"The Babies" are 4!

I can't believe Joshua and Elyssa are 4 years old! Time is going by so fast. They are doing great. They are learning and discovering so much. Joshua loves to play with his toys and video games. He loves being outside and riding his tricycle. He loves playing football with his big brother. Elyssa loves to color in her coloring books. She can honestly sit at the table for hours non-stop and just color. She loves it. I am always on the lookout for new coloring books for her because she fills them up so fast. She loves to dress-up and pretend and play house with her big sister.

Everything Just Got a Little Clearer

Machella got glasses last week and she is amazed at how much clearer everything is and that she doesn't have to squint or move to the front of the classroom to see what is on the blackboard. She loves her glasses and loves being able to see.

Halloween Fun

We had a fun Halloween this year. If you couldn't tell - Machella was a Pirate, Elyssa was Snow White, Joshua was a Ninja and David felt he might be too old for the whole Halloween festivities so decided just to be himself (and show his Texas pride).

Pumpkin Patch

I took Joshua and Elyssa to a nearby pumpkin patch. There were lots of pumpkins and tons of things for the kids to play on and explore. We even went on a hay ride. There were also lots of cut out characters for them to stand in front of and get their pictures taken. It was a very fun day.

I Say "Yucky", Joshua Says "Yummy"

Joshua loves dipping his food in different sauces. He previously went through the ketchup and ranch dipping phase. Well, now he is in the steak sauce and soy sauce phase. He loves to dip anything and everything in steak sauce and soy sauce. He has to have both of them on his plate together. The other morning he asked to dip his chocolate chip pancake in the sauces and at first I said "No", but after he kept asking I finally gave in and he loved it and ate the whole pancake. I had to take a picture of it because I think it is pretty strange but who knows what sauce phase he will go through next.

My Favorite Drive-thru

I love to read and love to go to the library a lot but sometimes it is hard to get Joshua and Elyssa out of the car and make it a quick trip. I also love to request books and like getting an email that they are ready and then go and pick them up. Well, I am in heaven because our library has a drive-thru not only to return books but also to pick books up that I have requested. I get an email that my books are ready and then just drive to the library and pick my books up from the window. I love it. I still actually go inside once a week for Story time, but when I am in a hurry it is great. I actually took a picture of the drive-thru windows because I love it so much (and I am a little weird... according to my husband).

What is also great about our library is that it has a great park right next to it. Joshua and Elyssa love going there. It has tons of things to play on and they could play there for hours.

Catching Up

We are here in Texas and absolutely loving it. We are all getting settled in our routines and I thought I would just include pictures from the last few months. Enjoy.

David was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at the end of 6th grade. He worked hard for this honor and we are really proud of him.

We tried to get a lot of swimming in before we moved. We swam a lot in our pool and Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood pool.

We celebrated Machella's 10th birthday the weekend before we moved. It was a lot of fun. We had to go and get BBQ chicken wings for lunch. Machella loves anything BBQ, especially ribs and chicken wings.

We flew to Texas instead of driving and all the kids loved it. It was the first plane ride for Elyssa and Joshua.

One of the first first things we did when we got to Texas was to take the kids to the Dallas Temple. Donnie proposed to me on the temple grounds and we were sealed there 13 1/2 years ago. The kids thought it was pretty fun to hear about Donnie's proposal and see the bench where it happened. This is where it all started. I can't believe 13 1/2 years later we are back in Texas with 4 kids in tow. We had no idea then what adventures we would have but it has been so worth it and I wouldn't want to have them with anyone else.

We are moving...again!

Well, we are moving again. Donnie found a great job and we are moving to Texas. We are moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We are really excited. We will miss family here in Tucson and it has been so great living near them. We are excited about this new adventure. We are looking forward to visiting places we are familiar with when we lived here before and discovering new ones. Life is never dull for us and we know this will be another great experience for our family.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to the most wonderful wife and mother in the world. You deserve to have a special day since you do so much for us!!! We love you!!!

This year the kids planned Mother's Day. The kids decorated with signs on the wall that said "Happy Mother's Day" and "We Love You." Mommy couldn't come out of the room until all the blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes were made.

Elyssa hand-picked all the flowers. When I took her shopping for them she wouldn't agree on my choices ... she did great with yellow potted flowers and red roses.

Here's the reason why Mother's Day is such a great day in our family: David, Kella, Lyssie and Josh.