My Three and Me!

A Beautiful Sunrise

2009-09-29T20:40:00.002-07:00

When we lived in Arizona I really enjoyed the sunset. I thought I had never seen more brilliant sunsets then out there. Since we have moved here God has been showing me something new. A beautiful sunrise. It has been awhile since I have seen a sunrise. Now I enjoy getting up in the morning and looking at what God has in store for me that day. What a beautiful metaphor for my life right now! He is showing me all the wonderful things in store if I just look for them!

A New Chapter

2009-09-27T20:23:00.004-07:00

The kids and I have had quite a busy summer! We traveled quite a bit and then finally made it to Missouri. We are finally getting settled into our new home. It has been such a huge adjustment for everyone! The girls are doing amazing considering all that they are dealing with. Zack is struggling. We are going to get him through this but it will take some time. We are enjoying the blessing that comes with being around all the family. The kids are really enjoying their cousins who they never got to see! Country life is a lot of fun. We enjoy the outdoors and taking walks and riding our bikes. I will try to update the blog now that things have settled down!

Here are some pics of our summer!

Zack at his first soccer game

The kids with Grandma at race for the cure. (I made shirts for all the grandkids)

The girls at Silver Dollar City

Vacation Bible School

The girls in Granny's pool

Avery and I at the water park

Life

2009-04-07T22:51:00.003-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I felt like writing anything on here. Sometimes things happen in life that knocks you down. For awhile I was feeling so down and like I had no hope. Now I can honestly say I have joy again. I have hope for the future. I can breathe. I can enjoy life. I can smile. I have peace. For all these things I am thankful to my Heavenly Father. I can put all my faith and hope in Him and He will never let me down.
The kids and I are having a great time visiting up in Kansas City. We have seen all of our family and friends. We have traveled to Colorado, Wichita and St. Louis. We have gotten to see our baby cousins and Kaylee has turned out to be quite the babysitter! She loves caring for the babies. The kids are looking forward to Easter and the egg hunts. Zack is looking forward to playing basketball with his uncles.
Thank you to all who have been praying for us! It means so much to know so many people care! We deeply miss all of our friends back home in Arizona and can't wait to see you!

Snow Day!

2009-02-12T09:46:00.003-07:00

Well finally we got some snow at our house! The kids were so excited to wake up to snow. We went down to the field and had a snowball fight and the girls made some snow angels. They had a blast. It has been awhile since they have played in the snow. Of course it was all gone by 2 that afternoon. It is just too warm to stay around!

Where did spring go????

2009-02-09T21:30:00.003-07:00

Well I have been spioled living here in Arizona with the mild winters. Even when it snows in the bigger town we never get any. Today it started snowing a little bit so the kids had to go out. There was nothing on the groud but they scraped some snow off the car and made snowballs which they put in the freezer to save. They are hoping when they get up there will be snow on the ground!

Swim Lessons

2009-02-06T12:17:00.005-07:00

The girls started swim lessons on Tuesday this week. Avery was so excited but Kaylee of course was a little nervous. She still had a cough and wasn't feeling quite right so I think that didn't help any. She ended up crying and I had to take her out. Avery had a fabulous time and did awesome. I think she may catch up with Kaylee soon on her levels! On Thursday we went back and Kaylee said it wasn't so bad and she had a good time. We will see how the month goes!

Awana Race

2009-02-05T19:42:00.003-07:00

The kids had their Awana race last weekend. They had a lot of fun although Avery did not understand why she didn't get a trophy. She was so upset! Everyone got a ribbon but she just threw hers on the floor. We are still working on her attitude. It is hard to explain these things to a four year old. Zack's car raced pretty well. It was a fun time even with all the crying at the end!

Zack's car is the silver one.

Zack watching the race.

Kaylee's car on the far right.

Kaylee watching her race.

Avery's car on the far right.

Avery watching her race.

Field Trip

2009-01-27T16:27:00.005-07:00

The kids and I went on a field trip a couple weeks ago to a high altitude helicopter training facility. We found out that pilots here have to be specially trained due to the high altitude the air is thinner. Their reaction time is shorter. It was pretty cool and we learned a lot. We did find out it would cost about $20,000 dollars just to learn to fly and get your lesson. Of course the favorite part was sitting in the helicopter! It looked so small and it actually sat 4 people! At the end they gave every child a bag with a color book, poster, plastic helicopter, and a book to read about helicopters. It was such a fun trip!

Awana cars

2009-01-26T18:39:00.005-07:00

The kids have their Awana race next weekend so Last Friday and Saturday morning we worked on their cars. On of the men in this church has a large workshop with everything you could need to make your cars. They even served us pizza! The kids had a great time working with their dad and turning a chunk of wood into a car. Keith had to do the cutting but they did the sanding and some painting. Avery of course made a pink princess car, Kaylee made a blue car, and Zack made a corvette that is gray with a black stripe. They all turned out great and we will see how the race goes next weekend!

Our weekend

2009-01-25T22:25:00.004-07:00

Since Keith was going to be gone for Saturday night the kids and I decided to go have some fun as well. We went down to Phoenix and found a great hotel with a pool and hot tub. We did alot of swimming (outside I might add!) and then we went to the zoo. I love my kids and I love spending time with them. It was so nice to hear that this was the best weekend of their lives! A lot of pictures follow and a warning to my midwest friends, you might get a little jealous!

My kids!

We had to ride the merry go round!

Kaylee at the little people barn.

Avery looking cute!

My little turtle.

We celebrated this little girl's 3rd birthday today

Super Star!

Zack favorite part is touching the stingrays. This time we got to feed them!

Zack hanging out at the pool

Feeding the stingrays

Kaylee taking a dip!

The girls!

Girl's night at Starbucks

2009-01-22T10:29:00.003-07:00

Zack went to a boy scout meeting and Keith was at work so the girls and I were alone. We ran a couple errends and then went to Barnes and Noble and had a treat at Starbuck's. Of course Kaylee chose the cheesecake and Avery had to have the huge chocolate cupcake. She was a mess! We had a great time. I love sharing these times with my girls and I hope we always stay close when they are older!

Zack's First Game

2009-01-19T19:21:00.003-07:00

Zack had his first basketball game on Saturday. It is hard to believe this is the same kid who played two years ago. He has only played that one season and after he played that I considered that basketball may not be his sport. Well this year he proved me wrong! He was awesome! He scored 14 of the 21 points and did awesome on defense. We are so proud of our star player!

Basketball Boy

2009-01-13T22:37:00.002-07:00

Zack started basketball again this year. He is playing with upward basketball which is a Christian based league that teaches character and values. Keith is one of the coaches and Zack was so happy about that! He had his first practice tonight and he had so much fun and can't wait for his first game on Saturday.

Nice Weather

2009-01-11T20:16:00.003-07:00

The weather here has been so great we have gotten to be outdoors quite a bit again. It is so nice to enjoy the fresh air! We went down to the field and Kaylee and Zack proceeded to play football which always consists of Kaylee tackling Zack. It is so nice to see them playing together. The also played soccer and hit some golf balls. While they were busy Avery was making a campfire and playing on the rocks. She is usually in her own world! This week we are looking forward to many outside activities as it will be almost 70 degrees!

Guitar player

2009-01-10T22:21:00.002-07:00

Ever since Zack recieved a guitar this summer from uncle Mike he has been waiting to start his lessons. Finally we got into some private lessons with a really fun teacher. He is so excited to be able to play 3 songs and learned 2 chords. He is doing so well and I hear him in his room frequently practicing. He is really wanting to play an electric guitar so we will see how it goes!

The Grand Canyon

2009-01-05T18:11:00.005-07:00

Well after living here for over a year we finally made it to the Grand Canyon! Grandma and Grandpa were visiting and they wanted to go as well so off we went. The drive was pretty easy and the kids were so excited to see all the snow up there. Of course we had to have a snowball fight! I was a little nervous that someone was going to go sliding down into the canyon. On the way home there was a horrible wreck which closed the two lane highway for almost an hour. We had a great day and the kids got another one of their junior ranger badges! If you look closely at the photos of the canyons you can see some people standing at the top which should give you a sense of the amazing views of the canyon. Going there truly makes you see the awesomeness of God!

Nutcracker

2008-12-25T22:45:00.003-07:00

On Tuesday my neighbor and I took our girls down to Phoenix to see the Nutcracker. This is Avery's favorite ballet and she was so excited. We got the girls all dressed up and put on a little make-up. Avery did quite well and only got antsy at the end. They also got their picture taken with the sugarplum fairy which Avery was excited about until she found out her sister and her friends were going to be in the picture as well. It was such a special day to spend with my girls and I know we will treasure those memories!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-25T21:27:00.002-07:00

Jesus is the light of the world.

These are a couple pictures from our candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve. It was such a great time spent together!

And Avery not to be outdone!

2008-12-22T19:18:00.002-07:00

And since Kaylee did a video Avery had to do one too!

Sorry about them being sideways I don't know how to turn them!

A Video For You!

2008-12-22T18:59:00.002-07:00

Here is a funny video of how Kaylee makes Avery laugh!

Funny Picture!

2008-12-17T21:09:00.002-07:00

When we went swimming at the YMCA the other day we were changing in the locker room and I couldn't find Avery. Suddenly one of the doors opened and there she was! She thought this was quite funny. This girl definitely keeps us laughing!

sickness~

2008-12-16T19:49:00.004-07:00

It has been quite a weekend here. We have been fighting the crud. It started with Avery then to Zack and now I have had it for a few days. I am hoping to not have to go get antibiotics again. We have still been working on our Christmas stuff around here. The girls and I made buckeye balls and then today we made our applesauce ornaments. They turned out pretty cute and smell great too, We have some made 10 years ago that still smell great.
Today Zack went ice skating for the first time. He was so excited. I thought it would be frustrating for him but he did awesome! He was going so fast! Of course everyting he tries to do he is good at. He fell a couple times and now claims he has a sore bottom. He wants to go again and now the girls want to go too. Although if Avery goes I will have to put on skates and I don't think I have done that since I was about 6. At least they have walkers out there! Here are a few pictures!

Productive Day

2008-12-09T20:40:00.003-07:00

Today was one of those days where we actually get most things done that we planned to. We worked on our lapbooks, baked some banana bread, did some holiday crafts and played some games. Throw in some Christmas books and movies and I would call it a great day! The girls love to cook so they helped with the bread. Of course everyone is game for some crafts. We made handprint reindeer and popsicle stick snowmen. We also played a new game called race to reverse. It was great since we all could play. Tonight we are just doing our Jesse Tree and enjoying ourselves!

Busy weekend!

2008-12-08T23:03:00.004-07:00

This was such a busy weekend for us full of Christmas things. It started Friday night with a Walk through Bethlehem. A church in the area puts this on every year and it was wonderful! The hardest part was waiting for over an hour to get our tour. We had a guide who took us through everything Mary and Joseph would have done. We had to put our name down for the census and pay our taxes. Then we traveled to the different stores and heard about the things they did in those days. At the end was Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It was a special thing and so cool for the kids to experience what it was like. On our way home we found a house that has an amazing light display. It is even set to music! So cool!
On Saturday we went to home depot for their kids day and we made some art easels. Then we ran Zack over to his basketball evaluations. Then we went to another Christmas parade in Prescott. This town has so many parades!
On Sunday we went to church and then we took some of our family photos. I cannot reveal them on here since they will be in the Christmas cards! After that we went to see a Christmas play. It was called The Christmas Post and had a great message about Jesus and miracles. After that we ran to AWANAS where everyone earned a patch this week! After we clebrated with ice cream and then went home and crashed! I am sure looking forward to some downtime.

A Quiet Moment (or not so quiet with Kaylee!)

2008-12-06T21:40:00.002-07:00

I sure don't catch this very often. Zack and Kaylee sharing a moment together. They used to be best friends but as Zack gets older he pulls away from all things sister. I am so glad when they share a moment like this. Kaylee had asked Zack to read her a book and Zack agreed. Of course Kaylee had to add in the silliness. When they saw me taking pictures they were both upset and I had to promise it was just for me! So don't tell them!

The Military Wife

2008-12-05T11:16:00.002-07:00

Welcome to my world!

What is a MILITARY Wife?

A Military wife can be tough to describe.

She is a southern belle,

a northeastern Mets fan,

a California 3rd generationrecycler,

a Pacific Islander.

She is short or tall,a tomboy,

a fashion diva,

a physician's assistant,

a Republican,

a Democrat.

A Military Wife is a career gal,

a home-schooler,

a scrap-booker,

an accomplished cellist,

and an auto mechanic.

What IS a Military Wife?

WHAT is a Military Wife?

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique.

But this they have in common.

They have THIS IN COMMON!

lots of moving---moving

moving

far from home

moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER, of course

moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house

moving curtains that won't fit

moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours

moving away from friends

moving toward new friends

moving her most important luggage:

her trunkful of memories

often waiting-waiting,

waiting,

waiting for housing

waiting for orders

waiting for deployment

waiting for reunion

waiting for phones calls

waiting for the new curtains to arrive

waiting for him to come home for dinner----AGAIN!

They call her "military dependent", but she knows better

she can balance a checkbook

handle the yard work

fix a noisy toilet.

She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes,

sell a house,

buy a car,

or set up a move,

--all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.

Reinvents her career with every PCS

locates a house in the desert,

the arctic

,or the deep south and learns to call them all "home".

She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent

Military Wives are somewhat hasty

They leap into decorating,

leadership,

volunteering,

career alternatives,

churches

and friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are short but flexible.

They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.

They connect over coffee,

rely on the spouse-network

and accept offers of friendship

and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands -

his commitment is unique.

He doesn't have a job, he has a "mission"

he can't just decide to quit

he's on-call for his country 24/7, but for you, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign:

TDY

PCS

OPR

ACC

BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.

She is the long-distance link to keep them informed -

the glue that holds them together.

The Military Wife has her moments--

--She wants to wring his neck,

dye his uniform pink,

and refuse to move to Siberia.

But she pulls herself together.

Give her a few days,

a travel brochure,

a long hot bath,

a pledge to the flag,

and a wedding picture

And she goes.

She packs.

She moves.

She follows.

Why?What for?How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.

It was stolen from her by a man

who puts duty first

who longs to deploy

who salutes the flag

and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her military

husband,

she will remain his military wife.

I love this crazy life!

Tea Time!

2008-12-05T10:29:00.004-07:00

Avery was playing in her room yesterday and came out to invite me to a tea party. Of course I said yes since I am never too busy for a tea party. Kaylee decided to come too. Of course there are always arguments over who will pour and serve. It was a wonderful to share this time of cheese sticks, animal crackers and water. I am so glad for these invitations since I know as they get older there will be no more tea parties. I thank God for everyday I get to spend with my children
"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven." Henry Ward Beacher

This photo is from last night. When I came in to go to bed Avery was on the floor almost in the doorway fast asleep!

A magical night!

2008-12-02T20:39:00.008-07:00

Last night we surprised the kids with a ride on the polar express! The Grand Canyon Railway about an hour from here does a polar express ride during December. I knew the kids would really enjoy this since the love the movie. We didn't even tell the kids where we were going until we were about 15 minutes away and it was driving them crazy! I told them I would give them a clue so I gave them some gold tickets with the word believe I punched in them. Zack thought we were just going to see the movie. They were so excited! Avery was very nervous and kept saying she didn't want to ride but when we got there so loved it. First they went in and wrote and mailed their letters to Santa, talked with Mrs. Claus and had our photo taken. After that we went out by the tracks to wait. They finally heard the whistle! It was a fun ride complete with hot chocolate, cookies and a reading of the polar express. After reaching the north pole Santa got on and visited each train car and handed out all the bells to the kids. I was surprised at how much Zack really got into it. He says this was the best day of his life. I know as the kids get older this time of year will be less magical for them, and someday they will be all grown up. I am so glad we made this special memory with the kids this year, what a night!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-11-30T19:55:00.005-07:00

We have had a Christmas themed weekend here. It started off on Friday (after I went shopping!) by going to the mall for the deck the mall. The kids got to decorate a cookie, horse and carriage rides(too rainy) and milk and cookies with Santa. Avery was so excited to see the big man himself! Zack of course was too old for the picture. Then Saturday was the Prescott annual light parade at the square. We all know how Avery loves loghts so this is right up her alley. We had a great spot staked out and had a great time. Zack didn't join us this year since he wanted to stay at his friends birthday party. He is growing up so much I know all too soon he won't want to do very many "boring" things with us. He still does love doing most things though. This I let him skip for some much needed boy time!
Also this weekend Keith put up the loghts on our house. The kids look forward to this time since they get to join him on the roof. Avery has NO fear and walks right up to the edge and almost gives me a heart attack! She didn't stay on very long. I will post a picture of the finished project tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T20:12:00.009-07:00

We spent this day thanking God for all of the blessings in our life! We have so many it is almost impossible to count them all. What a wonderful life God has given us!

The morning started out with some cool weather and the clouds were so low I had to take a picture of them on the mountains. The girls wanted to help me with the cooking again this year. They love to cut up the apples for the applesauce. They also helped with the pumpkin pie, the fruit turkey (see picture below) and made napkin rings. It was such a wet day we couldn't really get outside. After we ate we went to see the movie Bolt. It was so cute! We ended the night going to see the Valley of the Lights. This is free except by donation so we go often during this season. Avery is so amazed by lights and it is so fun to watch her! We had such a great day together we just wish we could have seen all of our extended family as well. We miss you all!

Craft time

2008-11-25T20:27:00.006-07:00

We have been busy this past couple of days getting our school work done and doing some crafts. The kids and I made indian headbands and tomorrow we will make pilgram ones. Today we went to the library for craft time with Miss Joyce. They made cornhusk dolls, pinecone turkeys and turkey ring toss. Zack was at his friend's house so it was just the girls and I. We had fun until Kaylee got upset because her turkeys legs wouldn't stay on. They turned out really cute and will be our centerpiece on Thanksgiving. On another note I thought I was seeing things when gas went under $2.00! It is so nice to be able to fill up my tank for under $40.00 again. We also seem to have a jack-o-lantern in our house. Kaylee keeps losing her teeth and they never grow back in. She now has 3 holes awaiting new teeth!

Our weekend

2008-11-23T19:48:00.004-07:00

This weekend we had a lot of fun family time. On Saturday we stayed around the house and cleaned. The boys went mini golfing to have some guy time. That night we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner thanks to a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa. Then we decided toset up our Christmas tree. I know it is so early but the kids are already into the season. We usually do it on Thanksgiving but we wanted to be able to look at our tree during turkey dinner. The kids love decorating the tree. It is so nice to sit back and have all the decorating done for you. Although sometimes I have to have them slow down! After we set that up we enjoyed hot chocolate and watched The Santa Clause.
Today we worked on the garage cleaning it out and getting stuff for ebay. Then we decided to go hiking. We haven't got to go in awhile since we have been so busy. We went over to Lynx Creek, one of our favorite spots. Avery of course had to be our leader until she pooped out and had to get a ride on Daddy's top bunk. We had a fun time spotting all of the fairies homes (holes in the trees). It was a great day here in the low 70's or so. After the hike we went over to Awanas and Keith and I enjoyed a coffee together. What a great relaxing weekend!

A busy week

2008-11-22T19:59:00.007-07:00

The last couple days of this week have been quite busy! On Thursday the kids and I went with some friends down to the park at Anthem. The kids love to go here as they have a huge play structure, sprinklers, ducks to feed, a rollar rink and a skate park. They really enjoyed the sprinklers this time since it was so warm! It is so nice to go during the day of course when all the other kids are in school.
After a fun day at the park we had a party that night for a Jessie Tree ornament swap. This will be our first year doing the Jessie tree and kids are so excited. It starts on December first and goes to Christmas. Every day there is a bible story and an ornament that goes with it. We had a group of 25 ladies each made 25 of the same ornament and then we go swap so everyone has all of them. It was so cute to see how creative all the ladies were. The kids had a great time as well playing outside in the dark on their property. They had a big bonfire and played hide and seek.
On Friday we had to go back to base to get my new ID that expired. We also took some things down to the thrift store. While we were there we bought a game of twister for 50 cents. The kids have had a lot of fun with it! We decided to surprise the kids with a trip to Build a Bear with some gft cards we found. They were so excited since it has been so long since we have been to one. Zack picked a coyote, Kaylee a koala bear and Avery dog. We headed home and stopped in Antem to eat a pretzel. It was a lot of fun!
Tonight we set up our tree. It is so early but the kids get so excited for the Christmas season we decided to do it this weekend. We usually do it Thanksgiving night. I will post pictures of that tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be another quite day. Just church and then home. AWANAS is a short night and most things are cancelled this week so it should be quite. We will be doing a lot of crafts and fun things this week!

Just another week

2008-11-19T23:14:00.003-07:00

It has been a rather uneventful week around here. The usual business but nothing too exciting. We have started a new history program which the kids love that's called Story of the World. Tonight the kids had flight school at church and for rally night they brought in a drag racing car. The kids were so excited to see it so I took a couple pictures of them by it!

Science center trip

2008-11-16T20:53:00.004-07:00

This weekend we did our monthly trip to Pheonix to go to the commisary and something fun. We have memberships to the zoo and science center so yesterday we went to both. The kids really enjoy it. The science center is pretty good about revolving activities so it is not always the same things. This time there was a bed of nails that the kids really liked. We learned why you can't step on one nail but you can lay down on hundreds. Here are a few pics from our day!

Kaylee an the nails

Zack on the nails. Avery wouldn't do it!

Avery really got into the tug of war!

Kaylee being a goofball!

Kaylee and daddy making a cloud

We couldn't leave without doing the wheelchair race. Notice Avery is holding her ears. See the last photo to find out why!

Future doctor puting stiches in

Avery wanted to try.

Zack outing the balls into the nose. (this is why Avery holds her ears the whole time we are in this room! It sneezes the balls back out at any given moment.)

Some new friends

2008-11-13T23:30:00.004-07:00

Well as everyone knows our family has radar and any stray animal in the area always comes to our house. Tonight a pair of kitties showed up and we couldn't resist bringing them in. We found out some people up the street didn't want them so they just let them go! I despise people like that! We of course couldn't do that so we took them in for the night and we will take them to the shelter in the morning. The kids were so excited and pleading to keep them. I even caught Keith snuggling with them a little bit! The are identical so we can't tell them apart. Lola found a new friend as one of them was VERY interested in her! I think they thought she would be a tasty snack. One is definitely more calm and fell asleep with Zack. The kids cannot wait to get up in the morning and play with them some more!

Our Day

2008-11-12T21:19:00.003-07:00

After such a busy first half of the week we were happy to be at home today. We got all of our schoolwork done. The girls started on new lapbooks. Then we all made things out of popsicle sticks. It was interesting to see what the kids made. Avery made some decorative sticks, Zack made a treasure box and Kaylee made a picture frame. I will post pics of that tomorrow. This evening before church Zack had his soccer party at a pizza and wings place. The boys had so much fun together! It has been a disappointing season but you couldn't tell it by the way these kids were having fun. It was so great to see these kids that lost every game come away with such heart! Zack can't wait until next year!
Kaylee's favorite part was the cupcakes!

Avery enjoyed the wings!

The gang with their coach.

Zack with some of his buddies

What a great time!

Another soccer star!

2008-11-09T15:05:00.002-07:00

Avery played her last game yesterday. She scored 2 goals!!!!!! She hasn't scored all season and she decided today she was going to make up for it. She was so excited and happy for herself. Her other favorite part was her trophy. She has been waiting for it! Yea for Avery!!!!!!!!!

Field trip!

2008-11-07T20:45:00.004-07:00

The kids and I took a field trip this week with our home school group. I found out there are quite a few alpaca ranches in our area. I contacted on and set up a fied trip. A couple owns this ranch and love to share alpacas with everyone to share their knowledge. It was so cool! We learned a lot of things. Alpacas come in different colors and they breed them to be certain colors. They don't have hooves but instead have soft pads like dogs. They also have only 2 teeth on the bottom and they get long like rodent teeth so they have to shave them down sometimes. We also got to pet an alpaca and tough some of the wool they shaved in April. We saw some of the things they make out of the fur. It is softer than wool and warmer! The kids even got to pet a 3 week old baby called a cria. Even though it was a windy day the kids had a lot of fun learning.

On another note tonight Zack scored his first goal of the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yea for Zack! What a great ending to the season.

I Voted!

2008-11-04T19:49:00.004-07:00

Well today I cast my first vote ever. The kids and I did a lap book on the election and we read a couple books. They went with me today so they could see how it's done. Kaylee wanted to fill in my ballot!
Last night there was a rally in Prescott for John McCain and it was going to be his last appearance before the election. It was supposed to start at 9 and then got moved to midnight. I decided to go and Zack wanted to go with me. We went with some other homeschoolers and decided to get there early to get a good spot. There was even a mime entertaining us! We lined up at 8:00. At 10 we were finally in the doors. The excitement was very fun. Unfortunately we didn't get a very good spot. The boys couldn't even see the stage. Hank Williams Jr performed for us and that was fun. It was a good thing Zack brought his game boy since we had to wait so long. We were packed in there so tightly I started to get claustrophobic! Finally around 12:30 McCain showed up and spoke for about 15 minutes. I happened to be standing next to a taller woman who got a few pictures for me. By the end of the night my toes were numb but it was something we will never forget!

Some pictures

2008-11-02T20:27:00.003-07:00

These are a few pictures from this week. The first is from one of the prescribed burns in our forest area. The views are begining to seem normal after a year. Kind of interesting.
The rest of the pictures are fomr the adult day care center. One of the homeschool groups we belong to goes to the adult day care center in the area once a month to do a sort of talent show. The kids just perform or show anything they want to. It helps the kids learn to speak in public and the adults love it! Last monthe Zack showed some of his drawings and Avery sang her ABC's. Kaylee chose not to do anything. This month Kaylee decided read some halloween jokes out of a library book and Avery did a ballet dance. Zack wasn't there as he was at the doctor for his knee. I was so proud of Kaylee as she wasn't even nervous! I just turned on Avery's favorite Nutcracker music and away she went! It was so cute! It was a great day.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T23:07:00.002-07:00

The kids had a great halloween! They had so much fun trick or treating with friends and getting lots of candy! I will be sending out more pictures soon!

A Fall Photo Shot!

2008-10-30T22:28:00.004-07:00

I decided today I wanted some fall pictures of the kids and they wanted to jump in the leaves. We all headed up to the square where they actually have trees and grass. We took our rake and they got a pretty good sized pile. The girls took turns jumping in it but Zack couldn't enjoy due to his knee. (So far it is not getting any better so we will see!) Avery had a fun time petting all the dogs around and collecting bark in her bucket. After the photo shot they decided they needed to slide down the rail on the steps of the sourthouse. It was fun until Avery hurt herself! After that we went to Target since the kids had a giftcard and some money burning a hole in their pockets thanks to the grandmas! It was a great day spent with my babies!

A look into the past

2008-10-28T16:48:00.003-07:00

On Saturday the kids and I went to an old time baseball game. in Prescott. The teams were the Bisbee Bees and the Prescott Senators. They wore the uniforms from that era and even played by those rules. The umpire even wore a black suit. It was quite interesting to see the hide the ball trick they pulled to get someone out on second base! We enjoyed some hot dogs and fresh squeezed lemonade since it was almost 90 degrees in the sun! The kids also had a good time looking at the old cars they had.

Go Wildcats!

2008-10-24T22:34:00.004-07:00

The day we have been waiting for! High School Musical 3 cameout today! The kids wrote it on their calenders they were so excited. My friend and I decided we should get a group together and go the first showing. There was a little bit of a line since school was out but there were plenty of seats. It was a cute show and the kids had so much fun. Afterwards we had to get our photos in with the cardboard figures. (Of course Avery wanted her picture with each one by herself.)

Field Trip!

2008-10-23T22:26:00.006-07:00

Today the kids and I had our field trip to the police station. They had a great time looking at the police car and all the equipment. I think my kids were a little bored since they have seen all this many times on base. Avery of course didn't like the siren!

After the field trip we went to the library and ate our lunch on the lawn. It was a beautiful fall day! The older kids went to a friends house and Avery and I went to decorate Keith's office. Tonight we had a great dinner then we finally cooked our pumpkin so we couls make our pumpkin muffins tomorrow. We also made our caramel apples. The kids loved it but it was quite sticky so we ended up cutting up the apples so we could eat them better. I was afraid I would lose a filling!

Crazy Hair Night!

2008-10-22T23:44:00.002-07:00

On Sunday's the kids go to Awanas. They all really enjoy it! This week they had a theme night and it was "crazy hair". The kids were so excited to do this and Keith really got into it as well. Zack decided to do 3 mohawks and a cross in the back and paint it blue. He was so happy with the outcome. For the girls we did ponytails all over and sprayed it pink. Avery wanted pink and blue. They had a great time that night and got to go to the Awana store as well. We won't be doing spray paint in the hair for awhile as it took a lot of clean up in the car seats and shirts! They had a great night though!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-18T22:09:00.006-07:00

Today the kids and I went to the pumpkin patch! Keith had to work today so we went without him. He really wasn't too disappointed since he really didn't want to go anyway. We missed the field trip with our homeschool group last week but we went to the same one. It was so much fun! We did a hayride, petting zoo, little train ride, corn maze, watched a dog show, ate some roasted corn (so yummy!) and picked our pumpkins. It was pretty hot today but we still enjoyed ourselves. Avery really liked the corn maze and insisted on being the leader the whole time! The kids really took their time picking their pumpkins out. Zack wanted all of the huge pumpkins so he was disappointed when I told him it was too big! Finally everyone chose their pumpkins and we met up with dad for dinner. Here are some pictures from our day!

Fun Day!

2008-10-17T23:40:00.003-07:00

Today the kids and I had tickets to another show at the college. This one was called Jungua. It was an act from China that involved acrobatics, martial arts and dance. The kids really liked this one. It was great since it tied into the study we just did on the olympics and China. After that we went to the park since it was such a beautiful day. I of course had to take a few pictures and we also found a tree turning a beautiful shade of red! I was so excited to see some pretty colors of Autumn.

Family Bowling Day!

2008-10-16T23:05:00.004-07:00

On Saturday we went bowling with some of our friends. They do rock and bowl where they turn on blacklights and play music. We had a blast! The kids were on one lane and adults on the other. We ended up teaming up guys against girls. I had my best bowling night ever! I think I got a 135. It came down to the last frame and I lost it. We put up a good fight and we will have a rematch in the near future! Here are a few pics from that night:
The guys pointing at their winning score.

Keith and I

Our friends Trish and Tom ( sorry these are so small!)

Trish and I (and Kayla)

Avery and Shae

Kaylee and Kayla

Zack man!

Avery bowled a couple frames

Kaylee got her first strike that night!

We all had a great time and are looking forward to the rematch!

Gold Fever Days

2008-10-14T16:40:00.004-07:00

Saturday was the towns annual gold fever days. We actually went last year whne we were living in the hotel. The kids always have a lot of fun there. The do some reinactments of some battles and a saloon fight. We also watched horseshoeing and target shooting. They have a bunch of artifacts to look at and of course music. I didn't know my kids had such an appreciation for bluegrass! We sat and listened to the band for over an hour! It was a great family band with mom, dad, two girls and a boy. It was pretty chilly and windy that day, especially since two days before we were swimming! Here are a few pictures from our day!
Keith and the kids enjoying the music.

The family band we watched.

Zack checking out the guns.

You can tell what the boys thought was the most interesting.

The kids and I.

I love it when they all get along!

The kids with a couple guys

We also got to watch some horse mounted shooting.

Here is the ferrier puting on a horseshoe

Zack panning for gold

Kaylee's turn

Now Avery

This was some great history learning!

Nine Years!

2008-10-09T21:33:00.006-07:00

Today is Keith and I's anniversary! We have been married for nine years! It really doesn't seem like that long but then it also seems like forever. We have been together for 11 years. I now cannot remember what it was like before I met him. I know God chose him for me and everything that happened that got us together was all His great plan. He has given me three great kids and he always keeps me laughing. Sometimes he's a goofball but that's what I love about him.
Tonight we took the girls and went to Texas Roadhouse. Zack is spending the night at his friends. We had a great dinner and I even got to have a strawberry margarita! It was yummy!

Kaylee took this picture of us after dinner tonight.

On another note is this what the future is going to be like with a teenage girl? Kaylee has become quite the poster collecter!

Another science camp

2008-10-08T22:49:00.003-07:00

We went to our science camp again today and learned a lot about flight. I can't believe how much I learned! We found out how planes and helicopters fly and now we can even name some parts of them. I think the kids learn better with hands on and even when you are talking about stuff that might be too old for them they will pick up something from it!

Here is Avery flying her sled kite.

And Kaylee trying hers out.

Here is a random picture of Avery today at the park planting her garden.

Here is Kaylee adding weight to her plane before she tests it out.

Zack testing his plane.

daddy helping Avery with her airfoil.

Here is Avery trying out her roter.

The kids and I had a busy day today but it was fun!

A new toy!

2008-10-07T23:12:00.003-07:00

Thanks to our friend Trish we have a new toy in our backyard! Her kids didn't want their trampoline anymore so they gave it to us! It makes me nervous without a net but they have been having a blast. Avery is so funny and really concentrates when she jumps! Thanks Trish!

A science kind of day!

2008-10-06T17:50:00.005-07:00

Today the kids and I went to a family science camp at the college. They are doing three this week and todays theme was air. We learned a lot about air pressure, lift, matter, atoms and molcules. It is amazing what you can learn by having fun! We listened to some of the college students give presentations and then did 12 different expiriments. Since the theme was air there was a lot of blowing in things today.

Zack levitating a ping pong ball.

Kaylee's turn.

Studying air pockets underwater.

Blowing up a balloon in a bottle.

Doing balloon races.

Seeing how many pencils he could blow.

Kaylee's turn.

Using air to lift up a stack of books.

Weighing air in balloons.

Avery blowing up a balloon.

All in all it was a great fun learning day! On Wednesday we have another one about flying.

The Tooth Fairy is Coming Tonight!

2008-10-02T20:27:00.002-07:00

Kaylee has lost another tooth! This one has been loose for a little while. Yesterday she got bumped and it started to bleed. Then today the girls were jumping on the trampoline and Avery's head hit Kaylee. It was barely hanging on. After about 10 minutes Kaylee finally got up the nerve and pulled it herself! She was so proud!

A Field Trip Day

2008-10-02T17:01:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a busy day! We went on a day trip just about 40 minutes from our house. We started out at Montezuma's castle. It was amazing to see how the sinagua people lived so long ago. There are no written records of these people at all just artifacts that we use to tell their story. After that we drove about 10 miles to Montezuma's well and had our lunch at the top. It is beautiful there and there are even pueblos on the cliffside there as well. The kids had a great time hiking even though the temps were in the 90's. After we were done there we drove over to Tuzigoot. It is some more pueblos on top of a cliff that you can go in. There are 110 rooms and the kids had fun going to the top and being the lookout. So we got a lot of history learning in this day and a lot of fun too!

Avery getting a ride to the top!

All of us in front of the well.

All of the kids got their junior ranger badge while we were there.

Here is a photo of some rooms at Tuzigoot.

Hiker Avery!

The kids with the ranger at Montezuma's castle.

A photo of the castle.

We also got to witness a rattlesnake tagging. This is a diamond back and we were so close we could hear it rattle!

A Day At The Park

2008-09-29T20:35:00.004-07:00

Today was our busy day of the week but in between activities we decided to go to the park. It was a gorgeous day and only in the upper 80's. We stayed for about two hours! It is days like this I am so glad my kids aren't stuck in a classroom 8 hours a day. One of our friends caught a garter snake and the kids had a great time playing with it. I off course decided we needed to have a photo shoot. The kids were not excited about that but they compied! Here are a few of our pictures:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!

2008-09-27T00:23:00.002-07:00

Today is my sweet mothers birthday! She is still so young looking everyone thinks we are sisters! My mom is the kindest person you could ever meet. She always helps people in need. She did a wonderful job of raising me and now she adores her grandkids (and they adore her too!). She is not only my mother but my best friend and the first person I call to talk to.
Happy birthday mom! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Another hair cut

2008-09-26T11:10:00.003-07:00

The girls both decided it was their turn for a haircut. The other night after baths we decided to cut it. Avery actually wants her hair short like mine but I just couldn't do it! They both settled for about 4 inches off. I think they look really cute and they are so happy with their new looks!

The county fair

2008-09-22T21:45:00.005-07:00

The kids and I went to the county fair last friday since kids got in free that day. They had a great time looking at all the animals, doing a treasure hunt and riding a tractor. I think Avery loved finding the ducks and insisted one of them was Jemima from her favorite book Jemima Puddle Duck! I told the kids they could either ride one ride or get a treat to eat. Zack of course choose a ride and it cost $4.50 for him to ride the bumber cars! He came off disappointed since the car didn't work the whole time. Kaylee of course choose food so she got a frozen lemonade. What a tasty treat! Avery, my sugar bug, choose cotton candy ( in pink of course!). All in all it was a great day and I loved spending this time with my kids!

Over the hill!

2008-09-20T22:55:00.003-07:00

Well I am finally "over the hill". It is a small one but a hill no less! Yesterday I turned the big 30! It is funny how I used to think 30 was old but now I see my life is still getting started! The is so much more to come. I spent my day with the kids and we went to the county fair. I will post those pictures tomorrow. We had a great time! That night we went across the street to our neighbors for a BBQ for Kaylee's friends' birthday. It was fun and we didn't get home until after eleven. My wonderful husband got me some beautiful roses and balloons. The kids all made cards and pictures for me. I also got some great things in the mail. I got a new fiesta dish set. a new movie, a goft card for a restaurant and some money! Tonight Keith and Kaylee made me a birthday cake and then we all camped out in the living room for our family night. It was a great birthday and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me this year!

Science Center

2008-09-19T09:20:00.003-07:00

On wednesday we went to the science center in Pheonix with our home school group. It was a lot of fun! They also had the travelling exibit Narnia which the kids were so excited to go to. It did cost extra but I git to go in it on Saturday and it was so cool. You actually enter through the wardrobe and it snows on you just like in the book! We spent 6 hours there so the kids got a lot of learning in! We saw a show on volcanos and a show on digestion that was really cool.
Here is the group in front of Narnia:

Here are the kids and I:

The kids in front of the white witches chariot:

Here is Avery planting her garden:

Zack and his friend decided to build something with the pipes:

And of course the ever popular wheelchair races:

Here is a bunch of monkeys in the tree:

They loved hanging out in the airplane

It was such a great day to spend with friends and learn!

A Haircut and another pet!

2008-09-16T20:29:00.005-07:00

Well Zack decided he was ready to get rid of the hair so he asked dad to give him a trim. Keith happily gave him buzz! He said it feels really strange after having hair for so long.
In the wrong order here is the after:

Here is the before:

And after living here for almost a year Zack finally has a lizard. He was so excited to catch him and he named him sky. He likes to have him sit on his shoulder like this:

Kids!

2008-09-15T22:10:00.002-07:00

Overheard at the dinner table tonight as Avery was saying the prayer:

God is great, God is good,
Let us thank him for our food,
And God bless Santa for bringing us presents,
Jesus name
Amen

She is so funny!

AWANAS and a new pet!

2008-09-14T21:30:00.005-07:00

Today was AWANAS day and the kids were so excited to go! I am so glad they really get into this and are learning their bible verses. Tonight Zack learned all the books in the new testament! He was so proud of himself. He already earned his shirt but they don't have any in yet. Kaylee earned her vest last week and this week Avery earned her vest and patch. She was so excited! It is amazing what a 4 year old can memorize. While we were at AWANAS a friend of mine found some cool catterpillars so we collected some for a science expiriment. They are huge and so cool looking. The kids each got their own. We are hoping they turn into some beautiful butterflies!

God Bless America!

2008-09-11T22:22:00.005-07:00

As a military wife September 11th is a very patriotic day for me. My heart swells with pride at being an American. I loved watching all of the nation band together that day. I remember where I was at that exact moment, with my 2 small children living on a military base. I was so scared. My husband had to go to work and didn't know when he would be able to come home. We could no longer get on base. It changed our whole life. And then when my husband had to deploy to Iraq that was the scariest of all. My prayers go out to all those that lost someone that fateful day and all the lives lost fighting the war someone else started. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Irish step dancing

2008-09-10T21:24:00.003-07:00

The kids all started irish step dancing this year. Kaylee was nervous at first but it quickly became her favorite activity! Even Zack joins in when he doesn't go to boy scouts. He pretends like he doesn't want to go but just look at his face in the picture. Avery is mixed about it but I think she likes it. She still wants to do ballet. Two older ladies teach the class and they are so cute. They even do it for free!

Stone soup

2008-09-09T23:12:00.004-07:00

Today the kids and I went to see a play with some other homeschoolers. The local college in our town does different shows for the public schools through the year and opens them up to homeschoolers as well. It is so nice because most of the shows only cost a dollar! We saw stone soup and other stories today. They did 4 different stories from all around the world all found in books. It was really cute and the kids enjoyed it!

Our new little friend

2008-09-08T22:19:00.003-07:00

We got a hummingbird feeder to go right outside our bedroom window. It hung there for 2 months and we had never seen any. Well finally we saw our new little friend. (Actually we've seen two!)

A message from Kaylee

2008-09-08T00:18:00.004-07:00

The other day I had written a little note to everyone on our wipe off board that said "good morning family". So this morning Kaylee took it upon herself to write her own message that looked like this:

Which in case you couldn't tell it says "good morning frevert family". I have been telling her to spell out things the way they sound so if you read it the way it looks she did a pretty good job! I thought it was too cute not to save!

Blackberry picking

2008-09-05T20:42:00.001-07:00

Today was our blackberry picking day. The kids were so excited. We had to drive up into the forest on a small dirt road. We passed it the first few times andended up calling our friend to ask where they were. (we had never seen a blackberry bush) Little did we know the berries are underneath so unless you were looking under you wouldn't see them. The kids had a great time having a picnic and just running around exploring. It is so nice to have school outside some days explorong our world! We finally found the bushes and there weren't many berries left. They kids had a great time looking for them (except our diva Avery). They weren't afraid of the prickers and thorns. All in all we only got about a cup full but the kids enjoyed that with some ice cream. It was such a great day!

This was the road we drove down.

Such pretty trees!

Zack and Kaylee went right to work.

Here we are with our stash!

Kaylee and Kayla hard at work.

Finding some treasure.

Here are all the kids.

Our littlest Soccer Girl!

2008-09-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

My baby is a soccer player! Avery was so excited! She has been waiting for this day for a long time. After years of watching her brother and sister play sports, she finally gets her turn. She is the only girl on the team and yet the boys were picking flowers and didn't want to play. She practiced the whole time. I am so proud of our little girl!

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

2008-09-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay this is the one thing I didn't know before we moved to Arizona. It is full of tarantulas! They are everywhere! When you don't like spiders, it's hard to like a big hairy 5 inch tarantula! Keith is getting very good at catching them to drive them far away and let them go. The day I see one in my house is the day I move back to Missouri where the spiders are normal size and most of the bugs are not poisonous!

A haircut and back to school

2008-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

So Zack got a haircut yesterday. He told the guy what he wanted. This is the before picture:

And this is the after:

I really don't see that much difference. He told the guy it was great. I though he needed to go shorter. Oh well. The funny thing is when he saw his before picture he said I miss my long hair. He is so funny! He wanted to cut it be cause he wants to be on the swim team. We will see if we can fit another activity on our schedule!

This is the most beautiful sunset I have seen. The sunsets here are amazing! God is good!

Here are some pictures of the kids back to school! They were glad to get started! I hope this continues all year. We will be doing some fun things. First we have to finish our desert animals lapbooks and then we will do one on the olympics. Avery thinks she is so big this year since she is in pre-school. I hope we have a great year!

Back to the Grind

2008-08-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well it has been awhile since I have updated. We made it through our month long vacation. The kids had such a great time visiting with the families and seeing their new baby cousin Peyton! We missed seeing our other new cousin Norah as she was born 2 weeks after we left! Now that we are home it is time to get back to business. The kids new activities have already started. Zack and Avery have soccer. All the kids have Irish step dancing, Awanas, and gymnastics. Zack has boy scouts and I am getting ready to start a girl scout troop for the girls. We also have our homeschool group activities, field trips and the library. It will be another busy year! We will be starting school next Tuesday since I refuse to start school in August. I think the kids will be excited to have something to do. We have a lot of things to cover this year. We will be doing a lot on the human body, civil war, geography, animal studies, the election and many others. Along with our election study this fall the kids will be going with me to vote in the presidential election. I just registered to vote and I have never voted before. I am excited to teach about the government and elections. Well it will be quite a year and we are ready to get started!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well the baby of the family is now 4! Although if you ask her she is still 3 beacuse she doesn't want to be four because four is stupid. Anyone who knows Avery has heard this all before. She always has opinion about everything. I am glad she doesn't want to grow up so she can be my baby a little longer. Avery loves life and always helps me to notice things I don't usually see such as little flowers everywhere and beautiful clouds. I am so happy God brought this precious angel into our life! In honor of Avery's fourth birthday here are four things I love about Avery:

1. Avery loves to laugh and brings joy to our lives!

2. Avery is so caring when someone is hurt or sick.

3. She loves to give compliments out to others. (about their hair or outfit or jewelry.)

4. She is very girly and loves to wear beautiful dresses, but also is not afraid to burp and get dirty!

So thank you Avery for bringing such joy and laughter to our lives! We love you!

Happy Birthday Zack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Look how long those 10 fingers are!

Here is Zack's first picture as a 10 year old!

I cannot believe that a decade has passed since my baby boy was born. It doesn't seem like that much time has passed. He was such a delightful baby and has grown into such a sweet young man. He is so excited to grow up I only wish I could slow him down just a little bit. I am so glad I decided to home school him. I love the quality time we share and that he can tell me anything. I hope it continues through his teenage years. So in honor of my sweet boy's (now young man's) birthday here are ten things I love about Zack:

1. He is always up for hugs and kisses. (unless his friends are around)

2. He is the best big brother to his sisters.

3. He will help a friend in need.

4. He loves to go to church and learn about God.

5. He always compliments me on my cooking. (great future husband)

6. He LOVES animals.

7. He is very sensitive.

8. He is funny and likes to tell jokes.

9. He is so smart and always likes to learn about the things around him.

10. Zack is my first born and will always hold a special place in m heart!

I LOVE YOU ZACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fire Trucks and Snakes

2008-06-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well a fire truck had to come to our house this morning. No there was no fire. There was a snake in our garage that wouldn't come out. I wasn't sure what kind it was so we had to call the fire department. Keith is not to fond of snakes so I knew he would not dig it out. They came pretty quickly and went right to work. They said it was a bull snake which is actually good because it keeps rattlers away. It was probably 3 feet long and was just a baby. Zack of course wanted to keep it!

The heros!

The girls watching from a safe place. (where Keith was originally)

The firemen going to work

Here he is!

It was a pretty snake.
So that was our science lesson for the day!

Yesterday the girls wanted to do an art project with the big paper. I decided to trace them out and then they painted them. They had a great time and Avery loved seeing how big she was!

Avery looking so big

Kaylee

Avery really took her time on her painting.

Kaylee made lots of dots on hers.

On Tuesday we went to Pheonix with some of our friends to a little water park. It was nice since it wasn't crowded and there was plenty to do. It was also over 100 that day!

Avery enjoyed the waterfall but she had to keep pulling her pants up.

Kaylee liked the slide since it was nice and slow!

The highlite of Zack's day was going off the high dive. He has always been a little scared but he braved it and had a blast!

Here he is going off!

Last night we got to do a special thing. One of Keith's cadets works at the movie theatre. We got to go to our own viewing of Kung Fu Panda before it even came out! The kids were so excited. We didn't go until 11 but it was so much fun. We even got to go upstairs and see how the run the movie through the projector. I couldn't believe that Avery made it through the whole movie. It was almost one. She was asleep in about 5 seconds when we got to the car.
It has been another busy week at our house and we have had a lot of fun!

Our first camping trip and a pirate ship?

2008-05-21T19:31:00.001-07:00

A pirate ship in Arizona you ask? Well we went on a homeschool field trip today with our group. One of the mom's met a man who said he owns a pirate ship and does tours for free. S we called him up and decided to go for a trip. We really didn't know what to expect as I have never seen a pirate ship. I was thinking a wooden ship. This thing was so cool! There was so much detail you could spend an hour in there just looking at all the stuff. It was a smaller version of the real thing. There is even a captains quarters with a bed. At the end he took all of us outside and talked a little bit about pirates and what they did and also some of the names of their tools and things.

Here is Avery standing by the treasure.

The kids by the map (which the guy said they didn't call them maps they were charts)

Here is the whole gang with the captain

Captain Mike

A side of the ship

The map

The captains bed

Some of the kids in the captains quarters. The kids had a great time and it was nice to do something different!

Also this month we had our first family camping trip. I was the only one who had ever been camping before! It was a little different camping since of course here we were camping in the desert. It was blazing hot but we still had a good time. We all saw our first scorpion and also a few people saw a rattlesnake. This was a trip with Keith's work and we also got to go out on a boat for the day. I think that was everyone's favorite part.

Here is Avery sittting in the tube. She didn't actually ride in it but just wanted to sit!

Kaylee decided she would try a ride with dad but then ended up crying and wanted off!

Our family

This is the boat we went out on.

Here is Kaylee hanging off the back watching the tubers

Zack rode with another little boy and had fun. He never did fall off!

Here is how Princess Avery likes to ride on a boat

This is our new tent!

The kids all had a blast playing in the lake.

Zack of course dove right in (after we assured him there were no alligators in the lake!)

We have been having a great time enjoying the weather. We went to a local lake and I took pictures of the kids for their "school" photos. We have finished up school for the year but we will still work on lapbooks and we are going to make an animal notebook this summer.

Updates!

2008-05-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Zack finally had his first baseball game! He was so excited and was the starting pitcher. He did his max of 70 pitches and had to be swapped out. One inning he only threw 12 pitches! He managed to strike a few people out.

Here is Avery in her new floaty she picked up from a garage sale this weekend. She just had to try it out in the bathtub of course!

These are some pictures of the kids when they did their clean up for earth day. They all got shirts and wanted to wear them right away. They were all picking up a lot of trash (mostly glass) and even found a t-shirt someone threw out. Avery even picked some up although she liked to ride in the stroller and point stuff out to the others. She also of course had to pick a dandylion.

Zack also had his pinewood derby race. His car had a bum wheel and so his car didn't do too well in the race. He did have a good time though and then he received his bear patch and three arrow points. He has been doing such a good job in scouts and really enjoys all the boy time! He will move up next month to the weeblos. The next thing he is looking forward to is the father son campout on the 16th.

I will update again soon! On a home schooling note the older kids have both finished their math books for the year. We will probably finish up all schoolwork next week and then we will continue doing our lapbooks. We just did one on the coral reef and our next one is desert animals and then the state of Arizona. This summer we will be doing an animal notebook where we will do one animal a day and put them all in a binder.

Updates!

2008-04-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yes we are swimming in April!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we have just been keeping busy around here. The weather has been so nice it is hard to keep anyone indoors to do schoolwork. That is the joy of homeschooling! Zack has just finished his 4th grade math. Kaylee has two more lessons in here 1st grade math. She also only has 2 more lessons in her phonics book. I can't believe the progress we have made even starting late. Kaylee has also really taken off with her reading. I am so proud of how far the kids have come this year. Next year we will be adding Avery to the mix! I didn't focus too much this year. When she wanted to we did some work. She is only three! People take pre-school too seriously. We have also still been enjoying our lapbooks. Right now we are working on a butterfly one. Kaylee really thrives in learning this way. Our next one is on coral reefs.
The kids also finished up their swimming lessons. They all passed! Avery's teacher says she is awesome and got the forms down really easily. I was very impressed with all of them.
We also took another field trip with our homeschool group to the phoenix zoo. The kids had a great time as always!
This week is astonomy week and we have been doing thigs all week to celebrate. On Saturday we went to the astonomy club at the lake and we got to see saturn throught the telescope. It was so cool! You could even see the rings. We have went to a few things at the library also. On Saturday we will be getting up early to go to a park to clean up for earth day.
Zack's boy scout pinewood derby is tomorrow along woth his meeting where he will get his bear patch and a couple others. He is a little sad because he will be missing his first baseball game! I will try to post pictures of that!
Ashley

Happy Birthday!

2008-03-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my firstborn daughter's birthday! It is so hard to believe she is seven. How I hate to see my children grow but it is so sweet to see her turning into a such a nice young lady. And when I look back and say "where did the time go?" I will know because we have spent them together. Kaylee wanted a dog party this year. It was a lot of fun. We dug up dog bones in the sandbox, painted dog figureines and played doggy, doggy where's your bone. She had a lot of fun playing and laughing with her friends. She had a cookie cake with pawprints on it. After her party we went to Outback to eat and as I type they are watching a movie she got for her birthday. It was such a wonderful day! So in honor of my baby's 7th birthday here are seven things I love about Kaylee:

1. She is cute as a button!
2. She is very caring and always takes care of her siblings and friends.
3. She loves wearing dresses and lip gloss, but also plays in the dirt.
4. Even when she is scared she will put on a brave face and try.
5. She loves to read and learn.
6. She always writes me little notes to tell me she loves me.
7. She loves to laugh!

Happy Birthday Kaylee and I love you!

Fun times!

2008-03-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

Well it has been fun times around our house this week. We got to enjoy daddy home for Thursday and Friday so the kids were excited about that! It was also a restful week since for the public schools it was spring break. Most things were cancelled so we didn't have to run around as much. We still had gymnastics and baseball. On Tuesday we went to the library for a presentation on Lewis and Clark. The man brought lots of artifacts and even dressed up in costume. Zack really enjoyed that. After that we went with some dear friends to the park and had a great time in our 70 degree weather. We celebrated St. Patricks Day and last week we did our St. Patricks Day lapbook. We learned a little about Ireland and some of the legends. This week we also went to the mall and listened to a bagpiper play. On Wednesday we had our homeschool group day and Kaylee made a pysanky egg. That is the Ukranian egg decorating with hot wax and dye. It was very cool! Zack was more interested playing with his friend (a boy) since all of the kids doing the project were girls. Zack's allergies have been really bad lately so we have to go to an allergist next week. He is going to get retested to see if he has new allergies. When he woke up the other day one of his eyes was swollen shut. I had to give him zyrtec and benedryl. We also went to an egg hunt and they had fun with that and of course got some candy! Well we know Zack is growing up but his latest news caught me by surprise. He told me he had a crush on a girl on his baseball team. Every night he would say how much he liked her and then he said he wanted to get her a necklace. I wasn't sure what to say to that! I told him that he could but he was too young for having a "girlfriend". He picked her out a necklace at the mall and even got his sisters something! He has such a tender heart! Last night he gave her the necklace after practice. She just kind of looked at it. Then later some other boy showed up and then she started being unkind to Zack. My heart just broke for him because he was so crushed! I had a feeling this would happen but I had to let him do this on his own. Yesterday we went on our first real hiking adventure. We went to the dells which is a rocky area next to the lake. It was a tough hike going up the rocks but the kids had a great time. Even Avery made it to the top. We took our picnic up there and were just sitting down to eat when the wasps came out. They were huge! I am always fearful for Avery since she had a reaction to a bee sting. So we packed up and went back down and then went to the park to eat. It was such a great day to be together as a family. Well I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! We will be celebrating at church in the morning and then having fun the rest of the day!

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

2008-03-04T22:27:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated Dr. Suess's 104th birthday! We had such a fun day. We did some things at home and then went to the library where they had a party complete with cake. The kids had a blast. After that the kids all had swimming lessons. This was Avery's very first time. She loved it!

A reading at the library

Having cake!

The girls being sneeches.

Zack reading The Cat in the Hat.

Avery pinning the green egg on the plate

Kaylee trying her green eggs and ham

Zack trying his green eggs and ham

Avery eating her green eggs and ham

Kaylee working on a word search.

Avery working on her letters

Kaylee pinning on her green egg

Zack doing his turn

Kaylee reading The Foot Book

Doing a craft

Kaylee with her hat

Zack with his hat

Avery making her hat although she never would put it on!

Zack doing his word search

It was a wonderful fun day in our homeschool!

Has it really been that long?

2008-02-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well it's funny how time goes by that fast!We have been so busy keeping up with all of our activities. It is funny that we home school but we aren't home much! The kids have been busy with gymnastics. They are all in a class now and they love it. Wednesday nights are busy with church for the kids. They have both made a new friend there and have so much fun! Zack is signed up for baseball. That should start anytime now. Zack just had his last swimming lesson in this session but next week we start a new session and ALL the kids will go. Avery has never had a lesson but I know she will do fine. We have also been going to church every Sunday and then we go eat lunch and go to the Y to swim. I have really been enjoying these family days together. Zack is also still going to cub scouts. He really loves it and wants to earn one of the hardest patches. The nature conservation award. He loves nature so much and he is really working hard. His pack just did a slen up for a widow yesterday. He will be having the pine wood derby soon so he is working on his car. We are still keeping busy with our home school group.
Zack is so interested in the Iditarod this year that we just started doing our sled dog lapbook. They are having fun with it. We also signed up online to follow 3 mushers on the trail to see how they do. Zack of course based all of his choices on who had the cutest dogs!
It will be a crazy week next week since Keith will be gone to St Louis!

sick :(

2008-02-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is sick. She wasn't feeling well for a couple days. We all know Kaylee is not well when she doesn't eat. That girl loves food more than anything alse! Of course it happened the day we picked up daddy from the airport. Last night and today she has been the worse. Her temp is up to 103 and 104 and she has been caughing and gagging from some crud in her throat. I feel so bad for her. She slept in the recliner and I slept on the couch. I hope she will be better tomorrow!
On another note we got Gram to the airport safely although not on time! Since we were late her bags did not make it onto the flight. I felt so bad since it was my job to get there on time! The airport was a little confusing too so we will blame it on that.
The day after we took Gram back we drove down and picked up Keith. The kids were so excited and they all made signs for him. We were sure glad to have him home. Avery got a little sad every night and said "it just isn't right without Daddy!" I am glad that is over with. We went out to Red Lobster last night for our Valentine's meal since Zack has swimming lessons on Valentine's day.
I posted pics of Kaylee's first gymnastics class and Zack at his cub scout meeting.
I will update tomorrow!

Busy, busy

2008-02-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

These area few pics from our week!

Well this past week has been a busy one. Now that we are finally settled into our new home we have joined up in some activities to keep the kids busy and get their " socialization". Zack has joined cub scouts last week. Tomorrow he will get his first patch at our den meeting award ceremony. The pack is very small, only 3 boys but he had such a great time! Last week they made bird feeders out of milk cartons. In June he will move up to Weblos.

Kaylee joined girl scouts. I am not real happy with the troop though. They don't really DO anything that has to do with girl scouts. They don't sell cookies or go on field trips or get patches. They don't even need a uniform. Basically they just do a craft time every other week. I think it will be fine since there is only a couple months left but then next fall we will find another troop.

Zack also started swim lessons yesterday. He is in the highest level and the teacher even had him demonstrate a couple things. He had a lot of fun.

Kaylee starts her gymnastics class tomorrow. I think she will have a lot of fun and she is pretty talented too. We will see how it goes!

The kids have also started going to church every Wednesday night. They really have fun. Avery is still too young. She does go to her class on Sundays though and she likes it.

Zack is showing a lot of signs of anxiety lately. He was crying for 20 minutes last week when I took him to church. He kept saying he can't live without me. I felt really horrible but I had to make him stay. He finally was okay when his friend got there. It really breaks my heart and I feel like such a meanie but I knew it was good for him to stay. I think I might need to have him talk to someone. He has a hard time going to sleep and is having a lot of tummy aches. He has to keep giving me hugs. I know a lot of it is from the move and also Keith is gone. I will have to keep an eye on him.
We had our homeschool valentines party today. The kids had a lot of fun giving and receiving their cards.
We have to say good-bye to Gram in a couple days! It will be so sad!!!

Nail salon and the Ginominable snowman

2008-01-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

The boys went to the hockey game tonight so the girls and Gram and I decided to have a girls night. After running to Walmart (a girl always has to run to walmart!), we went back home and made ice cream sundaes. Kaylee had vanilla with chocolate syrup and oreos and Avery had vanilla with chocolate syrup, sprinkles and m and m's. They thought those were the best sundaes ever. Then we got to work on our nail salon. The girls enjoy getting their nails painted but tonight we did the soak, the trim and the emory board.

After that Avery gave us all a lesson in school. She was the teacher and when asked how long she had been teaching she answered "five minutes." At least she's honest! She drew a picture and said it was a giant and then changed her mind and said it was the ginominable snowman. Needless to say we all end up laughing when she is the teacher.

We don't have too much going on tomorrow and then very early Sunday Keith is leaving for two weeks!

I love daughters!

2008-01-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

My six year old daughter just unloaded the entire dishwasher......without being asked. I was so amazed that she knew where everything went. It is so nice to have someone to share household duties with even if she is only six. I can't believe I ever doubted her ability. I usually make her do the silverware and the bowls. She is really great at other things too. The fun thing is she enjoys doing chores!!!!!!! Man, I love daughters!

It's a Boy! It's a Girl!

2008-01-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well the kids have been begging and Gram said yes. We now have two new little creatures in our house. Zack got a male guinea pig and Kaylee got a female hamster. Tiger and Lola are their names. They kids were so excited and even payed their own money for some of the necessities. Lola loves to run in her little wheel so much every night we have to move her into another room so the kids can sleep. It is so funny to watch! Zack's guinea pig is so calm he just holds it in his lap all the time. I can't wait to see how the kids do with the responsibility of taking care of them. I have told them they will be doing all the work. Avery was a little sad that she didn't get anything but the older kids have been really good at sharing.

Tomorrow we have a field trip to Phoenix to go to the science center. It should be a lot of fun and we have never been. We are also taking gram to hole in the rock. We are rapping up our unit study on Ben Franklin this week and will be doing our electricity experiment on Friday. The kids are so excited. I actually learned a lot about him that I didn't remember. That is why I love homeschooling so much. I get to learn everyday too!

Hole in the Rock

2008-01-13T01:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on Friday. Keith got to take a day off work and we went to Phoenix to take some stuff to the thrift store and do our commissary shopping. After we did those things we went to do our first hike/mountain climb. The kids were so excited and we could hardly get Zack to wait for us! Now this is a real beginner hike and when you go around the backside there is stairs to get up. Once you get to this "hole " in the rock you get a gorgeous view. Well the older kids (and Keith) decided that they wanted to climb higher. Now this part is just rock climbing! I was a little on edge but they did great and had a great time. We already have plans to go back.

Today we went swimming at the Y again. This is so fun to be able to enjoy swimming together and it is also nice because it wears everyone out and so they sleep well!

On another note I finally found Kaylee a girl scout troop to join and we are going this month.

Tomorrow Gram finally gets here for her visit. The kids are anxiously awaiting her arrival so they can open the last of their gifts under the tree. I can't wait to finally take the tree down!

Back to the grind

2008-01-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well grandpa and grandma have gone home. We had a great visit and did lots of fun things! The kids were so excited to see some familiar faces and also some more Christmas gifts to open. Kaylee played a lot of barbies and games and Avery did many dance recitals for them. Zack liked playing outside with them and showing them around. We went to a place called Out Of Africa which was so much fun. They got to hold a skink and a lizard so that was a highlight. The kids enjoyed the tiger show and feeding the animals. I think the highlight was the talking birds at the end. They were a hoot! The kids thought it was so funny that they could say words! We even went to Sedona for a day and it was so beautiful! The kids want to go back so we can go exploring. On the way we also went through a town that is a mining ghost town so we are going to go back there also.

Today was back to school and with just a few groans (from Zack) we got it done and even did some painting of portraits. This week we are going to start on a lapbook of Bejamin Franklin since Zack is so interested in inventions. He has so many dreams it is such a blessing to be a part of that and even to help him explore his dreams. If he was in public school he might not have the time to dream so big!

We are also getting our house ready for our next visitor! Gram will be flying in on Sunday and the kids can hardly wait. We even had to leave our tree up so we could open presents with her! She will be staying for three weeks while daddy goes for training. We will be doing some fun things with her as well!

Tomorrow is another school day but we are also going to the library and going swimming at the YMCA. We will have a great day!

Year end wrap up!

2007-12-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! I can't believe that 2007 is over. It seems it went by in a flash. I have truly enjoyed every minute. I really try to find joy everyday and that isn't hard to do with my kids. They keep me laughing. Here are some highlites from our year:

Kaylee learned to read!

We made some great new friends in our homeschool group.

Kaylee turned six.

Zack played his first year of flag football and loved it.

Kaylee played her second season of soccer and did great.

Avery turned three.

Zack turned nine.

We went to Branson three times and enjoyed being at the parks all day.

Kaylee bridged up to Brownies in girl scouts.

Kaylee went to her first sleepover.

We helped clean up the nature center with our Roots and Shoots group.

Keith graduated from college!

Kaylee rode her first roller coaster and didn't like it.

Zack was baptised!

Went to our first water park.

Zack caught a bird.

The kids all rode a horse twice.

We watched a butterfly hatch from a cocoon. (Thanks to grandpa Bruce.)

Avery took gymnastics.

We watched the Blue Angels fly right over our house.

Avery got very sick and ended up in the hospital for a few days.

We visited friends in Texas.

We went on a trip to San Antonio and had a blast!

Saw the Alamo.

Fed a zebra and othe animals at the wildlife safari.

Went to Sea World.

Keith and I went to the Air Force Ball.

Said good-bye to all our friends.

Went to the balloon fest in Albuquerque.

Saw the mountains.

Traveled through six states to move to Arizona!

Lived in a hotel for almost 2 weeks.

Zack carved his own pumpkin.

Avery had her first trip to the dentist.

Cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey.

Spent our first holidays on our own.

We touched a stingray.

Saw it snow in Arizona.

Made some new friends.

Got a new van.

As you can see we have had an awesome year! I love my family and look forward to the coming year and all the blessings that the Lord has in store for us! Happy New Year!

Ashley

Making Cookies

2007-12-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the kids making their cookies. The girls really enjoy this every year! It is a special time that I love to share with them. Of course their favorite time is eating them!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well it's over! The kids could hardly sleep on Christmas Eve! We went to look at the valley of lights and then came back and made our Christmas cookies. That is Kaylee's favorite part. I think the kids were up until about 11:30 (not Avery she doesn't have a clue!) They were so excited to open their gifts. Zack got his Nintendo DS, Kayle got her my generation doll (which is like an american girl), and Avery got her play house. I think Avery was more excited that Santa ate his cookies and the reindeer ate their carrots. I love seeing the looks on my children's faces! It is such a precious sight! Zack got to put baby Jesus in the manger and then we sang happy birthday to him. Today we were so excited to have Keith's parents arrive from Missouri today. It is so nice to see some familiar faces. They brought lots of goodies for us too. They will be staying for a week and we will be busy showing them around the town. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Busy,busy!

2007-12-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is only 5 days until Christmas! It is a good thing we have had so much to do to keep the kids busy. Here are a few of the highlights from our week so far:

We sang at a nursing home with our homeschool group before our party. The kids had a lot of fun. After we sang we went to one of our friends houses and we ate some goodies and they all exchanged gifts that they had made. Of course after that they ran around outside and climbed trees!

And here is another shot of our ballerina dancing to the nutcracker. We have watched this movie so many times this year and everytime she puts on her outfit and dances!

Here are the girls working on some of their Christmas gifts.

Here is a beautiful view we get to see of the mountains at Flagstaff after they got some snow.

Here are the girls working on their buckeye balls we like to make every year. It is such a blessing to spend time with them in the kitchen!

We also visited the Largest Gingerbread Village at the Prescott resort. Our homeschool group made a house and entered it. It is amazing to see what some of the houses looked like!

Here are the girls by the house we made with our group.

Well after tomorrow I think it will slow down a bit and we can enjoy each other. I have been reading the chronicles of narnia to the older ones every night before their bible story and they are enjoying it!
Ashley

Christmas Break

2007-12-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well after much deliberation I have decided we are taking our Chrismas Break. I wanted to school through this week but there is just so much going on that it wasn't going to happen. The kids have been doing some extra each day so it will all balance out. Avery is feeling all better so I am so glad about that! After her horrible virus that landed her in the hospital and the cancer scare, I get a little nervous when she gets sick. This week will be busy with craft times and baking and our homeschool Christmas party on Wednesday. We are going to a nursing home to sing before our party. I think I am going to have the kids make something to give them. On another note Kaylee's reading has just taken off! It is just amazing to see. She reads every sign, every store, even reads the labels on her clothes! I am so proud wtching her be proud of herself. Well, I am off to bake with the girls. Here are a few pictures from last week.

A Quiet Day

2007-12-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today was kind of a quiet day at home. We woked some more on our Christmas lapbooks and they finally got them done. Kaylee really enjoyed doing this. I think I am going to start doing this all the time. It makes learning a little more fun! Avery is not feeling well today and has been running a small temp. I think I might have to take her in tomorrow if she is not better. We have not been to the doctor yet since we moved. Since it will be Saturday I will just have to take her to urgent care. Also today the kids worked some more on their christmas chains. They wrote our bible verse from Luke 2:14 ; One word on each link. Well I am off now to do some shopping without a few little ones helping me. I am hoping to get done with my shopping soon!

Here are a couple pictures from the other day when Kaylee opened her animal clinic and groomer. It was so cute!

A fresh start!

2007-12-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

Well I have switched blogs so hopefully this one will be easier to use and to upload pictures too. I will write more later!
Ashley