The Raica Family

Flat Stanley

2011-05-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

We love Flat Stanley! My newphew Cole sent him to us for his class project. We took him to the beach today for Mother's Day. We have a few more trips to take him on before we send him back. Such fun!

THE FUNNY THINGS KIDS DO!

2010-10-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

We were in the kitchen making Rice Krispy Treats and Cheyenne's best little friend Luciana turns to Cheyenne and says: “Have you ever played the Chubby Bunny game”? Cheyenne says: “No, how do you play”? Luciana replies: “Well…..you stick as many of these marshmallows in your mouth as you can and then you say CHUBBY BUNNY”. I, of course bust out laughing and Cheyenne says “OK” and stuffs 2 marshmallows in her mouth and says “CHUBBY BUNNY”. Thank you for the laugh Luciana – and this is why we adore you! And I am sure you know what happened next.....Nathan comes bouncing in from school a few mintues later and Cheyenne says...."Nathan....have you ever played the.....yep you got it AND in goes 5 marshmallows......CHUBBY BUNNY!

Quote of the day!

2010-10-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." — Mother Teresa A friend of mine sent this out and I just loved it and wanted to blog it. Imagine a world if we could all do this. I know that the last line is absolutely the truth... "For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." Thanks for sharing that quote my friend :)

What a fun visit!

2010-10-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my Uncle Jerald (Mom's brother) and his wife Mare! I had not seen him in 20 plus years. I was so happy to see my Uncle Jerald and to be able to meet his wife Mare. They are both so nice and my kids just took them right in. By the end of the visit - they were Great Grandpa and Great Grandma.......that was so funny! I am relieved that they thought it was funny too. I was explaning to Nathan and Cheyenne that since he is MY uncle that this makes him their Great Uncle and that translated into Great Grandpa and Great Grandma!!! It was so great to see my Mom with her Brother that she has always adored.....absoultely adored!

I love to swing and I have TWO teeth ....that should be a nursery rhyme

2010-09-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

OH MAN I JUST LOVE THIS BABY!!!!

Roses

2010-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

I was looking back at my posts and realised that LAST YEAR I said I had a goal of planting roses. I wanted to learn how to grow and care for Roses. That is still a goal of mine; so I am restating the goal so that I have to do it!

Flag Football Season 2010

2010-09-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

We are having such a blast watching Nathan play flag football. He LOVES it and is a really good player. Scores touch downs and catches flags - what more could we ask for :)

Our little man is getting big!

Thank you Grandpa and Roni

2010-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

From the mouth of Cheyenne..

" I really love my dress but I really, really, really love my jewel shoes" : )

Off to church we go!

Pictures I took today of Savanna

2010-09-18T20:13:00.001-07:00

Bean,

These are for you. I knew you were going to look at my blog tonight and I had just taken these today of Savanna. Wanted you to see how much she has grown.

Savanna says......."KISS MY BUNS"

2010-09-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

A year of silence has been broken! Today is the day.

2010-09-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

I was with one of my favorite friends today and we started talking about blogs. I decided to go visit her blog in hopes that it would motivate me to start blogging again. And it did. So I am going to just start from here and move forward. I have to admitt that it is REALLY hard for me to just start from here without catching up the last year. Can't really reconile that in my head; which is why it has taken me so long to get back to blogging. If I could not catch up - I just would not blog. That is kind of silly really, but it is the way my brain works. Well, here it goes.... I have had a baby since I last blogged and she is now 8 months old. I walked down the stairs to find that my older two decided that she needed to be reading a seek and find book with them. I did not stage this picture....... These are the moments that make all the hard work worth it!

Cheyenne's 4th Birthday Party: Build A Bear

2009-09-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne's 1st Dance Recital

2009-09-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Goal of mine

2009-05-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

I am going to plant roses in the next month - there I wrote down the goal, now I can achieve it. I took this picture of my neighbor's roses. Isn't this one beautiful? She was probably wondering why I was photographing her roses. But it needed to happen...the goal needed to be stated : ) and I had to have a picture for the blog! Right?

How true is this?

2009-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

I saw this on my friend Kamee's blog. Have you ever seen her blog it is amazing: http://www.kamandfam.blogspot.com/. She is THE most talented person I know. Anyway, I copied this quote from her blog because I think it said so well and so true.

Myspace Graphics

My Mom sent this to me -I thought it was so funny!

2009-05-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

20 REASONS I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .

If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning. 2. My mother taught me RELIGION . You better pray that will come out of the carpet. 3. My mother taught me LOGIC . Because I said so, that's why . 4. My mother taught me FORESIGHT . Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident. 5. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS . Shut your mouth and eat your supper. 6. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM . Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck! 7. My mother taught me about STAMINA . You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone. 8. My mother taught me about WEATHER . This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it. 9. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY . If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate! 10. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE . I brought you into this world, and I can take you out. 11. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION . Stop acting like your father! 12. My mother taught me about ENVY . There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do. 13. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION . Just wait until we get home. 14. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE . If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way. 15. My mother taught me ESP . Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold? 16. My mother taught me HUMOR . When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't come running to me. 17. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up. 18. My mother taught me about my ROOTS . Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn? 19. My mother taught me WISDOM . When you get to be my age, you'll understand. 20. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.

My favorite moments; Friends -Friends!

2009-05-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

A play date to remember!

2009-05-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

I find it so interesting that the girls are sliding on the slide and the boys are.....

Climbing on rocks!

The girls are IN the play house and the boys are......

ON the play house.

Then we headed over the lake to feed the ducks.

Cupcake Adventure

2009-05-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or did this cupcake adventure get a bit out of control? The clean up was equally as long as the adventure.

PAY IT FORWARD

2009-04-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Pay It Forward! So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and then sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Hurry -be one of the first three!

Go BATTER Go!

2009-04-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

I think he enjoys batting much more than fielding. Just a guess... what are your thoughts?

But he sure is one handsome dog!

I love my boy! His smile makes it all worth it.

Are you comfortable?

2009-04-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Another rough day at the baseball field..............

I am not spoiled!!!

I am spoiled Rotten!

Taping of Dancing with the stars

2009-04-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

I was so thrilled with Conni invited me to go see Dancing with the Stars live. I absolutely love going to these live shows. This one was no exception. I am always so amazed at how different the show is live than on T.V. It is so exciting to be there and the studios are always smaller. I was lucky enough (not to brag or anthing.....) to go to IDOL twice last season. And the same was true there - the studio was small and everyone was SHORT (even Simon)! It was a great time.

A's Vs. Angels (Nathan Vs. Hayden)

2009-04-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Hayden are best buds and this game they got to play each other. What a fun thing this was.....

And Nathan "steps up his game" for his friend.....

My friend Janelle and I were standing there talking and we look over and saw that they had set thier hats down like this..........so I ran over and got a picture of it. How perfect is that!

Whale Watching San Diego March 2009

2009-04-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the Amtrak down to San Diego and then hopped on a boat and went whale watching. It was such a relaxing trip - riding the train was really neat. The kids had never been on a train and you can move around and it is quite spacious.

This was the extent of the whale watching - did not see a lot. Last time we did we saw tons of whales but it is just one of those hit and miss things. Oh well - still enjoyed the trip.

The dolphins were so playful - surfing the wake of the boat.

What a life!!

Fun at the beach with the Ritchies

2009-04-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Coreen and I met before either one of us was married or of course, had any kiddos. We could not have ever imagined that we would have had our kids at the same time; in the same order and that they would be playing together at the beach one day. It is so great. These are the surprises and joys that life has to offer.........

Poor Pey Pey....lost her footing and fell in. It was a good thing Coreen and I were looking after the kiddos because our husbands sure weren't.

Don' t worry guys - we got it : )

Brian Head Ski Trip Feb 2009

2009-04-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Gang! Love seeing the cousins together. Ken and I bid for this ski lodge at a Youth Auction for really cheap - half way through the bid when we realised what a good deal it was so we called Jason and Caroline to see if they wanted to split it. They said "HECK YA". So Ken focused the rest of the night on this one bid and we won it!!!

We were feeling good about getting this far - everyone was dressed, we got our skis, got our skis on our feet, and off we went. Well, one time down the hill and Cheyenne was done. Turns out she was not feeling well. This is how the rest of her day went.........

Thank you Caroline for holding Cheyenne for the next two hours. He is how the rest of Nathan's day went..........

We could not get him off the slopes!

To view the video; hit the play button. You can scroll all the way down to pause the music as well; so that you can hear sound on video.

Our next adventure was the tubing park. This place was soooooooo fun. The only thing that made it not so fun was that our baby girl was sick and could not be there with us. Bummer.

Here is a video of the slope - it was so steep and super fast. Nathan loved it to say the least.

Cat Nap

2009-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dinner Table Drama

2009-04-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Does this sort of stuff happen at your dinner table too? At least this broke up some of the other dinner table "drama" of listening to Nathan ask how many more bites??? Do I have to eat ALL these vegetables? He asked me if I was trying to ruin his day by putting the peas on his plate? I always answer the same way..."It is my responsibilty as your Mother to serve you vegetables....sorry buddy".

T-Ball 2009

2009-04-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Nathan and T-ball may not be a good match. This is Ken telling him he can't walk off the field in the middle of the inning. Even if he is really, really HOT and BORED! Too funny. And below we have pictures of how Nathan entertains himself while waiting for a potential ball to come his way :)

Dance! Dance! Dance!

2009-04-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne has come a long way from the days of watching herself in the mirror and sliding around on her belly. She is such a good dancer - always listens and follows along so well. I am so impressed. She may fulfill my dream of becoming a dancer after all.

A Serious Game of Street Hockey!

2009-04-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Our next door neighbor is a hockey player (plays in a league) and has continued to be so good to our Nathan. He is so patient with him and has taught him to play. Nathan loves playing hockey and loves Michael. We are so blessed with AWESOME neighbors.

Christmas 2008

2009-03-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

2009-03-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

2009-03-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

New Wrapping Paper Tradition

2009-03-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine; Janelle (a brilliant friend - runs in the name ...Just Joking) has a tradition where they save all the wrapping paper and then let the kids play in it when all is said and done. So we did that this year and the kids had so much fun. I love traditions and finding new ones ...so thank you Janelle for this one.

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

We have a Christmas Eve tradition of spending it with my Dad and my Aunt's and Uncle's.

Christmas Eve 2009 continued

2009-03-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Group picture of the Thompson Family - Dad is one of five and four of the five brothers and sisters are present: JoAnne, Roger, Linda, and Gary. You would think there would be a lot more kiddos running around -but not all the cousins make it each year and even more of the cousins have not had kids. I won't call you out by name but ....come on guys!!!!!! We need more little ones.

Gingerbread House

2009-03-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

I bought this Gingerbread Houses at Trader Joe's and it was so fun to make. The kit was easy to assemble and had plenty of different decorations to add to the house that two of them could do one house and not have to have their own.

Nathan's 5th Birthday Party

2009-03-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

2009-03-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

2009-03-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Preschool Christmas Performance

2009-03-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

This performance was so cute. I am always surprised when Nathan acts shy and Cheyenne is a HAM. "Day to Day" -Cheyenne is shy and Nathan is a HAM. Too funny. They sang "Up on the House Top" and "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" - and did such a great job.

Preschool Christmas Performance, Continued

2009-03-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

The bath tub buddies

2009-03-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Where is bubba?

2009-03-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Dawson was supposed to be the one who would have a hard time adjusting to our house; but Bubba has been the one that is no where to be found. So here are a couple more pictures of Dawson with the kids.

Cheyenne; The Knight in Shining Armour

2009-03-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I were cracking up when we saw this - can you tell she has an older brother?

Cheyenne and her baby cousin

2009-03-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne looks like a natural with the baby. We were just talking today about having another baby in our family. And she said she really wanted a baby in our family and then said "Mom, lets ask Jesus to send us a baby".

Nathan and Dawson

2009-03-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

We got two little kittens a couple months ago and this is one of them. His name is Dawson. He is so friendly and loves being held. Nathan is having so much fun with him.

Nathan and Luke

2009-03-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

It is so fun to see them dress up and go play "real Ninja's" outside. The are such cute boys.

AYSO Soccer

2009-03-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is Nathan's first year of soccer in AYSO. He is very excited to play and so excited to have his Dad be his coach.

"GRRRRRRRR" Go Tigers!

Soccer Continued

2009-03-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

Grandma came to EVERY SINGLE game. Nathan loved having her there and would always look at her as he made "plays" on the field.

Cheyenne loved having Grandma at all the games too : )

We had to include this picture of Srihas because he is going to be a famous soccer player someday. We should have had him autograph this picture for us.

That was fun DAD!

Cheyenne's version of the ABC's

2008-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

The first day of Preschool Fall 2008

2008-12-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

Both of my babies are off to Preschool! I could cry.............could they be any cuter? I am so blessed - my sweet little ones. They were so excited to go to school. They were not crying and holding on to my leg...OK FINE...I WAS CRYING HOLDING ON TO THEIR LEGS!!!!!!!!

Cheyenne and Miss Caroline

2008-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Cheyenne loves Miss Caroline....we all do!

A dinner with friends!

2008-12-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

So the cousins left and Grandma Kathie flew in....they missed each other by a few days. We had a dinner with some old friends that we met when we were all Newlyweds in the Tustin 3rd ward. Now we each have two kids. Too funny! Oh....I just noticed our not so old friend was there too....Bridgett and her boys are a great addition to our group of friends we are so blessed to have.

Cousins Day 1: The Beach..of course!

2008-12-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

They loved the beach- everyone one of them.

2008-12-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

2008-12-13T21:15:00.000-08:00

What is a beach day without mud pie!

Cousins Day 2: The Water Park

2008-12-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

Our community water park is so much fun!

2008-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

2008-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Day 3 with cousins: Swimming

2008-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hard at work in the Kitchen

2008-12-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

That is one big cookie! Not that we had any problem eating it.

Kiley our super star softball player

2008-12-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

Kiley needed to practice while she as visiting us for the week because she had a big tournment right when she left our house. So my sister (ex-softball player herself) game down and "caught" Kiley so she could stay warmed up and practiced. The gang was near by to cheer her on as they ate their extra large outerpops!

Day 4: Our down day to get to know eachother

2008-12-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

I learned that James is really, really smart! Emma is super crafty! Kiley is very protective of her brothers and sisters and a great helper and well.....of course we all know what a talented softball player she is. Last but not least.......Phillip is BRAVE, I was so impressed with his lack of fear of the ocean. He is so dang cute.

Our picture boxes to remember the trip

2008-12-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Can you tell which one is Cheyenne's?

The Cousins Day 5: Sea World

2008-12-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Sea World was so much fun! We were all so tired by this last day - we had been going and going and going.........but everyone had fun none the less.

4th of July 2008

2008-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Traditions are fun! Dad, Roni and Kyle have come to our neighborhood for the last few years to watch fireworks with us. We go down early to the park where it is held and lay out blankets and chairs to reserve a spot. Tons and tons of people come to the firework show - the community puts on such a good one with music every year.

Cheyenne and Nathan and their little buddies from church were playing together as we waited for the fire works to start.

Swim Lessons!

2008-12-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to see our friends each day at swim lessons; our neighbors and Nater's best bud Hayden all took from the same place around the same time. So our paths crossed! Cheyenne did so good in her lessons. I was not sure what to expect with her - I thought it could go either way. But she hopped right in and was such a good listener.

And she graduated in one session.....on to the big kid class she goes next session! Good Job Cheyenne.

Nathan's Swim Lessons

2008-12-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Nathan graduated his first session of swim lessons with flying colors! He got to jump off a real diving board as part of his graduation. It was really cool and he was really brave. We are going to take a break and take lessons in a month. Every day of the week is a big committment. I thought they both did such a good job.

Kyle the All-Star

2008-12-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Kyle made the 11 year old All Star Team. We had fun watching him play!

Cheyenne's 3rd Birthday!

2008-12-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Cheyenne had such a big day. Earlier she had an ice cream party with her "little" friends. Those pictures got lost over the past 6 months that I flaked out on blogging! Ugggg. Anyway, she had a party at the waterpark and then they made ice cream sundaes. Then later that evening her "big" friends that were in school and Grandma that was at work -came over for cupcakes and a birthday song. She had a wonderful day. I can't believe she is 3! My baby girl.....

Birthday Continued

2008-12-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you Ken for making Mother's Day so special. I got to sleep in and woke up to the sound of

"Happy Mother's Day Mommy" from my two little toe-head monkeys that I just adore. They both had bundles of Tulips in their hands and a card. Ken always picks out the most perfect cards for them to give me - and they are just as if they had individually picked them out. I laugh everytime. Then Ken made me a "yummy" breakfast (pancakes; my favorite and bacon). We enjoyed church and I especially loved the Dove Choclate bars that the Young Men gave all of us women. I am so grateful to be a Mother - I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father has allowed me to experience Motherhood and entrusted me with two of HIS little ones. They are truly gifts from God and I could not love them more. They bring me more joy then I could ever express in words. I am so blessed -so grateful- so humbled and so indebted to my Father in Heaven. It was a great day!

Our Anniverary - Zion National Park

2008-05-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ken and I had so much fun enjoying the critters, nature, the hikes, the dutch oven cooking and bike riding. What a great way to spend your anniversary. Kid free - my sister watched the kiddos for us and we took 4 days and explored Zion. It was so relaxing and truly amazing. I am always so surprised at how "small" I feel in places like this. What a beautiful National Park - I love everything about Zion.

While at Zion -we visited Bryce Canyon as well

2008-05-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

We took half a day to drive over to Bryce Canyon during our visit to Utah. Bryce Canyon is the third portion to the Grand Stair Case. Zion National Park sits at the highest point of the Grand Canyon and Bryce National Park sits at the highest point of Zion National Park. The terrain was so different and the rock formation were amazing.

Angel's Landing - Zion National Park

2008-05-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

I really did read this sign before I agreed to do this hike. But who knew that 1500 feet over a 4.8 mile stretch was really HIGH? Who knew that it meant that I would be rock climbing -not just hiking? WOW! At this point, I am on a landing looking across at this mountain you see in picture above and below. I thought I was on Angel's Landing at that time. Then Ken pointed across the way and said we were almost there. I could not believe it. If you click on the picture below you can see people really climbing up that - unbelievable. I had to finish what I started -but I was a bit nervous to say the least.

WE did it! And it was worth it.

LegoLand with the Kraus Family

2008-05-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors gave us and other neighbors the Kraus' tickets to LegoLand. So we planned a date and went together. The kids had so fun much together. N & C love Victoria and Michael. They are such great neighbors to have. We could not ask for more.

Victoria and Nathan deciding where we should go next.

Darth Vader made of Lego's - Nathan was impressed by this for sure.

Sea World- Spring Break 2008

2008-05-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Spring Break 2008 - Too funny! We do not have school aged kids but that did not stop us from planning some fun "Spring Break" activities. Heather and I took our little ones to Sea World and then a couple days later to Irvine Park. It was so fun.

Bat Ray's at Sea World

2008-05-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

What is not shown here, but must be noted - is that I held dead fish in my hand to feed these bat ray's. Bryson wanted to feed them so he talked me into buying these fish and then when it came down to it - I was $5 into fish and had no takers -so to "not waste money" ...well truthfully, I was hoping to impress Bryson and Nathan and I ended up feeding the dead fish to the bat rays. Eeeewwwwww!

Irvine Park with Friends

2008-05-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

I love this train ride at Irvine Park. We had such a fun day with Heather and Tessa.

Zoo at Irvine Park

2008-05-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Cheyenne waiting for the Lion to come over - it came close!

So did the BEAR- super cool!

Waddle, Waddle, Waddle

2008-05-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Three little monkeys up in the trees

2008-05-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Irvine Park has the best trees to climb! Nathan's favorite thing to do - and guess who follows?

Cheyenne's Grass

2008-05-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne is so proud of her grass. In nursery they planted grass seeds and she watered them and checked on them constantly. Well, the grass has grown - and she is so happy. This picture was taken a while ago and since it has grown taller so Ken and Cheyenne have given the grass a "hair cut".

Beach day with cousins

2008-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

This was a fun day at the beach. Caroline brought Cole and Gavin out for the weekend. They stayed in our home for the weekend which was such a treat because when my brother comes he never stays with us (always gets a hotel). So that was fun. We spent the day at the beach and the kids had such a great time. I am so glad that my nephews love the sand and ocean as much as we do. It is great.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Grandpa's

2008-05-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

We did an Easter Egg hunt in Grandpa's back yard again this year. It has become a tradition to have brunch with Dad, Roni and Kyle and Roni's sister Tara and her family and our family. My dad has a beautiful back yard and the kiddos love to hunt for the eggs.

Easter Continued

2008-05-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

My Beautiful Sweet Friend: Robin Rozier Groff April 4 1977 -April 11 2008

2008-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

They had this family picture taken right after she was diagnosed with cancer. Who knew? She looks as beautiful as ever. This was one of the most recent pictures of her spending time with Hailey when she was well enough to be out of bed and out and about. One of their excursions was to Disney (picture below) Most of you know all about my friend Robin. But for the sake of journaling my friendship with this amazing person - I thought I would recount how we met and the following 4 1/2 years I knew her. Ken and I moved from Tustin to Ladera Ranch in October 2003 - and so we started going to Mission Viejo 2nd Ward (our assigned location at the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ladera Ranch). Well, I was having a hard time meeting people because I was 7 months pregnant and just getting use to my new enviornment. Well, the last week in November - in walked Jason and Robin Groff who had just moved to the area from San Francisco. She was as big and pregnant as I was. Our eyes met across the room with the look of " OH BOY, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL." So the next Sunday at church - I tracked her down to introduce myself. We found out that we were both having our first babies, two weeks apart. I left that brief meeting thinking she was so cute and fun and I said to Ken; " I just met a new friend....I just know we are going to be good friends." So the next week our Bishop announced over the pulpit that she had her baby (Hailey Groff). So I quickly signed up to bring her dinner. I still remember climbing the flights of stairs to get to her apartment; hoping it was not going to send me into labor during the climb. Anyway, we chatted for a while and I met Hailey - and boy it made me even more nervous to have mine......she was sooooo small!!!!!!! Who knew? Well, 10 days later I had Nathan and she brought me dinner. Our small dinner exchange was a start of a great friendship. We got together weekly after that and shared our thoughts, ideas, problems, and joys of being new Mothers. Robin was always so fun, so kind, and so insightful. I loved spending time with her. We eventually joined a playgroup together and started a dinner group together. However, right after Nathan and Hailey turned 1 years old - they broke the news they were moving back up to Northern California. Her husband was a dentist and had found a practice up there that he wanted to buy. I was so bummed. We stayed in contact -of course, I got busy quick after she left because Cheyenne was born that June. And less than 3 months after that Robin was diagnosed with AML (Leukemia). The most shocking news I have ever recieved in my life. I could not believe it. Being the amazing person that she is - she journaled in detail the next 2 1/2 years of her battle to save her life. I was able to visit her at City of Hope and she came to my house one of the few times she was out of the hospital for a visit. I cherish both of those visits so much and wished there had been more. Some of you - followed her story not ever having met her - some of you fell in love with her just as I did through her writings. She was so fun, so positive, and was just going to give everything she had to beat this cancer so that she could stay here with Jason and Hailey. She did give it her best shot - that is for sure. But last week; April 11th she lost the battle or Heavenly Father won the battle. He wanted her and we wanted her! Well, HIS will always trumps our will. Her funeral was this past Friday (April 18th) in Fresno, CA. Ken took off work and we made the trek up there. I am so glad that we went. It was such a beautiful service. Her husband hugged me for at least a minute, Hailey looked adorable and sooooo big. I got to see the love of her grandmothers and aunts as they interacted with her and left knowing she was in good hands. What a blessing for Robin - I guess that is one of the reasons Heavenly Father knew he could take her away from Hailey. Her sisters told the funniest stories about her that made me laugh and cry. Her father spoke with such strength and understanding. There is so much I love about Robin and can't wait to see her again in Heaven. That is the great thing about Eternity; this life is just a moment in time compared to Eternity where we get to be re-united with our families and friends forever. What a glorious reunion it will be.

Typing Speed Test - Who has skills????

2008-03-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Lisa and Danielle's sight and so I just had to copy it. I love it - the only problem is that I am extremely competitive so I keep going back and trying to beat my last score. I am up to 70 words per minute now. Too funny! Click on the Title above to do the test and REPORT BACK : )

Dad the Human Jungle Gym!

2008-03-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

O.K. so I always look at the background in pictures and video -so I am assuming someone viewing this will too. Please excuse the heaping pile of clothes on the rocking chair in the background. If you look closely - you will see luggage that is still out from our trip. I have not fully recovered from that and we have been home a week. OK -so there it is for everyone to see.

So if you thought my house was perfect all the time -NOW YOU KNOW THE TRUTH.

Having said all that - I loved this video of Nathan jumping on Dad. He literally climbs all over him. When Ken is standing he will run and climb up his back and end up on his shoulders. He has figured out how to wedge his feet into his back pockets and leap up from there. It is so funny.

Out of Order - OOPS

2008-03-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some miscellaneous shots from the wedding. I loved this one of the cousins together. These are only a "few" from the crew on Ken's side of the family. There are 4 not in the picture on one more "on the way". I love big families. This is my friend Coreen holding my little nephew Benjamin. He is the happiest baby and she had him laughing so hard. Benjamin and his Daddy are having a MOMENT and I caught it! Couldn't resist.

The wedding

2008-03-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Susan had her three oldest brothers walked her down the aisle (the other 2 are serving in the Armed Services and could not make it). It was so sweet to see the three of them walk her down the aisle. She looked so beautiful. What am amazing bride. Her wedding dress was handmade by her Mom (of course!). They tried on quite a few dresses and took her favorite parts from every dress and created this amazing bridal gown. She could not have been any more stunning. Congrats to Susan and Chris!

I can throw these flowers on the ground Mommy?

2008-03-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Flower Girls

2008-03-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Cheyenne and her cousin Emma were asked to be the flower girls in Aunt Susan's wedding. They did such a good job. We were so proud of them. Look how beautiful they looked.

Flower Girls

2008-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

We can always count on Coreen for some fun Holiday attire! Happy St. Patricks day from Cheyenne!

"I am a Child of God"

2008-03-05T23:04:00.000-08:00

Nathan has been learning the song " I am a Child of God" in Primary as that is the theme for this year. Well, our really good friend Marvin is an LDS recording artist (amongst a million other things) and had recorded that song on a CD of his. The first verse is sung by children and then Marvin sings that last two verses. Well, my kids absolutely love his voice (as do I) and so we play it over and over and over and over...........again in the car. So Cheyenne has of course learned the song as well. Here is her first singing debut.

A fun day in Vegas!

2008-03-05T22:59:00.000-08:00

We went to visit my brothers family in Vegas a couple weeks ago. These photos were taken at one of the many fun places in Vegas. The boys loved driving those cars and Cheyenne could have gone around and around all day on the helicopters. They had a mini roller coaster too that we all enjoyed! It is so fun to see my kids and my brothers kids enjoying each other. Cousins - I love it! Cole and Gavin are so sweet to Nathan and Cheyenne. They all got along so well -even though they do not see each other as often as I would like - they just pick up where they left off and have the best time together. We enjoyed Jason and Miss CarOLINE's company as well. Miss CarOLINE is the best hostess - I am so impressed with her cooking and hospitality. She makes me want to be better when I have guests. She even sent us off with packed lunches for our drive home -so we would not have to eat fast food. Not to mention she is smart, funny and beautiful. I love her anyway!!!!