The Doll House

Catching Up

2012-01-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I have blogged. The longer it has been the more I have dreaded having to play catch up with all we have done and with all the pictures we have taken. I figure I probably can't put it off any longer and it will just be harder to summarize everything. So this post is going to cover our trip to the Dallas Zoo, Halloween, Elyssa and Joshua's 5th Birthday and Christmas.

We went to the Dallas Zoo in October and had a great time. It was a beautiful day and we all had a lot of fun.

Machella studying the zoo map so we can decide where we want to go and so we don't miss seeing anything (especially the elephants for Elyssa).

I love this picture of David and Joshua as we are leaving the Zoo.

Halloween was fun this year. Joshua was a cowboy and Elyssa was Tinkerbell. David and Machella decided they were too old to go Trick-or-Treating this year and Donnie was out to town so it was just the two little ones and me knocking on doors and we had a blast.

Elyssa and Joshua turned 5 at the end of November. Donnie's parents and sister, Jennifer were visiting for Thanksgiving so we celebrated it early. Elyssa and Joshua really wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese this year and it had been forever since the last time we had gone so we decided to be brave and go for it and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I can't believe that Elyssa and Joshua are 5 years old and that they will be going to Kindergarten in the Fall. They definitely aren't "the babies" anymore (even though we still find ourselves referring to them as that).

We actually didn't take a lot of pictures this Christmas but I had to share my all time favorite Christmas picture of Elyssa and Joshua sitting in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Well I think I am pretty much caught up and hopefully I can stay more up-to-date with the blog. We wish everyone a very Happy New Year and we are truly grateful for all our wonderful family and friends.

Retiring our Picture

2012-01-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to retire the picture that we have had at the top of our blog since we started this blog. I kept it as long as I did because I love the picture and it brought back great memories. The kids have changed so much and they are so much older now. I guess they won't stay young forever.

Machella is 11!

2011-08-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Machella is 11 years old! We asked her what she wanted to do on her birthday and she told us that she wanted to go bowling, eat hot dogs for lunch, go swimming after lunch, eat BBQ pulled pork sandwiches for dinner, and then open presents and have an ice cream cake (chocolate cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream). Well, we did what she wanted to do and it was a really fun day. It was fun watching everyone bowl (especially Joshua and Elyssa). When we went swimming Joshua decided he wanted to try to swim without his floaties and he pretty much learned to swim in less than an hour. He is actually a pretty good swimmer now and can swim the width of the pool without stopping and he is great at taking breaths as he swims. Machella got a lot of fun presents and it was fun going shopping for her. I thought it was cute because she really wanted a crimper for her hair. I just smiled whenever I thought about that. I never had a crimper before but since her birthday she has crimped her hair quite a few times and it actually looks really cute. She is growing into such a wonderful young woman and I absolutely love being her mother and love how loving she is to me and our whole family.

Arena Football

2011-08-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Donnie took David and Joshua to an Arena Football game to watch the Dallas Vigilantes. They had a lot of fun. The game is a lot more fast paced than a regular game because they play inside at a basketball court (at least here in Dallas they play where the Dallas Mavericks usually play) and there is no out of bounds. Joshua always talks about being a football player when he grows up so he really enjoyed watching the game.

Our Trip to San Antonio

2011-06-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day Weekend we decided to take a trip to San Antonio. We left on Friday and it was about a 4 1/2 hour drive but we stopped in Austin on the way. We made a stop at the University of Texas at Austin where Donnie graduated. The kids liked walking around the campus and also going to the bookstore. We showed the kids where we had our first kiss (on a bench near the clock tower) and where Donnie had some of his classes.

(sitting on "our bench")

We then continued on to San Antonio and after we got settled in our hotel we drove to the San Antonio Temple. It was beautiful. It was hard to capture how beautiful it was in the pictures because the sun was really bright but we tried our best. The kids loved seeing it and the view from the top of the hill was great.

(in front of the fountain inside our hotel)

On Saturday, we went to Sea World. I had been there when I was probably 14 years old and it had changed a lot. They still have the fun shows, but now they have a huge waterpark and rides and a big Sesame Street area for the younger kids. It was tons of fun for everyone.

On Sunday, we spent time downtown and went to the Riverwalk and saw the Alamo. We then went down to El Mercado (the Marketplace) and Donnie and I loved eating the Mexican food from the street vendors and listening to the music being played in the streets. That was probably one of our favorite times on our trip. The food was amazing and the music and the atmosphere were so fun.

We came back Monday with wonderful memories and we are already trying to decide where we want to visit next in this great state of Texas (probably NASA in Houston and Galveston - stay tuned).

Also, we bought a Mexican dress for Elyssa when we were in San Antonio and she wore it to Church today. It definitely brings back memories of our trip and the fun we had.

Texas-Sized Hail

2011-06-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we had a big hail storm and tornados. Luckily we only had some hail damage on Donnie's car because I know other places got it so much worse than we did. However, it was a big storm for us and what we are used to. After it was over we had the kids pick up the hail from our yard and we put it in the freezer. I have finally gotten around to posting about it and still can't believe how big the hail was.

Father/Son Campout

2011-05-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Donnie took David and Joshua to a Father/Son Campout. They had a really good time. This was the first time that Joshua has ever gone camping and he loved being outdoors and sleeping in the tent. He was so excited to eat marshmallows.

Joshua also loved the chocolate bars that they brought for smores (as you can tell by the evidence on his face).

David and Joshua had a great time but I think they were ready to sleep the next night in their own beds.

First Swim of the Summer

2011-05-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

We were so excited that it was warm last week and that our neighborhood pools were open. Everyone has been so excited for the first swim of the summer. The water was absolutely freezing cold but the kids didn't mind and had a great time.

Fun at the Zoo

2011-05-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I took Joshua and Elyssa to the Ft. Worth Zoo. It was lots of fun. It was one of my all time favorite zoos that I have ever visited. Joshua and Elyssa had a really good time and are already talking of wanting to go back.

On the way there all Elyssa could talk about was seeing the elephants. She had to have her picture in front of one (even though you can't see it very well).

Joshua loved that the zoo had a lot of robotic dinosaurs that moved and made noises.

They also had a place where birds flew in an enclosed space that you could go in. The fun part of it was that you could purchase a stick with bird seed stuck to it and when you held up the stick birds would fly up to you and land on the stick. Elyssa wanted nothing to do with it but Joshua tried it for a little bit until he had two birds on his one stick and they started fighting over the seeds.

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day. I felt a lot of love and really enjoyed just spending time with my family. I feel so blessed to have the great husband and kids that I do.
I love getting flowers and especially when they come from my family and are different colors and styles. My wonderful husband always lets each of the kids pick out a different kind of flower for me so I see their different personalities come out in what they choose.

A couple of weeks ago Machella and I went to San Antonio for Time Out for Women and Time Out for Girls. It was so much fun. We stayed in a hotel for two nights and we both really liked the speakers and musical group. I am so glad I was able to share this with Machella and I hope we have a lot more opportunities to do things like this in the future.

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We had a fun Easter and Elyssa and Joshua had a lot of fun putting the empty Easter baskets on their heads. Their baskets became empty very fast because of how quickly they ate up all of their candy.

I thought this would be a great chance to catch everyone up on what has been going on the last few months. The big thing was that we celebrated Donnie's birthday in March. He took the day off of work and we decided to do a little exploring around Ft. Worth and went to the Fort Worth Stockyards. It was a lot of fun. We are trying to get out more and see all the great things that living in Texas has to offer.

Elyssa has been taking a dance class every week that is offered in our neighborhood. She absolutely loves it and is doing great learning the different dances. Some time this summer they will be performing at some places around the communtity.

I took Elyssa and Joshua to the Ft. Worth Children's Museum. They loved it. It was very interactive for them. It made me wonder if what they liked to play with will be what they become when they grow up. If that is true then maybe Elyssa will be a doctor...

and Joshua may be an ambulance driver...

or Elyssa may be a cashier at a grocery store and Joshua may do the grocery shopping for his family ...

or Elyssa may be an engineer...

or Joshua may be a archeologist and search for dinosaur bones.

Whatever they decide to do I hope they are happy and enjoy life and always remember to laugh.

"Pretend You Are A Missionary"

2011-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Last night we had spaghetti for dinner. However, when I was making the noodles for some reason some of them burned to the bottom of the pan. The noodles smelled smokey and had a burnt taste to them. Unfortunately, I did not have a back-up plan for dinner and I figured it wouldn't taste too bad if we covered it with sauce. It definitely wasn't horrible but it wasn't the best tasting spaghetti by a long shot. As we started eating I told my two older kids to just "pretend you are a missionary" when eating it because when you are on a mission you have to eat everything put in front of you even if it is not something you would normally choose to eat. Not only did they eat it but they acted like missionaries and told me how wonderful it was (even though I know they were only being nice). I think I will use this phrase from now on when I want the kids to eat vegetables and other things they might not otherwise try. It is definitely good training for not only a mission but also any other situation they might be in where they don't like the food put in front of them.

SNOW!!!

2011-01-09T13:24:00.001-08:00

It actually snowed today. It started snowing when we were at church and we drove home in quite a bit of snow falling. Right when we got home Machella, Joshua and Elyssa wanted to go out in the backyard and play in it. Elyssa didn't even want to change out of her church dress. It has been a long time since we have actually seen snow fall from the sky. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Unfortunately, it didn't snow for very long and David and Machella are disappointed because school will probably not be closed tomorrow. They have never had a snow day from school before and I think they were hoping to be able to experience it.

We Have a Teenager!

2011-01-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

David turned 13 and is now officially a teenager. It has been both fun and very interesting. He is doing great in school and Scouts. He is very into sports and has favorite teams that he follows and watches their games on T.V. One of the teams that he likes is the Boston Celtics and he was happy to get a team jersey.

Merry Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. It was very relaxing and low key. The kids slept in and we just stayed around the house and played games and enjoyed spending time together.

"The Babies" are 4!

2010-12-05T08:53:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

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"

2010-10-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-10T08:49:00.001-07:00

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.

Joshua - Playstation Jedi

2010-03-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

Joshua is in the early stages of training to be a Jedi. Our little padowan is learning the ways of the force with Lego Star Wars. It is one of his favorite things to do and he is actually good. There are some areas where he gets stuck and he calls Daddy or David ... but he knows what character needs to do what and can walk you through it. Absolutely amazing.

He has good focus and technique with the controller ...

Use The Force ... Joshua!!!

Our Day at the Pima Air & Space Museum

2010-03-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

During the kids Spring Break we went to Pima Air & Space Museum. The following are a few of the pictures of the fun time we had ...

Mother/Daughter Manicures

2010-03-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Machella and I went and got manicures on Friday. I had a gift certificate to a day spa that Donnie gave me last Mother's Day that I never used and has been on our refrigerator for almost a year. Machella mentioned that she would like to get a manicure so I decided we would use the gift certificate and go and have mother/daughter manicures. I am not big on other people doing my nails, but I knew Machella would enjoy it. The lady doing my nails wasn't really into it, but thankfully the lady that was doing Machella's nails was great and asked Machella if she wanted flowers and she really got into it. She even put little blue rhinestones in the center of each flower. Machella was thrilled and I think she is hooked on the whole manicure thing. I hope her nails will stay as nice as possible for as long as possible. I on the other hand have already taken my polish off and am back to my plain, nondescript nails that I try to not draw any attention to.

Black Sunday

2010-03-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we celebrated my wonderful husband's 40th birthday. He actually was really excited about having a party and thankfully helped me in the planning. We sent out email invitations to the Tucson gang and told everyone it was a Black Sunday and everyone was suppose to wear black. We also were trying to think of what was popular to eat back in 1970 and we thought of T.V. dinners. So, we had everyone bring a T.V. dinner and then we played White Elephant with them. We put each of them in a bag and then had everyone pick a number and then had each person either pick what someone else had picked or a new one in a bag. It sounds absolutely crazy, but it was a lot of fun. Once someone got the T.V. dinner that they were going to eat that night they hurried and started to cook it in the microwave so we could stagger the cooking times. It worked out and everyone was happy with the dinner they got and had fun eating it. We had a few fun games that either were about 1970 or about Donnie. Also, Donnie wanted a 4 layer cake and of course I couldn't say No, so I made this cake that looked like it was ready to fall over. It was really good.

Also, Donnie wanted everyone to play "Happy Birthday to You" on the kazoo instead of singing it. It was so funny.

I hope my wonderful husband had a memorable birthday. I know we will be talking about it for many years to come.

Miniature Golf

2010-03-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

The kids were out of school for Rodeo Days and we wanted to do something besides just sit around the house all day. We've explored a lot of Tucson and Phoenix ... but we didn't want to drive or be gone all day. SO ... we decided on miniature golf.

Lyssie and Josh have never been miniature golfing before ... so being the independent little girl she is ... Lyssie wanted to try it on her own. After a few holes she gave in and took some help from her Dad.

Lyssie got really good pointing her fingers down when she gripped the putter and with the help of her Dad actually made a couple of "holes-in-one."

Joshua gave up trying to hit the ball with his putter and just rolled it up the course and then bounced it into the hole.

Look at her concentration and form. What focus!!! Amy had the best score.

While it was snowing and below freezing temperatures across the country, here we are enjoying our morning in just jeans and T-shirts. Cute kids (even if Lyssie always wears her flip-flops on the wrong feet).

Kella's Science Project

2010-01-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

Kella participated in her first science fair this year. Her project was to determine if plants need water to grow or if they can still grow with vinegar, Coca-Cola or no water at all. It was an interesting experiment to see how the plants reacted to the different liquids ... obviously the watered plant thrived ... any guesses as to which plant died first???

... plants don't respond well to vinegar or Coca-Cola (although the plant watered with Coca-Cola lived longer).

We're proud of our 4th grade scientist (just be careful she doesn't give you a cup of vinegar when you're thirsty ... you see how the plant turned out)!!!

Happy 12th Birthday David!!!

2010-01-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Our little boy is no longer a little boy. He just turned 12, graduated from Primary, was ordained a Deacon and is now in the Young Men's program. It seems just like yesterday that he was learning to walk and talk.

We grilled hamburgers and made his favorite dessert for his birthday: Dulce de Leche cake.

All the family came over for his birthday ... and he enjoyed all his cards and gifts.

Donnie conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on David and then he was invited to pass the sacrament with David the following Sunday. Grandpa Doll stood in the circle to ordain David, which was awesome since he was the one who conferred the Priesthood on Donnie. We are so proud of David.

Making Chocolate Chip Cookies With Mommy

2010-01-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Lyssie is already learning the fine art of making Amy's chocolate chip cookies. She helps measure the ingredients, crack the eggs, stir it all up ... AND ...

... lick the spoon (Daddy's favorite part of making cookies).

Christmas Morning at the Doll House

2009-12-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas was absolutely fun this year (actually every year is fun ... but we REALLY enjoyed this Christmas). We put a lot of thought into our gifts for the kids this year and we could tell by their reactions Christmas morning that they were happy. The toughest part about the morning was trying to get everyone to stand still in front of the tree and take this picture before opening presents.

Joshua and Elyssa must have been extra good this year ... Santa brought them exactly what they wanted: a Transformer and a Barbie. It was fun to see the twins get into Christmas this year. One evening during dinner we were asking the twins what they wanted for Christmas and they said a Transformer and Barbie. We asked Elyssa if she had told Santa at the Ward Party that she wanted a Barbie for Christmas ... you could tell she was thinking for a few seconds and then said ... "We need to go back to church" ... so she could find Santa and tell him. We let her know that Mommy and Daddy had already told Santa what she wanted.

Kella was given a balloon art kit by one of her grandparents and immediately started creating dogs and giraffes. FUN!!!

Amy also made David and Kella fleece balnkets. They are super soft and warm AND they have slept with them every night.

One of little Lyssie's gifts was a ballerina outfit and ballerina shoes. She is such a little princess and acts every bit like one.

Lyssie also LOVES clothes ... top a new Sunday dress off with a microphone that amplifies and records her voice and you have a little girl in heaven.

Joshua was the perfect little dude opening presents. He loved tearing the paper off, but also spent a lot of time playing with all of his toys. The blocks were a big hit with him ... just like Lyssie is all girl, he's all boy and likes blocks and trucks and planes.

When we were in Utah this past October Kella got into painting her fingernails with designs with Amy and Grandma Mindy. This gave Amy and I the idea to buy her tons of nail polish, a book that shows different designs and some tools to make it easier to make designs on her fingernails. She couldn't wait to paint her nails ... and Lyssie's nails ... and then their toes.

The best part about Christmas is making a mess all over the living room with all the boxes and wrapping paper ... and then making the kids clean it up (just kidding ... we all cleaned up together).

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Our Christmas House

2009-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Our Amazing Kidz

2009-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

The kids have been busy this holiday season ... band concerts, choir concerts and a visit from Santa.

David learned how to play the clarinet in the Middle School band this year. His favorite songs are "Wipe Out," "The Theme from Jurassic Park," and "The Can-Can." He's gotten really good with the clarinet and has figured out how to play the keyboard this year (we really need to get a piano).

The video is of the band playing "The Can-Can." We were really impressed how good the kids played since it's the first year most of them have played an instrument. You can't see David in the video ... but if you listen really close you can hear his clarinet.

Machella has been singing in the Desert Willow Elementary choir this year. Her favorite song in the concert was "Pumpkin Pie Polka." She is also singing in the ward choir and dragged her dad along with her to choir practices. (she's on the 2nd row to the right). I tried to get some video of her but trying to wrestle the twins while taking video didn't turn out too well.

Lyssie and Joshua understand who Santa Claus is this year. They were really excited when he dropped in on our Ward Christmas Party. Elyssa wants Santa to bring her a Barbie and Joshua wants a Transformer. We'll have to wait and see how good Santa thought they were this year ...

Our STAR Scout

2009-12-11T21:13:00.001-08:00

David has worked really hard over the past 4 months since earning his First Class rank in Scouts and was able to earn his Star Scout award at the court of honor last week. He passed off the First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Music, Environmental Science and Swimming merit badges during that time ... giving him a total of 7 merit badges. For his service he volunteered with the family at the El Tour de Tucson bike race and fundraiser.

He now has his eye on earning his Life Scout award by the end of the summer, which would make his next advancement after that Eagle Scout. He is totally motivated and into Scouts and does a really good job with all the activities and requirements. His work is exemplary. He wants to earn his Eagle before he's 14 and beat his Dad who earned it when he was 16. He's on his way to making this happen.

Grandpa and Grandma Doll and Aunt Jenn were able to come to the Court of Honor and celebrate David's awards.

We're so proud of David!!!

Joshua and Elyssa are 3!

2009-12-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Joshua and Elyssa celebrated their 3rd Birthday! I can't believe we have survived the last 3 years. It has had its crazy times, but has definitely been worth it. Joshua and Elyssa have such strong personalities. I love the times when they play together and laugh at their own private jokes.

For their birthday, Joshua wanted blue cupcakes and Elyssa wanted pink cupcakes. Even at 3 years old they definitely know what they want and are pretty good at letting us know what it is.

Joshua talked for weeks before his birthday about wanting a train. He had a picture of a train set and would hold it all day and even sleep with it, so of course we had to get him a train set.

Elyssa wanted dress up clothes for her birthday. She got lots of fun dress up things and jewlery and even lip gloss. She loves to pose for the camera.

Well, we made it through the first 3 years. I am so excited to see how much Joshua and Elyssa will grow and learn in the next year.

The Twin Connection

2009-11-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

Lyssie and Josh are the cutest ... especially when they're sleeping. It's funny how they will have to touch each other during nap time ... I never really believed in the twin connection until we had two of our own.

Josh loves his little "blankie" and can't sleep without it. He's the only one of our kids whose been so attached to his blanket. Isn't he cute as he snuggles with his blankie?

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T08:33:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This year was a lot of fun for Halloween, especially since the twins figured out that "Trick or Treat" means candy. We went to Grandma and Grandpa Doll's house for pizza and to Trick or Treat with their cousins Noah and Zoe. It was absolutely awesome to see Joshua running at the head of the group to be the first one to be at the door to say "Trick or Treat."

Spider Joshua.

We tried to convince Lyssie to be a Spider Girl ... but she was insistent on being a "princess" ... she wouldn't budge ... oh well ... she made a cute princess.

Darth David and Spider Kella.

It was fun seeing all the excitement from the kids as we made glo-stick necklaces for them before hitting the streets.

A Princess, Spiderman and a Little Ninja (cousin Noah).

Donnie was also in the spirit of Halloween for work. The theme was Star Wars and he dressed up as Darth Maul. Little Lyssie was so scared of this. She saw us looking at how to do the make-up the night before and flipped out. She popped right out of bed the first thing in the morning to see if her Daddy had put on the scary make-up. We had to reassure her a few times that the make-up washes off.

Halloween was GREAT this year and all the kids (big and little had lots of fun).

Our Trip To Utah

2009-10-30T23:59:00.001-07:00

The first week of October we drove up to Utah to spend time with family and celebrate David's and Rachael's wedding. This was the first time in over a year that Donnie had taken off a week from work for just vacation. It was fun to get away to cooler weather and see some family we haven't seen in over 2 years. We had a lot of fun and we're looking forward to going back again in 2010.

These are just a few of the almost 400 pictures we took while on our trip ... starting from the Reception all the way to our first days in Utah.

Aunt Laura showing Joshua the finer points of slow dancing.

This was a rare moment where David actually looks like he enjoys dancing ... with his mother. I guess we should enjoy this moment now. It won't be long before we have to keep him away from girls.

The dancing at the Reception was a lot of fun. The kids really got into it.

The happy couple at the Red Iguana for the family lunch after the wedding. We actually saw this restaurant on Drive Ins, Diners and Dives on the Food Network. We've been here before years earlier and Davey and Uncle David had a salsa eating contest. This time Kella brought enough salsa game to the table that she can give the boys a run for their money.

Little Joshie really liked hanging out with Grandpa Mark.

The family just "chillin" after the wedding.

Who is this handsome dude? I think David is "voguing" (what do you think about that Madonna)? Can you say "Rico Suave?"

The wedding was really nice. You can tell that Rachael and David really love each other. The kids were great and we were glad that we could come up to Salt Lake City for the wedding.

We always enjoy hanging out with Grandpa Mark and Grandma Mindy. They are so much fun together.

Two sisters enjoyed their time together.

David and Savannah.

Kella and Brenna were like two peas in a pod. Kella slept over at her house almost every night we were in Utah. They had so much fun together. I know they would have lots of fun together and do things together often if we lived closer. Maybe someday ...

Grandpa at the grill ... showing how it's done.

Amy thought I was going to hurt myself doing this ... ouch ... I think I'm an inch shorter now.

One of the days we were in Utah we spent the morning and early afternoon at Temple Square. The kids enjoyed seeing the Temple. It is also a beautiful time of year with all the leaves changing.

Our beautiful Kella in front of the reflecting pool. She keeps mentioning that she wants to get married in the Salt Lake Temple someday. It will be awesome to see her get her picture taken here again in the future with her eternal companion.

We love going to Temple Square.

Joshie's favorite part of going up to Temple Square is riding the train into town. It is one of the traditions we keep every time we're in Utah. We did the same when David was little and he enjoyed riding the train just as much.

Little Lyssie and Grandpa Mark waiting for the train. Grandpa is so good with the kids.

One of the afternoons we were in Utah we went to the local pumpkin patch. The kids had a lot of fun running around the corn maze, sitting on tractors and picking out their own pumpkins. Joshie was so cute pushing around a little wheelbarrow.

I enjoyed pushing Amy around in a wheelbarrow. Crazy ... I had to let my hair down a little during the trip.

No ... not which one is my head ... look how STRONG I am.

One of the mornings we were there Amy and I had a wonderful opportunity to attend an Endowment session in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We went with Mark and Mindy. It was a beautiful experience. I wish we could have spent more time doing more temple work and feeling the Spirit of the temple.

We also spent some time visiting friends in Utah. We lived next to the Frasures when we lived in Tremonton over 5 years ago. We had so much fun when we lived close that we always take the time to visit them when we're in Utah.

We also had the chance to visit the Norris family. They were our neighbors when we lived in Bakersfield. The kids played so well together in our little California cul-de-sac. When they moved to Utah the kids were so sad and the neighborhood wasn't as much fun. The kids were really looking forward to seeing Logan, Maddie and Meghan again. Amy misses living close to her friends like Lani.

One afternoon Grandma and Grandpa took us up into the mountains to pick autumn leaves and see the snow. There was just enough snow to make a 4" tall snowman. When the time in the snow was over, the twins were more than happy to get in the car since it was cold. They haven't had to worry too much about the cold living in California and Arizona.

Grandma Mindy is such a good sport and so much fun to be around. She's always creative and involves the kids.

As I mentioned before ... we had a great time in Utah. It was fun seeing everyone and we look forward to the next time we can go back. Our plan is for sometime in 2010.

David Mows The Lawn

2009-10-25T09:05:00.001-07:00

Saturday afternoon David mowed the lawn for the first time. We don't have much grass in the backyard so it didn't take very long. I showed him how I used to mow lawns when I was a kid and then let him go at it. He was a little resistant and hesitant at first, but once he got out there and finished it he said it was easy. Even Kella got in on the action and mowed a few strips of grass.

The Zoo and a Movie

2009-09-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we spent the morning at the zoo. It's been about 6 months since we've been and it is amazing at how different the twins are now compared to the last time we went. We told them a few days before that we were going and all they did for two days was ask when we're going to the zoo. When we arrived at the zoo they knew exactly what they wanted to see ... Lions ... Zebras ... Elephants ... Monkeys ... and Bears.

After the zoo we took the kids to the mall to eat lunch at the food court and then decided to try our chances with the twins at the movies. They'll sit through a movie at home, but we didn't know if they would make it at the theater. We figured that if we went to the dollar movies and had to leave early, then that wouldn't be a big deal. We decided on the new Night at the Museum movie and to our surprise the twins lasted the entire movie.

What a fun family day!!!

Our New First Class Scout

2009-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

David just earned his 1st Class Scout Award with the Eleven-Year-Old scouts. He's worked really hard the past few months to earn this award. He also earned his Reading and Citizenship in the World merit badges. His next merit badges will be Swimming, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness and Music. He also has his eye on Sports since he's been playing basketball with the YMCA league. His goal is to earn his Star Scout award before he's 12. Ultimately, he wants to earn his Eagle way before his Dad did at 16 years old. He wants to do it before he's 14. This competitive edge with himself will help him go a long way in life.

We are so proud of David!!!

Kella's 9th Birthday

2009-07-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated Kella's 9th birthday. She's been so excited to turn 9. This was the first week of school and the first time that she's been in school when her birthday came around. As you can see ... she is growing into quite the young woman. She has "teenager" written all over her already.

It's really cool living close to family ... we had everyone over to the house for pizza, birthday cake and swimming. Kella was very grateful for all the cards and gifts she received. She REALLY liked all the attention on her special day.

Little Lyssie is the splitting image of Kella. As you can see, she wanted to be right in the middle of all the attention. She can't let her big sister be in the spotlight alone.

We capped the evening off in the pool. What a fun evening!!!

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY KELLA!!!

Father's Day

2009-06-23T13:02:00.001-07:00

We had a great Father's Day. We had some gifts that we gave to Donnie, but what was so thoughtful was that Donnie surprised us and gave us each a card. Inside the cards to David, Machella, Elyssa and Joshua, Donnie told them how much he loved them and how they were special and how grateful he was to be their Dad. He also included a little extra "surprise" in the cards for them. The kids loved the cards and leave it to my wonderful husband to think of everyone else on his special day. Later in the day we went to Donnie's families house and had a lot of fun. It is so great to have family close. The kids love going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I am so grateful to be married to someone who truly loves being a Dad and is so involved in his kids' lives and is such a great example to them.

Our Soccer Princess

2009-06-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Kella started playing soccer this summer. She's never played before, but since her brother was playing basketball she wanted to do something and thought soccer looked fun. We let her know that there would be a lot of running ... but this didn't dissuade her. So ... we took her to buy soccer cleats, pads, shorts and her own pink soccer ball.

She has never played before ... so it has been a lot of fun learning how to dribble, pass, shoot and all the other soccer rules. She has great ball control and has picked up on the game really fast.

All the running hasn't been too big of a deal for her. She's tired after the practices, but can really move and keep it moving the entire time (it probably helps that her father is on the sidelines yelling "encouragement" at her the entire time).

Her team put up a good showing at their game on Saturday, but fell short of the victory. Kella played goalie the 2nd half of the game and no one scored on her. She blocked quite a few shots and didn't let anyone intimidate her (way to go girl!!!). It's fun watching her learn the sport and push herself.

David's First Basketball Game

2009-06-07T20:17:00.001-07:00

David started playing basketball with the YMCA this summer. He's always had an interest in basketball and played on the intramural teams at school in Bakersfield ... and now gets the chance to take it up a notch. His practices are at least 2 hours a day 2 days a week and he has games every Saturday. His coach runs and drills the team hard ... which paid off since they won their first game this past Saturday.

David is one of the fastest kids on the team. He is aggressive on the court and doesn't let any of the bigger boys or boys with more experience intimidate him. He keeps up with them and gets in their face. During the game on Saturday he had some great rebounds, blocks, steals and passes.

We're really proud of David and happy that he is really getting into basketball.

Memorial Day at Sabino Canyon

2009-05-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we went exploring and hiking at Sabino Canyon. The last time we were here was when David was still in a stroller (about 10 years ago). We took the trolley up the canyon and then rode it back down until we hit Stop 2 (1.4 miles from the visitors center). We then hiked the rest of the way out ... exploring along the way.

The river bed is usually dry this time of year, but due to an unseasonal bit of rain last week, the water was running deep enough in some areas where people could swim. The rock formations are also impressive ... you would never know that this little oasis is hidden within these desert mountains.

Everyone enjoyed the trolley ride up the canyon. This is at Stop 9, the last stop before it turns around and heads back down the canyon.

We got off the trolley at Stop 2 and the exploring began.

The kids are always fascinated with lizards. We didn't see many of those in Bakersfield ... and they are everywhere here in Tucson.

Joshie surprised us a little ... we thought that he would be the one to run around so much that we'd have to keep a good pace to keep up with him. He actually wanted a ride most of the way back AND only with his mom. Amy did great carrying him for 1.2 of the 1.4 miles back.

Elyssa rode on my shoulders 2/3 of the way and walked the other 1/3. There was one point where we were walking up this hill and she said "Daddy, run." I tried ... for about 100 yards and then was done running any more.

We took a short break in the shade once we got back to the visitors center before calling it a day.

David - 5th Grade Graduation

2009-05-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Friday morning David graduated from Desert Willow Elementary. He had a stellar semester even though he started half way through the school year when we moved from California. Some of his accomplishments from the 5th grade were that he continued his straight "A" trend ... AND ... he performed VERY well on the tests for the gifted program in the 6th grade.

All the kids who received their certificates of promotion to the 6th grade hugged their teachers and then the principal. David was the only boy who stuck out his hand to shake his teacher's hand rather than hug him. He definitely doesn't have an issue blazing his own path. I can't wait to see what he does in college and after. It should be interesting and exciting.

Another cool thing to celebrate David's day was that Grandma and Grandpa Doll, Aunt Jenn, and Grandpa Mark & Grandma Mindy could be there.

We are so proud of David. He works VERY hard and always wants to perform at the top of the class. Good luck in 6th grade ... we know you will excel!!!

Grandpa Mark & Grandma Mindy Come To Visit

2009-05-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Mark and Grandma Mindy came to visit this past week. The kids had a lot of fun with them ... especially Elyssa and Joshua. The first night they were here we had an "American Idol" party. Kella and Lyssie had fun dancing with Grandpa ... he can really "cut the rug."

One of the days they were here while David and Kella were in school, we went to the Children's Museum with the twins. As you can see from the pictures below ,,, it was right up the twins' alley.

Lyssie and Grandma Mindy had lots of fun together on the climbing wall, drawing, playing on the motorcycle and then sliding down the fireman's pole.

Likewise, Joshua was all boy driving Grandpa and Lyssie in the fire engine.

Grandpa brought his laptop with tons of family pictures. The kids thought it was great to see pictures of mom when she was little ... especially the one with the blue "Bruce Jenner" shorts, with the matching socks, shirt and feathered hair (GO 1970's).

We're so glad that Grandpa Mark and Grandma Mindy came to visit. We look forward to seeing them again in October.

My Wonderful Mother's Day

2009-05-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day. It actually started the day two days before on Friday when I got flowers delivered. I was surprised to find out that the names on the card were Machella and Elyssa. I thought that was so sweet that I got flowers from my two favorite girls.

Saturday we all went out to eat for a lunch. The food was great and Joshua and Elyssa actually were pretty well behaved. Sunday morning I woke up to many more surprises. I received some very pretty yellow flowers and a beautiful corsage that I wore to church. I also got lots of chocolate, a shirt and a gift card to get a massage. On the wall in our eating area were four posters that Donnie and the kids had decorated and put pictures of themselves on.

Sunday evening we had Donnie's family come over for dinner and it was lots of fun.
It was a great Mother's Day and I am so grateful for my great husband and wonderful children for making my day so special.

Happy Mother's Day Amy

2009-05-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

You're the best!!! We hope you had the best Mother's Day ever!!!

A Lazy Day in the Pool

2009-05-10T12:24:00.001-07:00

It's May and the temperatures are already soaring to triple digits. I know that there is a reason we love the desert over the snow we experienced in Iowa and Utah. I'll take 100+ degree temperatures over 20 below any day. We DO miss the California coast and the ocean ... so one of the requests of the kids was to get a house with a pool when we moved here to Arizona. Yesterday we spent a few hours just lounging around in the pool ... what a GREAT way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The twins like getting in the pool ... they like the little wading area by the stairs. They're still reluctant to go out into the middle of the pool with anyone even with a life vest or floaties. They love splashing around and throwing things for the older kids to dive after.

Joshua's favorite place is on the pool chairs OUTSIDE the pool. Go figure?!

Desert Willow Fair

2009-05-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Today was the school fair at the kids' elementary school sponsored by the PTA. They had some really cool activities that all the kids could participate in.

David and Kella tackled the climbing wall. As you can see they are true "spider" kids.

The twins liked the fishing pond. They won little prizes. Joshua's favorite prize was a little purple plastic ruler that he's carried around all evening. Lyssie just went for the candy ... go figure.

Another big hit was the inflatable slide and obstacle courses. The twins wanted to go on them over and over again. Thank goodness that the lines weren't that long and the guys watching the rides let the twins cut in front of the big kids. Joshua threw a fit when we tried to move on to other things.

We wrapped up the afternoon with popsicles and sticky hands ... and a few "vogue" poses.

Our Day at the Mesa Arizona Temple

2009-05-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

Amy and I had a great opportunity to spend Saturday morning at the temple in Mesa. My sister Jenn came over and watched the kids (thanks a million Jenn). It's such a blessing having family close to watch the kids so that we can go to the temple together. It was nice to sit in the chapel and Celestial Room together. There is such a feeling of peace that makes the stresses of the outside world seem so insignificant when we're there. It is so easy to forget this if too much time lapses between visits. We look forward to going back soon ... not just by ourselves, but with other family here in town.

Bowling With The Boy Scouts

2009-05-03T12:42:00.001-07:00

I bet you didn't know that we had a "semi-pro" bowler in the family. This past Thursday the Scouts went bowling as a fun activity to recognize all the hard work they've been doing on merit badges and rank advancements.

Look at David's laser focus and super intense concentration ... you can cut the tension in the air ...

He sets up for the spin off the wrist ...

Look at his follow-through as he "wills" the ball down the lane ...

AND ... all the pins are still standing. I guess he won't be going pro anytime soon. He still had fun.

The Twins Just Doing Their Thing

2009-05-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Elyssa and Joshua love hanging out in the backyard. One of their favorite things to do is walk on the brick border around the grass. When one of them is on there ... the other one is usually not far behind. Follow the leader??? It's hard to tell who is leading and who is following at times with those two. One thing is sure ... they both can instigate and get into things equally.

They love saying "cheese" and posing for the camera most of the time. They move so fast that it's often hard to get close ups like these even when we can get them to stand still for 1 second. Their personalities shine through more and more each day. They are tons of fun.

Mt Lemmon EYO Scout Campout

2009-04-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Eleven-Year-Old Scout Camp Out up at the Church Campsite (Camp Zion) on Mt. Lemmon. At 7,000 feet it's quite a bit cooler than the rest of the valley. It was near 80 degrees on the valley floor when we started driving up the mountain and when we reached the campsite it was about 43 degrees. It remained nippy for the rest of the afternoon and then the temperature dropped down in to the 30's once the sun went down (brrrrrrr).

We arrived early enough to get camp set up in the light ... and as you can see below ... David has become a real pro at setting up our tent and personal camp area.

The view from the campsite is just spectacular. The sunset was beautiful and you can also look down on the city lights.

The next morning there were activities planned for all the EYO Scouts from 3 different Stakes. It ranged from service to first aid, orienteering to lashings, archery to BB guns.

This was the first time David had picked up a bow. He learned quickly and did great when he got a chance to shoot arrows. His form and follow-through are "text-book."

It was also David's first time to shoot a BB gun. He was a great student in this environment and I enjoyed watching him absorb all the training and then put it into practice (firearm safety, dominant eye, breathing, slowly squeeze the trigger, etc.). His first shot went high, but then he got settled in and it tightened up a little more. I then coached him a little more on his breathing and the rest of his shots were within the 9 and 10 rings of the target.

This is the 2nd camp out where David has been exposed to orienteering. He is also picking this up quickly and is getting really proficient with a compass. This is the first time that he used a map and oriented himself using declination for the local area.

A few of the activities that had been organized for this camp were service activities. David and the other EYOs carried water around the campsite to put out the fires in preparation for breaking camp. They also helped set up tables, paper bags and napkins for the lunch that was provided that day. The young men were pushed to the limit carrying large buckets of water up and down the hills around camp. A little hard work only builds more character.

David is so excited to be in Scouts and very actively counts down the activities and achievements he needs to get to the next rank advancement. He is currently a Tenderfoot and only has a few more requirements to pass off both Second Class and First Class. By the time he turns 12, he'll either be a Star Scout or pretty close. When the troop has the Court of Honor in July or August he should have 3 merit badges under his belt (Reading, Citizenship in the World, and Swimming) ... if not 1 or 2 more.

On the way up to the camp out he wanted to talk about different Eagle projects and what I did for mine. He is SO competitive when it comes to achievements like this. He wants to be an Eagle at an earlier age than I was. His goal is to have his Eagle before he turns 14. Amy and I are so proud of how he likes good things and wants to do the best he can.

Easter Dinner in Tucson

2009-04-19T12:30:00.001-07:00

This Easter we had everyone over to our house for dinner (Mom, Dad, Ali, Jay, Zoe, Noah, Jenn, Alexis, Julee, Garry, Kristy, Stone, Sammy and Tyler ... along with the 6 of us). It was a little chilly outside so we pushed the couch and easy chair out of the way and set up our tables inside. I can't imagine doing this again like we did in our house in California ... no room ... and when we did have a few more people in the house there it was like we were sitting on each others' laps.

We really enjoy living close to family and being able to have them over to the house or going over to do things with them. We can't wait until it gets a bit warmer so that we can do more things out on the patio or in the pool.

Lyssie's New Sandals

2009-04-05T15:48:00.001-07:00

Elyssa got some new sandals for the summer this weekend. She is so proud of her new shoes. When she woke up this morning she wanted to get dressed so she could put on her new sandals. When she took her nap today she wanted to wear her sandals when she slept. We took them off and she got really upset ... SO ... being the push over parents that we are ... we put them back on her and then she went to sleep. At least she wears shoes. When David was a little kid it was hard to keep his shoes on him.

Josh and Grandpa

2009-04-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Josh sure loves hanging out with his Grandpa. Josh doesn't say many words ... but "Grandpa" is one of them. Josh and Lyssie always get excited when we go to Grandma's and Grandpa's house.

Our Day at the Ballpark

2009-03-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a spring training baseball game at Hi Corbett Field between the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The weather was perfect (upper 70's), which made for an awesome spring afternoon in Tucson. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, nachos, brownies, cookies, slushies and churros ... all the junk you normally eat at the ball park out of tradition. The twins were great and lasted alot longer than we expected (8 out of the 9 innings). That was fine since the Rockies scored the runs that won the game in the bottom of the 8th innning. It is so much more fun taking the entire family out to events now that the twins are getting older and can hang with the rest of us.

Elyssa's Stitches

2009-03-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday night little Lyssie was cruising around the house and ran into the kids bathroom ... unfortunately there was some water on the floor by the bathtub and she had a serious "wipe out." She slipped and hit her chin on the side of the bathtub. Amy ended up taking Lyssie into the Emergency Room at University Medical Center around 10:00 that night. She finally got home around 2:00 a.m. and little Lyssie had 2 stitches in her chin and a pretty red crayon bandaid. Amy said that everyone kept coming into the room where they were at to see the "cutest little girl in the ER that night." The staff there was super friendly and Lyssie talked to everyone. They gave her a stuffed duck and a popsicle for being such a little hero when she got her stitches.

A Big Surprise: Joshie's Haircut

2009-03-26T22:32:00.001-07:00

Joshie really surprised us this evening. David and I were planning on getting our haircut after dinner and we were talking about it at the dinner table. Joshie chimed in "haircut" and touched his own hair. We asked him if he wanted to get his haircut and he said "yes ... haircut." So we took him with us to Great Clips where he patiently waited his turn to get his haircut. As soon as the chair was empty and the stylist invited him over, he ran up to the chair and climbed right up. He let her put the cape over him, touch the clippers and then cut his hair. Thank goodness I had my cell phone with me and could take this action picture of a happy boy getting his haircut. Amazing!!! Our little guy is growing up.

Our Little Monkey

2009-03-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Elyssa and Joshua's cousins, Zoey and Noah, came over to play on Friday. They had fun playing together and managed to all get in the wagon together. It is so fun to live close to family and have our kids play together. Elyssa and Joshua get so excited to see and play with Zoey and Noah.

Joshua decided he wanted to be a monkey. He pushed the table himself up to the rings and kept pulling himself up on them. He had a lot of fun and kept doing it over and over. I can't believe how strong his little arms are. He is definitely our little monkey.

Elyssa and Machella swinging together.

Elyssa is Finally Wearing Barrettes

2009-03-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Elyssa has never wanted to wear barrettes and would always take them out so I just gave up trying to get her to wear them. Her bangs are getting long, though, and we are trying to grow them out so they would always be in her face. I finally tried again two days ago to get her to wear them and lo and behold she liked it and kept it in her hair all day. Today she even wore one to Church and it was still in her hair after Nursery.

I love the look Joshua is giving Elyssa.

Happy Birthday to my Honey!

2009-03-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my wonderful husband's birthday. We had family over and Donnie grilled hot dogs. He requested a pineapple upside-down cake. He got some camping equipment (camping stove, ax, camping pans) and other things. It was fun. He is really enjoying camping and going to scout activities with David. He is such a great Dad and loves spending time with his family. I am excited to see what this next year brings for him and also for our family. Happy Birthday, Honey!

EYO Scout Outing - Pima Air & Space Museum

2009-03-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Today the Eleven-Year-Old Scouts went on a trip to the Pima Air & Space Museum. I was fortunate enough to get the afternoon off so that I could go with them. David really enjoyed seeing all the planes and I enjoyed telling him about them.

There were a few planes the scouts could actually climb into and explore. A retired Air Force One from the JFK era was on display. After seeing how tight the accomodations were in that plane, I don't feel so bad about flying commercial.

I could see David as the next Top Gun ... "I feel the need ... the need for speed ... "

We see A-10's flying around all the time. It was cool for David to see one up close. He was impressed about how much I knew about all the different planes (I might as well enjoy impressing him while I can ... in a few more years when he's a teen he will barely recognize my existence).

Another fun outing with David and the EYO Scouts.

Arizona Desert Museum

2009-03-14T22:15:00.001-07:00

We've had a lot of fun exploring Tucson and the surrounding area since we've moved here. Today we spent the better part of the day at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The weather was just right and it was slightly overcast with a nice breeze. It made it very pleasant as we hiked around the trails and looked at all the exhibits. It was interesting to see that there were signs in the parking lot to not feed the coyotes (we only saw wolves in one of the exhibits ... nothing roaming out in the open).

Along with plenty of cacti (saguaro, prickly pear, barrel, etc.) ... there was also a good amount of wild flowers in the desert ... a nice and interesting contrast.

One of the activities the kids did was to go around the trails in the park and stamp their books with the tracks of animals that are native to the area. We hit all the trails except one 1/2-mile section, which we'll get the next time we go.

The kids posed well for most of the pictures. They are always good sports every time we go somewhere and either mom or dad have the camera with them. As you can see below ... their personalities sure shine through.

The twins love to run and explore and climb on anything they can. They stayed away from all the cacti (owies) and were extremely interested in all the different wildlife exhibits. They never walked anywhere ... they ran!!! We're getting to the point with them where we don't really need to take their stroller (which is nice).

The next pictures are of some of the wildlife we saw in the desert exhibits (hummingbirds, mule deer, mexican wolves, bighorn sheep and a mountain lion).

Another fun day exploring our new home. Next week it may be Old Tucson or Tombstone.

David's First Boy Scout Campout

2009-03-14T19:28:00.001-07:00

David had his first Eleven-Year-Old Scout campout at the beginning of the month. As you can see, he was a natural at camping his first night out.

One of the requirements for advancement is to prepare, cook and clean up a meal on a campout. We had foil dinners (sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions and cheese). David did a great job cutting all the peppers up for dinner.

It was fun setting up the tent and sleeping in it all night (another requirement). We didn't get to bed until after midnight and then we were up at about 6:30 in the morning. Although we were in the desert, the temperature dropped down to about 38 degrees (a little nippy). David ended up wrapping up in my fleece inside of his sleeping bag just to stay warm.

David couldn't wait to get in front of the fire quick enough the next morning (along with the other scouts).

After breakfast ... David spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on advancement requirements. He filled a portable stove with gas, primed and started it, learned and passed off a variety of knots, learned how to sharpen an axe and use a saw, and finally use a compass on an orienteering course the older scouts had set up.

David had a great first campout with the Scouts and is looking forward to the next one at Mt. Lemmon in April. The cool thing about these Eleven-Year-Old campouts is that fathers get to attend. We have a handful more throughout the year before David turns 12 and goes out with just the Deacon Scouts. As you can see in the picture below, he survived the campout (and so did I ... I'm not used to sleeping on the ground ... maybe the couch, but not the ground).
He passed off the remaining requirements for Tenderfoot and he has his Board of Review Sunday after church. He is excited to be a Boy Scout and is working really hard to get his First Class Scout rank before he turns 12. We are so proud of David and all the effort he puts into being a top notch Scout.

Everyone is Sewing but Me

2009-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

It seems lately that everyone is undertaking a sewing project but me. I guess I am exaggerating, but Machella has been so excited at school because she was taught how to sew in her Art class. She made a pillow and loves it and is so proud of herself. I guess as her mother I should have taught her how to sew before she learned it at school. She is excited to sew more and make more things. I guess I need to dust off my sewing skills and help her with that.

Also, two weeks ago David earned his Boy Scout badge and luckily for me my wonderful husband offered to sew on his badge. I could have done it and I didn't mind, but I thought it was great that Donnie wanted to do it. It truly meant a lot to David that his dad sewed on his badge and I think it brought back memories for Donnie of sewing on his own Scout badges.

Lions and Tigers and Bears ... Oh My!!!

2009-03-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to the Reid Park Zoo here in Tucson. It was a beautiful day (I think it was 85 degrees) and we had a lot of fun. Joshua and Elyssa had never been to a zoo before so they were very amazed at seeing all of the animals. In fact, we decided to forgo the stroller and just let them walk around and explore. They did great with that and really got a lot closer look than if they had been in their stroller. All the kids liked going in an enclosed cage to see the birds. Surprisingly, Joshua was scared of the lions, tigers, bears and jaguars. Elyssa was fine, but Joshua actually started crying when he saw them. He was okay if they were behind glass, but if they were just behind a fence he didn't want anything to do with them.

Joshua loved being stroller-free. He really had fun climbing up on the fences for a closer look.

Hiding Places

2009-02-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Joshua and Elyssa are always looking for places to hide and play in. Their newest place is in the cabinents in the corner of our kitchen. We used to have the cabinent full of plastic storage containers. Joshua and Elyssa loved to get into it and I would find the floor covered with lots of containers and lids. I spent alot of time trying to put them all away. We have had to put locks on a lot of our other cabinents, but because of the way the door opens it wouldn't work with this one, so I finally just decided to empty it out and put the containers somewhere else. Well, I guess the empty cabinent were too tempting to leave alone and not too long after cleaning it out I found Joshua and Elyssa hiding in it. They can actually close the door while they are in it, but then it gets stuck and they can't get it open until I come to their rescue. I guess it is a better alternative then having to pick up all of the containers.

Let it snow ... in Tucson?

2009-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we woke up to find snow on the ground. It wasn't alot, but it was pretty unusual for it to snow in Tucson. It was fun until it melted by lunchtime. Joshua and Elyssa had fun playing in it and were very cold and wet. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough to have a day off from school, so David and Machella couldn't stay home.

Lockdown???

2009-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

David came home from school on Monday (Machella was home sick that day) and said that they had a lockdown at their school. In Bakersfield David and Machella would have lockdowns at their school usually because there would be some kind of criminal activity nearby. Well, we aren't in Bakersfield anymore and this lockdown was because someone saw a pack of coyotes near the school. They had to stay in their classrooms most of the day and even had to eat lunch there. We live on the outskirts of Tucson with quite a bit of open space, but I was still surprised about the lockdown.

Saguaro National Park

2009-02-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

Last week we took a drive to see the Saguaro National Park. It is only about 15 minutes from where we live. At first David and Machella weren't too thrilled to go on a drive and look at cacti. As we were driving around David and Machella really got into it and really enjoyed themselves.

I took pictures of the kids while we were driving and I thought they turned out cute. I should take more pictures of Elyssa and Joshua while they are strapped into their carseats and can't move around.

We actually got out of the car for a little and hiked on a paved path. Elyssa and Joshua loved to be able to walk around. They called the cacti "Owwies" and "Pokies" so I felt pretty confident to let them walk by themselves. They were smart enough to know not to touch them.

Joshua thought it was fun to rest on the information markers. He would pretend to read them and then rest his body on it.

Overall, it was a great little trip and we plan on going back soon. We are really loving living in the desert and are excited to go on more trips exploring Tucson.

Bragging about my Husband

2009-01-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

I usually blog and brag about my kids but I thought today I would brag about my husband. It has really hit home how much I appreciate him because he has been gone almost two weeks on business in Minneapolis. I have definitely had some crazy moments while he has been gone and ones that I really wished he had been here for, but luckily we got through them. I can't wait until he gets back and will be so glad to have him here. He definitely helps me stay calm when I get stressed. He is very thoughtful even when he is over a thousand miles away. Last week he sent a beautiful plant with white flowers and yesterday he sent balloons with a rose and teddy bear. Luckily this should be his last trip this year. I don't know if my sanity could take him being gone again anytime soon.

David and Machella Started Their New School!

2009-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

David and Machella started their new school on January 5th. They have really nice teachers. The transition to their new school has seemed to go very smoothly and they have made a lot of friends. They seem a little ahead of what they are learning right now in their classes so I guess their school in Bakersfield prepared them well.
In Bakersfield their elementary school was right across the street from where we lived and now their new school is right behind our house. We have debated whether to just hoist them over the wall in the mornings, but have decided against it. I forgot to take pictures of David and Machella on their first day of school (what a bad Mom I am), but I found this picture of Elyssa on our swing set in our back yard that shows their new school.

David is 11!

2009-01-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

David turned 11 on January 5th. We had a party for him and it was nice to have family near to come and share this event with us. I can't believe David is already 11. What I really can't believe is that in one year he will be 12. That will be a big. It has been great these last 11 years and David is truly a blessing to have in our family. He is such a great example to all of us.

We Made It to Tucson!

2008-12-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

We are here in Tucson and doing great! It was sort of an ordeal getting here though. The morning we were planning on leaving the Grapevine was closed due to snow the night before. We were originally planning on leaving early in the morning, but because of the Grapevine being closed we didn't leave until 1:00 pm. We ran into traffic and two accidents, so what normally would have taken us 9 1/2 hours took us 12 hours and we didn't get here until 1:00 am. I was dealing with being sick and didn't know how I would do driving the whole way (since we had to drive both our cars), but I managed by eating chocolate and Skittles the whole way to keep me awake. I am just glad it is over.
We are loving Tucson. The first week we got here the weather was really warm. The last couple of days it has gotten cold. It even snowed yesterday (but didn't stick). We are pretty much completely unpacked and our house is feeling like home.
We had a great Christmas and it was fun doing things this year with family.

Crystal Palace Night With the Kidz

2008-12-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

One of the kids last requests before we moved was to take them out to eat and one of the shows at Buck Owen's Crystal Palace. Since we've moved here it has been one of our family favorites. They have the best chicken fried steak, ribs, and rib eye ... as well as Amy's favorite ... their old fashioned green beans.

These are a few pictures I took with the camera in my cell phone. In the background you can see the Buckaroos performing on stage. It was a fun night.

David - Arrow of Light

2008-12-05T00:50:00.000-08:00

David was awarded his Arrow of Light Tuesday evening. He has worked so hard to earn this, as well as his 13 activity pins. We are so proud of him.

One of the coolest things about scouting is that the mother gets an award, too. Amy was given her mother's pin for the Arrow of Light and David was able to pin it on her at the Pack Meeting. I don't know who was more proud ... David or Amy.

David graduates into 11-year-old scouts in January. We can't wait to work with him on his Boy Scout badges.

The Twins R 2

2008-11-30T18:30:00.001-08:00

Elyssa and Joshua turned 2 years old today. The last 2 years have been lots of fun ... but absolutley CRAZY!!! We still look at them and can't believe that there are two of them ... and that they're not babies anymore.

We had cupcakes and ice cream for their birthday ... chocolate frosting for Joshua and strawberry frosting for Elyssa. We turned off the lights once we lit the candles and Joshua wanted to light his again and turn the light off so he could try and blow it out again.

Joshua got a train and Elyssa a little piano keyboard. It is so much fun watching them open presents. Christmas is going to be a blast this year.

Their big present for their birthday was a kitchen. They both played with the one at Grandma Doll's house for hours on end ... so they were so excited when they tore the wrapping paper off of this one. They've been playing nonstop since they opened it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELYSSA AND JOSHUA!!!

Disneyland

2008-11-09T20:54:00.001-08:00

On our way home from Tucson we stopped at Disneyland. We rode all the good rides for over 12 hours and hardly had to wait in line. Davey and Kella are into the "big kid" rides now ... Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Star Tours, The Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Carribean, etc. The twins were great ... AND ... way overstimulated all day long. They were so excited to see all the Disney characters in person that they see on TV every day.

Elyssa and Joshua definitely have "Mickey Mouse" as part of their vocabulary. The hardest part for Joshua was waiting in line to see Mickey. He was all worked up by the time it was our turn to see him.

The twins had a blast in Toon Town.

We're not quite ready for David to get his driver's license. This is the closest he'll get for at least 6 more years.

David and Kella had a blast. The last time they were at Disneyland David was 6 and Kella was 4. They remember going, but they had alot more fun this time since they are older.

"I'm a little teacup short and stout ..."

David and Kella rode Star Tours 3 times. This was one of their favorite rides. They only had to wait in line for 15 minutes once and then walked on the other 2 times.

Joshua loved all the Disney characters. He didn't quite understand why he had to wait in line and couldn't run in front of everyone else (which led to a few meltdowns during the day ... we worked through it just fine). We invested in backpack "leashes" for the twins, which worked out great. We would let the twins run around on the leash for an hour or so and then put them back in their stroller.

It was a fun day and we will definitely go back when the twins are a little older.

Our Trip To Arizona

2008-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

We spent last week in Arizona looking for a house and hanging out with family. We spent some time one afternoon going up to Mount Lemmon to have a picnic and let the kids run around in the forest. As you can see from the pictures ... everyone had a great time.

We found a house close to Target and even closer to the elementary school Davey and Kella will attend. We are sad to leave Bakersfield, but also excited to start our new adventure in Tucson. The kids asked if they could stay in Tucson until we moved in December. They had a great time with relatives and look forward to more fun with the family.

Joshua and Elyssa found the stumps around the forest perfect little chairs. Elyssa went from stump to stump and liked trying out all the "chairs."

The kids had so much fun together playing in the forest and climbing on all the logs and rocks. I'm actually amazed that we were able to get them to sit still long enough to take this picture.

Kella slept on an air matress at Aunt Jenn's apartment. We were glad that we could stay at Jenn's and had fun making her downstairs neighbor mad with all the noise of 12 additional feet on her floor.

Elyssa didn't have any problems warming up to family.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

This year was a real "treat" for the kids. We drove to Arizona (to look for a house) and the kids were able to go trick or treating with their cousins. The twins learned quickly that people will give you candy ... Elyssa walked door to door for over an hour and Joshua only lasted for about a half-dozen doors. His attention span is very limited. It was a great night and Davey and Kella really enjoyed being at grandma's house for halloween.

We think Davey may have found his college and career path this Halloween. Then when we get older we can live in the guest house behind his mansion during retirement.

Have you ever tried to get one 2-year-old to pose for a picture ... much less two? You should try it and see if you have any better luck than we did.

Kern County Fair

2008-09-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

We went to the Kern County Fair on Friday. We thought it might be busy because it was Friday, so we got there as soon as the kids were out of school. We were surprised because there was hardly any other kids there and David and Machella were almost the only ones riding the rides. They didn't have to wait at all. They had a lot of fun riding all of the different rides and eating all of the fun fair food (funnel cakes, fried s'mores, etc.). Joshua and Elyssa had fun seeing the goats and the cows. They know a lot of the names for animals and the sounds they make so it fun when they saw the cows and kept saying "Moo, Moo". I thought Elyssa would cry when she got close to the animals, but she loved it and tried to pet the goats. I am so glad we went as early as we did because as it got later more and more people came and by the time we left about 5 hours later it was pretty crowded.

This is a picture of David and Machella waiting for the Viper ride to start. It is funny because Machella loves to go on all the fast rides and David is not so convinced it is a good idea. Machella has a way though of persuading David to go with her and he usually has a good time when it is over.

Back to School

2008-08-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

The summer really flew by. It seemed like yesterday that the kids were just getting out of school. Davey and Kella were ready to go back ... they love school and I'm sure that the summer was too long for them. Davey is excited to be in the 5th grade and it's hard to believe that Kella is already in the 3rd grade. When we moved to Bakersfield she was only 4 years old and still in preschool.

More Pictures From Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

2008-08-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Joshua and Grandpa really got along well. Joshua's preferred place at the beach was as far from the water as possible (I think he rode on someone's shoulders as much as he could).

Grandma and Grandpa walking the 100 stairs down to the beach from the hotel with Elyssa. Going down was the easy part.

The hotel also had a game deck with ping pong, badminton, and a large chess board. Davey and Kella liked the ping pong and wanted to play all the way to check out time.

Lyssie figured out that riding on Grandpa's shoulders was more fun than the stroller and much easier than walking herself. She was happy most of the trip, but we couldn't get her to smile for the pictures. As you might ascertain from the look on her face ... she's actually the one in control.

Lyssie is such a good hand-holder when she's not running or riding. This is her and Grandma on the pier at Avila Beach.

We have a hundred more great pictures from the trip. If anyone wants to see them, let me know and I can burn you a disk or send more in an email. Just let me know.

We really enjoyed everyone who came out to visit for Kella's baptism. The older kids played well with the younger kids and liked hanging out with the rest of the family. It was nice to just sit around and shoot the breeze or just enjoy each other's company. Hopefully we'll have more opportunity to do this more frequently down the road. The kids liked being around their grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins. Thanks to everyone who came out to California!!!

Pismo Beach With Grandma and Grandpa

2008-08-10T00:35:00.001-07:00

During Grandma and Granpa's visit we took a few days and went out to the coast. One of our favorite places is Pismo Beach. We eat at our favorite BBQ restaurant (Mo's BBQ) and then hang out at the beach for the rest of the day. Little Lyssie really loved the water ... especially walking with Grandma and Grandpa. She eventually got to the point where she wouldn't hold anyone's hand and ran out into the water. She's a lot braver than Joshua, who is just content playing in the sand and staying as far away from the water as possible.

Grandma and Grandpa on Pismo beach with the pier in the background.

Three generations ... Donald David Doll Jr ... III ... and the IV.

Grandma coaxed Josh into the water ... but as soon as she let go he ran all the way back up to our beach chairs and his shovel and pail. I think the water must have been too cold for him. He preferred the hot tub back at the hotel.

The water was actually great. The first few minutes were cold, but once you got used to it you could play in it all afternoon. We walked the beach the next morning and the water still felt really good. We prefer the water in August rather than in February. You can tell a difference. Everyone at least put their feet in the water ... some of us more than that. It was a great day at the beach.

Amy and Kella ~ Baptism: 1980 and 2008

2008-08-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Amy and Kella on their baptism days ... 28 years apart.

Machella's Baptism

2008-08-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Machella was absolutely beautiful the morning of her baptism. She wore the dress Grandpa Mark and Grandma Mindy sent her. She was so excited to get baptized.

Joshua wouldn't cooperate when we tried to take family pictures outside the church. He would much rather run around than pose for his big sister.

This was an exciting moment for both of us. Machella was baptized twice because she didn't go all the way under the water (my fault). The second time I did it I pushed her all the way to the bottom of the font. At least she'll remember that she was baptized twice. I confirmed her and the other priesthood holders who stood in the circle were ... Grandpa Doll, Uncle Jay, Bishop Bramwell, Mike Nicholas (our hometeacher), and Dan Price (my friend from work). It was totally awesome to baptize and confirm such a wonderful girl who is part of our eternal family.

Machella with Grandpa and Grandma Doll after her baptism. We also had Aunt Jenn, Aunt Ali, and her cousins Zoe and Noah visiting for the baptism.

Elyssa's Naptime

2008-07-26T23:13:00.000-07:00

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Elyssa has now claimed my favorite place to take a nap. I know why she thinks it is soooo comfortable. Does she actually have to look as comfortable as I want to be? Maybe I can beat her to my favorite nap spot Sunday afternoon.

Kella's Special Delivery

2008-07-26T23:05:00.001-07:00

The day of Kella's birthday there was a knock at the door and to her surprise there was someone delivering flowers for her. She called me at work and left a voice mail letting me know she got the flowers. Amy said that she was so surprised and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Kella's 8th Birthday

2008-07-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kella's 8th birthday today. We thought I was going to have to work late on the 25th so we had her party one day early (Happy Birthday Eve). She had her favorite dinner (homemade ribs and corn on the cob) and requested a Boston Cream pie for her birthday "cake." Amy did a great job for her first Boston Cream pie ever.

Kella has wanted some clasp earrings since she got her ears pierced earlier this year. She loves earrings, jewelry and makeup. What a beautiful young woman she is growing up to be.

Kella is in to arts and crafts. This was from Amy... a jewelry making kit. She already likes making friendship bracelets. It will be interesting to see what she does with this.

The grand finale of her birthday was her guitar. She has been talking about a guitar for months now. We'll tune it tomorrow and she has books and DVDs to help her learn how to play. We'll probably get her into guitar lessons in the near future.

Happy Birthday Machella!!!

Kella's Baptism Interview

2008-07-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Kella went to her baptism interview tonight and is now ready for her baptism on August 2nd. She is so excited to get baptized. It's hard to believe that she was in preschool when we moved here and now she's on her way to the 3rd grade and getting baptized. We are so proud of her.

Nursery and the Twins

2008-07-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

The twins finally made it through nursery last Sunday without having total meltdowns. They have been such a handful in church until now. It's actually nice to be able to sit through classes and not nursery for 2 hours. We still haven't figured out sacrament meeting yet. Every Sunday feels like a cage fight in the pews until they either fall asleep or we take them out in the lobby. We still have hope that we can have a normal church experience again soon.

Pismo Beach

2008-07-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

We took a few days to just get away from the Bakersfield heat and chill on the beach. Davey and Kella had no problem getting in the water ... but the twins both preferred all the beach they could run around on for hours.

It was fun getting up and walking the beach the next morning after breakfast. The weather was cool enough to wear a sweatshirt, but as you can see in the picture, Joshua was a real trooper and refused to wear anything but his T-shirt. He really enjoyed the walk on the beach on his daddy's shoulders (and so did his dad).

Joshua and Lyssie loved running around all afternoon and playing in the sand.

A Lazy Saturday Afternoon

2008-07-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!

2008-06-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

Amy's birthday weekend ended with her favorite dinner of all time ... homemade sweet and sour chicken and a few more presents from me and the kidz. David gave her an aroma diffuser, Kella gave her White Diamonds perfume and lotion, and I gave her a heart necklace with all the childrens' birthstones and a charm bracelet with each of the kid's names on it. The day ended with a birthday kiss. Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!!