent Care. Charly had been sick for 5 days with a fever and so I finally decided to take her in. She hadn't eaten much the whole time we had been there and she had slept through her whole vacation. I was sad that Grandma and Grandpa Price didn't get to experience her fun personality. So, I took her in and her temp was 102 (and she didn't feel quite as hot as she had the other days) so they tested her for the flu and it came back negative so he prescribed her some antibiotics. I was hoping they would kick in fast and she could enjoy some of her time in Idaho.
We arrived at Grandma's and the kids helped make fruit kabobs and egg rolls. Soon after lunch was eaten they were ready for a tea party. Grandma always makes sure she has a tea party with her girls. (if the boys are lucky they can participate as well).

Snow Day! 02-15-11

2011-02-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

We drove out to Bone today and played on the hills. The kids had a blast snowmobiling, sledding and attempting snowboarding!

Today we also got the chance to go see Nellie's salon that she works at. She gave Marci and Charly haircuts. She does a wonderful job and works in a really nice place. Thanks again Nellie! You're the best!

Happy Valentines Day! 02-14-11

2011-02-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

The day started off quite nice... how could it not seeing how my handsome husband went and bought me an iphone 4. My old iphone broke and it was a miserable 7 days without one. I must say, my phone is absolutely awesome!
I might also add this day how much I love my husband. We've been married for 14 years and I'm so happy he is mine. Every day together we get to know each other better and I love everything about him. He's so good to me and always makes sure I know how much he adores me. Love you MUCHISMO Cyrus.
After that... we basically chilled out with family. I don't think I took pics of any of my kids today but I did get a few more of Julia's baby. Here is one of Grandma Price with her newest grandbaby. She made this cute corduroy suit for him to be blessed it.... it was so cute. AND... this baby is only a month old... look at those cheeks!

Happy Sunday! 02-13-11

2011-02-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

I want to do a quick entry tonight. We had a wonderful day with family. We had the opportunity to be here for Julia's baby blessing. Grandpa Price gave him a beautiful blessing and then we all got to spend the other meetings together. It's always so much fun to go to church with family.
We had a yummy dinner with loads of yummy deserts! I even had the chance to take some picks of baby Lucas.

Happy Birthday Cyrus! 02-12-11

2011-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

02-12-11

Happy Birthday Cyrus! Today my handsome man caught up to me in age! We are now both now 36. We stopped in St. George to take a break from driving, watched the kids jump the canyon a few times then all 8 of us slept in two beds. The kids were really good and don’t seem to mind the cramped beds. We all woke up and wished Cyrus and Happy Birthday! I bought him some cams and was really excited to give them to him so he opened up presents on the way up here. He was very happy with the two cams to start his collection. I love that he has been excited about climbing because my kids are loving it as well.

I talked to mom on our way up and she met us at Denny’s for a birthday breakfast. It was a lot of fun to see mom, Aunt Jean and Quinn. My kids were so excited to see Quinn. He looked so good. He’s handsome, funny, happy, confident and seems to be turning into a great young man.

After breakfast Cyrus headed up to Idaho Falls with the kids and I stayed with Mom to go to Marilyn’s baby shower. I was so glad I was able to go and see her 9 months pregnant. She looks so good… she has a big belly but that is all. It was great to see her people. You can tell she is so loved and is surrounded by so many good people.

After the shower mom and I headed up here to I.F. It was fun to spend some time with her driving home. Everytime we drive that stretch of road and we pass through Layton I have always wanted to stop by our 1st home we bought in Syracuse, so since my husband wasn't with me mom and I drove out there to see it. It was fun driving through those same streets that were once home to us. The house looked the same. A few trees had died but the others were big and strong. The deck was still standing and the dart board we hung up in the garage was still there. The house was also listed for sale. I don't know if it had changed owners a few times or not but it sure was fun to see.

02-11-11

2011-02-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

02-11-11

I have two sick kids. Grant is still sick yet functioning. Charly gets the bug and crawls into my bed and slept for 3 hours. A week away from home with 6 kids is a lot of work but they are all so excited for Idaho. They can’t wait to go play in the snow. Hopefully the sick bug will come and go quickly.

Off to Idaho! 02-11-10

2011-02-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to go to Southshore Elementary to take some make-up pictures for the yearbook and since Grant wasn't feeling well he came and helped me out. He truely wan't feeling well but I think he flet like he was ditching since he was actually at school but not in his classroom. At one point his class started to exit to line up for dismissal and he hid behind the corner. He's still not 100% so he's home today as well. We are trying to get all of our last minute items done so we can head off to Idaho today! The kids are very excited to see their grandparents and to play in the snow. I think they are a little worried that the snow will be gone.... I however am afraid it will still be there with temps in the teens... bRRRR! I'll miss this 70 degree weather especially for running.
I hope to keep up on my blogging and my pictures this week of vacation... wish me luck!

I wanted to add this cute picture I took the other day! I love baby sessions.

CUPCAKES 02-09-11

2011-02-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

I have a list a mile long in my head of the things we need to do before we go to Idaho and I'm pretty sure making cupcakes wasn't on it. But last night around 8:00 Chloe made us some cupcakes. She is my little baker. She loves it and does a pretty good job. I helped make the cream cheese frosting but other than that it was all Chloe. It's really nice when your kids get to an age where they don't need your help with everything. I might add: nor do that want it :(

Alex vr. the TUTU 02-08-11

2011-02-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

I feel a little bad because I haven't stuck to my schedule of photographing a different child each day, especially since we have thrown a puppy into the mix!
Every 6 weeks I have a group of girls come to my house where I teach them letters.. numbers... colors... etc. It really is more like a playgroup at this age which is prefectly fine with me. The girls have a fun time and us moms don't mind taking our turn every 6 weeks. Well, yesterday Alex had a hayday with teh girls out on the trampoline. I was surprised at how much she liked that. However, NeiNei (the red tutu girl) didn't like Alex so much. She kept trying to take off the tutu..

I also wanted to show you the "words" I put up in my Laundry room. My awesome friend Tesha made this for me! She can make you one too for $20. Let me know if you want one!
I love what it says... because all of us know and feel the truthfulness in it!

Charly has a new BFF! 02-07-11

2011-02-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

She loves her puppy. I don't know who spends more time in the cage... Alex or Charly but I often find them in there together.

Look what we brought home. 02-06-11

2011-02-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Am I crazy... yes... they did say I could have a 48 hour trial period... but what happens when this puppy gets all big and isn't as cute? That will be another story!

Saturday Climbing with the Hydes! 02-05-11

2011-02-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

We took a new family that moved into the ward out climbing yesterday and had a wonderful time. I don't have a lot of time to blog tonight... but here are some highlights. In these you will find new friends, Garrett making it to the TOP, Dad snapping his foot off, dirty faces, kids learning new skills ... and loads of fun memories:

Look who came to see me! 01-04-11

2011-02-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Stephanie called me in the morning and said that my brother Mark was close by and he wanted to come see me! Of course I was thrilled... He did this once before when he had some time to kill. He drove out of his way to come see where I live and visit for a while. The night before I had made some really yummy chicken Taco soup and luckily I had some leftovers to share with him. Aren't I lucky to have such a wonderful brother who will go out of his way just to come see little ol' me. It was a wonderful visit. Mark is one of the kindest men I know. He always sees the positive and makes you feel really good about yourself. He even looks past all the faults anyone may have. He looked at all my pictures, went to every one of my kids rooms, (I might add... he didn't even make me feel uncomfortable for the messes they we found), he was impressed with Grants pro skills on the xbox and even took the time to see him do some tricks on his scooter. I wish my other kids could have been home to visit with their Uncle Mark... it truly was a treat to have him in our home for a few hours. I wanted a picture with him but with Grants height he was only able to get the middle of our bodies captured on camera (and who wants that photographed? not me... ) so I had to settle for a picture of Uncle Mark with Grant (which I love, i'm glad it worked out that way).
I also want to add to this post how grateful I am to have such wonderful parents. Even at our age and us being off on our own for many years they are still looking out for us in a very NON-imposing way. They are a wonderful example to me in many ways and I give thanks for their goodness and willingness to serve and share anything they have with many around them. I might add I'm also grateful for a wise and caring husband that leads our little family in righteousness! I truly am blessed to have soooo many wonderful people in my life!

Photobooth! 01-03-11

2011-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

For some reason I thought today was Grant's day so we created a little photo-booth together. I also got my hair done yesterday and I'm really liking it so I thought we'd try and get some pics of it... you can't really tell by the pics but Gena Atwood did a fabulous job. Thanks again... (the top picture is my favorite one for the day ;)
And I think Grant is pretty darn cute. Anyways... it is actually Charly's day so I got to do two photo-booths! Sure love my crazy kids!

Challenge from the Primary 02-02-11

2011-02-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

This year the Primary theme is "I Know the Scriptures are True". The wonderful thing about this theme is that they challenged the children to read their scriptures everyday this year. I can gladly say that we have done this every day so far. In the past we were pretty good about reading them but would still miss days, there is something really fun about trying to get something read EVERY single day. Even if we are exhausted and came home late, we have at least read a verse. The nights that my big kids are gone they inform me the next day that they read something on thier own. It has been a great goal for our family and so far we have loved it! Tonight we read in 3 Nephi 12. I thought i'd share a verse that stood out to me:

16Therefore let your ^alight so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and ^bglorify your Father who is in heaven.

We really do need to be an example to everyone around us... not for the praise of man but for our Father in Heaven. I'm very grateful to have wonderful scriptures in my life to guide me and help me overcome my many faults... it truly is a great blessing in my life.

California Gold Rush 02-01-11

2011-02-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday... I know, I failed to blog... but I did take the pictures. Chloe asked me to come help out with the Gold Rush activity the school had planned for them. My friend Tesha was kind enough to watch my kids so I was able to go. I think I surprised Chloe when I showed up. I usually can't make it to school events so she was happy I was there. The teachers had hidden about a bazillion gold rocks in the hills and the kids got to go dig for them. They had a blast. After they dug for gold they were able to weigh in and get tickets in return and purchase popcorn, jerky, pans and playing cards. I was so impressed with all the work that went into this. I also thought I should have helped out more. I wasn't aware of all the stuff they needed. Wooops.. next time right? Anyway, Chloe had a great time and even ended up giving her popcorn away to a boy that wasn't able to buy any.

FHE the Jetsons way 01-31-11

2011-01-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

It is the 31st of January and I can proudly say I have taken a picture every day this month! I knew that part would be possible but I can't believe I took the time to blog about every single picture! None of the pictures will win any awards but they sure do tell a story about my family. I have really enjoyed this quest I am on because it has made me focus more on my own little ones and the fun everyday things we do together.
We were sad to see Cyrus leave this morning to Reno for a 3 day busines trip BUT with the joys of modern technology he was able to join us for FHE. He even conducted the meeting from his hotel room. The kids thought this was the coolest thing ever. Occasionally dad had to remind them that we were in the middle of Family Home Evening but Charly of course paid no attention to the lesson nor to her father's reprimands and spent the whole evening dancing in front of the computer. (oh, the things the youngest get away with) I'm sure it will be a FHE they will remember for a long time. Especially since Dad had a great idea for the activity. We set the computer on the table and took turns shooting darts at his face!

Tonight Chloe had prepared a wonderful lesson on Moses. We read the story from the Old Testament children's book and then to see if any of us were paying attention she gave us all a test.

So, can YOU pass her test?

Moses test

1. What did Moses do when he saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite ?

A. Kill the Egyptian

B. Watch him get hurt

C. Tell the king

2. What was the bush that was on fire?

A. A burning bush

B. A miracle

C. A tree

3. Name 3 things that happened to the Egyptians when they wouldn’t let the Israelites go?

4. How many days did Jesus send darkness for?

A. 1 day

B. 5 days

C. 3 days

5. How did the Israelite’s oldest sons survive from the sickness?

A. Medicine

B. They didn’t survive

C. Lamb’s blood over their doors

6. What happened right before the king let the Israelites go?

A. Crickets came and ate all their food

B. The king’s oldest son died

C. The rivers turned into blood

7. What did Jesus tell Moses to do when the Israelites got to the red sea?

A. Raise your hand above the sea

B. Build a boat

C. Drown

8. What did the Israelites walk on while going through the red sea?

A. A bridge

B. Wet ground

C. Dry ground

9. What happened to Egyptians when they fallowed the Israelites through the red sea?

A. they made it

B. they died

C. they made it to the sea but the Israelites already made to the other side so the sea closed

10. Now the Israelites were__________. They ___________song.

Priesthood Preview 01-30-11

2011-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight Garrett had his Priesthood Preview where the boys turning 12 this year get to hear about what a wonderful privilege it is receive the priesthood. This is something Garrett takes very serious and is very excited for. It was a wonderful meeting and I really think the boys learned and felt the importance of it. They talked about how it is the Power of God given to man to SERVE. It is never used for anything other than helping and serving others around you. Cyrus spoke to the boys using a Power Point he made and he did a wonderful job. Garrett had his hand up for every question asked and got to answer quite a few of them. I sure love my Garrett and know he will do great things with his life. He is a wonderful example to his little brothers!

Santa Rosa Hike 01-29-11

2011-01-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

Today Cyrus accompanied the scouts on a 6 mile hike. They invited families to come so Marci and Chloe tagged along as well (they however ended up being the only girls... but for some reason I don't think they minded). Wish I could have gone but I got to stay home scrubbing toilets and folding laundry. Oh the joys of being a mother.
Anyway, they all said they had a wonderful time. Garrett has a wonderful scout leader, Brother Horsely, who really seems to take his calling seriously. I think the boys are learning alot and really enjoying it at the same time. Here are a few pics from the hike:
This is a great group of boys. I'll try and write the names down that I know.
Grant Williams, Tye Handel, Dylan Adams, Hayden Kaas, and Jared Horsely.

Friday strikes again! 01-28-11

2011-01-29T09:34:00.001-08:00

I did take some pictures yesterday but I did not have time to blog about them. So this morning since my handsome husband and three oldest children are off on a hike I thought I'd take a minute and blog about yesterday's pictures.
I was looking back at some of my pictures and noticed that we play a whole lot! We do occasionally get things done inside the house but who wants to take pictures of that? Actually I did almost take a picture the other day when I discovered I made it to the bottom of 5 laundry baskets! I was quite proud of myself.
I also might add... I do not post these pictures to make all of you still stuck in winter, jealous... I try to post the things my children love... maybe someday I should post some of the "not so ideal" pictures. Believe me there are many of those through out the day.
I particularly loved yesterday for the very reason this is my Friday scene and I love seeing my children play outside with their friends. They all arrived from school and many of the friends came knocking at the door. I'm so grateful the xbox has been put on the back burner... that may be due to the fact that the game slot wont open but I like to think it's because they have discovered all the adventures to be had outdoors! I went outside to snap a few shots of Liam seeing how Friday's are his days... but he was off hiking through the hills around our house so instead of going off searching for him we waited at the park up from my house. Soon enough he showed up with Bentley and we started a neighborhood game of kickball. There were other children at the park that my kids sort of knew but had never played with so it was great to see them all interacting. At one point even a large dog (or small horse) showed up to play with the kids.
I did have to call them in for dinner at 6:30 and informed them that it would only take 5 minutes to eat the mac and cheese I had prepared... (I love easy dinners). They all came in with big appetites and then they were off to play cops and robbers on the scooters. I will love it when the days start to get longer and the games will do the same.
I'm grateful for the safe neighborhood we live in and the wonderful neighbors we have. Some things about California neighborhoods drive me crazy but for the most part... we love it!

Shopping at Target! 01-27-11

2011-01-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

Real quick post before I'm off to bed. Chloe got her birthday gift card from Grandma Price today so we had to hurry off to Target as soon as we could. Charly was happy she got to come with us... so this is the only picture I got today! I still have a hard time getting use to her short hair!

Mini Racers! 01-26-11

2011-01-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Real quick post.... I went outside to check on the kids and this is what I discovered.... Mini Racing. They have been telling me about it but it was fun to watch it actually happen! Love my kids and their good friends.

Happy Birthday Chloe!

2011-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

My ten favorite things about Chloe:
10. She's got rhythm! She is always found dancing.... and she does quite a good job of it.
9. She's athletic. She hasn't played a lot of sports but she likes to move fast and she learns anything quickly. She ran 3 miles with me the other day and she has an awesome overhand serve!
8. She's very loving. The other day she gave Enedina (my Mexican grandma) a hug and she commented that she is the most "cariniosa" loving.
7. She loves to be my helper. Today she helped me make my bed... that always puts a smile on my face when my kids are quick to help me out with things.
6. She has a great voice! I love hearing her sing and make up her own songs.
5. She is artistic. She wanted an art kit for Christmas and she has already drawn many wonderful pictures!
4. She has beautiful blue eyes.
3. It is easy for her to smile. She is good at looking people in the eye and smiling at them.
2. She is rarely found sitting doing nothing... she is always doing something... she is even my early riser... I think she gets this from her Grandma Mickelsen!
1. She is mine! 10 years ago today Heavenly Father entrusted her to me! I hope I can be the best mother for her. She has already taught me many wonderful things and I love her soooo much!

We had a great day! Chloe was thrilled when she opened up the Tilly's shirt she had been asking for and was a little surprised to find a cute headband to go with it. She got all cute and ready for school. After school she had one more present to open. She had also been asking for a blue razor scooter... well, I did better than that. I found her a PINK one. She was very happy with the color. After playing "mini racers" outside with her friends we went to get her nails done. I also got mine done... I got acrylics done and it is making this typing sort of difficult. I always forget what a pain these nails can be! Anyway, we came home so she could go out and play with her buddies again and then we were off to McDonalds for a family dinner.
This is what Chloe had to say about her day:
"My day was fun! I got a purple shirt from my friend Leo, I got earrings from Kenzy and a Chargers shirt from Chelsea and Ciarra. I am also going to Lego Land on Friday with Kailey!"
She has such nice friends... I think her friends are so good to her because she is good to them!
Love you sweet Chloe!

FHE 01-24-11

2011-01-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

It's Monday and it's time for Family Home Evening. Every month Cyrus tries to interview the kids and see how they are doing. I'm so glad it takes the time to do this. He always makes sure they are comfortable and have a good time. He also makes sure they receive a treat at the end. I think they really enjoy the interviews as well... they most important thing is that they know their daddy loves them.
So while the kids were being interviewed the ones waiting for their turn played Killer Bunnies. It was suppose to be Chloe's day but I decided to photograph Marci this time because Chloe has a very special day tomorrow! the big ONE ZERO....

I love SUNDAYS! 01-23-11

2011-01-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

I also love the sound of my kids playing games together. Right now they are gathered around playing a game of Killer Bunnies.... Garrett's latest favorite pastime. I also love the smell of Chocolate Chip cookies which were baked today! YUMMMY

Thought I'd share my favorite recipe:

2 cups of butter
2 cups of Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cups of Sugar
3 eggs
2 t of vanilla
5 cups of flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
2 bags of Chocolate Chips... I prefer milk chocolate... and sometimes I add reeses pieces.... YUMMY

Cream butter and sugars... add eggs... and then the rest. You all know the drill. I love making mine in my BOSCH with the cookie beaters.

ENJOY!

This picture looks like I totally deprive my children of cookies and only let them stare at them... don't worry.. they eat them til their gone!

Another great Day Rock Climbing! 01-22-11

2011-01-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Cyrus was very excited today to take the kids out rock climbing. He is fascinated by the sport and has such a desire to do hard and longer climbs. I'm super glad he is enjoying it and that the family is enjoying it as well!
Marci brought a few of her friends and they all do very well. I was very impressed. Most of them made it to the top if not very close. AND... it is NOT easy! It is hard work and you really have to trust your shoes and the person belaying you.

Love my Fridays! 01-21-11

2011-01-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom! Today my mother turned 74 and you would never know it by the way she acts physically or mentally... She is always making sure her body is healthy and a day doesn't go by that she doesn't study something for hours on end! She has lived such a full life and still has many years in her. The older she gets they more she tries to get out of this long journey on earth. She truly does love life! I believe that is one of her favorite sayings, "I love life".... I could go on and on about my wonderful mother but it's late and I need to go to bed. I do hope someday to be as good of a mother as she is to me. Love you mom!

I also love my Fridays.... Here are just a few typical scenes... the kids and their friends... on the xbox or out on the trampoline! I love life too!

Here is another little project I did the other day. I'll admit... I totally copied it from some stranger's blog but I loved it and it was fun to make... if you want one, i'll insert your name and email it to you!

Don't forget to say your prayers! 01-20-11

2011-01-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

These are usually the last words we say to our kids before they head off to their bedroom. We always hope they actually listen and do what they are told. Well, this was the scene we found as we past our little boys room tonight.

I'm grateful for my children and their obedience.
Life is good!

Off to bed... 01-19-11

2011-01-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

Another day.... started off with a great 4 mile run. I even bought me some new shoes after 8 months of the same pair. I really pushed it hard today and came back with pretty decent time. I'm glad to be back in the habit after xmas break and all that rain. I am also very grateful that I can run year round here in So Cal. The other day I went out at 2:00 and it was way too hot! Crazy how this weather is here.
I had to snap a quick picture of Charly today seeing how it is her day. It's funny how the kids will come up and ask me if it is their day or not. I think it's been great to focus on each of them individually... and ya know, I think they really like it too.
Chloe wasn't feeling well tonight so she decided to take Charly and retire to bed at 7:30. After a while I realized I hadn't taken a picture yet today so I went up and they were snuggled under the covers in the dark watching a movie with Marci's portable dvd player. They had rigged it up so that it would stick to the bottom of the top bunk and they were happy as could be watching "How to Train your Dragon". I love how my kids get along so well. Tonight before prayers Liam asked if we were going to have another baby. All of the kids thought that would be ok but Charly said "no". I don't think she wants to give up my lap quite yet. We have been telling Grant that he has graduated from my lap and that he can no longer sit there during prayers. Chloe said.. "yeah, Charly will be 19 and still sitting on mom's lap". I think she likes being the baby or "little girl" as she calls herself now.

Tillys! 01-18-11

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

After watching our neighbor's dog for 5 days the owners came home. Hubble is actually quite a good dog. The kids had a great time playing with him and he went running with me a few times. For the most part it wasn't any trouble. But when Christina came to pick him up today she asked if he had done anything bad.... as I said, for the most part he was good BUT he did pee on Marci's backpack again. A few weeks ago when he came over he pee'd on her backpack for the first time. So, we washed it... but I guess Tide apparently doesn't get all the smell out because that was one of the first things he did was pee on it again. Christina felt really bad and went and got Marci a Tilly's gift card for $35 bucks! She gave her the money so that Marci could buy a new backpack without Hubble's mark. Well... Marci decided to keep the trace of Hubble and buy some new clothes. She had quite a fun time tonight... Thanks again Christina!

One of the reasons I love So Cal... 01-17-11

2011-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

it is 74 degrees on January 16th and my kids want to run through the sprinklers! I love this weather. Yes, I know it does get blazing hot for a few months out of the year but for the most part it is beautiful.

Yesterday we were BBQing and today we were cleaning out cars and doing yard work. It is absolutely wonderful.
Today my kids also have some lawn mowing jobs. They both need to earn money for girls camp, scout camp, volleyball camp, trip to DC,... and also fun thing like new shoes and i-tunes cards. So, they started their own business:

"Garrett and Marci's Lawn Mowing Business"

Today they have their first two jobs. Garrett has to go do them on his own because Marci got a babysitting job but he is excited. Today he came with me to pick up and edger and we learned how to use it on our own yard. Hopefully people will hire them and it will be a good experience. If you're interested give me a call. Lawns start at $10.

What is wrong with this picture? 01-16-11

2011-01-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

We have this empty bunny cage in our backyard. Every time I see it, it brings me much sadness due to the fact that there is no longer a bunny to be kept inside. Our sweet Gandolf left us Christmas morning. I like to think that it found a sweet little girl that morning who had asked Santa for a bunny. I'm sure it made her quite happy! Anyway, this is where I found my little Charly this afternoon eating her desert. No one put her in there. She crawled through the hole all by herself and seemed to enjoy it. I love how her toes are gripping the cage! She is a funny one. So glad I can document so many of her moments.

And seriously... we've all said it... "who needs toys when you've got cardboard boxes!"

This is her "mom I wont do it again look" after getting into the make up.
At least it washes off!

Look what Charly did! 01-15-11

2011-01-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

So, I have been off shooting a wedding all day! Cyrus and I left this morning to go to the San Diego temple to shoot the Smith wedding. They called me earlier this week because they were in a bind and needed a photographer, luckily I was able to help them out. I was glad Cyrus came with me. I always feel more at ease when he is there, even though all I pretty much make him do is carry my stuff around. Anyway, then tonight I had to go back and shoot the reception. Cyrus decided to stay home with the boys and Charly. Well, around 8:00 I get a text that says.... Guess what Charly did? I thought it might have something to do with a sharpie and maybe the walls or something. Well, he sent me this picture giving me a hint:

I was super sad... but the next picture made me cry:

This was not a pretty sight! Anyway, Charly told daddy everything would be okay because Mom could fix it. I tried:(

Today was actually Garrett's day to be photographed so I snapped a picture of him and Charly with the AFTER cut! She's still super cute but I miss those beautiful golden locks! They will grow back soon I hope.

Oh the sounds of Friday afternoon... 01-14-11

2011-01-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I love Friday! The kids come home and usually a few friends come with them. I try to make sure I have a cupboard full of goodies. Today it was ice-cream and cookies! So, if you're kids are on a restrictive diet or even a healthy one... please don't send them my way. Right now there are 12 children and 2 dogs at my house making lots of noise and having lots of fun! Most are out back jumping on the trampoline, playing tether-ball and torturing the dogs (which btw are NOT mine). None of them are bothering me so I am quite content back here in my office! A few (the older ones) are hidden away in Garrett's room playing the ever so fun "Killer Bunnies". They are hoping the little ones wont find them and pester them as we all know little ones do. (the poor little ones... never get to have any fun!)
Anyway, it's been a good day! After school Liam is most often found out back playing some tether-ball. I'm so glad we put a court in the backyard because all of my kids really do enjoy it and most often are found being king of the court at school!

Look at how big and handsome my little LIAM is getting!

confession 01-13-11

2011-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today... well, this whole week of being back in school... I have been super tired come 1:00 or so. I think its the getting up early and all the exercising I am doing again. My body hasn't quite adjusted to all of those things. So anyway, today Charly and I snuggled up in my bed to watch a movie and ate cheddar chex mix. (and cyrus, sorry if we left any crumbs) She watched the movie and I got to take a wonderful nap!

I can barely move... 01-12-11

2011-01-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

My muscles are killing me... but I THINK it feels good at the same time. After my xmas break from weight lifting... I can totally tell they have missed it. I've been on my running routine but I haven't done much working out with weights. Well... yesterday and today have killed me. But I can feel things start to tighten back up again.
Today it was Grant's day and so I snapped a few shots of him with his friend Osvaldo. Grant is most often found playing rough with his friends... wrestling, sword fights, guns... you name it, he is ALL boy! Charly took him down once and he said.. "quick mom, get a picture." I do however think in these pictures that Osvaldo needs his own sword... poor guy!

So, the clock read 9:09pm 01-11-11

2011-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

And I still hadn't taken a picture today! We took the kids to the church tonight and played some volleyball with some of their friends. I had planned on taking the camera there but I totally forgot... so before Marci headed up to bed I said... "quick get the vball... and go in the bathroom where there is some light." Anyway, here's Marci in the bathroom with a volleyball... not something you see everyday. Wish I'd had some action shots but at least I took something!

Back to School! 01-10-11

2011-01-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

The kids went back to school today after being off for about 3 weeks. It was a wonderful break and I will miss the sleeping in and the days of playing all day long but the structure is always good. I went running with my buddy Janet this morning... I sort of dragged but at least I got it done. I was so glad she called and asked me to go with her... even though I know I slow her down.

Phase 10.... 01-09-11

2011-01-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I love early church... I believe I said that last week as well. Tonight we played a long game of Phase 10. Phase 10 is always long but it was fun. It was the first time the kids had played and they really enjoyed it. At one point Garrett was winning and then his luck went bad... I think he might have even come in last but the winner was.... DADDY! Of course. We ended at the 9th phase due to "time for bed" but I love these long Sundays where we eat yummy food, take a nap, have the home teachers come and still have time for Family games!

My sober child Garrett :) 01-08-11

2011-01-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

It was Garrett's day again... I feel like he's been sort of cheated on his photo days because today I didn't get much of him... but I did get at least something! He is such a wonderful boy. Tonight I was reading in Mormon 1:2 and Ammoron describes Mormon as "a sober child, and are quick to observe." I immediately thought of Garrett. I do think the Lord has a great work for that boy. He truely it good. The other day we were playing Volleyball and brother Kaas made the comment of "garrett can't tell a lie". And I believe this to be true. He is always found being honest and I believe this is one of the most important qualities anyone can have. Tonight I was filling out my Book of Mormon reading chart and Garrett had one as well that is mostly filled out. My mom gives her grandkids the challenge to read the Book of Mormon before they are 12 and I believe that Garrett is going to make it. Every night I find him reading out of his own Book of Mormon. Tonight he said so humbly, "I don't usually read more than one chapter mom." as if that wasn't enough. Last year he had the goal to read the whole book of Alma (which is the longest book in the BofM) and he actually accomplished it in about a month. AND... he even understood and could retell the stories he read!
Well.... anyway, tonight I remembered that I need to get a picture of him and it was late so I grabbed my camera and snapped a shot of him playing a computer game. Earlier he had mentioned that he wanted a book to read. He read the Hunger Games and really enjoyed it and has been wanting to read the next book. So, I texted my friend to see if she had it but she had already lent it out. Needless to say, Garrett was anxious to read a book. I glanced in my bookshelf and found an old Mary Higgins Clark mystery for him. I asked him if he wanted to read it and he quickly said yes. The next thing I knew, he was off the computer sitting on the chair thrilled to have something to read. I wish I had some of the desire... reading is a bug a never caught.... maybe someday.

I few thoughts from today:
Today Marci and I attended a Personal Progress Fair where there were 5 workshops that we attended. Here are a few things I took away from it:

Accessorizing the scriptures: I really need to delve into them again. I need to mark, write in them, learn from them and love them as I did on my mission.
Do some Family History with Marci. For our Faith project I think it would be a lot of fun to interview Marci's grandparents when we go to visit in February. I need to find a good list of questions.
Make sure I am always modest dress and that my daughters are as well. Get rid of any skirts that might be too short. Buy Marci some shade shirts!
Stick to my budget! Get rid of things I don't need and DON'T buy things I don't need!
Make a fruit/veggie center piece the next time we have people over for dinner.
Finish my Personal Progress the same time Marci does! And her goal is to finish while she is a Maimaid.

Liam the RockStar 01-07-11

2011-01-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

We haven't played Guitar Hero in Months but today the kids decided to pull it out. I think they are ready to go back to school on Monday. I know I will miss the sleeping in days but I will also enjoy the schedule. This morning we all went to the church for some volleyball instruction from Brother Kaas. It was awesome. Marci would really like to make the high school v-ball team and since he's the coach we thought it would be great to get some pointers from him. She still has a year to improve and I hope she can make it happen. Anyway... here's LIAM!
A few things I love about these shots...

How kids need their tongue to play video games.

His cute little fingers on the buttons... hopefully someday they will be strings and he'll play as well as his daddy does.

I don't know if you can see it... but this boy has the most beautiful eyelashes!

Sweet Charly 01-06-11

2011-01-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

Today was Ms. Charlotte Price's turn. AKA Charly. She is such a fun one. We did her hair today and she said "I look like Marci". Yes, she does look like her big sister who is soooo very good to her.

Dare Devil Grant 01-05-11

2011-01-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Day 5 and I haven't missed a day! It does help that I am currently not working on any client pictures nor do I have Young Womens to worry about. ALSO, my kids are still on vacation. It has been a lot of fun photographing MY kids!
Today I took some shots of Grant out on his scooter jumping off of Liam's ramp that he got from Santa. He out playing with his buddy Hudson Bigelow. This is where you can find my kids quite often. They love playing in the street on their bikes or playing hand ball against the brick wall or practicing volleyball. He wanted a picture like Chloe's where he could have a bunch of Grants in one picture... so I put one together for him. He sure is fearless!

Love Drunk Marci 01-04-11

2011-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Marci has loved playing the piano lately... and I have loved hearing her play. She downloads the piano music for her favorite songs off the internet and learns them on her own. Right now her favorite ones to play are:

What I've done by Linkin Park
Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls
Fly with Me by Jonas Brothers

Here are my pics for the day of Marci at the Piano...
Please notice: The cool Boys like Girls bracelet, the cool Nike shoes that Santa brought her and the awesome waves found in her hair (her latest way to do her hair)!

Chloe and Kenzy 01-03-11

2011-01-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today was Chloe's day to be photographed... BUT... she got to go with her good friend Kenzy to Orange County for the day. This is how their day went:
"First we went to Kenzy's Aunt's house and played with her cousin... sometimes her cousin thought she was the boss. She is like four years old and she acts like the adult 'we have the queen bee here'. Then Kenzy's mom got her hair done and then Kenzy got her hair done. It took like forever for her mom to get her hair done. Then we went outside and got Pizza. We went by ourselves. It wasn't even a mile away. It was like 10 meters away. And then we ate Pizza at the salon and then we were hungry so we went back and we got one more slice. We colored on the table... which we weren't suppose to... Just kidding. We were allowed to. Then we went to El Pollo Loco but we only got ice creams there. And then we played in the play gym. We were going to go down the slide on trays but then they said that wasn't a good idea. We then went to Kenzy's aunt's house then then we came home. Then we came back to Chloe's for a late night. Here are some of the fun things we do.....

PS.... one more thing... look what my handsome handyman did for me today: BOYS CLOSET!

01-02-11

2011-01-02T12:51:00.001-08:00

We had church at 8:30 today! It always surprises me that we can get everyone ready for church when it is that early and still be there on time. The girls even commented... "this is the best I have look for church in a long time and it's so early!" It was a wonderful Sunday and I got to hear many wonderful testimonies. I am so grateful I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Someone said... we all know its true and that is why we are all here. It is a wonderful blessing to know what our Heavenly Father has planned for us.
I was called as a primary worker a few Sundays ago and they still aren't sure where to put me but I am excited to serve. Tesha says she will know soon... I hope to get my own group of kids. I love being a teacher. I got to team teach with Amy Handel today and she is such a wonderful lady and teacher. I would love working with her some day. She has a great class full of wonderful kids. You can tell we have such strong families in our ward by the way they these kids are being raised. At such a young age they all KNOW that Heavenly Father and Jesus love them! That is the most important thing anyone could ever know.
ANYWAY... I want to try something new this year.... I know I need to write this down so that I can commit to actually doing it. I want to do a 365 in pictures.... I have picked a certain day of the week for each child leaving Sunday to photograph anything I choose. Today I thought I'd get a quick picture of my kids all dressed up at 8:15 for church... I know they will all change a lot through out the year and today I thought I'd captured them in their Sunday best! I know it's nothing fancy or any cool new photography skills but I sure love my babies!

01-01-11

2011-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

One new years resolution already made: Post more often! I need to keep a journal of our family's life. I recieved a wonderful book of my mother's journal for Christmas and she kept such great records. I hope to some day be like her! (AND to be like Janet who spent hours and hours putting the book together!)

Today I gave Garrett a much needed haircut.... here are the before and after pics. I think I actually like the shaggy hair.... but he actually requested a haircut this time. As we cut hair we talked about him getting the priesthood this year. I can't believe he will be 12 in a few months. He is such a good boy. I sure love his desire to learn and to be better!

We also had the opportunity to go out to Big Rock again today. Cyrus has found a new love for rock climbing! SO.... the whole family has found that they love rock climbing as well. We go out with Jeremy and Sandy Price and we all have a great time. It is NOT an easy sport to do but all of my kids have done very well at trying a little harder each time. Some of them are naturals and others have to work a little bit more!

Garrett and Grant trying to climb the rock!
Grant thinks he's spiderman and just has no fears!
Marci's friend Madison trying it for the first time.
Grant Williams trying it for the first time and makes it to both chains in record time!

Luke Price just having a good time!

Marci is a natural and does very well!

Liam climbing the steep rock... pay no attention to the tilt of the camera!
Chloe.... another natural... always striking a pose for the camera!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Price Family

Cyrus: Busy being Elders Quorum President, Working at Hanger, MBA student, wonderful husband and father. Was happy to finish his MBA program so that he can focus a little more on the other things that keep him busy.

Leanne: With sadness was recently released as Young Woman’s president but continues to enjoy being a photographer and a mother. Is happy for the break so that she can focus a little more on her 6 little ones that are growing up way too fast.

Marci: 7^th grade. Enjoys being a teenager and we all enjoy her wonderful friends in our home. She is a wonderful student that enjoys playing the drums. She played Volleyball again this year and absolutely loves the sport.

Garrett: 6^th grade. A happy, obedient boy who loves doing what is right. Has a very bright mind and also enjoys playing in the school band. He enjoyed playing football this year with many of his wonderful friends.

Chloe: 4^th grade. Can always be found singing the latest songs at the top of her lungs. She has a great talent and loves sharing it with others. She too played Volleyball and has a wicked overhand serve.

Liam: 2^nd grade. Loves school and loves reading. He also enjoyed playing baseball this year.

Grant: Kinder. Is happy to be in school like the rest of the gang. He seems to be following in their footsteps with good grades.

Charlotte: 3 years old. Loves being at home with her mom. She thinks she is as old as her older sisters and thinks Justin Beiber is sooooo cute. If you’re lucky, she’ll call you her best friend.

We are very blessed and give thanks for our Savior Jesus Christ. We know he lives and loves us. It is through him and his commandments that we can be truly happy.

We love you all.

Love,

The Price Family

Goldilocks and his Disco Diva!

2010-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

I had to post a few of our "last minute" costumes that we wore tonight... I have to say we are quite the pair! Cyrus won "best costume" and I won "sexiest"! Those of you who know either of us know that this is VERY unlike us! We had a great time at my friend Janet's tonight! Great party with great friends.

Man I love those golden locks!

(next post might include the kids in their costumes... Halloween really is about them right?)