Our family finally made it back to Disneyland and we had fun. We started off at Disneyland and then took a day off to relax at the beach. the weather was perfect and so we bathed in the sunshine and rested. Then we went back for another day of Disneyland fun. Spencer's favorite ride was Indiana Jones. We had to squeeze him in and he was just tall enough to ride. It was a good thing too because that was the one ride he was looking forward to the most. Jackson really liked Thunder Mountain and that is one ride Troy loves too. Payton wasn't a big fan of the fast rides but he was so excited to meet Mickey Mouse and he LOVED the Playhouse Disney show. He was amazed to see the characters he watches on TV come to life. We love the happiest place on Earth.

Our little bike rider!

Spencer was very reluctant to try to ride a bike. He had a few meltdowns with dad but after a some practice to build up his confidence he was off and riding! We are so proud of him and it is so exciting to have him wanting to get on his bike. he is getting so big and it is fun to watch him grow. Great job Spencer!

Finding the fun

This is one of those times when I was glad that I had my camera in my purse. Troy and I decided to go shopping for some outdoor pots and so we loaded up the kids and set off. One of the places we stopped had a display of all these animals that the kids found very interesting. It was so cute to see them with these and they were having fun. Oh to be a kids again.

Good Young Friends

I didn't want to say old friends because when I am with these amazing ladies I feel like a kid again. I have known some of these ladies since 3rd grade and we all went through high school together. I can say I love these beautiful women and it is so fun to reconnect with them at least once a year in person. We have all been through our own personal challenges and we are all different in a million ways but we share the same faith that binds us together no matter if we love "chick-flicks" or "sci-fy" when we are together we have a GREAT time. Christine, Carol, Bethany, Sherri and Becky thanks for being you -- I luv ya!!!

It's a work in Progress

When we built our home a few years ago we had to wait for the courtyard to be in reality what we imagined it in our minds. This year we decided that we could do something small to move in the direction of an outdoor living space. Troy did most of the work but with the help of some fabulous tools we borrowed, we got the courtyard concrete stained and we are happy with the way it turned out. It rained for a a few Saturdays and postponed our plans but we were finally able to finish. The first coat looked like dried pee and we were VERY nervous but with a second coat it turned into what we wanted and now all we need are plants =). Here are some picture so you can see something Troy should be proud of. I am so glad I married a man who is not afraid to try to do things on his own and that he has the patience to research and see things through. Now we are one step closer to the goal. Good job babe.

Aunt Pam and Michele

Each year my aunt and cousin come down from New York to visit all of the family here. My kids love them to pieces and look forward to this because they get books from them and when they stay with us there are two more people to talk to and tell there thoughts too. Our guests are very kind to give them the attention they are looking for and with a few extra hands they don't always have to wait for mom. I try to think of something fun to do with them and this year we went to visit "Old Scottsdale". We ate lunch at Fudruckers -- because Michele loves her burgers and so do we, and then we looked in all the shops around the area. I was prepared for complaining and stuff but my kids LOVED it!! The boys were hilarious in all the art museums asking about the pictures and we got to look at lots of amazing art. My drawings are of stick people and rainbows and I am 30 so seeing something someone made out of some pain and a paintbrush is amazing to me -- the non artist! The boys all got to pick a rock at the rock store and they thought it was the best thing in the world. We walked around for hours and all of us had a great time. Plus, it was very "Arizona" for our New York visitors =). We only got through half of the shops so that will give us something to do next year. As always we had to stop at the train park for some rides and the kids dressed themselves that day so their outfits are quite "artistic", but we had a fun time.

The simple things in life...

As a late Valentine's Day present a good friend of mine , who shall remain nameless (Kristine), gave my kids a sucker. Not just any sucker but a HUGE heart shaped sucker. They were SOOOOO excited because I will never let them get one this big due to childhood trauma. See, I ate one like this as a kid too fast and got sick afterwards so they kind of give me the creeps to look at and they make my stomach turn. This proves my theory that it takes a village to raise a child because even though I can not stomach them someone else loved my kids enough to pump them full of sugar for me =). And the look on their face really says it all. It does not take much to make my kids happy but with three boys ... the way to their heart is definitely through their stomach =). On a side note: no one got sick and no one ate it in one day which make it a win win!