Ashtons

{Thanksgiving}

2012-01-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Get ready for a *lot* of pictures....we had a great time in Utah over Thanksgiving and put my camera to work. We were there for a week and had so much fun visiting family and making lots of memories.

First stop was St. George. We stopped at a park to let the kids run around after a long car ride.

There were some interesting people there to entertain us....first up was a man singing and dancing.

Next was a couple of lovebirds...it was especially special when laid across the bench in her skirt and they made out. True Love.

There was a huge Christmas Tree so of course I had to take a picture.

Leaf fight!

Cody had the boys burning some energy by having them race. Everything is a competition in this household!

We stayed the night with Cody's grandparents: Grandma & Grandpa Bluemel. It's so fun having them much closer during the winter! Brook & Travis brought their cute girls over in the evening and we had so much fun visiting with them.

The next morning we hopped back in the car to finish our drive up to Logan, UT. Kade was comfy as can be.

I hit the books, studying for my finals the next week.

Cody drove the entire way, what a good Daddy.

As we headed North it got colder and colder. And we were reminded of that every time it dropped a degree, as the kids watched the dashboard display and would yell out constantly "It's 45 degrees!! Now it's 44 degrees!! Oh my gosh!!!" They were so excited. They begged to have the windows down so they could stick there hands out into the cold wind.

We made it safely to Logan. The boys ran out to play in the snow even though it was getting dark. The next day they suited up again and ran out to play. I was glad to see that all the $$ I've invested in snow gear is getting a little use.

We stayed a few days with Gene and Cassie, and then the rest of the time at Danny and Lesli's home. The cousins had so much fun together!

Kade & Lucy

Lunch at Firehouse Pizza....so good!

One of the days we headed up the canyon to "The Sinks" to sled. It was the perfect day to be in the snow and the kids had so much fun!

Kade & Marissa

Madison & Ryya

Kendyll

Titan, Ashton, Lucy

Kael & Brynn

Kade

Monica & Crew

April & Titan

Teri & Savannah

Rhett

Chloe

Colton

Lesli & Teri

Ashton & Logan

Chloe & Savannah

Cody & Kade

Back at Gene & Cassie's house there was a lot going on. 7 families, tons of kids running around, and lots of yummy treats to snack on. It was loud and so much fun. Of course there were some competitions, and measuring to see who's tallest, strongest, fastest, etc. Somethings never change!

Gaje & Kael

We'd get back to Lesli's house late at night, and the kids all slept together in the basement.

With our huge group, we needed a big place for Thanksgiving dinner, and the church worked out great. Everyone brought food and it was delicious!

We had two white elephant parties, one for the kids and one for the adults. Titan looked cute with his new eyes :)

Tyler was in charge of the adults, and he read a poem which told which present to open according to your #. He had planned a special gift just for Kael.

A rat! It was pretty funny. All the kids surronded Kael like he was the Pied Piper. There were several in tears begging their parents for the rat to take home as a pet. In the end he went back to his original home, Petsmart.

Kade was thrilled with his white elephant gift, a car Gaje had made in shop class a few years back. He kept saying "He made this just for me!!"

The kids had fun playing with toys in the nursery, and the older kids played football and basketball in the gym.

Leah, Jodi, Kaeli, Mona, & Lesli

One night Grandpa took all the grandkids that wanted to go on motorcycle rides. It was cold but they didn't mind!

Ethan & Grandpa

Kendyll, Savannah, Logan, & Chloe

Rhett & Grandpa

Kade & Grandpa

Ethan, Ashton, Payton, Chloe, Savannah, Jodi, & Rachael

The new air hockey table in the basement got a lot of use!

Teri & Lesli

Danny & Lesli treated us to their hand blended shakes! LOL someone really needs to buy them a blender!!!

Kade with his "glasses" he wouldn't take off.

Cody dominated air hockey (woo hoo, that's my man!)

Cousin time!!

Marissa, Rachael, Brooke, Ashton

We had the best time, and the kids were so sad to leave. There is nothing like family!!

{Halloween 2011}

2012-01-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Rhett was a Ghost Pirate

Kade was a Transformer

Ethan was Steve Urkel

{Random Fall Pictures}

2012-01-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa Andersen is a wonderful writer, and my boys get fun packages with stories he writes about them (always filled with fun treats too!)

I love seeing my kids dressed up for church!

My uncle Jeff Flake is running to be an Arizona Senator, and it was fun to go with my parents to a fundraising dinner.

Kade played his first sport: soccer!

Ethan got some nasty ant bites when he was playing football with his friends at the park across the street.

I took the boys to a Corn Maze Farm, we had a great time!

{Kade's 5th Birthday}

2012-01-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Our cute Kade turned 5 on October 3rd! It was a much anticipated birthday, luckily it lived up to the hype!

Favorite gifts: his pillow pet, superhero guys from Grandma & Grandpa Ashton, and a Mario shirt from Grandma & Grandpa Flake

We celebrated at Peter Piper Pizza!

We love our Kashie. He has lots of energy and says the funniest things. Some fun facts about Kade: *loves to be home *eats anything and everything *still takes a 2 hour nap (woo hoo!) *loves Dora *likes to play Mario Kart on the Wii *also loves tacky Mario Kart shirts, as evidenced above *has some mean dance moves

{Rhett's 10th Birthday}

2012-01-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Rhett turned 10 on September 6th! When we asked what he'd like for his birthday, all he could think of was Diamondback tickets. He is their biggest fan! We usually get the really cheap tickets, but since this was his bday gift we got nicer seats closer to third base. Dad was a little disappointed when Rhett picked Mom to go with him to the big game (Rhett trying to be fair since Cody has taken him to more games in the past).

We went early to watch the players warm up and hopefully get Rhett's mitt signed.....and we were in luck! He even got a ball from pitcher Ian Kennedy!

His favorite signature was from Miguel Montero. The players were so nice, and it made Rhett's birthday so special.

Ethan and Kade tried to help Rhett have a great birthday as well!

Boys can never have too many nerf guns!

Socks was even so kind as to catch a lizard as a gift for Rhett (he lasted about 48 hours, RIP Lizzo)

A few days later Rhett had his birthday party with friends.....we took them to play Laser Tag and then back home for donuts in lieu of cake.

We love Rhett so much! He is such a great big brother, son, and friend. He is so polite, thoughtful, and fun to be around.

{First Day of School}

2012-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

This fall Ethan started 2nd grade and Rhett started 4th grade.

Kade is in pre-school, and was making me laugh as I tried to get a first day of school pic.

{Summer Pics}

2012-01-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

My crazy boys are always trying to make me laugh...this was one of those days....

They were pretending to be triplets.

Rhett and Mason got to be on the same basketball team this summer!

The boys surprised me with breakfast one morning....grape tomatoes, a bagel smeared with sour cream, and OJ (heavy on the concentrate, light on the water mixed in). Pretty sweet!

The boys are always trying to dress socks up. She is a Jedi in this picture. Good thing she is such a good sport!

{Girl-Time}

2012-01-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Our trip wouldn't have been possible without my parents and sisters watching my boys all week! We left some money and groupons and they kept the boys busy every day with so many fun things: bowling, swimming, yogurt runs, parks....the list goes on and on! They boys had such a great time.

Cody had the great idea to thank them by taking them out to lunch and for pedicures - (and I feel guilty because I got in on the fun as well!) It was fun to have some girl time!

{Oahu}

2012-01-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Our three days in Oahu were not very well documented, I left my camera behind for most of it. We had a great time, and were so excited to stay with my sister Melissa and her husband Sam, who live in Mililani.

Our first day we hiked to Maunawili Falls.

It was fun to jump into the freezing cold water!

Melissa and Sam were wonderful hostesses, taking up to all the best places to eat, snorkel (Three tables, Shark's Cove), swim, and boogie board. We had so much fun with them! It was great to see their apartment, Sam's new office - and best of all: Melissa's cute little baby bump!!

One night we went downtown to Waikiki to check out the crazy street artists, shops, and have dinner.

As we walked back to the car Melissa and I had a good laugh at how similar our husbands are. Not only in looks, but jobs as well (Sam is also a financial advisor, for the same company Cody started with).

Now posting all these pictures and writing about our vacation is making me want to go back SO very bad!! It seems like so long ago, much longer than 6 months ago.....

{Kauai Part 5}

2012-01-08T19:51:00.001-08:00

Who knew that Kauai had it's own version of The Grand Canyon? Waimea Canyon was incredible....there are a lot of hikes in the canyon but we went there too late in the day to do so.

We also went to the Botanical Gardens on our last day.

Our last stop was to get some more of the best shaved ice ever, from JoJo's. The small shop smells like urine, and the employees are very rude to tourists, but it is a small price to pay for such heavenly shaved ice :o)

On our flight to Oahu we boarded a very small plane....with disturbing smoke filling the floors of the cabin. Luckily we survived and the plane didn't crash (the smoke was from condensation)

{Kauai Part 4}

2012-01-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Before we went on our trip, I planned what we would do, see, etc, - trying to make the most of our time in Kauai. One thing that sounded so amazing was to kayak the Na Pali Coast. There isn't a road along the Na Pali coast, it's only seen by water or air (or you can hike through part of it). So I signed Cody and I up for it....and then as it came closer and closer I began to feel nervous about kayaking in the ocean due to the fact that (a) Cody and I have never done it before, and (b) it was an all day event - 17 miles!!

Well, it all worked out in the end because we got a call the day before saying the ocean was too choppy and there were big winds coming so they needed to cancel. We ended up going on a catamaran instead to see the coast, a much wiser and more enjoyable way for sure!!

The best part was seeing tons of dolphins swimming along the boat, jumping, doing tricks, and entertaining us. We also got to jump off the boat and snorkel in a neat spot, although I think Cody was watching out for sharks more than enjoying the fish :o)

{Kauai Part 3}

2012-01-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

Are you recognizing a pattern here? Hike, hike, then hike, hike....haha. I think we hiked every day we were in Kauai, and once in Oahu. We aren't the sleep in, lay on the beach type. However, lest it seem like we never went in the ocean, let me assure you that we did a lot of that as well, every day we swam or snorkeled at different beaches, sometimes more than one beach each day. We made our way all around the island trying to visit it all!

Our favorite hike by far was The Kalalau Trail Hike....We just did 4 miles but you can go 11 miles (you have to stay the night)....I would love to come back and do the whole things!! It went along the Na Pali Coast - and had the most amazing views I have ever seen.

At this point Cody is getting annoyed at my constant picture taking...but I couldn't stop, it was so beautiful. The beach behind him is the one we were hiking to.

Unfortunately you can't swim in the water here, there is a really strong tide and so there are signs everywhere telling you not to go into the water.

Too bad the fogs blocking the mountains in the background, there's a waterfall that's so pretty.

{Kauai Part 2}

2012-01-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

We would start out most mornings walking along the beach after breakfast...there is nothing like the calm feeling you get when you hear the waves coming onto shore. There were amazing rainbows everyday (it sprinkled off and on almost every day, but most times would only last a few minutes)

We found this cave along the way to a hike and it was really neat. There was a pool of water inside, and it led out to the ocean.

Next a great beach to snorkel was a blowhole called "Spouting Horn". It was so neat. A few weeks after we visited, a tourist died when he went down close to it to get a picture, and was sucked into the hole.....so terrible.

The highway leading back to our resort went through an area called Tree Tunnel....you can't see it as well in this picture but for a distance it's darker as you drive through so many beautiful trees that curve over the highway.

We went to see a waterfall called Wailua Falls that you can drive up the mountain and see. Pictures don't do justice!!

There were signs telling you to keep out (you are not supposed to hike down to the bottom) - but thanks to our lovely book we knew where to find the hidden trail. What rebels....haha.

A surfer bum sold me a coconut before we started our decent down to the falls.

We had to cross this river...it doesn't look bad but trust me it was deep and the current was strong...causing me to freak out in the middle (memories, right?)

It was SO AMAZING to be at the bottom of the falls! Look close, I am standing on the big rock to the left with my hands in the air.... Our book said you could swim in the pool under the falls...but we are not quite that daring so we just admired it for a while then headed back up the mountain.

We ended the day with a delicious meal at Duke's.....finishing with the to die for *Hulu Pie*....

{thankful}

2011-11-13T19:47:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for fun memories I get to make with my kids. This weekend was super full and busy. On Friday the kids had the day off school so we headed over to the East side and used a groupon at a farm. There was so much to do, but the corn maze was the biggest hit.

{thankful}

2011-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Cody!! He was gone for a few days and we missed him like crazy. He is an amazing father to our boys and an incredible husband to me. I am one lucky girl!

{thankful}

2011-11-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for yummy food. I love to cook, and this is one of my favorite recipes. I have put it on here before, but if you haven't made it yet you need to! It's soooo good....and please don't check the calories, it's worth the splurge :o) The Cajun spice gives it a little kick, but not so much that your kids won't eat it.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Roasted Asparagus

{thankful}

2011-11-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for cool fall nights when we get to go to the baseball fields and watch the boys play baseball. Last night we watched Rhett play. He is so passionate about baseball, we are lucky and get to have two baseball seasons a year. He loves every minute!! On the sidelines we wrap up in blankets and drink hot cocoa to keep warm.

{Thankful}

2011-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

******WARNING - do not read this Monica, it's not meant to make you feel guilty!!*********

Today I am thankful for our dog Socks. We have had her almost 2 years!! She is the first dog for both Cody and I, and although training her was a huge pain that part's over and the boys have lots of fun with her. She has lots of energy and loves to run around with them. Cody runs with her in the mornings and she loves to go on bike rides with our family and run along side. Today Kade requested a picture with her and then when he saw it said in a baby voice "Oh!! She's just a little angel!" haha not quite an angel but she is a good addition to our family.

{Thankful}

2011-11-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for books! I LOVE to read, and can't wait for winder break when I can put down the nursing books and read for pleasure again! Until then getting great books for my kids from the library makes me happy too! I try to take Kade there once a week, but on weeks when we don't I love just requesting books online and I can run in and there is a stack of great books just waiting for me. Right now a favorite author of ours is Julia Donaldson, she has a wonderful way of rhyming. We love "Room On The Broom", "The Gruffalo", and others - if you have little ones check them out, your kids will love them.

{Thankful}

2011-11-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for Sundays....the best day of the week! I love going off to church at 9am with my boys all dressed in their best. Today we had a wonderful testimony meeting and then I helped in Primary and felt the spirit so strong as we talked about fasting. I love relaxing at home with my family and just enjoying being together. Then we went to dinner at my parent's house, where I was spoiled and didn't have to cook anything. It was a nice end to a stressful weekend (big exam at school on Sat).

{Thankful}

2011-11-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my Grandpa Andersen! He writes stories for my boys and mails them special packages. They LOVE it! He is quite an author, and my boys love having stories about themselves. We are pretty lucky! This pictures shows the last story "Kade and Mr.Bones".

{Thankful}

2011-11-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

I had to rush off to clinicals early this morning, so that did not leave time to take pictures - so this will have to do! Today I am thankful for one of my favorite things.....my vacuum. I LOVE to vacuum and do laundry, and thought I know that sounds silly, they make me happy and Cody is not allowed to do either :o) My friend Jeanette told me about Oreck vacuums several years back, and I bought one about 5 years ago and have been in love ever since. It's super light, sucks up great - and goes from tile to carpet w/out any setting changes. So if you are ever in need of a new vacuum...get an Oreck and you will not be disappointed!!

{Thankful}

2011-11-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for cute boys who come in the morning and climb into bed to snuggle with me. Cody is usually up by 5 so there is plenty of room for whoever makes their way down the stairs and wants to cuddle with me. This morning it was Ethan :o) I love my boys!!

{Thankful}

2011-11-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

I have definitely let my blog slide this semester....and that makes me sad because I really do love to look back at past years....but I have had to make some sacrifices and this was one of them!

I am going to try this month to post a picture a day of things I am thankful for, not as daunting as my typical posts with a million pictures. Here we go!

Today I am thankful for Kade. Everyday after we drop the older boys off at school he turns to me and says with a big smile "I guess it's just you and me Mom!" I love all the special time just he and I get to spend together. It makes me so sad to think of next year when he'll be gone all day to Kindergarten.

{Kauai Part 1}

2011-07-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

*****I am so very far behind on my blog that I almost want to give up. But I am going to try very hard to catch up...here goes. I started this post several months ago....******

Where do I begin? Even though our trip was just over a month ago it already feels so long ago! We knew we wanted to go somewhere this summer....Cody was rooting for Alaska and I wanted Hawaii...we compromised by going to an island neither of us had been to, Kauai, as well as a few days on Oahu to visit Melissa (my sister) and Sam.

When we arrived on Kauai we got our rental car and headed to our resort. When we went to Oahu a few years ago our hotel room was very cheap....but also had holes in the walls, was ancient, and as a matter of fact was torn down and doesn't exist anymore. This time I splurged a bit and was able to get a great deal on Priceline at the Sheraton...the continental breakfast and great location made it worth the extra $. When we arrived we found out we were upgraded to a ocean view room, woo hoo!

The Koi ponds were fun, lots of bright big fish.

The view from our room (sorry Cody)

After unpacking we walked along the beach.....it felt so good to move around after a long day of traveling.

This big sea turtle was just hanging out, we saw quite a few.

The next day after breakfast we set off to go on a hike (Kipu Falls)that friends recommended, as did our awesome book "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" ....it told where to eat, swim, hike, snorkel, etc....it did not let us down and we used it for everything.

There were even more wild chickens on Kauai than there were on Oahu. They are everywhere. Cody sent one to chicken-heaven when he hit it with our rental car going quite fast on the highway. Whoops.....poor birdy. Feathers flew up in the air, it was quite a site.

{Random Pics}

2011-07-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am trying very hard to catch my blog up before my school starts up again (this Friday). It has been a great 5 weeks of freedom...most of spent being entertained by these three monkeys of mine....

Ethan soars through the air.....{PS} don't let him know I put this on the blog, he would not be happy!

Who knew that a singing bunny would bring Kade such joy?

Ethan had the idea for a carwash....he's saving up for a new basketball jersey (he has a Lebron James one but since they lost he would now like a Dirk Nowitzki one....quite the fair weather fan!)

Dbacks games.....

Going out on the town to celebrate 11 fabulous years of marriage!

My one armed child helped me make and decorate (dump on the sprinkles) cupcakes.

Ethan wanted to grow his hair out and his spikes grew dangerously high....luckily he just had a haircut Saturday, it looks much better.

The kids love to play outside during summer monsoon storms.

{Coming Home}

2011-07-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

After a good night's sleep we packed up and headed back to HOT AZ. We were excited to stop at the Turners beautiful new home....our dear friends who left us about a year ago....it was so fun to see how much their kids have grown and catch up.....

{Day 4 Trampolines}

2011-07-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun bouncing around at Anti Gravity.....of course when there are Ashtons around everything turns into a competition! All the adults got passes to and raced through the obstacle courses (not without a few injuries and several rug burns....but worth it!)

Colten impressed us with his back flips off the side walls.

Dodgeball was Ethan, Rhett, and Ashton's favorite...they didn't come out of that area once...

{Day 3 Hiking}

2011-07-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Day 3 in St George we were happy to have Teri and Jace's family join us as well as Lesli's. We did some fun hiking in Snow Canyon, hit up the bounce place again (pics in following post), and had fun swimming. Here are the hiking pictures.....

Ashlyn offered to watch our kids in their suite....so off the adults went to a restaurant. We had lots of fun...a little too much fun (as you can see Lesli can't contain herself in this picture)

We returned back to the hotel to find our babysitters sleeping....

Kids sleeping squished in chairs.....

On the floor....

and in the rooms....except for Kade who was enjoying leftover pizza and watching cartoons.

{St. George Day 2}

2011-07-17T15:08:00.001-07:00

Day 2 was lots of fun....after breakfast we met at an indoor trampoline place....wall to wall trampolines and lots of fun obstacle courses, dodgeball areas, etc. The kids loved every minute. After lunch the boys were sweet and let Lesli and I do some damage at the outlets...we had a great time! Then we all went to dinner at The Pizza Factory (where Lesli discovered my love for breadsticks....I couldn't stop eating them) and then at the kids request: Frozen Yogurt. Kade won the prize for grossest flavor combination: Tigers blood with gummi bears. He ate every bite.

That night we went swimming again, my kids love to be in the water (what kid doesn't?)

Kade pushed his Daddy in and thought that was so funny!

Cannonball!

Cute Rhett loved the hot tub.

The kids love it when Cody throws them in....again Daddy, again!!

Turkeys!

{St George Day 1}

2011-07-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

This summer we wanted to get away with the kids for a few days....we love St. George for hiking and cooler weather at night so we decided we'd go there! Cody turned it into a mini-Ashton reunion and those that could come from his family met us there!

We arrived Wednesday night and had fun swimming in the hotel pool. Thursday morning we met Danny and Lesli's family, and Dustin and April's family at IHOP for breakfast. The kids outnumbered us 10 to 6...but they were so well behaved and so excited to see each other.

After breakfast Dustin's family continued on their way up to Logan, and Lesli's family headed up with us to Zion's canyon for some hiking. The drive through the canyon was amazing, it is so beautiful there!

It was a fun hike - very steep drops off the side in some parts, and windy at the top! That means Kade and I were buddies most of the way (it didn't help that before we started hiking he said "I had a dream that I just jumped off a cliff!")

After a gourmet lunch of lunchables and oreos we made our way back down.

Cody and Danny took the older boys (Rhett, Ethan, and Ashton) on a longer hike while Lesli and I took Kade and Lucy to an indoor playplace. They zonked out in the car on our way there, pretty cute.

Later that night the boys worked out with Dad in the gym (where Rhett had an unfortunate treadmill incident) and we had fun swimming in the pool.

{Mud Mania}

2011-06-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Every year in Scottsdale they hold "Mud Mania" at a park. We have always wanted to go, and this year it worked out!

Kade wasn't so sure...he splashed around a bit but after a while he was done.

Rhett and Ethan got to go in the big mud pit and they loved it!

Aunt April and her cute kids came too!

Ethan and Mason won the prize for most muddy.....they were having the time of their lives!

Titan kept us laughing with his funny faces.

Cuties Ryya and Chloe

Kade was ready to go home!

Before we left Ethan and Mason went on the obstacle course...they did great!

{Rim to Rim to Rim}

2011-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Cody and Dustin have been wanting to hike "Rim to Rim" in the Grand Canyon for quite awhile. They finally found a weekend that would work...but decided to be extreme and hike "Rim to Rim and then BACK to the other Rim" - all in the same day. They started hiking at 2am and hiked for over 51 miles...ending at 10:30pm. I am just glad they made it back home safe! Dusting made a film of their hike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4HWoJY-ThE&feature=share

{Swimming!}

2011-06-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

A big part of our summer is hitting up the city pool....for swim lessons and during the afternoons to play. It has two slides, diving boards, and a whirlpool so my boys love it.

The boys got to pick a prize after their swim lessons were over.

Ethan rocking a cannonball:

Kade loves to do it all...slide, deep end, diving board...he is hard to keep up with!

{Last Day of School}

2011-06-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Schools out for the summer.....woo hoo let the fun (and craziness) begin!

Kade finished a successful year of pre-school.....he has one more to go before Kindergarten in 2012 (let's hope this year he can learn which way his letters go)

Ethan rocked 1st grade with the fabulous Mrs.Encarnation, he has learned so much this year and she really instilled a passion in him for Math and Science!

Rhett was spoiled having 3rd and 4th Grade with Mrs. Malasnik - she loved him and he loved her right back. We won't know what to do without her next year, she is amazing.

{Spring Baseball}

2011-06-27T13:59:00.001-07:00

Spring baseball was so fun! Rhett was in the 9-10 kid pitch league and was nailed by a few pitches....Ethan was in 7-8 coach pitch and he hit a few triples. They boys LOVE baseball and it is my favorite sport to watch them play. I love being outside in the nice spring weather and Kade loves playing with friends in the grass and eating snowcones. He dressed up in their old uniforms for many games, he just can't wait until he is 5 and old enough to join in the fun!

Here is Ethan with his good friend Cavi, they have been on the same team for every sport! (I have to also add that Caviston's Dad is the amazing coach of every one of those teams!)

Ethan, Brock, and Blake hamming it up for the camera!

Rhett did great this season, he truly loves baseball and was so sad when the season ended.

Rhett loved being on his friend Christian's team!

Two little monkeys!

{Easter 2011}

2011-06-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

{Random Spring Pictures}

2011-06-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed having Gene, Cassie, and Kelsi visiting for a few days when they came for cute Brystal's blessing!

Another fun visit was when Cody's cousin Ashlee brought her boys over to visit!

Cody spent a loooong night on the trampoline with the boys....what a good Daddy!

Rhett and Ethan have fun riding on their bike pegs.

Gotta love how they squeeze into very small Halloween costumes!

I had fun going on Ethan's field trip to the White Tank Mountains.

Always our entertainer, Ethan will do anything for a laugh.

Kade is obsessed with super-hero costumes, he tried to put this one one during nap time...guess the effort wore him out!

My Grandpa Andersen spoils my boys with fun packages and written stories about the pictures they mail him....they love it!

{Snowflake}

2011-06-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

One of my boys favorite places to go is Snowflake...and why wouldn't it be? Horses, 4-wheelers, a snowcone machine in Grandma's garage, cousins, dogs, kittens, and a lot of room to run around without fences.

One night we roasted S'mores....YUM!

We had a wonderful time. One the way home we let the kids pick out a treat from the gas station...a little tradition we have for the ride home from a vacation. They love the freedom of picking whatever they want. We had a great spring break!

{Disneyland!}

2011-06-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

In March the kids (and I) had a week off for spring break. We had told the kids we were going to Snowflake, but decided last minute to take two trips that week, first to Disneyland, then to Snowflake. We wanted to keep Disneyland a surprise, so we pretended that's where we were going as we headed towards California. Ethan added some excitement when he lost a tooth on the car ride.

Kade passed time with a good romance novel.

Making it extra fun, my sisters Brittany and Ally came along!

We couldn't believe that the kids never asked questions when the ride was longer than usual...and when we pulled up to the hotel and told them the news they were just silent, looking out the windows....then Ethan started crying. They couldn't remember our Disneyland trip a couple years ago and were sad we were not in Snowflake! After we told them about the rides, they perked up. Not the reaction we were thinking of!

After we got our stuff up to the room we put on our suits and headed to the pool.

The boys slept in sleeping bags on the floor to make room for their cute Aunties.

We arrived a little before 8 am, ready for fun! Cody teased me about getting a stroller for Kade but it was the best $15 spent ever!!

The first ride we went on was Space Mountain! So fun! The boys loved all the roller coasters and Kade was brave enough to come on all of them too.

Rhett was thrilled to be chosen for Jedi training, he fought against Darth Maul. It's funny to remember that the last time we went to Disneyland (3 years ago) Rhett and Ethan did Jedi training but had never even watched Star Wars yet. Oh how times change!

Ethan finds bugs wherever we go.

Awwwww!

We stayed until 11pm....woo hoo!!! The next morning we ate at IHOP and then made the trip home...only about 5 hours, not too bad!

{Little Movie Star}

2011-06-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

In March we went back to Phoenix Children's Hospital to have Kade hooked up for 2 days to the video EEG....a wonderful tool they have there that allows them to watch for seizure activity on paper and see what his body does when his brain is having irregular activity....it had been a year since our last hospital stay....a year FREE of seizures! Not even one! We were apprehensive for this visit, afraid that he would be still having those nasty seizures at night that are so small that they are almost impossible to see.

The GREAT news is that his EEG came back with the best results that could have been....Dr. B said that if he didn't know Kade's history and was just reading the results he would have guessed it was a child without Epilepsy, it was completely normal. A world of difference from last year when he had hundreds of electrographical seizures. He is still on a heavy dose of two different medications, and the Dr. told us if he can go another year seizure free and has another clear EEG next Spring, we can begin to wean him off the medications! What a dream come true that would be!

As we were beginning to get ready to leave the hospital, we had a visit from some HR people, asking if we would be willing to stay a couple hours more so Kade could be filmed with a neurologist for some upcoming commercials and billboard ads they would run in a few months. He was up for it, so we said yes. The commercials have started running, here are the links:

http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/jarrar/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naW-MgusCt8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cDm8Ygip8Y

Here are some of the pictures they took, they said some of them would be on a few billboards in the Phoenix area, so if you see one let me know!

This next one makes me laugh....it reminds me of Tangled :o)

The last picture shows the video EEG....it's a weird feeling knowing you are being videotaped and possibly watched all the time but it is an amazing tool for the neurologists and I am so glad we were led to this amazing hospital and Dr. B, he will forever be my hero.

{Ethan's 7th Birthday}

2011-06-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

On March 2nd Ethan had his 7th Birthday! He got a new bike and bought some basketball shoes with his birthday money. His other request was Hurley shirts...my first experience with my kids asking for certain brands....here we go! He was SO excited for his party.

Ethan has a lot of great friends from church and school. His Aunt Ally was so sweet and offered to plan his party for me, full of fun games at the park across the street like Ethan requested.

Don't you love the frenzy of present opening? Everyone wanting their present to be opened first.

Ally with the football cake she made!

We love Ethan so much. Here are some fun facts about Ethan:
*He loves every sport and does well at them all, his favorite is football
*He makes friends easily
*He doesn't like to play video games or watch TV too much, he'd rather be outside playing
*He loves to make people laugh
*He is really good at math, he can do tricky problems in his head
*He loves tomato soup and nachos
*He would live in athletic shorts, he is not found of the rule I have that he can't wear them to school and is always trying to find a way to wear them ("It's a holiday Mom!" It's my birthday!" "We are racing in PE!")
*He is my most cuddly child and is always asking us to snuggle with him
*He likes to help me cook

{Spring Training}

2011-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of living in hot, sunny AZ is that baseball teams come here for spring training! My baseball obsessed boys get to play their baseball games in Royals Training Ballparks and we also go to games in the Spring....easy to do when the stadium is only 10 minutes away. I pulled the boys out of school for this game and we had a great time hanging in the grass and watching the game. Brittany was able to come too!

We sat next to the Royal's bullpen and it was fun watching the pitchers warm up. Kade taunted them with his corndog.

After the game was over we came down and Ethan and Rhett had some of the players sign their mitts.

Two very happy fans!

Of course the day wouldn't be complete without a little meltdown....Kade didn't want to bring his mitt and was sad that he didn't have one for the players to sign....so as you can see in this picture Rhett gave Kade his mitt....what a great big brother (but it still didn't stop the tears)

{Valentine's Day}

2011-06-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

I love Holidays....any reason to celebrate is fun in my book! Valentines Day started off with pink pancakes and pink milk.

Ethan fixed Kade's hair for school, I think he did a better job that I usually do!

The boys love to come home and show me all their loot.

I surprised the boys with balloon grams delivered at school.

I love my boys!!!! And especially my hubby, who took me to The Melting Pot for the first time....YUMMY! This is his 11th Valentines Day and he is catching on!!

{Nursing School}

2011-06-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

This poor blog has been very neglected in the last several months....but I have a good excuse! In January I started nursing school....in Dec 2012 I will be an RN. I have a great group of classmates...we started with 40 but after our final in June I think we are down to about 30. It is intense but I love learning anatomy and pathophysiology!!

Here is our group with our instructors: (I am in the front)

Last semester we had class on Fridays and clinicals on Saturdays from 6-2 and we were split into 4 groups....we had 6 weeks at one place and 6 weeks at the other....here is my first group (at a Rehab hospital):

And my second group (at a LTC rehab hospital):

Now I am enjoying my 6 weeks off.......ahhhh who knew being a stay-at-home mom was so relaxing! I start again near the end of July and have 3 semesters left..hopefully it flies by! I am lucky to be in a Friday/Saturday program that allows me to be home with my kids and for all the help Cody, my Mom, and my sisters Brittany and Ally have been watching my kids on Friday! There have been many little melt-downs that Cody has had to pull me through and he has really stepped up and helped me accomplish this goal.

{Reindeer Run}

2011-04-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

The annual "Reindeer Run" is quite a big deal at the elementary school and the boys were all worked up about it. Ethan got off to a fast start and was excited to take 3rd place for 1st grade.

Rhett ran hard too, but stopped to help a boy who fell down and so by the time he started running again he was behind most of the kids. He crossed the finish line with tears in his eyes, because he had been so sure he was going to win. The PE teacher had seen what had happened and gave Rhett a prize, that was sweet of him. That is true Rhett form, he is so tender-hearted. Cody and I joked that if someone had fallen in front of Ethan he would have stepped on his back and kept running, he is so competitive.

{Christmas Eve/Day}

2011-04-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve PJ's from Grandma & Grandpa Ashton!

Waiting on the steps on Christmas morning....so excited to come and see what Santa brought...

Wrestling with cousins.....and even the big boys get in on the action.....

Lots of games.....SPOONS was a big hit!

Boyd & Mona's cute girls

Movies upstairs while the grownups chat downstairs....

Although it was a difficult Christmas to get through because of the loss of Bridger and M'Gwire, we spent lots of time together as a family and continued the traditions that make Christmas so special. We are so thankful for the birth of The Savior and for the perfect life he lived as an example to us.

{Sledding}

2011-04-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

While we were in Logan we went to the Canyon twice to do some serious sledding with Lesli and Danny's family and the Fergusons. It was so FUN! Sunny skies and lots of snow for padding when you crashed.

{Snowmen!}

2011-04-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

The boys were thrilled to break out the snow gear and run into Grandma and Grandpa's backyard to build snowmen. Cousin Ashton was up for some fun too!

{Drive up to UT}

2011-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

On our drive up to Utah the boys couldn't wait to play in the snow. Every gas station, bathroom break, and restaurant we stopped at had to include playtime in the snow (no matter how dirty it was). We loved meeting Sam and Melissa at Cafe Rio in Orem.

Sam was not afraid to show Ethan who's boss.....

It was fun to see Sam and Melissa since now they have moved FAR away to Hawaii!

2011-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

On December 18th we got a heartbreaking call from Cody's father Gene that four of Teri's kids (Cody's oldest sister) had been in a car accident. Snowy icy roads caused Ashlyn who was driving to spin and end up in front of oncoming traffic. M'Gwire passed away on the scene, and Bridger was life flighted to SLC, and Ashlyn and Savanah were taken to another hospital. Cody was able to fly out that night and we were devestated to hear that Bridger was not going to make it. We all drove up to Logan a few days later and were able to be together as we remembered and buried these two sweet little boys who we will never forget.

The town came together and wrapped the Ferguson family in their arms as so many flowers, gifts, donations, meals, acts of service, and other thoughtful things were done for their family. As we left the chapel where funeral services were held and went on to the cemetery, they released hundreds of balloons into the air.

Bridger Maxum H. Ferguson was born June 23, 2000, in Logan, Utah. Out of all his siblings, Bridger managed to stand out as the "exclamation point" in the family. No matter what Bridger did, he did it with passion and great enthusiasm. Bridger loved playing football and basketball and was recruited for many super league teams in both football and basketball. He loved the outdoors, hiking, camping and especially hunting with his dad and brothers. Bridger's appetite for knowledge was endless and he wore his siblings and parents out with his nonstop questions and opinions about life and beyond. In school he was an excellent student and excelled in all areas of school, being in accelerated reading and math classes. He always took on the roll of "Sergeant - General" and had to be in charge at all times. It was not uncommon during half time of many of his football games, to be seen talking to his coach, one on one, and the coach was listening and Bridger was instructing. This was Bridger's nature in all that he did. Bridger was very compassionate with his siblings and was always concerned about their welfare and happiness. He was often found helping one of them go to Primary when they didn't want to go or give them hugs when they were hurt. At the end of each day, he would go to his parents and siblings and tell them that "He Loved Them" in the most sincere way, and he meant it.

M'Gwire Ethan Ferguson was born June 29, 2003.
M'Gwire was the youngest of four brothers. Anyone who met M'Gwire would never forget the sparkle in his eye, the radiant smile on his face, and his tender, soft-spoken voice.
M'Gwire loved being outdoors, no matter what the weather was. If it snowed, he was always the first one to get his snow gear on and go out to play in it. If it was sunny, he would ride his bike around in circles. Even though he was the youngest and smallest of his brothers, he never saw himself that way. He thought that he could do anything they could do, jumping bikes, snowmobiling, football, basketball or anything else. He couldn't wait until next year when he would be old enough to participate in full contact football like his older brothers. He was small but mighty and he aimed to prove it.
In spite of his competitive nature, he had a heart as big as all outdoors towards his sisters and was always helping them and loving them. He especially had a tender spot for his baby sister Marisa. He was her constant companion, playmate, and endless protector. No matter what, Marisa could do no wrong in his eyes.
Having eight brothers and sisters, M'Gwire stood out as the peacemaker in our home, where he was often found trying to make everyone happy. He always enjoyed and found comfort in sneaking into Mom and Dad's bed in the middle of the night.

Words can't express how much we will miss these sweet boys. Rhett and Ethan include them in their prayers at night and have pictures of their cousins in their room. Their favorite memory about Bridger is that he would always teach them how to wrestle and play with them. Bridger was so energetic and always up for anything. Ethan is M'Gwire's age and he loved to play with him when we came to Utah. M'Gwire was so sweet and had the most beautiful eyes. We are so thankful for The Plan of Salvation and the knowledge that we will be together again. Below are some other pictures I have of the boys.

{December Cont....}

2011-04-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some more highlights from December....

Suns game with Mom

Ethan was excited to be the *Honey Bear* in his class

Teaching the Honey Bear some tricks

Mesa Temple Lights

Ward Christmas Party and meeting Santa (Kade was terrified of him)

Ethan's Christmas program

{Decorating Cookies}

2011-03-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

I love doing things with my kids that I remember doing as a child! Each December we loved to decorated Gingerbread Men. The boys had fun with this and they turned out so cute.

{November 2010}

2011-03-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love November - that means the Holiday season is coming up!

Rhett and Ethan were able to play on the same baseball team. They got some surprise visitors to one of their games! Ethan's beloved Kindergarten teacher who now lives in California surprised him.

It was also so fun to have Sam and Melissa visiting from Utah, and Brittany from Idaho!

Melissa, Sam, Cody, and I all got up early Thanksgiving morning and ran a Turkey Trot in Peoria. People watching was the best part. Sometimes people who look so in shape and are all decked out in the latest running garb are walking after a mile - and then people you never would think would be fast zip on by you.

My Aunt Suzy and Uncle Kevin are so kind to always host the big Flake gatherings at their house. It was so much fun to see everyone and catch up.

{Halloween 2010}

2011-03-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always a very anticipated holiday at our house - and the boys were excited to start the month of October off my putting cobwebs on all the bushes.

Pumpkin carving is fun too, and Ethan was the brave one who enjoyed sticking his hands in to get the slimy seeds.

Don't you love all the fake tattoos Ethan is sporting....I think we have had way more than our share of those in our house!!

One of the benefits of being the oldest child is getting to pick out a new Halloween costume. The younger kids get the recycled ones (luckily they don't mind thus far!). Rhett envisioned a ghost costume, and I tried my best to make him a costume from a sheet. It's harder than it looks!! I don't know how I managed to mess it up but I did. So frantically we went looking for another costume, which is slim pickings when it's close to Halloween. Luckily he liked this skeleton costume, even with the missing glove. Ethan was the Emperor - Rhett's costume from last year which is freaky. Kade was Spiderman, a costume used three time (or more when borrowed to friends) and won't zip in the back anymore.

Somehow the boys always manage to get way too many treats - with trunk or treats (ours and grandma's too!), school parties, etc. As you can tell in this next picture, Superman is on his last rope...or should I say web....lol. Hey, it's not Halloween unless there's a meltdown, right?

{3 little monkeys sleeping in bed}

2011-02-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

My three little monkeys all sleep together at night. It started with Rhett and Ethan sleeping on the bottom bunk together after a scary movie....but now Kade joins in on the fun as well. I love when I check on them before I go to bed and they are all curled up together.....is there anything cuter than a sleeping child??? :o)

{Lindsay's Wedding}

2010-12-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I am waaaaaay behind on my blogging and it has been driving me crazy. I don't think I have even done Halloween. Do I just skip it? But what about when I print a book? I have to catch up.

Last September my mom and I flew to Washington for my cousin Lindsay's wedding. I forgot my camera charger at home before I realized it wasted some precious shots on my camera on the weirdos in the airport:

After we arrived in Seattle we met my grandparents, rented a car, and drove 2-1/2 hours to Lake Chelan. The drive was beautiful! Lake Chelan in a cute resort town and we had a great time the few days we were there. The wedding was beautiful and I loved having so much time with my Andersen relatives. It was fun to also get to see downtown Seattle, and Pike Place.

My Aunt Jamie had just entered remission after a hard fight with advanced Ovarian Cancer and my Grandpa Andersen had major heart surgery a few months prior so it was so good to see everyone doing better and make lots of fun new memories.

{Random Acts of Kindness}

2010-11-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Two years ago Cody's brother and his wife lost their sweet little girl Devon. My amazing sister-in-law Monica has created a wonderful blog that is a resource for families that have lost children.....it is so incredible. Here is the link:

www.honoringourangels.blogspot.com

She also came up with a sweet idea that honors Devon....she has created these random acts of kindness cards. This way our family can perform random acts of kindness which will help us become more Christ-like and also honor and remember Devon. Our family is so excited and we have already done a few small things and can't wait to do more. On the blog she created there are also cards that have blank spots where you can fill in a different name if you'd like to do service in honor of a loved one you have lost. Spread the word, as many people who want to do this are welcome to! What a great way to start the holiday season by doing service for others.

{Cody's Birthday}

2010-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Last month we celebrated Cody's birthday. Cody is NOT an easy person to shop for. He doesn't like me to spend money on him unless I find an amazing deal. He definitely does not have the same expectations for birthday as I do and is so easy to please. Instead of cake we went out for his favorite treat...Baskin Robbins Mink Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The boys loved getting their sundaes delivered in mini baseball hats.

My parents watched the boys the next weekend so Cody and I could have a night away (I know, as much as a gift to me as it was to Cody!) I planned a trip to Kartchner Caverns, a cave north of Tuscon that Cody has been wanting to go to for a long time. Friday night we stayed at the DoubleTree in Scottsdale and went to dinner, then the next morning we went to breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places, The Scottsdale Breakfast Club (soooo good). Then we headed South to Tuscon to the Caverns.

Kartchner Caverns are limestone caves that were discovered in 1974. The tour was really fascinating, there are mineral formations that drip down like icicles and also come up from the ground. We had a great time!

Now here are some random facts about Cody.....

*He looooooves ice cream and cereal. He even has special bowls for them, they are extra big. If they are not available he'll use a mixing bowl or some other large bowl

*He is very cheap with his clothing but his weakness is shoes (bought on clearance at DSW of course)

*He is such a slow eater, by the time he's finished I usually have the dishes done.

*He loves to get up early and is usually out the door by 7am. He also is usually asleep on the couch by 9pm

*He has a strange accent when saying a few words....Taco Bell, Root Beer....ask him to say them next time you see him :o)

*He is very clean and I had to learn to become neater and more organized when we were married. I used to fib and tell him it was my roommate's fault that my room was a disaster.....

*When he gets something in his mind he wants to do it right then and can't focus on anything else. That can be good or bad, depending on the circumstance!

*He is very competitive

*He refuses to dress up for Halloween, he won't even wear the fake tattoo sleeves

*He is very picky when it comes to movies, we go see maybe one each year.

*He is great about watching the boys but my leaving comes with a price (two actually). He will either buy the kids ugly clothes or shoes (which they will love and wear every day until they wear out) or he'll buy a freakish amount of cereal. One time he bought 50 boxes. I am not kidding.

*He is an amazing father and husband and we love him lots!!!!

{Twins}

2010-11-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ethan likes to take Kade up to his room and dress him in Rhett's clothes. Then they come downstairs and pretend like they are twins. It's cute. They even get matching shoes, belts, etc.

Ethan and Rhett comb their hair....and each have their own style. Rhett slicks down the top and combs it all forward (unfortunately I don't have a picture). Ethan uses a LOT of gel and also likes to spike up the front. I had to take pictures so I could look back and laugh in a few years. Ethan spends a lot of time making it just right. They make me laugh...

{Football}

2010-11-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Rhett and Ethan just finished their first flag football season. They had so much fun and learned a lot. Ethan says this is his favorite sport now....and Rhett enjoyed it but still loved baseball the most!

Kade was their #1 Fan!

After the last game the boys got little trophys and had fun playing in the bounce houses.

Here are a few random pictures.....Ethan below with one of his bike tricks....he makes me laugh because he's trying to look cool and not smile.... :o)

My cute little men all dressed up for church.....I love these boys!!!

{Cute Kade}

2010-11-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

The other morning as I was packing the boy's lunches for school I heard Kade calling for me. I couldn't find him...until I went into the bathroom and found him stuck in the doggie door. What a stinker!! My camera was close so I had to take some pictures. Luckily it wasn't too hard to pull him out!

Kade was so excited to me chosen as the "Star Student" at his preschool. Rhett filled out his poster for him and we had to laugh when Kade answered what he wants to be when he grows up....a dump truck.

Everytime Kade sees me cooking he starts pushing a chair over so he can get in on the action. He'll ask me "Can I be your little chef?" Who could say no to that? Even though it sure makes things messier I love cooking with Kade and seeing how happy he is to lick the spoon when we are finished.

{Kade's 4th Birthday!}

2010-10-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

Kade celebrated his fourth birthday a few weeks ago! I love the countdown to birthdays that my children do when it starts getting close....they get so excited even if it's their brother's birthday coming up and not their own. There are high expectations, and birthday rules that Rhett is quick to enforce. I love it!

What a year it has been for Kade - turning from 3 to 4, and how much he has gone through. I almost can't talk about it, it's hard. I know people wonder how he's doing though, and I am happpy to say that he is doing wonderful. He takes two different medications in the morning and at night, and they are pretty powerful but they have been working great so far and his neurologist from where he was in Januarty to where he is now is the best case scenario. Of course we have times when we think ahead, become worried, and think things won't always be going so well, but we try not to and just try to focus on how great he's doing right now.

I kept Kade's birthday party this year very small, and he choose two friends to come with him for lunch at McDonalds. Yes I do know how to throw a high class party :o) They enjoyed their happy meals and chocolate sundaes, and off course burning some energy in the play area. Rhett and Ethan begged to come along too so we picked them up early from school and they had fun as well. In fact, Ethan wanted to come so badly that he devised a little plan that morning to fake a fever so he could stay home from school. He asked me if his forehead was warm, and it was, but I knew something was up. So I watched him, and a few minutes later I peeked at him in the backyard, pushing his forehead up against the slide (which gets warm in the sun). Busted!

Kade also got to take treats to preschool, and came home with this birthday crown which he wore with pride. When we asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he said pancakes. We asked what toys he wanted, and got the same reply: pancakes. Well we did buy him some toys, but we had a big breakfast for dinner that night and he was happy. He is easy to please!

We love Kade, life would not be nearly as exciting without him! Here are some fun facts about Kade:

*He pronounces girl and "grill" and it always makes us laugh
*He is tall and is getting hard for me to pick up, 97% weight, 95% height
*He LOVES to eat and is not picky!
*He loves to strike a pose for pictures and squint his eyes
*He has an obsession for gum, he'll ask strangers if they have any
*He loves Little Critter books, I read him one every day before his nap
*He also loves Dora
*He is very snuggly, I love that!
*He is always trying to do whatever his big brothers are doing, he idolizes them
*We have a lot of nicknames for him, don't know where they came from but the one we call him most is Kashie.

We love you Kade!!!!!

{Flashback Friday}

2010-10-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Since Kade's birthday is two days away I thought for this Flashback Friday I'd post a picture four years ago when he was born......time has gone by so fast yet it's hard to remember life without him! He is our little entertainer and adds so much fun to our lives!

{Rhett's 9th Birthday}

2010-09-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Rhett turned 9 this month, and as it is for all children the day was greatly anticipated! He had everything planned out on paper....and took great care to plan his party and keep lots of lists so we would stay organized :o) We let the kids open their presents right when they wake up in the morning so Daddy can be there too before he leaves for work.

Rhett was happy to receive some star wars legos, two diamondbacks shirts, and a cool new bike. Ethan was quick to remember the tradition of birthday spanks.

Next we went swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Flake's house.

The highlight of Rhett's day was when Grandpa took him and Ethan to a Diamondbacks game. If you have been around Rhett lately you know he is *obsessed* with baseball and especially the Diamondbacks. He will talk you ear off about player stats, games, etc! They had a great time.

When they came back we came to our house and played baseball at the park across the street and Rhett tried out his new bike.

For dinner Rhett requested Roasted Tomato Soup (funny, huh?) and Chocolate Fudge Cake. The first cake picture is from a few days prior when Aunt Brittany spoiled him and made him a cake before she left for BYU-I.

A few days after his birthday Rhett had his party. We went to see Despicable Me at the drive-in, and the kids had a great time. I am so glad that he has so many good friends, they were all so well behaved and fun to be around.

There are so many things we love about Rhett
*he is so thoughtful
*he tries hard to choose the right
*he is a good example to his younger brothers
*he is a great friend
*he wants to be a professional baseball player
*teachers love him because he tries so hard to be good
*he LOVES cub scouts
*he also loves Star Wars
*he shares his Dad's passion for cereal and ice cream

We LOVE you Rhett!!!

{Summer Catch Up}

2010-09-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

I have a bunch of random pictures I am going to throw together in this post...and then I will be caught up...almost!!

We love summer storms, and after the hail stopped Ethan and Kade ran outside to enjoy playing in the rain. Then we jumped on our bikes and rode to the park in the rain....not very practical but we had a great time!!

Our ward camp-out was lots of fun....so I heard! I stayed home this year and had some girl time with Chloe while Cody bravely took our three boys + Mason (we had Mason and Chloe for the weekend). They came home dirty but had such a great time!!

Can you tell we are getting a little attached to Socks??

Cody has been wanting to get one of these for months...I have resisted because I am afraid of broken windows and lights. Now that we have it I will concede and admit that Cody was right....it is a lot of fun!

The boys all started school in August! Rhett is in the 3rd grade and has the same teacher as last year, Ms. Malasnik. She moved up a grade and took her whole class with her. Rhett is lucky, she is an amazing teacher who really cares about each of her students. Ethan is in 1st grade, and has Mrs. Encarnacion. She was Rhett's Kindergarten teacher, and she rocks too! She pushes her class and I know Ethan will learn a lot this year! Kade is in preschool and goes four times a week for 2-1/2 hours. I am going to school full time so that helps to be able to do schoolwork during the day instead of just at night. Kade's favorite part about school is riding bikes outside and of course snack time :o)

Kade and I have lots of fun together while the older boys are at school all day. He is always keeping me laughing with his expressions and funny things he does. He is always telling me "Mom take a picture!"

A couple weekends ago Grandma and Grandpa Ashton came into town for Mason's baptism. It was a special weekend and we had a great time being together.

{Snowflake}

2010-09-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up my favorite place to visit was Snowflake, and I love how the tradition has carried on and my boys love it too. We always talk about heading up there for the weekend but with sports and Cody's busy job we don't make it happen. We ALWAYS make time for going up for the Pioneer Celebration though, and look forward to it all summer long. The picture above of the road leading to my Grandparent's home makes me excited just to look at....there is nothing like going to Grandma's house! White picket fences, big red barn, swinging from the tree branches, horses, frogs, snakes, all you can eat snow-cones thanks to the new fun machine, and dozens of cousins makes this the best vacation ever for little boys and their mom too :o)

The boys always love holding the kittens, and have no fear when it comes to catching snakes that they find slithering across the grass. Jon and Cody took them "froggin'" one night and they were proud to show the frogs they caught.

Uncle Scott hosted our big bunch over at his house for a BBQ and basketball. I love catching up with all my aunt and uncles, we all live in Arizona but only get together a few times a year.

The Lance Flake Golf Tournament was fun also, my cousin Lance passed away four years ago and we always remember how passionate he was about sports.

Four Wheeler rides are all my boys want to do and Rhett and Ethan felt pretty cool giving Mom a ride (and some scares!)

Keaton and Uncle Scott saddled up their miniature ponies and the kids loved to ride them around the lawn.

The parade is always fun too, Rhett and Ethan rode on my Grandma's float with their cousins and Kade had a great time catching candy and cheering for the floats. We had a great time and can't wait to go back soon!!

{Day Camp}

2010-09-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

This summer Rhett attended his first Cub Scout Day Camp. It was in the *HOT* 100+ degree weather but the boys didn't seem to mind one bit! I was able to go the first day and see all the fun things they were able to participate in: swimming, archery, bb guns, etc! Rhett LOVES scouts and I am so thankful for his great leaders who sacrifice a lot of time to help him earn his badges. He earned his wolf badge and has now become a bear. We are proud of Rhett and love his enthusiasm with the scouting program!

{Ashton Family Pictures}

2010-08-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

My super talented sister-in-law Monica brought her camera to the reunion in Utah and took some wonderful family pictures for everyone! They all turned out sooooo great!

Gene & Cassie

Cody & I

Cody & Brooke Family (yes my children are very photogenic, lol!!)

Tyler & Susan Family

Teri & Jace Family

Kael & Monica Family

Boyd & Mona Family

Dustin & April Family

Danny & Lesli Family

Gene & Cassie with all their children and spouses

LOTS of Grandkids!!!

The Gene Ashton Family 2010!!

The butterflies represent Cody's sister Jodi who passed away when she was only 4 months old, and Kael and Monica's daughter Devon.

{Ashton Reunion 2010}

2010-08-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Several years ago Cody's family decided that every two years they would have a summer family reunion, and the siblings would take turns being in charge of it. We've gone to Yellowstone, Bear Lake, and Disneyland....and this year Dustin and April were in charge. They arranged with Cody's cousin Brian to use his beautiful (and very large) cabin located near Brian Head in Utah. It was a nice central location for most of us and the best part is everyone was able to come.

On our way there we stopped at The Hoover Dam. It was exciting for the boys to see up close even though we felt like we were melting in the 100+ degree weather. We let the boys look around in the the gift shop. Although they looked so great in these sunglasses we stuck to our $1 budget and they each just picked out a postcard :o)

We were VERY excited to make a stop in Logandale, Nevada where our dear friends the Turners just moved too. Shelby has embraced the small town feel and has vowed only to have southwestern decor in her new home.

We arrived at the cabin safe and sound and it was so fun to see everyone! The weekend was filled with fishing, lizard hunting, hiking, friendship bracelets with help from Aunt Lesli, games, and lots of reminiscing.

The kids loved sleeping together at night, and looking at how many kids we have between us it is amazing that any of us got sleep at all!

One day Cody and Danny took us on The Narrow's hike. It was beyond beautiful although it was a bit of a challenge for the little ones as most of the trail is going upstream in the river. Everyone was up for the challenge though and had a great time.

Monica brought her nice camera and her sweet photography skills and took some family pictures for us. They turned out so nice, I'll put them in a separate post.

We had such a wonderful time....it was so fun to be around Cody's sweet parents, his siblings and all the in-laws, and my fabulous little nephews and nieces. It's a wonderful family to be a part of and I love how everyone gets along so well. It's hard to live so far apart from most of them, but I love how when we do get together things flow so smoothly and the kids just love playing with their cousins.

{Flagstaff}

2010-08-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Each summer Cody's work has a weekend retreat and this year we went to Flagstaff. We had such a great time and the weather could not have been nicer! It was hard to go back to the heat when we were spoiled by cool nights and mornings!

The boys love a good hotel bed...the only time they get to perform tricks and jump from bed to bed. My favorite part about hotels is cranking the AC on so the room gets cold and shutting the blinds so it's nice and dark and tricks my kids into sleeping in :o)

The kids had fun swimming in the pool, eating from the yummy buffets...and most of all being outside! Cody had some meetings so we went on some little hikes and had fun exploring in the forest.

We toured The Riordan Mansion, built over 100 years ago and is 13,000 square feet with 40 bedrooms. There was a map with clues that led you to neat features of the home and they loved decoding it. They were impressed with Louie the Lumberjack, he's pretty big :o)

Cody took Rhett and Ethan up on a ski-lift ride to the top of a mountain and they found some snow to play in.

One of the nights there was an awards dinner and it was fun to dress up and have a nice dinner with all the adults.

On our last day we headed back into the forest to find a lava tube cave Cody had heard was really neat.

We were prepared with jackets (we heard there was ice and it was pretty cold) and flashlights since it's completely dark in the cave. It was pretty steep and icy when you first descend into the cave.

The mile-long lava tube cave was formed over 700,000 years ago from a volcano eruption. It was really cold inside and I didn't realize until we had gone a mile to the end that we wouldn't just come out of the ground, but had to turn around and go a mile back! The boys LOVED it though, what boy doesn't love a chance to use a flashlight?? It was a really neat experience and we will definitely go back soon.

{Swim Lessons}

2010-08-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on my blog and it is stressing me out!! I am going to try to catch up...so let's go back to June!

Every summer my boys look forward to swim lessons, they learn a lot and have so much fun!

Kade became a fish this summer, shedding the life jacket and becoming a good swimmer like his brothers! He also was very excited when at the end of the summer (just tonight actually) he was finally tall enough to go on the big slides and for a solid hour and a half just went on the slides over and over again.

Ethan and Rhett were very excited to learn that Jerry was their swim teacher (same as last year) and these pictures show why. He is fun!! On the last day of class he bounced on the diving board while holding the boys, and then when he jumped off he threw them up. Very safe I'm sure....but oh so fun!

{Flashback Friday}

2010-07-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Cruising around the neighborhood with my cat Chocolate.....

{Nasty}

2010-07-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when you try to take short cuts in cooking and you RUIN the meal? I made a pasta dish which came with a balsamic glaze that you were supposed to drizzle over each individual plate of pasta when serving. I thought I'd just skip a step and mix the glaze with the rest of the pasta. Bad idea! As I started mixing it up and the pasta turned darker and darker purple I knew it was going to be way too strong tasting. SAD!! I tried to save it with some cheese on top but even that didn't help!!

If you are wanting some delicious recipes.....try these I've made recently from my good friend's blog....they are all winners!

Summer Garden Pasta
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-garden-pasta.html

BBQ Chicken Chop Salad
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/04/bbq-chicken-chop-salad.html

Cornucopia Salad
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/04/cornucopia-salad-1-head-green-leaf.html

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwich
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/03/tomato-basil-and-mozzarella-sandwich.html

Spanish Rice
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/03/spanish-rice.html

Fruit and Feta Green Salas
http://thecooknextdoor.blogspot.com/2010/02/fruit-and-feta-green-salad.html

2010-07-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Suzy and Uncle Kevin have a beautiful home in Mesa with a backyard that kids dream of! They were so kind to let us use their home over Memorial Day Weekend even though they were out of town. My aunt Laraine's family was there, my parents and Ally, and also my Aunt Kaija with her cute kids. The kids played for hours, never getting tired of going on the fun slide over and over. The adults had a good time eating yummy food and talking. Afterward we went to Mark and Laraine's house and you guessed it...ate some more (even homemade ice cream, yum!). I love my family and feel so happy when I am surrounded by them!

{End of School}

2010-07-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

The end of school is always filled with lots of fun parties, events, programs, etc. This year it also included an ambulance ride and lots more fun medical bills! (can you sense my sarcasm??)

Two days before school was out I was on the other line when someone from the school called. When I returned the call it took several minutes for the secretary to figure out that "Nurse Andy" had been trying to reach me. By the time I spoke to him, he had already called Cody at work, and informed me that he had called 911 and an ambulance was on its way to the school for Ethan. He had fainted in the cafeteria line at lunchtime and the nurse said he was very pale and not acting normal. He really seemed concerned and had me very worried as I rushed to the school.

When I got to his office the paramedics were already there, along with firefighters and they were doing their medical assessments while everyone was asking me a million questions. They all felt that he needed to go to the ER and while my intuition told me he was fine, I didn't have the guts to act like the uncaring mother who just takes her child home and doesn't give them the medical care everyone feels he needs! Flashback to last summer, Ethan fainted twice, both times in when out in the sun playing sports. I fainted several times as a child, I think I would lock my knees. Anyways...back to the drama.

They loaded him up on the stretcher and he was put in the ambulance. The funny part was watching all his fellow 1st grade friends who were out at recess watching at the gate while Ethan was being put in the ambulance. They were all impressed/worried. Ethan was brave as he got an IV, blood drawn, as well as a CAT scan and EKG. After his CAT scan the tech was so thoughtful and brought Ethan into the backroom to view images of his brain. He thought that was very cool. Everything came back normal and we were on our way a few hours later.

Kade was in a cute preschool group this year with just 3 year olds. Mrs. Tracey was so fun and he really looked forward to Tuesday and Thursdays. The picture below is at a "Teddy Bear Picnic" they went on this spring.

At his little graduation ceremony they first sang songs. He cracked us up with his sweet dance moves, it was pretty funny to watch. Then she read from little books they had made, and we learned that when he grows up he would like to be a Tiger.

Ethan had an amazing Kindergarten teacher this year, Mrs. Rideau. She moved to California a few weeks before school ended, and luckily her sub for the rest of the year Mrs. Knaggs, was just as sweet. The kids were so excited when Mrs. Rideau made a surprise visit on the last day of school.

Rhett also had a fabulous teacher, Mrs. Malasnik. She loved to tease the class and he would always come home telling me stories of how she had made him laugh. He is especially lucky because she is moving up to 3rd grade next year and taking her whole class with her! We are thrilled!!

{Mexico!}

2010-06-20T21:25:00.001-07:00

Cody and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary 2 months early this year and went on a cruise to Mexico. We are so lucky to have our sweet mothers and friends who helped out with our boys so we could sneak away and make some great memories! We drove to California and left from Long Beach. Who knew that driving could go by so fast and be so enjoyable without kids movies playing in the background and demands to use the bathroom or go to McDonalds?

The first few days we were at sea, so we spent a lot of time being eating, being lazy, eating, reading, eating, etc! Cody did work out but I enjoyed sleeping in while he ran on top of the ship.

Each night we would find little animals made from towels and thought our boys would get a kick out of seeing pictures of them.

The first beach stop was in Puerto Vallarta. I had booked a snorkeling expedition online and we were a little nervous jumping in a taxi and giving them the address of a place we've never been. We made it to the shop, and jumped in a boat that took us out to Los Arcos, a beautiful coral reef. Along the way there we saw dolphins, and the weather was perfect. When we jumped in the water we couldn't believe how many fish there were. There were so many more than in Hawaii, it was amazing. Our guide gave us bread to feed them and they were rubbing all over us trying to get the bread, even biting us if we held on to it too long! After an hour, they took us to a new spot we saw a lot of other great fish, including lots of puffer fish. Cody was able to snuba, scuba diving with a long hose attached to a tank. He held a puffer fish and going deeper made him more excited for us to get scuba certified so we can do that on our next trip.

The next day we went to Mazatlan. We booked an shopping/lunch/resort excursion that began with a taxi (more like a golf cart) ride through the city to the beach. In both Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan it was alarming to see all of the people who had guns. There were people in the back of trucks with machine guns, people on the sidewalk guarding gated entrances with guns....it was crazy. Definitely somewhere you would not to be at when it was night. We watched a show where men hung by ropes upside down and spun up on a big totem pole, and then shopped along the beach. Then we used a resorts cabanas and had a yummy lunch, and had fun in the ocean. I got to go para-sailing, something I've wanted to do for a long time. It was breathtaking being up so high, and so peaceful.

Our last stop was in Cabo San Lucas. We decided we wanted to sight-see a bit, and go snorkeling again. We paid a "water taxi" to take us out to El Arco, the beautiful arch you see in the travel ads for Cabo. The waves were huge and the boat driver was so crazy, so we were glad to not only see the arch but to make it back alive. We saw seals sunbathing on rocks, they were so cute. Our driver dropped us off at Lovers Beach, a cove by the arch where he said the snorkeling was excellent, and he would pick us back up a few hours later. Getting from the boat to the beach was difficult, the waves were rough but we made it. As soon as we got on the beach someone told us that there were a lot of jellyfish in the water, 5 people had just been stung. That deterred us from jumping in the water there, so we climbed over some rocks to get to a beach a little ways away.

As we were almost there, some waves pushed Cody against the rocks, scraping up his leg, ruining our camera (it got wet), and he lost a flip flop. A man jumped into the water, going after the flip flop. He got the shoe, but the current was so strong and he could not get back in, and was being sucked closer and closer to some huge rocks. It was so scary. Another man with a life jacket jumped in, and they swam together further out to sea and then were able to swim into another beach where the rip tide wasn't so strong. We went over to see if he was okay, and he said he was and then walked away with Cody's shoe. Cody had found another shoe in the sand, and we realized that that man thought Cody's shoe was his....so after Cody went up to him, they swapped shoes and laughed about how he risked his life for another guy's cheap flip flop. As the afternoon progressed, people were getting hurt left and right. It was not the best place to swim, but it sure was beautiful and secluded. The Mexicans probably laugh at how they take all the tourists there and then they all come back injured.

The picture below was the last picture taken before our camera was ruined ;o( SAD!! Although we didn't get to snorkel like we planned it still was fun to be in such a beautiful place, there's nothing like the beach and hearing the ocean, it's so relaxing. When our taxi came to pick us up these men we paid to help us get on the boat told us to hurry into the water and jump up on the boat. Long story short I was half way on when a big wave knocked me back into the water, then as the wave receded back into the ocean it took me along, whacking my head on the boat, and then pushed me back towards shore. When Cody pulled me out of the water I was quite the sight. I didn't think it was possible to have that much sand in my hair and swimsuit. It was mainly my pride that was hurt, but oh well, it's one of those funny memories we can look back and laugh at.

We had fun on our last days at sea, they had a chocolate station one day which was divine. Anything you can think of that includes chocolate or can be dipped in chocolate was there. Cody surprised me with a trip to the spa the last day and I loved every minute there. It was such a fun trip and I loved having all that time alone with Cody....he is truly my best friend and the person I love being around the most....I can't wait to see what the next ten years brings!

{Sports, Sports, Sports!}

2010-06-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

With three boys my life is filled with sports, and I have learned to embrace it rather than resist it! My favorite sport to watch the boys play is baseball, and this year the boys played in the winter and spring league. They both got on great teams with fantastic coaches who pushed them and built their confidence. I loved watching and cheering on the sidelines....talking to the other moms and letting our little ones play in the grass and stain all their shirts with snow cone juice :o)

Rhett was thrilled to be on the same team as his cousin Mason, they were the Red Wings. Coach Kobel was great about letting all the kids rotate and play all the positions. Rhett really improved this season, I loved seeing him be more confident in himself!! He had lots of good hits (one double that he would love to tell you about!) as well as a double play which I was lucky to get on film....he loves to watch that over and over!

Ethan's team was the Raptor's and was filled with friends from our ward and also cousin Chloe! She was the only girl and she outran most of the boys! They were undefeated and had a great time!! Ethan loved to play first base and got lots of kids out. He can't wait for coach pitch, which he'll be old enough to do next season.

They have become huge Diamondback fans...watching the games and being thrilled to go to a game last week with Cody and my Dad.

Kade took a little gymnastics class through the city and was proud to show off his new skills....balance beam, crab walk, frog jump, bear walk, etc. He reminded me over and over, "take a picture of this mom!" and off course I happily obliged.

{Field Trips to the ZOO}

2010-05-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Spring was filled with field trips and I was able to go with Kade and his class to The Wildlife Zoo and with Ethan and his class to The Phoenix Zoo. There is nothing like going with little ones to the zoo, I love to see their excitement at getting close to the animals they only see on TV or in books! Kade especially loved the sting rays that he got to pet in the aquarium. Of course the merry-go-round was also a hit! The weather was so funky, from chilly to sunny - back to cold and then it hailed. That added to the fun and we had a great day that we spent with lots of friends from other preschool classes too.

Next I went with Ethan and his class to The Phoenix Zoo. I was able to ride on the bus the hour there and back and boy was that an experience! Lots of loud excited kids on the way there, and tired and sleepy kids on the way back. Add to that one child and parent left behind, with the bus having to turn around and go back to get them and you have the full experience.

Ethan's favorite animals were the monkeys and elephants. It was fun to be able to share his first field trip with him :o)

{Flashback Friday}

2010-05-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am wayyyy behind but have a lot to post and will hopefully do it soon!! This picture was taken almost four years ago at a party the city we live in puts on each year.