EARL BUNCH

12 Days of Christmas Service 2011

2012-01-03T07:40:00.000-08:00

This is a tradition we started three years ago and it has stuck and we love it (as do the kids)! We try to do 12 conscious acts of service during the month of December. Below is our list for 2011.

1) (Pictured above) Taylor, Gordon, and I as well as a friend and other family members went to an organization called Feed My Starving Children and packed food packs for children in third world countries. --check out their website www.fmsc.org ---

2) (Pictured Below) For the second year in a row Taylor went to donate blood. Specifically in remembrance of a little girl named Heather who died at age 14 of Leukemia. Her family has a drive each year on her birthday. And this year they each wrote messages to her on balloons and released them at the same time.

3) Taylor's brother's brother-in-law was needing some legal assistance. Taylor did many hours of research as well as drafting a letter at no charge.

4) Taylor and the kids helped clean up our neighborhood park.

5) (Pictured below) A newly baptized member of our ward was moving out so as a family we went over and help them pack up and move things out. As you can see the kids had a blast! :)

6) The kids made Christmas Cards for Great Aunt Mildred (my Grandma's Sister)

7) For family night we made two giant gingerbread men and had the kids decorate them. Our original plan was to make one for a friend and the other for us to eat. But then we thought it would be more meaningful for the kids to give BOTH of them away. At first they did not love the idea..but they warmed up to it and after we were done delivering them we talked about the feeling they had and how it was so much better than keeping one for ourselves. They agreed.

8) We went caroling to people in our ward to spread some holiday cheer. And we even caroled to a stranger. We brightened their night.

9) (Pictured Below) Taylor and Gordon attended a function where they were accepting used toys that they were going to donate. Taylor asked Gordon to go to his room and choose a few of his toys that he could give to other kids. And to both Taylor and my surprise the first toy he chose to give away was his Star Wars Storm Trooper Gun. He knew he had fun playing with it and thought that another little boy would like it. Melt my heart!

10) We have a ward Giving Tree each year and this year we picked out two gifts to give. One was for a little 1 year old boy. All of the kids came to the store to help pick out the gift.

11) (Pictures Below) The kids helped make and decorate sugar cookies which we delivered to the families Taylor home teaches as well as door bell ditched a couple to friends we thought could use a little extra Christmas cheer.

12) (We have a picture of this one, just don't have my hands on it yet) The Earl family went to the Ronald McDonald House on Christmas Eve morning to make a nice warm breakfast for all of the families that are there. (People that are at the Ronald McDonald House all have children that are being treated at the Phoenix Children's Hospital...and they get to stay at this house at minimal charge while they are there.) Our kids helped us choose various gifts to take to the children that were in the hospital since they are all still too young to help out in the kitchen.

And we were able to do a couple extra this year :)

13) We became aware of a need through Taylor's work (through the wounded warrior fund). So I made hair bows for a 6 year old girl named Ashley that was not going to be getting much for Christmas.

14) Taylor volunteered to help kids that are living in group homes (that have been taken out of their homes from Child protective services). He went to Peter Pipper Pizza and helped serve food and was able to chat with a few of them and help to brighten their spirits.

Such a wonderful and very busy time of year! Through this family tradition it helps all of us feel the true spirit of Christmas a little bit more. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and the beginnings of a Very Happy New Year :)

ThE BiRd

2011-12-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

I was able to go to Gordon's school to help wrap up their wood and paper unit. We were to help our child make something with various wood and paper items. Each child was asked to go to the two different supply stations and choose the items they wanted to construct something. Most kids were choose various shapes of wooden blocks, Popsicle sticks, and other things of that nature. And many of them had the idea to build a castle, house or a boat. (which is what I was thinking we would be constructing too) Then Gordon came back from the wood table holding two pieces of wood. One was somewhat like a misshapen triangle and the other looked like it was ripped off of a branch from a tree, very jagged and curved. I thought to myself 'why would he choose these what on earth are we going to make'. He dropped the wood off at his desk and ran to the other station and came back with yarn, paper, Popsicle sticks, and a paper cone cup. He had a giant smile on his face. I was still cramming my brain trying to figure out what we were going to make with these things that would not seem disappointing when we were done. And then Gordon announced, "Mom we are going to make a BIRD!" And that is what we did. Gordon had the whole thing mapped out in his mind. He was telling me what to do and how to construct it. And the finished product looked great. I was so proud of him! For his quick idea and knowing what he wanted to do and ran with it. He changed and modified a few things as we went along but at the end most of the kids had come over to check out "THE BIRD". Such a fun treat to be there with him at school today in his environment and watch him at work. He made his Mom feel like a million bucks today. At recess he just wanted to sit with me on the bench and talk instead of playing out on the playground. Melted my heart. An afternoon I will always remember :)

AUTO SHOW

2011-12-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

A few Saturdays ago we took the kids to the AUTO SHOW. Everyone had a great time! :)
The Transformers Camaro edition.
We ran into the Geico gecko.
A boys paradise :)
The mini cooper was the favorite of all the kids. Kids after my heart....one of my favorites too :)

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER...

2011-12-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I would update the blog as well....
WE ARE GOING TO BE HAVING ANOTHER

BOY

come this April and we are so excited! When we told the kids Ella broke into tears saying, "But I wanted to name her Rosa-lee" and Gordon was running and jumping around the room yelling "YES, YES". Ella is now very excited to welcome baby Russell into our family, the initial news threw her off guard. Throughout the day she will come up and say, "I want to give Russell a kiss...Mom bend down so I can kiss your belly".

Russell will be named after Taylor's Grandpa's brother. Taylor's Grandpa's name is Gordon (which our Gordon is named after) and we thought it very appropriate to have a Gordon and Russell as well :) We are also sticking with apostle/prophet names still too. So lots of meaning behind this little guys name. Can't wait to meet him!

They that are wise

2011-11-19T12:02:00.001-08:00

I am preparing a lesson on the final judgement for this Sunday. This is a video I am showing aloong with discussing lesson #46 out of the Gospel Principles manual. Take a moment, watch and read that chapter...its a goodie :)

5 is a wonderful age!

2011-10-31T12:26:00.001-07:00

I have always wanted to choose an age that I get a picture of my kids and have it on my wall forever. The hardest decision was WHAT AGE?? After some thought Taylor and I decided that 5 was the age for us. They still have a hint of the baby face still but zoning into who they are....and it is before they loose their teeth :) So my wonderfully talented cousin Karly took some pictures of Gordon for us while we were there this Summer. I loved so many of them, but the one below is the one we will be blowing up and putting on the wall in the loft. I wish I could freeze him at this age...and now I kinda have :)

Childhood Memories

2011-10-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

As a little girl growing up I have great memories of doing things with my parents and grandparents. One of those was to go play at the park and feed the ducks. The park that we use to do it at growing up no longer allows you to feed the ducks so my kids have not done that yet....until a couple weeks ago. We went to a park with some friends and fed the ducks. The girls LOVED it! They loved it so much that we went back the next week on a day Gordon was out of school so that he could feed the ducks too. They all loved it. I am sure it will be the first time of many. So glad that I can share that fun memory with my children :)
And doesn't hurt that I had a TON of extra bread (free) from a bakery that was a few days old anyway :) Perfect!
The other great memory I had from growing up was going camping with my family. We would go at least once a year and I remember always looking forward to it. We have been with the kids before but always by ourselves. We decided to invite McKay and Summer's family to join us this time. And we had a great time! All the boys went up on Friday evening and camped out while the girls stayed home with little Susie and came up the next morning.
Good thing because it SNOWED there on Friday...yes, it snows in AZ too :) Needless to say they were not expecting that and were not prepared for snow. Let's just say we packed everyone's swimsuits to play in the river...swim suits were only used as an extra layer of heat :). They boys still had a great time and when we joined them the next day it wasn't as cold and we were warned of the change in weather conditions.
We went on a hike, played in the river, went on a geocaching hunt and built a fire. It was a wonderful trip. We hope the next time we can stay for a few nights...we love to camp! (this is the only pic I have of that trip...sorry not the best)

Snap Shots

2011-10-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Gordon is known for grabbing the camera and snapping some shots of his own. It is always a surprise what I find. And this is what I found today. Brought a smile to my face :)
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Love you Gordon, so glad that you love to take pictures so much!

NuMbeR FoUR oN Its WaY!

2011-09-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

From the ticker on the side and from a couple of posts on facebook I am sure most if not all of you know that our #4 bundle of joy is on its way! :)

We are so excited! My official due date is April 12th but with having to have c-sections we are most likely going to be having this babes on April 6th :)
I am wrapping up the first trimester and starting to feel a little bit back to normal...just a few more weeks and I should be home free. We will keep you all posted on boy or girl when we find out.

G-man's first day of school

2011-09-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

It has been just about a month since the 1st Day of school so I figured I better post about it! :) Gordon was so excited to start school! And we have been so pleased with how he is doing and his teacher is great.
Here is Gordon with a couple of his friends from school. These kids play together every recess without fail. It is great to have great friends!
Doesn't he look so old in the picture! Such a cutie~!
Poor kid. They had "Morning Assembly" (which they have to start out each week) but on the first day of school it took a little longer than normal and it was VERY hot. Gordon was dripping sweat by the end. That is AZ for you :)
I thought I would cry a little watching my little boy going off to school and making his own memories without me right there by his side. But I didn't cry at all. I was so excited for him. He has loved everything about school. I couldn't be a happier Mom!

Eden is TWO!!

2011-08-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

We had a Strawberry Shortcake Splash Park Party. And Eden was in heaven! She loves to play in the water and she adores Strawberry Shortcake. My good friend Myrna had a TON of Strawberry Shortcake stuff that she let me borrow/use for the party. Like this hat. Eden wore it while she opened her presents.
Myrna is also a fabulous Cake maker! She made this adorable cake for Eden. I am so in love with it. It was hard for me to cut into...it is like a piece of art! It was yummy and everyone ate it up quick. THANKS MYRNA!
Gordon was often found by the candy dish....he would play in the water a bit, come back and snack and get wet again. Lots of kids picked up on that pattern and joined in....we just sugared them up and sent them home...parents loved us I am sure :)

Here she is showing us she is two. She was posed really cute but just didn't get the camera to snap at the right time...typical two year old :) We had a great time! Thanks for everyone who came! We had a blast!!!

And here is a random picture. At work Taylor and his co-workers are doing a "get fit" challenge for eight weeks. And this week it is lunges and how many 1 cup severing of veggies they can eat. So for FHE we talked about veggies and how good they are for our bodies. The kids were very into it and even tried some new things. It was a fun time. And Taylor has eaten a LARGE amount of veggie servings for the week. Way to go Babe!

First of many projects...

2011-08-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I celebrated our anniversary this year by having a stay-cation of our own. We started the week off with a weekend stay at a hotel in Scottsdale (that we got free by listening to a presentation) then came home and had four days to ourselves which we spent every waking hour (and then some) working on projects around the house. I think the earliest we went to bed was 3:30AM. Needless to say we got a lot done. (More pics to come soon...but I wanted to get a few up.

The floor in the downstairs office has been concrete since we moved in and we got some laminate on craigslist for a smokin deal awhile back and have been waiting to install it when kiddos were not around. So that was on the ticket. It always starts off slow and then once you know what you are doing it flies :) --I just realized I did not post the finished room...that soon as well :)

Also we have been trying to figure out the best solution to storage in the garage. So we went Bob Vila style and got some 2x4's and plywood and made three of shelves one smaller and two big. It was such a great feeling when we were done to look at it and say, "We made that!" Such a cheaper option then buying a pre-made shelf. It just would have been a whole lot easier if the temp was under 100 :) Thanks to Mom and Dad Earl for loaning the power tools to make it possible!!

And this pic I had to throw on too.....I had a friend tell me about the "Christmas in July" sale at target. It is unadvertised and FABULOUS!! They start the month off by marking down things 30% off and by the end of the month all the mark downs are at least 75% off. We went at the end of the month and got all of this (retail for $280) for $70. Not bad :) Lot of Christmas and Party gifts....never missing the sale again!!

More pics of the other projects to come :) We have been having so much fun over here!!

If you chance to meet a frown...

2011-08-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I am loving this picture so much...maybe it is the piggy-tales, or her adorable eyes....even when she is giving a serious crusty she is adorable!

Pioneer Day

2011-07-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Pioneer Day Celebration this past Saturday. It was so much fun. I had a good time making the girls little bonnets and Gordon got to wear his "Woody" hat.

It was great to take the time to remember the pioneers, the early saints of the church. The trials and experiences they went through never stop being a strength for me. I feel so blessed to have the life I have, the experiences and trials that I have seen and had myself that have made me who I am today. I have such a strong testimony and love for those early saints. The 24th of July is such a wonderful celebration! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did :)

a TWO car family..can I get a woot, woot!

2011-07-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

We have been looking around and thinking about getting a second car for awhile now and we had a great opportunity come up and we had to take it!
We surprised the kids one night. Took them outside and showed them our new SUBURBAN! They were screaming with joy. We took it out for a spin with the windows down and blasting the music. I looked back and all the kids had huge smiles on their faces, life doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks T's for helping us take the big step to becoming a two car family :)
p.s. Did I mention that I LOVE the car!

Oh what do you do in the summer time.....

2011-07-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

We have gotten to see LOTS of friends! We headed to California for Ethan's baptism (which I am so sad to say that I have no pictures of). The cousins had a great time playing together. WISH WE LIVED CLOSER!! And then on the way out we stopped at the Kolber's new house. The girls had a blast playing in the playhouse while the boys were in the back doing the slip 'n slides. It was so good to chat and catch up. We miss them so much!

We also were able to meet up with one of Taylor's old mission buddies before they moved out of AZ. Wish we would have gotten together sooner. We had such a good time chatting with them.

They even gave us one of their towels which the kids were very grateful for (especially Ella--as you can see it is PINK) :)

Then while we were in UT Taylor was able to catch up with some more mission friends. And I was able to see my dear friends Lisa (Mackay) Harris and Jill (Wilding) Robertson. (again no pic...my camera memory card was full...it will get ya every time!) You know they are great friends when it has been forever since you have last spoken but when you get together it is like you saw each other yesterday. Love those girls!!!

Birthday Boy!!

2011-07-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Taylor's birthday started off with a great surprise. He was woken up to McKay and Summer's family's rendition of "The Happy Birthday Song". Then Summer made her famous Wheat Pancakes. It was such a fun treat~!!
Another year older and wiser too.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
We went golfing again for Taylor's birthday. It is wonderful living in Arizona for the very affordable green fees in the summer time :) Taylor is a great golfer and it is nice that he still enjoys going with me. I think I ricocheted off at least 5 different things that evening. Good times. :)

We also celebrated by going to see Les Miserables. We have had the tickets since Nov and have been very anxiously waiting. We had a wonderful time!
Happy Birthday sweetheart,so glad that you were born and in my life.... love you so much!

StAy-CaTiON!

2011-06-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Stay-cations are THE BEST! Taylor only had to take one day off work...and we spent less then $100 and we had four days of vacation with the kids. Everyone had a great time :)
DAY ONE: We started with a favorite. BOWLING. Then came home and went to the park and finished the night off with yummy churros.

DAY TWO: Was Sunday so we had friends over for lunch and then went to the Temple and had a picnic dinner (across the street) then went to the visitors center. A wonderful experience with the kids. :)

DAY THREE: We started off the day with Mini Golf (pictures are backwards) then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Earls for a swim. Grandma got out the balls and a bounce house. THANKS GRANDMA!

DAY FOUR: We woke up early and went to the Children's Museum then to the dollar movie theater to see Gnomeo and Juliet. Then headed to the splash park and finished the night off with ice cream and sparklers. I can't wait till we get to do it again next year :)

My Girl(s)

2011-05-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

My girls are getting so BIG!! and adorable. I decided to throw up a few pictures of them over the last little while so you can see just how adorable they are. Every time I get the camera out Eden has a big smile on her face and says, "CHEESE.....cheeeeeese....let me see".
Ella is very good at using her imagination. She can always find something to make playtime more interesting.

I love my girls so much!

Easter make-up

2011-05-13T15:38:00.001-07:00

Everyone was very sick on Easter Sunday so we did an "Easter Make-up Sunday". The girls got these adorable dresses which were a very bright and fun pink and I just happened to have a bright pink and orange dress that I have had in my closet for years. All we needed to finish the family matching outfits off was some bright orange ties.....and I realized this one day before. Luckily ROSS came through for me. There was one bright orange tie that came with a pocket square, which by the way is the perfect size to make a little boys bow tie. And that is what I did. I make Gordon a matching bow tie that he LOVED! :) A fun non-traditional Easter outfit color scheme that turned out better than I could have expected. --I even had a friend stop by the night before and see my outfit and made me jewelry to match. --Thanks Jessi!
We had a fun afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa Earl's house. And one of the best meals I have ever had! Delicious :) (ps Yes, Gordon does have a scratch above his eye...the day before was the father and sons camp out and somewhere along the way he got it)
This picture makes me laugh. Ella never disappoints with her facial expressions. Wonder what she is thinking about here? :)
There were lots of cute ones of Taylor and Gordon but I love this one of Taylor looking at Gordon. I love my boys!
And Riley made it to the photo shoot. Gordon loves Riley so much, he really is becoming part of the family :)

Now I'm Reading

2011-04-29T20:37:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law introduced me to this book series and I am in LOVE. They are inexpensive and great! We have 5 sets and Gordon is loving reading them. They are called "Now I'm Reading" by Nora Gaydos-by Innovative Kids. I got mine off of Amazon if you don't mind getting them slightly used. We have made Gordon a reading chart that he gets to put stickers up each time he reads one all on his own. A wonderful way to get reading with your kiddos. Each book set comes with 10 little books that each focus on short or long vowel sounds, consonant blends, digraphs and more. Really if you have wondered about getting a set of reader books for your kids check these out! Happy reading to all :)

Hulberts make life grand!

2011-04-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends the Hulberts came to visit us during their spring break. It is so crazy that is has been just about a year since last we saw them. I wish they could live closer so we could see them every day like we use to. Their sweet family have been our "soild" and will be forever...even if miles separate us.
It was really fun. We didn't tell our kids that they were coming. They got in after our kids were in bed so we set up a bed for each of them in the kids rooms so when they woke up they got a very big surprise. It was priceless!

We sure love you guys! Can't wait for the next visit!!Aren't these gals adorable!?! They had so much fun together.

Silly Shapes

2011-03-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

The other day we pulled out our pattern shape box and went out in the backyard, sat in the sun and just made pictures out of shapes. It was a relaxing afternoon.
Rocket
Flower
Beach
Girl and Boy

I love being a stay at home mom!

Dinosaur Party

2011-03-14T08:02:00.001-07:00

I asked Gordon what kind of party he wanted and to my surprise he said he wanted a Dinosaur party. But we ran with it and had a great time :) I found this idea on Etsy for these Dinosaur capes and thanks to one of my friends who had loads of extra fabric I was able to whip these out for virtually nothing. And the kids loved them!

The cake was pretty simple with year. I made a 9x13 pan cake and dug out a hole and poured in jello to make a lake. Graham cracker crumbs for dirt, waffle cones for volcanoes, add a few plastic dinosaurs and a palm tree and DONE :)
A closer look :)Earlier in the week Gordon helped me make a paper mache pinata that we made into a Dinosaur egg. After everyone had their turn Gordon was able to break it.
Despite the heat of the day, the kids had a great time. We pushed the table right up against the fence to get as much shade as possible.
Taylor took all the kids on a dinosaur egg hunt (lucky for me Easter is right around the corner so supplies were easy to find). At the end of the hunt is where they found their dinosaur capes. Taylor did a great job, like always! For sure the highlight of the afternoon.

At the end of the party Taylor and I pulled out the gift we got Gordon....a bike. He loves it! We are going to go out right now and ride it some more :) Love you Gordon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Mac 'n' Chesse & Oatmeal

2011-03-09T16:29:00.001-08:00

Today (MARCH 10th) my little boy turned FIVE! Wow does time fly. Right before he was born was when we started blogging and it doesn't seem like that long ago.
The tradition in my family growing up was that on our birthday we were able to choose whatever we wanted for dinner. I always chose enchilada casserole. So when I asked Gordon the other day what he wanted for dinner he quickly responded that he wanted Mac 'n' cheese. And then there was a pause....oh and Oatmeal too! What an easy boy to please :)
For the afternoon our dear friends, the Kolbers, came out to say good-bye to us before they move to California. The kids had a great time. They played with "snow", dug in the dirt, played the 'car game', played mini-pool, and with the Toy Story 3 conveyor belt. They brought cake to sing to him as well. Such a special afternoon!!!

Then last night we had Bunco Night with the ladies here and Gordon was our 12th player. He was loving it! And he actually tied for first place (for wins). He was having such a fun time staying up late, chatting with the ladies, and eating LOTS of candy! In Gordon's words it was "THE BEST DAY EVER!"

HeLpER BoY

2011-03-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the tiny picture at the top. Why is it when I am trying to delete a picture I can't and when I don't want it deleted it seems to easily disappear?

Anyway... Here is a cute picture of Gordon helping Daddy fix the tire. We ran over a nail and our tire was flat in minutes. So the spare came out and so did Gordon's muscles. He was such a great helper! (don't you love that he had to be wearing his backpack while he did it) Way to go Gordon Boy!

Flowers and bows

2011-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Again my friends are so talented! They have taught me a new skill that I have really enjoyed lately. Making flower and bow accessories. I use them in the girls and my hair and they can even be used to spruce up a plain blouse or cardigan.
These are made out of wire edged ribbon. SUPER easy! Throw a button in the center and you are done :)
These are made out of felt. I just base stitched the edge to pull the fabric into little bunches and there you go.
The one on the left is made out of faux velvet ribbon and the one on the right is out of satin ribbon. You cut out little circles and burn the edges. I still need to put a few beads in the center to finish these off.
And these are perfect for Eden's little piggy-tales. I think I am addicted :)

Mom and Dad are my heros

2011-02-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

My Mom and Dad are the BEST! I love them for so many reasons, but the reason for today's post is to let them know how very much I appreciate their help on all our many projects when they come to visit. There is always painting involved. It was Gordon's room that was up in line this time. We did the same as we did in LA because I loved it so much. All inspired by his Company Kids bed quilt, a safari/jungle room. And painting the stripes this time was SOOOO much easier. My parents brought their laser leveler (so great I want to get one!) and we used the Green Frog tape rather than the traditional blue tape, a night and day difference to last time!

Both the picture above and below are still works in progress. Above is a mirror we got on craigslist and hung so the kids can seem themselves dance and play in the loft. I need to finish painting and the plan is to get some molding to create a frame to finish it off. Below-Taylor's parents had this built in in their house when then moved in and no longer needed it and it fits perfectly! I love it. But of course if you know me...I am going to paint it :) Soon it will be white and very fresh looking. A little face lift and will really compliment the green walls. (pardon the mess)

My Mom is wonderful with a sewing machine! And again the McClellands fabric has made all of these projects possible. A reversible table runner that looks great!
And she has done it again. Re-upholstered another unfortunate chair. Once was a yellow and brown dated chair to a ....
Very fresh and more modern chair. I love it! It looks great in my office and will look even better when other things get finished. So fun. Thanks again MOM!!

And a kudos to Dad who figured out what was wrong with our garage door opener. It now works perfectly! You are a genius Dad! Love you both so much!

Princess Party

2011-02-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

Ella had a Princess party last year but she wanted it again :) This time I did 5 little princess cakes (rather than one big one) It was fun for the girls to each choose a Princess to eat. And they all wanted a different one...that was lucky!

Here are two of the party guests decked out in their beautiful gowns.
We played a few games and colored some princess pictures.

It was a very fun afternoon. It made me want to be a little princess again :)

Susan's Run

2011-02-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of Taylor's good friends from High School, Susan, passed away from cancer a couple of years ago and her family does a 10K to raise money for 'Young Adults with Cancer'. Gordon and Grandpa Nielsen went down that morning to cheer Taylor and Uncle Kimball on while they ran for the cause. Taylor got a personal record and placed again :) He has become a running machine. What is next???
Gordon just hanging out waiting for Dad to finish.
The running man after he is done. Way to go babe!!!

14th=Valentines 15th=Ella is three

2011-02-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

Gordon and Ella are two buds for sure. And I just love this picture of them!

We had Taylor's brother over for dinner and had fun making some new things. We have been watching a few cooking shows lately and have been inspired :)

Grandma was so nice to bring things to make Valentine cupcakes which we ate to our hearts content...and then some.

Here is our birthday girl in her Rapunzel dress holding her mini Rapunzel doll. She loves being three! She had a great birthday and still doesn't want it to end and still says, "I can get what I want because I am the birthday girl".

Saturday is a special day!

2011-01-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday is a special day it's the day....you run a MARATHON!
This past Saturday Taylor got up at 5 AM to get all geared up to run his SECOND marathon. We went down to Yuma, AZ for the race.
It was much different then the last marathon. This one was flat pretty much the whole time except for one big hill at the end. A change that brought different challenges. A little boring at times, but I was able to follow him in the car the whole way and cheer him on.
And he did AWESOME! He shaved 30 min off his last marathon time coming in at 3hours 34 min 52 sec. He was 8th over all and 1st in his age bracket. Here he is on the podium getting his metal. I am so proud of him for so many things and yesterday was another to add to the list :) I am sure this is not the last race he will be in.

Then after driving back from Yuma we drove out to ASU campus to surprise one of my old coaches from BYU for his birthday. It was so fun to see him and his family again. I was also able to see a lot of old team mates that came in from out of town. It has been too long! Good laughs and memories, hopefully we can do it again soon! I miss having those wonderful people in my life everyday!

This picture shows how time has flown, three of the 5 of us are prego and I think the kid count between us is 11. Love these ladies!

Time for Projects

2011-01-13T11:57:00.001-08:00

In our loft I thought it would be really fun to have a "family tree". Here is what I have so far. The plan now is to get mini frames with pictures of our ancestors and hang them on the tree. (I will put up a pic of the finished project soon)
It was easy and cheap! I projected an image of a tree I liked onto the wall and used all the extra paint from all of the rooms in our house to paint it it. (thanks to Mom and Alison for your help while you were here!)

This is one of the chairs we got out of the dumpster while we were living in LA. It is great what a little paint and some fun fabric can do :)

Valentine's Day is around the corner so I thought I would pull a few things out to get festive a little early :)

I have other projects in the works I will post more pics soon.
I love having a new home/blank canvas to get all my decorating fun out on!

A Very Merry Christmas

2011-01-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so special this year! We had my Mom and Dad, my sister and her hubby, as well as Taylor's brother celebrate with us. It was so memorable and just perfect! I would have everyone come every year (that is an official invitation to EVERYONE!)
This year I thought for sure that I would "beat" Taylor in the gift giving department. He is so good at surprising me and I thought that I had for the first time out done him. I got him a tent so we could go camping as a family (with our very own tent). I knew he wanted it...check. And I knew that he would have no idea that was what I was getting him...double check! And then on Christmas Eve I see this (below) sitting outside our door.
Now for the story.... about 6 weeks before Christmas we just happened to be out and noticed that this furniture store was having a midnight sale. We had been there before and liked a table and then that night they had this new table out and I loved it! It was a great deal and we debated for hours! But then Taylor (sneaky boy he is) thought this could be a great opportunity for a Christmas surprise. So he quickly started to convince me it was not a good idea right now. So we went home.
Taylor waited for me to fall asleep and then put the car in neutral and backed out of the driveway and went back that night to get the table.
So to my GIANT surprise it was delivered on Christmas Eve. I love it! It has a leaf inside to make it expand so eight people can very comfortably sit around it.
When we were looking at it there was also a buffet table that matched the set. I thought it would look great in our entry way....on Christmas Eve Taylor told me that it was not in stock when he went back to get the table so we would have to find something else.
Except remember he is sneaky! He had hid it at our neighbors house and yet again after going to bed at 3:30AM on Christmas Eve waited till I feel asleep, went to the neighbors got it and brought it home so it was there for another GIANT surprise on Christmas morning.

And below is the final surprise I got. Our good friend had mentioned she has these three bar stools that we could have for free :) Taylor, again sneaky, went to go pick them up and came home empty handed saying that they were given to someone else....but their they were on Christmas morning as well.
And he even got me a present for Christmas on top of all of that. Am I spoiled or what! And I was not even close to "winning" the surprise award this year....rats! Maybe next year, it is on babes! :)

This is where we store the extra bench for the table. Right by the front door, I love it!!

The 12 Days of Christmas

2011-01-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is so wonderful! Such a great time to remember and reflect on the Saviors birth, life and resurrection. It has been fun to talk about the Savior more with the kids each night. One way we do that though out the month of December is we do "12 days of Christmas Service". To the kids it is know as "service-love". And this year it has been so great because we have been able to invite others along with us to help serve. (We actually have pictures for all fo them. But some are still on others cameras. I will update with all the pictures as I get them :))

1) Lights for Delma- -Pictured above-
We met Delma last year through Taylor's dad and put up some Christmas lights for her because she is unable to and lives alone. So this year we went back and did it for her again :) While we were out working she came out and sat on the porch bench bundled in her coat and chatted with us. It was one of my favorite things of the season to see her smile and truly enjoy our company and conversation. And what a treat to go back in a week to see her again while we take them down. --this could not have been done without Taylor's parents. Connecting us with Delma and watching our girls while Gordon, Taylor and I put up the lights--

2. Doorbell ditching goodies- We chose three people in our ward that seemed like they could use a little Christmas cheer and left them a goodies. Gordon was the drop and run man and he did a great job, very sneaky.

3. Sub for Santa- For the Earl family Christmas gift exchange this year instead of drawing names and giving gifts to each other everyone went out and got gifts for a family that wasn't going to be able to have a Christmas this year. It was so fun to hear the kids say, "This is for the girls" (they are a family with 4 little girls). --Did this one with the whole Earl family, with lots of help from member of our ward--
4. Giving Blood- I was unable to give blood this year, but Taylor went. It was sponsored by parents of a little girl named Heather who died last year. Taylor was able to talk with them for awhile and help brighten their spirits while he served.

5. Dinner at Ronald McDonald House- Another item that I think will become tradition. For the second year in a row we were able to cook dinner for the people in the Ronald McDonald House. (thanks to Mom and Dad Earl for funding it) To be able to stay at the RM House you must have a child who is being seen in the Phoenix Childrens Hospital. They charge virtually nothing for family to stay while their children are being treated so they can stay close by. We make the food but we also get to chat and mingle with the families while they eat and hear their stories. And bring the children little gifts to help brighten their day. --We cooked with Cameron, Kimball, and Emily. And we had our friends the Willis' watch our kiddies(you have to be 16 years old to go..they have a few years)--

6. Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children- Cameron introduced us to this charity and we loved it and had to go back. We invited others to come and accept 'the purple shirt challenge'. One purple shirt represents the amount it takes to buy one box of food that will feed X amount of meals/kids. We gave each family a purple shirt with the challenge to also get a purple shirt and extend the same challenge to someone else. The Keller's, the Young's, and Cameron came to pack with us. What a great experience for everyone. --again Thanks to Taylor's parents for watching the girls..still a little too young-- visit www.fmsc.org (we have a picture with everyone in it..but I still need to get my hands on it)

7. Caroling- We went caroling with the Carratinis for Family Night on Monday. We went to widows, singles and the elderly. We sang and brought a little treat. It was fun to just drop in and surprise them. We caught most of them in their jammies :)

8. Temple Service- We had the opportunity to get all the Earl children and spouses together to do sealings at the Mesa Temple as a surprise to Mom and Dad Earl. It was fun to be doing temple service and so cool that we got to do it all as one big family. We feel so blessed to have all of our family strong in the gospel.

9. Cleaning up the park- Taylor and Gordon were out playing at the park a few days ago and noticed there was trash around and decided to do a spur of the moment service and clean up the trash.

10. Country Place Elementary-One of the counselors in our bishopbric is the principle at the Elementary school right by our house. We asked if there was a service we could do and he said yes. We went over and helped organize the books in the childrens section of their library. They have a new librarian coming in at the turn of the year and he wanted it to be organized and nice for her. It was great to help. (And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen, Alison and Jorgan for also helping out!)

11. Taylor Singing- We have a friend who has a brother that was in charge of a fireside and was needing a few extra musical numbers last min so Taylor and Todd agreed to step in last min and perform another song. It turned out great. Those two guys blend so well together!

12. Gordon earning money for charity- All month Gordon has been doing a few chores around the house to earn money. And every time he does we talk to him about donating some of it to charity. We have a little bear 'piggy bank' that he is filling up for the Earl Family 'bears of love' fund. And he is also working on collecting quarters to fill his M&M jar for 'Feed my Starving Children'.

I love this time of year for so many reasons. And one that I look forward to all year is our 12 Days of Service. It really helps to remember the reason for the season, our Savior. What a great example He is to us all and hopefully we are able to share that a little more at this season.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

The heart of the home

2010-10-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do lemons and lime in the kitchen. I still have finishing touches to do in the kitchen but I wanted to put up what I have done so far :) Thanks again to Mom who came to help me and the McLelland's for the fabric.
These lemon branches from Pier one I love, so different and cool.

This last picture is of our newly seeded yard. It was just a little over a week ago and it has taken off. It was a horrible experience planting it all. We had great help from Cameron and his good friend....but looking at it now makes it not seem as bad :) SO much better than straight dirt!

Pictures as promised

2010-10-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

We have some fabulous friends in my parents ward, the McLelland's. They are so generous and have given us all of the fabric that you will see in all of our pictures. And thanks to my wonderful mother who sews wonderfully :) I made the bed spread, shames, and roll pillow. She made all the other pillows and the drapes. (which I think this picture does not do justice to) They are adorable! THANKS MOM and MCLELLANDS!
We have a little niche in our room just as you walk in and I wanted to do an art piece that went well in the room so I went with the cheap option :) This cost me $10 and I think it turned out great :)
Another project we did a few weeks back. We really wanted the kids to have a book shelf were they could see the covers of the books. And a friend told me about this idea and I saw it in a book and I fell in love! They are rain gutters :) Cheap, easy and very functional.
I wish I had taken a before and after picture. This area of our house use to be BRIGHT ORANGE...imagine a school bus. It was very overwhelming...but now it is a cool toasted wheat :) And I like it so much more!
This is a shot of a couple of our family room windows. Again with fabric from the McLelland's that my mom made for me.

Home Sweet Home!

2010-10-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have been wanting to put up a new post for quite some time and I just haven't seemed to have a free min to do so...until now! :) There are only 2 of the 5 kids in the house awake at the moment and I am going to take the opportunity to jot a few thoughts.

We have been here in Arizona for just about 6 month! I can't believe it, the time has gone so quickly. We are getting settled in. We have been painting lots, planting grass, and making the house feel like our home. I love the whole process! (Pictures to come soon)

The weather is becoming wonderful! Fall has always been my favorite time of year and that still holds to be true. It just makes me happy!

Well my free moment is gone....it is time to make a golf course for the boys :)

Newest Family Picture

2010-09-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

May to June

2010-09-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Gordon with two of his cousins. We were able to go to Aspen Grove in Utah for a HUGE Nielsen family reunion. It was wonderful. Everyone had a fun time (except for the few days people got sick). Overall it was great. So many wonderful memories were made!
This picture was taken on Taylor's 28th Birthday. He loves to golf so what better way to spend his special day. And it was great in Arizona in June there are not many people out on the course and the rates are lower. I guess the warm weather turns people off to it, go figure?? :) We loved it!
This is sad to say but this is the only picture we have on our machine of Taylor at graduation. That is the main reason why I have not posted about it yet....but I thought I better post at least something. I an so proud of my honey. Three years of hard work and lots of fun. Doesn't he look handsome, my JD!!!!
This picture is the kids with my great aunt Mildred. We would go and visit her all the time when we lived in LA. We all loved our visits with her. I have been thinking about her a lot lately...and I miss her!
This last one is of Taylor when he ran in the Southern California Ragnar Relay. He had such a good time. We hope to someday run one together and maybe even make it an Ulta Ragnar??? We will keep you posted! :)

The BAR and our stay-cation

2010-08-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Again, for some reason the pictures do not show up so I hope I am not typing over them :)
But the first picture is of Taylor's little study corner during the BAR exam time. We still are waiting to hear the results, but we experienced so many tender mercies throughout the whole experience that we feel calm about the whole thing no matter what the outcome. (we will keep you posted)

After the BAR we did a little stay-cation with the kids and then Taylor and I were able to spend a few days alone. It was such a fun time. We took the kids to the zoo, bowling, parks and splash parks, and to the Phx children museum. Such a blast!!!

I am trying to catch up little by little. Hang in there with me :)

Catching up is hard to do

2010-08-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

There are so many things that I need to post...and I decided to just start with what is most recent and work backwards :)

And for some reason I can't get the pictures to post and write with it as well. And instead of wasting a lot time (when I would rather be playing Skip-bo with Gordon) I am just going to write about the pictures below in this post.

We made Eden a "Muppet Baby" cake. Taylor has called her Muppet baby for awhile and even sings her the song. It has become her theme song actually :) So that was the inspiration for her cake. It was very last min. but it was fun.

She has a fun time eating cake, opening gifts and being with friends. The Earley's, Kolbers and Taylor's parents where here and my parents were able to be here through webcam. It was a fun evening.

And the last picture I posted was of Eden on her birthday last year....I still can not believe it has been a year!

More to come soon, promise!

Eden's Birthday Bash

2010-08-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

If you’re reading this blog, then you’ve had the fortunate blessing of knowing my wife Laura. After nearly six years of marriage, I have grown more and more grateful for being married to my sweetheart. I sincerely believe that no man on this earth has been given a greater gift than did I when the Lord brought Laura into my life.

The following are just a few of the many things that I love about Laura.

1. Gospel Commitment: Laura is committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. She bases her life on Christian values, and she strives valiantly to raise her family up unto the Lord. It’s just who she is and always has been.

2. Kindness: Laura is unfailingly kind. If any of you wonder whether Laura is as kind all of the time as she is in social settings and with her friends, let me assure you that she is. I can honestly say that I have not known a nicer person than her.

3. Athleticism: While many of you know that Laura played volleyball for BYU, you may not know that she was a big deal. Not only did she play in one of the top Women’s volleyball programs in the country, she was “All Conference” and a starter. She also had recruiters looking at her when she played high school basketball. She chose to play volleyball, but she could have done well in basketball as well—then again, she gave it up because for her it violated #2 above. It was hard for her to throw elbows. She also recently completed what many have called one of the more difficult marathons in the country—and only 6 months after having her third child delivered by C-section.

4. Easy Going-ness. Just when I start to take life a little too seriously, Laura is there to joke and laugh with me. I like to keep Laura on her toes with random humor, broadway tunes and tap dancing, and she always laughs at my jokes. For example, check out the video below.

5. Laura the amazing mom and homemaker: Many of you know just how much of a super mom Laura is. She has three kids under four and she still manages to shoulder the vast majority of house responsibilities in order to free my schedule up for school/work and time with the kids. She’s already started to home school Gordon and Ella, having structured much of the education herself.

She goes to great efforts to keep the house clean, orderly, and beautiful—and she succeeds. She loves the kids, and the kids know it. They are growing up with the assurance that they’re loved and supported but also that they need to be obedient and respectful. I would not be able to do half of what I do if it weren’t for Laura. I know that with Laura guiding my kids, they will have as good a chance at a happy life as any child in the world. I only hope they take on her wonderful qualities.

Gordon’s message: What do you like to do with mom: I like to play with her. What is your favorite thing to do with mom: games—candyland. Is mommy good at candyland? Yes. No, I’m good at candyland. Sometimes. What is your favorite food mommy makes: Pizza—sauce, cheese, pepperonis. What is your favorite thing to do with mom? Eat pizza. I want to eat pizza with mom.

I love you Laura. Just thinking that no matter what the world throws at me I’ll always have you by my side, is a constant source of joy and relief. Happy Mother’s day.

Learning Eggs

2010-04-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is my newest project for a fun and CHEAP learning game. I got a dozen plastic Easter eggs for $1. Looked around the house for random things that would fit inside of them. Cut out letters from magazines and laminated them...and wah-la. The idea is there is one object per egg and all of the letters it takes to spell that word. The child will open the egg and the contents will spill out. Then they need to sound out the word and arrange the letters in order to spell the object. Gordon loved it! :)

Happy learning to all :)

Time to update

2010-04-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to pack things up getting ready to move and I stumbled on my address book and noticed how terribly out of date it was.

Could you please send me your current address :)
if you do not want to leave it on the blog shoot me an email
lauramearl@gmail

Here's to getting side tracked while packing :)

Science Kids

2010-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today was my turn to have these cute boys over and I thought why not make it exciting.
I love science and thought why not have a science experiment morning. I did not have safety goggles for them so they each brought their own swim goggles to "protect" their eyes. We had a few others join in on the fun as well. It was a success. Here are the simple experiments that we did.

Sink or Float
Bucket of water
random items
Basic-I made a sheet for them to guess if the item would sink or float and then we would drop it in the water to see if they were right or not. This was VERY exciting to the bunch. It was adorable to see them erupt when they were right :)

Clean Pennies
with vinegar and Salt (this one I need to practice more...it did not turn out as well as I had hoped)
Add pennies to the mixture for 10 seconds, take them out rinse them off and they will be shiny and new looking.
Add more pennies to the bowl for 10 seconds, but don't rinse them. Put them somewhere to dry and in time they will turn a green-blue color.
Then Place some nuts and bolts in the vinegar and watch they become Copper!! Cool :)

Dancing Raisins
Ginger Ale
raisins
Cup
Get a glass of Ginger ale and plop a few raisins in and see them rise and fall.

Volcano eruption
baking soda
vinegar
Have baking soda in a container and add vinegar. Watch it start to ooze. You can add food coloring to the vinegar if you would like.

Homemade Lava Lamp
A clean 1 liter clear soda bottle
3/4 C water
veggie oil
Alka Seltzer
food coloring

Put Water in bottle first then add the oil. Drop a few drops of food coloring. Then plop in the Alka Seltzer and watch the fun begin :) You could also dim the lights and place a flashlight underneath to get a true Lava Lamp experience. Once the fizz stops just plop in a few more.

Color Symphany in Milk
A flat tray or cookie sheet
Food coloring (3 colors)
Whole Milk (low fat does not work)
Liquid soap (used for dishes)
The Dish soap is trying to break down the fat. And this causes the colors to move around for a pretty good show!

Rubber Egg
Get a glass of vinegar and put a raw egg inside. Let is sit for two days. Then it will turn into "rubber".

HAPPY EXPERIMENTING!!! (most of these ideas came from Sciencebob.com)

T.T.F.N.

2010-03-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

We feel so lucky to have lived in LA for the past three years and have had annual passes to Disneyland. I had to document our last visit...well not really our last visit, but as Tigger would say...Tah Tah For Now. A classic spot for a family photo with Walt and Mickey.

The cousins (minus Eden). Don't they look like they are having a blast!?!

And then just moments later...Ella was not. Even though she is crying I think this photo is adorable is that bad?

Here we are haning out in Bug's Land.

This was at the end of the day. We did the true Disneyland visit. Got there at 10:30AM and left at 11PM. And we were cell phone-less. How did we survive without cell phones at Disneyland? Needless to say Ella was exhausted and it showed. What a cutie!

Karly is amazing in LOTS of ways, but this picture is a good one to illustrate her awesome arm muscles! She typically has 4-5 kids in on or around this stroller and she pushes it with a big grin. Thanks Karly for always carting around my kids. :)

Taylor has been trying to get Gordon to ride Splash Mountain for awhile now and out of the blue on this last trip he announced "I want to ride Splash Mountain" so we ran with it. That was the beginning to a day of "big kid" rides.

This is the crew outside of Big Thunder Mountain. Gordon loved the REALLY fast train.
Look at him....he is getting so big!!!

The Matterhorn....or thanks to the Nielsen's we now call it 'Maddy-horn'. Another favorite of Gordon's.
Splash Mountain was his favorite. He is in the back...can you see him??
Below is a close up just in case you can't.
Classic!

He also went on Space Mountain which was not on the favorite list. It is too bad we will have to wait so long to go on all of these again. Glad we got them in once before we said Goodbye.

Meeska Mouska

2010-03-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to awesome friends, a wonderful husband and an adorable little boy who loves Mickey Mouse we had a great party for Gordon. As you can see it was a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party. This was the first time I have worked with fondant. I decided to make the marshmallow fondant and it was a ton easier than I was expecting! I had a fun time working on it with Taylor. Thanks for all your help babe!!

We did a carnival type setting. Each Character was a different booth with a game. Mickey's Ring Toss, Donald's Fishing Pond, Minnie's Mini-Soldier Shot, Daisy's Coin Toss, and Goofy's bounce house (all pictured below...except for Daisy, sorry!) Thanks Mom for letting me borrow the projector, it worked out perfect!
Here is our cute birthday boy! I can't believe he is 4!! Notice he is sporting his birthday pin we got at Disneyland on his actual birthday. He had so much fun choosing all the rides for the day. And he even got a special call from Goofy singing him Happy Birthday.
All of the kids were official mouseketeers with their own ears :) Even Eden was getting in on the fun.

Gordon is surrounded by WONDERFUL friends!

Blowing out the candles was not as hard as it was last year but it still took a blockade of adults to help keep those flames burning long enough to sing.

Minnie's Solider Shot. You grab a water gun and try to shoot over the toy soldiers.

Mickey's Ring Toss
Donald's Fishing Pond. One of the kids favorites!
Goofy's bounce house. Another favorite (thanks to the Kolbers!!!)

Thanks to everyone who came and had a fun morning with us! We love you Gordon!!

Easter Decor

2010-03-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

I love doing crafty things and this is what I decided to do to add to the Easter decor this year. I blew eggs and then marble dyed them. Apparently this technique has been around forever, but I have just recently discovered it. And I love how they turned out. Hurray for Martha Stewart, she has the best ideas!

CinderELLA

2010-03-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Does it look like Ella was in heaven? Well she was! It was adorable to watch her. Cinderella was so sweet to her and Ella just gobbled it up.

First one down....

2010-03-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

For family....the pictures are all the same :) But I had to post about it too.

WE DID IT!!!
On March 6th 6 of us ran the Las Vegas Red Rock Marathon! (Sorry John we didn't get a picture with you!!)
My brother-in-law Jorgan, my sister Alison, her father-in-law Jake, me, Taylor and John Hulbert got up SUPER early to get to the starting line for a 6 o'clock start time. The course was apparently a difficult one, and I concur! Basically the whole way you are going either serious up hill or serious down hill. There were just over 160 runners (which is very small). I think that the five of us shown in the picture below were the ONLY ones that were first time marathoners.
To be totally honest I really thought it was going to be a check it off the list type goal to never do again. But I really had a blast. Right after the race was done Taylor and I were already talking about what is on the agenda next :) Just next time around hopefully I will not be nursing....wow was I tried!!!

Before the race eating our breakfast (at 4:20AM) before we headed out.
After we finished. Feeling tired, but great!
Our awesome family was there to support us. Which really made all the difference!! Thanks to Mom and Dad and Papa Earl for being with the kids and making the signs. We could not have done it without you!!! And to Sandra, Bo and the Hulberts for the drive bys. Those were the best pick me ups throughout the race!

Here is my handsome hero! He did an amazing job. He inspires me in so many ways. Way to go Babe!

Alison and I ran together the whole time. Although there were many moments I am sure she could have left me in the dust I am glad she stayed with me. It was so great to have this memory with one of my best friends!! We belted out in song many times, screamed in pain a few times, and downed more goo packs that I thought was possible :) Alison, I am so glad you talked me into doing this....now I will have to talk you into doing another one with me again! (which I don't think will be too hard)
--ps-- Jorgan was so sweet and came back to run it in with us.

These two are adorable!!

Thanks to our kids for letting mom and dad run for hours in training. What a wonderful feeling to see these cute little faces as I came running around the corner after running 26.2 miles. There are not a whole lot of things that are better.

Hamburgers are magical!

2010-03-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Gordon has been asking to make hamburgers for the past few days. Which is really odd because we NEVER have hamburgers. I wasn't sure where it was coming from but I thought I would go with it. I have always wanted to try to make a meatless hamburger and tonight was the night. I made a roasted veggie black bean burger. Loaded with grilled veggies that are camouflaged to look like a hamburger pattie. I served it to the kids and THEY ATE IT!! And Gordon even asked for more :) Hurray I finally got Gordon to eat some veggies! I constantly feel guilty because I know my kids do not eat as many veggies as they should. But tonight it happened and hopefully this will be the turning point :)

When you wish upon a star....

2010-02-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Our Disney passes are expiring in a little over two weeks. We have been going as many times as possible and taking lots of pictures. The kids are really going to miss it! And to be totally honest so will I!
Gordon's first "Roller-coaster".
Riding "Small World" a favorite we do every time.

Gordon's second "roller-coaster-ish" ride. Not a hit, but I think the trick is to get him to sit in the front next time.

Someone's in the Kitchen...

2010-02-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Today one of Gordon's friends, David, was over and the boys made cookies. They did a great job! Two cute chefs. Oatmeal cinnamon chip cookies.

And this is the second week in a row that Taylor has wanted to make the meal for Sunday dinner. This week we decided to do it together. We choose a meal done by Melissa D'Aribean (the winner of last years Next Food Network Star). North African Meatballs with Couscous and glazed carrots. Another flavorful, delicious meal. I could really get use to this new Sunday tradition :)

Princess Playdate

2010-02-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

Ella is now really getting into playing with friends and princesses...so I thought why not combine the two and have a Princess Playdate for no reason at all. Just let the girls dress up and have a great time together, without their older brothers. (funny enough all of these girls have an older brother just about two years older than them). Needless to say they all had a BALL. (no pun intended) --Ella got this adorable Cinderella outfit from her Grandparents for her birthday. This was the dress she started in. I think she changed at least 12 times throughout the morning. A true Princess :)

I had the dresses out for them to choose as they walked in. As well as jewelry and shoes. With a mirror to make sure they looked just right.
We had lunch on Princess plates, and everyone left with a fairy wand. We will have to do it again!

We even made homemade crowns. Aren't these girls adorable! It makes me want to be two again :)

Our budding Photographer

2010-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Lately Gordon has loved to grab the camera and take pictures. He probably takes about 200 in each "session". It is so wonderful that we have digital cameras for many reasons, but one being that I can let this little boy take pictures to his hearts content. And I am sure his sisters don't mind being the subjects of his many pictures. I think Eden is is favorite, mainly because she can't run away from him...yet.

It is fun to see the world through this little boys eyes. :) I laughed out loud many times as I was going through to delete pictures. I posted just a sampling of his latest work. I am sure there will be more to come (as he is shooting more pictures as I write this)

What's for dinner?

2010-02-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

Like most days it became that time of night to decided 'What's for dinner'. And tonight to my surprise my wonderful husband said that he would cook dinner.... and this is what I got :) It was wonderful. Like eating out.
A yummy hummus dip with fresh veggies as our appetizer. Steamed carrots, spanish rice, and a spice rubbed salmon for the entree. I LOVE fish so usually when we go out that is what I order and I must say that this salmon was one of the best I have had! That rub recipe is going into the favorites :) Thanks babe for a wonderful meal. I love you!

Missed photos

2010-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

So I have not been very good at blogging lately. Here are photos of the things I missed in the past few months :) The above and below picture are from Thanksgiving. The kids made potato turkeys.
A classic fall picture. Gordon loved playing in the leaves at Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen's house.
My amazing mother made these adorable chefs outfits for the kids for Christmas. She also got them tons of play food. And soon we will be inheariting a play kitchen that my Grandpa Thompson made back when I was a little girl. I am so excited to see my kids play with something that I played with for hours :)
Every year the kids get Christmas P.J.'s. The bumbo even coordinates :)
I had to throw this picture in of Ella because it is the only time I have gotten her to pose for a picture with the adorable hat on. What a cutie! Thanks Grandma for the cute outfit.

I must be crazy!!!

2010-01-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

I have made it a goal for myself to do some type of physical event in-between each pregnancy to make myself get back into shape before the next little bundle of joy comes along. I have done 1/2 marathons in the past but this time I think I might be crazy.

My sister started it....but I am going to run a MARATHON. (Nevada Red Rock Marathon in March). I am going to run with my sister. And Taylor is going to run with her husband and a friend.

I went for my "long run" this morning and surprisingly felt much better than past "long runs". But still I get home after being gone for a LONG time and ask myself, "Am I Crazy!"

Maybe I am, but even with all the pain I have I love it. It is a goal I have had for a long time and it is a great feeling to know come March I will have completed it!

Anyone else want to join us for the fun???

Christmas Service

2010-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

We really wanted to start a tradition that would help our kids keep Christ at the center of Christmas so this year we started a new family tradition. We decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas Service. Some service projects were smaller than others but all in all it was a season of service for our family and we loved it. Such a wonderful feeling anytime of year but it is magnified at the Christmas season!
1) In the above picture Gordon helped bring in neighbors garbage cans after then had been picked up.
2)We were very blessed to have the opportunity to make and serve dinner to people in the Phoenix Ronald McDonald House. This was by far the highlight of our Christmas season. It was wonderful to talk with this people and to help make their holiday season a little more merry. Their stories were so touching!
3)This sweet woman, Delma, is alone and we decided to brighten her holiday season by getting her lights and putting them up for her. After Christmas we took them down to store them until next year when we plan to go back and hang them again for her.
4)Taylor and I took a little stop by the Red Cross trailer to donate a little blood.
5) Taylor and Gordon surprised Uncle Dan and washed his car.

--these next several we don't have pictures for at the moment...I will try to post them later--

6) Gordon choose out a gift for Ella all by himself.

7) We chose a child from the "Sub for Santa" tree and got them a gift from their wish list.

8) We delivered homemade granola to our friends and neighbors.

9) We went caroling. (With Uncle Cameron dressed up at a Christmas tree--in his jungle sniper suit)

10) We helped Grandma Earl with lots of things while she was very sick during Christmas.

11) We went to visit Aunt Mildred to take her a gift.

12) and while we were there Gordon helped her put the stamps and labels on her Christmas cards.

We feel so blessed! The Christmas season is the best!

Janie and Jack

2009-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

My in-laws got these adorable outfits for the kids from Janie and Jack and I just adore them! The kids looked so cute I just had to snap a picture. Ella looks like such a big girl in her poodle outfit and Gordon is such a loving big brother. THANKS G&G Earl!

Go Geochaching

2009-11-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile but we went Geocaching on Halloween and I think it might be our new family tradition we will do every Halloween. The Hulbert's were kind enough to let us tag along and we had a blast! We did three different ones up on the UCLA campus. We found two of the three and the kids had so much fun on their "treasure hunt". If you have never gone gecaching, google it and do it you will love it!

Here are the boys with the tube we found on our second hunt. Don't let this picture fool you....they were so excited about it. Just not as excited to stop and take a picture :)

Ella LOVES Lori

2009-11-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

My dearest friend Lori has really won a special place in Ella's heart! When Lori is around it is common that Ella will go to her and give her a hug or want to be picked up. Lori just recently was called to serve in the nursery. Now Ella get to hang out with her pal every Sunday.

Lori watched Ella this morning while I was helping at Gordon's preschool and when she came home her hair was done. Lori is gifted! It looked adorable!!! I hope that I will be able to make her hair look half that cute and that she will let me :) THANKS LORI!!!

Every other Friday....

2009-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Every other Friday we swing downtown get Taylor from work and go to Disneyland. It is so much fun! The kids love the Disney night life :) The above picture, Gordon ran over to this spot and said "Mom take my picture!" I went to grab Ella to be in it and Gordon said "No all by myself Mom." I am glad he is coming around to getting his picture taken.

The kids and Daddy waiting for the Tiki Room show to start (a favorite, we do it almost every time we go!) It was one of my favs growing up as well.

This is the shot I got to take with Ella in it :) Thanks Gordon.
Making their silly faces

Can't resist climbing in a car. Notice Ella's little sweatsuit outfit. She got it from a friend and was so excited about it. Total girl!

What a cutie! I can't wait till the next every other Friday!

Feeling Crafty

2009-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law asked for some ideas to make a home-made Christmas ornament. I hoped on-line and found this one by Martha Stewart. So simple and so cheap! And it is so fun to make. All you need is scrapbook paper, scissors, and glue. There are a few more I want to try. When I do I will post 'em up so you can see. :)
p.s. and yes, my Christmas tree is up already!!!

They are growing like weeds!

2009-10-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. Gordon has been practicing writing his letters. He is getting better at his name. It is so fun to see him get so excited about it.

Ella has really zoned into being a big sister. She loves having someone else to get all dressed up with. She only has love for her "baby Eden".

A typical morning. Just Gordon and I hanging out waiting for the girls to wake up.

I was doing something and came in the room to find this. Making herself comfortable.

The other night Taylor taught Gordon how to shine his shoes. They had a great time together making their Sunday shoes spiffy for church.

I really can't believe how quickly the kids are growing. It makes me want to savor all of these moments because before I know it these moments will be gone. :)

Underwood Family Farm

2009-10-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the farm, although hectic at moments. The hayride was the highlight :)

Gordon being a good sport and smiling for me right into the sun.

Wow these boys have grown so much since last year when we went. They are so handsome.

Our own version of a Phil and Ted stroller. The kids love it. And maybe someday we will get a real one. For now this one is great! (you can't see but the girls match, adorable!)

Eden's Blessing

2009-10-19T22:02:00.001-07:00

October 10th was the day of Eden's blessing. It was a wonderful day. We had family and friends there for this special occasion. The above picture has all the men that participated (minus the bishop he had to head out for a meeting). Thanks to all who came and helped we are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends! The dress Eden is wearing was worn by my Mom and also by me. Giving a child a name and a blessing is one of best things to listen to as a mother. I know how much I love this little girl and our Father in Heaven loves her even more and it is great to hear the blessings that are in store for her. We love you Eden JaNae!

The Dad's with Eden

The Mom's with Eden

Our newest family picture.

The whole gang.

Daddy and Eden just after the blessing

Eden giving Grandpa Earl a silly face. She is a doll!

Our Sweet Eden

2009-09-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my wonderful and talented cousin Karly we got some fabulous pictures today. I posted my top three favs. The kids were great and Karly was amazing at posing and getting them all to look :) Thanks again Karly for the pictures and a wonderful morning.

M is for Mildred

2009-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Every now and again we get to go up and visit my Aunt Mildred. The kids just love it! I told Gordon we were going to go for a visit and his response was, "I want to go to Mildred's right now". When I was a little girl my Aunt Mildred had a birthday celebration for me and my two brothers. It was so fun. We each got our own birthday cakes. So yesterday we had another birthday celebration. She got the kids giant cupcakes. They LOVED it! A wonderful memory for them and for me. (in the above picture, Mildred is showing Gordon one of her art magazines- Mildred is an artist herself. I love that she inspires my kids to be artistic)

Both Ella and Gordon were very excited to light the candles and blow them out.

Two happy kids and two full bellies :)
Ella is our little social eater. After she finished hers she climbed right up on Mildred's lap to get a few more bites. And she did :) Who could say no to that face?
And before we left Gordon really had is heart set on painting. Mildred let him do a few strokes. We had such a fun time. I am sure we will be back again soon :) Thanks Mildred!!! We love you!

INTRODUCING....

2009-08-29T07:08:00.001-07:00

EDEN JANAE EARL
Born: August 25th
Weight: 8 lbs. 3 Oz.
Length: 21 1/2 inches

Here is our first and newest family picture as a family of five.
Both of the kids were so excited to meet their new baby sister Eden. Gordon especially was excited to hold her. He is such a great big brother. Ella was also excited, she needs a little more monitoring than Gordon does but shows just as much love.

After a C-section you typically stay in the hospital for a few days....it gets a bit boring. Here are the boys laying in bed watching a little tv. Now we girls out number them :)

Oh. Funny story. When the kids met Eden for the first time she had a present for each of them (we did this when we had Ella too and it worked out great-so we thought we would do it again). we asked Gordon weeks before what he wanted baby Eden to bring him. His reply was a green shirt. A little random. I asked him are you sure you don't want her to bring you a toy? He responded no a green shirt. Then a few days later we were talking about it again and I thought for sure that green shirt answer was not going to come up again, but it did. And every time we talked about meeting Eden he would say that she was going to bring him a green shirt. So what did she bring him ...a green shirt.... and the green shirt was a hit. He was more excited about the green shirt she gave him then the pack of Cars dominoes she also brought. And you might have noticed in other pictures, Ella got a baby doll-her own so she can feed her baby while I feed Eden. (we also got Ella a green shirt) :)

The Skirball Center-Noah's Ark

2009-08-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great time at the Skirball Center yesterday! We are for sure going back. My pictures do not do it justice it is a very cute display of Noah's Ark. I got great video, next time I will get better photos.

Camping

2009-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

We decided that our yearly family vacation would be taking a camping trip. And no better time to go then when I am 8 months pregnant. :) But we had a blast! It was beautiful. We went up to Sedona, AZ where the red rock is amazing.

Here are the boys in our camp site. Gordon was in heaven!

As you can see from the two above pictures our camp site had A LOT of dirt and it was the consistency of sand, which made for lots of fun and constantly messy.
Playing down in the river was a favorite of the kids and the adults too. Nice to get in and cool off. We even went fishing on afternoon although the fish didn't bite at all. There were about 8 fish within our reach. They would come smell the bait and swim away. I think Taylor even poked a couple with the fishing pole....they just would not bite. Oh well, Gordon still had a great time.

Last trip to the Splash Park

2009-08-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Take me out to the ball game...and Family time

2009-07-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

The past two Saturdays the kids have gone out inspite of the heat to help Taylor wash the car. It has become a new Saturday Family activity that the kids adore!
Taylor and I were able to go to one of the Diamondback games thanks to someone at the firm who had extra tickets. It was a fun night. It has been a long time since I have gone to a baseball game. It was wonderful to spend time with just my hubby. Love you babe!

Summer of Projects

2009-07-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to keep busy this summer with projects. My very creative sister-in-law, Julie and I had a blast making all of these things.
This is one of those tab blankets. But we thought it would be fun to sew on fun buttons as well. More things for the kids to look at and play with. I am hoping it will be a life saver during sacrament meetings. :)
This is a fun matching game. Using fine motor skills (a Montessori type game)
Gordon loves cars and we are working on numbers. This shoe box makes a great garage. Velco patches on top can be switched out with number, dots, or math problems. The cars are each numbered. Match the car and drive it in. He loves it.
This is a very simple game, but a winner. Matching up different sizes. Easy to make, love it!
This one is a fun one. Just a fun way for the kids to use tools in a place that is okay.
This game is another one that uses fine motor skills. They use the tweezers to put the washers on the pegs. And again matching sizes.
This was a fun idea. Just a whole bunch of different locks. (on the opposite side of the above game)
This one is great to help with writing letters. The letters are cut out of extra fine sand paper. Where you start the letter is a dot of nail polish. A sensory thing. We made it with the pillow bottom so it is comfy and also binder rings so you can switch out the cards. (ABC's, their name, short words)
This is another tab blanket for babies. Soft, sweet and tiny.
We had a great time making all these little projects. What to do next??? Any ideas...

The Cake

2009-07-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

I found this cake on-line a couple of years ago and have wanted to make it ever since. So for Taylor's birthday we had a pool party. What better time to make this cake. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was fun. I was nervous to do the jello pool but it was maybe the easiest part!

And my mother-in-law had a cupcake pan that made a whole in the center (made to make little strawberry shortcakes) but I used them to make cupcake pools. It was a blast. They kids had a great time eating them. And thanks to Cam who came and took the pictures for me :)

In the AZ Sun

2009-07-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have loads of pictures to get on the blog of our happenings here in AZ, but they are on different cameras throughout the house...so I thought I would start with these.
I have never heard of a "splash park" until coming to Arizona. They are so fun! It is just what it is called, a park that splashes. There are slides and water spikets everywhere....and it is FREE (my favorite part). The kids had a blast. And so did Uncle Cameron with the camera.

We are doing everything we can to stay cool and have fun.

HaPpy BirThdAy!

2009-06-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today, 27 years ago, this wonderful man came into the world.
I thought I would write my Top 10 favorite things about Taylor for his birthday.

1. I love how no matter what kind of mood I am in he can always make me laugh.
2. His devotion to the gospel. He is a great example to me in so many ways I am glad that I get to be his for all eternity.
3. The first thing he does when he gets home from work is give me a kiss and then scoops the kids up to play.
4. That he will watch home decorating shows with me even though I know he would rather be doing something else.
5. He is great at challenging himself. He will set a goal and work hard to achieve it.
6. Has a wonderful singing voice!
7. His wonderful sense of humor.
8. Wonderful with words.
9. Is a gentleman. He still opens my door after 5 years :)
10. He is HANDSOME, and becomes even more handsome as time goes on.

I love you so much babe! I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

1st Trip to the Movies

2009-06-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took Gordon to see his first movie on the big screen. We just went to the dollar just incase it didn't go well we could leave without feeling we wasted money (we are so cheap!). We saw the Disney Nature movie called Earth. We all really enjoyed it. Crazy how fast our little boy is growing up!

Cousins are the BEST

2009-06-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Gordon's cousins have been here with us and they have had a blast together. Stephen and Gordon have matching p.j.'s. They play outside together every morning and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse together. Gordon is going to be sad when they have to leave.
One thing they enjoy doing together is cooking in the play kitchen. They have their aprons on and look very official. To keep things straight while they are here Stephen has the green sippy cups and Gordon gets the blue ones. Maybe we have brain washed them to love that color because now as you can see they each love their color :)

Before Work...we played

2009-06-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do a few things in LA before we headed out for the summer. We went down to Hollywood and saw a few of the sites that was have been meaning to see since we got here. Gordon was already in AZ. It was crazy to go back to having just one kid to take around. We had a great time.
We had to get Ella by the Mickey Mouse star for Gordon since he couldn't be there.

We are American Idol watchers and that night was the season 8 finale. It was fun to see where it all happens.
And this picture we took for my Grandpa Thompson. Ever since he was a little boy he has always loved Shirley Temple. :)

Shooting Range

2009-05-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

We are now in AZ for the summer and we have been playing all week before Taylor starts work tomorrow. He and his brother, Cameron, went to the shooting range earlier this week. They had a great time. Here are some pics of my cute hubby.

Mother's Day and Graduation

2009-05-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Gordon made me this super cute towel at school for mother's day. Taylor got me some beautiful flowers and rubbed my feet for an hour! It was awesome. We ate home-made Cafe Rio. A relaxing wonderful day.
I love being a mom. Even with all of the early mornings, dirty diapers, and tears I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Here is Gordon in his Graduation cap. We had a little Graduation ceremony for him at preschool. We made all of his friends candy leis, they were a hit and super easy to make.

2L year down!

2009-05-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Taylor had his last final yesterday. We went to pick him up from school. The kids wanted to make him some signs. Gordon was so excited to show dad is work and to tell him what a great job he did. Ellanor was excited until we were about 5 min away and she fell asleep. So this is what she looked like when we got there.

To celebrate Taylor took Gordon with him with some of the other guys from our ward to golf. Our good friends let Gordon borrow their sons mini clubs. He had a great time playing golf anf eating pizza with the big boys. He loves being just like his daddy.

Thanks for letting him tag along guys :)

Native American Day @ Preschool

2009-05-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

I was in charge of teaching the Native American lesson last week. I had this great idea to make a teepee to have the lesson in. When it was all finished it looked more like a tent, but the kids had a great time anyway :) We also had the kids make and get their 'indian gear' on before they could come into the teepee. We had our lesson around a little paper fire. I think the kids had a blast, it was a really fun day at school.

A trip to Fremont

2009-04-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

I DID IT! I drove to Fremont with the kids all by myself and it actually wasn't bad at all! I wish I would have done it sooner! The whole trip was spurred by this wonderful machine :) I thought it would be fun to bring the caner (which my mother-in-law has let me so graciously borrow) down to Fremont to help my mom get her supply of canned meat. We did three batches. It was a blast!
Then another night after the kids went to bed we decided to paint one of the walls in the garage. I think it came out great!!! Thanks mom for putting up with the interior decorator in me. Oh, and my mom also made me some curtains to cover pieces of a bookshelf in Ella's room. (we were busy) -Pictures of those to come :)

Here is Gordon with Great Grandpa Thompson (my mom's dad). Gordon LOVED running back to their room to play.
And Great Grandma Thompson was Gordon's game buddy. All week long we found him back there playing games with Great Grandma. Gordon was in heaven! And if I ever went back to check on them I was greeted with a "go away mom, go away". He will really miss Great Grandma!
Here is the crew before our trek back. The kids were great....now there is no telling how often we will come :)

Easter Tradition

2009-04-22T07:32:00.001-07:00

Taylor had a great idea to carry on a fun family tradition with a little added bonus. Growing up both Taylor and I would have to hunt to find out Easter baskets. Taylor's family would make a string maze (like you see above). The bonus is the teaching analogy. The string represents our existence. There is a world in the middle of the string to represent our mortal life and the string after is our existence here after this life. As we go through our journey there are many ups and downs and obsticles to go around, but if you hold tight and follow the correct path it will lead you to your final reward, eternal life (aka the Easter basket). We hope that our kids will really enjoy this family tradition and help them remember because of the ressurection we are able to live with our families and Heavenly Father forever.

Gordon and Elisa

2009-04-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

Elisa is our neighbor's little girl and she is adorable! They were out taking pictures when we were and we thought it would be cute to get the kids together. I think it turned out great. Elisa is awesome at taking pictures, she needs to train Gordon on how it is done. :)

We had a little photo shoot with just Gordon while Ella was taking a nap. He was being a good sport for us. And we got a few keepers :)

Father and Son.

Mommy and Gordon

Our cute boy! We love him so!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T21:46:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!
I just love this picture of Ella. She is becoming our little princess right before our eyes.

Our family photo atempt. It just gets harder and harder the more children you have :) OH but we love them.

Gordon and Ella in their new Easter outfits. I love Easter outfits, so bright and fresh looking.

Gordon helped me decorate some sugar cookies that we delivered to friends with a video about Christ. It was a fun activity that we hope we can do every Easter. (Gordon got to put on one of Daddy's shirts over his so no color frosting would get on his new vest :)

P.S. Mom there are loads more of pictures, I will bring them with me when I come to visit you this week! Love you!!! :)

Beyond the Sea

2009-04-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

We did it! We went on our first vacation alone (no-kids) since we started having kids and it was fabulous! This is us with Catalina in the background.
Taylor looking hot as always :) We spent a lot of time reading our books out by the pool. I forgot just how relaxing that it.

Us at dinner. (Our favorite part of the cruise!!) I am sure I gained at least 10 pounds, but it was well worth it.

We went with Dave and Karly which was such a treat! We had so much fun with them!!! Our dinner conversations were always great and we are so glad that they agreed to come with us :)

Here is a picture of us on the "little boats" to get us into Catalina. Loving the sun :)

We have already started talking about our next cruise, what can I say we are addicted!

Easter at Preschool

2009-04-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a little treat for the kids for Easter and my mom, to the rescue, gave me a great and easy idea. Rice Crispy treat nests. The kids loved them. (THANKS MOM!)
Then for our art activity we make this little bunny basket out of paper bags. It was a fun project and great to take their goodies home in.
Here are a few of the kids our little Easter egg hunt. The eggs were filled with candy and pictures of Christ. We came back to class and talked about Christ and why we celebrate Easter and the Resurrection.

It was a really fun lesson to plan. I love Easter time! When we get to think about our Savior and what he has done for us. What a blessing it is to have this knowledge in my life! I know my Savior lives and that I too can live again because of what he has done for me.

Just outside our window...

2009-04-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

The other day Gordon was in my room and was yelling "MOM a spider a spider!" I called back to him not to move so that I could come and see how big the guy was. And there were more than one...and they were a decent size, but they are outside, THANK GOODNESS!

Gordon has discovered that there is a few spiders living outside our bedroom window in the light post. He loves it. He can see them super well at night when they are very active. We climb up on my bed and watch the spiders at work. It is awesome! (until I think about how close they are to my window and could possibly come inside....I am trying to keep that out of my mind!) Gordon is always saying "Hi Mr. Spider".
And there is not only fun out our bedroom window there is something else exciting out our family room window too. (It is a little hard to gee in this picture- but it is right in the middle) It is a humming birds nest. It is so fun to see her fly around and come and cozy down into her nest. A great bird watching spot for Gordon during the day. It will be really fun when her eggs hatch!

Exciting things happening out the windows at the Earl's lately :) Come on over and see.

We are having another....

2009-04-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have many things I need to post and catch up on but I had to get this one in, even though it will be out of order.

We went into have an ultrasound yesterday and found out

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL!!

Any suggestions on names would be great. We have loads of boy names, girls are another issue. It took us forever to come up with Ellanor. We have awhile to think it over (thankfully).

We are so excited!!!

Our Boy is THREE!!

2009-03-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Gordon turned three on March 10th and we had a little party for him and his friends about a week ago. It is amazing to me that he is already three! It is so fun to watch him grow into a cute boy. He was so excited for his party. He asked me multiple times a day if it was time to "eat his cake yet?"He loved every min of it!
This is my attempt at making him a car cake :) I tried to make the road look like a 3. This was a fun project. And Gordon now asks if he can have some dirt (crushed up oreos).
I gathered some diaper boxes and made them into cars for the kids to race around. It was a hit. :)
These are all of the kids that came (minus a few that had to leave early) It was a grand ol' time. Gordon is sure loved and surrounded by great friends!
And my awesome neighbor let us borrow their bouncer. I think that might have been the kids favorite part. That or the cake, it is a toss up! What a fun day!

Short Order Cook

2009-02-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

Okay I need a little advise! Gordon is a picky eater. I have felt like a short order cook lately. I make multiple meals a night and it has got to stop! I need help! Any suggestions???

Ella's cake

2009-02-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

We got a mini cake and just let Ella go at it (well after cutting out a slice for Gordon). She was very dainty about it. She didn't pound at it like Gordon did when he turned one. But it was still fun to watch :) We webcamed with the Grandparents so they could join in on the fun.
You can't see all of it but Gordon's fork went flying and nailed Taylor's white Sunday shirt with bright pink frosting. I guess we should have all stripped down :)
I got Ella into the tub to wash all the frosting off. The water instantly turned Red. I was letting the dirty water drain so I could wash her up. When I looked back at her I found this. Taylor said wait! I need to get the camera. So there you go. Sorry! But we had to capture the memory :)

Spreading the Love

2009-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Gordon and I woke up early and made Breakfast for Daddy. We made his favorite. Hootanannies (we just died them pink and cut out hearts to make it more festive) As my gift for Taylor this year I gave him a basket of memories. That is one of our sayings. Let's make a memory rather than buying a gift. This year I thought it would be fun to remember all the fun memories we have made :) I love you sweetie and can't wait to make more fun memories with you as the years go on!
This is a very happy Gordon after his Preschool Valentine's Day Party. His first time eating Fun Dip and nothin' but smiles. I don't even want to think about the amount of sugar he consumed that day. Such a fun day!
And our Valentine we got for the kids was renting the movie Horton hears a Who. We all ate breakfast by the TV and watched the show in our PJ's it was a blast!

Happy (Late) Valentine's Day!

Today my little girl is ONE!

2009-02-15T13:03:00.001-08:00

One year ago today this cute little girl came into our lives and we will never be the same! She is such a joy to have around. She always makes us laugh and is just a happy kid. She loves the boys in her life. Gordon and Da-da can always get her to smile. WE LOVE YOU ELLANOR!