Sledding

Nicholas and Ty ready to hit the slopes!A few weekends back, the Seoane's came to visit.
We have a tradition of going sledding when they
come every winter. This year, Nelly and I let the men
take the kids and we went to the movies and out
to lunch. I must say, that was very enjoyable!

David Michael, Summer, & Sydney
getting dressed and ready for the cold.

My little speed demon. Jason was a great
photographer in my absence. Thanks, Jas!

My girls appear to be getting along! Yay!
I won't even ask if it was true, I will just make
believe they are always this happy together!
:0)

Summer's Valentine Dance

Who is that beautiful young lady?

That is my gorgeous 7th grader
on her way to her Valentine's
Dance at school.

Thanks to my mom and sister Becky,
we were able to talk Summer into this
gorgeous little dress. She was worried that
it would be too fancy, but it was perfect!
She was the bell of the ball for sure!!!

It takes HEART!

Sydney had the privilege of singing in front
of her whole school today. They are participating
in the Jump for the Heart Campaign. Syd's PE
teacher asked her if she would sing "It Takes Heart
To Be A Hero" which is their theme song for
the campaign. It was amazing!!!

Before singing, she participated in the Jump-A-Thon.
Once you missed a jump you had to sit down (that's
why she is surrounded by seated 4th graders). She did
well, but didn't make it to the final 3 in her grade.

After all the kids (K-6) finished jumping
all the students lined the basketball court and
Sydney took the 'stage'. You can see the boys
in her class in the top right of the photo. They
got the whole school clapping along and doing the
sway. They were so supportive...it was adorable!

For this photo I jumped in front of her and snapped
mid note. She wasn't too happy with me over that.
She said I embarrassed her. Isn't that
what moms are for? Way to go Syd!

Fun with my Valentines!

Nothing beats a four day weekend
spent in sunny Southern California! We
were lucky to get to celebrate Valentine's
Day with a bunch of our loved ones!

Uncle Brad is always up for an adventure.
Now that they are expecting their first baby,
I cannot help but watch him and think about what
a great dad he's going to be. After all, he is one
terrific Uncle! My kids adore him!!!

Sydney had a wildlife photography assignment for
Photo Club. Obviously, that sent us sprinting to
the Tide Pools in Dana Point!

Grammy was able to join us there for a
little while and she soaked up some rays
while Pops 'watched' the Olympics at home
(which means he napped in the peace and quiet).

It's amazing to me that we have snow storms
in Arizona the same time they are having 80
degree February weather! I'm so jealous!!!

Ty takes after his older sisters. No matter how
cold the water is, he is in it 100%.

We enjoyed tennis, the kids walked around
the lake, lots of Olympics, Survivor, a wedding,
yummy food, and wonderful Valentine's!
Can I go back there now...even if I haven't even
been home for 24 hrs? :0)

Last Minute Valentine's

Imagine this scene....I've just climbed
into a hot bath to relax for the evening
when my 10 yr. old knocks on my bathroom door.
"Mom, sorry I forgot to tell you, but we are
having our Valentine's Party at school tomorrow.
Can you help me make some Valentine's?"So much for my 5 minutes of relaxation!
* Jason's out of town
* I helped a friend who's moving
clean her house today & I felt dirty
* I never get to enjoy my jacuzzi tub
* I'm raising 3 kids (need I go on?)
Sorry for the gross out picture of me in the
tub, but it helps set the stage for the story! :0)

Luckily, I found this idea last year, so
I was prepared with after-Christmas-clearance
candy canes. Mini ones to be exact.

You heat them up at 300 degrees
for about 5 minutes, then carefully
smoosh the ends together with the
backs of two spoons.

Easy peasy!

Not bad for a last minute Valentine's
party that is 4 days early!
Sequins instead of ribbon. :0P
Hey, you make due, right!?!

Fruits & Veggies

I am thrilled! My sister-in-law told me about a food
co-op that she joined and loves. I decided to give it a
try this week...and I'm glad I did! For $15 I got:

*a pineapple
*bananas
*Pink Lady Apples
*Asian Pears
*mandarin oranges
*3 squash
*a bunch of cauliflower
*corn on the cob
*asparagus
*a head of lettuce
*jicama
*****************************
Thanks to Heather we are enjoying
some tasty fruits and veggies!
Here is their website if you want to
look into yourself. I know they
serve Arizona, Utah, & Idaho.
YUMM!!!

*the only negative: you have t o pick
up your items around 7 am on
Saturday mornings (and mine is
25 minutes away). I miss the
sleeping in!!!

Melted Snow!

Ty and I have been taking walks around our
neighborhood lately. We do a mile loop
and we have been loving it.

We invited the girls to join us on Wed. to a new
adventure we located. Just at the end of our street,
there is a ravine. Down the steep slope, there
is a running stream of melted snow. It has
created a natural red rock slide similar (but
a lot smaller) to Slide Rock here in Sedona.
We have company coming this weekend and
the girls are determined to take them there
in their bathing suits and slide down it!
Need I remind them....
it is melted snow!?! Brrr!!!My rock hoppers are too funny! I've
decided you can categorize us.
Here it goes:

1. Summer the Adventurer
(always the first to kick off her
shoes and get wet)

2. Sydney the Follower
(if Summer didn't die doing
it, maybe I will survive, too)

3. Ty and Mommy the Brains
(we know that is freezing cold water
and choose to stay dry)
Whatever category we all fall in, we love
our new find! Stay tuned for pictures this weekend
when the girls will go rock sliding in the
Polar Bear Club! :0)
By the way, Scoop was the biggest fan
of this hike. She dove in the deepest part
over and over again. It made for one happy dog!

My deep, dark secret!

Please don't get angry when I tell you
that I have been keeping a big, deep,
dark secret from all of you. Sorry!
Back in August (while at the beach house),
I had a tooth abscess. After numerous Dr.
visits, it was decided that I needed to have the
tooth pulled. No biggie, right!?! Well, actually,
since I admit to being a total tooth snob, it was too
much for me to handle! I had lower braces put on the
day before the tooth was pulled to assure the quick
movement of my teeth (to hide the hole). :0)
So, since August, I have had braces on my bottom
teeth. Sure, look back at previous posts and see if
you can see them....a game of sorts. :0)

Well, the tooth snob can no longer hide!
TOP BRACES....AHHHHH!
I will have these beauties for a few months and
then go back to normal...hopefully!
Yes, I did have braces once before in Jr. High.
Yes, my dad's not too happy about the fact
that I needed them again. At least this time
I have a husband that has to pay for them
(and they cost twice as much now).

No, I'm not thrilled with the way I look in them!
People say it makes me look 5 years younger
(they are just being nice, I know),
which would make me 30. So, does that mean I'll
look 5 years older when they come off, making me look
40?!? Oh, my! This 35 yr old looks ridiculous!!!