Finding Joy In OUR Journey

All good things must come to an end

2011-06-16T14:56:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm sure by now everyone has heard, but just in case you haven't...we are moving! Yep, Travis was offered a job in the Alpine School District in Utah and after much thought and deliberation we have accepted!! We are very excited for the new chapter in our lives, but also sad about closing this one. We have come to know so many wonderful people in Rexburg and our kids have made such amazing friends I have to keep reminding myself that it's not good-bye, it's see ya later. Travis starts July 1 as the Director of a Special Needs needs school and we are all looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges that face our family! More to come later!

From tHeN til nOw--ApRiL '10

2011-04-29T11:09:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know it seems like we've fallen off the map, I myself sometimes wonder if we have. One of my New Years resolutions was to keep current with my blog--obviously I've struggled a bit with this one, BUT since the year is not over, it's not too late! Instead of going through every little event, we'll go through the months...Enjoy!

"ApRiL '10"

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Dance in review

2010-12-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Chloe's first year of dance was a success, she loved every minute of it! Here is her year in review:

"Dance 2010"

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Newest Family Pictures

2010-12-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last April we had the opportunity to be "Models" for one of our areas photographers. It was a surprisingly fun experience and everyone really enjoyed getting their inner model on. I think these are my most favorite pictures of my kiddos, the photographer did an excellent job capturing their personalities.

1st Pinewood Derby

2010-11-02T15:14:00.001-06:00

April 28, 2010

Jaden was so excited to participate in his first Pine Wood Derby. Travis took the block of wood to school so he could get some "creative" help from the shop teacher. After hours of cutting, painting, glossing, drying etc...this was the finished product.

If you know my boys, then you know that everything is a competition!

Although his car didn't win for its speed, it did win for best paint job...maybe next year!

1st Day of School '10

2010-11-02T10:43:00.010-06:00

August 25, 2010

I can't believe it, I'm one step closer to being an empty-nester. I know, it's still years away, but still. Chloe started kindergarten this year and now all my kidlets are in school.

Jaden started 4th grade, his last year in elementary school.

Lexie started 6th grade, her last year in middle school.

"I want it back on!"

2010-07-06T23:09:00.004-06:00

April 19, 2010

After waiting 6 L O N G weeks, the appointment started with great excitement, and anticipation...

Which quickly turned to nerves and anxiety...

And ended in tears! Yes, tears...and not tears of joy, but tears of dread and fear.

You can't tell by the picture, but Chloe was so upset, I had to put the camera away and wipe away some of the biggest alligator tears I've ever seen. She was absolutely certain that her arm was going to fall right off and she demanded her cast be put back on. Once I convinced her that she could not perform in her upcoming dance recital with a cast on, she gradually settled down--taking if off was more traumatic than getting it put on!

I looked out the window and what did I see?

2010-07-06T22:55:00.004-06:00

April 19, 2010

Nope, not popcorn popping on the Apricot tree, but just about as unlikely. I was pulling into my drive way one afternoon, and right across the street from my house where these two cute little MOOSE! I couldn't believe it...I still can't.

D.A.R.E.

2010-07-06T22:21:00.003-06:00

April 8, 2010

It seems like anymore there's a graduation for everything. Lexie's school makes them take drug and alcohol awareness classes (taught by a police officer) where they study the effects of related abuse, and resistance methods. They then have to write an essay and present it to the class at the end of the term stating what they've learned and swearing off any possibility of ever using. She had her D.A.R.E. graduation and to make it special they sang some festive songs and received diplomas.

Doesn't she look so excited...NOT!

Easter 2010

2010-07-06T21:41:00.003-06:00

April 2010
Jaden was invited to play in a baseball tournament down in Mesquite, Nevada over Easter break this year so we loaded up the kiddos and headed south...to much warmer weather I might add. Since we were only 3 hours from Travis' parents, we decide that after the games on Saturday we would speed down to Bullhead City so that Travis could go to the Priesthood session on conference with his dad. Although our visit was short, less than 48 hours, we had a great time and the kids loved doing all the fun Easter festivities with "Nana Bear" and "Papa Beav."

"Easter Show"

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Twiners

2010-07-06T14:57:00.003-06:00

April 4, 2010

Our poor little Maddie licked up some Children's Motrin that had splashed on the floor, and it literally almost killed her. It took a few days for the affects to set in, but when they did, She had no color whatsoever; her gum's, tongue, ears and tummy where completely white. She became very lethargic and the poor thing was totally miserable! The morning I took her to the vet she actually passed out and I thought she was dying! Our vet had to take lots of blood to try and figure out what was going on and Chloe thought that it was so fun that Maddie had a wrapped arm just like she did.

Third times a charm??

2010-03-23T20:42:00.004-06:00

March 7, 2010

CAUTION: IF YOU HAVE A WEAK TUMMY, THIS MAY NOT BE FOR YOU!

Considering the fact that both Jaden and Lexie had each broken one of their legs by the time they were 2, Travis and I were feeling pretty confident when Chloe hit 5 and was still broken bone free. On Sunday, June 7, after finishing up a week of State Basketball over in Boise, we decided to head over to Melba to see my grandpa before we came home. We had had a wonderful visit and were just wrapping things up, Travis had even told the kids to get their shoes on it was time to leave. Not 2 minutes later, Lexie came blazing around the house, screaming in the most horrific voice I have ever heard! Travis went flying out the door, and rounded the house only to see a very pale, stunned Chloe walking towards him with a dangling arm...it was probably the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed. It turns out that Chloe had been playing out on the trapeze bar on the swing set. She was upside down and scared and let go hands first. The way her arm bent to protect her head snapped both bones clear through, therefore, her armed just dangled. She sat on my lap all the way into the closest hospital, which happened to be a 30 minute drive, and she never cried on bit. I kept waiting for her to pass out, or throw up or something, but nothing...she was in complete and total shock! Her eyes were rolling, her head was bobbling and the only thing she was worried about was not being able to do gymnastics and perform in her dance recital. The hospital visit took a good 4 hours from start to finish; too many non-emergent patients, and too few nurses and Doctors. We spent over an hour just waiting for pain meds and then another 2 hours waiting for the orthopedic surgeon to reset her arm. As we were trying to wake her up from her "la la" juice (they knocked her out while they set her arm...thankgoodness), she was all sorts of crazy! Poor Chloe kept telling me that I was scaring her, I had three eye's and she really just wanted her "real" mom back. At this point I had to cover her eyes and just let her hear my voice. Needless to say, EVERYONE got a good laugh at her.

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State Basketball 2010

2010-03-23T20:41:00.001-06:00

March 3rd-6th, 2010

Although it didn't quite turn out the way we had hoped, State Basketball is always a very fun and exciting trip!

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HApPY BiRThDaY LeXIe!

2010-03-23T20:30:00.001-06:00

February 24, 2010
LEXIE IS 11!

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HaPpY BiRtHdAy PaPa NoRmAn!

2010-02-17T16:25:00.002-07:00

A special shout out to Papa Norman!

We hope you had a great day! We love you!!

ChRisTmaS...RoUnD 2!

2010-02-07T22:33:00.002-07:00

January 2, 2010
They only thing I don't like about Christmas is how fast it's gone! You wait for what seems like forever, then you shop and wrap and present and just like that...it's gone! It was way fun this year to keep the celebration going by having our Schwab family up and opening more presents a week after Christmas.

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Jaden's BaPtiSm!!!

2010-02-07T21:39:00.002-07:00

January 2, 2010
Although Jaden turned 8 back in July, he didn't get baptized until January...crazy I know; one of my closest friends liked to tease me that he could actually go down on the records as a convert baptism. (funny Brittney, I love you!) Anyway, since we live in a "very" LDS community, we have Stake baptisms once a month. With us being in Seattle all summer, then in and out of town until September, Jaden decided that since he waited this long, he wanted to wait a couple of more months until his Aunt Dyan got home from her mission so she could come. We had a wonderful day! Thanks to dear, sweet Mother Nature, none of my family was able to make it up from Texas, but we were very excited and grateful to have our Schwab family here with us! Jaden was so honored when all but 2 players from the High School basketball team showed up.

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HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!

2010-02-05T10:55:00.003-07:00

January 1, 2010
We had a FABULOUS new year this year!!! Travis' little sister, Dyan, had just recently returned home from her mission in Argentina, and we had yet to see her. Between family, friends, games and lots of yummy treats, we partied the night away right into the wee hours of the morning! This celebration will go down as possibly the best one yet!! HaPpY 2010!!!

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Christmas 2009

2010-02-03T11:48:00.005-07:00

December 25, 2009
This was the first year ever that we spent Christmas all by ourselves. Christmas Eve we did our traditional dinner and a movie, eating at Texas Roadhouse and then watching Alvin and the Chipmunks 2. Then we came home and Travis read us "There's Always Room For a Little One." Papa Beav gave us this book last Christmas and it instantly became a favorite, a nice little addition to our Christmas Eve traditions. Next we watched "The Nativity" (the one put out by the church), opened our traditional Jammie's, and sent the kids off to bed. We had been tracking Santa on the Santa Tracker all day, and when the kids realized they only had less than an hour until his arrival, it didn't take much persuading. Christmas day was spent opening gifts, playing games, relaxing and taking a nice long nap...doesn't get much better than that!

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My "Baby" is 5

2010-02-02T22:27:00.004-07:00

December 17, 2009
I don't even know where the time has gone, but my "baby" is 5 & I can't believe it! Chloe's day started off with breakfast at McDonald's with the cheerleaders. Next we headed over to Jaden's school to watch his Christmas program, followed by a fun afternoon class at gymnastics. Travis still had a lot going on at the school that evening, so after sneaking away for a fun dinner at a local pizza place, we headed back to the school for cake and presents. While we were there, we had a city wide power outage. The school was dark and the kids were a little worried, but we made the most of it by playing games and taking goofy pictures. All in all it was a pretty fabulous day!

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Rockin' Robin...

2010-01-18T14:26:00.005-07:00

December 10, 2009
The Madison drill team held their annual dance camp in December and of course, Chloe was ready!! They had 3 practices and then they performed during halftime of a basketball game.

The icing on the cake was having her little partner in crime, Brooklyn, with her.

BYU vs UTAH

2010-01-18T14:08:00.005-07:00

November 28, 2009
At the beginning of the school year Travis and I won tickets to the BYU-Utah game. I had planned on attending up until the weekend of the game--it was cold and nasty outside and I don't do cold!!! I decided to give my ticket to Jaden so the boys could have a little "boys" weekend.

My only request for the weekend was to take lots of cool pictures. Clearly our ideas of cool pictures are not the same, as they took pictures of the bleachers, stadium seats and the crowd. O' well, at least they did manage to get one of them together!

After the Cougars won, they stormed the field with all the rest of the fans, and were even able to congratulate and meet some of the players...unfortunately, they didn't find this picture worthy--typical men!

Tales from ChRisTmaS' Past!

2009-12-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

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U Might B a ReD nEck iF...

2009-12-09T13:13:00.006-07:00

November 27, 2009
You get your lawn mower stuck in the snow while taking it for a spin, and have to have your children push you out,

OR, if you wait until it's completely dark, and totally freezing to hang up your Christmas lights!!!

TuRkeY DaY

2009-12-09T11:02:00.003-07:00

For the first time ever, we had our very own Thanksgiving...just the 5 of us, all by ourselves. I was worried at first that it might be a little boring and quiet, something that we are unaccustomed to when it comes to the holidays, but it turned out to be rather nice. We even ate in our dinning room for the very first time too--how crazy is that!?

Lexie enjoyed gnawing on the entire turkey leg. Maybe for next years "firsts" we will get dressed and actually use manners...maybe.

cRaZY NiGhtS

2009-11-08T21:55:00.012-07:00

Night times around here are not much different than our day times...CrAZy!! Between Jaden's sleepwalking and Night Terrors, Chloe's inability to stay in her own bed, and Maddie's need for midnight potty breaks, sometimes sleep comes only in our daydreams. The other night when I checked on the kids before I went to bed, it came as no surprise to me that Chloe was not in her bed. What was a surprise, however, was when I checked on Lexie I could see her and two little legs, but no Chloe. Somehow, someway, the top half of Chloe's body had fallen off of the bed, and it didn't wake her up...she was literally sleeping on her head!! (I know this is crazy, and I would never believe it if I hadn't seen it myself!)

Here we go AGAIN!!!

2009-11-03T21:53:00.005-07:00

Tonight was Jaden's first game playing in the "big" league. His team is made up of 3rd graders playing in a 4th grade division. You wouldn't think that that much would change in one year, but it has. All dressed down in his Bobcat uniform, proudly wearing the number 3, he was all ready to go...

With two little Cheerleaders in tow!

This is the first season in which his team has played full court, 5 on 5 with 4 quarters, fouls counting against you, and foul shots being shot.

Jaden actually fouled out tonight--and I have to say, I was a little surprised. He's not really one that enjoys watching from the sidelines, so even though he was benched, he was still "in" the game.

Our season didn't quite get the start that we wanted, but a little piece of humble pie never hurt anybody...especially our team!!

oCtoBeR FeSt!!

2009-11-02T19:20:00.014-07:00

What a month! Much like for everyone, this has been a crazy month at the Schwab house. Between football games and practices, the start of Jaden's basketball season, and all the extra activities Travis has to attend...who new life could get so crazy. I've been horrible at keeping up with posts so I'll try to fill you in in one big swoop! As I've said before, we have been very blessed over the years to get to know some wonderful young men through coaching basketball. Each year my kids grow quite fond of particular players, and one of the boys from this past season was Bo Dayton. What a wonderful young man. Jaden had actually wanted Bo to baptize him, but because of timing (him leaving on a mission) he wasn't able too. The night Bo left for Salt Lake to enter the MTC he stopped by to take a quick picture with the kiddos...Thanks Bo, this meant the world to us!!!

This month brought lots of sickness to our house. Chloe was diagnosed with Mono (crazy how a 4 year old can get the "kissing" disease, makes you wonder what actually goes on at preschool), followed by a full-on outbreak of the actual Flu; everyone got it except for me...knock on wood. (Here the kids are enjoying some chicken noodle soup with their "throw-up" bowls close at hand.)

Jaden has only been doing Cub Scouts for a couple of months now, since we were gone all summer, and he was so excited to get his Bobcat.

Like most "new" things, he is loving Cub Scouts. He was beaming from ear to ear when I was able to pin his new Bobcat patch on his shirt...I forget it's the simple things in life that make kids so happy!

Of course, you can't have Halloween without carving pumpkins. I personally wouldn't mind skipping this part of the Halloween tradition, I detest the scrapping out of the pumpkin guts and the nasty smell, as well as the mess, but since Travis was correcting the kid's homework...

I did my "Motherly duty" and helped them out.

The kids had a great time, and the pumpkins turned out pretty cute--the only mishap for this year was Chloe's hair catching on fire...not big thing right?!

Like in most schools, the kids were able to wear their Halloween costumes on Friday. After much debate and deliberation, Lexie and Jaden decided to be babies...

and Chloe decided to be a witch.

Halloween day was such a long day for the kids, they were anxious, and crazy, and bouncing off the walls. I tried to help pass the time by making caramel apples...but unfortunately, it doesn't take as long as one would hope!

Finally it was time to get dressed and ready to go. Jaden decided being a baby wasn't manly enough for him so for Trick-or-Treating he decide to change things up and be a Dallas Cowboy football player.

Even Maddie joined in on the festivities and allowed me to put Chloe's witch hat on her...for a very short second!

We had a great night! The kids got lots of candy, and at 46 degrees, the weather was actually pretty warm!

Does this mean Summer's oVeR??

2009-10-07T21:08:00.005-06:00

Well, it's happened. We woke up Monday morning to this. The Weatherman kept saying it was coming but, we didn't believe him...maybe we just didn't want to believe him. Nevertheless, we have had our first snow fall; what a not-so-great way to kick off Spud Harvest!

Of course Lexie and Jaden couldn't hardly wait to get out their snow gear and make some snow men...I sure hope this doesn't last very long, we haven't even had Fall yet!

Undefeated!

2009-10-07T20:52:00.004-06:00

Another great year of flag football has come and gone and this year the "Boys" went undefeated. Jaden had a great time, and of course, is very sad to see it all end.

He has had to opportunity to be on the same team with some of his best friends making it that much more enjoyable. Unfortunately, one of his buddies moved after the second game, and Cameron (the boy on his right) will be moving the end of this month.

Jaden was SO eXcIteD to have uncle "Scotty" come up from Utah and watch his game...It meant the world to him!! Thanks Scott!

ThAt'S mY BoY!

2009-09-19T20:10:00.004-06:00

Another year of flag football is in full swing, and this year instead of the coaches quarterbacking, the boys get to. Jaden had the night of his young life this past Tuesday, with 4 interceptions and 6 touchdowns--but whose counting...right? Needless to say, he is having a blast, and the fact that he's playing for the "Cowboys" only makes the football season that much better!

Lucky for him he crossed the line before he got caught--his dad STRONGLY encouraged him to run through the end zone, "Don't be Terrell Owens, run hard the entire way...never ease up!"

Pay It Forward fUnRuN!

2009-09-16T10:54:00.005-06:00

I know this is crazy, because I am so not a runner, but I'm helping some friends with a Fun Run! Check out the website http://www.payitforwardfunrun.com/ --ALL money donated will be split between Jace Leatham and an Idaho Falls family in an all too similar situation... Come on, tie on those running shoes and run for Jace!!! If you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Thanks so much!

PreSchool Bound--

2009-09-15T16:01:00.001-06:00

Chloe has finally started preschool and let me tell you, it's kind of strange being at home by myself...don't get me wrong, I enjoy it; it's just really quiet. She's only gone 2 1/2 hours a day, three days a week, but she LoVeS it, can't you tell?!

Labor Day = Colter Bay!!

2009-09-11T18:20:00.004-06:00

Another fun trip to Colter Bay has come and gone...it's quite sad how quickly the time goes when your having a great, relaxing time. This year was much like the years previous...
The "big" boys acted like "little" boys,

Papa Beav tickled and wrestled with the grand kids,

Jaden and Dakota chilled out to some tunes from the I-pod,

the girls painted their nails and toenails,

and the little girls spent lots of time coloring.

As we were leaving the kids noticed these beautiful creatures, so of course, like all tourists, we had to pull over and take some pictures.

We're already looking forward to next year!

Dancing Queen!

2009-08-29T18:10:00.003-06:00

School is back and in full swing and that means the return of sports, not that they ever left. Our Cheerleaders held their annual cheer clinic this past week, and the performance was Friday night at our first Football game. Here is Chloe cheering and rocking out to Hannah Montana's "Best of Both Worlds."

Pretty As A Princess

2009-08-28T13:19:00.007-06:00

Yesterday Chloe went to her friend Brooklyn's birthday party, and came home dressed in the most adorable "princess" skirt and accessories--I just had to share! My friend Brittney made all the little girls a skirt, and then the girls were able to decorate their own "magic wands" & "crowns."

Brittney, I think you just won the Mom of the year award--we need to hang out more so some of your creative, craftiness will rub off on me!

First Day Of School

2009-08-27T13:50:00.004-06:00

It's never a good thing to start off the year running late, but in typical Schwab fashion, we did just that! My kids are "big" kids now. Lexie is in 5th grade and attends the middle school and Jaden is in 3rd grade, so they didn't want me to take them to school on the first day. Unfortunately for them, they missed the school bus so I got to take them after all...Lucky me! (You'll notice the pictures were taken in the car, they didn't want to wait around for pictures and be late--instead they were 15 minutes early; silly kids)

THIS IS THE PLACE!

2009-08-27T12:37:00.006-06:00

The weekend that Lexie and my mom flew back from their California adventure, we ended up with a few extra days in Salt Lake so we decided to take the kids to "This Is The Place" Monument. After all, you can't visit Utah as often as we do and never go.

The kids had a great time doing "chores,"

Feeding the animals,

riding horses,

being crafty,

and playing "old time" games.

Thanks Grammy for letting us stay with you and hang out!

Let's catch up a little...or a lot!

2009-08-24T21:41:00.013-06:00

I had planned on catching you all up on every individual event of this summer, but after posting just two, I realized that that would simply take WAY too long! We had a wonderful summer in Seattle; met new friends, caught up with old friends and made lots of lasting memories!
Travis and Jaden celebrated their birthday's by going to a Mariners game...

Jaden was able to "run the bases" after the game,

and then each had little parties on their acutal birthday.

Nana Bear flew up to watch the kiddos while Travis and I took our annual Las Vegas trip, but before we left we all took a Ferry over to Tillicum Village.

We where greeted with a cup of "clams and nectar;" I think the children had more fun crushing the shells then eating the clams but who doesn't like to make a mess?

Next, we ate a not so yummy authentic Indian Salmon bake and watched a tribal dance presentation,

skipped rockes in the water,

found some water creatures,

and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Seattle skyline. This was a great experience.

I had the best roommates ever back in the days of college, and unfortunately I don't get to see them very often...ever actually, it's been 12 years. Lucky for me, two of them live in the Seattle area so we all got together one afternoon and had the most amazing dinner (compliments of Sarh and Jake).

While the adults sat around and caught up,

the kids enjoyed the pool. Sarah, being the cool mom that she is, even allowed bubbles!

My sweet little Chloe was being a stinker and had to have a moment of "time-out"--she's the only kid I know that will still pose for a picture while in time-out.

Thanks Sarah and Jake for having us over, we had a great time!

The week we left Seattle, my mom flew up and got Lexie and took her on a "little girls" trip to California.

As they were boarding the plan, all the kids were huddled together crying..it was so tender to see the love they have for each other; some days I really wonder!:O)

One of Traivs' former basketball players is currently serving a mission in Portland, Orgeon. Concidering how close we were, we decided to drive down and take he and his compainion out for dinner. Treagan is a wonderful young man, one of Jaden's many heros.

Jaden and his cousin Gavin are best buds, I can't even tell you how similar they are in so many ways!

Of course Jaden is all boy, who wouldn't want to climb a brick column?

For our last "hoorah" we decided to all go to a Mariners game (except for Lexie, she was in California still)

We met up with our new friends, the Belnaps, and had the best time.

"Mikey B" might be the funniest man in the world. You get him and Travis together and you've got TROUBLE!

Sweet Baby Cambree

2009-08-12T22:21:00.008-06:00

There are few things in life that are as sweet as a brand new baby. Travis' brother Scott and his wife Chandi blessed their 3rd child today, Cambree Hayden. My kids absolutely adore her, they are still trying to convince Travis and me that we need another baby...sorry kids, it's not happenin'!

Cambree and Jaden

The whole gang

The girls

4th of JuLY

2009-08-12T21:49:00.005-06:00

For the 4th of July we did the typical 4th of July things...
Had a Bar-B-Q with family and Friends, Swam until we were pruney,

and watched fireworks late into the night!

Besides Chloe stepping on a hot piece of metal and getting a 2nd degree burn, it was a very peaceful and entertaining day. Thanks to all those brave Men and Women who put their lives on the line so that my family and I may enjoy a wonderful day like today...God bless you and your dear families and God Bless America!!!

A Room With A View

2009-08-12T21:38:00.002-06:00

This summer we lived in Puyallup, Washington (just south of Seattle) while Travis was working for Pinnacle Security. It's always interesting moving from a house to an apartment, but this year it was a little more tolerable, as we were able to look out our front window and see the most amazingly beautiful view of Mount Rainier. Although it was 45 minutes away, it looked close enough to touch!

WE MADE IT!!!!

2009-07-02T18:45:00.003-06:00

After a short night and a very long day we made it to Puyallup! In typical Schwab fashion we didn't get going until 11:00 Friday night, so we only went a little past Butte Montana and spent the night. Saturday we spent the day driving, and what a beautiful drive it was...long, but beautiful! I don't have any pictures as of yet, and I only get Internet while out at the pool (darn huh?), but I can tell you that we have a beautiful view of Mount Rainer out our front window, and Washington is gorgeous! I will post pictures ASAP!

RUN, RUN, as fast as you can...

2009-06-22T22:19:00.006-06:00

This past Saturday was the Hershey Games State Meet here in Rexburg. Lexie had the opportunity to compete in the 50 meter dash...

(2nd in her heat and 2nd overall)
The 100 meter dash and the soft ball throw placing second, third and third. Although she didn't "win," she had personal bests in both of her running events!

(1st in her heat, as you can tell in the picture, but third overall)
We are so proud of you Lexie! Way to go!!

Minor League Champs!!

2009-06-22T21:51:00.005-06:00

Well, they did it! Another amazing baseball season ended with the Reds being the Champions! Thanks to an amazing Coach, who loves the game and the boys, the team was able to pull it off in a full 9 inning game. CONGRATULATIONS REDS!

This year was Jaden's first year in "kid pitch," and while he had a tough start, he ended strong and had a great time!

What's for dinner when Dad's out of town?

2009-06-13T17:55:00.010-06:00

How about some sushi &...

"make your own" banana splits!

I'll do better tomorrow........Ah, probably not! :O)

Looks can be deCeiVinG!

2009-06-12T00:15:00.005-06:00

I don't think Mother Nature ever received the memo that states that Summer is here, or at least it's supposed to be! Jaden and Chloe had some friends over the other day and although it was a mere 60 degrees, the kids decided they wanted to play in the sprinklers.

Don't let the blue sky and green grass fool you, I was sitting on the steps in SWEATS! I know, I know, I am a huge wimp, but seriously, how were they not freezing? Oh to be a child again! ::O)

Another Softball Season...

2009-06-11T22:51:00.009-06:00

Well, another softball season has come and gone and ya know, I can't say that I'm sad! This was Lexie's 3rd year of playing and she did GREAT!!! For most of her teammates it was their first year so depending on the situation of the game, she played 3 different positions...Pitcher, third base and first base. Although I was freezing most of the season, and watched several games from the comfort of my warm car, she had a blast and loved every minute of it...well, almost!
Some of her highlights: (yes, I'm bragging, but I'm just so proud of her!)
-Getting on base every at bat
-2 Home-runs in a single game

-3 Strikeouts in a row
-Striking out all 4 batters that she faced (her coach took her out, then put her back in)
-Being "called up" by an older team because they were short a player (This was one of those moments that she didn't love, but after some "gentle persuasion" from her dad, and lots of bribery I might add, she did it anyway.)

This is the look of pure determination:

WAY TO GO LEXIE!!!

Our Little Track Star

2009-05-30T18:25:00.013-06:00

This past Friday was the annual Area Hershey Track Meet held here in Rexburg. Each year Hershey sponsors track meets all over the nation for kids 9 and older. For the Area meet, everyone from all the surrounding areas have the chance to come over and participate. The top 3 qualifiers then have the chance to participate in the State meet on June 20th, and then the top qualifiers from that meet have the opportunity in August to participate in the National Finals back in Hershey Pennsylvania. Well, Lexie ran in the 50 meter and the 100 meter dash, and did the softball toss and placed in the top 3 in all 3 events!!

In the 50, she came in first in her heat and second overall. (I can't get the video to upload or you could watch the race)!
Next she ran the 100. Again she came in first in her heat, but this time she placed third overall. I was so worried about starting the camera at the whistle that I hit the wrong button and only got still shots.
ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!...

GO!

She had so much fun and is so excited for the State Meet in June!

We are so proud of her!

Chloe is so impressed, she has decided that maybe she would like to do track and be just like her big sister.

IT'S SUMMER!!!

2009-05-29T22:48:00.005-06:00

Today was the last day of school, making it officially summer--for me at least! I love, love, love summer time! No more waking up early and rushing around like crazy people trying to catch the school bus, as most of you very well know--the Schwabs ARE NOT morning people, not at all! I snapped a picture of Lexie and Jaden this morning before they headed off for their final day in their respective grades. Do you think either of them have changed much over the year?

I hope all of you have a fabulous and safe summer, keep us "posted" on what's happening!

Another cRraAzY Schwab Adventure

2009-05-26T16:33:00.016-06:00

Sunday morning as I'm stepping into the closet to get dressed for church, Travis tells me he has an idea. Very perplexed, I walk over and sit down next to him on the bed. "Let's go camping," he says. Camping? Camping? Doesn't this require tents & sleeping bags & cooking food on a fire? We have been married for 12 years and NEVER, let me repeat that, NEVER have we been camping!! I have way too much of my dad in me to enjoy camping...My idea of camping is our annual Schwab family trip to Colter Bay where we stay in a cabin with running water, a flushing toilet, a shower, a refridgerator, a stove and even a washer and dryer. He wants to go camping?! Holy Cow, what has gotten into him; first a dog and now camping? Needless to say I sat there a little confused for a moment and then decided to humor him while he went and checked the weather for the nearby areas, to my delight is was supposed to be raining all over Southeastern Idaho. We finished getting ready and headed off to church. In the middle of Sacrament meeting Travis leans over to me and tells me that perhaps we should postpone our little camping adventure beacause of the rain. After all, this would be our first camping trip and we didn't want to start off with a bad experience. Whew, was I relieved! Well, unfortunately when we got home from church we had no power. This was perfect for Travis, afterall, you don't have any power while your camping either so he decided we should just head out and go camping! We quickly gathered what little stuff we had, and headed down the road!

After a not-so-quick stop at Walmart, and completely unloading and then reloading the car we where off, heading south for Downata Hotsprings...

And straight for this! (I guess that's what we get for breaking the sabbath!)

As I watched the lightening shoot across the sky numerous times, I kept hoping that maybe Travis would change his mind, or at least give in and just get us a hotel for the night--I wasn't so lucky. Lexie was a little nervous herself and suggested we say a prayer that the rain would stop. The terrible parents that we are, we were both a little too sceptical so we told her to go ahead, and wouldn't ya know it, as we pulled into the camp ground it stopped raining...Lesson for the day: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A CHILD!! We were given just enough time to unload the car and set up our monsterous tent before the heavens opened and the rain returned, this time there was no break; it rained ALL night!!

We kicked off Memorial day with some french toast cooked up by Travis,

And topped them off with some 'smores.

Next, we headed over to the pool, where the kids and Travis enjoyed the water slides and splashing around in the pool

Of course it wouldn't be "Memorial Day" without paying tribute to those loved ones who have passed on, so on our way home we stopped at a couple cemetaries and visited the graves of some of our family members.

Oddly enough we had a great time, rain and everything. I'm not sure how soon it will be before we go camping again, but Travis assures me that we have just found a new family hobby--I guess we'll see!!

Our 4 legged Family Member!

2009-05-20T11:47:00.011-06:00

Well, its finally happened. The event that I said would never happen became a reality Saturday afternoon. This is Maddie, the newest member of our family--Crazy, I know, but she is so much fun and she is such a love.

I heard that getting a puppy is just like having a baby and I have to tell you, IT'S WORSE!! As cute as this little bug is, she requires 24/7 supervision and even then she still leaves us "little surprises." Too bad you can't put puppies in diapers, it would sure make life a little easier while I'm trying to figure out all this doggy stuff. (If you have any suggestions, please let me know!)

Of course the kids absolutely love her! Lexie isn't such a grump in the morning when she is woken up by the sweet kisses of her "baby!"

Chloe is in hog heaven because it's like having a live doll. She packs her around constantly and it's not uncommon for me to find them curled up together in Maddie's kennell...If Maddie can survive Chloe, she will be able to survive ANYTHING!

(here they are on the couch listening to my I-pod. Chloe said she needed to get "pumped" up for gymnastics; don't you love the swim suite and tights?!)

20's Style

2009-05-14T18:11:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had the kid's pictures taken "20's" style. I just got them back and they turned out so cute I just had to share them! Enjoy!!

Oh How The Years Go By!

2009-05-08T14:10:00.007-06:00

Twelve years ago today, Travis and I said our "I do's!" It was a crazy, fast engagement, we had only known each other 3 months; but when ya know, YA KNOW! We never thought we would make it this far, considering Travis was an hour late to the temple and I thought I was getting "left at the alter," but here we are and we couldn't be better! Here are some pictures to take you through our years! Try not to laugh, I know Travis looked like he was 15 in our wedding picture, but I promise he was of legal age!

Our Engagement Picture

Married with Lexie

Married with Lexie and Jaden (pregnant with Chloe & in serious need of a tan!)

Here we are now, lovin' life and each other!

HE dId iT!!

2009-05-04T14:53:00.007-06:00

This past weekend Travis and I flew down to Phoenix, AZ where he graduated with his 2nd Master's degree; this time in School Administration. We had the most relaxing, enjoyable time!
Friday we spent the entire day chilling at the pool, soaking up the beautiful sun. Then, that evening his parents came down from Bullhead City and we met up with them.

Saturday was Graduation day. The ceremony was held at Chasefield, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it was amazing...Travis worked so hard on this degree, he graduated with honors receiving a 4.0, I am so, so proud of him!!!

Of course (and for all of you that know Travis, this will come as no surprise) after all was said and done, Travis had to spend a little time playing around on the field.

We actually got in trouble for being in the dug-out while taking this picture...Ooops!

All-in-all it was a great weekend, just a little too short--but hey, that's how it goes!

And The "Grammy" Award Goes To...

2009-04-20T13:58:00.024-06:00

Grammy Laura! My mom spent the week after Easter with us so I could go over to Sun Valley with Travis. He had a work conference and I just wanted some peace and quiet! We left Wednesday night so she got to be Nanny Grammy for a few days. Unfortunately for her, Jaden got sick the first night we were gone so they spent their "sleeping" time running back and forth from the bathroom--The joys of being the one in charge. Thursday was pretty uneventful, lots and lots of movies, but Friday is when the partying began. You know what they say...When Mom and Dad are away, Grammy and the kids will play; and play they did!
First, they each got a friend and they headed off to the bowling alley.
(Chloe and Grammy)

(Jaden and Simion)

(Lexie, her friend Sallee is not pictured; yet)

After a mean game of bumper bowl, they gathered up the troops and headed over McDonald's for wild, energy expending dinner.

Once home, the bedtime party started with all of them getting in Chloe's pajamas for a "Dora" pajama parade, followed by everyone hitting the sack on Mom and Dad's floor!

Saturday morning they got up early and took a short 2 hour jont over to Burley, Idaho.

We finally decided on a Shitzu, and the Mama dog had her babies a couple of weeks ago. Lexie was very anxious to pick hers out so Grammy took them over so she could have first dibs on the babies. While all the puppies were absolutely adorable...

This is the lucky one that gets to join our madness (not for three more weeks though)!

Thanks Grammy, for taking such good care of the kiddos, they had a blast!

EGGceptional Easter

2009-04-13T23:25:00.005-06:00

This year for Easter we had the great opportunity of having my parents, my aunt, and my aunts grand kids come up and spend the day with us. We colored eggs Saturday night, but since Lexie was on her very first babysitting job she wasn't able to be us. Jaden and Daxton had a great time coloring the eggs...

while Chloe and Lexie Dean had a great time peeling them by themselves and eating the eggs!

After church we decided to take advantage of the beautiful, yet windy, weather and take some fun little family pictures; Chloe, is of course trying to convince everyone that she's a little angel with her pose.

Spring Break '09: Planes, Trains & Automobiles!

2009-04-09T14:44:00.066-06:00

This year for Spring Break we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to Arizona to visit Travis' parents. Although this may be the longest blog in the history of blogs, we had a great trip and wanted to share it with everyone!

Chapter 1: And We're Off!

Because our Spring Break is more like a "General Conference" break, our kids only get 2 very short days off of school, we decided to fly to give us more time in Arizona. We did however, have to drive down to Salt Lake to catch our flight, and then again from Las Vegas down to Bullhead City, Arizona.

The trip started off great, less than half a mile from our house we saw these two cute little moose enjoying some new golf course grass. How crazy is that?

3 1/2 hours later, the first leg of our journey was finished. We parked at the airport, hopped on the bus,

checked in our luggage, and boarded the flight! Lucky for us there were only 30 people on the entire plane with us, so finding a seat was not a problem--unlike most trips we take!:)

As we were getting off the plane in Las Vegas, Lexie noticed that the man a few rows in front of her had dropped $40.00 in his seat. She called to him and returned it, and as a thank you, he gave her $20.00 back--wouldn't it be great if we could all be so lucky in Las Vegas?

Because of all the people and craziness in the Vegas airport, we walked right past Nana Bear, but when we finally met up with her everyone was soooo excited!!

Chapter 2: We made it!!

After 9 long hours of traveling we finally made it to Bullhead City, Arizona; and we were so glad to be there. The weather was absolutely beautiful! The kids and Travis decided to take advantage of the warmth and toss around the football.

Of course it wasn't too long before the ball was in the neighbor's back yard

and on Bear's roof. I guess their arms had gotten a little rusty over the long winter.

Tonight we decided to gather up the entire family, Travis' brother Kurt and his wife Lacey as well, and we went to a place called Scooters--We had a blast!! First we played miniature golf. Papa Beav, Nana Bear, Jaden and Lexie were on the first team.

Kurt, Lacey, Chloe, Travis and myself made up the second team.

Chloe did a great job, but by about the 14th hole she was all tuckered out!

Next we rode go-carts and I tell you what, I haven't giggled like this since I was a kid! Bear and Chloe decided to go "granny style" and took a nice Sunday afternoon drive around the course.

Lexie, on the other hand, was out for blood--she went peddle to the medal and rocked it!

Jaden wasn't quite tall enough to drive so he got to be my co-pilot. We drove as fast as we could, but we were no match for the folks driving the single cars--TRAVIS!

To wrap up the evening, those brave enough stepped into the batting cages.

It's obvious that my kid didn't get their athleticism or guts from me!

Chloe would have loved to take a swing, but being the small fry that she is, I convinced her to sit out and chill with Papa Beav instead.

Chapter 3: To and Fro, Here We Goooo!

Today we thought that while we were out and about it would be fun to eat 3 meals in 3 different states. We started off the day in Arizona

with breakfast

Next, we made our way to California

for lunch.

Lastly, we hit our most favorite spot in Nevada for dinner...

In-N-Out burger, YUM!!

We didn't just eat today, although it seemed like it. We went up to Lake Havaseu because the kids wanted to go swimming, but when we got there it was so windy and the water was freezing! In typical adult fashion, we sat on the wall

while the kids got in the water; even if it was only for a second!

After our short stint in the windy sun, we took a stroll over the "real" London Bridge. Yep, the actual London Bridge resides in Arizona--who'd a thought.

Chapter 4: The Beautiful Grand Canyon

This morning, after some mass confusion, we boarded a train in Williams, Arizona and headed for the Grand Canyon.

The ride was about 2 hours due to the slow speed of our train (45 mph) however, the scenery was beautiful and the entertainment on board was delightful. The kids had a great time singing and clapping along with our "Singing Cowboy."

The Canyon was absolutely beautiful--pictures just don't do it justice! (but I'll try)

You'll notice Jaden's cheeks and nose are a little pink; it was FREEZING! I was thinking that with the Grand Canyon being in Arizona that it would be warm, maybe a little breezy; boy was I wrong! All I packed for us was light sweat shirts--BIG mistake, it had actually snowed up there the night before.

Chloe was sure she was going to "freeze to death" so Travis, being the great daddy that he is, zipped her up in his jacket.

It appeared that when trees fall down or die, the park people just leave them there, for obvious reasons, and they turn out to be the most fabulous backdrops--a photographer could have a field day just taking pictures of the twisted, fallen trees.

As our day at the Grand Canyon came to an end, Lexie decided she needed to take a picture of Travis and me before we re-boarded the train to head back to Williams.

Shortly after leaving the station, Jaden and I fell fast asleep only to be rudely awoken by TrAiN rObBeRs, they had guns and everything!

We rounded off the evening by letting the kids take a swim; in warm water this time,

followed by a quick stop at a sign marking the name of the city that was named after my ancestors. (totally kidding, I don't know who the city's named after, but it sounded good--right?)

Chapter 5: General Conference

Today, being Sunday, we just kind of hung around and enjoyed each others company. Kurt and Lacey came over to watch conference with us, and in between sessions they were kind enough to make dinner for everyone--it was FABULOUS!!

After Dinner Lexie spent some time playing with the new friends she had made.

Jaden spent some time sitting on the fence and soaking up the sun while playing his gameboy

And while closing her eyes for the closing prayer of the afternoon session, Chloe fell fast asleep--must have been a pretty long prayer.

As the sun started to set, Travis decided to take the kids for one last dip in the hot tub

before sending all the kids off for a sleepover with Nana Bear and Papa Beav; good thing they have a California King sized bed!

Chapter 6: Being On Time is WAY Over Rated!!

This morning while Travis and I were packing and trying to get ready to leave, Nana Bear colored Easter eggs with the kids--she is very festive like that!

Just before we left we said goodby to Aunt Lisa and her roommate Stacy, who were finally able to come down from Vegas last night and stay--It is always GREAT to see them!

Because of all of this mornings "festivities" we got somewhat of a late start to the airport, not that it would have mattered much considering we sat in dead stopped traffic for over an hour and a half! (cars are lined up as far as you can see road)

The kids were getting pretty restless, which wasn't necessarily a surprise, but not good considering the distance we still had to go.

Needless to say, by the time we got to the airport, our flight was long gone. The Southwest gate agent was awesome! Instead of making us standby for the 4:30 flight, she gave us confirmed seats on the 6:30 flight making it possible for us to have just a little more time in Las Vegas with Lisa and Bear. Hard Rock Cafe, here we come!

We ate yummy food,

Said one last good-bye,

And this time, we made it on our flight with plenty of time!

Chapter 7: That's All She Wrote!

After we landed in Salt Lake and got our car, we stopped in Bountiful to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Schwab before hitting the road.

After a wounderful visit with the Great Grandparents, and 5 fabulous days with the Grandparents the kids were exhausted--What a vacation!

YOU Have Got To Be KiDdiNg ME!!!

2009-03-25T19:47:00.009-06:00

You may look at these pictures and think "Wow, what a beautiful December's day," not so much!! This was TODAY--March 25th. I know I've said it a bunch, but I seriously don't think winter is ever going to end around here; it hailed and snowed all day long!

Even my kids have Spring fever big time, but they have decided to take matters into their own hands! I asked them to go get in the bath and they decided they wanted to go swimming instead--notice they are all in their swimming suits? O' well, ya do what ya gotta do, right? (my camera says 1-1-09 cause it reset itself when I changed the batteries)

A new puppy?...Maybe!!

2009-03-24T11:40:00.005-06:00

So, Travis made a deal with Lexie; when she earns $300.00 he will take her on a Daddy-Daughter date and she can finally get a dog, she's been asking (begging actually) forever. At the time the deal was made she had only like $25.00 so we where thinking we would have YEARS before this actually came to be. Well, all of her basketball filming has paid off, no pun intended :). She is $25.00 short of a dog and Travis and I are starting to get really nervous--neither of us are really dog people! I've done a lot of research, but am still very confused as to what kind of breed would be best for our family; I need your help!!! I have set up a poll on the side so please help me by giving your opinion--if you have an opinion that's not listed please just let me know!! We need a small dog because we have an unfenced backyard and don't want a giant beast running around the house! Thanks so much, I will definitely let you know how it goes!

I've been tagged!

2009-03-13T23:37:00.010-06:00

I've been tagged: Here are the rules:
1. Post rules on your blog
2. Answer the six '8' items
3. Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV Shows...(These are not in order):
1* Private Practice
2* Grey's Anatomy
3* Designed to Sell
4* Desperate Housewives
5* Brothers and Sisters
6* Real Housewives of Orange County ( I like to dream :))
7* Sex and the City
8* Biggest Loser

8 Things I did Yesterday:
1* Got my kids ready for School
2* Picked up my little sister from the airport
3* Went to a church basketball game
4* watched T.V.
5* Talked to my mom on the phone
6* Cleaned my house
7* Watched the Syracuse/UConn game with my honey, all six overtimes.
8* Worked on my blog.

8 Things I am looking forward too:
1*.WARM WEATHER!
2* Getting back into shape, I need to drop like 20 pounds!
3* School being over, I love to sleep in!
4* A tropical vacation.
5* Planting some flowers in my yard.
6* Reading a book
7* Selling my house (Does anybody want it?)
8* Getting out of debt, hopefully before I die!

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1* Bajio's
2* Texas Roadhouse
3* Olive Garden
4* P.F. Chang's
5* Papasitos
6* Chilies
7* Pea Wea
8* McDonalds (I have 3 little kids)

8 Things on My Wish List:
1* To get out of debt!
2* To get a degree in something and use it.
3* To love to exercise, or at leat no detest it! :)
4* To be skinny enough to wear a bikini and not look disgusting!
5* To take another cruise.
6* To go on a service mission in a 3rd world country
7* To go to Italy with Travis
8* To spend lots more time with my family (Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, etc)

8 People I Tag:
1* Sarah
2* Monique
3* Christina
4* Shelly
5* Jenny
6* Chandi
7* Becky
8* Brittany

Could it be Spring?

2009-03-13T13:55:00.004-06:00

Just by looking at the Children's attire (the Girls in short sleeves and Jaden in shorts) you might be thinking "Wow, Rexburg is pretty warm this time of year,"--Not so much! The high for today was 27 degrees! Nope, I didn't mean to type 72 degrees, it was actually 27 degrees! We are all soooo SICK of winter, no one cares that they could be getting frost bite!

It never ends!

2009-03-13T13:46:00.008-06:00

One basketball season ends and another starts. Travis isn't much of a church ball guy, but when a fellow coach, who happens to also be in our ward, begged him to come play he couldn't say no--no big surprise there, Travis can't say no to anyone! :)

Jaden decided to take this opportunity to practice his slam dunks, needless to say he practiced without a ball.

CHAMPIONS AT HEART!!

2009-03-10T19:30:00.007-06:00

What an amazing run! This past weekend we wrapped up another fabulous basketball season over in Boise at the State Basketball Tournament. It started Thursday evening, and we continued on to play in the Championship game Saturday night. Although we lost, the boys played their guts out and left everything they had out on the court. When they were out manned and out sized, they hung tough and put all their hearts into giving all they had and then some; we could not be more proud of them. These boys are absolutely amazing people! They have been so kind and loving to my kids; Jaden has a new best friend and Chloe has found her husband--Yes Chloe, my 4 year old, has already picked out the man of her dreams. (He's the one sitting on the end of the bed in the orange University of Texas shirt and red sweatshirt)

We're All In This Together!!

2009-03-04T13:27:00.015-07:00

Over the years of marriage I have learned to absolutely love high school basketball! At first I had to get involved if I ever wanted to see Travis, with him being a coach and all. Now I truly love it and look forward to basketball season, it makes Rexburg winters a little more tolerable. Coaching has definitely turned from being just a job for Travis to a wonderful and entertaining part of all of our lives. This season the kids were each given "duties" to help out the team and to get them a little more involved.

Much to her dismay, Lexie was assigned to be the team Filmer. She does a fantastic job, but does not like the fact that she can't run around with her friends during the game!

Jaden is the "greeter" and the ball/water boy. He gets to stand with his dad on the sidelines as the teams are introduced and give them high fives, and then he sits on the bench with the team during the game--He abosultely loves this!

Chloe is the team cheerleader & of course she LOVES it! It is not
uncommon for her to spend the entire game with the school cheerleaders leaning their cheers and shaking her thang. She loves being in the spot light and is not shy in the least, unlike her big sister!

Goin' on a Mission

2009-02-28T16:56:00.003-07:00

This past Wednesday, Chloe and I went down to Utah to see Michael off at the MTC. He has been called to serve in the Nevada, Las Vegas mission.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXIE!!

2009-02-28T01:21:00.007-07:00

It's official, I am an old lady! I thought I was old when Lexie was baptized, but now that she has hit the double digits I know I'm old! Her birthday was Tuesday, but because of a very crazy week we celebrated it on Monday and in doing so we were able to have our fabulous family from Lehi, Utah up. Instead of a "friend" party this year, we had a "family" party. We went bowling, ate lots of pizza and icecream cake and opened presents--it was a lot of fun!

The Magic of Disney World

2009-02-16T18:40:00.008-07:00

One year ago this past October we met up with some of my family in Florida and spent a week visiting the Disney parks and Sea World--It turned out to be one of the best vacations ever and my kids are begging to go back!

New Years '08

2009-02-12T16:28:00.005-07:00

The day after Christmas the kids and I started a LONG, crazy journey to Texas to ring in the New Year with my family. We had a wonderful time meeting the newest member of our "Williams" family and soaking up all the warm sun.

Christmas '08

2009-02-10T16:37:00.009-07:00

This past Christmas we had the great opportunity to have Travis' parents come up from Arizona and spend the Holiday with us! We all had a great time, and we would love for them to come up again!!

Only Grandmas would allow three children to sleep with her in a double bed!