Happy Birthday Matthew

What a day for Matthew, it is amazing how much birthday parties take out of you. I want to first say how blessed I am to have such an amazing little boy like Matthew. He is just so sweet and full of love. He tried to make it an all dayer without any naps but he didn't make it. Everyone showed up and we played some games and ate a lot of food. Bill grilled up the hot dogs and I tried to make a killer cake. Sorry to say but we didn't get a picture of it. It was chocolate icing, chocolate cake and chocolate filling...topped with rasberries. Oh it was so good, well I liked it. Matthew got a lot of nice stuff and we are just so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Matthew waited till everyone had left and sat on the floor and dug into his cake. He stood up and I could see the look in his face....cake on floor...Matthew standing in front of it...I didn't think so. I snatched that boy up before he could think twice about it. Thank you all for being there and sharing that special time with us. We love you all and appreciate all the gifts Matthew received. Here are some pics of the party!!

If you look at how close Ben is throwing the water balloon at Kiera in the water balloon toss

Matthew showing off his teeth and laughing at his Papa Bill.

He had to wait until everyone left to dig into his cake.

Cruising the house on his new quad...he is just too cute.

Day trips...

We have taken a couple of day trips, last week we went to Prescott and this week we went to Sedona. Just trying to get out of the heat and just enjoying time with each other.

Prescott was beautiful of course. We first found Heritage Park Zoo that was pretty cool, it is in rough shape. We did get to see some animals that the boys have never seen like a badger, all sorts of snakes, coyotes, peacock, racoons, emu, and I can't remember what else that he hasn't seen. We loved it though, the peacock had its feathers all spread out and beautiful. That was the greatest part of this trip, that and Ben getting to see the deer. He loves animals and wildlife, we took home a snake and a giraffe. We then took off to the Yavapai Downs where the horse racing takes place. We really enjoyed that too, those horses are so beautiful and you get an adrenaline rush just watching them run so fast. Benjamin and Matthew really loved watching the horses. We ended our trip in downtown Prescott on Whiskey Row, they had a little garage sale type thing going on with a bunch of antiques. They were closing shop when we got there though. So we had some chocolates, ate dinner and headed home.

On our latest trip on Sunday the 14th of June, we visited Sedona, AZ. If you have never been there it is quite a sight. The mountains and rocks that surround the area are all bright red. It is just gorgeous, especially with all of the beautiful green trees and rivers that are there. We went through Oak Creek that is right by there and took the boys to the Rainbow Trout Farm. You can rent poles and catch fish there. You have a pond with hundrends of fish, so the boys chances of catching a fish was great. Both Justice and Ben caught a fish, we got them cleaned, took them home and ate them. Ben and Justice both loved the fish too, I was so proud of both of them. Boy Benjamin is just too excited about his fish too, he couldn't stop talking about it. He wanted to tell everyone. We went across the street to the water company today and out of nowhere he started telling the ladies and guy about his fish. He was asked if it was big or small, he told them small. They all were nice size since they are fed all the time. We had a good time though and so did the kiddos. These trips aren't much time away but we sure do enjoy them. We love getting to spend that extra time with each other. We are also trying to get the kids prepared for our long road trip coming up...we are traveling everywhere in the van so we will see.

Eagle Eye's First Shoot

Eagle Eye showed up for the first time on Saturday and showed those old cowboys how it is done. He looked them all in the eye and wouldn't take "no time" for an answer.

Justice really enjoys shooting with his Dad and they finally decided it was time for Justice to join the Cowboy Fast Draw. Well he hasn't "joined" yet but he got to go shoot this last Saturday. He didn't realize how special of an event it was for him to shoot until we got there and his aunt and uncle from Mexico and some cousins from Maryland were there too. We even showed up, sick kids and all to cheer on their big brother. We had a really good time and it was overcast for most of the morning, so not too hot but it was really humid. Justice finished 22nd out of 23, he was a bit disapointed but we had to remind him that it was his first time. He has only shot maybe 2 or 3 times his whole life. I think he did great and we are so proud of him. We look forward to Buckaroo Ben shooting one day now. I will keep you all updated. Bill also shot at this tournament and he placed 9th place. Bills uncle Charlie placed 2nd and Grandpa Bill placed 3rd. They are all on a roll and doing great. Here is Buckaroo Ben himself waiting to be driven to town.

This is Kaleb, Ben's cousin from the east coast. He just looked so cute and had his own gun too. Ben was thrilled to see another cowboy his size.

Visitors

I have been looking forward to having my Mom, Samantha, her fiancee and the kiddos come visit me for quite a few months now. Just a couple of days for visiting just isn't enough because they were gone in a blink of an eye. I did have a lot of fun though and enjoyed getting to visit. I have so many pictures to share that I hope I don't overwhelm you al. The first day I brought the family by David's house where I couldn't stop taking pictures of his bougainvilla bush...I think that is how it is spelled. It was so colorful and beautiful, we had a good time visiting though.

That evening we headed over to Trisha's to swim in the pool for a little bit. Ben started jumping off the diving board and we had a blast cooling down. Felt bad that they had to visit in the 100's. It can be brutal for anyone out here so it is nice to refresh ourselves with the pool.





The next day I dragged them all to the zoo where we exhausted the kids and ourselves. We got to see a lot of the animals and let the kids play in the water area that they just built at the zoo. With the heat killing us, it was nice to get in there with the kids and play in the water.

Well I had so much fun and I appreciate them making that very long drive down here, especially with three fiesty kids. I enjoyed meeting Sam's fiancee Mike, he is a really nice guy. The kids are getting so big, Michael is taller than me and Trent isn't too far behind. Austen is such a love bug and had a blast with Benjamin. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!!

What a Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful day with all of myboys!! One of my favorite things to do is take pictures though and it is rare that I get to go on a trip to do just that. Well since it was Mother's Day and all I decided we were going to go to a spot I have been wanting to take pictures and have the guys pose for me. I know that we don't seem to happy in the pictures but you have to remember that it almost a hundrend out and it is close to noon so the sun is shining bright. Poor Bill has really bad allergies and never takes his sunglasses off for anything but to go to bed. They all were good sports about it and I got, I think, some really good pictures that I hope you all enjoy.

Okay so I didn't take this one...but we haven't taken a picture together in a while.

The Love of my Life

It isn't too often that I get to sit down and write and when I do...it is about the kids. Today I wanted to ensure that I write a little something about my wonderful husband Bill. We are celebrating three years today of being married. I think for just three years, we have accomplished so much as a couple, parents and just ourselves. I have gone through so many different transitions these three years from getting married, having kids, starting new jobs, starting school and even wanting more kids. Bill has been there through all of it, even when it was really rough for me and I made it hard on him. I have been struggling with school and figuring out how to be a stay at home mom and Bill has helped me to keep my sanity. He is the kind of husband that I had always dreamed about, he will rub my feet, cook dinner without complaining, change a dirty diaper and even get up in the middle of the night to help with Matthew. As parents, we are kind of put on the back burner with attention because we want to be so involved and show our kids all the affection we can. I do want you to know Bill, that I love you so much and you are everything that I ever wanted in a husband, dad of my kids and as my best friend. I know we may go through rough times or be very tired from little kids wanting to be up in the middle of the night, but I know it is all worth it. I couldn't think of anyone else to spend the rest of my life with then with you and these three boys. You are definitely the love of my life.

Easter

We had a great Easter together and ate way too much food. We thought that finger foods would be nice to munch on all day, it was way too much food that we just gorged ourselves with. Anyways, the kids woke up and found the eggs and baskets and had a blast. We had Bill's parents and Kristen, Nathan and Julia over too. We had so much fun just jabbering and watching the kids play. They all got to do an egg hunt, which Ben and Julia caught on really quick. We flew some kites, Kristen saved the day by catching the runaway one. We also blew some bubbles until I got light headed. Matthew just wanted to eat the eggs, Ben wanted all the eggs and Justice didn't want to share his eggs. They all had a good time and so did we. Here are some pictures to prove it!! I sure did miss my family back home and wish we all could be together.

Benjamin and Julia looking cute after hunting for eggs, Ben was already getting into his candy.

Justice loved the bubbles he got and Matthews, who says big kids can't have fun?

Ben wanted to keep dipping the eggs in the different colors. You should have seen the color of his hands...they worked better than the spoon he thought.

I think he just wanted Daddy out of his basket...he just wanted to eat the grass.

Benjamin's soccer metal

Benjamin finished his soccer practice and I couldn't be more proud of him. He did so good and listened so well. We all had fun going and watching all the kids play. I don't know if Ben enjoyed soccer more or seeing his friend Julia. Whenever we go anywhere it is always "Julia," it is so cute. Anyways, on the last day the coach tried to get them to practice getting the ball from each other, it was just so funny and cute. Ben got bumped out of the way by a girl too, it was just so funny. He just laid there until the coach picked him up, he didn't know what to do. The coach gave them all medals with soccer balls on them, he was so excited and showed it off to everyone. I am just so proud of him and I am kind of sad to be done...but we will be now watching Justice play tennis.

I am still alive

Sorry it has been so long but my other computer is down and haven't been able to update this webpage. We are all doing good. Justice is doing great in school of course and growing so fast. He will be starting tennis here soon. Benjamin is almost done with soccer, he is so good. He is one of the best I think, he listens really well and can kick that ball. He is starting to talk a lot and is going through the terrible twos. Matthew still doesn't have any teeth but has taken 10 steps now. He is always smiling unless we are in the car, and just loves to follow Ben around the house. They are a couple of trouble makers if you ask me. Bill and I have been laying flooring, painting and redoing the bathroom. It is a huge project that we can't wait to be done. The house looks brand new though and that is nice. Bill is back to five days a week at work and has taken on some admin stuff at his job. Me, taking a little break from school to get some personal reading and the house done. It is so nice to not have to worry about school for a couple of weeks. Well, I need to get this boy off to a nap. Miss you all.

Christmas

Well I finally have a little bit of time to sit and share some photos of our Christmas. We all were very blessed to spend time with our families and to see the kid's faces on Christmas morning. They all were very excited and had a great time with all of their toys. One of the things that Bill and I couldn't stop laughing at was Ben's new gun holster set with his new horsie(that is his name). We tried giving him another name and Ben wasn't having it. The kids all loved Justice's Robosapien too, it does a lot of neat tricks and stuff. Matthew got a lot of neat clothes and some toys too. He was more interested in eating the paper though. Bill and I got a lot of stuff too, but the greatest thing was watching those kiddos and getting together with the family. We had a wonderful Christmas party at Bill's Unlce Davids house where Justice took part as a wiseman in the play. We also had a wonderful Christmas dinner at Trisha's house. Bill also took me out to dinner on my birthday with our friends Kristen and Nathan and her family. We went out to Saddle Ranch by the stadium and then to O Chocolate for dessert. It is a wine and chocolate place that I loved. All and all, things are starting to calm down now. I got the extra bedroom finally put together for Matthew to start sleeping in the crib since he is too big for the bassinet. We will see how it goes.

I was Tagged

7 things I can do...
Cook
Sew
Crochet
Sign the alphabet
loose weight (hopefully)
use a graphing calculator
anything I put my mind to

7 things I can't do...
knit
resist a clearance sign
stop eating the fudge around the house
loving my family
Use my camera efficiently
stop talking
sleep as well

7 things I always say...
"man"
"Benjamin"
"You gotta go potty?"
"darn it"
"Come on"
"Booger wooger dooger bear"
"Benjamin"

7 things I always eat...
cereal
chicken
fruits
vegetables
cottage cheese
sweets
love my breads

7 tags...
anyone
someone
you
and you
everyone
somebody
anybody

Merry Christmas

We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are so thankful for so much this year, most of all for our family and friends who have helped us keep our sanity. This year has been a rough one and it is always nice to have family and friends who are there for you and to make you smile...so thank you. We are going into the New Year hoping to be calmer with the kiddos and hoping to have a healthier lifestyle.

Just an update that Matthew is a slink worm moving all around the house, it took me wrapping presents to get him to move. Benjamin is starting to talk off the hook and is doing great with his potty training. Every once in a while we'll have a slip up, but most of all he is doing good. Thank you Tammy for your advice and support. Justice is getting so tall, smart and difficult all at the same time. He is such a great big brother though, I could not ask for anything more. He is always playing with Ben and Matt and is always running around the house helping us out with the kids. He is the greatest big brother anyone could ask for and we are so thankful for that. Bill is still working hard at work and I am finishing up last semesters classes and finally starting my accounting classes. We are enjoying the rain we have been getting for the last couple of days...so exciting!! We love you all and hope you enjoy your Christmas season.

potty training!!

I wanted to write and see if I can get some advice from the rest of you that have experienced this already. Ben has given us the signal now that he is ready for potty training. A couple of weeks ago, it went smooth, he was sitting on the potty all the time. I didn't have to even ask him if he wanted to go, he would tell me. He had a whole poster filled with stickers, he even got a few toys for going number two. This last couple of days or even week it has been accident after accident. I know they have pull ups, here is my problem though. Anytime that he has anything covering his bottom, he pees in them. It doesn't matter if it is a pull up or underwear, he will just pee in them. Being naked hasn't helped lately though. Ive heard that the kids go through a set back. If this is the case, how do I get him out of it? Sorry to complain, just wanting some advice from you pros!! I thought this picture was perfect, he loves grabbing something to look at.

Visit to Georgia

We got to go visit my niece Danielle in Georgia and just had a blast. I the hardest time leaving her and the area as well. We were in a small town right near the border of Georgia and Florida near Ochlocknee. We had a rough night of flying there overnight but we all survived and had a blast. When we landed we went to check out the ocean view...it was beautiful. I did the mistake of wanting a picture of Matthew on the sand...he didn't like it too much. The boys had fun though and collected some shells. We then went to Danielle and Davids.

I was instantly jealous of the area and Ben

was jealous that they had chickens. He spent everyday outside chasing the chickens and playing with the dogs. As you can see it was hard to part from them. Ben also hooked a fish while fishing and Justice was a great big brother and reeled it in for him. I think Justice's favorite part was when we saw the armadillo. It was very cute. I was glad to see Danielle and to see her so happy as Danielle and David Jones.

They had the reception at the golf club there that was just beautiful. Heather, Danielle's aunt, did a great job on the reception, cake, well everything. It turned out beautiful and I think they both

enjoyed themselves. We were honored and really grateful to be able to be there and share with them that moment.

We had so much fun though out there in the Georgia and can't wait to go back to visit again.

Happy Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween and I wanted to share our moments and pictures with everyone. Justice was a Jester, Benjamin was a Dragon and Matthew was a Dog. The boys got all dressed up and started the afternoon with Grandma Jacque, Papa and Anna. They came by to see our cute and scary kiddos. We then were off to Great Grandma's house for our first house on Halloween.




We then were off to Grandpa and Grandma Terry's house where it was Dragon against Superman, if I must say is the BEST costume ever worn by Christian. We then set off to Estrella Mountain to go trick or treating with Kristen, Nathan and Julia who was so cute as a lady bug. The kids had so much fun and didn't want to stop at all. No one got too scared by the costumes and no one passed out either, not even Matty. They all brought Bill and I lots of candy home to eat...he...he.
Matthew had his four month appointment on Monday and he is getting big. He weighed 15 lbs and 2 oz and was 25 inches tall. He is grabbing his toes and eating them now. Bill did take his oral board and feels confident, we are crossing our fingers though because they are only promoting a few people. Justice and Ben are also doing good, getting bigger everday as well. I don't know where the year has gone, so if anyone has any idea where it all went please let me know.