Happy New Year

We hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and be safe. We are in Arizona visiting my parents and enjoying the vacation. It is colder than we thought it would be but we are having fun still. We have enjoyed spending time with my brother Tyler, his wife Jerami and his 2 boys. The cousins love playing together. I love coming here but it always seems to set me back with all the junk food we eat. I did go running today and played some basketball with the boys. We went and saw the Christmas Lights at the Temple last night. It was beautiful! We miss all our friends and other family at this beautiful time of the year. For those of you who received a Christmas card, there was no picture. I am still getting used to living without the Internet and didn't have time to get pictures in the cards. So, you can visit our blog regularly to see updated pictures.

Lost tooth

Payton lost her first tooth. She actually had 3 teeth loose at the same time but she was so scared to pull them out. Once she realized that she got money for her teeth she was a little more excited to pull them out. She lost her 2 bottom teeth within a couple of weeks. The second tooth pretty much fell out and she lost it. Poor Payton!

Kailei baptism

Kailei turned 8 and was baptised on Halloween. She was so excited. She wanted to get her ears pierced so bad but she had to wait a few days. We are limited with what is close by our house, but I found out Walmart (my favorite place, NOT) pierces ears. Who would have thought?

The Happenings

So now that I have internet connection and the time to download pictures here goes.
Caleb turned 10 and since I don't have an oven, we had a donut cake. Joe thought it was rediculous but I thought it was inventive. Caleb got his new Broncos jersey and hat from Grandpa and Grandma Edwards. He is getting ready for his upcoming gymnastics season with his first meet on December 12th.

Where has time gone?

Kailei turned 8 on October 20th and she was lucky to get baptized on Halloween. I don't think she will ever forget that. It was great to have all our family and our friends around for this special time in Kailei's life. All she wanted for her birthday was to get her ears pierced, so that is what she did. I thought for sure she would shed a tear, but she didn't cry at all. I was shocked....She looks so cute. It is hard to believe that it has been 8 years.
On another note, Presley is 3 and she seems to always be getting hurt. We were having family home evening and before we knew what had happened she had fallen off the wood bench at the table and it had dropped on her big toe. Needless to say she can't walk on it and it is all black and blue. We are going to xray it to see if it is broken, not that there is anything to do for a broken toe.
We are all enjoying life and the blessings that we have. Yes, we are having our share of trials right now, but I like to think about the positive things in my life because there isn't anything I can really do about the other things. It drives me crazy when people are always complaining about their situations, someone else always has it worse so be grateful for what you do have.

I am back....

Ok so I don't have internet access in our new house so I will try and be a better blogger. Presley had her birthday and she is now 3! And she is THREE....She wanted to go to McDonald's and play in the playland for her birthday. There is not a whole lot of places out in Edgewood. So we all went to McDonald's and played. The kids all had fun. While I was in Phoenix we had a little birthday party with my mom, my grandma, my sister Carly's kids and my brother Tyler's kids. Presley was the princess!

Me and Presley are having a lot of fun together when all the kids are at school. She plays really well by herself. I thought it was going to be hard for her but she kind of likes it.
The other kids are still enjoying school. Parker's football season is almost over. They weren't very good this year. In fact, they lost all their games, so far, and they have only scored one touchdown. The coaches aren't that great. They don't get the kids excited about playing, they just stand on the sidelines. He is number 62 if you couldn't tell.

Caleb is now 10 and we are having a sleepover friday night. I am so excited. Actually, the boys are pretty good. He is still doing gymnastics, if it were up to mom he would be done, but he still enjoys it. He is doing very well in school and his teacher loves him.
Kailei is turning 8 next week and we are all excited. She is going to be baptized on Halloween because that is when all the family could get together. She will always remember that day!!! She is not doing gymnastics anymore and is dying to start Jazz lessons. There is a dance studio down the street so hopefully we will get our schedules worked out so all the girls can start dance lessons.
Payton loves school but she is pretty social in class. She also is very tired after school. She usually always falls asleep after school. But she is enjoying learning.
We are all loving living in Edgewood. I love when I don't have to drive into town. I thought I would want to drive but now I am tired of it. I have made some great friends and enjoy working out 3 times a week with them. We went to TINKERTOWN a few weeks ago, very interesting place. Other than that we are all doing well and enjoying the fall.

Long week

It has been a very long week. I have been in Phoenix since Sunday, August 30th taking care of my 1 month old niece, Lisanna. My sister's son, Tahi, who is the same age as Presley, had surgery at Phoenix Children's Hospital on Tuesday. Since there was no one to watch Lisanna the week, I volunteered to come and take care of her. She is so darn cute, but when you aren't used to waking up 2 times in the middle of the night, it is TOUGH. So, needless to say, I am not thinking of having a baby anytime soon. I like having an almost 3 year old that can dress herself, can potty on the toilet and can feed herself. It is really nice. No diaper bags or bottles to fix. I have been away from my family and I miss them so much. I am grateful for a husband that let me come and he took care of the kids the week. Also, thanks to my wonderful friends Buffie and Penny for picking my kids up from their activities after school and getting them home. Great friends make leaving a lot easier. Especially thanks to Buffie for driving my son back and forth because he can't remember what activities he need to go to. Living out in Edgewood is great because of friends like her. Presley and I will fly home tomorrow and I am so excited to see my family. By the way, Tahi got out of the hospital today and we are all excited he is doing so much better.

Big day Monday

Payton will start Kindergarten on Monday so I will post her picture then. She tested on Thursday and got to meet her teacher. She is so excited to start. She is going to have a VERY HARD time getting up for school. Hopefully we will get it under control so she will be happy when she goes to school. I still can't believe she is starting school.

First day of School

Caleb and Kailei had a GREAT first day of school (Thursday). They love school and they love their teachers. There is only one downside to going to school, they have to get up at 6:30AM and if you know my kids, they do not get up early. So far they have all been doing really well with getting up and getting ready. They have a great school that feeds them breakfast, so I don't have to worry about it. They love eating breakfast in their classrooms. I am so glad they are at their new school. Also, they do not have early release on Wednesday's, which I have always thought is a waste of time. They should just give the day off.

Parker started today and he had a great day. He is playing football so he already had some friends. His school is a lot smaller than LBJ (his previous school) and he loves it. The teachers actually can care about each student because they don't have as many to worry about. He is loving playing football. This has been a dream of his for a long time. I am glad he is having fun.

August Already!?!

I can't believe that it is August. I did it! I registered my kids for school out in Edgewood this year. Caleb (4th grade), Kailei (2nd grade) and Payton (Kindergarten) will be attending Route 66 Elementary School which has 300 students from K to 6th grade. Caleb and Kailei get to meet their teachers this Thursday, they are so excited. They will start school on August 13th, we are now in Moriarty School District. Payton gets to meet her teacher on August 13th, so she has to wait a little bit. I still can't believe that Payton is starting Kindergarten. It will be really weird for Presley and me to be home by ourselves. Payton starts school on August 17th.
Parker will be attending Edgewood Middle School as a big 8th grader. There are 300 students in his school for 7th and 8th grade. It will be a lot different for him coming from a school of 1300 students 6th through 8th. He is really excited because he is going to play football this year. He has wanted to play football with YAFL for a long time but I didn't want to commit to the schedule. So I am excited for him to be able to finally play football. Parker starts school on August 14th.
We are all excited to be moving out to Edgewood, FINALLY, and living in Bob and Sandi's house. Our house is not done yet, as we have been working on Bob and Sandi's since November. We hope that our house will sell soon so that we can finally finish our house in Edgewood. We have loved living on the Westside of Albuquerque but we are ready to start a new faze in our lives of living out in the mountains. We love our property in Edgewood, it is so peaceful out there.

July is almost over

And school will be starting soon. I can't believe it. It just seems like summer started. Where has the time gone? I love summer time except when we are trying to sell our house. It is hard to keep it clean all day long. The kids are doing a great job with their chores and keeping the house clean. It helps that we aren't home a lot but I appreciate their hard work.
I register the kids this week for school out in Edgewood. Route 66 Elementary School starts August 13th for Caleb and Kailei. Payton starts kindergarten on Monday, August 17th. Edgewood Middle School starts on August 20th for Parker. Should be fun times! I think the kids are excited to start school.

We have fish

Ok, not real fish but my kids LOVE the water. Payton can now swim without her floaties and she is so excited. She likes having the comfort of her vest but she can total swim without it. Presley LOVES to swim without her floaties. She jumps off the diving board at my friend Dana's house. I let her come up to the top before she grabs my hands. She can hold her breath for a long time and when she needs to get a breath she gets her head above the water, sometimes she even floats on her back. She is so funny. She is still working on getting a breath when she gets her head out of the water, but she is like a little fish. We are enjoying the time we can spend at the pool. That seems to be the thing we do when we get a call that a relator is coming to the house. Many people are looking at the house, we are just waiting for the right family to want our home. I can't believe that school will be starting in a month. YIKES!!!! We are having a great summer and we hope you all are as well.

Girls are fun!

I always love to take pictures of my girls, especially when they all cooperate.

They had fun taking these pictures with their matching 4th of July shirts.

Happy 4th!

It is a little late but I am finally getting around to blogging. Our family spent our 4th in Gilbert, AZ with my mom and my brother Tyler and his family. My dad was on his motorcycle ride to Laguna Seca for the Moto GP races. Joe usually goes with him but he sold his bike and didn't go this year. We had a great time, even though it was rather HOT, we went swimming atleast 3 times a day. Thank goodness I have a family that loves the water. Presley especially was a little fish. She decided that she didn't want to swim with her floaties and it was rather funny. She can almost get her head out of the water when she swims without floaties. Payton can swim without her floaties but she feels more comfortable with them on. We had a great time! Parker and Caleb always love the 4th because we buy fun fireworks and they get to put on the firework show for all of us.

Stamp Camp Weekend

I had my annual Stamp Camp in Flagstaff with my Close to My Heart Business Upline. We had a blast. There were 13 ladies from Tuscon, Las Vegas, NV and Albuquerque. I made tons of cute things. As you can tell by the picture of my work place. I always come back motivated to build my business and then reality hits and I just don't have the time right now. But I love creating fun things, especially scrapbooking. I am really getting into that. I am trying to work on Payton's book because she noticed the other day she doesn't have a lot of pictures in her book. Walgreens is having their 50 prints for $5.00 right now and so I am getting pictures printed that I can put in her book.

These are my dear friends, Buffie, who lives in Edgewood, NM (she will be my neighbor, kind of, when we move to our new house) and Mandy, who lives in Fredonia, AZ. We have been to 7 Stamp Camps together! We are Stamp Camp Snobs, but we love to go and create and just have girl fun.....Had a great revitializing weekend and glad to be home with my family.

Baseball is over

YEAH!!!The boys had a great season with their teams. Parker had his last game on June 10th and Caleb had his last game on June 13th. We just had Caleb's banquet at Dion's Pizza last night. I got a nice gift card for being the team mom. The boys had a fun season! I will post pictures of Parker once I upload them.

My Girls

We have been so busy that I haven't had time to take pictures. So, the other day I decided to dust off the camera and use it. The girls thought it was so much fun.



My mom was here visiting for a week. We had a fun time hanging out and running all over with the kids. Her back was hurting and so I told her she needed to come and visit and get her back worked on everyday she was here. She felt a lot better. Since she was here we decided to take a trip to the baseball park to have a family baseball game. It was lots of fun. It was the girls against the boys, needless to say we didn't keep score. Joe didn't bat, he was the designated pitcher. It was a fun family game, it pays to have lots of children!!!

2 more days

School is almost out and the kids are excited. Parker is pretty much done. I don't think he will be going to school tomorrow or Friday. Caleb and Kailei both have fun days scheduled so they want to go. I just can't believe it is already summer break. School just started, or atleast it seems like it.
Caleb had a great baseball game tonight. His team lost but he pitched and did a great job at it. Also, he made 2 excellent catches, one in center field and one as pitcher. Parker has a game tomorrow night! We love baseball season....

I am old....

By the way, I forgot to mention that I am now a mother of a TEENAGER.....Yikes... He celebrated with his friends last friday since he was out of school. They went to a kids place called ITZ. I am very proud of Parker. He is a great kid, I couldn't ask for a better helper. So, for those of you who are around Parker, just remember that he is a teenager and I am sure he will give you a little SASS......

What day is it?

I think my mind is on overload. Joe and I were invited to an Italian dinner at the Bender's house tonight and we were sitting there and it was 9:30pm and I said we needed to get home because the kids needed to be in bed to get up for school tomorrow. I had to take a nap this afternoon because I am so exhausted. We had 3 baseball games this week. Parker is doing very well, he plays for the Astros! They have only 1 loss, it happened when Parker wasn't there. Caleb is still going to gymnastics 3 times a week, unless he has a baseball game on his gym night. He is such a good athlete. He puts too much pressure on himself. His team lost tonight 9 to 11. They were winning until the last inning. His team had too many errors. He plays for the Diamondbacks. I have fun watching the boys play baseball. I have only watched one full game for each boy because I am usually Field Monitor or Concession Monitor. I felt like I needed to get on the Little League board and now I am in charge of buying the stuff for the concession. It is easy when I stay on top of it, but sometimes I get too busy with other things. The girls are troopers and love to go to the boys games because they have lots of friends there. Presley was asleep when we got to the field so I put her in my baby backpack and she slept for at least an hour, she is so good. This week was a busy but good week. Kailei and Payton went to gymnastics twice this week, as well. Everyone seems to be ready for school to be out. I will post some pictures after Mother's Day.

Almost time

Our house is almost ready to put up for SALE, and I am scared to death that it won't sell and we will be stuck. Our goal is to be out in Edgewood by the time school starts next year. I will have an 8th grader, a 4th grader, a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. YIKES!!! Speaking of 8th grader, Parker will be 13 in 2 weeks....I am feeling old. I am grateful for Parker. He is such a great kid. He is starting to get attitude but he still helps me with all the kids. It is nice to have him around to watch the kids so I can have time to myself to go grocery shopping. I hate taking the kids with me to the store. They are the worst. I hate to grocery shop anyway.

We had a very busy Saturday, like usual. I had to work in the concession for baseball from 7am until 10:30am. Caleb had a baseball game from 8am to 10am so it was nice to watch him. He actually got to pitch for his first time and he struck out 3 people. He has a very fast pitch but a little out of control at times. Joe is going to work with him on pitching. We then went to Kailei's gymnastics practice from 11:30-1:15pm. Then we drove to Corrales to take Kailei and Payton to a friends birthday party. Caleb, Presley and I went to the park while the girls were at the party. It was a nice day and it was fun to watch Caleb play with Presley. After the party we went home and cleaned up the house for about 40 minutes. I then went, by myself, to pick Sandi up at the airport and she dropped me off at UNM for my 3 volleyball games. I played from 6:40pm until 11:30pm. So, to say the least I was exhausted by the time I got home.

Yes, we made it to church at 9am, well 9:05am, they were singing when we walked in. Before church I cut both boys hair and fixed all my girls hair. I even had time for my hair, I didn't have to wear it up. I am thankful for my family and for the support of my husband with all the activities that I am in as well as the kids.

Where have we been?

We have been here just really BUSY. Baseball season has started and both boys have games and practice, plus I am in charge of the concession so I am shopping once a week for that. We still do gymnastics, which Kailei has made the Level 4 team! YIKES!!! Do I really want to keep my kids in gymnastics?!?!? We are also busy getting our house ready to put up for sale. Yes, it is about that time. Decluttering isn't fun, I just want to throw everything in the garbage and then start over when we move. The house is looking really nice, though. I will try and get some pictures on my blog.

Regionals

Well, we have had a busy couple of weeks and I haven't posted. Caleb made it to regionalS for gymnastics so we are headed to Colorado Springs April 4th. We are going to miss opening ceremonies for baseball for Caleb and Parker but that is ok. Not really missing anything. I have been a cleaning fool the last couple of days. Thursday, I cleaned out the shed next to our house and organized all the clothes that we have stored out there. It was nice that my sister came down to help me. All the bins are labeled now so I know what is in each bin. It took us 3 1/2 hours to complete that. I was getting a headache but I wasn't done yet. I then went to Joe's office and helped him clean off his desk. It was ATROCIOUS.... That took us another 3 hours.....Then today I decided to clean out the garage and get it organized. YIKES.....Enough cleaning already. Caleb is having the boys from his gymnastics team spend the night tonight, that would be 5 extra boys in my house. What was I thinking??? That is why I am in here blogging, to get away...What else?!? Kailei has tryouts tomorrow for Level 4 gymnastics team. We will see how she does. Do I really want another competing gymnast??

Tagged

I was tagged to post my 6th picture in my 6th folder. Since I don't have a lot of pictures on this laptop here is the picture.

This is Presley, when she was 1 years old, trying on the Darth Vador Helmet. She seemed to always put it on backwards but we laughed at her. Now, the next 6 people I tag are Dacia, Britney, Traci, Tami, Cheryl and Leah. Good Luck ladies, I will check out your blog and see who followed directions.

Arizona weekend

Caleb had a gymnastics meet this weekend in Chandler, Arizona so we were so excited to go and visit with Grandpa and Grandma Sachs. We had a great time. The weather was awesome and Caleb did pretty good, he placed 7th overall in his age group. Not his best meet but he still did pretty good. I think he would amaze himself if he actually went out and did 100% of what he practices. I would love to show pictures except I forgot my camera at home. I think my age is cathing up with me because I left a few things at my parents house. My mind is already going.....
We had some fun today when we went and looked at tile for our house. I saw so many I liked but I need to see them in a picture before I can decide.

Birthday Party

We were invited to a fun filled birthday party this weekend for a friends little boy, Brentyn, who turned 2. There were ponies, a clown, pizza, cake and pinata's. The kids had a great time. Kailei and Payton loved "Giggles" the clown, she did some awesome face painting. Presley wasn't to sure of "Giggles" so we got our arms painted with a Dinosour that chomps!!! I even kept the dinosaur on during my Lobo League volleyball game later that night.....It gave me good luck because we played very well, I was hitting great!

Presley's ouchie

She is always getting hurt, thank goodness she is a tough little girl. We were out at the house on Thursday and we were just getting ready to leave. Presley had already gone outside and she was running back to get in the house and she tripped over some rocks and cement out in the front of Bob and Sandi's house. When she tripped she was too close to the front step, which is stamped cement that is very jagged, and she hit her face. I was very surprised that nothing was broken, and she didn't hurt her eyeball. Payton needed to be in the picture also.

Payton's Princess Party!

We had a great time at Payton's party. I think all the girls had a great time. Princess Lauren did a WONDERFUL job with all the girls, especially Payton. I know Payton can not stop talking about her party. I am glad the party is over, it is always a good idea to have 16 girls over for a party but I was so glad when it was over. I was very excited that I could fit in my wedding dress for the party! I will put more pictures on when I figure out how to add a slideshow.

Check this out!

I love my girls and I love doing their hair. So, if you have girls you need to head over to All Things Ribbon right now!!!! This adorable blog is giving away the cutest little dress you've ever seen, and a bow!!! Definitely don't want to miss out on this one!

Also, we could both win a prize. Just let them know that I sent you!! Good Luck and have fun shopping!! Go here NOW!!!!

Princess Party

I can't believe that Payton is turning 5 on Saturday. It is hard to believe that she will be in Kindergarten this year. YIKES!!!! So, we are having a Princess Party on Saturday because she is one of our Princess's. Sometimes it is so much fun having girls. Because I am me and I like to make my invitations, I got an invitation idea from my friend Mendie Terry. Thanks Mendie!!! You are the best! The most exciting part of the birthday party is going to be the REAL Princess that will be coming to our party. My good friend, Buffie, has a daughter, Lauren, who is a Senior and she is in Show Choir. She has a beautiful voice! I thought it would be a great idea, maybe a summer job for her as well, for her to be my REAL Princess. I am hoping that some of the girls that come to the party will want Princess Lauren to sing at their birthday parties. I will post pictures after the party so you all can see the fun we had!!! Now, I just need to get all the party favors and party activities together. Wish me luck!!!

Pinewood derby

This post is a little late but I just downloaded the pictures. Caleb had a great time. One of these years we will make a car that goes faster than others. This year I bought everything from Hobby Lobby, unfortunately Joe and I are busy doing other things than making a pinewood derby car. Hopefully we will start earlier for next year. Thank goodness we aren't like some of those MEN that think the pinewood derby is the biggest thing in Cub Scouting. Spending LOTS of money on wheels off the internet is not my thing. Anyway, Caleb had fun and his car is the teal colored one. Presley was real board so I took pictures of her to keep her entertained.

This weeks updates

Since I didn't post pictures of Caleb's last meet, I will post them now. Presley was wanting her picture taken also, so Kailei took the picture of her.


We have put up many sheets of drywall at Bob and Sandi's house (my in-laws) and so I figured I should put some pictures up for those of you keeping track of that. We haven't been working at our house but it is fun seeing the change that Bob and Sandi's house is taking. Also, the girls walls look a lot better than the boys walls. I think because Sandi and I work really well together, there is no yelling involved.


The picture with Prelsey and Kailei is for Uncle Brandon. He is a firefighter in LA and he sent all the kids shirts for Christmas. No one else wanted to wear their shirts so I took this picture for Brandon.

I have to confess something to all my Facebook friends. Thanks to my good friend, Buffie, I am now on facebook and I am having a great time getting reconnected with old friends from High School and my friends that I have right now. I don't have a lot of time to leave comments but it is fun to see how so many people have changed and how so many people look just the same. I am thankful for all my wonderful friends that truly care about me and how I am doing in my busy life, but you all keep me sane. Also, I have the best husband in the whole world and I am so thankful for him and all he does to provide for our family and for giving me the opportunity to stay home with our children.

Another Busy Weekend

Caleb had another gymnastics meet on Saturday. He did very well, again. This time he placed 4th overall, with 2 seconds and 3 third places. It was a LONG meet with all the kids there. Hard to watch Caleb and try and keep Presley off the mats and the p-bars. But, it is great family fun and we all love watching Caleb compete. He is so amazing at gymnastics.
Today was another busy day, I had a few ladies over to make a flip scrapbook. While they were making their books, I was using my cricut to cut out letters and shapes to put on the bulletin board at gymnastics. I have been given a job at the gym keeping the bulletin board decorated each month and making sure to include any specials that the gym is having. It is right up my alley. Also, I am in charge of getting the staff pictures put up so that parents can get to know them a little better. I am having a harder time with that then I thought I would. My creative brain is working away though.
Then, because I didn't have enough to do today, I decided to gut my closet. We had one very long hanging wood dowel that was sagging tremendously and I really wasn't using it to hang clothes on. On top of that was a very sad VERY long shelf that I ripped off the wall and took out of my closet. If I have time this week, I will take a picture of the final project. It isn't finished but it will do for now.
So, as I sit here at 11:40pm in my very quiet house, sitting next to a very warm fire (I love having a fireplace), I realize I have to get up at 7am to get the kids ready for school and then head out to our house to help Bob and Sandi put up some more drywall in their house.

Busy Weekend

I am glad this weekend is over. We had a gymnastics meet at the gym our kids go to and I was volunteered to be in charge of the admissions table and the decorations. I think because it was the ALOHA meet, they thought I would be good with decorations. Started setting up on Friday afternoon, then worked at the gym for the optional girls meet Friday night, got home at 10pm. Then Saturday, Joe refed a JV wrestling match all day and so I spent most of the time at the gym helping out with the girls meet. Thank goodness I have a 12 year old that is great with the girls, he stayed with them most of Saturday, when I wasn't home checking on them or getting them food. Then today we went to church and I got to help my mother in law with the sunbeams class, let me tell you, I thought having 5 kids was hard. Those sunbeams are out of control and some of them need to get more discipline at home. I feel sorry for my in laws. I am grateful for my calling as Enrichment Leader. Caleb had his meet tonight and he did GREAT. He took 3rd overall in his age group of 9-10 year olds. I am thankful for wonderful in-laws who watched the girls after church so we could watch Caleb without chasing the girls around the gym.