FL Whites' Visit

We were so happy Mia, Mae, HB, and Karen took their vacation time off to visit us.  These pictures are out of order, but here are some of the many things we did during their visit. 
We hung out with them as much as we could. We spent quite some time at Kristen's house and the cousins had a blast playing.

We hit the museum in Thanksgiving Point. Just the younger cousins attended that event.

We went to This is the Place Heritage Park. Again, mainly the younger cousins went.  It was quite an event.  Kristen and Troy's van was going nuts and so they removed the alarm.  Then, the car did that anti theft lock and wouldn't start.  It was pretty exciting.

The girls loved riding horses and going on the train ride.


It was nice to go to the Park in the middle of the week.  We practically had the park to ourselves.

We had a lot of fun.

Maya and Elliot

My friend Katherine had a photo shoot with the family.  We went along to watch her kids and help out.  Their pictures turned out great.  I also took a few pictures of my kids. The day was so pretty and the changing of the seasons was so colorful, it almost looked fake.

Sammy and me.

Kind of funny and gross story.  Arden was feeling kind of sick...who knows what he ate, but he ended up barfing.  I was worried he was going to get us sick, but he didn't. Perhaps, it was something he had eaten.

Another day, Karen and I took the kids to Cornbelly's Halloween festivities.  It was a lot of fun too.  We went on a hay ride, played in all kind of slides and jumped in all kinds of jumpy things.  They played on some tire swings and ran around. 

The park also had a princess dress up section.  The kids dressed up and then, they could dance on a stage.  Also, they got a chance to sit on a fancy pumpkin carriage.  Who doesn't like that? like It was really cute. 



My favorite event was taking Arden to ride the mechanical bull. That was pretty fun to watch. I was impressed how well he held on.

Another day, we had a "Mom about." This was just for the ladies.  The husbands were kind enough to watch the kids overnight, while the ladies stayed in a ski resort and relaxed.  We went out to dinner, relaxed in the hot tub, stayed up late, and slept in.  We drank tons of hot chocolate and tea. The following morning we went out on a mini hike. It was a great event.  We had such a great time.
We also went to see a play another day. 

Another day, after the 'Mom About,' we had a picnic in the mountains.  The weather was fabulous. It was a pretty fun hit...although there was a bit of contention when some childhood memories were mentioned.  All is well now.

One of our sweet hits was going to Wheeler Farm.  I really like that place. It was with the younger cousins who went, while the older cousins were at school.

On a hay ride

One of our final events was dinner at the Goebel house.  We took that opportunity to take a cousin group shot.

We were so glad Karen, HB, Mia, and Mae came to visit us.  We were sad to see them go...but were glad to have spent that time with them.

Canning and Other Stuff

As I get older, I'm becoming more 'domestic.' I'm not sure what to think of that.  Well, I know I never saw myself canning...EVER.
This year, I went to Helen's Mother-in-law's house and canned pears and made applesauce.  It was a bit of work, but we had a sweet sweat shop set up and were able to can a lot of stuff.

Then, on my own, I made peach jam at home and I think it was pretty tasty.  I was pretty happy with the outcome.
I gave the jam as Christmas presents to my neighbors and friends.  This year I didn't want to do treats like most people do...too many treats fatten us up.  I also wanted to make my own presents this year.  So, I tried to make as many presents as I could.


The following photos were taken by Maya.  One day I let her use the camera and these were some of the shots I found.


Her daddy in the kitchen.







The mess I had made working on a few Christmas presents.

I like the photo of the sea shells up close.

Maya's Birthday(s)

Birthdays are so much fun. It felt that not too long ago, we were celebrating Maya's 3rd birthday, dressed up as a princess.  Now, she was a year older.
I didn't want to over the top in preparations...like spending 10 hours planning and preparing for a party that's only 1 1/2 hours long.
This year we had a family FHE party. Well, first we met up with Newel in Orem for a birthday lunch, just the 4 of us... and to pick up a pinata for the party.


That afternoon we headed over to Kristen's for the celebration.

Maya was so excited about her birthday, she couldn't hold still. So Grandma held her for just a moment to take a snapshot of the Birthday Girl.

Most of her cousins were there and that made it a PARTY!


We had a yummy pizza dinner per Maya's request.




After our feast, we busted out the pinata.

It was kind of funny how the pinata was her height.  All of the children were excited to break this baby apart.


I was nervous someone would get whacked with the stick, but no one did.  The older children and adults were blindfolded. Everyone who wanted a turn got one.  Actually, they got more than one turn...it was a sturdy pinata. It has to be if it's designed for a Spanish party.
If I remember correctly, Troy was the one who finally broke that baby.

It was so fun watching them run around picking up candy.

After the pinata, we had cake and then she opened her presents.


It was an exciting day!

The following day, I made arrangements to have pre-school at our house, so we could have a small party with her new pre-school friends. We ate cupcakes and it happened that our lesson on that day was about growing and having birthdays.


We also invited her friend Stella for the party. That was another exciting day for Maya.

Catching Up

The Culprits:

 You see that little bag with a couple of pennies?  When we bought the van a couple of years ago, everything on it worked great.  After a while, it started acting funny.  The doors would make an annoying sound when the car was running like we had the doors open.  The speakers would act up...sometimes they would work, other times, they would make a static noise while the car was turned off, not even keys in the ignition.  I took it to the dealership several times to have it checked and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. One day, the radio stopped working, completely. After a few months, I gave in and went to a car-radio place to have the radio changed.  They checked my old radio and found those two pennies inside the radio.  It looks like one or two of my children were playing with the radio, who knows when, and inserted those lovely pennies. 

Trip to California:

 On the 2nd weekend in September, we took a quick trip to California.  Newel really wanted to see the Utes play in Cali. So we drove there and stayed with some friends from Stanford.  It was so nice to visit them.  We hadn't seen them, since their wedding, I think.  I forgot my camera and this was the only picture I have of our visit...their amazing backyard.  The children enjoyed playing in the pool and running around the yard.  I really enjoyed hanging out with Kat.  She's so nice and so fun.   I really like her children...they were so cute.  I think if I would have lived in her area, I would have enjoyed hanging out with her and her family. We walked around their neighborhood, we went to a park, went out to lunch, and hit Trader Joe

Our children were disappointed when we told them we were heading back home.  I guess they really liked their house...I liked it too, but I really liked the company, most of all

Cousin Campout:

The Goebel cousins moved from Las Vegas to UT, in the summer.  At the end of the summer, they invited the cousins for a sleepover and campout.  Some people camped, others slept indoors.  Maya and Arden loved it.  We stayed over too, but didn't camp. This is a photo of some the fun that was happening. 

Fair Day:

This year we hit the fair during the day and only with the little cousins, while the big cousins were at school. This hit started with a concert.  You'd think the musicians were a hit...which, they were, but these little girls were the life of the party.  They were the cutest little dancers.

The kids posed on top of gigantic award winning pumpkins and petted some really cute bunnies.  Those bunnies were so cute, I wanted to bring home one or two for myself...but we already have pet fishes. 

Perhaps, when we have a house of our own, we'll get a bunny to pet and love.

The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Next, we hit the horse stalls.  The kids loved petting the horses.  It was time for the rest of the crew to leave...so Maya and I stayed behind and watched a horse show and then went over to the children's area to play.

Straight Hair:

On this particular Saturday, I was straightening my hair...Maya of course wanted her hair done and this is what we got...straight hair.  It was kind of odd for me to see her with her hair straight, since her hair is pretty wavy.  I also didn't realize how long her hair is.

Preschool: 
Maya started preschool this year.  She has classes twice a week and every six weeks, we do it at our house.  It's a great little group we have.  The children are great and Maya really loves going to school.  She'll ask daily if it's preschool day. She's the youngest in the group, but she does well. 
This is one of the first projects she did in class.  Isn't it great?
She's also learning to write her name on her own.  One of these days, I'll try to have a sample of her writing.




Gardening:
Who am I kidding?  I'm not a great gardener, but I try.  Okay, I'm not even a good gardener, but I get an A for effort.
This is what our patio looked like at the peak of the summer/harvest.  I was able to grow basil from seed and it grew well.  Pretty much the only thing that grew well.
I tried jalapenos, habanero peppers (Newel's requests), yellow peppers, and even spaghetti pumpkin...late in the season. 
I think I only got 3 yellow peppers, a handful of habaneros, and quite a bit of small jalapenos.   No spaghetti squash. Arden grew an orange tree from seed, without really trying...no kidding! I guess we know who has the green thumb in our family.

Martial Arts, Parties, and Pets

Tae Kown Do Arden: 

Practicing Martial Arts

TKD Arden

As September came, we asked Arden if he'd like to be involved in some type of sport...other than soccer...Soccer needed a rest....Mommy needed a rest from soccer.
I suggested Martial Arts.  After trying out a couple of places we chose a small group by our house.  He really likes going to class and is doing well.  He's even getting more coordinated. He recently tested for his yellow belt.

A Pet: 
We've been kind of against having a pet because we can't have any at our place and I don't want to be responsible for something else.  However, I feel like it would be good for Arden to have a pet...that is low key.  So, for his last birthday present I took him to Petco to choose a pet.  Something that didn't need much care, like a hermit crab or a beta fish (not a fish requiring filters and other things)....Heck, even a lizard...right?
I was really hoping for the hermit crab...really rooting for the hermit crab or the beta fish.  Instead, Arden chose a lizard....he really wanted a big lizard, but I wouldn't have it.  He picked out this small one.  I bought the cage and everything else that went with it...not cheap.  We got home and I set up the tank.  Not fun. I really had to say NO WAY...once I found out I had to keep the lizard's food alive and feed its food well, otherwise, the lizard would get sick.  NO WAY! I'm not keeping worms and crickets alive and have to go to the store every week to get fresh crickets.  That's too much work.  This was supposed to be low key...easy.
So, I gave in and got him a small fish tank (5 gallons and with a filter and stuff) and took the lizard back.
When we had a tank when I was a kid, my mom and dad would care for it, so I didn't really learn how to care for one.
To make the long story short...I didn't treat the water right, we had too many fishes, and in a period of about 4 weeks we went through 12 fishes...no kidding!  Everything that could have been done incorrectly, I did it.
Our friends gave us a 10 gallon tank and we started all over.  We've kept those guys alive for over 2 months.  Hooray!

Friends:
Maya has a great little friend named Stella.  Maya and Stella love each other so much and are such good little friends.  Every Sunday, after our sacrament meeting, Maya will run over to Stella, hold hands, and walk to class.  They are such good little friends.  We've had Stella over to play a few times...one of those times was over at the pool. They are too cute.

Isabella's Blessing:
Izzy is the newest baby of the family.  She's adorable and lovable.  A perfect little angel. 
In September we got together for her blessing and luncheon.  All of the cousins living here were present. 

We love Izzy!
















 Riding a Bike and Princess Party:
In Mid September, it was Maya's friend, Stella's, birthday.  The party was just down the street, so Maya wanted to attend the party in style.  Instead of using her tricycle, she rode her brother's old bike.  I didn't realize she could do it.  It still has the training wheels, but she was great! It was the first time I had witnessed this.  My favorite part was how she was dressed so girly, since it was a princess birthday party. I love this picture.  She's riding the bike in her princess dress, carrying her present to her friend, and her crown on the handle bar...After all, even a princess must be safe and needs to wear a helmet.
She really enjoyed the party.  There were princess games, tea party food, a princess birthday cake, and make-overs.



Maya had her nails and hair done.  She even had a bit of make-up.  A perfect party!

She had so much fun, she was talking about having another princess party for her upcoming birthday.  That request was gently denied...too much work, besides...she had been talking about a beach party with her cousins for months. 

Phone Call

A Phone Call: 
About two weeks after school started, I got a phone call from Arden's teacher.  Up to that point, I was under the impression Arden was doing great at school.  He didn't look as excited as the previous year, but I thought it was because he was getting used to the new routine and new teachers. However, whenever I asked him how school went, he would reply "fine" or "Okay."  So, I was surprised to get a call from his English teacher.  The first question out of her mouth was if he was taking medications.  It turns out, Arden was just laying his head on his desk and producing no work...nothing.  So, ever since, I've been bugging him about school and his behavior in class.  He tends to act a bit strange, like licking the dry eraser board, stuffing candy canes up his nose, hiding underneath his desk...somehow sitting upside down on his desk and the list goes on.  He has a terrible time focusing and whatever we've tried with him has given us minimal results. 
Personally, I'm worn out. I took him to his pediatrician to have a check up, I've met with his teachers, and told them we're not dead beat parents.  I've practically bribed him, taken away privileges, and punished him, with only minimal positive results.  I've been going to his class to help him learn how to behave and to cope.  I'm sure he's also worn out and tired of me and of his teachers. We're trying a couple new things this week, to help him remember to stay focus.  We try something every week.  I'm not asking for a perfect kid, just, enough.  Enough focusing so he can get his work done in class in a timely manner...so he doesn't come home with a pile of unfinished work and then doesn't get to play because all we do is try to catch him up. Just enough so I don't get frustrated with him. I don't even mind a little weirdness if he can get his stuff done. 

On the positive side, he's reading at 3rd grade level and is where he should be academically.  As a matter of fact, right before the Winter Break, Arden was observed by the school psychologist and she was surprised how someone who's so unfocused, twitchy, out of his desk all of the time, can be doing so well academically.  I'm trying to stay positive.  Newel was the same way, until 4th grade, then, he matured a bit and the phone calls home ended.  I don't want Arden medicated, yet.  I think it's important to teach him coping skills, like when it's time to listen, time to zone out, time to work. I don't want to give him some pill that will dull him up. I'd like him to be himself...he's a great loving kid. He needs to learn how to behave on his own...he'll need that skill for the rest of his life.  Also, I feel like if I just give him some type of pill...I've somehow failed.

Utes Fan Day and Other Stuff

Arden started 2nd grade. 
I can't believe he's already in second grade.  I don't think he's liking school as much this year as last year.  Of course, I forgot to take his picture of the first day of school.

Utes Fan day

Yes, it was the annual Utes Fan Day...where we go and hang out at the stadium and do all this Utes.

This year we arrived early so we could beat the lines for different events, like going on the bouncy slide.  Our kids went on that thing...Oh, a good twenty times.  They loved it!

The day was getting hot, so we cooled off with some red snow cones.  While we ate some yummy cones, Newel was waiting in line, for a long time, to have his posters signed by the football team.  He was one of the first guys in line and he got a bunch of signatures from the players.  He even got a poster signed for HB.  It was an exciting day.  I think this was Newel's happy place. 

Arden even made in the KSL online news with this sweet picture. You can see Maya in the back.

After our sweet hit at Utes Fan Day, we headed over to the Farmer's Market in Downtown Salt Lake.  I like going there at least once in the season.  I love trying out different foods.  This time we had some African dishes.  They were yummy and of course we got our delicious bread. 
We let the kids play in park, next to the homeless people.  If you know anything about Pioneer Park, is that this is the hangout for the homeless dudes.  They usually stay low key during the early market hours, but we arrived when the market was beginning to close down, so they made themselves at home again. We don't mind them...they're alright. 

After, our stop by the Farmer's Market, we headed to the mountains to visit Grandma and Paka.  Kristen and her family met us there.  The children love the outdoors, so they had a great time playing and even making new friends. The Walters provided us with a yummy dinner, but when it was time for Izzy to eat, they realized they forgot her bottle...so they had to improvise. Not bad...a Coke bottle and a glove.

Our day was not over yet!  Our friends from our old ward invited us to their ward movie night.  We ate popcorn and chatted with some of the members from our old ward.  It was good to see them again. We also enjoyed the movie.  It was such a fun busy day.

Nate and Jessica Visit

Hey, look at this, I'm only 4 months behind on my posts.
A few months ago, Nate was on leave from Afghanistan (Uncle Nate is an Army Man) and he and Jessica came to UT for a quick visit.
We were really glad to see them.
We met up with them at Grandma and Paka's campsite they were Camp hosts in the UT mountains.
Of course I forgot to take a picture of Nate and Jessica and instead, I photographed, Grandma and the kids going for a short hike around the camp.
We played by the river, threw rocks, and looked for scat.  Also, we enjoyed a yummy dinner.


That Sunday, Helen hosted dinner at her house after church.  It was a meat fest!  We  had all kinds of yummy foods and Nate's buddies came over for dinner as well.

Uncle D was also there and he looked so cute holding little Izzy.

After dinner, we had some photo moments, with the cousins posing with Nate.  What a fun bunch.



Then, it was Nate's sibling's turn to pose.  I believe this was their serious...tough Look. 


Somehow, I convinced Jessica to take a picture with me.  If you know Jessica, she doesn't like taking pictures...I don't know why...She's a good looking girl. It was really nice to see Nate and Jessica.  We hope to see them again soon.