Charlie bit My finger

Oh my goodness! My friend Erin showed me this on her Iphone and I nearly peed my pants laughing. The best part is that it's a little British boy and the accent is what's so funny!

Officially a Boy

Well folks, it's happened. My son is now a full fledged boy. This evening after I called Ethan and Emily in from playing, I caught Ethan doing what every boy must be programed to do. I was coming around the corner and there he is, standing with the fridge door wide open, ready to take a drink of milk. RIGHT FROM THE JUG. I thought this didn't occur until puberty was upon them. I was wrong. I can only wonder how often he does it or if this was his first attempt. Heaven willing he'll wait until puberty to try again.

I Survived Black Friday.....

I HATE crowds. In all my life of shopping, and all of you know I LOVE shopping, I have never done Black Friday. Have you heard the horror stories??? Jeff used to call me when he was on graves and tell me about all the crazies in line at midnight.... Well, my good friend Jenny talked me into going with her this year. I got up at 4 A.M. Oh yes, you read that right. Most of you know that I am not a morning person, so this in itself is a MAJOR accomplishment for Jenny. Jeff asked me before I left if I was excited, and I'm not going to lie. I told him I was actually a little scared! He LAUGHED. We were at Kohl's by 5am. When we walked in there was already a line that wrapped AROUND the inside of store for check out!!!! Long story short, I actually had a great time. There were 7 of us and we took turns standing in line so that made it bearable. I actually got some really good deals at Kohl's and saved myself almost $100! I'm signing up for the crazy train again next year. That's right, I've gone to the dark side.

"Poo" Corner

My friend Jenny's little girl is now completely comfortable in my house. She has found a corner to do her business in! She hides behind the recliner in the front room. Haha. And let me tell you it perfumes the house! Haha. I'm glad she feels at home..

Apple Pie Muffins

Ok. My friend Jenny and I want to open a cafe. I'm in charge of baking and she's in charge of sandwiches and salads. Here is one of my creations..... Apple Pie Muffin w/ Crumb Topping & Cinnamon Whip Cream! It's very yummy. Last week I made pumpkin cheesecake muffins with cream cheese frosting!! Delightful. I'll post more as I come up with them. Next week I think I'll make plain old blueberry muffins.....boring I know.

Emily's Trip to the Dairy Farm

Today Emily and I went with her class to a dairy farm here in the valley. I was very impressed! The kids got to interact with all the animals and even got to flavor their own milk. Lots of fun. Here's some of what we did. Notice there are no pictures of any cows.....

What will the baby be?

We had our ultrasound on Friday. We have decided not to find out what the baby is so you will all just have to wait! Here are some of the ultrasound photos. The one in the middle is of the baby's hand, the ultrasound tech said the baby has good muscle definition already! Near the end of the ultrasound the tech showed me how the baby was laying. Both arms were behind the head and the ankles were crossed. That's Jeff's favorite position! How funny that they already have little bits of personality. As you can see, the head is big and round. Again, just like Jeff's. How fun for me. Haha!

The Fleeting Moments

Sunday was an incredibly emotional day for me. Most of you know, I don't cry very easily, but Sunday I cried several times. We had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society about being daughters of God. I was asked to read a quote by author Anna Quindlen. This is the quote:
"The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

How ashamed I felt of myself sitting in that room, knowing I was making those same mistakes. Knowing that I could never get those fleeting moments back.

Now, why this lesson hit home so hard:

Saturday morning we received heartbreaking news. A family in our ward lost their oldest son due to a drunk driver. This was doubly hard for us, as he was a police officer for the city of Phoenix. Shane Figueroa was responding to a shots fired call when a drunk driver ran a red light and struck the drivers side of Shane's patrol car. He is survived by his wife and 3 month old daughter as well as numerous extended family and friends.

As the wife of a police officer I have lived this in my mind wondering how I would cope if Jeff never came home from his shift. My only consolation would be my knowledge of the plan of salvation and how it works and my Savior's love for me and my family. I know his family is close to the Savior and that this is a comfort to them. I hope his wife finds peace with her Savior and comfort in his love for her and their family as well as forgiveness for the man who took her husbands life.

Please keep this family in your prayers and remember the fleeting moments of life, they are the most precious and often the ones we remember the least.

Flashback

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I nearly forgot to post about this concert I went to. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! That's right and I'm not ashamed to say it. I had so much fun, I loved every minute and sang every song! Hehehe! I went with my friend Meghan. Her husband's company has box seats at Jobing.com arena. We screamed ourselves hoarse and my hearing was a little off for a day, but it was worth it. I forgot my camera so the only semi-decent picture I have is this one of Joey. He was my favorite and mmmmmmMM is he delicious! Hahaha. Anyway, click on the title of the post and it will take you to their website. Take a walk down memory lane. I had a great time when I did.

Twilight Trailer!!!

This is a link to the new and apparently final Twilight trailer. I could pee my pants in excitement!! Hehehe. Just click on the title of the post and it will take you to Twilight paradise. Haha!

We've Got an Alien.

Well, we are going to have a new baby! Yea! We are very excited. Emily asks nearly every day if the baby is coming out tomorrow. She is going to be a great big sister and can hardly wait to help. Ethan has always loved babies, even when he was still a baby himself. We are due March 20th. (I'm hoping for the 22nd or 23rd so I can finish my last week of work.) We are NOT going to find out what the baby is. Don't start your whining. It's our last one, as far as we're concerned. We, meaning I, think it would be fun to find out what the sex is the day the baby pops out. Haha. So there it is. One more of the cutest babies that ever graced the earth will soon be part of our family. I think the picture looks like an alien...haha! I kept having dreams about twins so I made the doctor look. Just one. :)

Howard Stern Interviews smart Obama supporters In Harlem

I'm going Bananas!!!

We are proud to say that Ethan was drawn out of a box for good behaivor this week at school. He came home with his reward, the class "pet", George Bananas. The monkey had to go everywhere Ethan did, and let me tell you, the boy took it seriously. George went everywhere! The mall, the movies, out to dinner, to McDonalds (where I might add, he was almost forgotten!). There was even a campout in the living room on Friday night. By the time Monday morning rolled around I was VERY happy to see George get on the bus and go back to school! Oh by the way, there was also a journal that had to be complete with pictures all about George's weekend! Buh-Bye George.

Her own sense of style....

The picture says it all.....Emily loves to dress herself and as you can see the results are sometimes VERY entertaining! I can only hope as time goes by, that she will learn to match ALL of the clothes. Most days, the shirt matches the socks and shoes or the shirt and skirt match, but this was too much to pass up! Normally the results are not this funny, but today was picture worthy! I'll draw your attention to the green socks with hot pink, black and purple shoes....this was Emily's favorite part of the outfit....

Incoming!!!!!

During fall break we went to a fun park called Cracker Jax. It has minature golf, go carts, batting cages, arcades, bumper boats, and........WATER BALLOON fighting stations! Hahaha! I have to say, this is the most fun a kid can have. Having a water balloon come hurtling through the air and smacking you somewhere on the body! They had so much fun. We decided that it would be fun to go on a date with our husbands and pit them against each other while we laughed on the sidelines. Aahh, to be a kid... or a grown man. :)

Farewell Jake and Daisy!

Well we had to say goodbye to our dogs, Jake and Daisy. It was a hard decision to make, but it has worked out for the best. Jake has been sick with valley fever and it was costing us an absolute fortune!! I'm telling you, if you want to be a doctor and make money, become a VETERINARIAN! So we contacted a group that rescues golden retrievers. They found a home for them both together so that made us feel better about our decision. Apparently the people are screened more closely then those who are adopting a child! Holy cow. We miss them but are happy to say that our house has remained hairball free!

The boy loves football!

Well we know my husband is an absolute nut for football, and apparently, our son has inherited the gene! In August he started football practice and LOVED it! Jeff was able to be an assistant coach and enjoyed it (for the most part :). Ethan was a natural for center and I'm told is going to be really good at defensive stuff. (I'm not familiar with the terms yet.) Jeff is threatening to make me read football for dummies....shoot me now! Hahaha. It was such fun going to all the games and watching the boys improve. Finally by the last game they had learned to stay to the middle of the field and go for the flags! Cute Cute Cute! Ethan is already asking to be signed up for tackle, which they will be allowed to do next year.

Model Trips

I don't know what's funnier, the model's wobbly ankles, or the anchors laughter!!

Breaking Dawn........Hmmm.

Well, I must say that the book was not what I expected it to be. I didn't hate it, but if it had been the first book in the series, I wouldn't have read any of the others... I thought Jake's book was especially bad and incredibly BRUTAL! Bella's books were not that bad. Not my favorite, but at least we have closure.... I think.

Oh thank the heaven's above!

Well if you live in Maricopa, you'll completely understand. McDonald's opened today!!! Yea! Finally we have a place to go in town where the kids can play and the moms can have 79 cent ice cream cones! Hallelujah!

Dancing Princesses!

Emily started dance classes on Monday. She was a little hesitant at first, but she soon got into the groove! We got her a leotard and some jazz shoes, which she can't wait to wear.... They are way to cute for their own good!!

OOOOOH that one hurt!

I'm sorry, but this is HUH-la-RIOUS! I'm sure I'm going to hell for laughing, but I just can't help it! He loves me anyway! By the way the tooth finally did come out a few days later with much less force...

Sunday afternoon pictures in Denver

4th of July in Denver

Slacker!

I know, I know! I'm totally behind. However, I've got a great excuse......because. Ha! I'm downloading and organizing pictures and all that other stuff I promise. I know the anticipation is almost as big as the new Breaking Dawn book, but you'll just have to be patient. Oh and just one thing I'm dealing with today, Daisy, one of our golden retrievers, has GAS! Vomit anyone? :)

Jumping Lizard

OH MY GOODNESS!! I would totally PEE MY PANTS!!! Still hilarious though... Poor man!!

The Family that Rocks Together, Stays Together.....

I'm sure that little explanation is needed for the game "Rock Band", but I will do a little bit... There are vocals, drums, and two guitars... Notice, please, that Emily is the vocalist in both pictures... I dare you to try and take that mic out of her hands! They love to play this game with their dad. I am a modest audience member. Somebody must be there to applaud the performance! (I'm allowed to do vocals, but only on the rare occasion. They are VERY rare.)

First Time Fisher!

(I'm so far behind on the happenings in my family!!! AAAHH! Ok. I'm done now.) In May Jeff and Ethan went on their first Father/Son campout. They had a blast!!! Ethan loved every minute of his time alone with his dad. They did all the fun stuff, and best of all, Ethan caught his first fish! I love to go fishing and I'm so glad the kids are old enough to do it now. Fun, fun, fun! P.S. Isn't my boy beautiful!! Oooh, I could just eat him up.

Happy Father's Day!

I have to say, I'm probably one of the luckiest girls in the world. I've been blessed with such a wonderful husband (who happens to be SMOKIN' HOT) and he's also a fantastic father. The kids are always so excited to see him when he comes home. I must confess that he's the "fun" parent! :) I love to watch him play with Ethan and Emily. The laughter is truly contagious!

Skidoosh!

We took the kids to see Kungfu Panda. LOVED it. Our new favorite word is..... SKIDOOSH! We love to say it. Just makes you smile!

Pain, lots and lots of pain....

Most of you know, I don't do exercise. HATE it. However, my friend Jenny and I recently signed up for some classes at a local dance studio. My body protests, while funnily enough, my brain insists that I continue to attend the classes. I will admit that I feel fantastic as soon as I'm done. Several hours later, there is of course, PAIN, lots and lots of pain. (The brain is optimistic, but the body feels certain it will not be long before some sense is beaten into the brain.)

A Sentimental Moment

Okay, so this is VERY unusual for me, but I had a rare moment of teariness the other day. We were having a terrific rain storm in the valley Thursday. I had taken the kids to see Indiana Jones (very good by the way) and we were on our way home. It was about 8:30 p.m. and POURING rain. The kind of rain that feels like God is trying to drown the devil. I looked in my mirror to see if the kids were asleep, and of course they were. I was suddenly struck by how innocent and young and trusting my children are. Not a care in the world and completely confident that I would get them home safely in spite of the storm outside. I can remember feeling that way when I was a teenager traveling with one of my parents driving. I look around at our world and I can only hope that my children enjoy a greater length of peace and security. That kind of innocence is so fleeting and I never want my kids to grow out of it! I know it hasn't got great odds but I'll keep praying that they will enjoy it as long as I can provide it. So there it is. My sentimental moment for the year. :)

Yummy Twilight Trailer!!

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Emily and Grammy

Emily loves to help in the kitchen.  We made some yummy bread rolls.  They're made with mashed potatoes and before you bake them you soak them in butter. YUM-O!

Guitar Hero

This is what the boys did on Mother's Day.  I think it's HUH-larious that these two grown men LOVE to play this game.  For HOURS.  I'm serious. HOURS. 

Mom and Dad

My Mom and Dad were able to come for Mother's Day weekend.  I always love to see them and wish it were more often.  I TRY to guilt them into moving to the valley but it hasn't worked yet.... 

Shaq Attack

Monday Jeff sent me a message that he'd just met Shaq. That's right, the mammoth who plays for the Sun's now.  Of course, I told him to shut up.  He patiently replied that he was serious.  He had to close the academy and was checking to make sure every thing was locked up and opened up a door to one of the classrooms.  There was a Tempe officer and a big black guy with his back to Jeff.  He asked the Tempe officer how long he would be so he could lock up, and then Shaq turned around and said hello and shook his hand.    I said, um helloooo, did you get a picture? Jeff, being Jeff, calmly said hello and left the room.  No picture.  His LAME excuse for this terrible over sight was that the man looked busy.  Sigh. 

Proper Makeup Application Technique

I was getting ready for work on Wednesday, and I looked down to see this.  It happened right next to me!  Well, this won't be the last time she does this, as she's VERY girlie. I'm sure no explanation is necessary for this Kodak moment!

Mother's Day Masterpieces

This is not one of my favorite things to do because I don't really know how to handle "creative freedom".  I like structure.  I know, I know. Painting pottery with 7 & 4 year olds isn't structured.  My kids LOVE this place.  All I can think is: the colors don't match.  :)

Digger

Emily has a lot of nicknames, but the one that is most like her is Digger.  (That's what we call it when they fall down or run into something.)  Emily, unfortunately, has inherited her mother's clumsiness!  Everyday she has a new bruise or scrape, but I'm proud to say she's no whimp!  If she's crying, you know it hurt!  This is her latest bruise, courtesy of a spring rocking horse at the park.  She cracked her face WHILE she was RIDING the spring horse.  Only Emily is capable of getting a black eye on a toy that is nowhere near her face!

Picture Princess

Emily loves to take pictures of things. And her favorite subject is of course, herself.  The other day I was busy doing hair and Emily found the camera..... These are just four of the 139 shots that she took of herself. Yes you read that right. 139 pictures of the princess.   

7 Things About Me

Well here we go folks.  My friend Sioux tagged me. The challenge: 7 things most people don't know about me.  Seven is a BIG number! This really makes you think about how truly crazy you are. 

1. BOOGERS. I HATE boogers with a passion.  They make me want to vomit. If I see a little kid with them running down their face or the ADULT (usually male) picking one out, I'm instantly nauseous.

2. I'm uncomfortable in large groups of people where you are supposed to be socializing.  I get very shy and clam up.  I'm much better with small groups of 2 or 3 people.  Surprising, I know, considering I could find something to say to a tree.

3. I actually like to cook.  Some of you may be laughing right now, however, I've gotten quite good at it.  I even get the gourmet cooking magazines!!

4. Creme Brulee.  I LOVE this stuff.  If it's on a menu, I have to have it.  I don't care if I'm on a diet that day or not.  It's going to be in my tummy.  My favorite place for it is a restaurant in Mesa called the Blue Adobe Grill.  YUM.  Gourmet Mexican food AND creme brulee.  What more do you need??

5. I hate laundry.  Everything about it. Washing, drying, folding, hanging it up or putting it in a drawer.  Hate it.

6. I would LOVE to go sky diving and bungee jumping some day.  I think that it would feel so free.  Yes. I know I'm crazy.  Here's the really funny part.  I have a panic attack whenever I get to close to the edge of something high.  The grand canyon, a roof top, the second level at the mall... 

7. Jeff says I snore sometimes. I have large adenoids and when my allergies are acting up, they get even bigger, and I can't breathe.  So it's not my fault. 

So there you have it.  The seven most interesting things you'll ever know about a person! Haha!  I tag:

Jenny, Nikki, and Candi.

Sleeping with a Sick Kid

It's 12:30 am.  You're sound asleep.  Dreaming. Comfortable. At peace.  Then out of nowhere....BAM.  A child is standing at your bed telling you they are going to throw up.  Okay, you say, go to the bathroom.  In they go and the fun begins.  Any parent who has ever had a kid throw up just once in the night knows there is no more sleep coming your way.  Every sound, cough or deep breath has you ramrod straight in the bed saying, "Where's the bowl? Get the bowl!"  There is no more vomit, but none the less, there is no more sleep.  Then morning comes.    You have made it through without changing the sheets.  You make your way to the bathroom and survey what's left.  Puffy eyes.  Hair in every direction.  You look good, considering  you've slept with a sick kid.

A new obsession...sigh

Ok. I have a new obsession.   Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to read.  My good friend Jenny gave me a book called Twilight. (Some of you may know exactly what I mean by obsession now.)  These books are FANTASTIC!!  All I can say is once you start, you won't want to stop until you are done with all the books. (There are 3 right now, with the 4th & final one is out in August.) I downloaded them onto my ipod, because I felt I should still be productive.  I'm utterly useless when I've started a book until it's done.  So that's it.  I finished all three books in less then a week.  Yes.  I know. Obessed.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well folks, Ethan's lost his second tooth.  This time it wasn't quite as fun as the first one.  Jeff helped it along, and there was some blood... Neither of which Ethan was a fan of!  He has at least three others wiggling around in there! I just hope a few start to grow in before anymore fall out! 

Party Anyone?

Emily loves my little ponies. She received several for her birthday and one had a party theme.  So as you can see: a party hat, is a party hat, no matter how small!

What does a smile mean?

Today, one of our clients had to give up Wiggle tickets because her little girl was sick.  I was the lucky recipient of the tickets which were PRIMO as you can see.  We were right by the stage!  After the concert I was asking the kids what their favorite parts of the show were.  Emily said the costumes, of course. Haha! Ethan said his was the part where Murray played the guitar.  I asked him if he had a good time. Here is the conversation that followed:

Mom: Did you have fun?

Ethan: No.

M: Really?  It looked like you were having a great time!

E: Just because I had a smile on my face didn't mean I was having a fun time.

Who knew? I always thought that was a SURE sign of enjoyment!  I stand corrected. Hahaha!  Here is a picture, as proof, of his "non-enjoyment"!

Emily and Mommy

Emily and I usually have a lot of fun during the day.  We were fooling around with the camera and managed to capture some cute ones!  She's my little angel baby, who we also call the devil!  

Grubby little hands...

Tonight at dinner Ethan said he finally understood why his dad said no one else should touch his glasses:

"It's because they have grubby little hands and will get them dirty."

I just thought that it was so funny the way Ethan called them "grubby little hands".  Oh the wisdom of seven year olds!

We had so much fun at the beach.  Ethan was less than pleased to leave, but the winds were picking up and more importantly, the mothers were tired!

Coloring Easter Eggs

Having fun in San Diego

Easter Sunday

All ready for church on Easter Sunday.. What a wonderful day.  And of course, my kids were the cutest!

Do you know what a lie is?

Today Emily came in to tell on her brother and had a funny moment....

Emily: "Mommy, Ethan said a lie to me!"

Mommy: "Really, and do you know what a lie is?"

E:  "Yes."

M: "Well, what is it?"

E:  "It's a flick."

M: "No, a flick is what you get when you tell a lie."

E:  "Oh."

Serenading the Princess

Emily loves to sing the birthday song, and more importantly, loves to have it sung TO her! She also loves the icing on cakes, a disease she inherited from her mother....hahaha!

Today Ethan lost his first tooth!! He's been obsessing over when it would happen to him, and finally the day arrived. He lost it at church and loves to feel the space that it left behind. He wasn't sure if he could eat anything, but while munching on a nacho decided it could be done!

Happy Birthday Emily

Today is Emily's 4th birthday!  She's been very excited!  Emily likes to tell everyone (stranger or friend) she meets that it is her birthday.  She's very enthusiastic!

Jeff's Trip to Europe with Paul and Travis (his brothers)

Hanging Out with the Horses

Disneyland Photos December 2007

Videos We Love!

http://www.youtube.com/user/queenheather78

Our Pretty Princess

Here is my most recent picture of Emily.  I call her the devil and she reminds me that she's not the devil, she's a princess! That is the sauce I live with.  She loves to play dress up and kitchen.  She loves to help me cook as well.  Who knows, maybe she's the next Paula Dean!

Our Handsome Boy

Here is my most recent picture of the boy.  He's such a ham!  He loves to play Guitar Hero and is actually pretty good.  He plays air guitar while in the outfield during baseball games.  VERY entertaining.