The Hess Clan

Christmas 2011

2012-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas was nice this year, except for the fact that Jaxon got sick the day before Christmas Eve and then passed his cold onto the rest of us. Each of us took turns getting sick, so we stayed home almost the whole vacation time and just took it easy. We did do a lot of fun things prior to Christmas to help us get into the Christmas spirit. We attended our neighbor's ugly sweater party which was a blast. We also had a neighborhood Christmas party where we had hot cocoa, roasted marshmellows by the fire, and took a sleigh (trailer) ride around the community caroling. Everyone had a blast--the kids really loved singing their little lungs out, it was very cute. Last year Chris' mom got us a cute manger and a story about how we can be more like our Savior at Christmas time. We took the manger out and read the story that went a long with it. Each week we drew names and secretely did good things for our special person. Then at the end of the week we would fill the manger with straw according to how many Christlike things we had done. The point was to show our love for one another and for our Savior and hopefully build him a soft bed for his birth. The kids did really great and it was fun to bring the true meaningn of Christmas into our home. This is definitely a tradition we will be doing year after year. On the other end of the spectrum, for the last two years we have stopped at Bass Pro shop to visit Santa. The store really was decorated so cute--it was a little winter wonderland, plus they let you get free pictures with Santa--and their Santa I would say is better than the mall Santa. This year they had a carousel, cookie decorating, a place to write a letter to santa, and games to play--I love it because it is all free and fun!

Jaxon suggested we have a "special" Christmas Eve dinner this year---by candle light--and so it was done. We had our special dinner complete with candles and fancy glasses (O and all the lights needed to be turned off except the candles), and then we watched Joy to the World--the story of Christ's birth. By then the kids were ready to set out the cookies and get to bed. Before bed they always get to open one present--it is always pjs--Jaxon got star wars lego jammies, Kenli got Rapunzel, and Drey got monkey jammies--because he is our little monkey. Lucky for Jaxon he was feeling ok Christmas Eve and Christmas Day-but by the next day he was feeling sick again and that is when it progressed to the rest of us--but atleast we had a fairly happy and healthy Christmas.

Christmas was a success--the kids loved their presents and we happy that they had made it to the nice list and received the presents they were hoping for. We had church later that day and I absolutely loved it. I know as a child I was never thrilled if Christmas fell on a Sunday, but now I love it. What a better way to celebrate Christmas then to go to church and be uplifted by the Spirit. Our ward put on a beautiful program and it was a special part of our day.

Baby on board

2011-12-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't been on here much. Our computer crashed a couple of weeks before Christmas and I have not had access to my pictures since then. I am hoping we can still recover all our pictures soon. Some exciting news is that we are expecting our 4 child--a BOY! We have had three ultrasounds thus far and I have to say he is going to be quite a cutie! This pregnancy has been a little different for me--it seems like everything has been intensified this time around. I am hoping this does not mean that I will be completely useless by the time the 8th and 9th month role around. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, but I have told Chris that I am not sure I will be able to make it up our stairs by the end of the pregnancy---LOL! Anyway, we are excited to for our new addition--he should arrive sometime around April 17th!

Surprise!

2011-10-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

SO I really wanted to have this Halloween shirt---

Whirlwind

2011-10-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

So we have been BUSY! We have had so much going on the last few months that it has been hard to do anything but what was absolutely necessary. Two big things that have happened recently--Jaxon and Kenli started school and we moved! Jaxon was sad to leave his old school and friends, but has quickly decided that he loves his new school. I really love it too--it is such a neat place! Kenli started preschool in Aug. and loved every minute of it. Now that we have moved I am looking for a new preschool and a new dance class (requested by kenli) for Kenli. Packing and moving is not fun. I have had to do it a few times as a child and since Chris and I have been married we have moved 4 times. Although moving isn't much fun, I am absolutely in love with our new home and our new neighborhood--it is BEAUTIFUL and the people are so friendly. I am happy to know that we may stay here for quite a while. The weather is starting to cool down--this last week it was around 75 degrees--blissful. It has been nice for us to be able to get outside and enjoy ourselves. Well, that is the jist of what has been going on. We are still busy unpacking and organizing our new home--and getting our old home ready to sell (almost there)!

Vacation continued

2011-08-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

After visiting with my sister's family we headed out to my parents house to visit with them for a week. There we filled our time up with visiting more family, riding on motorcycles, going to the park, swimming, watching movies, staying up too late, going to a carnival, and visting the fire museum.

At the carnival they had little games for the kids to play. One of them was a banana race which Kenli won!

On our trip I took the kids to the capitol and also to temple square. The kids thought the capitol was really neat. Jaxon especially loved it--as he really loves history. I think Kenli just liked how beautiful it was and how her voice echoed when she would sing.
Drey loved the fountains and just being able to run around outside.

I asked Kenli to turn around so I could take a picture of her on the stairs - she turns around and then proceeds to lay down on the stairs to pose for me--what a drama queen.

After the capitol we headed over to the church history museum. Jaxon had been wanting to go here ever since he saw a segment about it after watching conference last year. I hadn't been there in awhile and it is pretty amazing. Aside from all the cool artifacts they have they have a whole kid section where the kids could transcribe plates, play games, dress up, build towers, learn to dance, steer a boat, make a magnet quilt, and fish. Jaxon and Drey loved it...I think Kenli would have loved it too but she slept the whole time we were there!

From the museum we headed over the vistor center on temple square. The visitor center had also changed since I had been there last. Now they have really neat interactive scripture stories that all us found very facinating. This day was a very spiritually charged day for us. There were so many neat things to see and the spirit truly is so strong there. I really felt it and I was so thankful that I got to go and share that with my kids. I hope they felt the love of our Savior for them while we were there because I know I did!

We also went inside the old tabernacle and the sister missionaries performed the needle test. I had never heard of this before, but what they do is take a needle and drop it from the podium and who can hear it all the way in the back--without the use of a microphone--it was pretty neat.

We had a blast visiting Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Ben, and Uncle Bryce (except for when I got a 24 hr bug) THANKS!

Chris' family always does a Lagoon day before the 4th. The kids of course had a blast riding all of the rides and splashing at Lagoona Beach. I loved being outside and enjoying the cooler weather. The kids spent most of the day there and left the park around 6ish. Chris got into SLC around that time and was able to meet up with us at Lagoon. It was so nice to see him--we missed him tons.

Finally we made our way up to Idaho for Chris' brother's baby blessing and for the fourth of July.

Vacation

2011-08-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

We were able to take a vacation to Utah and Idaho this year and visit A LOT of family--which we loved. Chris had to go on two business trips so I took the kids up to Utah while he was gone and he met us up there a few days before the 4th of July. While I was up there on my own I decided to try and fill up our time with adventurous learning experiences.
Our first stop was Aunt Donna's house. She was kind enough to let us spend a few days with her so we could visit everyone in the Utah county area.

Here we are with the cousins!

We had to stop and see Grandpa Howse and his wife Jan. This was their first time meeting Drey.

One thing I thought Jaxon would love was to see the Timpanogous caves. He was so excited to hike up the big mountain and he did such an awesome job!

He thought the caves were amazing. He especially liked the "carrot" stalactite and the "heart" of the cave.

While down in BYU territory we decided to hit the Bean museum and the BYU Palentology museum. The kids loved seeing all of the animals and dinosaurs. I just loved being around that campus--it is so beautiful and the weather was perfect! I took a picture of the mountains because they were so green---the Y reminded us Dad and we wished he could have been with us that day.

After our visit with the people in Utah County we headed to SLC to visit my sister and her family. It was so great to see each of them especially their new addition Mindi. We also got to see their new house--which was beautiful. I loved visiting with my sister---wish they lived closer:)! Thanks Josh, BreeAnne, Brooklynn, Emily, Katie, Ashley, and Mindi for letting us visit!

We decided to take the kids up to Kennecott copper mine. Jaxon was not too thrilled about it. Once we got there and he saw the big tire and trucks he was hooked. I think he enjoyed it the most, although he was a little disappointed he didn't see any dynamite blasting up the mountain.

Pioneer Trek 2011

2011-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Chris and I got called to be a Ma and Pa for the stake trek this year. For one I did not know it was a calling...I just figured people volunteered to go. I wasn't really sure if it was going to work out and if we would be able to go, but I really hoped that it would, and it did! Neither one of us had ever gone on a church trek before so we really didn't know what exactly to expect. A few people shared their experiences with us and they all varied quite a bit but one thing was constant--everybody said it was an amazing experience. Chris' parents came down to watch our kids (THANKYOU!) for the four days we would be gone. The first day we trekked 10 miles, the 2nd day we trekked 5.5 miles. The rest of day two we spent playing pioneer games (soap making, rifle shooting, tug of war, toy making, hair washing (my favorite part) scone making and eating! Seriously the hair washing felt so great---we were so filthy from hiking. I thought I was getting tan until I washed myself off--it was disgusting! That night we had a mini concert and ice-cream and cake. The next day was our mock Sunday. Sunday was an amazing day. All of the speakers were wonderful and you could feel the Spirit so strongly---it was truly amazing! We had 8 kids in all, four boys and four girls. Their ages ranged from 14-18 and they were all awesome kids! I haven't had much time with the youth, as I have been in primary for the last few years, but I was so impressed with most of the youth I met there. Our family members all got along really well. We were able to talk, work, and play together happily. The only part I did not like was getting eaten by the bugs. We stayed pretty bug free until the third day then we all got bitten up--it was horrible. Our last day was our hardest. We trekked 7 miles and it was pretty much up hill the whole way-except for the home stretch that was downhill. The funniest things was when we passed some campers and they started taking pictures of us. I am wondering if they were LDS or just thought we were a crazy sight to see. The trek was truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful that Chris and I got to be a part of it.

Golfing with Dad

2011-07-20T17:35:00.001-07:00

Chris took Jaxon out golfing just the two of them for the first time. It was a warm, well hot day, but Jaxon really had a great time. I wish golf didn't cost so much---because I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of money on it someday!

The kid's graduations

2011-07-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Jaxon graduated from Kindergarten and next year he will be at school all day long. He really had a great kindergarten year. He had the BEST kindergarten teachers! I had the priviledge of helping out in the class room a few times and I was always so impressed with what I saw. Jaxon loves his school and his friends. I hope next year will be just as good as this one was!

Kenli graduated from her first (well half year) of preschool. She absolutely loved Mrs. Lisa and going to preschool.

Girls weekend and Glee live

2011-07-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

For Chris' mom's birthday her sister organized a huge girls weekend getaway to Vegas to see Glee live. I haven't really ever watched that show, but I was so excited to go. It was nice to get away for a few days and not have to worry about anything. I really enjoyed seeing everyone, relaxing, and eating. We of course toured the strip, went shopping, ate out, stayed up too late, and of course saw Glee live! The show was really great and it was fun to see how giddy some of the girls were getting. One of my favorite things about our trip was probably going on the stratosphere rides. I had never done any of them before and it was so fun! I also got to stop by and see one of my good friends before I flew home. It was good to see her and her family. I went to church with them and what a change of feeling to go from the stip to church. Really I had fun, but Vegas has gotten really nasty. I don't think it is really a good place to go anymore---even though there are some really neat things there is just too much filth mixed in nowadays.

Kenli's Birthday

2011-07-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yes---I know my blog has been neglected. Kenli turned 4 in April. She had a Cinderella birthday. 8 of her friends came over and they seriously had a blast. It was a little crazy for me, but so worth it to see how much fun Kenli was having.

More baseball

2011-05-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

Throughout the season Jaxon has been able to try each position. Here he is as the catcher. Last year the catcher outfit did not fit him at all. The shin guards were way to big and the poor boy could not even bend his knees, lucky for him it fit him a lot better this year.

During the game I am constantly trying to keep Drey from going out onto the field. All he wants to do is play ball with the big boys. He got into the gear and was all ready to go...the sight was too cute not to take a picture.

Kenli & Preschool

2011-05-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't put Kenli in preschool this year because I figured a year of preschool would be good and that I could teach her at home this year. But, I started getting busier with school and everyday Kenli was begging me to go somewhere. I was kind of like where do you want to go...all the time...every day. So, my solution was preschool. Yes, there are only 2 months left of the year, but Jaxon's old preschool teacher was kind enough to let Kenli join her preschool group. She goes twice a week and she is loving every second of it. Here she is on her first day. She was so excited-she always wanted to go when Jaxon would go last year.

Chris' birthday

2011-05-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Chris' birthday at home. Chris doesn't really like cake that much and so every year I try to think of something new I can do to make a cake, but not a cake for Chris. This year I came up with a donut cake. I thought it was a great idea...and everyone else seemed to like it too. Of course the kids wanted to get the donuts with sprinkles and frosting on them, but I assured them that dad liked the glazed ones the best. The kids were of course super excited to see dad blow out his birthday candles and open his presents. Here is to the best dad and husband ever...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

dance

2011-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

Kenli has enjoyed dance class so much this year. He is a little bit of what she has been learning. If you notice she isn't wearing her tap shoes it is because they were "bugging" her today-also she gets a little goofy because she notices I am recording her, but she is still the cutest dancer!

Jaxon's REAL birthday

2011-05-08T14:39:00.001-07:00

March 17, 2005 our amazing little Jaxon came into this world. He is truly exceptional. He is smart and such a good big brother to his younger siblings. He is "usually" quick to help and he always lets us know how much he loves us. We celebrated his birthday at home. He of course wanted a Darth Vadar cake, so that is what he got.

Spring Break

2011-05-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

So, I have decided that Chris and I are brave parents. We seem to think we can do anything and everything with our kids and everything will go according to plan. We take them everywhere with us. For spring break the kids really wanted to go do something fun. I had heard of this neat little hike up Gold Canyon that lead to some heiroglyphs. I though hmm... that sounds fun, and my friend took her little girls on the hike, so I am sure we can take our kids and it will be just fine. The kids were excited, we were excited...

See don't we look happy?

Then this.

THIS is Kenli throwing a fit within the first two minutes of our hike. Yep, she was crying and screaming and refusing to walk or even stand. So, did we go home? Nope. Chris, being the awesome dad that he is, hiked up the whole trail with Drey strapped to his back and Kenli in front.

To top it off we were having an above average day that day- it was a sunny 85 degrees, and the "easy" hike turned out to be a little advanced for little feet, but we made it. Along the way we were blessed enough to see a bunny, a lizard, and a rattlesnake! I really, really dislike snakes and it made me a little paranoid the rest of the way up and back down. Of course there were plenty of men, including my son and husband, who wanted to stop and look at the snake-take its picture--one guy was even trying to move it with a stick. Crazy people! I was happy to hurry past it--avoiding all contact with the horrible thing! Once to the top of the trail it was really neat to see the heiroglyphs. Jaxon especially thought it was neat. I will definitely go on this hike again, but maybe leave the little littlies home.

Jaxon's Birthday

2011-05-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

It all started in December when Jaxon wanted Legos for Christmas, specifically Star Wars Legos. Of course Santa brought him a few little things and from there things have just progressed. So, for his birthday he wanted a Star Wars birthday, mind you that Jaxon had never seen any Star Wars movie or cartoons up to this point. Well he got his Star Wars birthday and things have not been the same around here since. I don't think a day goes by that I don't hear or see something that has to do with Star Wars. Jaxon is constently drawing Star Wars pictures, playing Star Wars, or wanting to watch Star Wars. He knows more about Star Wars then is probably good for him. Needless to say he is pretty obsessed...LOL...no joke as I am typing I can hear him out in our family room humming the Star Wars theme...never ends.

The Jedi group

For an activity we had the boys run and jump through an obstacle course, rescue princess Leah, and in order to become a true Jedi they had to face and defeat Darth Vadar. Chris courageously took on this role, but I don't think he realized how much of a work out he was going to get. The boys thought this part of the party was awesome and they did not want to stop!

Princess Leah

Washington Huskies T-Ball

2011-05-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Baseball began, and now it is almost over. Here are a few pics from Jaxon's first game. These boys seem so much smaller than the kids on Jaxon's team last year. Last year his team consisted mainly of 6 and 7 year olds, he was the youngest at 5. This year the team consists of mainly 5 and 6 year olds. While watching them practice I was a little nervous. The boys didn't seem like they knew what they were doing at all...and I was thinking great Jaxon is going to regress this year instead of getting better, but to my relief they played really well their first game. It was funny, all of the parents were like WOW I can't believe how good they are playing. The little huskies have done well this season!

Jaxon received the game ball---he was completely thrilled to get it on the first game of the season.

Little Messers

2011-04-17T09:22:00.001-07:00

I have told my kids plenty of times that I am going to change their names to messers...because they create so many messes. Here is a picture of just one example. Drey especially loves to pull everything out of my cupboards...mulitple times a day. It really is a wonder how my house ever looks clean. We have cupboard latches, but have we ever put them on? No! Instead I just watch my pots, pans, bowls, and tupperware be taken out of their place multiple times a day. I don't think my husband realizes how often things like this can occur on a daily basis. I get to go on a girls weekend trip in May and I am excited that Chris will get to spend one-on-one time with the kids and get to enjoy all the wonderful duties of motherhood for three days. O he is going to have such a blast, as I am sure the kids will. I am really hoping I come home to a spotless house whe I get back.

Don't they look so happy!

Brotherly love

2011-04-17T09:19:00.001-07:00

I had to take this picture. It is amazing to see how much Drey loves his big brother. He loves Jaxon and you can tell he wants to be just like his older brother. Drey has gotten into expressing his love through hugs and kisses, and I absolutely love when I see him give his brother or sister a hug. It is so cute. Sometimes Drey will just come over to Jaxon and sit on his lap...it really is the cutest thing.

Soccer ends

2011-04-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Jaxon's soccer season ended in March. He was sad when it was over. I was glad to see him progress and like soccer so much. He really had a great team. They all did well---even considering that two of them got phenomonia during the season.

My birthday

2011-04-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

SO my birthday was in Feb., but like I said before this blog is going to be a little neglected-so my post may not be up to date. I had a great birthday. I got to spend the night with the ones I love the most! Chris made me a huge peanut butter cup dessert for my cake, plus he got me tickets to go see Les Miserables...so I pretty much was a very happy birthday girl! The kids made my night too. Since they have gotten a little bit older they really get excited when birthdays come around...in fact Kenli was so excited for me that she opened some of my present for me.

Family pictures

2011-04-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

We had our family pictures taken last November by my good friend Kacy--you can visit her photo site by going to www.photosbykacy.com. She always does an amazing job! The only problem is I have a hard time choosing which ones to print!

Arizona Science Museum

2011-04-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

if any of you read of our last museum experience it was a complete bust, but this museum trip was a blast. The science museum is really a neat place. We were there for about 5 hours although one could probably spend the whole day there. They had a planetarium, which I think was our favorite part, we visited first. We got to fly through our solar system and learn about each of the planets. The kids loved it! Drey was a little scared of the huge planets and everytime we landed on one he would jump and cry that is until we told him it was a ball. After he considered it a ball he was just fine-LOL! Our trip was very educational and fun.

A lot going on

2011-02-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that this blog will probably get a little neglected for the next while. We have been super busy! I have been busy with being a mom, school, and my church calling. Which, I just got called to be primary president--I was like huh? Are you sure? Should it surprise me...no. The Lord is just stretching me once more...helping me to expand, learn, and grow. Jaxon has been still attending kindergarten and loving every minute. He recently went on his first field trip to Superstition Farm. He was so excited to ride the bus and see all the animals. His least favorite part was the smelly cows. Kenli is still doing dance and doing preschool at home. Chris has been busy with work, being an awesome dad and husband, and getting our cars fixed. Yes, I said cars with an s. We have had so many car troubles lately, but we finally got everything fixed (at least here is to hoping) for awhile.

Jaxon has also been busy with soccer and t-ball that just started. It has been fun to see Jaxon progress in sports. He scored his first soccer goal the other day-YAY for Jaxon!

Although we are busy, we still try to take time to just hang out and have some fun. Here we are making cookies.

Drey loves to put things on his head. He will wear Kenli's headband, my kitchen bowls, Jaxon's hats, Dad's hats...basically anything that will fit on his head. He even put Kenli's underwear on his head like a hat when I was doing laundry! He is so cute!

Random cuteness

I had to post this. We got a tramp for the kids this Christmas. Kenli loved it, but was really scared to jump on it. Well, I am proud to say that she has conquered that fear. Now she asks to go jump on the tramp almost everyday!

Christmas Continued

2011-01-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

After celebrating Christmas with my family, we headed up to Idaho to do some more celebrating with Chris' family. All of Chris' brothers were there, so it was pretty neat. We had a lot of fun, as always, playing games and eating great food. Everyone was definitely spoiled this year, but the best part was just being able to see everyone! Thanks to both Chris' parents and my parents for a wonderful special holiday.

Kenli was given an adorable purse by her Great Grandma and she absolutely loved it. She loved it so much that she never wanted to let go of it. As you can see from this picture she even took it to bed with her. I thought this was too funny and just had to get a picture. Good job on the present Grandma Sharon-Kenli really loved it!

Family pics

2011-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

Aunt Brittney with Ben's little Paige

Westover Family: Kyle & Bridget, Turnbow Family: Josh, BreeAnne, Brooklynn 7, Emily 6, Katie 4, Ashley 1, Mom, Dad, Ben & Paige 6mo., Hess Family: Chris, Britt, Jaxon 5, Kenli 3, Drey 1,
Blake's family: Blake, Brycie, Breckin 6, Addison 2.

Our "silly face" family pic

Cousins: Breckin, Kenli, Addison, Drey & Jaxon

We all got together to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday and so we just had to take a family pic with all of us. Surprisingly, for how many people we had, the picture turned out really great!

Sledding

2011-01-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

The kids really wanted to see snow for Christmas---and play in the snow. Jaxon told me that he wanted to go sledding, have a snowball fight, and build a snowman. Lucky for us there was snow, but unfortunately -it was really hard and icy. We never got a chance to have a snowball fight or build a snowman, but we did go sledding. After about 2 seconds of sledding Jaxon fell flat on his face-which resulted in a icy bloody nose and a fat lip. I was thinking, O great now he is going to be through with sledding, but I was pleasantly surprised that he wanted to stay. He had so much fun sledding down the hills. Chris, Bridget, Kyle, and I enjoyed it too, although our bums and backs were a little sore afterwards. Kenli wasn't a big fan. She did go down a few times, but she really wanted to build a snowman. She kept herself entertained though trying to build a ice-man and splashing in the icy puddles.

Christmas Day in Utah

2011-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

It was so great to be with everyone on Christmas Day. First we woke up and opened presents at mom and dad's house then, as usual, we went up to my Grandma & Grandpa Downey's house for some more Christmas celebration. We got to visit with my Dad's side of the family which was great because we don't see them very often. Grandma's chip dip and green fluff made Christmas complete!

Utah Christmas Eve

2011-01-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

So, we headed up to Utah for Christmas. I was able to see all of my siblings this year-and it was so fun to see each of them and their awesome families. For Christmas Eve we went bowling, played games, and Kenli and Jaxon played Joseph and Mary in the Nativity story that night-uncle Kyle was the donkey. Earlier that day Chris, Kyle, and Bryce all went snowboarding at Brighton. Thankfully they all came back whole and not too sore.

Our Christmas Day before Christmas Day

2011-01-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

The kids were, of course, super excited to see if Santa had come or not. Lucky for us they didn't wake up unusually early...we got started with things around 7. I really love visiting family for Christmas and doing all the fun traditional stuff with them, but there is nothing like having Christmas at your own home. Lucky for me we got to do both this year! After "our" Christmas we packed up and headed to Tooele to be with my family for Christmas.

"our Christmas Eve" before Christmas Eve

2011-01-09T18:52:00.001-08:00

This year the we really wanted to go be with my parents and siblings for Christmas. But, we really didn't want to bring all of the gifts up-honestly I don't think everything would have fit in our car if we had wanted it too. So, we had our own little Christmas before Christmas. We pretty much got to celebrate Christmas all week long--which the kids were just fine with. They totally got spoiled with presents, but I know that they were the happiest just being able to see their many Grandmas and Grandpas and cousins!

It has been a tradition for as long as I can remeber that on Christmas Eve you would get to open one present, and that present would always be pajamas. So, we had all the kids on the couch and they were super excited to open their one present when Jaxon says, "Yay I am so excited, but I hope it isn't pajamas." What? Lucky for us and him he changed his mind once he saw that he got STARWAR pjs.

After the pjs had been put on the kids left out some cookies and milk for santa-along with carrots for the reindeer. We made sure to leave out oreo cookies for santa - since he told the kids in his return letter that they were his favorite!

The manger

2011-01-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

This year Chris' mom sent us a cute activity to do for family home evening. She sent us a manger and a bag of straw. Throughout the holiday season everytime you do something nice for another person you would get to put a piece of straw in the manger. It came with a really cute story about a family who did just that, built a manger and did kind acts so that they could put a piece of straw in the manger to make it really soft for Jesus. Our kids really thought this was a great idea. We didn't start it as early as we should have, but I think this may become a yearly tradition too. It really helped emphasize what Christmas is all about and how we can be more Christ-like. I really loved the whole idea.

Gingerbread Men

2011-01-09T18:25:00.001-08:00

This year we didn't make gingerbread houses we made gingerbread men instead. The kids, especially Kenli, really loved helping me make these cookies this year. I had never made gingerbread cookies before, but I found this really good recipe and I just had to try it out. It is a little different then your original gingerbread cookie recipe. You use no molasses and you add in butterscotch pudding, so it still has the gingerbread taste but with a twist. I think all the kids liked this much better then original ginger bread recipe.

Temple Lights

2011-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

We always love to go to the Mesa temple lights. The lights are so beautiful, plus you can listen to the story of Christ's birth while walking. They also have nativities from all around the world on display. This year they had all new nativities-some were pretty neat. Visiting the temple really helps bring the true meaning of Christmas home. This is definitely a tradition we will always keep up.

Tempe Boat Parade

2011-01-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

We went to the tempe boat parade last year and we really thought it was different and fun. This year we decided to go with our friends-and we could not figure out where to park. We missed out on seeing Santa, but luckily we were able to see all the boats. Our favorites were the guy rowing the canoe and his manger scene, the grinch boat, and the cars boat. Next year we may skip the boat parade and go to the Phoenix light parade instead--we'll see.

Kenli's first dance recital

2011-01-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

Kenli had her first dance recital this December. She was so cute, and so excited to perform for us on a stage. Kenli had no problem being up on stage-although she kept her eyes on the girl next to her to make sure she was doing the right dance steps the whole time. She really did great. I was proud of her--I am glad she doesn't have stage fright like her mommy.

Parade

2011-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

They actually had one of Babe Ruth's car in our little parade-so of course we had to get a picture by it. It was pretty cool.

We kicked off our holiday season this year by attending our town's Christmas parade. I have to say this was the first year we had gone to it and it was pretty good. One great thing about small town parades is that they throw stuff out to the kids. I think each of our kids came home with some candy, a stuffed toy, and a frisbee. Plus they got to see Santa in the parade, so they were pretty much in heaven.

Our Christmas Card

2010-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

I have been super busy and didn't have time to send out a Christmas Card this year, but if I would have this is what it would have looked like. So here is to all of our friends and family out there--we love you--and hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

The Holidays

2010-12-01T18:32:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year here at home. It was nice to be able to spend the whole weekend together having fun. On Thanksgiving we took the kids up to Bass Pro Shop to meet Santa. They decorate their store really cute, and they had a lot of fun games for the kids to play. The kids were able to talk with Santa, write him a letter, play games, plus look at all the cool animals they had around the place, so they were in heaven. Later Chris fried us up a yummy turkey. It was his first time making a turkey, but it turned out SO good! Plus it only took 40 minutes to cook-so that was nice. Jaxon did great this year and ate EVERYTHING on his plate...can we say AMAZING! Kenli, not so good, she didn't eat anything except a roll. Drey did ok too. Later that night, after we were stuffed, we played games and then watched E.T. The kids loved it! Kenli kept saying, "what a cute little baby alien--can I have one of those?" I don't think I have seen that movie since I was like 8. I am pretty sure my kids really believe in aliens now.
It was wonderful spending time with my family. I am so thankful I know that my Savior loves me. I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful family and that I married such an amazing man. I feel blessed to have been born into a wonderful family and also to have married into such a wonderful family. I truly cannot express all my gratitude to my Savior for my many many blessings.

Drey turns 1

2010-12-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that our little guy just turned 1. It seems each year really does go by faster and faster. Drey has been such a joy in our family. He is a happy boy who loves to play with his older brother and sister. He has an awesome little personality and he makes me laugh everyday. He is so smart and I am amazed at what he can do. He is an explorer and he loves to get into EVERYTHING! There is nothing he likes better than to be outside...he even gets his shoes and brings them to me. We had such a great day celebrating his birthday. Jaxon and Kenli loved "helping" him open his presents and blowing out his candle. Thanks to all the grandmas and grandpas that sent him gifts. He loved them!

Chase Field

2010-11-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Chris' company threw a family night at the ball field the other day. It was pretty neat. How many people can say they got to throw a ball from the pitcher's mound at a professional ball field? The kids really had a blast. We were able to throw some balls around, run the bases, tour the stadium, and eat ball food (popcorn, hamburgers and hotdogs). They had the big screen going playing highlights of past games. They also had a place to practice your batting skills and see how fast you could throw. Drey loved being able to run around--he especially loved all the popcorn he was finding on the ground (yeah not fun for us). Jaxon also got a signed ball from previous world series champion Matt Williams.

The Children's Museum

2010-11-13T18:40:00.001-08:00

I took the kids to the childrens museum the other day. I could hardly believe I was actually going to take them especially after our last museum experience. What made me really crazy was that I was going to take all three of them by myself, and again on free museum night. Chris was away on business, so he couldn't come. Luckily for us this was a better experience. We visited the children's art museum-so for one it was meant for children-second it was a lot bigger than the space museum and people weren't so packed in. The kids absolutely loved being there. Was it crazy for me? Yes. Will I take Chris next time I go? Yes. I really had a good time too, but I was a little stressed trying to keep all my kids close by. There were so many fun things for them to do...they were trying to go in every direction. It really was a neat place. The kids could create in the art room, climb in the fort room, build in the science room, climb a huge tree house, ride bikes, race cars, and get lost in the noodle jungle. I think the noodle jungle was one of Drey's favorite places there.

Spaghetti Face

2010-11-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

We had spaghetti the other night. Dreyson thoroughly enjoyed it. Doesn't every kid need a picture like this? I think so.

Halloween

2010-11-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween was as great as ever this year. I love that the weather is always perfect to be out and about. Jaxon was batman, Kenli was batgirl, and Drey was the joker for Halloween this year. Drey definitely was a little too cute to be the joker...but I guess he looked scary enough because Jaxon didn't want to be around him. Yeah we thought it was a good idea, but let me tell you the infants and face paint don't mix. Drey did not want to hold still- he kept smearing his makeup, and if he cried then it became a big mess. The kids had a blast trunk-or-treating at our ward party this year, and yes the got too much candy.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to a farm/pumpkin patch this year. It was a nice warm day. The kids had fun riding on the hay ride, bouncing in the bounce houses, seeing the animals, going through the hay maze, and decorating their very own pumpkins. Jaxon really did have fun despite his gloomy disposition in some of these pictures.

Cute Girl

2010-10-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Kenli wanted me to curl her hair for Sunday. Once it was done she just looked so cute not to get a few pics of it. Here she is posing for the camera. I love that she is actually asking me to do her hair!

Funny Boy

2010-10-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Drey is such a happy guy. One thing he has loved doing lately is putting things on, glasses, hats, etc. He found some glasses that we had gotten from the theater and he thinks it is absolutely hillarious to have them on. He puts them on and then just laughs and laughs. I will have to try and get some video footage of it is really funny. I think he looks adorable with them on...although it does remind me a little of Drew Carey.

Game

2010-10-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

The game was our last stop and it was great. The kids were happy, and the D-backs actually won. Even though our "day out" didn't go as planned I know we all had fun just hanging out together.

Next Stop on our "Cultural" Day Out

2010-10-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

So the museum wasn't that great, but we had tickets to the D-backs game that night...what to do between now and then? We went out to lunch, then we decided to go visit out Capital building. This would have been a great idea, except that State buildings are closed on Saturday. Another bust. We were unable to go inside the building, but Jaxon and Drey did enjoy walking around and looking at things. Kenli on the other hand was still grumpy. Lucky for us she was happy at the game.

An Uplifting Culture Experience?

2010-10-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

We took our kids to the Challenger Space Musuem a few weeks ago. It didn't quite go how I envisioned it. First I thought the museum was in Mesa, which is about 25 min. from where we live, but no it was in Peoria. Peoria is a little over an hour away from our home. Once I figured this out I didn't really want to go, but I had already told Jaxon and he had his heart set on it. So, we went. Once we got there, an hour later, the kids were all a little sleepy. Kenli and Drey actually fell asleep, so when we woke them up Kenli was grumpy and all Drey wanted to do was play. This was not to our advantage once we got inside the musuem. It was FREE museum day so the place was packed. Drey couldn't get down and walk so he was getting upset. Kenli was still honory and now hungry too. Jaxon was excited at first, but I that wore off soon. It was so hard for him, or us, to really enjoy anything because there were so many people. We did see a few cool things, but all in all I think this museum visit was a bust.

Kenli the dancer

2010-09-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows me knows that I am not really much of a dancer. Do I like to dance? Yes. Am I good at dancing? Well, let's not answer that question. Anyway, Kenli loves to dance. Lately she has been asking me to sign her up for dance classes. Where did this come from--I don't remember asking her if she wanted to take dance class. In fact I made a rule for myself not to sign my kids up for any sport-related activities until were are atleast 5 years old. But, she continued to ask me me over and over so I looked into it. I found this really great place called Dance Pride close to our house where she could take lessons. The class she is signed up for is the Pixie class - 3 & 4 year olds get to learn tap, creative movement and beginning tumbling. The first class was Kenli's trial run to see if she would like the class. Poor girl, she was the only one without her own tap shoes. She had to borrow a pair that were 2 sizes too big, but of course she wanted to wear them anyway. I was pleasantly surprised at how well she did(even with the big shoes)- she absolutely loved her first day.

Jaxon's first day of Kindergarten

2010-08-23T20:21:00.001-07:00

Jaxon started kindergarten on Aug. 11th. He was so excited to go. Jaxon has Miss Arnold this year. I was super excited about this because everyone has just raved about how great a teacher she is. When we got to school on the first day within minutes Jaxon was already making new friends. He also saw a few kids that he had known from preschool. This was nice because it made him extra excited to see some familiar faces. I was so excited for him, but it was still a little hard for me to see him go. He is getting so smart and so big. We love our little man, and we hope he has an awesome kindergarten year.

Drey

2010-08-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Drey is 9 1/2 mo old now. He is such a little stud. This lil guy is doing everything he can to keep up with his older brother and sister. Drey has now mastered: walking along funiture, climbing on everything, and getting into every single cupboard he can reach. He can say the following words (or atleast it sounds like it) hi, dada, mama, & uh oh. He can sign: more and all done.

Craft Day

2010-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

With summer festivities simmering down my kids began to go a little stir crazy. Too hot to play outside, so we had a craft day. And what did they want to make? A volcano. So, we made a volcano. A plastic bottle, modeling clay, vinegar, some baking soda and we were ready to go. The kids loved watching the volcano erupt. I was lucky enough to get it on video tape-so I can go back and enjoy this moment over and over. Their faces were priceless.

Last post of our Vacation

2010-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

We also visited the Wildlife Animal Park. It was neat because it was more like seeing the animals in there natural habitat. Later we visited the Mormon Battalion museum, which was really fun. Everything was interactive. They had "harry potter" like portraits tell their story of their journey being a part of the Mormon Battalion. You take a tour from Iowa to San Diego--they let you dress up like soldiers, pan for gold, make bricks....it was very neat. Our kids were totally captivated by it. After visiting the museum we headed back to our hotel to watch the fireworks from the bay. It was really awesome because we could see 4 firework shows at one time. I absolutely love watching the fireworks, and seeing them over the water is beautiful. Vacation was wonderful....and the memories will last forever.

Balboa Park--Vaca. continued

2010-07-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

After the beach we decided to go check our Balboa park. It is this amazing park filled with botanical gardens, museums, and theaters. Most of the museums were closed by the time we got there, but we had a great time walking, eating at a cafe, playing on the playground, and enjoying our beautiful surroundings. We even saw a little magic show which Chris got to be a part of. The kids thought this was really cool.

Vaca Cont. 4th of July

2010-07-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

We spent our 4th of July in California this year. I love the Phoenix area, but they have the worst 4th of July celebrations. Actually they hardly celebrate at all.....I guess I can't blame them...no one wants to watch a parade in 110 degree weather. Anyway, I love the 4th of July and if it is up to me we will be out of town every year. Our day started at 10 am on Coronado Island where we watched a parade (the kids liked it but were a little disappointed that there was no candy-last year they each got a grocery bag full of candy fromt the Malad ID parade). Then we headed down to the beach for an afternoon of sun and sand. The kids all loved it. I did too, but it was too cold for me to get in all the way. I had fun wading though. Kenli had a blast, but once she was done-she was done. She decided to lay on her towel to get all warm and toasty. I made sure she was good then I turned around to watch Jaxon and Chris playing in the water. Two seconds later I turn around to find Kenli in her birthday suit. I know they have nude beaches in Cali but this was not one of them. Quickly I covered her up which she didn't like at all. It was quite funny. The boys loved the beach, and probably could have stayed there most of the day.

Vaca continued: San Diego Zoo

2010-07-13T18:44:00.001-07:00

We all loved the zoo. We saw so many fun animals. Some of our favorites were the polar bear, gorillas, elephants, and the panda bears. The kids also really loved riding the bus and the sky ride across the park.

The kids did really well especially for how much walking we did. Lucky for Drey he got to see the park from his first class ride.

San Diego Vacation

2010-07-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

This year we were able to go on a family trip to wonderful San Diego. Our first stop was to Sea World. The kids had never been there before and they were so excited to see all the exhibits there. The day started off cloudy and a little cool. So, of course it made sense for Chris and Jaxon to hop on Journey to Atlantis and get all soaking wet at the beginning of the day. Jaxon was barely (and I mean barely) tall enough to ride this ride. I thought for sure he would take one look at it and say no thanks, but to my surprise there was no hesitation. Chris said once they got to the top of the drop (of course they were in the front row) he was a little nervous, but he did it. He had fun, although he wasn't racing back in line.

The kids really liked the all the shows we saw at Sea World. Of course they loved Shamu. Chris made fun of us for wearing ponchos, but obviously we really didn't care. It was about 70 degrees outside (we are use to 100 degree weather) we are in the soak zone and I wasn't about to get drenched. We had a great time at Sea World. The day ended late with a cool firework show and three littlies all asleep on our laps.

All Stars Preschool Graduation

2010-06-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Jaxon was lucky enough to be taught by the wonderful Mrs. Lisa this year for preschool. It was a small in home preschool. In all there were 8 kids. This was nice because Jaxon was able to get one on one time with his teacher. This year he learned all his letters, states, months, days, simple math, reading, and writing. He is did so well, and is definitely ready for kindergarten-I just don't know if I am.

Father Son Campout

2010-06-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Chris and Jaxon went on the Father and Son's camping trip this year, and of course Jaxon had a blast. Chris had a great time too, but he would have had a better time if he hadn't sprained his ankle right before the trip. About a year ago Chris sprained his ankle playing basketball. This year he sprained his other ankle playing basketball....I am thinking maybe he is just too old now to play basketball. Just kidding babe. Anyway, he sucked it up and took Jaxon camping anyway. Jaxon loved every minute of it-climbing, the tent, the fire, playing games, and of course eating s'mores.

Sweet Jaxon

2010-06-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Does you heart not melt when you see this?

T-ball Game Ball

2010-05-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Jaxon played t-ball this year and it was so fun to watch. After each game his coach would pick a player he thought played extra well that game and he would give them the game ball. The season is over now, but I am slow at posting, so here is a pic of Jaxon and the game ball. It was so cute to watch him get it....he was super excited. I can't wait to watch him play again next year.
Chris was able to help coach this year, and as a gift all the kids signed a ball to give to him. They had a little bbq party after their last game-which they played so well. Their coach made them a dvd of their practices and games pretty awesome. All in all it was such a great first experience for Jaxon.

Our Visit to Utah

2010-05-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Chris' brother BJ got married this April, so lucky for us we were able to go and celebrate with them. The wedding was beautiful and Susan looked absolutely gorgeous. We are so happy for the both of them, and feel lucky to have Susan a part of our family.

While visiting Grandma and Grandpa Downey the kids and I had fun watching Uncle Bryce play baseball, playing at the park, and I think their favorite was going swimming with Grandpa.

We were also able to stop at my brother's Blake's house for a visit. We had been wanting to visit them at their home for awhile, and it just never worked out. So, we were super excited to be able to go see them this trip. Jaxon was excited to see his cousins until we got there...then he decided he was going to be anti-girl that day. His poor cousin Breckin was like I don't think he remebers me. Luckily Kenli was loving playing with Breckin and Addison...she loved all their girly things...and the swings. It was nice to have a one on one visit with them. Usually when we see them it is in at a family gathering and it is so hard to have a real conversation when there is so much going on. Thanks for letting us visit guys.

Lucky for us Chris' brother Trevor was also graduating from BYU that same week, so we were able to be a part of that too. We really loved being able to visit with everyone. It is such a great accomplishment graduating from college. Now Trev and his family will be moving to Indiana for Dental school. This is such an exciting time for them...I know they will have a great adventure. We are sad they are moving so far away, but we will be excited for the next time we get to visit.

#3 for Kenli

2010-05-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Our cute little firecracker just turned 3. We were lucky enough to have been able to celebrate her birthday this year in Utah so she could have Grandpas and Grandmas there to celebrate with her. Kenli really wanted a princess and the frog birthday...so we had all her little cousins come dressed up in their favorite princess outfit. We played Kiss the Frog (like pin the tail), decorated princess dolls, and of course had cake and ice-cream. Chris decorated Kenli's cake this year and he did such an awesome job. I had planned on how to decorate it--just sweet and simple--but what he did was much more amazing. Kenli absolutely loved it and so did all the other little girlies. Kenli had never had a party like this before--with all the family and friends (cousins), but she absolutely loved every bit of it. When opening her presents these were the comments she would make..O my.. beautiful... gorgeous... I love it.. He comments and facial expressions were priceless. I still can't believe she is 3, and I am sure this is just something I will say every year. The years are going by so quickly--and we are loving every one.

Feeling Left Out

2010-05-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

Since Jaxon and Kenli both cut their hair I thought Drey might feel a little left out--so we gave him his first cut about a month ago. He did a great job.

Chris' 30th

2010-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Chris turned the big 30 this March. If you know my husband, when asked what he wanted to do for his birthday, he replied nothing. Nothing? Really? Well this is a special birthday wether he thought so or not, so I wanted to do something special for him. I came up with a few brilliant ideas, but ended up choosing the one that would be the most convienent for us. So, for his actually birthday we didn't do a whole lot..of course we did the cake and presents. Then, when we were up in UT for his brother's wedding we had his birthday day. I took him out for a day of fun--we went to the salomon center in Ogden and had a blast playing mini golf, air hockey, a horrible game of bowling (well atleast for me), rock climbing-which freaked me out a little, surfing (which was interesting), and we also tried the indoor skydiving. The main event was the indoor skydiving--it was a lot of fun, although it only lasted a few minutes. I really think that I could actually do the real thing. I think it is definitely in our future to do a real dive someday. Afterward we were able to go out to eat. I had a great day just because I got to be with my sweetie and have him all to myself for the day. I am pretty sure he had a great day too...and I hope this was something he could remember as special on his 30th birthday. Here is a clip of us..and our instructor..he was crazy.

Easter

2010-05-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great time decorating easter eggs this year. They were really excited about the easter bunny coming to our house to leave treats, but I was more impressed with the fact that they realized why we really celebrate Easter. They both asked repeatedly about Christ and his resurrection. Jaxon received a Easter (all about Christ and the resurrection) DVD this year in his basket and he really loved it. I am grateful that my kids want to learn about their Savior. The candy treats were just icing on a beautiful day.

Jaxon's 1st t-ball game

2010-04-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

We asked Jaxon if he wanted to play t-ball or soccer this year and he said t-ball. So far this season Jaxon has played 5 games and for the most part has loved it. Opening day they had a little league parade where the kids got to walk with their teams holding their team's banner-Jaxon team is the Tennesee Volunteers. Jaxon has played 2nd base, short stop, center, and right field positions so far. I have been very impressed with his team and the other teams we have seen play. I thought t-ball would be totally caotic with all the kids running after the ball, but it hasn't been. The kids have done a great job staying in position and throwing the ball atleast in the right direction. I also have enjoyed watching the games. I can't wait to watch my kids play in many more ball games.

Accidental Haircuts

2010-04-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

I guess this is sorta a right of passage...kids cutting their own hair. I always figured this day may happen, especially because my kids see me cutting people's hair all the time, and there are plenty of scissors around the house, but I hoped it wouldn't. I blame myself one for buying them their own "preschool" scissors and two trusting them too much. The other day I gave Jaxon (who by the way knew better) scissors to cut shapes out of paper. I thought this seemed harmless enough. They know the rules no cutting ANYTHING but paper. Well, I leave for 2 minutes to come back and find this.

So, I was upset that he didn't listen to me..but not devasted since hey he is a boy and I don't mind cutting all of his hair off. Then about a week later I leave my kids alone watching a movie while I go take a shower. Well, my fault again, I left my computer door open which contained the scissors Jaxon had used to cut his hair not a few short days ago. I take my shower and I am feeling pretty good until I hear Jaxon yell from upstairs.. Mom Kenli has the scissors and is cutting her hair! My heart sinks. Who cares if Jaxon cut his hair but not my beautiful daughter's hair. I rush upstairs to find Kenli hiding in a corner by our couch..pink scissors in hand...a sheepish look on her face..and half of her hair gone! She had been cutting it and hiding it under our couch..I almost cried when I saw how much she had hid under there. My beautiful princess now looked like a hillbilly redneck with a mullett..really it was so sad. I didn't want her to feel too bad, because she could tell I was sad I had to let her know what she did was wrong, but also let her know that she was still beautiful. So the right of passage has come and gone. I am hoping it will never have to be met again. Here are the before and after pics.

Jaxon turns 5

2010-03-28T16:28:00.001-07:00

I still can't believe that my little guy turned 5 years old this last March. I can hardly believe he will be starting kindergarten this year. Watching your kids grow is so bittersweet. For one it is so fun and incredible to see them learn and grow, but on the other hand the memories you make with them only will happen once in a life time-and they grow so quickly. That is one reason I love pictures and video--it can take you back atleast in memory. Although some days can be rough I really do try to cherish each moment I get with my little babes.
Jaxon has really been into space lately and that is what he wanted the theme for his party to be. When asked what he wanted for his birthday cake he replied, "I want a space cake with Mercury and Pluto on it." Ok I thought those are interesting choices, but it is his birthday so of course that is what he got.
First he got to celebrate his day with some friends. They had rocket contests, played musical planets, don't let the meteor hit earth, and to end they got to whack at a rocket pinata. They of course did cake and ice-cream which was very interesting. The cake was covered in black frosting (maybe not the smartest choice-but it was space it had to be dark-right?) lucky for us no one left with any stains, but a few did have purple teeth.
Later we celebrated as a family and Jaxon was able to open presents from his family. He loved all the presents he got from his grandparents--so thank you. I think his favorite gift was the globe we bought him. He had been asking for one for about 6 mo now. I think the cutest thing was what he said to us after it was all done, "Mom I am so lucky I got 2 birthdays!"
Jaxon is a wonderful bright kid and we are so blessed to have him in our lives.

Drey's Sunday Best

2010-03-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look so handsome?

Mommy and Daughter Date

2010-03-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

So, I thoroughly believe that every once in awhile you should go on a "date" with your kids--Daddy/Daughter-Daddy/Son-Mommy/Daughter-Mommy/Son. I really feel it is so important to spend that one on one time with each child. Kenli has been such a great big sister to Drey that I had promised her I would take her to see the Princess and the Frog. She was so excited for this. She was especially excited that no boys were coming. She picked out her outfit..a dress, and of course she had to bring her own little purse filled with her little things. It was really a cute site to see. First we went to the movie--which she loved! She couldn't take her eyes off the screen, then we went to lunch at Chick-fil-a, and ended with a ride on the carousel. We had such a great time. I look forward to many more mommy daughter dates.

pics

2010-03-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

My kids are so cute!

Cute Kids

2010-03-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Britt's B-day

2010-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am a little behind on my blogging..my birthday was in February. Anyway, this is what we did. Chris surprised the kids and I with Suns basketball tickets for my birthday. We had a great time visiting Dad at work, going out to eat, and watching the game-which we won! It was little Drey's first Suns game-so this made it even more special. I too had a blast. There is nothing more I could ask for on my birthday than to spend time with my awesome family. Thanks sweetie for a wonderful day.

I Took His Hand and Followed

2010-03-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

My dishes went unwashed today
I didn't make my bed
I took his hand and followed
Oh Yes, we went adventuring
My little child and I
Exploring all the great outdoors
We watched a robin feed her young
We climebed a sunlit hill
Saw clould-sheep scamper through the sky
We plucked a daffodil. That my house was
so neglected.
That I didn't brush the stairs
In twenty years no one on earth
Will know or even care.
But that I've helped my little child
To noble adulthood grow.
In twenty years the whole wide world
May look and see and know
-Author Unknown-

Bragging Rights

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Our lil Drey is just growing so fast. He is such a little happy guy with a lot of determination. His new feet--rolling over. Yes only 3 mo old and he can roll and wiggle with the best of them. He is such a cutie-here are some pics to prove it.

Coupons

2010-02-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a silly post, but I was really excited about it. I just got back from grocery shopping and was able to cut my $159 grocery bill into $79!!! Yes, I have started using coupons. At first I wasn't sure if it would be worth it-or if we would benefit from it, but I finally am getting the knack of it and it is paying off. You do have to be really organized-but it is totally worth it. I highly recommend it if you are looking to save your family some money.

Dreyson's Newborn pics

2010-01-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

We absolutely love our little guy. My friend Kacy took these adorable pics-thanks Kacy (www.photosbykacy.blogspot.com). Enjoy the pics!

Christmas

2010-01-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so nice this year. It was our first time actually having Christmas at our home. I really love being around lots of family at this time of year, but it was nice to do our own thing and just be able to relax a little. Christmas Eve we always let the kids open one present, and it is always pj's. This is a tradition my family did-so we are keeping it going with our family. Jaxon and Kenli really loved their new spiderman and princess jammies. We also always watch Joy to the World. I love this dvd-it really depicts the true meaning of Christmas and brings the spirit into our home.
Christmas day was so fun. I actually woke up first and had to wake the kiddos and Chris up-I was excited--ok. Jaxon's reaction was priceless. He walked up the stairs and just stood there looking at everything. At first I thought he was sad about something or that maybe it wasn't what he expected, but then he said WOW (a little smile comes to his face) that's a lot of stuff. It made me laugh. For Kenli her big gift was a kitchen-she ran right past it. So I thought, ok well I didn't see that happening-I guess she doesn't like kitchen's as much as I thought. Then Chris pointed out to her that the kitchen was hers-instantly her little face lit up-she loved it. YAY! We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and having fun. What a perfect Christmas.
That Sunday after Christmas we had little Dreyson blessed. Lucky for us my parents and Chris' family were able to come. Thanks everyone for making the trip-we really loved having all of you here.
Chris' family was able to stay a few days. We had fun going to the temple lights, bowling, the ghost town, baseball fields, and just hanging out. It was so nice to see some family. I know we enjoyed having everyone here.
Well all in all I would have to say we had a pretty perfect holiday.

Pre-Christmas

2010-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

We made gingerbread houses (well graham cracker houses) this year. When my Grandma Howse was alive we would make houses every year. I know a lot of my family who live in Utah still do this tradition, but since we live in AZ I thought we would start our own tradition of making gingerbread houses. Maybe next year we will actually use gingerbread. The kids loved making (eating) them and we loved wathching them.

This year we went to the boat parade out at Tempe Town Lakes. I thought it was wonderful-how often to you get to see a boat parade-and in the winter even? Our pictures don't really do the boats justice-but we took some anyway. We also got to visit with Santa at the park. I think he must have been getting tired-because he forgot his smile.

Here is a picture of Jaxon's christmas projects from pre-school. He loved his reindeer horns and wore it straight for the next few days.

The kids had a blast decorating the tree this year. The kids did a great job-although the tree was a little heavily decorated on the bottom half. Every once in a while I would nonchalantly replace a bulb, but Jaxon was quick to notice and say, "Mom why did you move that - I wanted that there. In the end the tree looked great if you looked at it straight on. If you happened to look at it from a side angle you would notice there were no ornaments there or on the back of our tree. O-well I thought it looked beautiful anyway.

Baby Dreyson

2009-11-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Dreyson Jay Hess born Nov. 12 2009 7.15 oz 20 in long

We are so blessed to have our little guy enter our home and become part of our family. But, he did not come exactly how I thought he would. Yes, everything went fine-but just not how I expected. First off this pregnancy was a lot like the others except I had less morning sickness-bonus right? Yes, except I was ready for this pregnancy to be over at 7 months-by then I felt huge, and I had a few people tell me I looked huge-well one told me she thought I was about to pop (not a nice thing to ever say to a pregnant person-c'mon people!)
Anyway-my only solace was that I only gained 30 pounds this pregnancy-that is 3 pounds less then I did with Jaxon and Kenli-so there. Next I was just sure he would come a week early-Jaxon and Kenli did-but no he only showed up 4 days early. I was sure my labor would be short. After all Kenli's was only 6 hrs. and everyone I knew said that there 3 child came quickly. Well not so for me. Contractions started at midnight-but were sporadic-came consistently by 3 am we went to the hospital around 5 am. At the hosptial I was dialated to a 5 but my contractions were 5 minutes apart-so they told me to walk the halls. Walk the halls--what I am in pain here. Walk, walk, walk--ok I am tired- no more walking---I want my epidural! Epidural yeah--that feels better. What my doctor isn't here-she is at the other hospital-ok wait--wait--wait-atleast I have my epidural. Ok so my contractions are still coming and last 3 1/2 min at a time-I am so glad I can't feel it-but my baby is in stress so now I have to wear a pokey oxygen mask-wait wait. Where is my Dr.-not here-someone call her Dr. she was suppose to be here by now-this baby is coming soon. FINALLY--my Dr. shows up--1,2,3,4 pushes ok he is here-YAY! And that is pretty much how it went, so never will I say how my labor will go-because truth is you really just don't know.

On a more emotional note: The whole pregnancy birthing process is such a miracle. I just kept thinking this is so amazing that our bodies can do such a thing. With each new birth I just see the miracle that much clearer. I cannot express the joy that I felt when they placed my new little boy in my arms-my heart truly lept. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has given me this special blessing of being a mother to His precious children.

Halloween

2009-11-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween night we took the kids to this awesome Halloween carnival our town puts on. They do this huge trunk or treat, have fun entertainment, and they have a lot of carnival games for the kids to play. Kenli really liked petting the animals at the petting zoo until a goat tried to eat her tutu. For about 3 days after she would say that goat tried to eat my dress. It was pretty funny. Kenli got to visit the Disney Princesses and Cinderella even painted her face. She was so excited it was hard for her to sit still. Jaxon liked most of the games, although I think he would have been content just playing on the playground that was there.

Halloween Day we finally got around to carving our pumpkins. We had been having some cooler weather but Halloween Day I think it got up to 90 degrees. That night for trick or treating it was probably in the hight 70's. So, we always carve our pumpkins and then let the kids paint them. We thought the kids were old enough and would want to help us gut the pumpkins, but Jaxon freaked when he had the slimy stuff on his hands. I don't know about this kid, but he absolutely hates to get food and other things on his hands and face. Kenli actually liked it and wanted to help.

Jaxon's preschool also threw a Halloween party. They all dressed up, shared candy, and made great Halloween decorations. He really had a blast.

So all in all the kids had plenty of Halloween fun this year. The Sat. before Halloween our ward put on a chili cookoff and a trunk or treat party for the kids. The weather was perfect and the kids had so much fun. Jaxon was done asking for candy after about the 4th car, all he wanted to do was play. Kenli on the other hand couldn't get enough candy, and even though she stuggled to raise her pumpkin bag for the next treat she wasn't going to let anyone touch her candy bag.

At the Drive In

2009-11-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we took the kids to a community event. We were to bring boxes to make our own cars-then watch an outdoor movie. The kids absolutely loved it. Chris was a little unsure about it because 1 it was during a BYU football game, and 2 it was hosted by another church. I think he was afraid we would be preached to-but then I said well what a good opportunity for us to share our religion too. Too bad nobody tried to preach to us-everyone was just really nice, and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. After the movie the kids did not want to get rid of their cars. Unfortunately we could only fit one in our car-but it was well used for a week or so. We will definitely go to another car and movie night if there is one in the future.

How can I not feel loved

2009-10-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

So I have this little guy-he is very cute and full of life. He never ceases to amaze me at how loving and kind he (usually) is to everyone. On any single day I am assured to get atleast 6 hugs and 10 I love yous. He is growing so fast-and he is getting so smart. When we go to the library he asks for books about the universe, the brain, heart, earth, & Africa. I think he officially now knows almost every state-which is great except now he is constantly asking if he can go to places like: Maine, New York, Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii. I have to tell him that I would love to go to the places too-and maybe someday we can, but maybe for right now we could hit someplace a little closer like California. The countries he has asked to go to are even further away-he wants to go to Africa and Japan. I have to say I have been a little less patient and a little more stressed out as I near the end of this pregnancy. Too little sleep and too many aches. Yet my children still love me. I have to say I am really blessed to have gotten such great kids and I can't wait to meet this new little guy soon.

A Visit from Trevor, Heather, & Jakoby

2009-10-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have Trevor, Chris' brother, and his family stop by for a visit. They were down interviewing for dental school. We absolutley loved having them here. The kids especially loved playing with their baby Jakoby. They talked about him every day for the next week. We would love to have more family close by-maybe we will get lucky and they will go to school here in AZ. It was conference weekend so we spent some of the time just relaxing and watching conference. We also went and visited the temple-and stopped at a near by park to feed the ducks and let the kids play. I hope they had a good visit with us and felt at home.

Jaxon's art work

2009-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

I plan on keeping some of my kids art work that they create through childhood, but I know I can't keep everything so I take pictures. Here are a few things Jaxon made at preschool and did at home. So far my kids both really like art projects I hope they continue to since I like doing it too.

wedding and other posts

2009-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Ben's wedding

2009-10-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

We made a weekend trip up to Utah to see my older brother Ben get married. The ride up wasn't the best trip ever-a huge belly just doesn't suit an eleven hour drive, but the wedding was so nice. I am so glad my brother found a great girl like Kandice. She is great and we are so glad she and Parker are a part of our family.

crafts

2009-10-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Lateley I have not had the energy to do very much, so in order to keep the kids entertained we have been doing some crafts. Nice for me because I can pretty much sit back and watch them create, and nice for them because what kid doesn't love to paint and get messy. Here they are painting there very own rain makers-shakers.

Happenings

2009-09-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

For some family bonding time we took the kids bowling recently. Let me just tell you that when you have 2 kids under the age of 5 and a pregnant mama - a bowling game can be pretty entertaining. Let's just say it definitely wasn't my best game, but Chris did awesome and the kids had a blast.

A few weeks ago Chris took Jaxon to a D-backs game for some guy time. They took the train in-which Jaxon absolutely loved. I think he liked riding the train more than watching the game, although he had fun doing both.

Our little guy-3d style

2009-08-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Today I had an ultrasound appointment and they took a few 3D pics of our little baby boy. I have never had a 3D ultrasound before and it was pretty awesome. I just found it so amazing that I could see my little guy up close and personal. Of course I think he looks super cute--and he reminds me of Jaxon already. It will be interesting to see if we still think that when he actually gets here.

Our Kenli

2009-08-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Kenli is our princess cutie girl. She is growing up so fast. I am amazed everday at the new things she can do and say. I feel our little girl is one smart cookie, except for when it comes to her cute little nose. Kenli has been known to stick a few things up there. I would think after the first time she would realize hey this hurts, I don't like it, I won't do it again. But, she has proved me wrong. Here are a few things Kenli has shoved up her nose: a piece of foam from Jaxon's nerf football, a huge piece of crayon (this one was up there for 2 weeks), a clear hair elastic, and a bead from off of her bracelet. I guess I will just leave it with the fact that a lot of kids just find holes facinating. Never doubt what you kids might try and stick up the nose or in their ears. What a crazy girl-I do hope I don't have to do any more digging up there--EVER.

Going Private

2009-08-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

I love blogging and reading other families blogs, but with the world the way it is I would feel a little better if I knew who was looking at our blog. So, we are going private. I love the fact the friends and family have been able to track us down through the blogging world. So please, if you would like to keep viewing our blog just send me your email so I can send an invite. Thanks.

Anniversary

2009-07-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Chris and I celebrated our 7th yr. anniversary a few days ago. It fell on a Saturday this year-which was so nice because we could spend the whole day together. The past 7 years have been the best of my life. I am so blessed to have such an awesome husband and children. To celebrate we went to see our first Broadway play Wicked--it was so awesome! Now I just wish I could go to Phantom when it comes in the fall-but it is going to be here right when we should be having our baby-so that probably won't happen. Maybe next time. They didn't allow camera's in the theater-so here are a few shots we took with Chris' camera phone.

Long Post-Our Vacation

2009-07-16T21:17:00.001-07:00

Multiple Posts-Our Vacation

2009-07-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

We then headed up to Idaho for the 4th and for the last few days of our vacation. Chris' Mom's family often come together on the 4th. This year I think they said there were over 80 people who came-pretty impressive. It was super fun to see everyone. The 4th in Malad is always active and fun. The Malad parade is the place for kids-this town throws out so much candy. Both Jaxon and Kenli got 2 big bags. Most of it consisted of salt water taffy-too bad I don't really like the stuff. This year some of the family members including Chris participated in a softball tournament. That was fun to watch.

Jaxon really wanted to go camping while we were there-so Grandma and Grandpa took us up to Powerhouse for a cookout. Jaxon hiked the mountain with the boys-we had steaks for dinner, and the boys had a foot freezing contest in the lake. Later that night Grandpa, Chris, and Jaxon camped out in the backyard. I think everyone had a great time, especially Jaxon.

We also were able to go to Lagoon with Chris' side of the family. The kids for the most part had a blast-well Jaxon did more then Kenli. The first part of the day was gorgeous, but around 3p.m. it started to pour. This continued for about an hour, and then continued to drizzle the rest of the day. That put a little damper on things-but we made the best of it.

I also got a few days to myself which were bittersweet. I really loved being able to relax and be so carefree, but I still really missed my husband and kids terribly. I do think that parents and mothers in particular need a day off here and there. It helps me, atleast-to really focus on the things that matter. I always go back so happy to be a wife and a mother-I truly am so blessed. On my few days off I got to visit with some old high school friends. I also got to go to Park City with my mom and my sister for a fun girls day. I don't know why we took pictures by the moose and bear-just because.