Candelaria Crazy

Crafting Bug

2011-04-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

So I have been following all these DIY blogs and I have been crafting like there is no tomorrow. I am running into a small problem... I have started 12 projects and haven't finished one. UGH!!! It is just one thing after another... I don't have the right equipment, supplies, etc. I don't have the time. I lack motivation at times. I would rather watch Dog the Bounty Hunter. I am a perfectionist and if it isn't perfect, I don't want to try... Oh the list goes on and on.

Will someone please come finish my projects?!?!?!?! I would love you forever!!! :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Awwwww... so so so cute!!!

So I was a little bit of an Easter slacker this year. I was super busy during the week leading up to the holiday. I didn't manage to buy dresses or a tie, I didn't do baskets, I completely ignored home decor for the season, and we never made it to the mall to see the Easter Bunny's helper. If there is such thing as an Easter scrooge, I guess that would be me. Not usually, just this year. Another reason for my Easter Bah Humbug-ness is the weather here. We still have freakin SNOW!!! Easter should be warm and my kids should be hunting eggs outside.

We made the best of what we had and hunted eggs in our living room, wore yellow in hopes of having the sun come out, attended a beautiful Sunday meeting at church, and then spent the rest of the day with my mommy, brothers, and cousin. It was totally cold, but I love getting together with my amazingly funny, totally exciting, and slightly handsome brothers and their cute families.

Again, Easter slacker... no pics of kids hunting eggs in our living room or finding their presents from the bunny and gift card from mom and dad. Oh well, I will get some awesome spring pics sooner or later. :)

April 7th

2011-04-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today, my awesome husband and I have been married for 10 years!!!! It is crazy to think back on this day 10 years ago. I was 17 and still in high school, he was 19 and going to a community college and getting ready to join the Navy. Holy cow, how plans changed!!!

2001- Married in Reno, NV

2002- Welcomed our son Caden into the world

2003- Went on our first family vacation to the Redwoods

2004- Welcomed our daughter Calli into the world/ moved to Utah

2005- Welcomed our daughter Cienna into the world

2006- Bought our first home

2007- Ashley went back to school

2008- Ashley finished school/ sold our first home

2009- Moved to Wyoming

2010- Brian went back to school

2011- What will the future hold for us???

None of our original plans are in place today, except for the plan to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!! I love my husband/ best friend more and more each day. Most of our picture are on an external hard drive so I can't upload them right now, but I wanted to document this day!!! I am looking for many more 10 years together!

Not only cute... but smart!!!

2011-03-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Caden, a very wise mother told me to be sure to read to my children every night and as soon as they can read to let them read to you every night. I didn't really see the point when Caden was so tiny, but I trusted this lady so I gave it a shot. I will admit that I didn't even come close to reading to him every night until he was about 1 year old. Then we began looking at books every night together for about 20-30 minutes. He was very interested in stories and pictures, and eventually letters and words.
Caden began fluently reading when he was 4.
Calli began fluently reading when she was 4.
Cienna began fluently reading when she was 4.
I have always known they were good readers and that they actually enjoyed it, but I didn't have any idea really how important it is to understand early on. I went to parent teacher conference last week and each teacher said the same thing about my children. They were good kids, good friends, they were usually on task, they helped others, but the teachers couldn't stress to me how amazing the kids were doing academically.

Caden is reading at a 5th grade 9th month reading level- He is in 3rd grade.

Calli is reading at a 4th grade level- She is in 1st grade.

Cienna is reading at a 2nd grade 6th month level- She is in Kindergarten.

Caden's teacher just flat out told me that the kids that can't read, struggle with EVERY other aspect of school. Think about it, if they can't read, they can't figure out the word problems in math. If they can't read, they can't follow simple written instructions. If they can't read, they can't add the simple ingredients of a recipe.
I am grateful every day for that special lady that stressed to me the importance of reading to my children and listening to them read to me. If I could offer any advice to moms or dads, it will be the same, read to your children every night and when they are old enough to read to you, listen!!! Such a simple thing, but my kids will benefit from this for the rest of their lives.
Now when my children ask for 5 more minutes of reading time, or if they can read a story to me, I smile so big and laugh to myself because really... can you deny them an amazing future??? Not me...I love these kids!!!

Valentines Day

2011-03-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

My Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful. Brian was working out of town, kids were at school, and I had the day off of work. I woke up early to set out the kids presents. They just got some flowers and candy, but were very excited to see them downstairs. I guess the most Valentines-y thing I did was my girls hair. I had made hair pretties a few days before and had to put them in cute hair. I follow a couple of hair blogs and one of them showed a ton of easy heart hair dos so I ventured into the unknown. I think they turned out cute... wouldn't you say?

Calli's heart hair

Cienna's heart hair

I took the kids to school and went home to clean. I decided that I didn't want to have lunch by myself so I invited my brother and sis in law and my cute niece out. We visited and had a nice lunch. Then, I went to the library. I know, I know, I am pretty boring.

Brian was able to make it home that evening so he brought flowers and chocolate and a card home to me. He even made me an amazing rib eye dinner. He is such an amazing cook. We put the kids to bed and stayed up watching "That 70's show" for a few hours.

It actually turned out to be a rather pleasant Valentine's Day in the Candelaria home!!!

What I love most about my family:

Brian is so easy going and is a huge help now that I am working. He makes most meals and makes sure my kids get to where they need to be.

Caden is the best big brother on the planet. He helps me around the house and is a very responsible person. He plays nicely with his sisters and is always there to kill a spider for me.

Calli has the biggest heart in the world. She is the first person to help when someone is sad or hurt. She would honestly give you her coat and boots on a snowy day if you needed them.

Cienna is the comic relief in our family. She says and does the funniest things and can make almost anyone laugh. She knows how to take a joke and how to dish them out.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!

University of Utah gymnastics meet

2011-03-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Calli and I went to the University of Utah gymnastics meet on 2/4. We got the closest seats we could buy and set out on our gymnastics adventure. We drove to Salt Lake and then rode TRAX to the gym. It was cancer awareness night and when we got to our seat there was a pink shirt hanging over it. We put it on and watched the warm ups. They even had cheerleaders for the gymnasts!!! I thought it was so weird, but they were fun to watch too. The Red Rocks started on the vault, went to bars, then beam, and last floor. They all did so good and they won the meet. Calli had so much fun watching the "big girls" and said that she wanted to buy a picture for them to sign. It was actually pretty convenient that they were doing autographs that night. We got in line early and we got all the gymnasts to sign her picture. She was one happy girl!!!

Pic is a little blurry, but I couldn't believe how high off the beam she was!

Calli's favorite dismount, she said she is going to work on that. ;)

Sporting her pink shirt!

Lets go Cubbies!

2011-03-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

Baseball season is fast approaching! I can't even tell you how excited I am... but I will try. I am so super, super excited!!! Last year, Brians baseball team (Cubs) won the championship for their league. It was so amazing. This year we didn't know if we would be able to get our team back together. I guess people had to, like, work or something stupid like that. Anyway, we were told to look for another team to play on. I was so sad that we weren't going to be able to defend our title for one year, but we found another team to play for. Last week we got the call that the Cubbies are back together. We are missing a few of our players, but we will totally make a run for it!!! I am busting out the baseball bag with all the game necessities. Big blanket, chair, sunglasses, sunscreen, big umbrella, score book, extra baseballs, etc. You can just say I am READY!!!

No longer a wolf scout...

2011-03-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Because Caden has moved on to become a Bear Scout!!! He worked sooooo hard and that all came to fruition at the January pack meeting. He was recognized for advancing as well as receiving a TON of gold and silver arrows. He looked so handsome in his little uniform when he was pinning the little wolf pin on me. Brian was unable to make it because he was working out of town, so there aren't any pictures. :( It is all his fault! Just kidding! Caden said his favorite part of being a wolf scout was the day camp that he participated in. It was held in July at our local recreation center and they had a Huck Finn theme. Although it rained and we were all really cold, the leaders adapted quickly and they had a blast!!!

I am so proud of Caden and ALL of his hard work!!!

I guess we better start working on his Bear book now.

Gymnastics

2011-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Calli has been doing so well in gymnastics these last few years. This year she moved up in age groups, but was still able to hold her own. Her favorite events are beam and floor. She has really excelled at these and has been improving almost daily on bars. She still is having some issues with that dang mill circle but she is so dang close!

Her best scores this year are:
Floor: 9.25
Beam: 9.25
Bars: 8.3
Vault: 9.0

She will be moving up to a level four at the end of this month. I couldn't be more proud!!!

First Place

Vault warm up

Beam warm up

Cinderella Pageant

2011-03-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

This year Cienna has faced a mess of medical problems. One of them being a 6-7 degree curve in her spine. Our doctor informed us that 10 degrees of curve is considered scoliosis and with her being so young we needed to watch it with a CT for the next couple of years. So, we decided to take a break from gymnastics just to keep any extra strain off her developing spine and back. I wanted her to be able to do something special since she loved gymnastics so much. She is a huge girlie girl so my cousin suggested the Cinderella pageant program. I was nervous at first because we have seen that pageant show on TLC and I did NOT want to be a crazy mom like that. My cousin assured me that it was not like that at all.

We arrived at her first Cinderella pageant a little nervous and very excited. She had her up close interview and she came out smiling. She said that the judges were very nice and that they laughed at what she said. I was very happy that her personality came out in that interview because really, the up close interview is where the biggest part of the score comes from. Next was casual wear. She had a super cute outfit and did her walk perfectly. She was the ONLY girl that did her turn in the right spot and waited for the right moment to move to the next spot on the stage. She was stunning!!! Next was her formal wear walk... and again she was absolutely perfect! Her dress glittered and her dress flowed perfectly when she turned. I was such a proud mama! Lastly, was the on stage interview. She was very first and I could tell she was nervous. It took her a little while longer to come up with an answer to one of the questions. In the end, it turned out great. She got 3rd place (1st attendant to Beauty) out of 16 girls!!! I want to remind you that this was her first pageant too.

Her are some pictures of her beautiful, amazing first pageant:

Getting ready!

Formal Wear

Interview dress (custom made by my awesome friend)

Calli!!!

2011-03-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

I don't think I can express in writing how much I love this little girl! She is so much like me in every way... but only the good parts. :) How did she get the sweet part of me AND Brian??? I am so late in posting this, but my very special middle child turned 7 years old last month. You just heard it in the last post, but where does the time go?

Some things Calli enjoys:
*Anything HORSES (she is just a tad bit obsessed)
*Gymnastics
*Reading
*Playing with friends
*Painting and coloring
*Cheerleading

Some things Calli is good at:
*Gymnastics
*Reading
*Being a kind, good friend
*Sensing people's feelings (and acting accordingly)
*Writing (kid has better handwriting than me)
*Cheer

Some things I absolutely LOVE about Calli:
*Her genuine kindness
*Her belly laugh
*That she prefers to stay in bed and read on stormy days
*Her willingness to share
*That she is the first one to volunteer to say the prayer
*Her long beautiful dark brown hair
*Her love for her family and friends

I can honestly say that I look up to this little girl. She is just GOOD, in all things. She has a tender heart, but is still not afraid to share her heart with everyone. I will never forget the time she went up to a complete stranger in Mervyn's (remember that store my friends?) and gave her a hug. I was a little upset at first because she could have been taken, but when the cute little old lady came up to me and said what a sweet child I have and that she had made her day, I felt a little better. Anyway, I know this is late, but Happy Birthday Calli Sue Grace Sassafrass Candelmalaria the Turd!!! You are my favorite 7 year old girl in the world!!!

My Son

2011-01-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

I guess I am a little late on this post. But to be totally honest, I have been absolutely dreading this. I feel like by posting this, it makes everything official! Yikes! My son, my son, my only one, turned 9 last Friday. Every year I struggle with the idea of my children getting older, but for some reason it is A LOT harder with Caden. He is my only son AND the oldest... everything is new territory here!!

Anyway, I just want you all to know what an amazing kid I have. I hope some day he will be able to look back on these birthday blog posts and read about what a great boy he was... and is. Caden is such a kind, considerate, respectful person and he helps out with almost everything. He is talented and smart and funny and handsome!!! I LOVE this boy with my whole life.

Some of my favorite memories of Caden:

Year 1- Throwing a baseball across the room when he was like 9 months old

Year 2- Screaming at the top of his lungs when I accidentally put his sock on upside down

Year 3- Helping soooooo much with little sisters

Year 4- Riding a bike like a big kid

Year 5- Starting kindergarten

Year 6- Playing organized baseball for the first time

Year 7- Reading at a 10 year old level

Year 8- Deciding to be baptized and join the church

Year 9- Continuing to be the BEST kid on the block

Every other year we do a birthday party with friends and games and prizes and themes. But on the off year, we do a "date" with mom and dad and birthday kid. This is the "date" year and we are going to dinner and the aquarium because Caden is on a total shark kick. I can't wait to spend that special time with my very special son.

Buncha City Folk

2011-01-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

It totally cracks me up that my city kids get sooooo excited EVERY SINGLE time we see a wild animal. When we drive out to my moms house we see hundreds of cows and horses. My kids exclaim the whole way...
"Mom, did you see the black one?"
"Awwww, look at all the baby cows!"
"Mom, can we pllleeeaaseee stop and feed the horses?"
"WOW! Look how close that cow is to the fence!!!"
I seriously laugh out loud at how excited they are. So, you could imagine the total frenzy that ensued when we found a family of deer that have been living on our street for the winter. EVERY TIME we see them...
"They are soooooo cute!"
"Oh.... where did the baby go? Is he lost? Oh there he is. They are sooooo cute!"
"LOOK MOM OUR DEER ARE EATING OUR TREE!!!!"
"Can you believe we are so lucky that we have the deer by our house"
"LOOK at them run... they are soooooo cute!!"
"Lets put food out for them." (No... totally illegal)
"What if they starve, mom?"
"Are they too cold outside?"
"They are soooooo cute!!!"
Hahaha! I totally love my city kids! They really are cute animals, but seriously? EVERY TIME we see one, my children's faces light up. Now, slamming on my brakes to let a family of deer pass has a whole new meaning. Not only do I not want my car trashed, what would my kids talk about ALL the time?

Saviors love in January

2011-01-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

So one of my resolutions was to post regularly on my blog. So in addition to the going ons of our family, I am going to post once a month how I know my Savior loves me.

This month... I know my Savior loves me because he has blessed me with an amazing family!! My family is so different, yet we work great together and it really does seem like we compliment each other so well. We have been blessed with good health, a roof over our heads, food on our table, and so many other things.

Brian and I will be married for 10 years in April. I can't save everything has been perfect, but it has been absolutely amazing!!! I have learned so much about sharing, giving, compromising, and LOVE. We are different people and yet we are able to create common goals and share common dreams.

I am so grateful for my colorful, fun filled, humorous, crazy, loveable, beautiful, caring, positive, intelligent, and amazing family!!!

December in a nutshell

2010-12-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

I always tell myself that things are beginning to slow down and then I look back and have to giggle a little. It has been a crazy month and we didn't even travel for the holidays. Work has been super, super busy (everyone is trying to get surgeries done since they have met their deductibles), kids have had performances, meets, parties, Brian has been out of town for most of the month, then you add in Christmas and all the stuff that goes with that holiday... needless to say, it has been yet another crazy month in our home.

Calli had her state meet for gymnastics and did AWESOME!!! She got 5th place in her age group at level 3 and out of all the level 3s that competed (about 30) she got 9th place!!! She got the best scores of her entire gymnastics career. Vault- 8.7, Bars- 8.5, Beam- 7.95, Floor-8.75!!! She was so beautiful and I couldn't have been more proud!!! We even had some awesome friends come to the event to cheer her on and share in the excitement! I have the most awesome friends ever!

I also had my work Christmas party which was just the coolest. We went to dinner at Ruby Tuesday in Park City. As soon as everyone was there, our office manager handed out envelopes to all the employees and docs wives. There was $200 in it!!! She said that there were only 2 rules to have this money...1. We had to spend it on ourselves and 2. We only had 45 minutes! We all jumped in our cars and took off like bats out of hell!!! I went to Fossil and bought a purse and wallet! I am in LOVE with this awesome orange purse! I had a little left over so I bought season 1 of GLEE too. We came back and ate and got another envelope with our bonuses in it!!! Holy cow... I have the best bosses!!!

Christmas was good too. We had a family get together and had a special visitor. All the kids were so excited to see Santa except Cienna. She would not go sit on his lap and when he tried to talk to her she started crying! What the heck? My kids have never been scared of Santa. Brandy and I decided that it was probably because he was asking all the kids if they had been good all year. Hahaha... she didn't want to lie. :) We spent Christmas at home all day. It was so nice to let the kids play with their toys and just hang out and not have to be at 20 different places. We missed our family in California a ton, but are planning a trip in February!

So tomorrow is New Years Eve and we have a fun adults party we are going to. We have been planning a murder mystery dinner forever and tomorrow it comes!!! I know I am a total dork, but the last one we did was a BLAST. This one is a 1920's gangster/mafia theme and my friends and I went to the DI and found costumes. I am a newspaper reporter and Brian is a baseball player... go figure! I will let you all know how it turns out and I will post pics later.

I hope everyone has started thinking about goals for the new year... I know I have. There are a lot of things that were left undone this year and I want to make sure it doesn't happen next year. Happy last 2 days of 2010 people!!!

Toothless Wonder

2010-12-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Cienna had a dentist appointment on Wednesday. The tech found that one of her permanent teeth was growing behind her baby tooth. The dentist came in and said that this happens a lot, but that we need to get the baby tooth out so the adult tooth can grow in straight. He gave her one week to get it out, otherwise he would have to pull it. It wasn't very loose so I was a little worried. I went back to work and came home and it was gone. She LOST her tooth... like literally lost it. She was playing in the snow and fell and it came right out! She wrote a letter to the tooth fairy, and what a lucky girl... her money came even without a tooth!! What a fun first tooth story!!! :D

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

***I GOT MY TREE UP!!!
No picture has been able to do it justice, but here is the best one I could come up with. It is missing our Jack Skellington tree topper, but that will be up very shortly!
***Our elf Vixen showed up... he is the elf that watches the kids and listens to what they want and then reports back to Santa each night. Check out the book "The Elf on the Shelf"... you will understand everything,
***I actually have most of our presents AND they are wrapped and under the tree
***Brian ripped my favorite Christmas CD to the XBox and I have been listening almost non stop

Crazy couple of weeks

2010-12-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

I keep telling myself that things will slow down. This summer we had sooooo much going on and I promised myself that I would take it easy for the rest of the year. Well, someone forgot to tell me that working moms lives NEVER slow down!!! Last week was pretty intense... add a cold in there for good measure too.

Monday, we woke up to this...

SNOW DAY!!! My brother stayed the night with us otherwise I don't think we would have found out until we tried to drop the kids off at school. For some weird reason, they don't post school closures on their websites. Weird!!!

Tuesday was an extra special day!!!

My brother Greg and his beautiful wife welcomed their first child into the world. It was a really stormy day, but he was safe and sound with his mommy and daddy. I don't think I have ever seen Greg so happy. Gavin is a sweet boy and so dang handsome. Each time I become an Auntie again, it amazes me how much I can love a child that is not mine. There really is something special about these children and babies that are in my life and I have no words to really describe it.

Wednesday was a day of preparation for the big Turkey day. I LOVE Thanksgiving!!! Also see previous post... son had tonsils taken out and it was actually a pretty traumatic day for mom.

Thursday was the big day. We had most of our family out at my moms. It is always an awesome occasion when we can get together and laugh and reminisce about "the old days". I love my family and I truly am grateful for each individual and each moment that we share. After the big feast, our little family drove to Ogden to spend the weekend with some of our best friends.

Black Friday... need I say more? A day of sleep deprived, grouchy women fighting for the best deal possible for their friends and families, and spending WAY too much money. At times it was a little scary, but mostly just FUN! I think it makes all the difference when you have good company. Black Friday also means the Lakers game for the hubby. I think he had a good time even though the Jazz won.

On Saturday, above mentioned friend and I took all the children to see Tangled. My kids love being at the movie theater!

Sunday we traveled back home and did laundry to begin the next week of madness. Lets hope our weeks won't be like this one for a long time. Welcome to my crazy/ insane life. I think I have mentioned this before...

I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!!!

Poor Son... Poor Mom

2010-11-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today Caden had his tonsils taken out. We have been pushing this off for awhile now and the ENT I work for assured me that he would feel much better after we take care of this. Now before you tell me what a horrible mom I am, let me just explain that Caden has NEVER eaten a Thanksgiving dinner... so don't judge me for doing it the day before Thanksgiving!!! :D

We went in at 8 and met with the nurse and doc and anesthesiologist. They were all super nice (of course the doc was... I take the phone calls that come into his office). I could tell Caden was a little nervous, but he put on his brave face and headed into the OR. After he came out, we met him in recovery... This is where the poor mom comes in.

I start feeling really WEIRD. I mean, I have never felt like this in my entire life!!! Caden coughed and spit some blood, then his nose started bleeding, then there was a really weird smell, THEN the nurse comes in with Cadens tonsils in a jar. This is where I almost lose it! I get all clammy, my ears start ringing, my peripheral vision goes away and my legs get shaky. I told Brian I needed to sit down and walked out of the recovery room. It only took a few minutes to feel better, but I really think I was only a few seconds away from passing out. Let me just repeat this again for you all... I have NEVER felt this way before!!! I totally freaked.

So... Poor Son for actually having the surgery

And... Poor Mom for being such a little weenie when looking at the removed body part

I have the coolest/ weirdest family EVER

2010-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

From top Left... going clockwise...

Jon- The Fixer...pretty much able to fix ANYTHING

Becky- The Crafter... my crafty partner in crime

Jennifer- The Correcter... where would we be without her corrections? (It is called SPREAD!!!)

Brian- The First... the first "in law" to come in... set the bar high for all the others coming in

Me- The Planner... basically the COOLEST!!! ;)

Keith- The Kid at Heart...still plays swords with my kids (don't tell him I told you)

Caden- The First Grandbaby... he will hold a special place in a lot of peoples hearts

Mom- The BEST... really, who could ask for more?

Dad- The Chef... cooks all big family meals. YUMMO!

Autumn- The Girly Girl... if you think "girl" you mind should picture this one

Ben- The Gopher... you couldn't have a complete family without one.

Greg- The Comic Relief... he can make any situation funny/ awkward. :D

Carly- The Optimist... she is so fun to be around for this reason

Cienna- The Sassy One... if you need someone to put you in your place, this is where you go

Phillip- The Squishy One... need I say more?

Calli- The Cuddler... anytime you need a good cuddle, this is where you go

Brandy- The Patient One... I have never met a more patient mother/ wife/ auntie

Matt- The Poop Guy... always the first one to bring up poo at family gatherings

Gavin- The Perfect One... not pictured as this picture was taken almost 5 months before he arrived in this world
*** Matt AKA The Poop Guy would like me to post that he does not always bring up poo. But actually his statement that he doesn't bring up poop proves that he does bring up poo at ALL family gatherings! ***

My bosses...

2010-11-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

Are the coolest!!! I just have to say that I totally LOVE my job, co-workers and my bosses!!! They make it so fun to come to work and be there all day long. I really couldn't have it any other way!

Halloween... about 1 month late

2010-11-18T19:32:00.001-08:00

This is by far my favorite picture...

Calli looks like a real princess!!! I have the coolest friend in the world that made my girls costumes. She is so amazing! I did help by cutting fabric and being a cheerleader on the sidelines, but she did both costumes in a day and a half. They look so nice and are made from great material. I probably spent more on the material than on a costume already put together, but it was totally worth it when the girls got to wear them for the first time.

I did the hair! I must say I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.

Football... You Bet

2010-11-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Sports are a pretty big deal here in the Candelaria home. Brian with his baseball, Caden with football and baseball, Calli with gymnastics, Cienna with Cheerleading... and me... with fantasy football. Are you serious??? Ummm yeah! I freaking LOVE fantasy football. I have always placed high in my league and have actually won a few times.

Get this people...

I am undefeated right now!!!! Yeah!!!

So to keep updated with fantasy football, you have to watch EVERY football game. This is how we spend many a Sunday and Monday.

I had to just laugh my butt off when I look out my window and see this...

Disneyland!!!

2010-11-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Monday- (Disneyland) 1st day here... arrived at park early and waited in line for 20 minutes to get into the park. Loved the Halloween decorations... loved the people at the gates... LOVED how excited my kids were! We forgot the camera today. :( Hind sight, it was just really nice to run around the park and not have to worry about taking a photo at each little spot. First ride at Disneyland for all the kiddos... Space Mountain!!! All kids are big enough to ride. I knew this was a good time to take the kiddos. No strollers... and all rides are available to all my kids (except Indiana Jones). It sprinkled on and off today which I think kept the crowds away. The longest we waited in line today was 15 minutes for Pirates. All in all... an amazing first day!

Tuesday- (California Adventures) Pouring rain!!! This could be good or bad. We bought some umbrellas and ponchos and decided to take our chances. Crowds were no existent today!!! Holy cow, this place is deserted. I LOVE it! First ride- Soaring over California. All I can say is WOW!!! What a cool ride. I mean, you could smell things, and the wind, and just the overall feeling of flying. I absolutely LOVED it! We ran from one ride to the other and got pretty wet. Today, we took cover and went to see the "Aladdin" play. Honestly, the highlight of the ENTIRE trip for me. We called it quits around 4. It was still a great day!

Wednesday- (Disneyland) We decided to let the kids pick where we would go and what we would do today. Caden picked "Matterhorn" & "Splash Mountain". Calli picked "Indiana Jones" & "Space Mountain". Cienna picked "Buzz Lightyear" & "Autopia". Dad picked "Captain EO" & "Big Thunder". Mom picked "Pirates" and "Peter Pan". We got A LOT of pictures today and I feel so much better about accidentally forgetting my camera the first day.

Thursday- (Beach) Keri took us to a cute little beach and we played and found shells and took pictures. The weather was actually better on the coast than inland so we basked in the overcast warmth. We ate at Pink Berry which was so freakin amazing that I have craved it since.

Friday- (Disney/ California Adventure) Today is our last day here. :( We are so sad to leave the happiest place on earth! We got to meet up with my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Roland and my cousin Rachel (which I haven't seen since Caden was a tiny baby). It was so nice to see them again and even better that we got to spend the day at Disneyland with them. Today, we took our time and just did what we felt like doing. The crowds are insane!!! I am so glad that we spent most of our time here without all these dang people. Highlight of today... meeting Jack Skellington and Sallee. :) Time to head home... until next time, Disneyland, you will be forever in our hearts!

Sneaky (kinda) Parents

2010-11-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Since I can remember, I have promised my kids that as soon as the baby turns five, we would pack the car and head to Disneyland. Well, if you can imagine this... my baby turned five in July! Yikes!!! To be totally honest, I never really thought that day would come. :)

Brian and I decided it would be way more fun if the kids didn't know where we were going. We bought tickets, studied hotels, and planned our trip without them catching on. There were a few times that a brother of mine (ehem, Matt!) came very close to spilling the beans. But... we made it! When the time came, we told them we were going to Las Vegas to visit Auntie Robyn (which was totally true because that is where we were staying before and after our family vacation). We packed 12 days worth of clothes and toys and shoes and snacks. They were PUMPED that we were spending so much time at Auntie Robyn's house... just imagine their reaction when they found out we were going to Disneyland!

After spending the weekend with Auntie Robyn, we packed up the car and told the kids we needed to go home and then we would come back next weekend. Caden (now 8) grumbled at the thought of driving all the way home and then coming back again. We totally ignored him. With our Disney package came a phone call from Mickey and Goofy and Minnie. We received that phone call right after we crossed into California. Hehehe... totally sneaky.

Here is the kids reaction...

I just love that they really had no idea what was going on. I really don't think they totally understood until we stood in line to get in the front gate.

Ok... I have tried like 20 times to upload this video, and am having NO luck! If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear. Anyway... they were super excited and they were shocked to find out that we were actually on our way when the Mickey call came. Love these kiddos!

CNA? Me?

2010-11-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

Well, yes... I guess so! I have been working at a doctors office as a receptionist for about 9 months. I work 4 days a week and I really LOVE it here! I was given the opportunity to have my boss pay for my CNA class and begin working 3 days a week making the same amount of money that I am now. Yes please! I am really excited to learn new stuff and start a new path in this career that I have chosen... however, I am VERY, VERY nervous about the clinicasl I will need to do before I can take the test. You see, my job at the office will mostly be taking patients into rooms, taking vitals, giving allergy shots, and pre authorizing procedures. The clinicals, I have heard, involve wiping old peoples butts and giving really large people showers. In truth, I am TERRIFIED that I will have to do this!!! One of the nurses in our office said to just bring some vicks and apply to my upper lip before I go in any room... enough said! I guess it is too late to change my mind now as the class has been paid for and I start on Monday. Wish me luck people... I am going to need it!!!

Inspired to update and continue

2010-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

So as you can tell, it has been almost one full year since I last posted. I just found that 2 more people in my family have blogs and it has really inspired me to get back into it and keep it up. There has been so much happening I don't even know where to start... lets go by each family member.

Brian-

*Has 2 more semesters under his belt. Only 2 more years until he is a full fledged High School teacher!

*Worked all summer in AZ, managed to save money for our family to go to Disneyland in 3 days!!!

*Completed yet another summer and fall season of baseball.

*Has been the best houseband (stole that from Aria) in the whole world.

*Has taken on the role of carpooling... volunteering in kids classrooms... arranging play dates... and cooking meals for the family.

*Turns the big 2-9 tomorrow... I almost threw him a 30th birthday party one year early as a joke... didn't get around to it. :(

Ashley-

*Has been working as a receptionist for an E.N.T. and General Surgeon since February

*Loving it more than I could have imagined!

*Coaching tumbling/ gymnastics

*My work is paying for me to become a CNA... I will be working 3 days a week, 10 hour shifts... very excited about this! I start the class my birthday week.

*Speaking of birthdays... I am turning 27 next month... HOLY COW!!!

*Still loving reading, scrapbooking, eating ice cream, and playing with the kiddos!

Caden-

*Big, bad 3rd grader... gets to play on the big kid play ground now.

*Baptized in February, couldn't be more proud of him!

*Lost more teeth than I can count and looks like a freakin jack o lantern.

*Finished another season of baseball and his first year of football. I didn't think I would like watching anyone play baseball more than Brian, but this is really up there.

*Continues to amaze me with his intelligence. He was tested and is reading at a 6th grade level and is working on multiplication and division... I guess he got both mom and dads smarts. :)

Calli-

*Starting her second year on the competitive gymnastics team... took 1st at ALL her meets last year!

*Again with the smarty pants... reading at a 3rd grade level, most beautiful handwriting I have ever seen, and has amazing grammar skills. Hahaha! That is her mima's girl!

*Continues to ride bike without training wheels and is now doing "tricks"

*Spent 3 days away from mom and dad- stayed with grandma in her camper.

*Has perfected the roundoff back handspring x2 (yeah, she is only 6)

*Received all "Excellent" on her Kindergarten report card!!!

Cienna-

*Started Kindergarten!!! Yikes!!! Mom only cried for about 3 hours!!! :D

*Reading sooooo well... I can't even explain how proud I am of these readers!

*Continues to work really hard on her gymnastics, has her kickover and 1 handed cartwheel.

*Still as sassy as ever, seriously don't know what I am going to do with this child when she gets into her teenage years!

*Loves prancing around in high heels and short skirts! Ugh!

*Has the best sense of humor out of all of my children, very sarcastic and dry... LOVE IT!!!

So there is a little update on the comings and goings of our family. I really am going to try and be better about this. Hope all is well with my amazing friends and beautiful family!!! Hugs & Kisses!!!

Yes... We are still alive!

2009-12-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ok... all my dear blogging buddies.... I am sorry that I have not been good at keeping this updated! Sometimes life just gets going and there is no stopping. We have been busy with the holidays and moving and school and gymnastics and everything else! I have actually started a few blog posts and never finished them... I had good intentions... see?

Lets see... We will start with October- Brian turned 28 (ouch), the kids all dressed up as super heros for Halloween, the girls had their last dance performance for awhile, I said goodbye to all the amazing little girls that I taught, Brian was laid off, we moved to Wyoming.
November- I turned 26 (yikes), the kids got situated in their new school, Calli and Cienna started gymnastics, Caden got involved with an indoor soccer team, Brian went to California for 3 weeks to work, we joined him for another week to spend Thanksgiving with family (one of the best trips I have ever taken).
December- staying busy getting ready for Christmas, still celebrating that we are all together as a family... Brian is not off working far away, Brian got signed up to finish school (we also found out that he qualifies for all kinds of grants... YAY!), and now I am just trying to figure out what I am going to do with my kids for the 2 weeks that they have off school. :D

I promise to get some pictures up of our fun outings soon!

I hope everyone is doing good! This is such a fun time of year and I am so grateful for the time to teach my children more about our Savior and the love I feel for Him. In the words of Cienna... "Don't you know that I love my Jesus more than Santa?" I hope you all have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

What a terrible mom...

2009-09-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't get pictures of my sweet little one on her first day of preschool!!! :( In my defense, it is her second year of preschool and the school actually took pictures of all of them coming in, but I still feel terrible. The next time she went to school, I even tried to "re-do" the first day, but this time I forgot my camera. Ahhhhh!

Anyway... since school started I have been making my kids do their jobs in the morning because our evenings are just way too crowded. The kids must make their beds and clean their rooms as well as one other little thing. They usually alternate between taking laundry to the laundry room, loading the breakfast dishes, and cleaning the front bathroom. If they do this everyday... Monday through Friday they get a dollar. I was really nervous about my children doing the dishes... too many things to break or get cut on, but Brian assured me that they would do fine. Caden did them first and had a blast (funny huh?) then it was Calli's turn. She also LOVED it! Weird kids. I decided that we wouldn't have Cienna do dishes because she is just too young and small. When she found out about this bit of news she cried!!! I know! I know! What is wrong with my kids?!?!?! :) We gave in and let her do them but she had to sit through a long lecture about being careful and trying her best and blah blah blah. The next morning, I wake up to the sound of water running.... this is what I find......
She is such a sweetheart. I LOVE how hard she tries to keep up with the other kids... they better watch out because she is right behind them.

What would you do for 5 bucks?

2009-09-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Would you...

Pee in the bushes?

Eat a jar of pickles?

Jump off a balcony?

Take your shirt off in public?

Touch a hot iron?

Punch someone?

Eat a cricket?...

CADEN WOULD!

Terrible but true

2009-08-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

So... the other day the girls and I were hanging out at the soccer field while Caden was at practice. I was playing with the girls and they kept having me toss them up in the air. I grabbed Calli (5 years old) to lift her up... kinda like this...

As I grabbed her, I noticed a little something extra under her shirt?!?!?!? I asked her what it was and she began to FREAK out. I knew instantly that she was wearing a BRA!!! Ahhhhhhh!!! Why do girls want to grow up so fast??? For those of you who know me, know that I DO NOT have a bra small enough to fit this child, so I asked her where she got this pretty, little blue thing with flowers on it. :D Between sobs (because I embarrassed her so) she told me that her friend in the neighborhood gave it to her. I made her take it off and give it back as soon as we got home and I explained to her that she needs boobies before she can wear one... and that she will hate it when she has to wear one everyday. She seemed ok after our little talk. Hopefully, she will want to stay a kid for a little bit longer. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I think her father about had a heart attack when I told him. Poor guy!!!

First days of school

2009-08-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

Caden and Calli started school on Monday!!! Caden went to 2nd grade and Calli to Kindergarten... Cienna starts her last year of preschool next week. Time really does go just a little too fast. I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays when I will be able to spend a little quiet time doing what I want, but I am also pretty sad that all of my kids are big enough to be in school.
Our school had its open house on Monday morning so that the parents and kids could meet the teachers and see the classrooms before school started. I took Calli to her classroom first. We met her teacher, Mrs. Hinkley and walked around the room to see where everything went. Calli is one confident little girl and wanted me to just leave her then and there. Everyone should be so proud that I kept all tears back until I left the school (I don't think Calli would have still been confident if I left her while I was crying). She has the rest of the week off for testing, but will go back on Monday for the rest of the year.
Next we met Caden's teacher. I just have to say that I LOVE this lady!!! From the minute I met her, I knew she was going to be an amazing teacher for Caden. Mrs. Wilkinson has a sports theme in her class with each student 'playing a part of the field'... ex. the grounds keeper is in charge of cleaning the classroom floors before everyone goes home, the peanut vendor is in charge of taking the lunch count, etc. It was so fun to see all of that time and effort she put into her kids and classroom.After Caden and Calli started school, my friends and I decided to have a first day of school breakfast. We decided that moms needed to celebrate that they had let their children live through the whole summer. It was a nice breakfast but it took forever... so sad to say, but I was late to pick Calli up for her first day of big kid school. I felt soooooooo bad!!! I wasn't even the last one to get there and I was only 2 minutes late, but it was still really sad for me. On the other hand, Calli was so brave and just sat where she was told until I came and grabbed her hand.

Here is Calli's cool hair do for her first day of school... I got it from a hair blog. :DToday, Caden rode the bus for the first time. He got on to go to school ok. Now I a totally freaked out about him getting on the bus to get home. I hope he remembers the bus number and that he is supposed to ride it today. Oh the joys of kids growing up. I will let you all know how it turned out.

Look what Cienna can do!

2009-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ok... so the last few posts have been all about little miss, but I just had to show you all how super duper smart she is!

Cienna's Birthday Party

2009-08-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

(sassy mom + sassy dad = THIS)

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Cienna's 4th birthday. For those of you who know me, this had to be a perfectly planned, themed party. We decided to do an ice cream theme since her special day is in July. I made some really cute invites with an ice cream cone, which had to be sparkly and pink of course. On the party day, we woke up to cloudy, yucky weather. I was running around in a panic trying to find somewhere else to hold the party... with no luck. We decided to just keep it outside and hope that the rain held off. The rain did hold, but it was actually pretty cold. We still had tons of fun with all of our amazing family and friends. We had an ice cream sundae bar with as many toppings as you could imagine... chocolate, caramel, strawberry, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries, etc. We were supposed to have an ice cream relay and play "freeze" tag, but it was just too cold. We ate ice cream and opened presents and called it a party. :D Cienna got a ton of Hannah Montana stuff (her fave) and school supplies and clothes. She got spoiled!!! That is ok... I guess that is what birthdays are all about.

What to do?

2009-08-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

My husband left for the weekend with some friends of his and the kids are in bed... but I am having a hard time deciding what I should do?!?!?!?! Should I....

*Read my book?

*Clean the kitchen?

*Catch up on laundry?

*Read my book?

*Watch old episodes of 'So You Think You Can Dance'?

*Wash the walls?

*Sleep?

*Exercise?

*Work on sponsor letters?

*Read my book?

*Sweep the floors?

*Clean my computer desk?

*Put dinner away?

*Upload the thousands of pics from my camera?

*Work on my Scentsy order?

or... just READ MY BOOK?

I think I will go read my book. :D Good night!

Happy Birthday Cienna!!!

2009-07-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

WOW! Time really does have a way of sneaking up on you. I can't believe my BABY is 4 years old today. It is so easy to recall this day 4 years ago... sitting in a hospital, holding my baby girl, hoping and wishing everything for her!

Now look where we are... I have an almost completely independent preschooler who doesn't like to snuggle and would rather play with friends then her mommy. :( On the bright side... she is so full of energy and spunk and life. Cienna can make you feel so special with just one little smile. She has a way with people that make them fall instantly in love with her. I am not sure how she does it, but she can make a total stranger feel like they are so important in her life... they probably are and I just don't know how to piece it all together. I have never seen a child that can make your want to cry and laugh all within 1 minute of each other. For those of you who know Cienna, you know exactly what I am talking about. And for those of you who don't know her, you are seriously missing out on one INCREDIBLE little girl!!!

Here are some small, but beautiful moments in my little one's life.

Update... it has been a long time.

2009-07-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

WOW! I am such a slacker... so sorry. Here is a little update... and then I will try to be better about writing.

-Brian did not get the job with the police department

-We sold our house

-Moved into an apartment... kinda looking for a new house

-Brian's work is crazy slow... but we are making it

-He will probably leave to work in Arizona in a few weeks

-I am still teaching dance, cheer, and tumbling... love it!

-Girls are still dancing like crazy... I think they like it, no they LOVE it!

-Both girls will be trying out for the showteam this year

-My brother Jon got married to his long time girlfriend on Saturday

-Jon and Becky's daughter broke her leg the night before the wedding

-My brother Matt and his wife had a beautiful baby boy... Phillip Bryant

-I get to take care of this baby during the week :D

-Cienna is turning 4 on Thursday... where does the time go?

I am sure there is more, but this had to be quick. :) Hope you are all doing well! Love and miss you all!

Friends

2009-03-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

I think it is so funny how you don't really choose who your friends are going to be. I mean... you can be picky and say that you don't want to be friends with someone, but most of the time you just get to know someone and they turn out to be a friend. I have been very blessed to have some amazing people in my life! But I do have to giggle a little and the diverse selection of friends that I do have. I am putting your names on here and if you don't like it... tough! :)
Chantelle- We were born to be best friends! I swear we have been friends since kindergarten... no I am not lying! We love to talk and laugh together and I am sure it will be that way for a very long time.
Kyra- best friends since the moment we met! We have kept in contact through 3 kids each and living 600+ miles away!
Marilee- best friends since high school. We are in totally different seasons of our lives, but somehow we manage to have things to talk about.
Aria- came into my life when I needed a friend more than ANYTHING! We have survived 2 moves away from each other and still celebrate life's joys and disappointments together.
Brianda- instant friends. We moved into the same neighborhood 2 weeks apart from each other. Bonded because we were both the new ones, but became instant sisters. We had kids around the same age too, so we had many play dates to get to know each other.
Stacey- backyard neighbors. She became my friend when I found out that we shared the crafty bone. We have since done a gazillion crafts. We also have kids that are very close in age.
Diane- she is old enough to be my mom! She has been all of my kids preschool teacher, now I consider her a friend! We double date :) and are going on a trip together this fall. She is such an amazing person to know.
Lisa- we are SO alike. She started out as my girls dance teacher (oh and mine too). Today, I would intoduce her as my friend. We think alike, have the same shoes :) and I love being around her.
There are so many other friends that I have made along the way, but I wish all these people could know each other so they could see how truly different they are and how much I love them the same. Maybe I will have a big party and they will all be REQUIRED to come so that they can all meet. I love you ladies!!!

For Sale

2009-03-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

So, it is official... we put our house up for sale.

We have lived here for almost 3 years and it has been some of the best years of my life! But, sometimes things need to change. Brian's work has really slowed down (went from 80+ hours per week to 20) and we are really struggling with what is to come. We have decided that the best route to take is to downsize, reduce our monthly payments, and get Brian back in school. He is really great at what he does... and gets paid well too, but he can't keep up physically for the rest of his life. He is going to get old one day, whether he likes it or not, and I think now is the time to change. I am excited to have another goal to obtain and to work towards that. You know how you set goals and then you work really hard? And then one day you accomplish that goal? And then there is really nothing else to do? That is how I have felt about the house. We worked our butts off to get in here, made huge sacrifices, and it all paid off. I was a homeowner at the age of 23!!! Now, I feel like I want to do something else. Brian is really excited to go back to school too. We have tossed it around a couple of times and it never seemed to be the right time. Now we are all ready and willing to do whatever it takes!

I got my degree in Health Care Administration in October and I haven't had a chance to use it. I will get that opportunity sometime this year as I work to put food on the table while Brian goes to school. He is still planning on working part time but it will be very minimal so that we can get his school done as quickly as possible. The kids seem fine with the idea of moving. Caden was actually excited that he gets to meet new people and go to a new school. We will stay pretty close by so that our kids can play with their old friends and we will be able to visit those friends that have meant so much to us these past few years.

Anyway... sorry about the rambling! There was a lot to get out and no real structure. :) I hope everyone is doing good in this rough patch and I will for sure keep you all updated. Love and miss you all!

Winds of Change

2009-02-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yup... the winds of change are blowing for the Candelaria family. We went this weekend to Evanston, Wyoming for Brian to take some tests for the police department. We also got to visit my mommy and we got strep throat. I know... pleasant, pleasant, not so pleasant! On Thursday night Brian took the written test which was about 3 hours long and was just math, language, and reading comprehension. Brian said the test was pretty easy and that he didn't struggle with any questions. We got the results back and all it said was that he received a 12.9+. We had no idea what that meant but knew that he must have done pretty well. The next morning he woke up early to go to the rec center to do the physical test. He did well on this test also. He had to run a mile and a half and he said that that about killed him because the elevation is so much higher than where we are now... but he did what he needed to do. There were about 20 people there and about 8 got an interview time for that same day and Brian was among the 8. I was so proud of him!!! He had his interview and he said that he felt it went really well. He said there were some tough questions but he just answered the best he could and moved on. In the interview they said how impressed they were with his score because there is no 13 on the grading so as far as they were concerned he got most, if not all, of the questions right. :) That is my hubby!!! We should get a call sometime this week telling him if he should come back for some more testing/interviews. We are really keeping our fingers crossed and praying for him to get this job. I think it will be so amazing for him. He is so smart and should be doing something with that. He is such a good man and I think he deserves the best out there... but I guess I may be a little biased. Anyway, wish us luck and keep us in your prayers for this amazing opportunity! Thanks! Love and miss you all!

Happy Birthday Calli!!!

2009-01-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Calli Sue Grace Sassifrass Candelamalaria the Turd's 5th birthday! Again, I can't believe how fast time goes when you have little ones running around. Calli is such an amazing girl and so sweet and loving... some of my favorite memories of her...

- Wearing Caden's jammies EVERYWHERE we went

- Hugging the complete stranger in Mervyn's

- Crying and begging when Caden was in preschool until she finally got to go

- Sounding out EVERY word while reading... CCCCCAAAAATTTT CAT.... CCCCCAAAAATTTT CAT! :)

- Having the worst onion breath after eating her favorite food

- When she sings "Give you Hell" by the All American Rejects. Oooooops!

Calli is such a special girl and it is such a pleasure to have her in the family. She is so peaceful and shares that with every one she comes in contact with. She is the first person to say sorry, to give hugs, to ask others not to fight, and to give toys to kids who are crying. I remember the day she was born and how I cried like a baby when the MD told me I had a little girl... I still feel the same! Ask anyone that knows her how incredibly special she is. Every person she comes in contact with is affected for good!
Calli- I love you more than you will ever know! You brighten every day for me. You bring so much joy and sunshine to my life! Your smile melts my heart! I love you girl!

2009-01-23T16:19:00.001-08:00

Can you pick out Brian's biological father in picture #2? I will give you a hint... look for Brian! :)

http://www.brent.edu.ph/baguioalumni/PhotoGallery/70s/fs_aux.html

Happy Birthday Caden!!!

2009-01-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

So it is a day late... but Happy Happy Birthday to my one and only son! I can't believe he is 7 years old. It just isn't fair! Some of my favorite memories...

- playing "catch" with dad at like 6 months old

- crying at the door to play outside(rain or shine)... he would try to peek under the door to look outside

- calling 911 on accident while playing with the phone. They called back to make sure everything was ok. :)

- driving while Caden tells me which direction we are traveling. Who needs a navigation system?

- Caden eating spinach dip by the spoonful but not even touching spinach

- first day of school

- first soccer game... he thought he was so cool

- the best hugs in the world. He never wants to let go

Most of all he is just one of the best kids in the world. He is kind, intelligent, funny, crazy, calm, outgoing, friendly, protective, understanding, considerate, compassionate, and so dang cute!

Caden-I love you... "my son... my son.... my only one"!!! :) You are so special to me! I will never be the same person again since you came into my life. You have taught me more than I will ever be able to teach you. Thank you for being that person that I will always strive to be.

Back to Work

2009-01-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day back to work in 2 weeks. Let's just say I was a little reluctant to go. :) Although once I got there, it was good. The kids were a little crazy after being out of their routine for 2 weeks, but all in all, I think it went well. My cheer class was actually canceled today because of the broken heater and a leak. Ah scary! I am actually a little relieved that I don't have to brave the snow again today and go teach.

Like I said in an earlier post... I am a little OCD so I find comfort in a routine. In all reality, I am actually happy to get back to normal around here. I love knowing what is next on the schedule and what I have to do the next day. :) Weird... I know!

A Kidless New Years

2009-01-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

First of all, I can't believe how time flies! I am shocked to look back over 2008 and see all the of the stuff that has happened. I am excited for a new year and a fresh start!

This holiday season has been a blast and Brian and I got to spend A LOT of time with the kids. We were excited to get them home and send them off to my mom's house for a few days. Don't get me wrong... I love my children and I love spending quality time with them. But after being in a car with them for over 60 hours and not leaving their side for 10 straight days... I was so happy to see them leave. My mom is an awesome grandma and tries to take my kids overnight whenever the opportunity presents itself. I called her and told her that we were going to an adult only New Years party and she agreed to take my kids for three days! :) What an awesome (and crazy) lady.

Brian and I went to our good friends house to enjoy an evening of Rockband,

Tri-tip, Scene it Pirates, and amazing company. We had a similar party last year and I think it is in the making of becoming a tradition.

My kids came home today and I did miss them so it was nice to have them home. Cienna is a little crazy sometimes so I am sure my mom was excited to be rid of her for a bit. Apparently she screamed and cried under a McDonalds table for about 20 minutes while grandma, brother, sister, and Ubba all tried to convince her to come out. She also had a major meltdown when she couldn't sleep in some certain area. :) Weirdo! Ah the joys of 3 year olds.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a nice, safe New Year's and I look forward to hearing about all your families for the next year. Love and miss you all!

Six Christmases

2008-12-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a holiday adventure! It is quite the novel, but you will get the short, condensed version. :)

12/16
Christmas with the Neely/LaVoies... a loud and crowded event with all the brothers and sisters (except Jon and his family... party poopers). We met at Matt and Brandy's house to eat yummy chicken noodle stuff and exchange presents. Kids made out like bandits and went home with perma-smiles from all the excitment. Would not go to sleep for hours.

12/24
Christmas with Papa Steve on the houseboat... a quiet and calm event with food, fishing, rain, and pajamas. There were no gifts exchanged at this event as Papa Steve had already given us his present... a weeks stay on a huge houseboat. :) Thank heavens my kids were somewhat polite and did not ask for more. Caden and Calli both caught a big fish- Caden got a picture with his but Calli's got away before we could get the picture. :(

12/25
Christmas with just the fam... also a quiet event. Santa was unable to find us on the boat but the kids did have presents for each other that they were able to open along with some new pj's and sleeping bags. Had to pry children away from new toys to go to the next Christmas.

12/25
Christmas with the Candelaria's... Santa actually found the kids at this location but was only able to deliver filled stockings. Kids seemed content, but then the exctiment grew when Papa Ernie brought out actual presents for kids to open. Brian made breakfast with some of the best biscuts and gravy EVER! Best present of this event... a massive horse for Calli.

12/25
Christmas with Mima and the Munoz family... this event with Brian's mom was another loud and crazy one. Mima's husband's family was there with us and it was quite the house full. Children received way too many presents at this event and were spoiled rotten with a prime rib dinner (that Caden refused to eat) and many snacks. Aunts and cousins played with the kids non stop. An actual relaxing time for mom and dad. :)

12/29

Santa found us... After a long and painful trip we arrive home and Santa has managed to leave the kids thier stuff. After being in the car for so long, kids were more than excited to see toys that they actually got to play with, without having to pack them up and move on to the next location. Caden got a guitar, Calli got a Littlest Pet Shop castle, and Cienna got a vanity to do her hair and her dolls hair. I think she loves hers the absolute most.

All in all we had a really great time visiting with family and friends. Besides the 24 hour trip to California that is only supposed to take 12, we totally enjoyed ourselves. Brian's family and my Dad really spoiled us with all of their amazing cooking and child watching skills. It has been quite the adjustment to come home after 10 days and actually have to cook and clean. It was an awesome vacation but I really am happy to be home. We managed to make it home safe with all the storms and snow, which was a absolute blessing. Although 3 hours after arriving home, Brian sliced his thumb right open. There was blood all over my kitchen and I freaked out a little. The blood doesn't bother me at all, it was just the thought of Brian being hurt. He was bleeding so bad we couldn't even see how deep the cut was so we rushed him to the ER. We walked in and the triage nurse saw how much blood there was and just took us back. The doctor thought that he hit an artery and they had to cut off the blood flow with a blood pressure cuff. Anyway, everything turned out to be ok. He got four stitches and his hand is nasty bruised and swollen. So... that is my holiday in a nut shell. Hope you all had a great one! :)

Scary Night

2008-12-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight I ran to Walmart to get a few things and on the way home I was pulled over. One of my headlights was out and the officer asked to see all of my stuff. I showed him my registration and insurance and then my licence. He said he was going to run it through the system and he would be right back. I was sitting in my car waiting for about 15 minutes. It has been a really long time since I was last pulled over so I couldn't remember if it really took this long. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I started to worry... after two more cop cars pulled up, I started panicking!!! I had no idea what was going on because the cops lights were blinding me. It seemed like forever until the cop came back. He said that he was sorry to keep me waiting but he had mixed up a number on my licence and it came back as a girl with 3 warrants out for her arrest! Ahhhhh! I think they were about to arrest me. Luckily, I got away with a fix it ticket and an apology. It could have been a really long night if he hadn't figured out his mistake. :)

Ah the Memories!

2008-12-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

So... I was looking in my kids baby books, and I think I could write a book on the funny crap that comes out of my childrens mouths... But actually I think any mom could! Anyway, here are a few of my faves:

(Caden and Calli in bathtub... Caden 3- Calli 1)
Caden: Mom... where is Calli's pee pee?
Mom: Uhhh... Well.... Ummmm...
Caden: (examining Calli's parts) Oh... I see... she has two butts!

(Family in store doing some grocery shopping... walks past a man with one arm)
Caden: (as loud and as excited as a 4 year old can muster) Hey mom... look... it's Darth Vader!

(Cienna quite upstairs- I sneak up to see what she is up to. I see her head peeking above the counter with a shocked look on her face)
Mom: What are you doing Cienna?
Cienna: Nothing!
Mom: Are you getting in trouble?
Cienna: No!
Mom: Ok... I am coming to check on you then.
Cienna: Can you wait about one minute please?

(Cienna watching daddy intently as he is shaving his face)
Cienna: I will shave my face just like you when I grow up to be a daddy!
Dad: Honey, you are going to be a mommy not a daddy.
Cienna: Nooooooooooo! (Cienna then cries for what seems like 45 minutes because she is not going to be a daddy)

Anyway... I just thought I would share a little glimpse into my life with three very sassy and funny kids! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

It seems that every year my family has to work or has other plans on Thanksgiving. We don't want to give up that time together so we just do it earlier or later than the traditional date. This year we did our Thanksgiving the weekend before the actual holiday. It works for our family!

We went to my mom's house in Evanston on Saturday morning. We ate ALL day that day and most of the day Sunday too. We had all the normal Thanksgiving food except pumpkin pie... Can you imagine that? My awesome sister in law came to the rescue with some amazing banana pudding (I really need to get that recipe). Thank You Brandy!!! We played games, chatted, and made fun of the whole family. I think everyone got a turn to be made fun of... isn't that how all family gatherings go? I made a comment to my brother wondering how mormons get through holidays because we don't drink. Most people get the luxury of having a few too many glasses of wine when family times get tough... not us. :) However, I did make it with very few incidents... we will see how Christmas goes.

Here are some pictures of our awesome day!!!

The "work band aid"

2008-11-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

So, as you all know, Brian works in construction and he gets small cuts on his hands regularly. They have a first aid kit at work, but most of the time they are out of band aids. Brian, along with his buddies have found a solution... Gauze (or toilet paper) wrapped around the cut with tape. Painters tape seems to work the best. It works for them until they get home or until the cut feels a little better.

Brian has brought his "work band aid" home to the kids. First of all, my kids are OBSESSED with band aids. They have to have one on if they get the slightest scrape/scratch/cut. Cienna even finds places that she needs a band aid if one of her siblings gets one. :) Anyway, one time when we were out of band aids, Brian showed the kids his "work band aid". They thought that this was even cooler than the regular ones... imagine that! So now if my kids need a band aid, they request daddy's "work band aid".

A few days ago Calli got a scratch on her arm and requested a work band aid. We were busy so dad gave her the roll of tape and told her how to do it. This was the result...

ME... ME... ME

2008-11-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Is it really weird that I am writing a blog about myself... I feel weird. Anyway, in honor of my 25th birthday, I am sharing 25 semi-interesting things about me!

1. I am a little OCD... I really like things my way
2. I was married when I was 17 years old
3. I am obsessed with trashy teen TV dramas (The OC, One Tree Hill)
4. I have more black shirts then I do any other colored shirts combined
5. I have 3 jobs not including being a mom or church volunteer- preschool teacher, cheer coach, partner in a tile business
6. I love the color yellow
7. I crave chocolate on a very regular basis
8. I still feel like I am 20 years old :)
9. I drastically change the color of my hair 2-3 times a year
10. I wish I knew how to cut my kids hair
11. I love baths
12. I can still do the splits
13. When I grow up, I want to be a party planner or work in the med field
14. I love to read... anything... newspaper, instruction manuals, directions, books...
15. I really, really hate to cook
16. I still occasionally jump on the bed with my kids
17. My favorite thing to do in the winter is go puddle splashing
18. I am learning to enjoy running
19. I like to read books in the car
20. I am a list writing freak... I write one for EVERYTHING
21. I am still not very good at math
22. I hate the saying "we will cross that bridge when we get there"
23. I think I have the most amazing, beautiful kids ever
24. I love history and sometimes politics
25. I have the greatest family, friends, ward, and group of acquaintances in the world!

Updates

2008-11-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, lets see... Today Cienna had her post op appointment with the ENT. He said that she looks great and that he thinks this will fix her recurrent croup/strider. I really hope so... when she gets sick, it is like the whole world is falling apart. :) Her nasty, horrific, deadly breath is about gone. I was so freaked out when she breathed on me for the first time. I thought something was so wrong with her insides that it was making her breath reek of death. Seriously, it was THAT bad. She seems to be herself again.... rowdy, hyper, sassy, and an all around stinker.
My birthday was fun. The day was pretty normal. The kids had school, I had to coach the cheer team, I had a million errands to run, but that evening Brian and I went to dinner and a movie. We went to Olive Garden because I wanted soup really bad. They have a new soup that is like a chicken and dumpling soup, but I was pretty disappointed. I will just stick with the zuppa from now on. Brian brought me home some of the most amazing chocolates ever! They are local and Brian gets a pretty good deal since his buddy's dad owns the store. The have these amazing peanut butter cups that are like three times the size of regular ones and 20 times better tasting. The kids were pretty cute too. All day they kept singing Happy Birthday to me and then they would ask if I would sing it to them. :) Funny kids! They also insisted on telling everyone that it was my "very special day". All in all... it was a great day!
Calli, Cienna, and I are all getting ready for the Christmas performances. There is a slow time right now with the studio and I am totally loving it! I love coaching and watching the girls, but the Halloween season was a pain in my rear. I am glad we get a little time to recuperate. Caden is doing amazing in school. I ran into his teacher the other day and she is just so impressed with him. She thinks he is one of the best behaved kids she has ever met. That makes me proud, but I just told her to wait until she meets Cienna. :) Brian continues to work all the time. They are so busy, but at this point we are so grateful for any work. With all the building that has stopped, it really has had us worried. For now, things look good... at least until next summer.
Other than that, nothing else is really new. I have some cute pics that I will post later. :)

2008-11-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I just have to say that I have done my civic duty and voted! I feel good about the candidate that I chose and I am excited to see how this election will finish out. There are a lot of things that seem so unsettled to me and I can't wait to know how it will all end up. Anyway, I hope you all went out and just cast one vote... it is such an awesome right and we should all exercise it. Anyway... may the best man win! :)

Halloween...... BOO!

2008-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

Like I said before... this is my favorite time of year! I just can't get enough of the fall leaves, pumpkins, and cute little kids all dressed up. For the first time ever, I am allowing Caden to go trick or treating tonight. We have never done this as our church always has a huge trunk or treat every year and the kids each have 3 or 4 parties/carnivals that they get candy from. Caden begged, pleaded, bargained, and eventually resorted to whining so that I would let him go with another family this evening... I caved. Hopefully he will have fun and not freeze his butt off. There are so many weirdos out there... I just worry for him. Oh well, I guess I can't shelter my kids forever. :) Dang it!!!

I am excited to hand out candy and prizes to all the little kiddos. I am recycling the candy from all the parties this year. Don't worry, I dug out all the good stuff. Anyway, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy day and night. Be safe out there!!!

You're way too beautiful girl...

2008-10-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I have the most beautiful girl in the world?!?!?! I love these pictures! It reminds me that there is actually a sweet little girl under all the stinky feet and morning breath, behind all the full on tackles of her older brother, and hiding under the fact that she can belch like a truck driver! :)

My Little One

2008-10-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Monday morning Cienna had surgery to have her adenoids removed. The surgery went well, but the process before and after were hell for a mommy. :( We went in early Monday morning and met with the nurse, doctor, and anesthesiologist. They told us how everything was going to be done and explained that they had to take Cienna back without a parent. I was a little surprised... I thought they would at least let me take her back until she was asleep. Anyway, Cienna wanted nothing to do with the nurse, doctor, or anesthesiologist. We couldn't get her into the wagon, or walk with the sweet nurse, so the doctor said that he just needed to grab her and go. AHHHHH! I had to literally pry her death grip from my sweater all the while she is screaming "No... No.... Mommy? Mommy?" Talk about heart breaking. We were showed to the waiting room and waited. We were only there for about 20 minutes when the doctor came out to talk to us. He said everything went well and she was headed to recovery. He said that he always hates when kids come in screaming because it is sad, but he also explained that they fall asleep within two breaths because they are taking such deep breaths. :) So she didn't have to scream for very long. When we got to go back to recovery with her, she was having trouble keeping her oxygen saturation up. They like the saturation to be at 94% but they are OK with 92%. She came out of surgery at 86%. They were really concerned with this and wouldn't let us leave until it was up to normal. We kept an oxygen mask on her for awhile and then pulled it away when she got high enough, but as soon as we would pull it away, she would drop again. Normally, they can leave about 1 hour after they wake up, but we were there for an extra 3 hours. She finally stayed where she was supposed to and they let us go. Monday night she was up taking a bath and playing with her toys. She doesn't seem bothered by it at all. I am really glad!

Pumpkin Patch fun

2008-10-28T14:48:00.001-07:00

Last week Brian and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin. Caden decided that he would rather stay and play with a friend than go with the family. Maybe I should have just made him go, but I thought that when we brought home our pumpkins and pictures, he would feel left out and maybe join us on our next family outing... we will see.

The girls had a blast! We walked around that patch for a couple of hours while they picked a pumpkin, walked down a ways, saw one they liked better, dropped the old one, picked up the new one, and walked a little further. They even went through the hay maze a few times and chased daddy around. Last year they had horses, but decided not to do it anymore after a kid fell off and sued the pumpkin patch. Calli (aka Calli Doolittle) was absolutely distraught. She cried all the way home, and then fell asleep crying. I really think we are going to have to find a pony for her to ride or I will never hear the end of it. :)

I love fall time and especially Halloween so we tend to go a little overboard with this holiday. I usually try to make the kids costumes and we carve like 10 pumpkins, we decorate everything, and attend many, many parties. I sort of made the girls costumes and I just gave in and bought Caden's. Another crazy thing... we have already had each of the kids dressed up like 4 times each, but not once have they all been dressed up together. Tonight is our ward's trunk-or-treat so I will post those pics later.

The girls have each had to perform 6 or seven times in the last week for their dance studio. Here are some pictures of those. Sorry the lighting is bad. Cienna is the ladybug and Calli is in her uniform so you just have to pick her out... I guess she is the only brown girl. :)

Results of Cienna's CT

2008-10-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

The CT came back normal... nothing to worry the doc about. They are still planning on running more tests on her blood and scoping her nose. They have also decided to take her tonsils out. I told them I was fine with that as long as we could do it before the end of the year... we met our insurance deductible! :)
When we went to the hospital for the second time to do the CT they used a sedative on her. I thought they were going to knock her out but they just gave her enough to make her all loopy and giggly. It was actually pretty funny to watch. This hospital was amazing with her. We had 3 nurses, a doctor, and a CT tech with us the entire time. There was also a lady that had the title of pediatric liaison. How funny is that? She just got paid to blow bubbles, read books, play movies, and give presents to Cienna. I loved how they took such good care of my kid, but it was nice to be able to step back and let them do everything that I thought I was going to have to do. All together... an awesome experience... for me... not so much for Cienna. Actually, she screamed when the doctor tried to look in her mouth, but only said "Owwww!" when they gave her the IV.
Next week is UEA so the girls and I have all week off and Caden has Thursday and Friday off. I am pretty excited about that. I think I may go out to my mommy's house for a visit. I don't know yet. A weekend at home without anything to do sounds really good too... decisions decisions!
Anyway, as soon as I get those amazing photos of Calli, I will put them up. Hope this finds everyone doing well. :)

I HATE BEING SICK!

2008-09-28T15:41:00.001-07:00

This last week I have been feeling really yucky... and I hate it! :( I hardly ever get sick but when I do I feel like I am going to die. Ok not really, but I do really feel like crap. I just hate that I can't lay around when I am sick and try to get better... I have too much to do. Anyway, I am feeling a little better today. I ditched church and stayed home to sleep while Brian took the kids. That was the best couple of hours of sleep I have had in a long, long time.

One good thing about being home and laying around all day today... I am almost done with the entire Friends series. I watched like 2 or 3 discs today. I feel so accomplished! :)

Week at a glance

2008-09-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

This week has been killer on the busyness scale. :) Normally I have a little time to myself... not the case! Monday, Cienna had a doctor appointment to scope her trachea. Her regular MD was worried about how frequently she was getting croup (the nasty, barky cough and the labored breathing). So we went to the ENT who tried to exam her a couple of times. She totally FREAKED out!!! Screaming, kicking, hitting, clamping her mouth down, and squirming were only the half of it. The ENT decided that he would have to sedate her to scope her... no duh!!! Then he changed his mind and decided to just order a neck CT scan. He said he felt something abnormal at the bottom of her trachea and that the scope would not reach that far. So we left with an appointment for a CT scan on Friday. Tuesday was normal crazy. Wednesday, Calli and I had a photo shoot for the dance studio that I work at. She is on the competition team and I am staff so we had to be there. We got there at 10:30am and did not leave until 3:00pm. One seriously long day! They did our hair and make up and pampered us beyond belief and took some incredible pictures though. I am afraid I am going to spend a small fortune on pics of Calli because they were all so amazing! Again, Thursday was nothing new... busy. Friday rolls along with Cienna's CT looming. My mom decided to drive from Wyoming to be of moral support to me and physical support to Cienna. When we get there I ask how they plan on doing this with my uncooperative 3 year old. They said it shouldn't be a problem... they have specialists that deal with this type of stuff all the time. Blah Blah Blah. I seriously laughed out loud. Didn't they hear the screaming from the child running up and down the halls of the hospital while her grandma chased her? Didn't they see the hair cut that the 3 year old gave herself? Didn't they know my daughter at all? Apparently not!!! I explained to them that I might get her to cooperate for a few seconds while the picture was taken, but it would require some bribery. Next, this man who probably knows nothing of normal toddlers, let alone MY toddler, informed me that they had to start an IV because they needed a contrast picture. I just laughed and told him that he was on his own. Eventually we decided to bring her back next Friday for a full sedation. Thank You!!! It sounds a little scary, but I think it will be so much better in the long run.

Now it is Saturday... my house is a mess... Brian is off fishing and wakeboarding... and I am completely exhausted. Oh well I guess that is the life. On a happier note, I lost 5 pounds in the last two weeks! Yay for me! I am almost done with the entire series of Friends. It is so hilarious. I remember watching this show when I was younger and I remember it being funny, but watching it as an adult is so much funnier. I get so much more of what they are talking about. :) Next is One Tree Hill. I have seasons 1-3 ready and waiting. We don't have cable... can you tell?

School, work, dance, and fun

2008-09-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I would be better about keeping this thing updated... I guess life just happens and blogging isn't really a huge priority. :)

Anyway, the girls and I just finished our second week of school. It went well and I am actually enjoying myself which I didn't think was possible with a bunch of 3 year olds. The first week was a little crazy but the kids totally got the hang of the routine and schedule by the second week. I am so proud of all those little guys. I still struggle with Cienna but I really think that would happen even if I wasn't her teacher. She listens well to the other teachers so that is good... she just ignores everything I tell her. Calli is doing really well. She is in the kindergarten program at the preschool. She is starting to read and spell simple words and she is loving all the math that she is learning. Caden, as always, is doing excellent! His teachers are always so amazed at what he already knows and how fast he learns the new material. He still loves homework and reading each night... we will see how long that lasts. :)

Calli and Cienna had their first performance last weekend. They did so great! Calli remembered most of the dance all by herself and it was just really cute to see Cienna copy everything the teacher was doing. I was a little worried that they wouldn't get up there and do it so before the performance we went to the store and bought some toys as a bribe. They were excited to get the toys but they didn't seem to have any problem getting up in front of a big crowd. Calli is on the showteam for this studio so she will be doing this a lot more. I am so glad she likes doing it and I am really really happy that I won't have to buy her a toy at each competition. :) Caden is still on the soccer field. I am actually enjoying this sport. I didn't think I would care for it because it isn't baseball or football, but he really likes it and that makes it more enjoyable for me. He is actually a very excellent goalie. He hasn't let one goal all year when he has been playing there. That is pretty good... I think.

Brian is still working his really long hours. I guess they have a lot of work that still needs to be done before it starts getting really cold. For awhile he was just working 4 ten hour shifts but now he is working like 6 twelve hour shifts. It really sucks for all of us, but mostly for Brian. That is one thing I appreciate most about him... he just goes and does it... doesn't complain, doesn't get grumpy (most of the time), he just goes out there and does what he has to. Anyway, we are making it work. I guess that is all we can really do.

On a completely different note... I have a HUGE dog!!!

LOOK MOM... no extra wheels

2008-09-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Calli is such a big girl! Today she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. We have been trying to get her to do it all summer and she said she was too scared. But today she said that she wanted to learn. Daddy only had to push her 3 times and she was good to go. She can even get it going by herself now. I can't believe how awesome she did!

WAY TO GO GIRL!!!

Look what I can do!!!

2008-08-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was unable to crochet, today I am a crocheting fool! :)

My brother and sister in law have been living with us for a few weeks and recently I found out that she knows how to crochet. This is one hobby that I have always wanted to learn but never had the teacher or the patience to do it on my own. When I found out that my sister in law knew how, I made her promise that she would teach me before she moved out. Today I got that opportunity. We went to the store and bought a needle and some yarn and she showed me the basic stitches. I am now in the process of crocheting scarfs for my girls. I don't know if Caden will wear one, but my girls love them. I am so excited... it took every ounce of strength I had to put it down and do something today.

Today was also my sister in laws birthday. My mom and stepdad and all my brothers came down to my house to celebrate. I love having these big get togethers... it makes me want to have more kids so when they get old, we can do this all the time. My mom also brought her dog with her so Slider and his brother got to wrestle and play all day together. Slider is way bigger and he never wants to stop playing. I am sure Stitch (my moms dog) will be glad to go home and be left alone.

On a totally different subject, Caden had a great first week of school. He is so funny. He was sad that he didn't get homework for the first week. I wonder how long that will last? The girls and I start on Tuesday and I am a little nervous. Not to teach young kids, but to be around my girls in a school setting. Calli wants to always be by me so I don't know if she will go with her class very often and Cienna doesn't want me anywhere near me. It will be really interesting to see how it all works out.

Well, that was a totally random blog but I really wanted to show how awesome my scarf is turning out! I will write more after my first day at the preschool with all the interesting stories of that day. :)

Back to School

2008-08-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again.... back to school. Today was Caden's first day of 1st grade. I can't believe how big he is! It just isn't fair!

Last week we went to the school and met his teacher and toured the school. I was fine that day. I was excited to get kids out of my hair for a little each day and I was especially excited that I wouldn't be driving across town 4 times a day. Today it was a whole different story.... I was sad to see him go. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of Caden growing and learning and discovering, I am just sad for myself; he probably won't ever want to be my baby again. However, I was so proud that before he got into line at school, he ran up to me and gave me a big hug and kiss. I hope that never stops!

The girls start preschool next week. Calli will be in the kindergarten program and this will be Cienna's first year. I think the only thing that can be worse than watching your oldest go off to school, would be watching your youngest! That is a scary thought... but we will deal with that when we get there.

On another note, we had our neighbors over for dinner last night and it was a lot of fun. They were really nice and had a son Cienna's age. I am sure that we will be doing a lot more together as neighbors. I feel bad that I didn't get over there sooner to introduce myself... but I guess we all can be shy sometimes. I just have to say that I live in the most awesome neighborhood, with the greatest friends. I wish all of our family was a little closer, but having friends like I do just makes dealing with distance a little easier.

Over the river and through the woods... to Grandma's house we go

2008-08-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well, look at me... I am starting a blog! Sorry there will not be a recap of the last 10 years or anything like that. I am just going to pick up where we are... Sorry for the inconvenience.

Last weekend we spent 5 days out at my mom's house in Evanston, Wyoming. We haven't had the chance to spend that amount of time with my mom in awhile and we all really enjoyed ourselves. The kids and I went out on Wednesday because the dog/horse had to get fixed and we didn't come home until late Saturday night. The kids and I had a great time going on walks, throwing rocks in the river, playing in the sandbox and fort, watching movies, making cookies, and playing at the awesome McDonalds Playplace. Every night the kids were asleep before 8 because they were so worn out from all the playing... I think grandma was more worn out though. :)

On Saturday, I began feeling really sick. It was stomach pains and I really thought it was because I ate SO much while I was there. I wound up being sick all day Sunday and most of the day Monday. Caden got the stomach flu too, but he is a kid and was totally done with it in like 10 hours. Brian also got sick (during a really important work week) and had to come home for a day. I hope we are all done with that! I hate being sick more than anything... I would rather do almost anything than throw up.

Anyway, we are all back to normal and getting ready for the new school year. Caden starts first grade on Monday. I can't believe how fast time goes! It sounds go cliche, but I remember the day he was born and the baby days like they were yesterday. I am so proud of what an awesome kid he has grown into. He is such a good big brother and so incredibly smart... did I mention how stinkin' cute he is too? The girls and I start in 2 more weeks. I will be teaching at their preschool all day Tuesday and Thursday and possibly Monday and Wednesday afternoons. I am looking forward to working again and especially being able to work with my kids. There aren't many jobs where you can take your kids to work and still get paid. :)

Hopefully, I can keep up with this and keep all of my friends and family posted on the going ons and wackiness of the Candelaria home. Love and miss you all!