Weston's Newest Trick

Weston is starting to sit up! He struggles to get there on his own, so after a little placement, he can sit up for about a minute before tumbling down.

My Primary Class

I love my primary class. My calling is wonderful. I teach Valiant 11, and they are AWESOME!

Today the boys Dylan and Philip weren't here with the holidays in motion, but the girls were...

Lilly, Angel, Hannah, and Hannah

Love them!

Firm Christmas Party

Last night Cody and I dropped the kids off at Traci's while his mom was still at work, and then she picked them up to watch them overnight while Cody and I attended the Firm's Christmas Party in Scottsdale. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, ate dinner at the "Tortilla Factory" and went for a 3 hour ride in a H2 Limo. It was a lot of fun...white elephant gifts, drinking sparkling cider,... it was different being around people who drink alcohol, but funny to see how they acted when "under the influence". By the end of the night I was so ready to go back to the hotel... one of the guys had way too much to drink. So as they went off to different bars, Cody and I enjoyed each others company in the hotel. We woke up and had breakfast, picked the kiddos up, and played around in the valley before heading back to Prescott Valley.

Very Interesting Party :)

Student of the Month

I went to see Hailey get an award today at her elementary school... I didn't know what it was, but she let me know as soon as I got there... "Student of the Month"! Way to go Hailey!

Brielle was really cute and sat by her the whole time, and was so sad that she couldn't go up on stage with Hailey.

You may be wondering about our choice of outfit for her... It was the last day of school before Christmas Break, and they all wore their pj's and watched "Polar Express". She had a robe too, but left it in class :) Oh, and she chose her shoes herself... didn't surprise me that she chose her ruby red slippers. We put tights on under her pj's so that she'd be warmer... there is snow outside :)

Melts my Heart

Today...

Richelle: "We're going to Gramma and Papa's house in 10 days."

Brielle: "Papa Utah?"

Richelle: "Yup"

Brielle: "Yeah Hoo!" followed by giving me a hug.

----------------

Lately...

Hailey: "But I've wanted to go there (do that) my whole life!" (after discovering something that day or that week)

----------------

Everyday...

Xander: "Mommy, why does..." (he is ALWAYS asking questions)

Richelle: "I don't know"

Xander: "Yes you do, you know everything!"

---------------

Happens whenever we ask...

Richelle or Cody: "Are you a puppy?"

Brielle: "No, I Be-elle"

Richelle or Cody: "Are you a human?"

Brielle: "No, I Be-elle"

Richelle or Cody: "Are you a girl?"

Brielle: "No, I Be-elle"

Richelle or Cody: "Are you a princess?"

Brielle: "Yeah, I Be-elle"

---------------

Others...

Xander: "You need a token to come in my room" - and he blocks his doorway too...

Xander: "I made a booby trap"

Xander: "You want a knuckle sandwich?" - Thanks Dad!

Xander: (after every hypothesis... at least 25x daily) "Is that right?"

Xander: "I'll be even gooder than I said I would be if you sleep with me"

Brielle: "No Waaaay!"

Brielle: She loves to pretend to talk on the phone... and it's always one of two people... Papa Utah or Valerie.

Hailey's "Diary" Entry:

I dance, I love to sing. It is one of my talents. I love to bake, that is another. There is another thing I like to do. I like to bike with no training wheels and I like to read too. I like love to ride a horse. I have two boyfriends- Tyler and Maliakai.

I LOVE MY KIDS!!! They make me laugh and smile everyday!

5 months

Weston is already 5 months old! He is growing up way too fast! He loves to roll everywhere, and has started scooting "Marine Style" (I'm not allowed to say army crawl without being tickled or pounced upon)... we love him so much! He is such a joy, a happy, always smiling baby, and we love him SO MUCH!

Muffin Lunches and Homemade Baby Food

Today I gave Xander and Brielle "Muffin Tin" Lunches. I found the idea on "Pinterest" (a cool website that you can make your own boards and such for your likes and what not)... anyways, it was a big hit! I'll definitely have to do it again!

What I put in...

Danimals Smoothie

Bread

Cheese

Chocolate Chips

Turkey

Grapes

I also started making my own baby food for Weston... I actually got the idea while Brielle was still young from my friend Cheryl Bateman. Today Weston tried Caribbean Red Papaya... after I blended the papaya and a little water in the blender, I added some to his rice cereal...and he loved it! Then I tried giving it to him plain, and not one wince :)

I bought some containers to store the extras in the freezer so I pre-make more than I need for that day...yes, I must admit, I am a genius :)

Christmas Concert

Cody and I went to see his mom and sister perform in the East Valley Mormon Choir tonight while the kids were babysat. It was a great concert! Great job Mom and Traci!

ER Visit

This morning I took Brielle to the ER (about 4am) after staying up with her from 1:30am on... Cody had the shift just prior to that... I decided I needed to take her in after watching her breathe, dealing with throw up, feeling her forehead, getting her heartrate, and listening to her cough. They diagnosed her as I suspected... croupe. Good thing we didn't have her go to nursery after we gave our talks on Sunday! They gave her Zofran for her nausea, tylenol to help with the fever, and then a shot of some sort of steroid to help keep her throat open. Fun times! Luckily when I went in, there was no one in front of me, and we left at 6:30 am! That has to be the fastest ER trip ever!

Polar Express Train Ride

We took the kids to Williams, AZ (about a half hour west of Flagstaff) to ride the train "Polar Express". It was lots of fun, the kids got hot chocolate and a cookie, we sang Christmas carols, had the book read to us, and saw the "north pole". Then Santa came aboard and gave each child a bell... it was fun! We got a pic with Santa, which Brielle was hilarious, and refused to smile during the pictures... wrote letters to Santa and put them in his mailbox...

The kids asked for...

Hailey- Jewelry Maker, Food Maker, Real Make Up

Xander- T-rex Pillowpet, Legos, Cars 2

Brielle- Phone, Disney Barbie

Weston- Diapers, Wipes

More pics to come... I have to do more photoshop

Thanksgiving 2011

We went down to the valley for Thanksgiving this year. We all went to the Payne's house for grub and fun. The kids had a blast on the "magic carpet" and the "train" (both pulled by 4-wheelers). And breaking the pinata!

Over for dinner...

The Paynes (John, Traci, Kaden, Conner, Kylie, Colton, Cannon, Carson)

Quinn and Margo Johnson

Us (Cody, Richelle, Hailey, Xander, Brielle, Weston)

Uncle Brent and Aunt Janene Farley

Curtis, Shayla, Elnora Farley

Shayla's Parents

Court, Charlene, Noelle Williams 

Missionaries from Payne's Ward

On Friday we went to the desert, where we shot guns, went on the 4-wheeler, and had hot dogs for lunch.

{Thanksgiving Play}

Tonight was Hailey's 1st Grade Thanksgiving Play. They read a book aloud "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving"... Hailey had a page to read, and she did so good! They also sang 3 songs, and had little costumes. Hailey was a pilgrim. Great job Hailey! She picked Golden Corral for dinner tonight. It was yummy!



Funny Experience...

I had the car today, which was nice, I was able to get a lot of things done, and here's the story of us getting from our apartment into the 'burb.

We left our apartment, Hailey had her "new phone" (which is my old one, she just keeps it charged and plays the music and games, and takes pics/videos), Xander carried the diaper bag, Brielle carried her baby purse with something in it that she was playing with earlier, I had Weston in his carseat... I turn on the car-LOVE REMOTE START! and tell the two older ones to get in the backseat. I put Weston's carseat in, see Brielle's purse on the ground, pick that up, throw that inside, and run around to put Brielle in her seat. She tells me she wants her purse in her own language, which I am getting good at understanding, I give it to her, and she keeps pointing to the ground. Oh, the thing that was in there fell out. I ask the older kids to give her her toy as I run around the other side to buckle in the carseat. This is what I hear...

Hailey- "Uh, mom? That was an egg that fell out of her purse. A REAL EGG! (a brief pause)... and it broke."

Me- "What?!?"

Xander- "Yup, it was a real egg mom, and it's broken!"

I checked the console for a napkin, realize we're out, and scoop it up with my hands to put in a cup that someone had left in the car earlier... then remembering there was a package of paper towels in the back. I cleaned it as best I could, and then finally we got on our way to pick the handsome attorney up from his office.

**Backtracking a little to a little earlier, since you might be wondering why she had an egg... I saw her playing with it in the living room earlier... but I thought it was part of the other play food she was playing with. I thought she couldn't get into the refrigerator... alas, I was wrong. Now where do they sell those refrigerator locks???

**And yes, she wasn't the one to break it, I admit it, I threw in her purse, I broke the egg :)

Time with the Johnsons

We went out to Lynx Lake today with Cody's brother Ryan's family (Ryan, April, Caleb, Eli, Marcus and Nolan). We had hot dogs, gourmet popcorn (fresh from costco), and had fun hanging out, talking, feeding the ducks and fishing... no one caught anything, but it was fun! (Well, technically Brielle made the only catch... Hailey's finger, but no harm done, just a scratch).

We're so glad you guys came up to visit us from Anthem! We had a blast! Visit us again soon!

4 months

I can't believe my little Weston turned 4 months yesterday! Time has really flown by! And so much has happened to our family during those four months! We are SOOOOOOOO Happy Weston came to our family! We love him so much more than he'll ever know!

Potty Training

This morning I heard some crying coming from down the hall. It was Brielle. I went over to see what was the matter... I found her bottomless in the bathroom, trying to get on the toilet. Smiling, I placed her on the toilet, and she went! Both! YEA BRIELLE!!!! I think this is the start of something wonderful! Now the question is, do I get her some big girl panties? or stick with pull ups? I remember Hailey didn't fully train until I figured out she knew when she was wearing pull-ups, and knew it wouldn't leak through. Hmmm... Maybe I should get some big girl panties and she'll finish training quicker? But no matter what, I am so proud of you today Brielle! You did so good, and all on your own too! She even got to pick out of the treasure chest. She chose lipstick candy. Way to go Brielle!

Not even 6:30am...

I was woken up this morning to, "Mommy it snowed last night!" Went outside and saw a little snow! It is SO cold! And I LOVE IT! I woke up Xander so he could see it before it melted when the sun comes up (there's just a little on the rocks and some on the top of Glassford Hill (which we live on). Brielle woke up and we showed her,... I grabbed my camera, and little flurries showed up! It was snowing! Not much, but it was! We came in and warmed our feet and hands by the fireplace, and on Cody :) Xander asked if I wanted a foot rub, and explained to Cody that he's giving me a foot rub because my feet are soft, and smell like roses :) Then he gave me a hand rub! Hailey gave Cody a backrub and reluctantly a foot rub...haha! Brielle snuggled by Cody, and then Cody started making pancakes and sausage for breakfast... it's been a fun and exciting morning and it's not even 6:30am!

and at 6:50am... Weston joined the party! He's such a smilie boy!

 

Engaged!

My brother Jason just proposed to his girlfriend, Alina Romanova and she said yes! He is having the ring made right now so he proposed in a Russian "nesting doll" with a dollar ring he made inside. I can't wait to meet my future sister-in-law! (They are in Russia right now)

Halloween

Cody's boss and his wife (Alex and Maureen Vakula) invited us to join his family trick-or-treating tonight in downtown Prescott. I couldn't believe how crowded the streets were! It was like the movies where the streets are blocked off from cars, and people we handing out the big candy bars too! We had so much fun, and I'm sure the kids did too :) Our last stop was at a judges house, where we went inside and the kids roasted marshmallows. Fun times!

Cody-Lawyer, Richelle-Mom of 4

Hailey-Angel, Xander-Spiderman, Brielle-Pirate, Weston-Tiger

exploring our surroundings...

Today Cody and I took the kids to Montezuma's Castle. It is ancient ruins nestled in a limestone cliff that was built over 1000 years ago by the Sinagua People. Quite an amazing sight! I can't believe how crafty people were so long ago and could build what they did... into a cliff without today's technologies and tools! They used to let people explore by going in the ruins, but now you have to look at them from a distance... you can't even go near them because they are "re-vegetating" LOL!

I found a picture of what the Ruins looked like in 1887...

After exploring, we went to Sonic! WHOO WHOO for Happy Hour half price drinks and slushies :)

Then we drove to Clarksdale where we saw the Verde train depot, a bunch of mines and the Tuzigoot Ruins.

After that we went exploring in the Mingus Mountains where we found some great views and fun areas for trails and possible camping sites. I also found out that I may be the only one in the world who thinks that a wild animal might jump in the window while driving in the mountains... but I have it down anyways...

Today was a fun day!

Official Certificate

Cody got a special package in the mail today... it was his certificate from the Arizona Supreme Court stating he can offically practice law! YEA!!!!

Dear Weston,

My Sweet Baby Boy,... between last night and early this morning you had a rough time sleeping. You were tossing and turning, and didn't know what you wanted...but you weren't crying... yet I knew you wanted to cuddle. So I conceded to your wish. I got little sleep; however, I truly felt your love for me. Your big gummy smiles you gave me when I picked you up from your bassinet, falling asleep in my arms in what your daddy likes to call the "football hold"; and having my circulation cut off from my fingers. I could just feel your absolute love for me. I actually wrote this blog post in my mind while rocking you in my arms. Watching you watch me was just an incredible experience. Humming to you and watching your eyelids droop was so peaceful. I always knew that babies truly depend on someone, but last night I could feel it. I know that you trust me, depend on me, and completely love me. I'm so glad I got the chance to have that experience with you last night Weston... and I'm a little sorry that I kept the experience mostly to myself... although your daddy did get 2 bottles for me. But I was being selfish, so I told your daddy to go back to sleep, and I enjoyed feeling the bond between you and I. I love you!

                                                                          Love, Mommy

3 months

Weston is no longer a newborn...   :(  We started him on Rice Cereal on tonight, and he loves it! I usually start around 4 months, but he is a hungry boy! He now downs 6 ounces every 3 hours, and it's a hit or miss with his sleeping the nights. He can roll from his tummy to his back, and snorts when he is hungry. He sure is a good boy, and a smiley one at that! We love him so much, and we're so glad he decided to come to our family to play here on earth!

School Pictures

Well, it's that time of year,... school pictures have arrived! Why couldn't I have taken such great shots when I was Hailey's age? I think she is just adorable! She's in 1st Grade - (she started at Entz Elem. with Mrs. Coble, and is now at Lake Valley Elem. with Mrs. Ritter)

She's on the top left... another difference between her and I... I was always one of the shortest!



Sedona

We took the kids up to Sedona taking the 89A through Jerome and Cottonwood. We had a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous day, about 75 degrees. We pulled off the side of the road and took a hike up through some pretty changing leaves. It was about a half mile past mile marker 386 on the 89A. The one taken of our family turned out blurry... but it was on timer. Oh well :) Xander was especially excited because we let him pick up a big stick and whack trees with it like it was a light saber or a sword. He even asked if we could stay there forever, and didn't want to leave. But alas, Weston got hungry, so we headed back to the car. We got Coldstone in Sedona, and had a fun time. The leaves weren't as colorful as I thought they'd be right now, but it was still beautiful!